IELNDMH - Chapter 87 < Something to Say to Her Highness >
I Ended Up Living Up Next Door With My Ex-Husband
The next day, at the investment agency office.
I looked up from the document I was looking at the whole time and checked the time.
Perhaps it was because I visited the investment agency for the first time in a few days, but I was just checking out the progress so far and it was almost time for me to leave work.
Looking at the report, I found that the foundation's work, which provides employment for mixed-blood demons in the human world, was fortunately progressing successfully.
'The problem is the investment agency... I'm worried that the number of customers hasn't increased as much as I expected.'
For people here, the concept of having an expert invest on their behalf was still unfamiliar.
‘The number of customers will increase slowly. Plus, we're planning to hold a masquerade ball soon to promote it, so we might be able to attract a lot of customers there.'
I sighed from the overwhelming fatigue and leaned back on the sofa.
At the same time, as I put down the documents I was looking at on the table, I felt Anton, who was sitting across from me, secretly watching me.
"Ha ha ha... For some reason, the number of customers is not increasing.”
Looking at the shy smile, it seemed like he was quite aware of me.
"It's okay. This isn't Anton's fault...”
That was when I was about to smile and shake my head.
“Anton, are you really going to do this? If you did it right, there's no way you wouldn't have customers like this! We’re only making Our Highness upset for no reason!”
Mina, who was standing behind me, repeatedly criticized Anton.
I had noticed that Mina did not like Anton from the time he first set foot in the North, and it remained the same even to this day, sometime later.
But every time that happened, for some reason, Anton's face would turn red like a shy boy.
'Anton, really like Mina?'
When I opened my eyes and looked at Anton, he withdrew his gaze from Mina and quickly lowered his head.
I smiled softly at him and looked at the clock again.
“You can just leave work, Anton.”
“Wow, it’s already been so long.”
“Ah, but I have a favor to ask you.”
"Yes, yes! Just say anything, Your Highness!”
Anton pushed up his glasses and shouted brightly.
I glanced at Mina and then turned my head back to Anton.
“Would you mind spending time with Mina after work? About two hours.”
"Mi... Alone with Mina?”
"Yes? Your Highness! Why?!”
Anton looked pleasantly surprised, while Mina did not hide her disgust.
I took off my pocket watch and sighed slightly.
“Adrian has decided to come pick me up, and we have something to talk about in the carriage. Because it’s a bit of a serious topic.”
“But, Your Highness!”
“You can do a little sightseeing with Anton. I'll give you plenty of pocket money, so you can go to some new salons and cafes. I’ll send you a separate carriage when we get to Twins Castle, okay?”
“...Haaa."
Mina let out a deep sigh as she forced herself to answer.
“It can’t be helped. Instead, should you send a carriage immediately when you arrive at the castle?”
“Don’t worry about that. And here's your pocket money. There is no need to be sparing.”
Mina politely took the money I handed and glanced at Anton.
"What are you doing? Get up.”
"Yes? Ah, yes, yes!”
Anton quickly got up from the chair and walked over to Mina's side.
“Then we’ll go out first, Your Highness. Since you said you and Adrian had something to talk about, wouldn’t it be better if we weren’t there to begin with?”
I was impressed by Mina's great sense and gave her a thumbs up.
Mina smiled at me for a moment, but then her expression hardened and she glanced at Anton.
“Follow me quickly. If you walk slower than me, I will abandon you and go alone.”
"Ah yes! Yes. Then, Your Highness, we go first!”
Anton, who was smiling brightly, quickly walked out, following Mina who took the lead.
Finally, I was left alone in the agency, and I leaned my head on the sofa, massaging my sore eyes.
It was about time when I was slowly falling into drowsiness with my eyes closed.
Knock, knock.
A soft knocking sound sounded like a dream.
I was in a tired mood and inadvertently turned my head.
Then, the silhouette of someone leaning against the wide open door of the agency blurred into view.
Tall, wearing a neat suit, white skin, facial features that are clear enough to be felt even with blurred vision, and...
Short, neatly groomed blonde hair.
I stared blankly at the man, still half asleep.
However, it didn't take long before I felt a strange sense of familiarity with the man.
“...Adrian?”
No, that doesn't make sense. That man is Adrian.
I blinked slowly, doubting myself.
And the moment I raised my head to check the other person’s face again.
“It looks like you were very tired. You were sleeping so soundly that it was difficult to wake you up.”
With a soft bass sound, Adrian's beautiful face began to appear more clearly.
But why does it still feel unfamiliar?
When I looked at Adrian again, I realized that his long flowing hair had disappeared.
I slowly opened my mouth, fixing my eyes on his blond hair that was neatly trimmed with pomade.
“Adrian, your hair...?”
Adrian touched the back of his neck with a shy expression and smiled softly.
“I cut it. I think it would be better to be neat from now on.”
I had to speak out of courtesy, but I couldn't get my mouth to stop talking.
Because I knew very well what he meant when he said, ‘From now on,’ the disappointment that I had barely suppressed suddenly flared up again.
I just lowered my gaze and couldn't speak for a while.
Soon a dark shadow fell over the table in front of me.
“...Your Highness.”
When I slowly raised my head at the sound of a soft bass sound, my eyes immediately met Adrian who was standing in front of me.
He bent down with his blue-violet gaze fixed on me.
His beautiful face naturally came closer to me.
Instead of the fresh smell of grass like before, he smelled the heavy scent of sandalwood.
When I glanced up, his downcast eyes slowly sank downward.
“Are you not happy with how I’ve changed?”
