Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 216

With those words, Sid’s eyes curved into a smile.

For some reason, the spring sunshine felt hotter than the summer sun.

Gulp.

I swallowed.

Sid’s face came even closer.

Without realizing it, I slowly closed my eyes, and then—

“……!”

Sid’s fingers dug into my hair.

Huh?

When I opened my eyes, Sid was smiling, holding a petal.

“You had a petal on you.”

“Oh? Oh… Th-thank you.”

Wham—!

I could practically hear my face turning bright red.

‘Goodness, what was I thinking?’

I averted my gaze, and Sid bent down to meet my eyes.

“Don’t think about that black-haired man anymore.”

That’s you, though.

I quietly stared at Sid, then fidgeted with my fingers.

“……Are you perhaps jealous?”

I glanced at him as I asked, and Sid gazed at me with a strange look, then slowly nodded.

“Yeah.”

He whispered, his lips close to my ear.

“I’m jealous.”

Startled by the soft, warm, and tender sensation on my earlobe, I raised my head, but Sid had already stepped away from me and was smiling like a boy.

* * *

‘What was that……?’

I fiddled with my ear for no reason.

I submerged my lips in the water and exhaled, causing bubbles to rise.

“My lady, do you have any worries?”

I looked up at Anna.

Not only Anna but also the other maids were looking at me with worried eyes.

“You’ve been spacing out since a while ago. It’s not like you’ve been taking a bath for so long.”

“Is the water too hot? It looks like your skin is burning.”

“Ah, no. It’s not that…….”

I thought they would make a fuss about me getting dizzy, so I just got out of the tub.

Nancy, thinking I was spacing out because of the bath, worriedly grabbed me to prevent me from falling.

After putting on a fluffy bathrobe, Laura brought me a cold drink.

The pleasant sensation of someone drying my hair.

I crunched on the ice and glanced at the maids, clearing my throat.

“……This is, um, a story about my friend.”

“Hmm, a friend’s story.”

“Yeah, it’s a friend’s story.”

I made sure once again and opened my mouth.

“A guy told my friend that he only wanted to see her smile.”

“Oh my, my?”

“What a charmer!”

“How dare he try to have our lady’s… ahem, that friend’s smile all to himself.”

No, our Sid is not a charmer.

I pouted and closed my mouth, and Anna gently coaxed me.

“Keep telling the story. So?”

“Then he leaned in, so my friend thought he was going to— ki, kissing, you know?”

“……!”

For some reason, the maids trembled, looking as shocked as if they had been struck by lightning.

“But he just took off a petal and left it at that.”

“Ah, my lady!”

Tilda grabbed my shoulders roughly.

“Huh?”

“That rascal— No, that man is really no good!”

“That’s playing games with her, like a cat with a mouse!”

Playing games… with me like a cat with a mouse?

“B-but then he told me not to think about other guys—.”

“That’s why it’s playing games!”

“It’s a tactic, a tactic! Making her only think about him like that!”

“Tell your friend clearly! Don’t even associate with that kind of guy!”

“Huh? Uh-huh…….”

“It’s really not okay. Got it? Absolutely not okay!”

“Uh-huh…….”

I nodded without realizing it, overwhelmed by the maids’ forcefulness.

“Okay, you’re all dry, so take a rest. Don’t think about anything else. Nike has been wanting to see her mom and acting up… no, crying since a while ago.”

“Really?”

I quickly went into the inner room.

“Mama!”

Nike came and hugged me tightly.

Hugging the furball that filled my arms, instead of calming down, I felt even more depressed.

‘Playing games with me like a cat with a mouse…….’

Thump.

‘This is shocking…….’

But our Sid is not the type to play games like that.

“It’s a tactic, a tactic! Making her only think about him like that!”

“…….”

Even if he’s not playing games, where and how did he learn that tactic?

Did he play around with other girls or what!

* * *

“How dare some rascal mess with our innocent lady……!”

