Let's Woo the Mother and Daughter of the Duke's Family
Let's Woo the Mother and Daughter of the Duke's Family
Maybe it's because I perfectly planned out how to reinforce the Denius Duchy's military power?
Today, I woke up early in the morning, even before the maid came to wake me.
"Ah, I wish all the truth about the Cheinders would be revealed soon."
Then I wouldn't have to be anxious anymore; I could stay at the ducal residence, seduce the two women, learn magic, and comfortably prepare for the future.
... And if possible, I'd like to go see the female lead in person later.
Anyway, after welcoming a refreshing morning while having miscellaneous thoughts.
I was in the middle of getting ready to start my daily routine.
Burst-!!
Suddenly, without even a knock, the door swung wide open, and two burly men who looked like they were incredibly good at fighting, along with a maid, entered the room.
Then, without any explanation, the two men grabbed both my arms and started dragging me away.
"Uh, yes? Wait a second?"
"Quiet. We're busy, so don't resist and just follow along obediently."
The place I was dragged to like a piece of luggage for nearly five minutes, without knowing why, was...
None other than the private office of Duchess Mirea, where even loitering nearby had been strictly forbidden since that suffocating one-on-one meeting on the first day.
Knock-knock!
"Duchess-nim, I've brought the man."
"... Send him in."
As soon as they received Mirea's order, the two men opened the door very carefully and shoved me into the office as if throwing me away.
And they shut the door firmly, as if to say there was absolutely no way to escape.
Bang-!
Silence fell as soon as the door closed.
'... No, if you had just politely said the Duchess called for me, I would have walked there obediently on my own feet. Do you really have to treat a person so roughly?'
I grumbled to myself, brushed off my wrinkled clothes, and then...
In just one second, I wiped the feeling of absurdity from my face, equipped the most relaxed and gentle expression in the world, and shifted my gaze forward.
"Oh...."
Across the wide desk, Mirea Denius was looking down at a stack of documents with a very indifferent yet troubled gaze.
I slowly approached and parted my lips with the most slick, greasy smile I could muster.
"Thank you for inviting me into your private space, Duchess-nim. More than that, you look like a single black rose blooming proudly alone in the pitch-black night sky today as well, Duchess-nim. But, may I ask what thoughts have caused those beautiful brows, more dazzling than morning dew, to furrow so deeply?"
Even with my flattery, which was a bit more syrupy than usual, she didn't answer for a long while.
She just slowly raised her head and stared intently at my face with her signature red eyes.
"Hmm...."
"......."
How much silence passed after that?
Finally, her red lips opened.
"Zenon. All the information you offered me has been confirmed as perfect fact, without a single error."
"... Aha! So that's why you called for me. I, once again...."
"Cut the flattery and listen to the rest. In particular, the scale of that iron mine was so huge it was comparable to the territory of a small nation. What on earth were those trashy bloodlines of the Cheinders preparing, hiding from the Imperial family's eyes? Tsk."
Mirea, who clicked her tongue briefly, slowly rose from her seat, walked leisurely around the desk, and approached right in front of my nose.
A distance so close that if one of us took a single step, our bodies would touch.
The alluring yet addictive scent wafting from her tickled the tip of my nose, but I struggled to swallow my dry saliva and met her gaze.
And Mirea, who had been watching me indifferently for a moment, asked.
"Now, stop with that pathetic acting and the lip-service love talk, and tell me what you truly want."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that...?"
"If you want power, I can use my authority to grant you a Count title immediately and accept you as a vassal family of Denius, the greatest power in the Empire. It means I will support you so that you can grow your influence stably as a high-ranking noble. If you want money, I will give you enough gold coins to buy ten of the most splendid mansions in the heart of the Rodpen Empire's capital and still live in luxury, eating and playing for the rest of your life."
"......."
"So stop that pathetic love talk and tell me the reward you truly want."
Her offer was beyond imagination.
A Count title.
Ten mansions in the capital.
From the perspective of Zenon the commoner, who was on the verge of having his guts ripped out by loan sharks, it was truly a massive reward that would change his life completely.
No, not just from Zenon's perspective, but even to me, who lived day-to-day, getting kicked around in the modern world, it was an incredible offer.
Perhaps that's why? My shallow snobbery inside me flared up wildly for a brief moment, screaming at me to shout that I'd take the gold coins right now.
But having read countless fantasy novels until now, I know.
That mediocre wealth and a Count title are just pebbles rolling on the street compared to the massive power of Denius and the true strength she possesses.
To survive perfectly in this worldview and achieve my happy ending with the female lead, I absolutely had to stick to this villainess like a leech.
