The Villainess in the Romance Fantasy Is Strange - Chapter 59



59. Not a confession, but a proposal (2)

“……yes?”

Don’t buy it, did I hear that correctly?

Unable to understand the intention of the words, I just stared at Edwin with my mouth slightly open.

… … This guy, surely he’s not acting like this because he wants that diamond necklace I was looking at?

Even if he is the first prince, it is useless for him to act in such an immoral manner.

“… … .”

There was a lot I wanted to say, but the person I was talking to was the emperor’s own son who held absolute power. If I, a baron of a local fief, said anything, that day would be the day of my memorial service.

This is what the difference in social status is like. I really need to succeed because I’m dirty… … As I was thinking the same thing, Edwin met my gaze with a small smile.

“Cain Reinhardt, I think there’s a big misunderstanding.”

Edwin pointed to a diamond necklace in the display case.

“These necklaces are all of low quality.”

“yes?”

“Here, can’t you see the heavy clouds inside the diamond? They are all different shades of light and dark, but they all have a hazy feeling.”

After hearing Edwin’s explanation, I turned my gaze and looked closely at the diamond necklace.

“……uh?”

Then, just as he said, the inside of the diamond seemed to be cloudy.

I don’t know what to call this, but rather than showing the clear, sparkling light characteristic of a jewel, it has a dull, hazy feel, as if covered in fog.

From noble mtl dot com

I didn’t know it when I saw it, but when I looked into it, I could definitely feel that it was really low quality.

“It’s not shiny and it’s not pretty. Buying a necklace like this is like throwing money away.”

I found myself spinning my head at the unfiltered, sharp evaluation.

I thought the shop owner would be offended by this remark that treated the accessories he had painstakingly crafted as trash, but surprisingly, he nodded calmly.

“You have a discerning eye. Yes, that’s right. These are necklaces that are somewhat of a drop in commercial value.”

“Put all of these away and bring them back to VS1 grade or higher. There must be some that you are storing separately, right?”

“Yes, of course. Please wait a moment.”

The owner bowed his head politely and went inside the store, and Edwin crossed his arms.

I stood next to him, slowly observing his expression, and then asked him quietly.

“Excuse me, Chairman.”

“Um, what is it?”

“If you don’t mind, could you help me choose a necklace? I’m thinking of buying it as a gift for a lady, but I’m not very knowledgeable in this area… … .”

As I glanced at him, trailing off, Edwin stared at me with his characteristic gaze.

“If it’s a gift for a woman, does that mean it’s a necklace for Leah von Elebes?”

“… … .”

I swallowed my words as I was about to ask, “How did you know?” Because asking like that would be tantamount to admitting it without question.

However, in this situation, not answering is tantamount to saying yes.

When I didn’t say anything, Edwin seemed to understand the situation. He smiled mischievously and tapped my shoulder.

“Huh, right. Since you already have a ring, it would be right to give you a necklace this time. Good choice, Cain Reinhardt. You have a good sense when choosing gifts.”

If you look closely, this person has a secretive personality.

It doesn’t mean it’s bad, but the skill of touching on parts that you don’t want to reveal without making you feel bad is not an ordinary skill.

This sly side of him was probably inherited from his mother, not the Emperor, who had a strict personality.

I grumbled to myself and took a step aside. Then, Edwin followed me very naturally.

“Okay. I’ll help you. First, tell me the purpose of the gift.”

“The purpose of the gift… is that right?”

“The reason for following. An apology, or gratitude. Or an anniversary.”

“ah.”

That’s what you were asking.

I answered without thinking too much.

“It’s for a proposal.”

“Hmm, a proposal… … .”

Edwin’s mumbling suddenly stopped, and he turned his head to look at me like a broken robot.

A wide-open mouth, eyes as big as lanterns.

He was silently shocked, and without even trying to hide his astonishment, he asked stammeringly.

“Did you just say you proposed?”

“yes.”

“No, a proposal? … … Who is the other person?”

“This is Leah.”

“… … So, is this the necklace you’re choosing now for a proposal?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Ugh… … .”

Edwin, who had asked the question several times, seemed to reluctantly agree after hearing the same answer several times. Then, suddenly, his expression hardened and his face became extremely serious.

“Then… … . I can’t just choose carelessly. I understand. I’ll use all my knowledge to choose the best necklace in this store.”

“Well, thank you for your kind words, but my budget is limited to 50 pounds. So I can’t buy a necklace that’s any thinner than that.”

“Don’t worry. If it’s not enough, I’ll personally provide it.”

“… … .”

You, a total stranger, are offering to help me budget for a necklace?

It’s nice to hear that, but why is this guy like this?

It was hard to accept it, but it was also hard to reject it. I was just watching, wondering why he was suddenly acting like this. Edwin added a word.

“But in return, there is a condition.”

Well, I guess so. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, so I figured he’d ask for something. Edwin probably has something he wants from me, so he’s proposing this deal.

What do you want, a full-scale cleanup of corruption? Or to work under me?

I don’t know what the other person is really thinking, but if the request seems too much, I should try to turn it around and refuse.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Cain Reinhardt, explain to me in detail for at least an hour how you came to decide to propose to Leah von Elebeth.”

“……yes?”

“Why, do you not like it?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that I don’t like it.”

I really wonder if that’s the right thing to do.

Isn’t that right? A top-quality diamond necklace isn’t an accessory worth a few pennies. And the money you’re asking for is just a story of a few hours. It’s too favorable for me, and it’s not a deal that makes sense for Edwin.

