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Chapter 37

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Cahir had stripped off his kingly garb and changed into a simple suit. Even then, he drew attention with only well-ironed black pants, a white shirt, and a vest.

“Who is it? Which family is he from? He looks so cool!”

“Heavens, I just made eye contact. Oh, I’m never going to bathe ever again!”

“Hey! It’s only your eyes that met, though?”

“I’m afraid my eyes will get wet and wash off the memory.”

Nobody hid their admiration of his appearance, thinking that he was too far away to notice. However, Cahir had trained his ears to be very keen, along with his natural talent for it. Enjoying their reactions, he opened the door to ‘Afternoon Sunlight’ before the time of Rosaline’s appointment.

He tried to get a corner seat, unlike his usual habit of sitting in the area where he would be most visible.

“Should I order the desserts you really wanted?”

“Order whatever.”

While the desserts sold outside had their own charm, the best patissiers on the continent already worked for them in the palace. The ones here would only be imitations of what they ate normally.

Derek decided to just go along with the pretense even if he knew what Cahir was thinking.

Rattle~

Cahir flinched. His back was to the door, but he could tell that it was Rosaline just from the sound of her steps. Fortunately, he had arrived before she did, and she didn’t seem to notice him either.

“It’s Secretary Rosaline! Should I act like—?”

“Don’t be noisy. We’re here for tea.” Cahir grumbled at Derek even though he knew he was teasing him.

The fact that he came all this way even though he was busy, even hiding from Rosaline, was all because of his hurt pride.

‘The most powerful man in the empire is disguising himself and drinking tea in a regular tea house. I must be going crazy.’

“Oh? He’s here already? Hm, not too bad.” Derek pointed at the door and made a fuss, unaware of his darkening mood.

“What?”

“He’s here! Secretary Rosaline’s blind date! Wow, he’s actually quite tall and handsome,” he whispered in Cahir’s ear, whose eyebrows furrowed.

Suppressing his frustration, Cahir forced himself to focus quietly and see what the two would talk about.

As soon as the man arrived, he started talking, Rosaline answering every now and then.

Cahir smirked.

She was bored, totally uninterested in the man in front of her. Her manner now was completely different from when she explained the day’s schedule to or discussed state affairs with him.

“Yes, I’ve been serving His Majesty for five years,” she said, her pretty voice full of pride. “It’s my family’s honor, as well as mine.”

The corners of Cahir’s mouth tugged up.

And then… the man…

James, who had accompanied them, gripped the hilt of his sword and sprang up.

Cahir grabbed his wrist.

“Your Majesty, that man is—”

“Shhh. James, no one knows I’m out here. Let’s not make a scene.”

He was usually a good judge of situations, knowing when it was the right time to execute someone.

It wasn’t that Cahir wasn’t angry. There was a perverse sort of hilarity in seeing someone talk so carelessly without knowing the truth about the topic. He could have gotten up right away and did away with the man for committing lèse-majesté, but he endured it.

‘I wonder how Rosaline will react to someone who speaks ill of me. Perhaps… she considers me a tyrant too…’

“—price of the tea I drank and the laundry fee that your lying self will spend.” Her clear voice broke through the haze of impatience.

“Laundry fee?” Derek brought his face closer to the scene. Then his eyes turned into saucers.

Cahir turned his head and saw Rosaline pour cold tea over the man’s head, shaking it several times so that not a drop was left.

His negative emotions disappeared, lips curving into an undeniable grin.

He stood. “Let’s take a look.” Walking slowly, he caught the eyes of everyone in the tea house.

Rosaline was no exception.

Her jaw dropped.

‘Your Majesty? Did I see it wrong? Is this a dream?’

She stiffened, and Cahir took the opportunity to look at her from head to toe.

“Hmm,” he said, somewhat displeased.

“What are you doing?!” The tea-drenched man trembled in rage but went unnoticed.

Rosaline’s eyes were fixed on Cahir. She didn’t even blink.

“Lady Rosaline, where are you looking at right now?” he raised his voice.

Where? She was looking at the tyrant he had been cursing at since earlier.

Cahir stopped near their table. “Rosaline.”

“Yes, Your… Um.”

Derek was shaking his arms furiously behind Cahir. She bit her lip. It seemed like he went out without saying anything.

