Chapter 22
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Steal the Emotions
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After gazing at the flower vines for a while, I started walking again.
A little deeper in, lush trees filled the greenhouse.
There were trees I'd never seen before,
and trees whose names I recognized.
The sight of all these different trees gathered together, forming a small forest.
Maybe because they were all so vibrantly green.
Each one had such a distinct look, yet they strangely seemed harmonious.
"Wow... this place is really pretty too."
"Yeah. It's well-maintained."
I nodded at Ruena's words.
The scenery here was just as impressive as the flower vines earlier, but in a different way.
A landscape where countless unknown plants blended together.
I've never been to a tropical rainforest,
but it felt like this must be what it looked like—magnificently arranged.
"Oh... this is cool."
"Celen, look—there's a wooden path over there."
"Shall we go check it out?"
"Yeah."
Holding Ruena's hand, I strolled along the wooden path through the dense forest.
There were all sorts of fascinating trees around, but my eyes were fixed only on Ruena.
'I'm glancing sideways just in case she thinks it's weird...'
Ruena couldn't stay still for a moment, turning her head this way and that.
Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, busily darting about as if trying to take in every bit of the greenhouse's scenery.
No matter how I looked at her, right now,
she wasn't the expressionless heir to House Eliad that I knew—
she was just... a curious, innocent girl.
'She's really enjoying this...'
Honestly, I never even imagined Ruena would react like this.
I'd come here just to relax her mind and body.
My plan not to nurture her emotions had gone a bit off track, but strangely, it didn't bother me.
'Well, good things are good.'
I set aside my plans for the moment and decided to enjoy my time by her side.
I could focus harder on the other plans later.
Ruena was enjoying herself so much—I didn't want to ruin it.
And so, we wandered around the botanical garden, spending time here and there.
We sniffed flower scents,
touched strangely shaped leaves,
and even subtly competed to see who could find the most unusual things.
'Oh, right. The lunch.'
Only when I spotted a table under a shaded canopy did I remember why I'd come here in the first place.
How absorbed we'd been...
We'd met early in the morning, but looking up at the sky now, the sun was already high noon.
I checked the lunch in my bag and then looked over at Ruena.
She was still diligently scanning everywhere for unique plants.
I chuckled at the sight,
then noticed beads of sweat forming on Ruena's forehead.
'Whoa, almost missed my chance.'
I quickly pulled a handkerchief from my bag.
Then, gently tugging on the hand I was already holding, I stopped Ruena in her tracks.
"Ruena."
"Yeah?"
"Hold on a sec. If you don't mind."
I carefully wiped the sweat from Ruena's forehead with the handkerchief.
These little acts of kindness would pile up and return as compensation.
It was definitely hot out—the day was sweltering, and Ruena's face flushed bright red.
"Ah... uh...!"
"Right. Ruena, are you thirsty? I brought some cold water. Want some?"
"...Y-yeah, I-I'll have some."
"Okay. Just a moment."
I rummaged in my bag and pulled out water with ice in it.
As I absentmindedly tried to open the lid with one hand, it hit me.
Throughout our walk in the botanical garden, I'd been holding Ruena's hand the whole time.
'...For real?'
At some point, I hadn't even noticed the sweat anymore.
Glancing down, our fingers were tightly intertwined.
Now that I was aware, it felt awkwardly embarrassing, so I pretended to open the lid while loosening our grip.
"Here you go."
"Thanks."
"Oh, wait. Ruena. Let me get you a cup too..."
"Huh? S-sorry."
Too late, it seemed.
Ruena had already taken a sip straight from the bottle and hurriedly pulled away.
She set the bottle down and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
That small gesture stuck in my mind—I couldn't tear my eyes away.
"......"
"Celen?"
Why was this happening?
Suddenly, a word my little brother always said popped into my head.
'Indirect k...'
It felt like the iron mask on my face was crumbling away.
Remembering my little brother's stupid joke made my face heat up for no reason.
I turned my head to the side, desperately trying to keep my composure.
'No way—is putting our lips on the same thing really the start of 'ki...' that? By that logic, don't I do it several times a week with my family?'
The moment I thought about it specifically, goosebumps prickled all over my body.
Was this what family affection was?