“You can refuse if you don’t like it, but in that case, it would mean that I never offered to help you buy accessories.”

“… … Ah, I will. I will tell you as many stories as you want, so please help me.”

* * *

… … So, about an hour later.

With Edwin’s insight and financial support, Cain purchased a diamond necklace that was much more expensive and better than he had originally planned.

The price is a whopping 70 pounds. Converted to modern Korean money, it is easily worth 50 million won. This is because the diamond necklace Edwin chose was a light pink color. It was called a pink diamond necklace.

“Thank you, Chairman. Thanks to you, I was able to choose a good necklace.”

And, this is the outside of the store.

Cain bowed his head politely, putting the well-wrapped necklace into his bosom.

Edwin waved his hand as if he was grateful.

“What, it was fun for me for the first time in a while.”

Edwin held out his right hand, asking for a handshake.

Cain clasped his hands together, relaxed his grip, and matched Edwin’s movements.

“Oh, but.”

Then, as if a sudden thought occurred to him, Edwin wiggled his eyebrows and asked abruptly.

“When are you two scheduled to get married?”

“Nothing has been decided for sure, but I think it will probably be after the coming-of-age ceremony. Both Rihanna and I are still students.”

“I thought you were going to get married right away when you proposed, but there’s still a lot of time left?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Okay, I understand. Once the date is set, send out the invitations. I’ll tell them in advance that I will attend in person, so just have someone send it to the Prince’s Palace.”

“……yes?”

This was another unexpected statement. Of course, it was the crown prince of the empire who would attend the wedding in person.

For a moment, Cain thought Edwin was just saying that as a greeting, but when he saw the seriousness in his eyes, he realized that it wasn’t like that.

‘oh my god…….’

It was a wedding in front of the crown prince. It was very burdensome, but it was not something I could refuse.

Cain, whose thoughts had reached that point, hid his bewildered expression and quickly replied.

“Oh, yes. Okay. As soon as the schedule is set, I will send you the invitation first.”

“Uhm, okay.”

It was at that moment that Edwin nodded his head, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

─Crunch, crunch.

The sound of a woman’s shoes could be heard nearby. Knock knock, a very loud sound of footsteps that had no intention of hiding its presence. Cain unconsciously turned in the direction of the sound.

“Mr. Chairman, these are the things you mentioned.”

The woman’s identity was none other than Edwin’s secretary, Rowen.

She, who was carrying a lot of things in her hands, handed over her luggage without hesitation.

“Thank you for your hard work. I hope you didn’t miss anything.”

“Yes, as always, it’s perfect.”

“Hmm, good. As expected, he’s trustworthy.”

“… … .”

Oh, somehow. Rowan, who always sticks by Edwin’s side, wasn’t seen in the store. It seems Edwin ordered him to do something and he wasn’t seen.

Cain, who realized the situation belatedly, looked around, gave Rowen a glance, and then stepped back slightly. Edwin had gotten used to it a little, but he was still awkward with Rowen, his secretary.

“Well then, I guess I’ll be going now.”

“Oh, yes. Good luck, Cain Reinhardt.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Cain bowed his head again and left.

Rowan quietly watched Cain’s back as he walked away, then quickly turned his head to look at Edwin.

“Mr. Chairman, are you planning to attend Cain Reinhardt’s wedding?”

“What, were you eavesdropping?”

“No, I just happened to hear it on my way here. Your voices are so loud.”

It was an obvious excuse to anyone, but it wasn’t the first or second time. It wasn’t a particularly important conversation, so Edwin accepted it.

“So, are you attending?”

“Yeah, well. Talent management is important. If you think about 10 years from now, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start making your mark now.”

“10 years later?”

“The current commander of the knights will retire in exactly 10 years.”

“… … .”

“He has outstanding skills and will have a solid support system. When he graduates from the academy, I’ll have him join the Knights Templar, and if I raise his position steadily until he becomes the captain… … wouldn’t that make the picture come alive?”

The moment he places Cain Reinhard, who is set to become the son-in-law of the Elebeth family, in a high position and makes him his own man, Edwin is effectively gaining the political support of the Elebeth family and the Reinhard family.

Cain himself may not have known it, but Edwin considered it for a brief moment before helping him.

Edwin, who had been drawing a big picture of his own, looked at Rowan and snickered.

“Rowen, what do you think?”

“If a young kid who is not even 30 years old is appointed as the leader, there will be a lot of backlash from the members. Are you okay with that?”

“Of course it’s not okay. That’s why.”

Edwin took a breath and said one more thing.

“If you want to put the complaints to rest, you have to show some skill, right?”

“In other words, I have no intention of doing anything. You should take care of that headache yourself.”

“Oh, if someone hears this, they might misunderstand. I’m not telling you to do whatever you want, but it just means that I trust Cain that much.”

“Okay, I understand. Where would you like to have dinner?”

“I want to eat something light for the first time in a while, so let’s go to Restaurant D’Champ.”

Edwin walked ahead, passing Rowan, thinking to himself.

‘Cain Reinhardt… … .’

This plan is based on the premise that you will marry the eldest daughter of the Elebeth family.

“Mr. Chairman.”

So, no matter what, get married. That way, you will both benefit.

If everything goes according to my plan, you will be the youngest knight commander, and I will have the support of both families…

“D’Champ Restaurant is in the opposite direction.”

“……ah.”