Chapter 5

Carsel nodded, convinced.

What he didn't know, however, was that Matt had never been in a relationship either.

Still, Matt certainly knew how to talk.

"If you put pressure on someone when you're still getting to know each other, it's over from that point on. You need to ease your way in naturally. Got it?"

Carsel had begun putting what he'd learned from Matt's crash course into practice.

"I hope you won't feel burdened. I would gladly hand over all thirty-two bankbooks containing my entire fortune, along with the deeds to roughly five houses, to you. Compared to that, this is nothing."

As he spoke, Carsel thought to himself:

'A natural display of wealth. Perfect.'

Meanwhile, Asha shook her head as she listened to the scale of his assets.

The more he talked, the more he sounded exactly like a scammer.

He'd listed his wealth without being asked and showered her with unexplained kindness. It fit the profile perfectly.

While Asha became more convinced than ever that he was a con artist, Carsel remained blissfully unaware.

"...You shouldn't hand things like that over to strangers."

Asha firmly rejected the toys he wanted to buy as well.

"And one toy for Linea is more than enough! We can't even carry all of this, and it's too much."

"Oh. Does your household not have a storage room specifically for toys?"

"...What?"

Carsel tilted his head in confusion before quickly reaching his own conclusion.

'The Delmore County must be in worse financial condition than I thought.'

That realization made him glance at Asha's dress.

For the attire of a noblewoman, it was noticeably worn.

'I'll have to ask Matt how to naturally slip a dress gift to a lady next time.'

"This is enough. I only came here to buy this one thing anyway."

Out of all the toys, Asha picked a single doll.

The dress-up dolls currently popular among noble ladies came with their own miniature wardrobes, filled not only with various dresses but tiny accessories made from genuine jewels.

"How much is it?"

Holding the doll, Asha headed toward the counter as if she intended to pay herself.

Mesmerized, Carsel followed behind her.

"I'll pay for it."

At his words, I tilted my head.

You should never owe a scammer anything.

Even setting that aside, there was no way I could accept such an expensive gift from someone I'd only just met.

So I refused.

"There's no need. I have money too."

"It's not about money. That's not the issue..."

The unfamiliar scent drifting from directly behind me widened my eyes.

Our bodies weren't touching at all, yet it felt as though his scent was wrapping around me from behind.

A strong arm reached past me and picked up the doll.

Naturally, I had no choice but to turn toward Carsel.

"As I said earlier... I am sincere about you, my lady. I would like to get to know you better."

His words stunned me into silence.

In that low, velvety voice, he murmured softly:

"So, to give us a reason to meet again, would you allow yourself to owe me this one small debt?"

"Uh..."

"That is, if you're willing to accept someone as inadequate as me—someone who only knows how to secure a second meeting in this manner."

Carsel lowered his long lashes as he leaned closer.

His eyes were impossibly gentle.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

'It's because he's a scammer. That's why he's so skilled at temptation. Charming people with a face like that must be his profession.'

The luckiest things that had ever happened to me were getting a double-yolked egg or finding an empty seat on the way home from work.

So the idea that a wealthy, handsome man would suddenly buy me an expensive gift simply because he liked me was absurd.

"...Put it on the Rivandel Marquisate's account."

"Certainly."

While I stood there flustered and speechless, Carsel smoothly took the bill for himself.

"Ah... thank you."

At that point, asking for the bill back would have seemed pitiful, so I simply turned and thanked him.

Carsel's eyes curved into a smile.

"It's nothing. If I've been of even a little help to you, my lady..."

As he whispered in that deep voice, his gaze slowly drifted from my eyes to my cheeks, then lingered on my lips.

Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

"That alone would make me feel I've served my purpose."

"No, that sounds a little strange."

"I mean it."

At those words, warmth spread across my cheeks.

His gentle words, spoken as though he would do anything for me, shook my resolve ever so slightly.

But the last remnants of my self-preservation kicked in.

'Just how much money does he need to go this far?'

He looked intimidating, but there was no denying he was breathtakingly handsome.

For some reason, my heart pounded as I pressed a hand against my chest and bit my lip.

Noticing, Carsel leaned toward me with concern.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"Not at all."

"Are you hungry?"

"...That was sudden."

We'd been discussing something completely different moments ago, and now the conversation had shifted again.

I could barely keep up.

I'd never even dated before, so I was already defenseless against the overwhelming force of a handsome face.

Someone showing such straightforward interest left me even more vulnerable.

I turned my head slightly to avoid his gaze.

Embarrassed by the way he kept looking at me, I hurriedly spoke.

"I-I should head back now. Before it gets any later."

"I'll take you home."

I accepted Carsel's offer without much resistance.

After all, the journey from here to the count's estate was long, and hiring a carriage would push me over budget.

Once again, I took the marquis's hand and climbed into the carriage.

Some time later, I stepped out of the carriage looking pale.

I'd just spent all that time alone with a scammer.

'No, seriously, why would the Marquis of Rivandel buy me something like this?'

He'd even insisted—like some ridiculous cliché—that every premium toy in the store be wrapped up.

'I've heard scammers always spend money first before they start reeling women in.'

Honestly...

A small part of me had been excited.

I mean, when a man with a face like that smiles sadly and says he wants to buy you a doll just to secure another meeting...

Anyone would call that seduction.

'If I were even a little more naïve, I might have believed him and opened my heart just a bit.'

But thinking rationally, the Marquis of Rivandel was an exceptionally handsome man.

Women probably flocked to him without him needing to try this hard.

Though, admittedly, he did look a little frightening.

And every time our eyes met, he'd smile with an intensity that sent chills down my spine.

Because of that smile, despite his good looks, he didn't exactly seem approachable.

'Still, for some reason, he seemed genuinely interested in me.'

Unable to decide what to make of this mysterious man called the Marquis of Rivandel, I let out a quiet sigh.

At least he'd listened when I stopped him and only bought the doll and one type of snack.

Even so, the price had been far beyond anything I'd expected.

'And this doll has more dresses than I own.'

It was undoubtedly the kind of doll Linea would love.

In the original novel, there had been a scene where Linea envied other girls her age who owned one.

I remembered details like that because, when it came to novels, my memory was surprisingly good.

Thanks to that, I knew exactly what Linea liked.

The problem was that I absolutely had to repay him for this later.

'There's no way I can just accept it.'

I hated favors that came without explanation.

Clutching Linea's gift tightly against my chest, I stepped inside the house.

There was someone I desperately didn't want to run into, so I tried to enter as quietly as possible.

"...Every single day, the only daughter-in-law I have is out running around."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Of course the drawing room had to be right beside the front entrance.

And, judging by the look on her face, my mother-in-law had been waiting specifically for me.

I quickly forced a smile onto my face.

"Were you waiting because you were worried about me, Mother?"

Pretending not to notice her mood, I asked brightly.

She let out a derisive snort.

"Just how much money did you spend? Looks like you're living quite comfortably."

"Oh, Mother. I don't recall receiving even a single coin from this household. Everything I spend is money I've earned myself."