Grisha tilted his head.

“It seems you’ve been investigating me?”

“Is there anything to investigate? This year, only one magician was recognized by the academy. Grisha Granite, that’s you.”

Diana admitted to investigating him without batting an eye. She even brushed it off as if it were nothing.

‘A formidable opponent indeed.’

Well, without such brazenness, she wouldn’t have had the heart to try to kill her elder sister to monopolize the inheritance.

‘She must have approached me today to extract information about Nelly.’

To Grisha, Nelly was the most precious person in the world, and he couldn’t look kindly upon Diana, who not only tormented her but even sold her off as another man’s wife.

Grisha nodded slightly, signaling her to speak.

“What’s your purpose for coming here today?”

“Of course, it’s because I’m worried about my elder sister. You came to see her, didn’t you? Did you meet her? Is she healthy?”

“…”

But hearing her speak with such detestable concern for her elder sister, he couldn’t help but feel a rising disgust.

“Young master?”

Diana urged Grisha to answer, her red eyes twinkling.

Regardless of her personality, it was clear that she was an extremely beautiful woman.

Seeing traces of Nelly’s features here and there on her face, Grisha lowered his gaze.

“…I couldn’t meet her either. Your elder brother wouldn’t let me see her.”

“How could this be! Even to his younger brother, isn’t that too much? How cruel.”

As if she had brought some tear-inducing drug, tears immediately welled up in Diana’s eyes. She continued speaking, dropping tears pitifully.

“I firmly believed he would make our elder sister happy. I feel truly betrayed.”

‘How ridiculous.’

Grisha looked around the cafe. The customers had left, but it was connected to the open hotel lobby, and passersby were glancing curiously at the beautiful young lady shedding tears.

Ah, did she feel that spreading rumors wasn’t enough? Did she think adding Grisha Granite to Cedar Granite’s scandal would create a synergistic effect? Perhaps she calculated that Grisha would naturally agree, as his retainer had said, because Cedar’s scandal wasn’t a loss for Grisha.

But that’s only when Nelly isn’t involved.

Grisha slowly opened his lips. Because he genuinely disliked Diana, a bright smile bloomed on his face.

“I thought Baroness Periway was a clever person, but I’m deeply disappointed.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Perhaps because Grisha’s beautiful face and cold tone didn’t match, the tears in Diana’s surprised eyes suddenly disappeared.

Grisha continued in a gentle tone.

“You speak as if you didn’t know your elder brother was such a heartless person. If you cared for your elder sister so much, shouldn’t you have chosen the person to spend her life with more carefully?”

“Are, are you saying it’s all my fault?”

“Since Great Magician Nelly was unconscious, it’s entirely your fault. You were the one who signed the marriage contract, weren’t you?”

Grisha clearly pointed out where the fault lay. Diana’s face turned red and blue.

‘What is this man saying!’

That was information that would be troublesome if conveyed to others.

People are cursing Cedar now because they believe he is the sole perpetrator regarding Nelly’s treatment.

But if they learn that Diana played the biggest role in arranging that marriage, public opinion would rapidly change.

Diana, squeezing out tears more pitifully than before, said,

“Sob, that’s too harsh. The bad person is the one who lied about passionately loving my elder sister, are you now blaming the victim who was deceived by him?”

“In this case, even if you were deceived, you’re also a perpetrator. Because it wasn’t your life at stake in that marriage, but someone else’s.”

“Sob, how can you say such things…”

There was no need to continue the conversation. This much should be enough to keep her from approaching again.

Grisha stood up and walked out, leaving Diana crying alone.

The retainer waiting outside glanced at Diana and asked,

“Have you met Baroness Periway before?”

“I spent time with the Great Magician at the academy.”

“Ah, I see. My thoughts were shallow.”

Though he said that, it was clear he couldn’t imagine that Grisha and Nelly would be close.

Grisha moved to a quiet place with his retainer, thinking of her.

‘Nelly.’

He wanted to bring her to his side quickly.

“Are you interested in magical beasts?”

Cedar asked like that, and I nodded. It’s true that I’m interested.

“Magical beasts! I’ve always wanted to see one. The academy only ever has corpses or very small babies.”

“So you have seen them before.”

“But it’s not my major field… Magical beasts are so rare that even specialists can hardly see them, so I’ve only seen them from afar.”

“I see.”

