Chapter 184
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184
I couldn't find my voice for a moment, my eyes blinking slowly in surprise.
Benjamin didn't press for an answer. He simply stood there, his gaze fixed intently on me.
It was only after I accidentally stepped on his foot once more that I finally managed to speak.
"I didn't expect you to bring it up so directly. I specifically told Sir Trini to keep the fact that I sent him a strict secret."
"Sir Trini..."
A hint of amusement flickered in Benjamin's eyes at the mention of the knight.
It made sense. Even if he had come on the orders of another master, Sir Trini was the one who had stayed by Benjamin's side twenty-four hours a day, protecting him throughout his childhood.
The affection Benjamin felt for Sir Trini was undoubtedly genuine.
"He kept his word. Uncovering Sir Trini's true master was purely a result of my own capabilities."
"It couldn't have been easy. Did you really have to go that far?"
It must have cost him a fortune.
Benjamin was the type of person who utilized every resource at his disposal. Having survived the predatory environment of the Sorsen royalty, he also possessed the inherent arrogance expected of a Crown Prince.
So, regardless of where Sir Trini came from or who sent him...
Once he instinctively realized the knight wouldn't harm him, there should have been no reason for him to dig into the identity of his true master.
At least, that’s what I had thought.
"Because I have to repay the debt."
"..."
"That is why I looked into it. There is nothing that cannot be found if one is willing to invest enough time and money."
If I hadn't been in the middle of a dance with him, I definitely would have scratched my cheek in awkwardness.
"It's enough that you grew up well. I didn't do it expecting a reward..."
...I was about to say that, but the words caught in my throat. Because...
I am Tulia...
And I'm currently playing a game where my survival is on the line!
My safety!
My life!
I have to secure those things!
Therefore!
"Well then, since I've been paying Sir Trini's salary quite handsomely all this time, would you be willing to trade White Tulip Dye with me? Say, on a scale of about 10 billion gold?"
I couldn't let an opportunity like this slip away!
"I shall do so."
"Pardon?"
Wait, hold on.
Were you always this easy?
"I will send someone to your salon within three days. As Sir Trini's true master, you must already know—I cannot go myself, so I will send a proxy instead."
Benjamin asked with a smile.
"Will you set the time?"
"I... well."
I was so stunned I couldn't even speak.
How much did I just ask for?
I said 10 billion gold. Not 100 gold.
And he's just going to hand over that kind of money so readily?
It’s not pocket change; it’s a massive sum of 10 billion gold.
Misinterpreting my silence, a look of hesitation crossed Benjamin's face.
"If you wish, I will of course come in person. However, if I do, I must avoid public eyes. Where is your office located?"
"It's on the second floor of the salon, but..."
"Then I shall climb the wall in the dead of night and wait for you. Just give me the approximate location of the office in advance..."
"...Benjamin?"
I asked back, utterly bewildered.
"Are you being serious right now?"
Once again, Benjamin completely misunderstood my words.
"I was knighted quite some time ago."
In other words...
"It wasn't an honorary title given to me as a prince; I passed the legitimate exams just like any other cadet."
He took my reaction as if I didn't believe his claim about climbing the walls.
"When I sparred with Sir Trini after my knighting ceremony, I was able to defeat him completely."
"And so..."
"...?"
"..."
Benjamin's voice, which had been trailing on enthusiastically, slowly began to fade. Before I knew it, he had fallen completely silent.
Thanks to that, I was inwardly full of regret.
Ah. I shouldn't have laughed.
Watching Benjamin speak so passionately, I had let out a laugh without realizing it.
Is he angry?
I certainly didn't mean to mock him. How could I?
It was just that seeing Benjamin look so full of life made me feel relieved in spite of myself.
Of course, part of it was because of the quest, but the worry I felt for him when he was a child was real.
Those eyes that used to be as empty as a hollow doll's.
Seeing him full of vitality like this was much better than seeing him as a composed, detached adult.
At least, it was to me—the one who had prayed for that poor, abused boy to be safe.
"...Was I acting too much like a child just now?"
Benjamin was the first to speak. A faint flush had risen to his cheeks.
"No. It's just..."
Anyone would grin like an idiot looking at your face.
It’s like an automatic reflex.
"I'm just happy thinking about the deal. I happen to love money."
Since I couldn't tell him the truth, I gave him another version of the truth.
Because this was also very, very sincere.
Benjamin blinked and looked at me.
The flush on his face slowly gave way to a smile.
Perhaps it was because of his radiant hair and eyes, but Benjamin's smile was as brilliant as the sun breaking through the darkness.
"..."
Because of that, I almost stomped on his foot with a loud crunch again.
