C118
Deborah, who made the distinctive sharp expression every time she was contemplating something, slowly opened her mouth.
Isidor's white fist somehow tensed nervously as he waited for the response.
----------------------
The morning before the date.
Isidor tossed a gold coin several times as if testing his luck before meeting Deborah.
He only used coins with flawed faces in front of clients to convince the other party.
But when he's alone, he tosses coins out of habit to see if he's safe or has a variable.
"I feel like she'll choose that play, but I don't know."
Indeed, Isidor chose to include the play titled "The Secret of the Grand North of the North," which wasn't even a fun play because the stage portrayed a character in a situation similar to his own.
He chose that to inquire about Deborah's opinion.
As the owner of the theater in the center of the Yones district, changing the play's schedule was a piece of cake.
Furthermore, that play served as a kind of springboard for him to reveal his secrets.
"Because she said she wanted to know more about me..."
He toyed with the coins as he was nervous, with a slightly pale face.
"I want to know what kind of person she is and if she's someone I could be with."
"I never thought I would hear those words."
He never thought he would feel the need to reveal himself for a moment.
He wanted to build a bond as they got to know each other, and Isidor was drawn to that sincerity. He thought it was very much like Deborah.
"I like the fact that she doesn't just accept a guy like me for my face."
He fell in love with her again with that side of her.
However, Isidor realized that he was caught in the trap he had set at that very moment.
Should he say he brought it upon himself?
He used his beauty trap to easily win others' favor. On the other hand, he made others move as he intended while holding onto their weaknesses.
Isidor was always waiting for the other person to take the bait after setting the trap.
However, his relationship with Deborah was completely opposite to other relationships he had been dealing with.
The information he had about her was actually different. Isidor hid his identity and approached her, but in return, he developed feelings for her independently of his will during the process.
He couldn't control it at some point.
Far from influencing her, she now held the leash.
"I never thought I would like her more because I keep learning new things about her."
He saw her achieve what she wanted while struggling alone in Blanchia, and he personally discovered her charming side at the Academy.
On the other hand, the only thing she knew about him was half.
He flicked the coin lightly with his finger and then caught it with the back of his hand.
"Heads."
He tossed the coin again.
"Tails."
She recognized Isidor and the Master as different people just like each side of a coin.
But eventually, it's the same coin.
"Although it might look completely different on the outside, but if I tell her that they are actually the same person..."
He couldn't imagine her reaction at all.
Unlike Isidor, who was always carefree and ignorant of others' feelings, he suddenly felt a nebulous tension that got caught inside him.
But if he kept hiding it and was caught, wouldn't she feel more disappointed when she thought she was being deceived?
"I'm not sure if I want to hide it until the end or tell her everything."
If it were only her, he couldn't clearly distinguish the color of her heart, whether it was white or black.
"It's difficult."
He tossed the coin countless times aimlessly, then prepared to leave.
It would be easier to start the conversation if he chose "The Secret of the Grand North Duke" among the various plays listed in the letter.
"If it comes up heads... I'll tell her today."
If he keeps hiding it, he will have two faces in front of her until the end.
"I want to know, but I don't have the confidence to keep hiding it."
He tossed the coin one last time before leaving.
Heads.
... By the way, should I tell her today?
His heart began to pound before the date.
"I'll tell Deborah if she comes in purple attire."
She came in purple attire.
His mouth twisted for a moment as he felt he had to tell her, but then his throat tightened forcefully, and he bit into the tender flesh of his mouth.
"It would be better to tell her after seeing her reaction to the play instead of telling her solely based on the color of her clothes."
However, he was completely distracted by his immersion in the play as he watched with sparkling eyes.
He fell completely in love with the sweetness of that moment as he observed her changing expressions.
"If she says she wants to take a walk, I think it would be better to tell her later."
If she climbed the stone wall while they walked down the street, he thought he would tell her while enjoying the scenery and organizing his lines in his mind.
Although he couldn't open his mouth properly when he actually sat next to her on the stone wall.
Suddenly, Isidor didn't feel familiar with his indecision.
Whenever he saw those people drunk with love, he thought they were pathetic. But he found himself lost and constantly hesitating.
Finally, Isidor almost lost his luck when his line coincidentally overlapped with that of the male protagonist.
"What do you think of him? That Grand Duke. He is a person with many secrets...."
He asked while swallowing his anxiety, and she pondered for a while before responding with her distinctive resolute voice.
"I don't like him."
Isidor felt his palm fill with cold sweat for a moment.
"Actually, from the audience's point of view, the Grand Duke is mysterious and attractive as much as his secrets."
She had a cold expression as if that was the only point.
"However, he's not really a good person as a lover."
...
A corner of his heart crumbled at her cold expression.
"In the end, the female protagonist was stabbed in the back by the person she liked without noticing."
She seemed dissatisfied somewhere.
"Because I don't like being stabbed in the back suddenly."
Although she had never been betrayed by anyone, she spoke with bitterness as if she had been stabbed in the back several times.
Isidor hesitated for a moment, then carefully countered.
"However, if the Grand Duke had revealed his identity and approached the female protagonist, he wouldn't even have had the chance to get close to her."
"Mmm."
She had a strange expression as she swung her legs slowly, but Isidor spoke slowly without realizing it.
"The Grand Duke never acted with ill intentions toward the female protagonist..."
"By the way, surprisingly, you identify with the Grand Duke of the North. I thought you were his representative for a moment."
...
"I thought you would absolutely be on the side of the female protagonist. Because you are a caring person with a strong sense of chivalry."
"I'm not such a caring person. I'm not even kind."
When he spoke as if sighing, a strong wind passed by his side.
Her long purple hair fluttered everywhere and brushed against Isidor's cheeks.
Isidor's blonde hair was also tousled over his forehead.
"Liar."
At that moment, Isidor forgot to breathe as he reached out and carefully straightened her disheveled hair.
He tried to take the hand that remained on his forehead as he looked into her red eyes as if possessed, then bit his lips.
"I have never seen anyone so attentive and meticulous with preparations like you."
"Isn't this the least I should do? My partner is you."
In fact, he wanted to do something much bigger, but he didn't know much.
The woman he used to approach all this time had avoided him with all her might. And Miguel also had little knowledge about dating.
That's why he sometimes acted as he pleased.
"You even practiced cutting steak, but if you say you're not kind, who would believe that?"
"Everyone would do that at least."
Isidor thought that what knights said in jest was true.
"No way. Oh, I'm running late, so I'll have to go first."
She moved down slowly.
"Be careful. Climb up here."
Isidor jumped off the stone wall hastily and quickly placed her boots on the ground so that her feet wouldn't touch the floor.
"Put them on."
He put her shoes on the ground carefully as she stepped on his boots.
"I had a great time today."
She smiled gently as her lips curved after putting on her shoes.
...
When her smiling face was in front of his eyes, his mouth couldn't even make a sound.
Since the situation came up by himself, his intelligence and wealth, of which he had always boasted, were completely useless.
"I must be crazy."
After bidding her farewell in the carriage, he roughly pulled at his hair while frowning slightly.