Chapter 1: Fake Ideal (9)

As the short conversation ended, the carriage gradually came to a stop. Since a soundproofing spell was cast, the coachman knocked instead of calling out to announce their arrival.

Tehis got out first and helped Chloe disembark. Instead of letting go of his hand after stepping down, she boldly linked her arm with his.

Her playful face looked up at him with a bright smile.

“Let’s go in like this, together.”

Tehis looked down at her sparkling eyes, nodded slightly, and started walking. His pace was slow enough for Chloe, with her relatively shorter stride, to keep up easily.

This delicate consideration wasn’t something he had from the beginning; it was largely due to the earnest advice of his aide, who took the contract relationship seriously.

“It is an honor to serve you at North Paradise, Your Grace.”

“Yes.”

“Your reserved table is this way.”

Crossing the threshold opened by the manager, they entered the luxurious restaurant, attracting glances with every step.

Ignoring the quiet murmurs, the two arrived at the private room and sat side by side on the plush sofa. Although the cutlery and menu were originally set up to face each other, the staff quickly rearranged them.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Red wine, aged over 20 years, any will do.”

“Mushri extract, diluted 13% in water.”

“Pardon?”

Mushri…? What is that?

Fortunately, before he could ask, the Grand Duke spoke first.

“Chloe, such things are not served in northern restaurants.”

“Oh, really? Then what do people drink after staying up all night?”

“Most people sleep at night.”

“They have weak stamina.”

Rather than explaining, Tehis silently handed the menu to her, turned to the beverage section.

Chloe, tilting her head at the page mostly filled with alcoholic drinks, glanced at the manager.

“I’d like a tea that’s good for relieving fatigue.”

“Then I recommend chamomile tea. If you like it sweet, I can serve it with honey.”

“Please do.”

Bowing deeply, the man performed his duties faithfully and asked,

“If this is your first time in the North, would you like me to introduce the local specialties?”

“No, it’s fine. Tess will help me.”

“Understood.”

The manager, bewildered by the situation, answered politely and stepped back. He was curious about the woman’s identity and her relationship with the Grand Duke.

‘Tess? Is there any young lady who calls Grand Duke Escalante by that name?’

Despite his confusion, he prepared and served the drinks while listening to the couple’s conversation. It seemed to have veered off-topic while choosing the menu.

“Do they have seafood dishes in the North?”

“They probably import it frozen. Due to the high transportation cost, only upscale restaurants serve it.”

“Don’t they have Kraken legs? I’d like to try them.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone catching a Kraken.”

Standing a few steps back, like a decorative piece on the wall, the manager internally agreed with the Grand Duke. Kraken was almost a legendary deep-sea monster.

Questioning the woman’s sanity over the drink issue, he turned pale at her next words.

“The previous Mage Tower Master secretly went and cut off a few legs. He used them all for research and left only one sucker, which made my Master sad.”

“……I see.”

“I think my Master also goes occasionally to collect. He hinted that the Kraken’s regenerative ability is less than known.”

“I see.”

At that moment, the manager truly respected the Grand Duke. If it were him, he would have fainted instead of responding.

A Kraken? Collecting its legs? The previous Mage Tower Master? Master?

The words, which didn’t seem like jokes, made his head spin.

‘Magic, a mage!’

And a disciple of the Mage Tower Master?!

Ignoring the silently shocked manager, the couple continued their conversation.

“Cow liver?”

“I’ve heard it’s not bad.”

“Surprising. Eating innards… not my taste.”

“Isn’t it better than monster meat?”

“Personally, I found harpy thigh meat quite good. If you can get it, would you like to try?”

“I’ll consider it.”

Isn’t it more surprising that you eat monsters than someone eating animal organs?

The manager swallowed his internal scream. No matter how out of it he was, he wasn’t crazy enough to voice such thoughts to a mage.

After chatting about various foods, the couple finally decided on the menu a few minutes later. Despite mentioning all sorts of bizarre dishes, they ordered a very ordinary steak set. The middle-aged man, who looked decades older by then, staggered out.

Click.

“So.”

Behind the closed door, Chloe snapped her fingers. As the sound spread, the air wavered, forming a transparent barrier.

Blocking the room’s sounds, she leaned languidly on the sofa and crossed her legs.

“Have you thought about it? Our first meeting, or the reason we fell in love.”

Anticipating the question, Tehis answered calmly.