“Who are you? Lady Rosaline is talking to me.”

“Hush.” Cahir pointed at the liar, making him sit back with his mouth shut. “Rosaline.”

She nodded, unsure of how to address him.

“You worked for a tyrant for five years?”

Rosaline froze. Yes, it had been five years, but using the word ‘tyrant’ is a little…

“I’m curious about something, Rosaline. You’ll answer me, right?”

She nodded silently again. Cahir smiled brightly, as if he liked her actions very much.

‘Who would even think he was a tyrant with that sunny smile?’

“Yes, please go ahead,” she said after a long moment, confused as to why he was only beaming at her.

“Question? Oh, yes, right. Rosaline, you’re so pretty that I forgot what I was supposed to ask.”

Her face flushed. The blatant praise was definitely a compliment, but why did she feel like she was being scolded?

“Be honest. I won’t ask you twice so listen carefully. Rosaline, you like working for that tyrant, right?”

Rosaline’s mouth slowly opened. Usually, people assumed that she didn’t like it, but of course, Cahir was confident enough to think the opposite.

She blinked and met his eyes.

He looked like a child waiting for a birthday present. She wouldn’t be able to refuse him if his eyes were like that. She couldn’t let His Majesty down!

But Rosaline remained silent, if only because she had no idea what his intentions were. What if she said the wrong thing and suddenly hit a death flag?

She gulped.

“Of course, there’s no way she’d like it!” someone who shouldn’t have interrupted said.

Rosaline massaged her forehead. That damned liar was digging his own grave because apparently, it wasn’t enough to be baptized with tea.

Cahir looked down coldly at the interloper, who flinched but didn’t back down.

“La—Lady Rosaline was talking to me! Talk to her la—later on, hic.”

The emperor leaned closer, almost daring the other man to speak more confidently.

She almost felt sorry for her ‘date’ after all the humiliation that he’d experienced this day.

“Did you say you were a banker?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Which bank is it?”

“The Margove Bank at the intersection…”

“Did you hear that, Derek?” Cahir said without taking his eyes off the liar’s face.

Derek sighed. “Yes.”

“Let’s look into the Margove Bank, shall we?”

Well, that settled it. Cahir was going to go after banks now? Significant backlash and confusion were to be expected. It was getting quite noticeable that bank presidents were being targeted one after the other.

In the Aetheus Empire, lending gold coins at high interest rates was prohibited, but banks openly flouted that law by taking advantage of loopholes. They did not lend gold and silver with interest, rather, they lent in-kind property.

If this was publicized, banks would go bankrupt and the nobles who had invested in them would protest. The merchants who had a stake in the business would be affected as well. That was why Rosaline didn’t report it yet.

She bit her lower lip and looked at Derek, who shrugged helplessly.

“Yes, I see.”

Really, this was like throwing the house upside-down to catch a mouse. But who exactly was the mouse in this situation?

“Who are you in the first place?”

“Are you curious?”

Rosaline frantically shook her head from behind Cahir, eyes filled with warning. A chill passed through the banker’s spine.

“Not really. Anyway, Lady Rosaline, it was fun. I’ll contact you through Roy.” Perhaps sensing death approaching, he snuck away and hurriedly said his farewells. He quickly escaped from the tea house.

He looked like he was being chased, and in a way, he was right.

“Now, Rosaline.” Cahir turned back to face Rosaline, the two of them and Derek being the only ones left in the establishment.

She tried to make eye contact with Derek to ask where all the patrons of ‘Afternoon Sunlight” went, but he studiously avoided her gaze.

“You didn’t answer me earlier, Rosaline.”

“Wasn’t that just something to intimidate that liar earlier?”

“No, it wasn’t. I’m genuinely curious.”

‘It didn’t work on him.’

Rosaline closed her mouth, still reeling from the wide range of emotions she had felt in such a short span of time.

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Meanwhile, Cahir grew more and more uncertain as the silence stretched on. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to retract the question, lest her answer was a negative one.

For the first time in his life, as ridiculous and impossible as it was, he didn’t feel confident. Truthfully, he didn’t know what he would do if Rosaline said that she didn’t really like working for him. It was terrible just thinking about it.

“Your Majesty, I…”