"Then I suppose I must make sure you're well-compensated."
Suddenly, a deep curiosity struck me.
Unable to hold it back any longer, I finally pressed the forbidden summon button.
Kim Ddong-byul! Check favorability!
Just how much does this guy like me?
Could it be that he’s already hit the max, like my father?
Does that mean...
That he loves me?
No way...
My heart fluttered for a brief moment, but then...
...It's blue.
A blue so deep it almost looked purple.
Contrary to my expectations or hopes, Benjamin's favorability wasn't gold yet.
However, I could tell well enough that his feelings were by no means light.
Then, a question suddenly bloomed in my mind.
I have to achieve A-rank.
It was a condition I had to meet for the Main Quest, <Settling Karma>.
To reach A-rank, I inevitably had to raise the favorability of the male leads.
But the definition of 'high' suddenly felt ambiguous.
...Don't tell me I have to hit gold for all of them?
But if I do that...
What happens later?
"..."
In The Milk Bread, seeing the end of a favorability gauge meant reaching the level of a desperate confession of love.
What happens after I exchange those kinds of feelings with all three male leads?
It's not like the game is telling me to live with all three of them.
Surely.
Surely...
...Surely?
I reflexively glanced up at the air above my head.
Kim Ddong-byul was as dazzling and infuriatingly calm as ever.
Hey, after all I've done, shouldn't you give me a hint? Huh? Are we strangers? Are we?
Well, technically we are.
Then, a new question arose.
It was about my own heart.
Is there someone among these male leads that I actually like?
I mean, I like them all, but...
Is there someone I've fallen in love with?
I can check their favorability toward me through the gauge bars, but I can't see my own favorability toward each of them with my own eyes.
So I have to figure out my own heart myself...
Ugh, my head hurts.
"Tulia?"
"Yes?"
I suddenly realized Benjamin was watching me closely.
"I'm fine."
"Pardon? About what?"
"I'm saying it's okay if you keep stepping on my feet."
"Ah..."
Phew. You startled me.
I thought he was reading my mind and answering.
Anyway, only then was I able to push my wandering thoughts aside.
"Benjamin."
"Speak."
Benjamin's movements as he danced with me were straight and elegant, flawless in every way. Even when I stepped on his feet, he didn't even flinch.
"Are your feet really okay? I've stepped on them quite a lot."
Benjamin, who had been staring into my eyes, let out a short laugh for the first time.
"It's not so bad."
"That's a relief."
Since it was the second song, the parting greeting with my partner was different this time.
"It was a pleasure."
"The pleasure was mine."
Benjamin's smile grew even softer than before.
"I shall look forward to seeing you again."
Since the music had ended, Benjamin's words were loud enough for the other ladies and young lords nearby to hear clearly.
Is he doing this on purpose?
This wasn't just idle suspicion.
In The Milk Bread, Benjamin was a male lead who always prioritized his own interests above all else.
In routes where he didn't end up with Corico, he was a character who would coldly use even her.
Like starting a fake scandal with Corico just to ensure his smooth abdication and succession to the throne...
There were more than a few times I was dumbfounded while playing the game.
Well, considering his childhood was so miserable.
He was a character who couldn't rest until he held everything in his hands.
A male lead who acted like a fluttering youngest prince with no greed, while in reality, he scraped together money and power more greedily than any demon.
That was Benjamin Fluers.
Knowing this, I couldn't help but doubt his motives.
As I watched Benjamin stay by my side with narrowed eyes, a certain fact suddenly occurred to me.
"..."
Benjamin Fluers suffered from severe mysophobia.
It was a result of being abused in the palace as a child and mocked for having 'dirty blood.'
Because of that, he always wore white gloves.
There were very few instances where Benjamin would take off his gloves outside of his private quarters.
One of those instances was when he first opened his heart to the female lead.
In The Milk Bread, and even when he first appeared at this banquet, Benjamin had been wearing white gloves.
Even Sir Trini would often grumpily report at the end of his letters that Benjamin was 'still suffering diligently from that strange mysophobia where he can't take off his gloves.'
Yes, that was the case.
So when on earth did he take them off?
The skin of Benjamin's hand covering mine was firm and warm, yet also incredibly careful.
Even without him saying a word, I could guess.
This Crown Prince, who was so brilliant he was almost golden and strangely sensual, was actually incredibly nervous deep down.
For one reason only.
Because he was afraid I might push his hand away...
He looked exactly like a child suffering from profound loneliness, trembling with anxiety that he might be abandoned even by his parents.
So, I couldn't say anything.
Even though Benjamin didn't go anywhere and just stood by my side long after the escort ended.
I simply returned his smile.