Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“D-don’t do that!”

Henrique seemed to think I was mocking him by stroking his hair. He turned red all the way down to his neck and shook his head violently.

I took my hand away, and he glared at me angrily, fuming, before turning and rushing toward the entrance.

“Hey! Take the book with you!”

But Henrique was already gone.

He’s so quick. It’s like he’s a squirrel or something. I stood there for a moment, taken aback, then returned the book to the shelf. I’d approached him with good intentions, not knowing he’d misinterpret them. It was only to be expected, considering how Deborah had behaved toward Henrique in the past, but I couldn’t help feeling rather bitter about it all the same.

It wasn’t my intention to upset him. I supposed this was nothing compared to the incident with the duke, who had actually considered a request for four thousand gold to be a considerate, noble gesture.

“Ugh.” I couldn’t help but sigh. I was supposed to be getting a second chance at life in this world, but nothing seemed to be going the way I wanted it to. Not that I have any right to complain.

“Lady Deborah, please come and pick up your last cake.”

I got ready to leave as soon as I saw that note that had arrived with a box of desserts… from the Blanchard guild master.

* * *

Rushing out of the library at top speed, away from Deborah, Henrique rubbed at his hot cheeks and tried to catch his breath.

“Because you were so cute.”

The child’s cheeks grew even warmer as he remembered the way his sister had said those words with a smile on her face. His sister was a nasty person and no doubt she’d been making fun of him for his slow growth, but her gentle voice and the way she’d smiled with her eyes had left him feeling shaken. What was more, her hand had felt so warm as she patted his head softly. His heart was racing.

“I need to get it together!” Henrique slapped himself on the cheek, trying to shake off the confusion he felt seeing Deborah act so strangely.

He reminded himself over and over that, though she might look as enticing as a rose on the outside, she was really a venomous viper. And there was no way she’d patted him on the head because she really thought him cute.

He had killed his mother just by being born after all. Suddenly, the boy’s shoulders slumped. Whenever he remembered that his birthday was also the anniversary of his mother’s death, he felt himself sinking into the depths of despair.

“The duke has been focusing on nothing but his work ever since his wife passed away. It’s such a sad affair. That’s why you need to behave yourself, young sir. That way the duke will not resent you...”

The words his nursemaid had whispered to him echoed in his ears. Henrique wandered through the mansion, a dark scowl on his face, and came to a stop in front of the flower garden, which was now undergoing renovations. It had been preserved with magic for a very long time, but one day the spells simply disappeared.

I wonder what got into Father? As far as I know, this was Mother’s favorite place. The mysterious weight that had pressed down on him whenever he saw the immaculate, unchanging roses seemed to lift a little.

Henrique watched as the laborers flipped the ash-covered dirt with shovels and planted saplings. His legs eventually began to hurt, so he headed inside the annex. The nursemaid, who’d been pacing in front of Henrique’s room, rushed over to him.

“Young master! It’s time for your private lessons! Where have you been?”

“The library...” the boy said.

“I’ve told you so many times—keep an eye on the clock! Thankfully, the tutor is still waiting for you. I have your textbooks ready. We need to hurry.”

Henrique’s silver eyes grew subdued. Clenching his sweaty hands, the boy bit his lip.

* * *

“Welcome, Lady Deborah,” a woman who appeared to be the owner greeted me as soon as I arrived at Maison.

There was a look of unmistakable fear on her face. Probably because I flipped a table and destroyed some of the tableware last time.

“The guild master informed me that my lady would be coming for the cake.”

“Lead the way,” I said.

The woman took me into a fully stocked storeroom at the back of which was another secret passageway. There was a room with a spatial magic circle at Maison, too, just like there had been at Diana, which allowed for teleportation to the guild master’s location. I didn’t know spatial magic circles were this common.

“My lady, please come over here. We can leave right away.”

“Wait. How many pounds is this magic circle capable of transporting?”

The woman looked puzzled by the question. “I’ve seen five adults use it at the same time, but I’m not sure about its maximum capacity.”

“I see.”

I’d been hoping to get a free answer out of her to satisfy my curiosity since asking the guild master was sure to cost money. Five people... That’s at least 250 kilograms, I guess. I was thinking to myself that wasn’t too bad a limit when the magic circle and stones began to glow.

“Master, Lady Deborah has arrived.”

“Ah, our important guest is here,” an imposing voice echoed through the corridor.

I suddenly felt nervous. I can’t let him intimidate me. Donning a severe expression and about to enter the room I was stopped in my tracks. A golden mass of fur was rushing toward me, panting.

It was Cookie, the guild master’s pet. The big cat approached, circling me and nosing the pouches holding the catnip I wore under my dress, then licked my hand with his scratchy tongue. I rubbed his fluffy chin and he purred as he narrowed his eyes until he resembled a fox.

