TPOTLPIM Chapter 14

"I'm bored."

Cecilia, who had been reading a book at the table in the count's estate garden, closed her book with a listless expression.

So bored. For the past few days, she had been holed up in her room, completely absorbed in developing her ideas for the mobile cannon, losing track of time.

But after finishing her thoughts to some degree, all that remained was a long, endless stretch of time.

Cecilia let her head fall onto the table with a thud. Her bright golden hair rippled and scattered across the table's surface.

The weather is beautiful. Too beautiful to waste staying inside.

In the past, she would have casually gone to see Rosein at times like this. But her old friend had somehow become irreversibly distant without Cecilia even realizing it.

'Should I send a letter to Lady Catherine?'

Cecilia immediately shook her head. No matter which lady she met, she wouldn't be able to avoid questions about Teros. Even if she explained that they were nothing to each other, the thought of them digging for gossip made her tired.

Lady Catherine was fairly straightforward for a socialite, but even the smallest words could easily turn into strange rumors as they circulated among the ladies.

Then Asen's innocent face appeared in Cecilia's mind. The image of her whispering apologies at Odik Castle.

'Should I call for Miss Asen?'

With Asen, she wouldn't need to explain or make excuses about Teros, so it would be more comfortable than with other ladies. However, Cecilia shook her head again. She had made such a firm resolution not to get entangled with the Odiks, and yet here was Asen Odik.

"Dalein, want to go see a musical with me?"

"Oh my, miss. What fun would I have watching a foreign language performance I can't even understand?"

Dalein continued watering the flowers without even turning her head.

"Or there's a delicious cake shop in the plaza. Let's go together."

"I'm busy today. With Jimmy taking a day off, I have to water this entire garden myself."

"I'll help you with the watering. Let's finish quickly and go together. Please?"

"Why don't you ask the marquis to take you to see a musical? I guarantee he'll come running right away."

When Dalein mentioned Teros, Cecilia remembered the letter she received yesterday and rubbed her arm once.

"I will come to Serin Street on Saturday afternoon. Let's go see the dress you couldn't fit last time. - Teros Jeminick"

When she needed to drag things out for six months, she couldn't afford to see him more often.

Eventually, she decided to go out alone and headed to her room in the mansion.

Just as she opened her dressing room and was wondering what clothes to choose.

Sizzle- Sizzle-

The magic communication device that Hadel had given her began ringing from inside her handbag.

"Miss Cecilia. This is Hadel."

Ugh, should I ignore that thing? Cecilia suppressed her irritation and answered the communicator.

"What do you need, Lord Hadel?"

"I was curious, you know. You went out with the marquis on Saturday, so how have you been getting along since then?"

"Why would Lord Hadel be curious about such things? Mind your own business. You gave me this communicator for surveillance purposes, didn't you?"

"Miss, believe it or not, I am on your side."

Cecilia snorted. While she was grateful that Hadel had secretly told her about what happened between Teros at Hasblue, Hadel was ultimately just pushing her into marriage for the Odik family's sake.

"Lord Hadel was the one who told Teros that I was coming to Odik Castle that day, wasn't he?"

"It was for your sake."

"It was for the Odiks' sake."

"Looking at your rude and undignified way of speaking, you're still keeping the marquis at a distance."

What's that supposed to mean?

"I'll contact you again next time. Next time, I hope you'll be on somewhat closer terms with the marquis."

"Wait! Don't hang up."

Cecilia, who had stopped Hadel, took a deep breath for a moment. She had resolved not to get involved with the Odiks, but she was too bored and needed a friend.

"Lord Hadel, don't contact me anymore and just put Miss Asen on instead."

After a moment, Asen's voice came through the communicator, and the two women arranged to meet at Gerard Square.

"Miss Cecilia, I was so happy that you called for me."

Asen, wearing a dark green dress, smiled with a blush on her face.

The two went to a newly opened coffee house in the plaza and chatted for a long time with cups of coffee in front of them.

Asen didn't seem to know specifically what Hadel had been plotting. However, she seemed to guess that the wound on his hand had been caused by Teros.

Asen showed signs of regret after hearing from Cecilia about what had happened with Hadel.

"I'm sorry, Cecilia. My brother detests having any blemish left on the family name. As you can see, our family may look respectable enough on the surface, but the reality is we're in a position of being shunned by the empire... Moreover, my very existence is also a blemish on the family."

"How can you say Asen is a blemish on the family? Lord Hadel may be somewhat selfish and a show-off, but he wouldn't think of his sister that way. What's wrong with causing some magical mishaps? Isn't that all part of the process of becoming a great mage?"

Asen burst into laughter when Cecilia's candid evaluation of Hadel was laid bare.

Cecilia asked Asen whether she could apply enhancement magic to the mobile cannon she was conceptualizing. Lightening the weight of the cannon barrel was important, but creating cannonballs with strong firepower was also crucial.

