ICTGMP 17

Chapter 17

My Male Lead Has Become Twisted! (4)

“Of course not.”

“Because it would go against morality?”

I wondered if the man standing before me was really Adel. I stiffened and asked,

“Let me ask you one thing. Is the method you’re talking about actually guaranteed to work?”

“No, it isn’t.”

A quiet sigh escaped me.

The reason Adel was being this extreme was probably because he felt guilty. Even though there was no reason for him to feel sorry, he simply couldn’t accept it.

I relaxed my expression and looked up at Adel.

“Adel, you don’t have to blame yourself. It isn’t your fault that I got sick. It was simply my fate. So please don’t say things you don’t mean.”

Adel closed his mouth with a dissatisfied expression. I tried to reason with him.

“I like spending time with you. When I’m with you, I have fun even if we don’t do anything. But if you keep feeling that kind of burden, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Am I becoming a burden to you?”

“Your words make it sound as though you’re putting my feelings before your own life.”

For some reason, he sounded slightly sarcastic.

“Do they?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, everyone I’ve met so far has asked something of me, whether big or small. Even when they didn’t, they had the preconceived notion that I would inevitably do the right thing. Of course, I intentionally cultivated that image… but you’re different, Anastasia. I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

At that moment, I resented the Duke a little. Adel seemed almost obsessed with the idea that he had to be a good boy no matter what happened or what situation he found himself in.

“All I want is for you to have fun with me.”

“Is that all?”

Adel didn’t seem convinced, so I emphasized it once more.

“That’s all.”

“I can’t understand. If you use me, you might find a way to survive. Since your life is at stake, wouldn’t it be natural for you to act selfishly? Are you worried about the aftermath? I’ll take care of that myself.”

Enough was enough. His nonsense just wouldn’t end!

“You idiot! Do you think I’d stain your hands with blood just to stay alive?!”

Unable to hold myself back, I grabbed Adel by the collar.

“If you say something that horrifying one more time, I’ll ban you from entering the Count’s estate. Understood?”

I could feel the flower shop owner staring at us, but I ignored him. I glared at Adel as though I really intended to hit him.

“Adel. Answer me.”

“But—”

“Hey.”

“…All right.”

What a stubborn blockhead. I released his collar and grumbled.

“Do you really think you’d feel better only if I asked you for something?”

Adel couldn’t answer right away. I narrowed my eyes.

“Tell me honestly. Are you worried about me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to live a long time?”

Nod, nod. Adel moved his head.

Ugh. Why did even that look cute to me again? I must really be losing my mind.

“Adel, could you lower your head for a moment?”

Though he still looked dissatisfied, Adel obeyed me.

I rose onto my tiptoes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. A light mwah sounded.

Adel’s eyes widened, and I whispered,

“Thank you. But I’m really okay. To be honest, I wasn’t sure before, but now that you’re by my side, I’m not afraid at all. I’m only a little worried that Ash Cloud might spit on my coffin.”

Right. There was that bastard.

“You never know what might happen. Who knows? Maybe the Young Marquis will die before you.”

Perhaps Adel had decided to become twisted as well, because he casually spouted something so ominous. I laughed it off.

“That would certainly be something to see.”

Just as I was about to leave before we attracted any more attention, Adel carefully slipped an arm around mine.

“Anastasia.”

“Yes, Adel?”

I looked at him, wondering if he still had something to say. Adel smiled faintly.

“Perhaps you’ll come to regret me someday.”

He didn’t give me a chance to respond.

“But I’ll treat you so well that you won’t have the heart to hate me too much.”

A chilling light flickered in Adel’s eyes.

This time, I was certain I hadn’t imagined it.

Our awkward walk was drawing to an end. In hindsight, perhaps I shouldn’t have grabbed him by the collar.

Adel had only acted that way because he was worried about me. I could have simply reasoned with him instead of overreacting.

I nervously glanced at Adel.

What did he think of me? A friend with an incurable illness? But if that was all I was to him, something felt missing.

Adel took extraordinary care of me.

Of course, Adel was kind to everyone, but I still felt as though he treated me a little differently. Somehow, that made me hope for more and become greedy.

Could it really just be my imagination? Was I being too conceited?

Following Adel’s lead, I eventually found myself back at the Count’s estate. He stopped walking and spoke gently.

“Anastasia, could you come to the ducal estate tomorrow? Father said he has a present he wants to give you.”

I was horrified.

“Again?”

I had already put the teacup I received last time in the safe because it was too precious! There was no way I had the nerve to actually drink tea from something that valuable.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll come to pick you up.”

Adel gave me a smile capable of captivating anyone.

It was dazzling! I could practically see a halo shining behind him! Was this how Lady Lynet felt?

“Mmm, okay.”

I nodded before I could even think about it, and Adel bid me farewell.

“Then rest well.”

How could a farewell be so plain? I’d heard other noblemen even kissed ladies on the back of their hands.

Come to think of it, Adel’s reaction when I kissed his cheek had been rather subtle. His eyes had widened in surprise, but that was all.

Was I the only one caught up in some sort of romance…?