“Cookie, come here,” the guild master said rather sternly.

Cookie whimpered, refusing to leave my side. In the novel, he growled threateningly whenever the guild master sounded upset, intimidating whoever he was speaking to. The power of drugs is no joke.

“Ugh, what is the matter with him? Please have a seat,” he said, summoning a chair using magic.

Cookie peeked around at me with his golden eyes as soon as I was seated and slunk closer. He put his head on my lap. The master huffed briefly, sounding resigned.

Cookie glanced at me and then at the guild master when he heard his owner sigh. He looked like a fearsome enough beast to attack his own master, but in reality, he seemed to be nervously sensing his master’s disapproval. I found him very cute and before I knew it, I was grinning.

“Cookie’s cute, right?” the master said.

I quickly wiped the smile from my face, scrambling to change the subject. “Ahem! I... I heard you’re finished with the magic pouch.”

“Getting right down to business, are we? So cold-hearted of you, my lady.” His chiding tone made me feel a little guilty since I’d also made such a ruckus at one of his shops recently.

“You already knew exactly what kind of person I was when we started this. Information is your trade, so you must have heard the rumors about me.”

“Yes. Indeed, I have...” he trailed off.

His reaction surprised me. Did he feel guilty about it? I felt a chill go down my spine as I looked into his glassy eyes. “I’m sorry, but we aren’t close enough to be making small chat, are we?” I said.

He shrugged. “Well, we can change that from today.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Maybe you’d get a few discounts if we were closer.”

“You are a businessman to the core. I doubt you’d do anything that would diminish your bottom line.”

The guild master barked out a laugh. “I had no idea you’d be so astute. Well, we can work on our friendship later. Let’s get to it, then.” He handed me the magical pouch I’d requested.

It looked ordinary enough on the outside, but when I undid the cord and looked inside, I could see nothing but inky darkness. I started putting in the items I had on me to test them out. That’s intriguing. The tiny opening sucked in everything I put inside, like a tiny black hole. I was busy testing the pouch when the man suddenly held out his hand expectantly.

“My lady.”

“What?”

“Give me your hand.”

What is he up to all of a sudden? “I’m not a puppy. Why should I give you my hand? How forward of you.”

“If you were to lose that pouch and wanted to call it to you, we must assign the summoning coordinates to your hand.”

“Oh.”

“Why would I treat you like a puppy? If we’re being real, my lady is definitely more of the feline persuasion.” After delivering that random comment, he took my hand in his.

I felt the cold leather of his glove against my skin, and then his hand began to glow faintly. His hands are so big. My ideal type is a man with long fingers who can play the piano. Huh? What am I thinking? Frankly, the situation was rather conducive to such silly thoughts. If anyone saw us now, they would think we were lovers holding hands.

“How long is this process? It seems like it’s taking quite a while.”

He immediately removed his hand from mine. “All done.” The complicated diagrams that had appeared on my palm melted away like snow in the spring. “You just need to say this incantation to summon the pouch.” He wrote the spell out for me.

As soon as I saw what he’d written down, I resolved to never lose the pouch. “Reach inside through the opening if you wish to take something out. You won’t be able to see what you’re holding, so I suggest keeping only gold coins inside.”

“I see.”

He then moved on to my next request. “It was wise of you not to wear the pink diamond to the Academy.”

“Huh?”

“It seems you’ve made the nobility only more curious to see what it looks like since you’re now hiding it away.”

I had just wanted to avoid angering Pilav. The guild master, however, seemed to be under the impression that I was trying to make the diamond even more appealing.

“Was it intentional?”

“Ahem! Well, of course.”

In reality, it was just a coincidental side effect, but I tried to look completely unsurprised by his comments.

“If you wish to drive up the diamond’s value and reputation even further, continue to hide it as you have been doing until now. Wear it only once the opportune moment arrives.”

“When would that be?” I asked.

“I think the spring festival, to be held next month, would be perfect. You’ll have an opportunity then to sell it.” He smiled faintly and flicked his finger. A teapot and two cups appeared out of nowhere, landing softly on the office table. “Do you take sugar?” he asked, pouring the tea and sending a gentle fragrance wafting through the room.

“Just one.”

After making my tea, he put three spoonfuls of sugar into his own cup. He seemed to have quite the sweet tooth. Once the sugar had dissolved, he took slow sips of the steaming liquid. “Let’s hear what job you have for me today.”

“What makes you think I have one?’

“You’d have left immediately after receiving the pouch if you didn’t have something for me to do.”

Is it just me, or does he sound kind of miffed? “Fine. You’re right. I do have a job for you. I have another person I’d like you to look into.”

“Who might that be?”

“Isidor Bisconti.”

The guild master stared.