2 o’clock in the afternoon. As had been forecasted, an important guest arrived at the mansion.
“Welcome to the visit, Your Highness.”
With a face that pretended to know nothing, Count Philip Morris respectfully greeted Prince Alexandre Zephyros Bourbon personally.
He knew of Ellen’s frequent abuse of power, but Philip planned to deftly suppress it.
“How have you been? Count. It’s been a while.”
“Indeed, it is. I am very pleased to see you.”
At Philip’s response, a corner of Alexandre’s mouth crept up, as if amused.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Count, even though I dropped in so suddenly.”
Philip read a hidden expression in his face.
Alexandre had come with an agenda.
‘Perhaps an apology and suitable compensation.’
That’s what Philip guessed, smiling calmly.
“I’ll show you to the reception room.”
“I’m curious about the taste of the tea in the mansion.”
“You’ll be satisfied.”
Soon Philip and Alexandre were seated across from each other, a table between them.
While the butler Domingo was serving the tea, Philip’s attitude in entertaining the guest with light conversation was orderly, and his expression was gentle.
On the other hand, Alexandre leaned back leisurely on the sofa, crossing his legs, his arm draped over the top of the sofa back. His relaxed expression seemed somewhat arrogant. It was clearly an attitude emphasizing his rank.
The atmosphere was quite different from the politeness he had shown a few years ago.
Philip thought he had done well to hear about Ellen’s wrongdoing in advance.
If he had seen that attitude without knowing anything, his mind would have been very complicated.
‘He’ll protest as soon as this conversation is over. Forced to lease the building due to Ellen’s coercion?’
Then a proper compensation request would have followed.
It would have made sense if the prince was angry about being pressured by the countess.
Then Philip inwardly shook his head.
‘But?’
On second thought, it was strange that the prince had complied with the contract under the countess’s coercion.
‘If he was coming to protest that matter, it would have been much better to delay the contract with Ellen and come?’
Philip recalled the Alexandre he knew.
Alexandre Zephyros Bourbon might have been hottempered, but he was never a person to be taken advantage of in a deal. He was not rash either.
Such a person would quietly endure an injustice by someone of lower rank than himself?
It was an absurd story.
‘If there was an unfair deal, he must have deliberately overlooked it.’
Thinking this far, Philip surmised that Alexandre had other stratagems.
Naturally, the international situation came to mind. There were too many intertwined interests to pinpoint immediately.
‘Then Ellen’s actions will be an excuse… It won’t end with just invalidating the contract.’
Philip also recalled that it was wellknown that the Morris family was highly trusted by the king.
‘Is he trying to leverage diplomatic profits with the king by using me? Or trying to manipulate me to his liking…’
It felt quite plausible.
‘He might demand something much bigger than expected.’
Predicting Alexandre’s intentions, Philip let out a bitter smile inwardly.
‘Suppression won’t be easy.’
Still, Philip feigned calm.
He had to resist being swayed as much as possible, without offending the prince.
While Philip was gathering his thoughts, Domingo filled the transparent glass teacups in front of the two men with water and put a dried chrysanthemum in each.
The tea turned a pretty golden color with a rich fragrance, and Alexandre expressed admiration.
“Oh, oh, you do take pride in your tea, it’s really beautiful. The glow in the tea is the exact same color as Countess’s hair.”
‘…?’
He had served the most expensive tea in the mansion, but he hadn’t expected Ellen to be mentioned here.
Having enjoyed a cup of the fragrant tea, Alexandre smiled contentedly. A special emotion was glimpsed in his eyes.
“As you said, the tea is very good. The fragrance, the taste. I like it very much.”
Though Alexandre had only talked about the tea, Philip suddenly felt an urge to punch that face.
He was baffled.
‘Why out of the blue?’
Alexandre had not yet gotten to the point.
Why do I feel like fighting when I should handle the protest as peacefully as possible and minimize the loss as much as possible?
“Why are you doing this, Count?”
Philip forced a smile and responded in a conventional manner.
“I knew you would.”
He brushed it off easily. But Philip felt strange. It was a really strange feeling. He could not understand his own feelings at all.
Then Alexandre marveled at the brilliant golden color of the tea.
“I remember tasting it. It’s a chrysanthemum that only blooms in the desert, right? I’ve heard that gold is even rarer.”
Philip was bothered by Alexandre’s gaze at the tea and the tea itself. Alexandre’s eyes brightened, and he sought Philip’s agreement.
“Am I right?”
‘You are, but let’s stop talking about tea.’
Philip unknowingly held back the words that had risen to his chin.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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