I entered the estate gloomily and spotted the gardener decorating the flowers I had ordered.

After changing into comfortable clothes, I munched on some chocolate and asked Ilina,

“Ilina, what do you think Adel thinks of me?”

“A close friend who happens to be biologically female?”

Ilina was merciless.

“Argh!”

What was this?!

“It does seem as though the Young Master considers you special, but… he’s kind to everyone, so it’s difficult to say for certain.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

Swallowing my tears, I stuffed another piece of chocolate into my mouth.

The next day, Adel and I headed to the Magnus Ducal Estate. To my surprise, the Duke himself was outside waiting for us.

The moment I saw him, I couldn’t hide my astonishment.

“Gasp!”

“Welcome, Anastasia.”

The Duke was wearing glasses.

Glasses!

He was wearing glasses!

“Are you really allowed to look this handsome?!”

I exclaimed without thinking.

The Duke smiled.

“I suppose I’ll have to wear glasses more often from now on.”

No wonder the Duke was so confident about his appearance.

My heart was pounding. I could feel my face heating up.

Ah, I think I’m actually going to get a nosebleed.

“The Duke is so handsome that I’m curious what Adel will look like when he grows up. I wish I could see the grown-up Adel too…”

Adel would probably still be handsome even when he became a grandfather. I was sure of it!

Suddenly, the Duke fell silent.

Adel’s expression had stiffened as well, leaving me confused.

“Why are you both like that?”

Had I said something wrong? I’d only said that I wanted to see what Adel would look like in the future…

Wait.

Had I said it in a wistful voice just now?

Had I sounded like a terminally ill patient talking about an impossible dream?

“Ah, don’t mind me. I was just saying.”

I hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

“I’m really fine.”

But neither the Duke nor Adel moved. Both of them remained frozen.

I slowly began backing away.

Should I just go home?

“Um…”

While I desperately tried to read the room, Adel sighed.

“Father, you’re making Anastasia uncomfortable.”

Only then did the Duke press his fingers to his brow, close his eyes, and open them again.

“…Yes. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Come inside.”

I followed the Duke into a huge room.

And what unfolded before me looked as though every dress in the world had been gathered into one place.

“Wh-What?”

Our family was hardly poor. In fact, we were among the ten wealthiest families in the Empire, yet even I found this sight difficult to believe.

A hundred dresses? Two hundred?

No, perhaps even more…

Even if I emptied my entire dressing room, there would still be fewer clothes than this.

The Duke’s voice brought my panicking mind back to reality.

“I heard a party for underage nobles will be held soon. I prepared some clothes you might wear.”

“How many dresses are there?”

“I don’t know. I bought the shops wholesale.”

The Duke said it as casually as though he had gone out to buy some ice cream.

“I’m scared of you, Duke.”

The dresses seemed to stretch on forever.

They were arranged by color, design, sleeve length, and skirt length, and lavishly decorated with diamonds, rubies, peridots, amethysts, and other jewels. A single dress alone looked as though it would cost a fortune.

“What? It would be troublesome if you got bored already. I never said I bought only one shop.”

“…What?”

What was wrong with this man?

I’m not your long-lost biological daughter, you know!

“There are still the accessories.”

The Duke was shameless and arrogant.

I was speechless.

“You really must possess enough wealth to buy an entire country and still have money left over. But please, have mercy. I refuse to accept anything more!”

Suddenly, the Duke’s expression darkened.

“I won’t deny it. But that is precisely why this is so strange. If I put my mind to it, I can acquire artifacts from thousands of years ago, weapons said to have been used by the Son of God, or treasures hidden beneath the Imperial Palace. Yet do you really think it makes sense that I still haven’t found a cure for your illness?”

Apparently, he had taken my words to heart.

I deliberately answered in a light tone.

“Maybe it’s just because my illness is that rare?”

“I don’t want to accept that as the only explanation yet. While searching for your medicine, Will and I have discovered cures for all kinds of incurable diseases. Yet none of them were of any use to you. Except for the medicine we found this time.”

Ugh, suddenly my stomach…

“You mean the medicine with the green chunks floating in it?”

I eyed him warily.

“Even that can only be expected to slow the progression of the disease.”

“That sounds pretty amazing to me.”

“Not at all. If you knew what ingredients were used to make it…”

I hurriedly cut him off.

“Ah, I really don’t want to know. If even Adel warned me about it, then it must be absolutely horrifying!”

As I desperately tried to deny reality, the Duke laughed.

He gently patted my head.

“Then enough idle chatter. Go try on some dresses. Gabriella will help you.”

“You’re not telling me to try on all of those, are you?”

I grumbled.

I had to admit it. I felt comfortable around the Duke.

He treated me without hesitation and had a remarkable ability to cloak everything in shameless confidence so that I never felt uncomfortable or burdened. He really did feel like my godfather.

“You should focus on choosing dresses that are easy to move around in. You’ll have to run around quite a bit at this party. We’ll go downstairs, then.”

The handsome father and son left, leaving me alone in the room with a maid and an elegant-looking woman.

The woman bowed gracefully to me.