“That guy is a fox, a fox [a sly and cunning person].”

“He’s a master, a real master.”

As soon as they came out of Ruatisha’s room, the maids trembled and protested.

“If he seduces her like that, our lady, who has no experience in romance, will have no choice but to fall for him.”

“That can’t happen! Seeing him flirting, he must have a lot of dating experience!”

“That kind of guy doesn’t suit our lady!”

“If we *had* to pick someone, even this is a waste for our lady, but only Sidrian, the prince, is barely good enough.”

“The prince has a good body, is handsome, and is capable.”

“And that heart of his that goes down a thorny path on behalf of our lady!”

“Considering his unwavering devotion, we can only allow Sidrian, the prince.”

“They’ve had an extraordinary connection since they were young, right? Ah, how wonderful.”

Anna nodded, watching the maids shout in unison.

“It seems that the man the lady was thinking about in front of that rascal was Sidrian, the prince. Let’s teach the lady how to put up an iron wall from now on.”

“Yes!”

* * *

At the same time, at the Echesis Mercenary Corps hideout.

Echen leaned back halfway and stroked his lips.

The soft sensation of the earlobe.

The subtle fragrance that wafted up when he got close.

The large eyes that looked at him in surprise.

The face that turned as red as a flower.

“……Chief.”

“Chief!”

Ruatisha’s face, which had filled his vision, scattered in an instant, and Baren’s face, like a bandit, popped up.

“……Get out.”

“Aren’t you being too harsh? Like someone who saw something they shouldn’t have. That voice just now sounded genuinely annoyed!”

Echen looked at Baren, who was pretending to be hurt, and just turned his head.

“What were you thinking so deeply about? I called you several times, but you didn’t notice.”

After a moment of silence at Nemesis’s words, Echen opened his mouth.

“……About Surah. She was smiling today while thinking about that guy.”

“What’s the countermeasure?”

“I did as you told me. ……I think it was okay.”

Echen stroked his lips again.

‘Somehow, it seems like the Chief is being seduced more than Surah.’

Nemesis tucked that thought away and emphasized once again.

“You can’t forcefully capture a woman’s heart. Rather, you have to seduce her well, especially when she’s wavering.”

“Seduce her well…….”

“A man who makes an effort is bound to win a woman’s heart.”

“Okay.”

Echen nodded like a well-behaved student.

“Good. Move away when she thinks you’re approaching, and suddenly come closer when she thinks you’re moving away. Adjusting the strength is important. A man who only pushes his own feelings and bores the woman is no fun.”

Nemesis began to lecture.

Baren scratched his chin, watching the scene.

‘No matter how I think about it, that black-haired man seems to be talking about the Chief.’

The day the missing Chief returned with Surah.

Nemesis and Baren heard surprising news.

That their chief, Echen, was actually Prince Sidrian!

‘And Surah was Lady Paeraton.’

In Baren’s opinion, Surah just liked the same person.

‘It seems like he could just push forward without using his head like that.’

Tsk.

Baren smacked his lips.

‘Well, this is fun too.’

When else would he see Chief Echen looking so anxious and impatient?

Or listening to someone else’s words so intently.

Somehow, the distance between him and Echen seemed to have gotten quite close.

“Baren, what’s your opinion?”

“Chief, there’s no need to listen to that guy. He can’t last a week with anyone he dates. He gets dumped in a week.”

“Wh-what! It’s not that I get dumped! It’s just, just that everyone gets busy, so it’s unavoidable because they can’t focus on dating…….”

Nemesis and Echen looked at Baren with pitiful eyes.

“I’m not dumped!”

* * *

“Did you hear the news? The showdown between Saintess Liliel and Lady Paeraton.”

“What, a showdown?”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? Until now, it’s been like Lady Paeraton’s solo performance whenever something like this happened, but it’s the first time they’re competing, right?”

