Chapter 134

“What exactly are you asking permission for?”

A deep furrow appeared between Count Kaznaren’s brows.

“I wish to date Roseanne with the intention of marriage.”

Tearen repeated himself without a single hint of hesitation.

The frown on the Count’s face deepened even further.

“Roseanne, you explain what on earth this means.”

The Count kept his eyes fixed on Tearen while addressing his daughter, but his face hardened when Tearen placed his hand over the back of Roseanne’s hand—just as she opened her mouth to speak—and answered instead.

“I love Roseanne. My heart wants to seek an audience with His Majesty immediately to proceed with a wedding, but for Roseanne’s happiness, I intend to start as her lover first.”

“By whose authority?!”

“By the authority of the two parties who love each other.”

Tearen spoke calmly, not flinching in the slightest even at the Count’s visible fury.

Count Kaznaren was dumbfounded. Tearen was here to ask for permission to date his daughter, yet he acted like a man who had come to collect a debt. He had always known that both of Rahar’s friends had disagreeable personalities, but Tearen was particularly distasteful to him.

He could tolerate Caldeon, as he was the head of a Grand Ducal house with the empire’s greatest skills, black mana, and the Emperor’s absolute trust—but he couldn’t fathom where Tearen got the nerve to be so confident. Was he not from House Gradei, a family of Marquesses that had amassed wealth through the petty art of illusion?

Though it was better than black magic that used human souls as ingredients, the Count believed that magic which disturbed the human mind and deceived the eyes should also be abolished from the empire.

Of course, Tearen’s illusions had been a great help with the internal noise of the Empress’s palace in the past, so the Empress trusted the Gradei family. It was because of that trust that the Empress had even suggested Tearen’s name as a match for Roseanne when the marriage between the Jupiter and Kaznaren families fell through.

The Count scowled at the rush of annoying memories.

“And if I refuse to permit it?”

He wanted to grab the man by the collar and scream at him to get out of his house, but he couldn’t treat a proper Marquess and the empire’s only illusionist so recklessly. He spoke with as much restraint as possible.

“To be precise, even if you do not permit it, Roseanne and I are already in a relationship.”

“And if I tell you to break up?”

“You know better than anyone, Count, that we will not break up.”

“How insolent.”

The Count’s face twisted in displeasure at Tearen, who didn’t stammer for a second and answered as if he had anticipated every question.

Tearen bowed his head and spoke.

“I know I am a man who is severely lacking for Roseanne. However, I have the confidence to make her happier than anyone in the world. And I certainly will.”

He added that he knew the Count also valued Roseanne’s happiness above all else, and expressed his hope that the Count wouldn’t make her sad by opposing them. The Count grimaced as if the sheer audacity of the role reversal was absurd, then returned to his stern expression.

“Your history with women is famous enough that there isn’t a soul in the empire who doesn’t know of it. Do you truly think my innocent daughter suits a man like you?”

“Father.”

Embarrassed by the implication that a philanderer like him wasn’t fit for her, Roseanne called out to her father. However, Tearen squeezed the hand he was holding, signaling her to leave it to him.

“Naturally, you must find my past conduct distasteful. I consider that reaction only natural, so I have no grievances regarding that point.”

“Do not stray from the point. I asked if you think my innocent daughter suits you.”

At the Count’s words, Tearen looked at Roseanne with a gaze full of longing.

“Roseanne is worth a hundred—no, ten thousand times more than me. If I had realized my feelings just a little sooner, I wouldn’t have… spent my time meeting women in that way. I regret it every minute and every second.”

“Regretting it with words doesn’t erase what has already been done.”

“Yes. That is why I ask you to watch over us.”

Tearen stared intently at the Count with a face full of sincerity.

“Watch me, a man who has met many women but has only now found true love, so that I may make Roseanne happier than anyone else.”

“…”

“I am earnestly entreating you to permit us.”

The Count’s expression shifted subtly. Roseanne noticed that her father actually quite liked what Tearen had just said. Tearen seemed to sense it too, as his grip on her hand tightened. Roseanne moved her hand to squeeze his back firmly.

When Tearen looked at her, Roseanne gave him a tender smile, then turned back to the Count.

“I can never be happy if it isn’t Lord Tearen. So please, Father, give us your permission.”

***

Enria, who had returned late from the palace and fallen asleep without seeing anyone, looked for Roseanne as soon as she opened her eyes. When she heard that Roseanne had already gone to the Kaznaren estate with Tearen, she felt a wave of emotion at the thought that the two were finally starting their romance.