"I'm planning to manufacture the barrel by mixing in Tanir, but won't the magical power from Tanir cancel out the enhancement magic?"

"I think it might be possible if we twist the magic spell formula a bit! I'll think about it more when I get home. It's such an interesting topic, Cecilia."

Asen's eyes sparkled and an innocent, childlike smile spread across her face.

With such overflowing love and curiosity for magic, why hadn't God given Asen talent? Cecilia felt sorry for her as she smiled so brightly.

Then Asen, who had been enthusiastic, suddenly stepped back, perhaps becoming aware of her own limitations.

"Ah, but my brother knows much more about these things than I do..."

"I'll seek separate advice from the researcher through the imperial court when father returns. Our secret project can proceed separately. Who knows? We might make a great discovery first."

When Cecilia sent her a mischievous wink, Asen also smiled brightly while her cheeks flushed with color.

It was delightful to have a long overdue chat with a lady her own age. Moreover, the down-to-earth Asen was comfortable to be around, unlike ordinary noble ladies who required scheming and maneuvering to meet.

The two made promises for their next meeting and left the coffee house.

Just then, two tall men standing on the opposite side of the plaza caught her eye.

The moment she spotted that somewhat familiar hair like the waves of a night sea, Cecilia startled in shock and pulled Asen behind a tree to hide.

Her heart pounded wildly. What business did he have in the plaza?

Teros wasn't one to enjoy leisure activities. His daily routine was surprisingly simple - handling estate business at Hasblue, training the knight order, and occasionally going out hunting. Even his outings were limited to reporting to the imperial palace or visiting the main Jeminick ducal castle.

For such a Teros to appear in a bustling plaza on a weekday felt out of place. Last weekend made sense since he had come with Cecilia, but why today?

A sudden suspicion flashed through her mind, and Cecilia whispered to Asen.

"Asen, did you tell Lord Hadel that we were meeting at Gerard Square?"

In an instant, Asen's face burned red with panic and took on a tearful expression.

"Ah, that's... when we were talking on the communicator, my brother was listening from beside me. I think my brother must have contacted Lord Teros."

"Hah..."

Then a dark shadow appeared from behind the tree and cast itself over them.

"Cecilia, what are you doing here?"

"Aah!"

Asen screamed in surprise.

"Miss Odik was with you as well."

Teros's gaze swept over Asen coldly.

"Miss Asen and I just came out of the coffee house. What brings you here, Lord Teros?"

Cecilia sent a fairly bold, suspicious look toward Teros. If he was having Hadel monitor her every move, she would have to take issue with that.

Then the man who had been beside Teros suddenly interjected and offered greetings.

"Ah, so you're the lady of the Serin family that I've only heard about. The marquis has spoken of you often."

He was a man with impressively short-cropped red hair. Despite having a rather fierce appearance, his clear, untainted eyes made him seem more gentle than Teros beside him.

The man politely introduced himself to Cecilia.

"I am Marcel Kermin, captain of the Red Knights under the marquis."

Marcel wasn't someone with an ordinary appearance, but somehow felt familiar.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Marcel. I'm Cecilia Serin. Have we met somewhere before?"

"Well. I'm just someone who follows our marquis around, so there wouldn't have been an occasion for me to see you separately. Our marquis avoids places crowded with nobles."

"Then what brings Lord Teros, who avoids places where nobles swarm, to this bustling plaza?"

When Cecilia looked at Teros with eyes full of suspicion, Marcel replied with an expression of incredulity.

"Today we returned from the imperial palace and briefly stopped by a tailor shop. After meeting some young lady last week, our marquis's cherished outfit was ruined, you see. You don't actually think our marquis dragged even me along to chase after your shadow, do you?"

Cecilia winced at his words that struck straight to the point without any roundabout talk. He was indeed worthy of being a knight captain. He'd be excellent at jabbing precisely at his opponents' vital spots.

"Marcel, that's insolent. Don't address Cecilia the way you address me."

At those weighty, chilling words, Marcel concealed his earlier aggressive demeanor and scratched his head with a laugh.

"I apologize, my lady. I have a habit of being cheeky, so I often get scolded by the marquis."

Embarrassed by Marcel's pointed remark, Cecilia introduced Asen, who was beside her, to Marcel to change the subject.

"This is Miss Asen Odik."

"A demure young lady. You must be a different Miss Odik from the troublemaking youngest daughter of the Odik family, right? That house has two daughters, was it?"

"Marcel."

When Teros's frigid words took on even greater weight, Marcel shut his mouth.

Marcel was a prickly hedgehog despite his affable appearance. When Marcel spoke with barbs even toward Asen, Cecilia couldn't just sit there and take it.