Seemingly very satisfied with my answer, Cedar nodded and decided my course of action in a very clear tone.

“Then come with me. As a magician.”

“Pardon?”

Where are we going together now? To a subjugation? To see magical beasts?

‘Isn’t it dangerous?’

But at the same time, my heart started beating rapidly.

If they’re calling it a grand name like subjugation, we must be going somewhere with many magical beasts, right?

‘Then I can see various kinds of magical beasts that I couldn’t see at the academy?’

Not all curious people are magicians, but all magicians are curious.

I’m no exception to this rule, so I felt a strong urge to observe magical beasts this time, regardless of the danger.

I wasn’t the only one surprised by Cedar’s decision. Hail was shocked and tried to dissuade Cedar.

“Di-Didn’t you say that my lady’s awakening was a secret?”

“Yes. It’s a secret.”

“Then you’re taking my lady to a subjugation? Can you keep that a secret?”

Cedar’s answer was clear this time too.

“That’s why you’re staying behind.”

“Pardon?”

I chuckled at Hail’s expression, his eyes and lips rounded in disbelief. And a beat later, I covered my mouth with my palm.

This is no laughing matter. My expression must have been just like that when he told me to come along to the subjugation.

Hail, who was facing Cedar with his pupils shaking, looked at me with desperate eyes. As if asking me to hurry and stop Cedar.

I had no particular intention of stopping him, but there were some immediate problems if I went along to the magical beast subjugation right away. I raised my hand and said,

“I need to sell the Charm Potion. Magic potions have an expiration date, so if we go to the subjugation, it will lose its effect.”

Magical power has the characteristic of not staying in one place for long.

Right now, the magical power is temporarily imbued in the potion I made, but it will disappear after a certain period.

‘Grisha helped me, so I can’t just let it lose its effect. It will take time until we can harvest young Mosae leaves again.’

“Come to think of it, I need to take care of the herb garden too. There are no herbs that need to be picked right away like Mosae, but they shouldn’t die.”

As reasons not to go increased, I wavered between wanting to go and needing to stay.

Cedar observed me carefully and then once again ordered Hail.

As if he had read my mind about wanting to go to the subjugation.

“You can stay and sell it. And while you’re at it, tend to the herb garden too. You’re better at farming than I am.”

“You’re leaving me behind when I’ve been preparing for the subjugation all this time?”

Hail asked again, seemingly dumbfounded. Cedar crossed his arms and furrowed one eye.

“If I take you along, you’ll reveal that Nelly is my wife before a day has passed.”

“I, I, my, my mouth, even I can’t guarantee…”

Hail was an honest person. He admitted that he couldn’t trust himself to keep his mouth shut. Cedar nodded.

“It’s good that you know yourself well. Then stay and sell the Charm Potion.”

“No, but still! How can I sell something when I don’t even know what Charm Potion is!”

It had already become a fait accompli that I would be going along.

Excited, I explained to Hail about the Charm Potion he would have to sell.

“It’s a magic potion. It makes the user appear charming.”

Hail was very intrigued by my explanation.

“There’s such a thing in this world? Does it work on the opposite sex?”

“Not just the opposite sex, but on everyone you encounter.”

“So, including the opposite sex?”

“…The opposite sex is important to you, I see. Yes, that’s correct.”

To my answer tinged with a sigh, Hail waved his hands enthusiastically.

“If the effect is certain, I want to buy it all! How much enhancement effect does it have!”

Cedar whispered to me softly.

“You’ve set up the product well.”

“It seems so.”

I didn’t expect such an enthusiastic response.

I actually thought beautiful women would be the main customer base, but seeing Hail’s reaction, men might buy more.

‘It might be easier for inventory management to just sell it all to Hail at once.’

While I was seriously considering this, Cedar’s opinion differed from mine. Cedar rubbed his chin and said seriously,

“But I didn’t know the product was for that purpose. Then we shouldn’t let Hail do it.”

“Why not?”

“If we’re selling a potion that makes you look charming, wouldn’t it be strange if someone who isn’t charming sells it?”

The logic was that a potion that makes you look handsome should be sold by someone who is actually handsome.

I had never been to such a store to buy things, so I didn’t know, but apparently, the prettiest and most handsome clerks are in cosmetics stores, or something like that.

Hail’s face contorted as he belatedly understood Cedar’s words.

“Ca-Captain, that’s too much!”