Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 333

Extracurricular 12

* * *

‘How on earth……?’

Standing in front of the open door aren’t just people from the Duke’s residence.

Tiriel and Jasmine, Claudia and Camellia.

The Asheltein twins and even Raphael.

And—

‘His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress…….’

Seeing Sidrian’s parents made her heart sink.

How are so many people in the Duke’s residence?

And why here, not the drawing-room—.

Unlike Ruatisha, whose eyes darted around in confusion, taking in everyone,

Navi’s eyes were fixed on only one person.

Sidrian.

Seeing the purple eyes stained with all sorts of emotions, the corner of Navi’s lips tilted up crookedly.

Somehow, what had been bothering her seemed to disappear, just a little, very little.

Just then, Ruatisha hurriedly tried to get up from her seat.

Navi reflexively grabbed her slender waist.

“Gasp…….”

A gasp of astonishment escaped from her friends.

Ruatisha looked back at Navi, flustered.

But Navi didn’t let go of Ruatisha.

“What, what on earth is the meaning of this!”

Eventually, the Emperor’s roar, filled with rage, echoed loudly.

Ruatisha, who had shaken off Navi’s hand with force, hurriedly stood up.

“Your Majesty, it’s a misunderstanding.”

But the Emperor’s eyes were already blind with fury.

The Emperor raged, and people buzzed with chatter.

And at the very back.

Cheria watched the commotion as if it were someone else’s business.

‘Yes, in the end, you’re moving according to my will.’

Watching Ruatisha become the center of the controversy, Cheria smirked.

* * *

The Emperor’s wrath was immense.

Even after moving to the grand reception room, the shouting didn’t stop.

“To bring another man into the house where my son lives and frolic with him……!”

“……My daughter wasn’t frolicking. She didn’t particularly look happy.”

“I saw it clearly with my own two eyes! Lying on the bed with a half-naked man!!”

“……They weren’t lying together.”

“Ha! Yes! Ruatisha was the one on top of the man who was lying down!!!”

Duke Paeraton’s attempts to correct the facts only fueled the Emperor’s anger further.

Paeraton wasn’t originally good at conversation anyway.

“Did you make my son live with his in-laws just to see this 꼴 [kkol – a Korean slang term referring to an embarrassing or unsightly situation]?”

“I didn’t make him live with his in-laws. He said he would do it himself.”

“Please be quiet, Duke Paeraton!”

“Ahem, the Duke isn’t exactly saying anything wrong, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor stared at Marquis Tarenka with disbelief.

Even if Paeraton lacked social skills, how could even Marquis Tarenka, who was skilled in political and social maneuvering, act like this?

No matter how much one’s arm bends inward!

“My granddaughter was merely treating a patient.”

“Was that the posture for treatment?!”

It was like fanning the flames.

Eventually, the Empress stepped in to mediate.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. Isn’t Aga not that kind of child?”

“I thought she wasn’t that kind of child, but she’s already done it!! With another man, leaving my son aside, huh?!”

“After listening to Aga’s explanation—.”

“Your Majesty, please be quiet! This is about the Empress and my son, and you’re taking someone else’s side?”

The Empress’s eyes narrowed.

‘Since when have you cherished your son so much.’

Considering the political maneuvering she had done regarding the succession, it was absurd to see him acting like this.

The Empress calmly sighed and thought.

‘……Where on earth did that stray dog bone come from?’

* * *

Small drawing-room.

Ruatisha’s friends were all gathered here.

Unlike how they usually chattered and giggled whenever they met, the small drawing-room was quiet now.

Everyone was just gulping down tea, not saying a word.

Ruatisha felt like she was sitting on thorns, watching her friends’ reactions.

‘Everyone supported our relationship enough to help with Sid’s proposal.’

Her friends were always on her side.

But at the same time, they were quite sensible and virtuous people.

In a situation where anyone could see that Ruatisha had committed infidelity.

‘I wouldn’t have anything to say even if my friends distanced themselves from me.’

But still, she didn’t want to lose her friends because of this misunderstanding.

Even if they thought it was just a futile excuse like the Emperor, still.

“Um, well……!”

Clang!

The sharp sound of a teacup being put down cut off Ruatisha’s words.

Ruatisha flinched and looked at Claudia.

Claudia spoke solemnly with a refined face befitting the daughter of the Michellorein Marquis.

“I’m still on His Highness the Crown Prince’s side.”

“Ummm, I’m still a bit more drawn to the new guy, though.”

“Right? I’m on His Highness the Crown Prince’s side too, but I’m curious about the new guy.”

Camellia was angry at Tiriel and Jasmine’s wavering.

