MBSGBC 14

Chapter 14

A few evenings later, Leon Voltain showed up with the face of a disobedient puppy. I glanced behind the large shadow of the man standing at my doorstep, then finally asked what I was curious about.

“Where’s Lucian?”

“I didn’t bring him.”

“Why not?”

“Because it seems like you’re only interested in the kid.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Want to know what’s *really* ridiculous?”

The man who had casually walked into my house without any invitation said one thing.

“Chastang Pearl.”

“……”

I obediently shut my mouth.

The news that I had received pearl jewelry from Countess Chastang spread like wildfire, along with the issue of Leon’s illegitimate child. I screamed to myself every day as I looked at the enormous pile of invitations arriving daily.

As it turned out, the pearls in the jewelry set Countess Chastang had given me were no ordinary items.

They were treasures that could only be harvested in minuscule amounts from a rare magical beast—and they even bore the name of the Chastang family, who had first discovered them!

Whether he knew how horrified I had been upon learning that fact late or not, Leon tilted his lips crookedly.

“I heard you came back wearing Chastang pearls instead of the jewelry I gave you?”

His hand, approaching leisurely, brushed coldly against the back of my neck.

“For whose eyes?”

“Well, how was I supposed to refuse Countess Chastang’s gift on the spot?”

“Are you scared of her?”

“Yes!”

“Then what about me?”

The man’s large body suddenly drew closer.

A face so beautiful it sent chills down my spine looked down at me. Deep blue eyes, shimmering like rippling water, stared straight at me—eyes I had once gazed into for a very long time. Just as I was about to fall into some sentimental reverie, I clenched my teeth.

Without mercy, I headbutted him right in the chin!

“……!”

“Don’t even think about threatening me!”

Leon, who had stepped back a pace with his hand on his chin, raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Does that mean I’m allowed to use force?”

His tone was playful, but I instantly felt my back grow cold. Ah, damn it. I’d pushed too far. I had gotten so comfortable around him lately that I’d forgotten—he was the Madman of the Magic Tower!

“I-I never said anything like that……”

“Fine.”

With a smirk, the man lowered his head and gave me a quick peck on the lips before pulling away.

“Look forward to it.”

My face burning red, I covered my lips with my hand. Only after Leon had stepped out my front door did I finally manage to raise my voice in a panic.

“L-Look forward to what?!”

He didn’t even look back. He merely waved one hand lightly in the air as if in greeting, walked through the garden, and calmly boarded his carriage.

It was an ordinary-looking carriage, bearing no insignia of the ducal house.

Rita, who had opened a box covered in black silk, screamed.

“M-My lady! This is a tiara set……!”

“A tiara… what?”

“A tiara set! A tiara, necklace, earrings, bracelet, and brooch—all included! Oh my goodness. I feel like I could ascend to the heavens right now.”

I felt the color drain from my face as I held my pen to record the contents of the box.

Rita, ignoring my state, ran over to me with the tiara in hand. She almost tripped and corrected her posture—her excitement was plain to see.

She held the tiara up against my hair and murmured, entranced.

“The deep color of these sapphires suits you so perfectly, my lady! Mmm, if you wear these ornaments and stand beside His Grace, it’ll look as if his colors have transferred onto you. How romantic!”

“I see……”

I replied weakly and continued writing my notes.

Tiara. Design mixing sapphires, diamonds, and peridots. Matching necklace, earrings, bracelet, brooch, and belt included.

What kind of list is this, you ask?

“My lady. The ducal carriage has arrived. With a flower basket… and a dress.”

It was the list of gifts Leon had been sending like a madman.

At Cyril’s report as she approached with soft footsteps, I tore at my hair. I didn’t even care about Rita’s cry that my hairstyle was being ruined!

“The letter! Did you get a reply to the letter?!”

At my shout, Cyril answered flatly.

“There was no reply to the letter.”

“I need to send another letter! Send the ducal carriage back immediately. And the gifts too!”

“Well, the carriage had already unloaded all the boxes and left……”

“Argh! Leon Voltain, you absolute—!”

If I had known that day that it was a declaration of war, I would never have let Leon Voltain go so easily…!

I hastily scribbled another letter. I’d lost count of how many this was.

*’Please stop this and let’s talk. I’m begging you.’*

I stared at my words for a moment, then added a few more characters.

*’I miss you. Mwah mwah.’*

After fluttering the letter written in gold ink to dry it, I handed it to Cyril.

“Send this to the ducal house immediately! And from today on, if the ducal carriage arrives, don’t let them unload any gifts!”

“But that… we don’t have the authority to obstruct His Grace’s affairs.”

“It’s not an order, it’s a gift. It’s fine to refuse.”

“Are you certain that’s wise?”

Cyril’s dark gaze was serious. Her eyes were asking, *’Won’t he just get even more sulky?’* I pounded my chest and nodded.

“Then tell him this. I want a reply, not gifts. If he doesn’t send a letter along with the gifts, I won’t accept them! Surely even he will listen to that much.”

“Understood. I’ll deliver the message at once.”

Cyril left immediately for the Voltain ducal residence. I collapsed onto the sofa.

My plan to live quietly had been completely shattered. Because Leon Voltain had gone berserk.

He hadn’t shown his face all week, instead sending carriages four times a day. The carriages were a very conspicuous black, emblazoned with the Voltain family’s dragon crest—and above all, they were packed to bursting with flowers and gift boxes.

Yes.

He had done that four times a day, every day, for an entire week.

The Duke of Voltain, visiting with a child to buy women’s clothing.

And then, out of nowhere, the Duke of Voltain showering an unmarried young lady with gifts.

There wasn’t a single noble who failed to realize what these two things meant.

That is to say, the flood of invitations I had been receiving came to an abrupt halt.

The pretty face that had smiled and said *’Look forward to it’* flashed through my mind, and my blood pressure shot up.

When he said “use force,” I naturally assumed he meant a physical fight—never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be *this* kind of force.

What on earth was so infuriating about me coming back wearing Countess Chastang’s jewelry instead of his gifts?!

“My lady—I mean, my lady, don’t lose heart! Look at this! Either way, jewels are jewels!”

Rita said to me, holding up boxes piled like a mountain in the study.

I shot up from my seat. The list of jewels stacked on the study desk caught my eye.

“Right.”

Yellow diamond necklace, a brooch with leaf-shaped peridots and rose-shaped ruby accents, a large sapphire ring crafted to look as if a star was trapped inside……

“Jewels are jewels!”

I clenched my fist.

“Even if he asks for them back later, I’m never returning them!”

“That’s right, my lady, that’s the spirit!”

“Rita, organize all the boxes. I’ll need to have a special vault made that can hold magical enchantments, so call a merchant.”

“My lady—I mean, my lady, that’s amazing!”

For the sake of my mental health, I couldn’t just sit still.

I helped Rita organize the boxes. Seeing such an overwhelming number of them left me so dumbfounded I couldn’t even complain. He truly had a unique way of making someone choke on water. I could only admire Leon Voltain.

As I meticulously compared the boxes against the records, pondering the profound question of how much I could sell them all for, Cyril’s voice rang out again.

“My lady, a carriage from the Count’s house has arrived.”

“Send it ba—wait. Not the ducal house?”

“Yes. From the Chastang Count’s residence……”

Was it my imagination, or did Cyril’s usually expressionless face seem somewhat tense?

“Dominic Chastang, the second young master of House Chastang, has come to visit.”

I dropped the bundle of record sheets I was holding. Papers covered with jewel illustrations scattered across the floor in every direction.