“Lord Caldeon, Rose has gone to the Kaznaren estate with Lord Tearen.”

She shared the happy news with Caldeon first, but he seemed utterly indifferent, looking rather bored.

“Is that so? Try this too, Enria.”

It seemed the only thing important to him right now was putting pieces of perfectly cooked meat into Enria’s mouth, as she wasn’t eating much.

“Meat is a bit heavy for breakfast.”

“You’ll collapse if you only eat scraps of vegetables.”

“I’m perfectly healthy; why are you worrying about me collapsing?”

Enria looked at Caldeon with an incredulous expression.

“I tormented you quite a bit yesterday. So, it’s best to have a hearty breakfast…”

“I’m glad you at least have the self-awareness to know you tormented me. Thanks to you, I’m more lacking in sleep than food right now.”

“That’s why you should eat and go back to sleep.”

Enria’s eyes narrowed at the shameless remark from the culprit who had kept her from sleeping even after returning late to the castle. However, her eyes widened at his next words.

“Don’t look at me like that, Enria. It makes me want to take you back to the bedroom right this instant.”

“…!”

As Enria’s face turned bright red in a split second, Caldeon wore a gentle smile and held out another piece of meat to her lips.

“Come on, say ‘ah’.”

When she reflexively opened her mouth and accepted the meat, Caldeon let out a pleasant, throaty laugh. Seeing his usually sharp eyes soften into warm crescents, Enria’s face—already flushed—turned even redder.

“Chew it well.”

“You don’t happen to be mistaking me for Hayden, do you?”

As she chewed the meat, she questioned him, prompting a small burst of laughter from him. Then, his face instantly became serious as he looked at her.

“As if I could ever make such a mistake.”

She blinked, wondering what about her words had made him turn so solemn so quickly. Caldeon stabbed another piece of meat with his fork and held it out again.

“Even if I were blind and couldn’t see an inch in front of me, I would recognize your presence instantly.”

Enria looked at him as if asking what he meant, and Caldeon curled his lips into a smile.

“I mean there is absolutely no way I could ever mistake you for someone else.”

He then offered the fork again. Enria hadn’t even finished the meat in her mouth, but at the sight of the piece approaching, she reflexively swallowed quickly and accepted the new one.

Feeling somewhat annoyed by her own behavior, she munched on the meat while glaring at Caldeon. Noticing her gaze while he was picking out the next best piece of meat for her, Caldeon asked calmly: “What is it?”

“How can I chew ‘well’ if you keep giving it to me so fast when you told me to chew well?”

“Just chew it well, quickly. You’re an adult; you can handle that much.”

If he weren’t so good with words, he wouldn’t be so frustrating, but he always had a way of making a counter-argument that left her speechless. Feeling like she had lost even this trivial exchange, Enria wondered when she would ever feel like she had won a conversation with him.

But seeing Caldeon resting his chin on his hand, picking out the most delicious meat for her and saying “ah,” she soon felt that winning or losing didn’t matter at all.

Because this man had no intention of trying to “defeat” her.

Enria knew better than anyone that he cherished and loved her more than anything. And she knew that every single thing he did was for her sake. Even now, when he surely had a mountain of morning work waiting, he was sitting by her side voluntarily serving her food just to make sure she ate after waking up late.

As she stared at Caldeon, whose face looked full just by watching her eat, a lump formed in her throat from a sudden surge of emotion. Her eyes naturally welled up, and Caldeon’s eyes widened.

“What’s wrong? Is it hard to eat?”

Startled, Caldeon instinctively reached out his hand and held it under Enria’s chin. It was a gesture telling her to spit it out into his hand if she couldn’t eat it. Enria burst into laughter.

It seemed that because he had been looking after Hayden so often lately, these habits had become ingrained in him. After swallowing the meat, she said to him: “I’m telling you, why do you keep treating me like Hayden?”

At her question, Caldeon wore a look as if to say, Did I just do that? then looked at the hand he had held under her chin and let out a small laugh. Even he seemed to find his own actions funny.

“My instincts seem to worry about you as much as they do about Hayden.”

“People call that overprotection.”

“Whatever it is. As long as you are safe in my arms, that’s all that matters.”

“Is a piece of meat really a matter of ‘safety’?”

“Just eat.”

Caldeon spoke with an expression that said his only goal right now, regardless of anything else, was to make sure Enria had a hearty breakfast. Enria nodded and faithfully accepted the meat he offered.