C45
When I faced his emerald eyes, I felt nervous for no reason, so the muscles in my back were tense.
Although I was embarrassed, I pretended not to look good and appeared innocent with a cold expression.
"Long time no see, Sir Isidor."
"You're right. Maybe it's the first time since the last truth-seeking meeting? The improved formula of the princess was very impressive."
Naturally, he opened his mouth and gave compliments.
"That's nothing to me. Hmph! So goodbye."
After the bravado, I was about to continue my way, but the cat that was with Isidor blocked my path, and its yellow eyes gleamed.
"He's a cautious child, but he really likes the princess. It's fascinating."
It's inevitable.
My shawl was full of catnip.*
"Recently, I visited Blanchia a lot."
"Do you like the princess so much?"
Isidor bent his knees and patted the chin of the cat that surrounded me.
I suddenly looked at him and observed the attractive angle of that unrealistically handsome face.
"Yeah, it was a very good life."
"Ah, maybe you've found a partner for the Spring Flower Dance?"
When I felt that my survival was threatened by the indiscriminate facial attacks, he looked at me and asked the wrong question.
"Why are you asking me that...?"
Isidor slightly narrowed his eyes to be able to smile.*
"Perhaps if you don't have one, how about granting me the honor of escorting the princess this time?"
What?!
My lips tightened with embarrassment.
Why does this beautiful person want to be with me?
"I still don't have a partner. I heard the same goes for the princess."
I really don't have one, but if you line up the people who wanted to go with you, you'd build the Great Wall of China.
"Isn't it time for the princess to show herself again?"
He brought up the issue where he helped me when I disagreed with Philap and lowered his eyes.
"It's like a big puppy."
Actually, I was the one in a hurry to find an escort. The festival was just around the corner.
But it's very suspicious.
Why is he making me this offer?
I felt lost and opened my mouth.
"I'll take it for now."
In response to my answer, he smiled gently with his warm dimples. It was dazzling.
"I have an opportunity."
"I can be very capricious at times. Hmph! I have an urgent appointment, so I'll be going now."
"An appointment?"
"Oh, yes. Then goodbye!"
I felt very embarrassed by his refreshing smile and quickly ran towards Blanchia, leaving behind a bewildered response.
--------------------
Master! Where the hell did you go at this important moment?
I pursed my lips and asked impatiently.
"Princess Deborah. If you wait a bit, he'll come."
The informant told me carefully, anxious.
Soon I heard the news of the master's arrival and quickly entered his office.
For some reason, the Master, who always moved like a doll, shook his shoulders and caught his breath.
"Maybe you came in a hurry while you were working?"
"Oh, no. I did some exercise."
Ah, I see, you're in good shape even though you're an informant because you usually exercise regularly.
"What's suddenly happening without a prior appointment?"
He drank water.
"It's about Isidor Viscounti's request last time. Can you show me the research documents so far? It's just that there's something strange."
"Strange?"
His face hardened, cold as a mineral.
"Yes. He requested to be my partner for the dance out of nowhere. It's really suspicious."
"What's suspicious about that? It's not a big deal to request to be an escort for a dance."
"I don't know. I feel like there's something hidden. Maybe he wants to get something from my father through me..."
"Princess, I don't know why you're so negative, but calm down first and take a look at the documents I've been working on."
[Final result, it really is the last one]
Looking at the writing on the left at the end of the paper, I squinted my eyes slightly.
"Master, you've reviewed the documents several times."
I can't believe it's a munchkin going through trial and error.
As expected, I'm sure Isidor is not a normal guy.
"Why is this here? The real final document is this one."
"Hm."
"Appearance, wealth, power, ability, reputation, personality. There are a total of six elements. I expressed it as clearly as I could. I only dealt with objective facts."
Soon I felt very dejected as I flipped through the meticulous documents he handed me.
"Is this all?"
"Yes. For now."
To summarize his documents, Isidor was the perfect man who scored 10 out of 10 in all six categories.
He really is a fully filled hexagon.
He's the most handsome in the Empire. A conglomerate that owns a lot of gold mines, a knight equivalent to Diery, an only child, so he's guaranteed as the head of the family, his personality is humble and determined...
"Is this true or a rainbow fart? Does it make sense for a person to be this perfect? Let's say these five elements were true, but can you conclude personality so easily?"
"Master."
I had a serious expression.
"Tell me."
"I never doubted your ability. Maybe Sir Isidor has some hidden motive? I feel like the document is very biased."
The Master drank water without saying a word.
"Did you feel anything suspicious while investigating? Something strong, you know, something like that."
"What do you mean by strong, looking at that face... Isn't the princess trying to wear rose-colored glasses for no reason?"
Is it my imagination, or did it seem like his lips were pouting?
As expected, I think he's a male fan!
Caught you.
"Then it means there's nothing wrong with him."
"What do you mean by something wrong...? I can only smell the fragrance."
Suddenly, when Isidor helped me into the carriage last time, my nose caught a pleasant scent.
"Mmm. You're talking as if you're in charge."
"It's a metaphor. A metaphor!"
"For now, I understand the Master's deep interest."
"You suspect many things. Your caution is strong too."
I closed my mouth because he seemed annoyed about something.
Isidor's suspicion still lingers in my heart, but if I make it more obvious, the trust I've built with the Master could be destroyed, so the investigation will be temporarily suspended.
"In the end, I have no choice but to confront him myself."
I understood well that Isidor is a meticulous person who never acts in a way that exposes his weakness.
The Master, who brushed off the dust, surprisingly turned into a male fan who got nothing.
"I can't believe he's so meticulous in self-management. He wasn't popular for no reason."
I clicked my tongue and patted Cookie with bright eyes.
As always, he's very cute.
Of course, when he shows his long, sharp fangs, my heart sinks because it's scary.
While tickling his chin, Cookie narrowed his eyes and purred.
Now that I look at it, his fur color is quite similar to the cat that Isidor petted earlier.
This world seemed to have many animals with golden fur.
"Master. Now that my business is done, I'm going to return."
I stood up after leaving the commission, and he suddenly called me.
"Princess."
"Hm?"
"Who are you going to partner with for the Spring Dance? Well, I'm not very curious, but you mentioned it earlier."
He checked the documents and asked as if it were just a passing question.
"What if the Master becomes my partner now that we're talking about it? I'll give you a very generous commission."
As soon as I suddenly asked the head of the secret organization to be my partner, his pupil vibrated rapidly like an earthquake.
"Of course, it's a joke."
"The princess doesn't have a talent for joking."
In reality, half of it was sincere.
Is there really no other alternative than Isidor?
Thanks to Louie Gazelle, I've become a landmine that everyone avoids.
Maybe, if I force someone and break their leg, there might be a guy?
It's also not good for me to walk around the dance with a guy who has a shitty expression.
Even the evil woman has a sense of romance.
"I'll withdraw for now."
The Master, who was sitting without understanding, waved his hand slightly, and I returned home.
Eventually, that night.
I started writing a letter asking him to accompany me to the dance.
[Deborah Seymour to Isidor Visconti]
Throughout the writing, the sweet smile of Isidor, reminiscent of a bright spring flower, remained in my mind.