Then, there is only one thing I must do in this situation.
'Screw it, I don't know. Full speed ahead.'
I firmly shook my head.
And instead, I took a bold step toward her.
Just as Mirea was about to hurriedly step back at my unexpected approach.
I reached out without hesitation and very carefully and gently cupped her smooth chin.
"You, you dare...!"
"Didn't I already tell you when we first met?"
I looked very calmly into her red eyes, which were wavering with a bit of anger and absurdity.
At the same time, I completely erased my usual slick tone and mimicked the voice of a man who was serious, desperate, and yearning for love.
"Such territories or piles of gold coins mean nothing to me. My only desire is to stay in the most perfect and dazzling world that is you. Even if the whole world fears you and points fingers at you, I alone will stroke your cheek with these hands and carry that heavy burden with you."
"So...!"
I whispered even more stickily, lightly stroking her sharp jawline with my thumb.
"The only reward I truly want is one. To be by your side, in the deepest and warmest place, watching the same scenery as you, and dedicating the rest of my life entirely to you."
"......."
I could feel Mirea's breathing becoming a little faster than usual.
The heat starting from her snow-white neck climbed up her cheeks and was dyeing her earlobes bright red.
Normally, the moment a commoner dared to touch her body, their head would have flown off.
She couldn't even swat my hand away and just trembled her lips.
"Kuk... I guessed you wouldn't leave, but... You are a much more impudent and bold commoner than I thought."
There was no particular anger in Mirea's voice as she barely managed to spit out those words.
She turned her red eyes away from my gaze toward the window, then stepped back and added.
"For now... I will decide on my own what reward to give you personally and notify you, so go back to your room for today."
Okay, success!
"Naturally, I can continue to stay at the ducal residence, right?"
At that bold and shameless question, she finally fanned her flushed face with her hand and slapped the back of my hand, which had been extended in the air, with a sharp sound.
"Even if I ordered you to leave, you'd just hang onto my dress hem and hold on, wouldn't you? There's no need to go through the trouble of making my mouth hurt."
She probably thought she was saying it while showing as much resignation as possible.
But the action visible to my eyes was just the awkward figure of Duchess Mirea, who, instead of chasing me out, turned around first and walked with long strides toward the office door.
A ridiculous and strange situation where the owner runs away first, leaving the guest behind in the office, an area only the Duke and the successor can enter.
However, Mirea, who didn't notice the strangeness until the end, stopped for a moment before going out into the hallway and muttered quietly.
"You won't listen anyway, but I'll tell you regardless: no matter how much you struggle and try to seduce me... you will soon realize that it's all a futile effort."
Click.
Soon left alone, I looked at the office door Mirea had left through, then looked down at my palm.
The hot and soft sensation that had been touching my fingertips just a moment ago was still vivid.
"⋯ Wow, damn."
I let out a dry laugh and muttered to myself without realizing it.
"Is she really a widow in her 30s? How is her womanly charm the best out of all the women I've met in my life?"
That absurdly cute reaction hidden behind her cold exterior.
Somehow, I felt like this life-risking tightrope walk was starting to become genuinely fun.
Looking at the desk where she had been sitting one last time.
I hardened my resolve to perfectly conquer the villainesses and achieve a future where I can live the good life, then left the office.
Hmm... Even if it's a personally given reward, isn't it a bit too soon for the reward to arrive?
A small envelope delivered through a maid after just one day.
According to her, it contained the first thank-you gift bestowed by the Duchess.
"Hmm, is it a card with, like, 1,000 gold coins? Or 10,000 gold coins?"
A Korean specialty.
I refuse once, but I don't refuse twice.
I opened the envelope, convinced that the card with the ducal family's crest must be inside, given the moderate weight of the envelope.
"... Huh?"
However, what was inside wasn't a card, but a document with a luxurious crest engraved on it.
Could it be a real Count title instead of a card?
No, a Count title is a bit much. A Viscount? A Baron? Or did she give me some kind of business?
It was a bit disappointing that it wasn't money, which is the simplest and best thing, but since I almost wouldn't have received anything at all, I opened the document with a grateful heart.
And I froze right there.
[Rodpen Academy Admission Recommendation.]
[This document is one of the conveniences provided by the Imperial family to the seven great pillars who shine upon the Rodpen Empire; if desired, one can enter the Academy at any time without an entrance exam, and a full scholarship along with a diploma is guaranteed.]
[Current Academy Dean: Confirmed by Theo Arkenbus.]
"... Pardon? Academy?"
Suddenly?
Me?