The Asheltein twins slowly spoke, adding sugar to their tea.

“We’re interested in the new guy.”

“That’s right. He somehow smells like a research subject.”

“Of course, he’s not as interesting a research subject as our Lulu, though.”

“Could we perhaps get some more of his fingernails and hair?”

Ruatisha blinked and looked at her friends.

What was this reaction?

“Still, we should support His Highness the Crown Prince out of loyalty!”

“No, I do support His Highness, but we can be a little curious, right?”

“That’s right. Honestly, being curious about a new man is a woman’s instinct.”

“Lulu and His Highness have been dating for a long time.”

“So we’re curious about the new guy!”

“So we should support His Highness!”

Her friends passionately argued.

Just looking at their faces, it seemed like they were seriously discussing social issues.

Even though the content was strange.

Only then did Ruatisha realize the situation.

All that time spent worrying with serious faces without saying a word—

‘—Was about who to support in the love triangle?!’

Somehow, the tension completely lifted.

From the start, her friends had no intention of blaming Ruatisha.

It was then.

“Sorry!”

Cheria shouted, putting her hands together towards Ruatisha.

“I think I made things difficult. I’m really sorry, Lulu.”

“……? What are you talking about?”

“I thought they were Lulu’s guests from far away, so I thought it would be good to see them quickly. So I went to that room with them.”

Cheria bit her lip with a pitiful face.

“I never imagined that Navi would be on the bed with him…….”

“…….”

“Since she was so close to Rihan. I really couldn’t have imagined it. There were many times when Navi and Lulu were alone, but I always thought they were just treating him, I never thought they would…….”

“…….”

“I’m really sorry! I think I missed the timing. If it weren’t for me, Lulu wouldn’t have been caught like this and had trouble.”

Cheria lowered her head.

Ruatisha’s friends stared at Cheria with wide eyes.

Reading that flustered look, Cheria smirked under her lowered head.

‘Where are you trying to slip away like a loach [slippery fish]?’

She wouldn’t let them gloss over the fact that Ruatisha had flirted with someone else while engaged.

Since she had openly pointed out that Ruatisha had been flirting with her fiancé, the young ladies would now be disappointed.

“Hey.”

As expected, a voice rang out, low and subdued.

Cheria’s smile deepened.

“Who are you?”

‘See?’

Even the way she spoke was different from before.

Well, no one would want to be friends with someone who cheated or flirted with men.

“Are you ignoring me now? Who are you?”

Cheria raised her head at the touch that pushed her.

A red-haired woman with yellow eyes was glaring at her right in front of her.

“Who are you?”

“Uh, uh?”

“Why are you butting in? You’re really ruining the mood.”

Camellia, who had actually grown up like a princess in the Poshette Marquis family with a princess mother, wasn’t one to mince words.

Claudia, who would usually have stopped Camellia, joined in this time.

“You’re talking strangely? As if Lulu committed infidelity.”

“Well, that’s the truth, isn’t it? Lulu was on top of another man, leaving Rihan aside.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s no way Lulu would do that.”

“Of course it’s a misunderstanding, right?”

There wasn’t a single speck of doubt in her friends’ eyes.

They hadn’t had such a misunderstanding from the start.

‘Everyone…….’

Ruatisha felt a tickle in her heart for no reason.

‘They consistently believe in me—’

“She’s just always thinking about how to pounce on His Highness the Crown Prince like a tiger!”

‘Hey…….’

Ruatisha looked at Tiriel with a sulky face.

The emotion was all gone.

“But, but everyone saw it earlier. Ruatisha was on top of Navi!!”

“Well, maybe she just ended up in that pose because she slipped.”

“Such coincidences happen often when you’re researching. For example, Lulu’s hair accidentally ends up in an ancient relic.”

‘No, there was definitely intention in that coincidence. She just put it in.’

Ruatisha looked at the twins, who were pretending it was a coincidence, with a sulky face.

Cheria was flustered.

“No, it’s strange for such a scene to come out by chance in the first place! Especially when the man was half-naked!!”

“Hey. It’s obvious, so stop it.”

“Yeah. We have an important story to talk about.”

“Who are you anyway? It was strange from the start when you guided us, not even being a member of the Duke’s family, pretending to be Lulu’s friend.”

“Ruining the good atmosphere.”

Cheria’s face crumpled at the sight of the annoyed young ladies.

‘What. Are they all stupid?’

Even though she was spoon-feeding them, they were still taking Ruatisha’s side!

“That guy seems to like Lulu too, right?”

“Did you see him not letting go of her waist earlier? He was glaring at His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Right. It was really fun. It reminds me of the dawn festival. Why, after that, the family’s interference was so severe that the young masters couldn’t even properly approach Lulu.”

