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Chapter 139

Translator: Yonnee

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He hesitated, wondering whether the crown prince's intent to summon countryside nobles to the capital was merely a reciprocation, or if Seo-yoon had a hand in this.

Suspicion arose. After some contemplation, Ciel called for Rouman.

"Did you call, Your Grace?"

"Call in the most famous designer in the capital. Right now."

"...Pardon, sir?"

"You seem to be questioning me a lot these days."

Rouman sensed his master's irritation and lowered his head.

"I will personally call them."

"Make sure they are prepared to create multiple attires right here. Immediately."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Burdened with unexpected tasks today, Rouman hastily left. Feeling frustrated, Ciel drank the ice-cold water that had been prepared in advance.

He thought about how refreshing and cool Irene's guiding would be as he walked outside.

He then soared high up, briefly checking the almost completed cabin. But from this height, he spotted Irene near the cabin and hurriedly descended.

"Irene?"

She was examining the cabin, which was almost ready. Rose and Aiden were both with her.

Ciel couldn't help but wonder who had informed her.

"...Ah, Brother!"

"Hello, Your Grace!"

Ciel was planning to invite her after the cabin's completion. He approached her with a hidden sense of regret.

"It's been a while, Duke."

Irene greeted him first, causing him to feel tension. Swallowing hard and hiding his nervousness, he greeted back.

"Yes, it has been a while."

"Yes. How have you been?"

It was seemingly a casual inquiry, but it brought joy to Ciel. He had longed for such ordinary conversations.

"As you can see, I've been a bit busy with building the cabin."

"The kimbap was delicious."

"...Really? How was it?"

"Um, it was good."

"It must be because it's made using the same method you taught me before."

"Ah..."

Thinking of the kimbap his wife used to make for him, Ciel continued.

"You insisted on having burdock root in it. But in the Empire, we don't have burdock root, so I struggled a bit. I'm glad you liked it."

Upon hearing his words, Irene subtly raised her head and looked at him. However, her gaze was somewhat mysterious, making Ciel feel a subtle thirst.

"What is it? Did I get it wrong...? I'm sure you used to prefer kimbap with burdock root..."

Ciel mumbled with an uncertain voice. In response, Irene turned her head and answered.

"Yes, that's right. I used to like it with burdock root."

"I thought so."

Ciel smiled brightly at her positive response. Irene looked at him again, tilting her head, and initiated a conversation.

"Can we talk for a moment?"

"Oh, of course, it's fine. Ah, how about going to the pergola over there for our conversation?"

"What's that?"

After repairing the cabin here, the pergola's columns were painted with a bright white, and its roof was a pleasant coral hue.

Irene looked at it with curious eyes. It looked like a small cafe.

"Aiden, why don't you two explore the place? You can go ahead and have a look at our new villa."

"Sure!"

Ciel relayed the message to Aiden and quickly followed Irene. The two sat facing each other and stared blankly for a moment. Irene gathered her courage to ask the question she had been pondering.

"I called you because there's something I'm a bit worried about."

"What is it?"

"If you keep making Korean food like this, what if Seo-yoon misunderstands?"

"What's there to misunderstand? If I made it, then I made it."

"That's not it. What if Seo-yoon thinks you're also someone who came from Korea?"

"In that case, I'll pretend that's the case and find out what she's thinking."

If it would come to that, he planned to personally stage a play.

Pretending to have a shared background from Korea, he intended to use that camaraderie to understand her thoughts. Although he was uncomfortable with this method, he needed evidence that she was causing the 'monster waves' every time she traversed through dimensions.

As Ciel casually responded, he became suspicious of Irene's sharp gaze, which was flickering like a cat.

Oh, that's...

As he was comfortably leaning on his seat, Ciel unconsciously straightened his back and placed his hands on his thighs.

"How do you plan to understand that woman's thoughts when you're not even a psychic-based Esper? If you're planning on doing that, wouldn't it be better to leave it to the Young Duke?"

Ciel felt a mix of tension and excitement, realizing that Irene's rare scoldings had found their way into this conversation. Although he knew Irene rarely nagged, the unexpected scolding brought both joy and a sense of unease.

He was tense because he had no clue about what he might have done wrong.

Yet, in the midst of this confusion, a spark of hope emerged.

'Are you worrying about me right now?'