“Didn’t we decide it was when we met a year ago while inspecting the warp gate and receiving payment?”

“We need to specify exactly what happened that day. We can’t say we started dating immediately upon meeting.”

Having actually met back then, they stared blankly at each other. Chloe’s appearance was hidden under the Mage Tower robe, which didn’t reveal anything, but they did exchange words.

The problem was that it was entirely businesslike.

Sharing the same thought, they fell silent for a moment. Tehis was the first to speak.

“How about saying I saw you without the robe when we were alone and fell in love at first sight?”

“That’s…”

Possible?

There were cases in books where people fell in love at first sight and got married.

‘I’ve never been in love, so how would I know.’

After some thought, Chloe nodded. It was a collaboration bound to drive singles crazy.

“Since you said I’m your ideal type, it could work.”

“That’s a relief.”

As Tehis sighed in relief, a sudden question came.

“But is it true?”

“What is?”

“Your ideal type. Purple hair, orange eyes, clear skin, what else? Kind eyes? Delicate body?”

Tehis was at a loss for words at Chloe’s detailed recollection.

How was he supposed to explain this? That he used her as an excuse to avoid the Princess’s proposal?

‘She would love that.’

Moreover, he had half-forgotten the description of his ideal type, so seeing her anew, he found it astonishingly accurate.

‘Not sure about kind eyes.’

More like curious eyes, perhaps?

Not wanting to delve into the complicated story involving the Princess, he hesitated and asked back.

“Do you have to know?”

“No? But I’m curious. Why such an ideal type?”

Sipping her tea with honey, Chloe added casually,

“Because it’s the opposite of the Princess?”

“…”

Tehis closed his mouth, hit right on the mark. He realized again how smart the woman beside him was.

Ignoring him, Chloe took another sip of tea and made an ambiguous sound.

“That’s good. It makes it fair.”

Before he could ask, Chloe placed her hand on his thigh and looked into his blue eyes.

Tehis, suddenly tense, licked his dry lips.

“What is…”

“I’ll make you my ideal type.”

What?

His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

Smiling brightly, she withdrew her hand and added more honey to her tea.

“Saying we started dating immediately because we were each other’s ideal type sounds plausible, doesn’t it? Since both are fake, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Stirring her tea with a teaspoon, the Grand Duke, who almost agreed, rubbed his chin.

It did seem more convincing.

‘Do I have qualities that could make me her ideal type?’

Tehis scrutinized Chloe. With her unusual colors, she was a stunning beauty even without any adornments.

The combination of violet galaxy and sunset sky was a first for him, giving her a unique aura. Adding her abilities, his past description of her as an attractive woman was nothing but the truth.

Compared to that, what about him? His black hair was like a shadow, and his expressionless face had a scar.

Good at sword fighting? High rank? What use are those to a mage?

Becoming a noble and belonging to a country meant being expelled from the Mage Tower, which was a huge negative.

In the end, he had nothing she might like.

<If it weren’t for you…! If only you hadn’t been born!!>

“…”

Tehis rubbed his nape tiredly. No matter how hard he tried, he could only think of reasons why he wasn’t lovable.

So he decided to ask her directly what she thought.

“What kind of ideal type are you thinking of?”

“A cute guy.”

“Cute…?”

For a moment, he thought he misheard. Of all the adjectives, it was the most unexpected.

Frozen like a malfunctioning machine, he received a smooth follow-up.

“A man who looks cold but acts cute. Handsome, gentlemanly, knightly, well-mannered, kind, obedient, wealthy, clueless but subtly skilled?”

Tehis was confused about whether all those traits described him.

Who would believe that those expressions referred to the Monster of the North?

While doubting if she was mistaking him for someone else, Chloe smiled and poked his chest.

“Since you’re also interesting, isn’t that enough to be an ideal type?”

“…I see.”

The man didn’t fully understand but roughly agreed.

Since it was a fake ideal type, and perceptions of people were subjective, no one could argue if she insisted.

Thinking that way, it seemed quite plausible.

“Publicly, since we’re dating with marriage in mind, I should appear to love you immensely. Enough to give up the Mage Tower if necessary. Though we’ll eventually break up, for now, I should act like I found the perfect man.”

“That makes sense. I’ll cooperate fully.”

The probability of falling in love at first sight with an ideal type was almost zero, but neither had ever properly experienced romance.

The question of whether a fateful meeting where they both fell in love at first sight existed didn’t even occur to them, and they moved on smoothly.