My head cleared instantly, and I regained my calm.
For once, I silently thanked my brothers for their help.
With my iron mask back in place, I smiled brightly.
"N-no, it's fine. That happens. The water's still cold, right?"
"Yeah. It's nice and chilly."
"Good. Are you hungry?"
Ruena thought for a moment, then nodded.
"I think... I am."
"Alright. Then let's sit over there and eat the lunch I packed."
"You packed a lunch?"
"Yeah. It's nothing fancy—just something simple."
Of course, that was a lie.
To gather as much compensation as possible, I'd raided our house's finest ingredients and meticulously prepared it from dawn.
'It'll be fine. I practiced it over and over, and even got praise from the head chef.'
The value of material compensation can be boosted by various factors.
Market price,
the recipient's tastes,
the rarity and quality of the item,
the skill and reputation of the maker.
As those elements stack up,
even a simple meal becomes a bargaining chip, an opportunity.
I smiled brightly as I set the lunch on the table.
"Here—I made stuff I thought you'd like."
"...Stuff I'd like?"
Ruena's eyes widened slightly.
Receiving her subtly expectant gaze, I carefully unpacked the lunch.
A moment later—
the fruits of my all-night labor appeared before us.
This lunchbox contained sandwiches.
A sandwich with premium ham and fresh vegetables,
an egg salad sandwich mixed with boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and truffle puree,
and even a fruit sandwich stuffed with fresh fruits and top-grade cream cheese.
'I didn't know what you'd like, so I made a variety.' That was the vibe.
Fortunately, my strategy worked—Ruena let out an exclamation.
"Wow..."
"There's more. Hold on."
Riding the momentum, I pulled out the other lunchboxes one by one.
Starting with fruit jam cookies and madeleines that Ruena liked—
even fruits specially arranged to mimic Buddy's colors and shape.
Once I'd laid out everything I'd brought, the table was quickly filled.
"...You made all of this yourself?"
"Yeah. Come sit and eat. You're hungry, right?"
"...Thanks. I'll dig in."
Ruena hesitated before picking up the nearest ham sandwich.
The taste was already verified—I'd tried it myself...
But I still couldn't help feeling nervous.
Hiding my anxiety, I watched her eat.
She fumbled with the sandwich wrapping,
glanced at me,
and then cautiously took a bite.
A moment later, Ruena's eyes sparkled brightly.
"...It's delicious."
"Really? I was worried it wouldn't suit your taste."
"Really. It's not just delicious... it's really delicious."
"Haha, good. I'm glad it's truly tasty."
"...Yeah."
Normally, she'd have just said "delicious" indifferently and left it at that,
but today, for some reason, she awkwardly added a taste review.
Was this the effect of a da... no, an outing?
'If I can just get permission from the Grand Duke... maybe we could do this more often?'
And so, until Ruena's birthday arrived—
I met her every day, steadily piling up compensation to steal her emotions.
Spending time outside the mansion was definitely more effective for building it up.
Maybe because we didn't have to worry as much about the Grand Duke's watchful eyes.
Ruena seemed much more at ease.
Her expressions were far richer outside too.
Still awkward, of course.
'Well, it's cute, so that's fine.'
So we mostly met outside.
It was the most efficient way to gather compensation per unit of time.
Though getting repeated outing permissions had cost a ton by manipulating the Grand Duke's judgment.
In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep.
Ruena's bedroom window opened silently.
This time, no Buddy, no help from Ruena.
I'd manipulated the Grand Duke's judgment to unlock just her window's lock.
'After tonight, the compensation I've built up with the Grand Duke is basically zero.'
Breathing shallowly, I checked on Ruena.
Fortunately, she was sleeping soundly this time, unaware of my intrusion.
'I'll keep it safe, and return it when you gain your Unique Ability.'
I wasn't using Eclipse.
With enough mana and compensation, I could steal emotions just fine.
Cautiously, I reached out toward Ruena.
A familiar energy tingled at my fingertips.
Mana flowed from my hand, softly enveloping Ruena like moonlight.
Her emotions began piling up inside the magic tool I'd brought.
In the midst of stealing them—
Something blocked me, and no more came.
'...Huh, wait.'
It seemed....
I didn't have enough compensation to steal all her emotions.