"Do the Red Knights train in war of words as well? You could make people faint with your tongue alone."

"Cecilia, this fellow is behaving oddly today. He's probably got his hackles up at the ladies after hearing that I drank a love potion. Ah, this fellow isn't the type to spill secrets, so don't fret about him knowing of the love potion."

When Teros emphasized 'love potion,' Cecilia had nothing to say and closed her mouth. Having gained the upper hand in the conversation, Teros continued speaking.

"I'll apologize on behalf of this guy. As an apology, let me treat you ladies to some delicious dessert. How about Reno Bakery?"

Teros smartly turned even this moment into an excuse to spend time with Cecilia. It was fortunate that the bakery he had scouted in advance for taking Cecilia someday could be put to useful purpose at a time like this.

"No, it's also true that I misunderstood Lord Teros, so I'm not in a position to receive such treatment."

When Cecilia waved her hands in refusal of the proposal, Teros's eyes began to sink coldly. Since his recent demeanor had been quite gentle, Cecilia had to confront his somber expression devoid of smiles after a long while.

"Then what am I to do? If even dessert cannot repay the transgression, how should I punish this impudent subordinate who committed such discourtesy?"

In the bustling bakery interior, the four people sat at one table with teacups placed before them.

Beside the ladies' teacups sat slice cakes each topped with plump strawberries.

Marcel scrutinized the two women sitting across from him. No matter how he looked, they appeared to be pure and innocent ladies who wouldn't have a clue about schemes or dark machinations.

Even in Marcel's eyes, there was nothing suspicious about Cecilia. If she had fed his lord the love potion with some ulterior motive, she wouldn't have been pushing away the lord who sought meetings with her. Furthermore, seeing how she had dragged her reluctant feet here out of concern that he might face harsh punishment showed she was not only innocent but tender-hearted as well.

In truth, his spiteful behavior toward them had been petty revenge for putting his lord in a predicament.

'Our marquis is not the sort to fret over not receiving a woman's affection!'

Marcel cast a pitying glance at his lord seated right beside him.

With that handsome face and the aura that radiated from him even when he sat quietly, it was pitiful to watch him scrambling to manufacture excuses to be with Cecilia.

In any case, Marcel understood clearly what role he needed to play now. Having served as a pretext for his lord to come here with Cecilia, all that remained was to make a natural exit while taking Asen Odik, who sat across from him, along.

He sprang up like a coiled spring while crying out in an overblown voice.

"Good heavens! I must leave first as I have knight order training. My lord, please take your time with your conversation. You may dine before returning home. No, you absolutely must dine before returning!"

Ordinarily Marcel was quite adept at concealing his inner thoughts, but when it came to matters of romance he was hopelessly bumbling.

Teros was left agape at his cringeworthy antics.

Marcel, convinced his performance had been quite natural, even attentively tended to Asen Odik, who showed no intention of rising.

"I'll see you safely back to Odik Castle. I also have pressing matters to discuss regarding weapon enhancement."

But Asen, judging that Cecilia would be in an awkward position if left alone with Teros, stubbornly planted her bottom in the chair and held her ground.

"My apologies, but I'm a troublemaker so I have nothing worthwhile to say. Please discuss weapon enhancement with my brother."

"That's right, Asen hasn't even finished her cake yet. It's perfectly fine for her to stay with us a little longer."

With Cecilia linking arms and holding fast to prevent Asen from departing, the two ladies appeared to be inseparable kindred spirits.

That's when it happened.

"Kyaah! What are you doing!"

"What did I do wrong? Where do you get off shrieking so rudely!"

At the shouting that filled the bakery to capacity, the four people's heads all turned toward the source of the commotion.

Prince Crolyn was embroiled in a quarrel with a waitress.

Prince Crolyn was a person of the Dant ducal family, which possessed prestige on par with the Jeminick ducal family.

If the Jeminick ducal family were collateral imperial relatives, then the Dant ducal family were founding meritorious subjects who had maintained their power through recognized status since the empire's establishment.

Upon seeing Prince Crolyn, Cecilia furrowed her brow.

He was a notorious scoundrel in aristocratic society. When not intoxicated, he was quite accomplished in swordsmanship and horsemanship, but his excessive fondness for drink and women was the problem. The present situation clearly appeared to be him having groped the waitress.

The waitress bit her lip and wore an expression on the verge of tears as people's gazes concentrated on her. The tears that had filled to the brim and seemed ready to tumble down at any moment were pitiable.

"Hey, what kind of manners is that toward a prince! Hurry up and apologize!"

When the bakery owner rushed out in dismay and yelled at her, Prince Crolyn became even more triumphant and jumped up shouting.

"Ha, you think you can settle this with just an apology? She pinned false accusations on me, claiming I touched her worthless bottom - is that a small sin? That wench should get on her knees and kiss my shoes."