Even the ‘important story’ was about that.

Cheria could grind her teeth all she wanted, the girls turned to Ruatisha with sparkling eyes.

“So, Lulu.”

“Are you really having a fling with that handsome guy?”

“His body was amazing too. It was the first time I saw such clear abs.”

“You managed to see all that in such a short time. You’re really my friend.”

“I think it’s okay to play around with another man a little before getting married.”

Ruatisha sighed deeply at her friends’ sparkling eyes.

“It’s not like that. What fling. I’d rather think about how to seduce Sid during that time.”

“Aww, how boring.”

“I was expecting two men to have a bloody battle.”

“They said the ground would turn over, the sky would collapse, and a bloody storm would blow like a hurricane, right?”

“I came expecting an amazing love triangle. Tsk, tsk!”

Her friends pouted, saying it was a letdown.

On the other hand, Ruatisha’s heart turned cold.

“Wait. How do you guys know that?”

“……?”

The girls looked at Ruatisha with puzzled eyes.

“Didn’t you know? Society is in an uproar with that rumor?”

“There are even people making bets.”

“……What?”

“Of course. It’s a love scandal between His Highness the Crown Prince and the Paeraton Duchess.”

“You’re even a saintess, right?”

Cheria, who had been listening to the girls’ conversation with a pale face, hardened her face.

‘……Saintess.’

For some reason, she couldn’t stand it.

The fact that Ruatisha was called a saintess bothered her to an unbearable degree.

* * *

“Haa…….”

Ruatisha sighed deeply and left the small drawing-room.

Her friends were excitedly having a heated discussion among themselves.

‘Everyone knows too well that I like Sid, so they’re just joking around.’

But still, she was worried.

Sid wouldn’t misunderstand, but.

‘He must have been upset.’

She was also worried that Her Majesty the Empress and His Majesty the Emperor had seen that scene.

How surprised they must have been to see their son’s fiancée with another man.

‘Dad will somehow……no, he can’t.’

She loved her dad very much, but that was that, and this was this.

‘Let’s find Sid first.’

She was moving her steps thinking that.

“You’re going to make the ground sink.”

Ruatisha raised her head at the voice she heard.

A young man with vermilion hair was sitting on a tree.

“What, Raphael. Did you also come to watch the bloody battle rumor and the love triangle fight?”

Thud.

Raphael lightly landed next to Ruatisha.

“Of course I didn’t come to watch such a boring fight.”

“Then?”

Green eyes quietly captured Ruatisha.

“……?”

“—I came to confirm it.”

Hearing that a man had come between Sidrian and Ruatisha, he wondered if there was even a slight gap between them.

He knew it was a false rumor the moment he heard it.

But still, the thought of ‘maybe, perhaps—’ wouldn’t disappear.

Ruatisha, interpreting Raphael’s sunken eyes in her own way, said with a sullen face.

“……Were you disappointed after seeing that scene earlier? It’s all a misunderstanding. I would never—”

“I’m not disappointed.”

Ruatisha raised her head at those words.

Raphael smiled, making eye contact with her blue eyes.

“You can’t be disappointed if you have expectations.”

“What?”

“How can I be disappointed when I never expected anything?”

Yes, he never expected it.

That a gap would form between them.

That maybe Ruatisha would give him that gap.

“Did I look like such a playboy?!”

There are times when he wishes he were a playboy.

“I’ve seen you do all sorts of things since you were young.”

Raphael pressed down on Ruatisha’s head.

“I’ll never be disappointed in you. I’ve already seen too much.”

“…….”

“So rest assured. No matter what you do—even if you have ten legs instead of two, I’ll still be by your side.”

“……You, I’ve told you since I was young.”

Ruatisha raised her head abruptly.

“Don’t touch a girl’s head carelessly.”

“I told you not to do that to a girl you like.”

Raphael smiled and let go of her hand.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do that to the girl I like.”

“Don’t do that to me either, not to me!”

Ruatisha, who was arguing, flinched.

She felt an intensely strong gaze from behind her that made her tingle.

‘What is it?’

Ruatisha, who turned around, flinched.

Someone was glaring at her with a venomous expression.

‘……Cheria?’

But something was strange.

Cheria was a great person in some ways, but even when she treated Ruatisha as a foreign object, she had never made such an expression.

Looking down on her and despising her, but also envying her.

As if she had taken everything that was hers……. It was an expression she had never seen on Cheria, but somehow it was familiar.

Was it because of the sunlight?

For a moment, Cheria’s black hair sparkled.

Like blonde hair.