“The Saintess must be amazing. I still can’t believe it. Curing a sick person with just one prayer. If it were real, it should have been a big deal a long time ago. It’s been years of ‘is she real, is she not?’ and now it’s like this…….”

“It seems real, though? The people the Saintess contacted for investment are incredible.”

“And the charity party hosted by the Saintess this time raised a record amount of donations, right?”

“Wow, that’s really amazing.”

“Well, Lady Paeraton is the same, isn’t she? The donations raised at Lady Paeraton’s charity party will be even more, right?”

“Besides, there are many people who said they would invest in the Paeraton Duchy without Lady Paeraton having to go out of her way to find them.”

“Ah, well. That’s probably true. But Lady Paeraton is originally good at everything, so it’s not surprising, right?”

“That’s true. There’s nothing new. She’s so good at everything.”

“Still, I’m looking forward to this. Every year around this time, just before the social season begins, 〈Physis〉 [a fictional high-end jewelry brand] presents a parure [a matching set of jewelry] to the Lady.”

“Ah, 〈Physis〉’s works are enchanting. I wish I could receive one too…….”

“Will the Lady wear it today?”

“We’ll know when we see it. Anyway, the Saintess—”

“Ah, that’s right. I heard it too. At that time, the Saintess…….”

The story went on endlessly.

* * *

I tilted my head, looking at the flustered maids.

“What’s wrong?”

“Yes? No, it’s just that……. Nothing has arrived from 〈Physis〉.”

“Really?”

〈Physis〉 was the most famous jewelry store in the empire.

At the first imperial palace party that opens the social season every year, I always wore a parure gifted by 〈Physis〉.

“Usually, it arrives at least a month in advance, but how can there be no news until the day of…….”

I listened to the maids’ words and glanced at the notification window.

[The influence of the reader in the empire has slightly decreased.]

[The influence of the reader in the empire has slightly decreased.]

[The influence of the reader in the empire has slightly decreased.]

The same message continued endlessly.

“Don’t wait. It won’t come.”

“Yes?”

“Originally, the representative would come and gift it in person a month ago, right? If they haven’t come by now, it means they’re not going to give it.”

“No, then isn’t it a loss for 〈Physis〉 too? If the lady doesn’t wear it…….”

“It seems like someone who thinks it’s more effective has appeared.”

The maids opened their mouths wide at my words.

“No, it’s too absurd. The reason 〈Physis〉 was able to stand tall as the undisputed number one, surpassing other competitors, is all thanks to the lady!”

“It’s because other people followed and bought 〈Physis〉’s accessories every year that the lady wore them!”

Marketing is bound to lean towards the most effective side at any given time.

“It’s not like I don’t have any jewelry. Let’s choose from the ones my dad bought me for my last birthday.”

“Yes…….”

“I’m going to choose the ones that aren’t made by 〈Physis〉!”

I chuckled at Nancy’s words, which she shouted as if she was upset.

“Okay, okay.”

* * *

The imperial palace party went smoothly.

I was exhausted just from greeting the people who came up to me.

‘Ugh, I’m tired.’

I was sitting on the sofa, resting, when a face peeked out in front of me.

“Hehe—.”

It was Jasmine and Tiriel.

“Hey, Lulu.”

“We have something we’re curious about.”

They were smiling mischievously as they spoke.

“What is it?”

“Do you perhaps have someone you like?”

“L-l-like someone?”

My heart suddenly dropped.

Tiriel and Jasmine looked at each other and grinned.

“I knew it, right?”

“No, I don’t!”

“I’ve never seen Lulu react like this before.”

“She always pretended not to be interested in men.”

“Maybe, that person—.”

“Is it Prince Sidrian?”

“Huh?”

How did they know?!

“I knew it.”

“Are you two dating?”

“Uh…….”

“Huh? Huh? You can tell us.”

Tiriel and Jasmine, who love other people’s romances, looked at me with sparkling eyes.

How, how do I answer this?

That’s when it happened.

“I don’t think so?”

A lively voice cut into our conversation.