Chapter 43 - Strange Encounter

“Dear associate, are you cheating on me? Talking to another man like that!”

Rave came near me while I was unaware and was frowning. Chelleno then spoke to him in an unpleasant tone, “Hey, playboy officer! What are you talking about? Cheating is your specialty. Besides, Marin is mine in the first place!”

“That’s funny. But I belong to my associate already.”

Idiots. Here we go again. I got a headache from their nonsense. That’s when Lumi suddenly appeared and put an end to the debacle. “She’s mine, thank you! Stop being silly and pick your clothes!”

Rave seemed to be excited by the sudden appearance of Lumi. He’s starting again. I didn’t expect him to do that on Lumi too!

“No way, are you another cousin of my Associate Harrant? Such a pretty and cute lady!”

Lumi, however, replied nonchalantly with a smile to his flirtatious words, “You have a good eye.”

“Of course. I have one hell of an eye for a lady! Why? Because I’m a great man! Hahaha!”

So, the answer is that he’s a narcissist? Well, it’s not the first time Rave is bragging about himself, so I am almost used to it. He always says that he’s “great” and ends with saying that he’s “great.”

“Is that true? But she’s mine, so you shouldn’t even try,” said Lumi.

“Lady, you’re very cute, although not as cute as Associate Harrant. Why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m an officer of the Operations Department of Internal Affairs. Viscount Rave von Harsen.”

It seemed he was disrespectful by the way he said it, but that made sense because… of his family.

“Oh? So you’re from Marquis Harsen’s family? I’m Illumina von Reclaim of Marquis Reclan.”

That’s right. That annoying Rave was surprisingly the first son of Duke Harsen and a man with the title of a Viscount. Such a lazy playboy was the successor to one of two duke families in this country. A shame.

Interestingly though, Duke Harsen was the Minister of Military, who controls an entire army. Rave, however, was known for being an excellent officer working at a desk. This was somehow similar to the Chancellor’s son being a knight.

At this rate, the two duke families would need to trade their positions. Maybe they should exchange their successors with each other. But for Duke Harsen, his second son Sir Hillain, an annoying follower of Elise, was a member of the Central Knights, could replace his brother.

Anyway, I thought I saw Lumi’s eyes look different when she found out Rave was the eldest son of a duke family.

“I have heard a lot about you from my father.”

Rave’s expression hardened in an instant at Lumi’s words. Soon, he laughed awkwardly and waved his hand at me. “Hahaha! I just thought of something I forgot about. I’ll be on my way. Happy shopping!”

What a weird guy. After Rave’s delightful exit, the boutique became silent. It was Adrian who broke that awkward silence and said, “I’d better get going too. I have someone waiting for me.”

“Oh, of course. Farewell, sir.”

Adrian smiled brightly at my response and replied, “Same to you, my lady. Until we meet again.”

I almost froze because of that smile. Whoa, how can a person be so handsome that I still have to say it even if my mouth hurts saying it?

“…He sure is a wonderful man,” commented Lumi. She seemed to have been mesmerized by his handsomeness. Yeah, he sure is.

“Ugh, What’s wrong with you all? That man… Ugh, what you see isn’t everything!”

Chelleno’s words made me wonder more about the man Adrian. I wanted to question my cousin about him, but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so I didn’t ask in detail. So, Sir Adrian isn’t just some ordinary knight?

“Where are you going, Marin?” asked Chelleno, who was trying to get back on the carriage after we bought everything we needed.

“I have to get something. I’ll come back soon. Rey, follow me.”

Chelleno looked displeased as soon as he saw Rey. He would have followed me, but he didn’t get out of the wagon, probably because of him.

Rey, on the other hand, didn’t seem interested in Chelleno and asked, “Don’t tell me you’re going to buy that again?”

With a slightly dissatisfied voice, I nodded and replied, “Of course I am.”

“You’re rich now. Why the fuss now?”

I frowned at the utter lack of consideration in his words. This wasn’t a simple part-time job. It was the joy of my life. “It’s my hobby, so don’t bother.”

Rey frowned. I didn’t feel good either as I could see disapproval in his eyes which were a similar color to mine. Then he replied, “Yeah, okay. But don’t go too much. People will laugh at you if they know.”

Who will laugh at who? It’s my noble hobby! I’m always proud. Because of that, I pridefully… walked into a stuffed doll store. Rey seemed embarrassed to be here, so he decided to wait from a distance where he could see the entrance.

“Whoa… The capital sure is different,” I commented astonishingly.

The sheer number of parts and materials for dolls were enormous already. The cute but full of different materials and dolls, the boutique had some dolls that I made myself. It sure was worth selling them anywhere in the world. Honestly, I’m actually dubbed ‘Doll Master M’ among doll sellers. It was a nickname I got because my dolls had a sense of dignity of a master craftsman within them. Isn’t that the best reputation Doll Master M deserves? Hah!

“Can I get that and that?”

As always, I felt happy when I bought doll materials. I should make a cute teddy bear with this. I haven’t made one in a while. Would Harry like it if I sent it to him?

I saw Rey in the distance when I got out of the store. He seemed to be tired as he had his eyes closed. While I was trying to call him…