After staring at his long, fan-like eyelashes in silence, I slowly parted my lips.
“No, it’s just... I felt unfamiliar with Adrian.”
As he muttered softly, his eyes turned to me again.
Maybe it was my mood, but the blue-violet eyes I saw up close were darker and clearer than before.
Those eyes seem to be hiding intense emotions beneath a hardened shell.
It made Adrian feel like a stranger more than anything else.
For a moment, he continued to look at me with unfamiliar eyes. A faint smile appeared on Adrian's lips.
“If that’s the only reason, then tell me it’s cool.”
“...I'm sure you've already gotten sick of hearing it from other people before, so what are you going to do? You just showed it to me.”
"It's different. I want to hear from Your Highness.”
For some reason, I avoided Adrian's gaze and remained silent.
Then he brought his face a little closer and asked me a question like a fussy child.
"Yes? Your Highness?”
I glanced at him, unable to hide my disappointment.
As I was contemplating whether or not to tell him to the end out of spite, it suddenly occurred to me that my time with him was short.
'Well, I won't have time to say this to Adrian anymore.'
I tried to shake off the mixed sinking feeling and looked at Adrian again.
“Of course. Adrian is cool no matter what you look like.”
I smiled and spoke quietly.
Then Adrian's eyes slowly opened wide.
A face as if he had finally heard the words he had been waiting for so long.
He looked at me in silence for a while, and then a red color gradually began to spread on the back of his neck.
Adrian's lips slowly opened as the color finally spread to his ears.
“It might feel better than you imagined.”
Adrian touched the back of his neck and muttered.
I let out a small laugh looking at him like that.
“....By the way, Adrian.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
When I looked up again, I saw him smiling at me like always.
I tried to suppress my mixed feelings and continued talking.
“How have you been?”
“...”
“These days, unlike before, you rarely come to see me first. Actually, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen each other.”
I asked Adrian cautiously, hoping he would quickly reveal the truth.
As I was waiting for his lips to fall, his eyes widened as he looked at me.
“I feel reassured that you sometimes think of me even when you are not with His Highness.”
As he said that, his eyes soon sank low.
“There have been circumstances in which I have not been able to visit you. There was something I had to take care of, and I also needed to mentally prepare to see Your Highness. But...”
Adrian paused for a moment, and a bitter smile spread across his lips.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Your Highness.”
Deep emotions once again seeped into the blue-violet eyes.
I gently turned my head to avoid his unwavering eyes.
I couldn't accept his feelings anymore.
Therefore, his feelings that had grown bigger before I knew it only incited my guilt.
Even now, I felt it would be better to reveal that I had spent the night with Cedric.
When I didn't know about the engraving, I felt embarrassed to reveal too personal things, and after finding out about it, I felt sorry for missing the opportunity to tell Adrian about it because we hadn't met him in a while.
I looked at Adrian again and slowly opened my mouth.
“Adrian. Actually, me, Cedric, and...”
But the words could not continue any further.
It was because Adrian, who had been looking at me with his back bent, turned his head.
He suddenly stood upright and took a step back with a stiff expression on his face.
“The coachman will be waiting. Please go back, Your Highness.”
He was definitely smiling, but there was a slight sense of intimidation in that smile as if he was trying to stop me from continuing what I said.
At that time, when I was unable to continue speaking, Adrian's hand was held in front of me.
I sighed softly and stood up holding his hand, and soon I heard a soft voice.
“Your Highness, would you please take a night walk with me tonight?”
“Night walk?”
“Yes, I want to see the Demon King’s gift with Your Highness like before. And above all...”
A bitter smile crept onto Adrian's lips as he paused for a moment.
“I have something to tell you, His Highness.”
I looked up from the document I was looking at the whole time and checked the time.
Perhaps it was because I visited the investment agency for the first time in a few days, but I was just checking out the progress so far and it was almost time for me to leave work.
Looking at the report, I found that the foundation's work, which provides employment for mixed-blood demons in the human world, was fortunately progressing successfully.
'The problem is the investment agency... I'm worried that the number of customers hasn't increased as much as I expected.'
For people here, the concept of having an expert invest on their behalf was still unfamiliar.
‘The number of customers will increase slowly. Plus, we're planning to hold a masquerade ball soon to promote it, so we might be able to attract a lot of customers there.'
I sighed from the overwhelming fatigue and leaned back on the sofa.
At the same time, as I put down the documents I was looking at on the table, I felt Anton, who was sitting across from me, secretly watching me.
"Ha ha ha... For some reason, the number of customers is not increasing.”
Looking at the shy smile, it seemed like he was quite aware of me.
"It's okay. This isn't Anton's fault...”
That was when I was about to smile and shake my head.
“Anton, are you really going to do this? If you did it right, there's no way you wouldn't have customers like this! We’re only making Our Highness upset for no reason!”
Mina, who was standing behind me, repeatedly criticized Anton.
I had noticed that Mina did not like Anton from the time he first set foot in the North, and it remained the same even to this day, sometime later.
But every time that happened, for some reason, Anton's face would turn red like a shy boy.
'Anton, really like Mina?'
When I opened my eyes and looked at Anton, he withdrew his gaze from Mina and quickly lowered his head.
I smiled softly at him and looked at the clock again.
“You can just leave work, Anton.”
“Wow, it’s already been so long.”
“Ah, but I have a favor to ask you.”
"Yes, yes! Just say anything, Your Highness!”
Anton pushed up his glasses and shouted brightly.
I glanced at Mina and then turned my head back to Anton.
“Would you mind spending time with Mina after work? About two hours.”
"Mi... Alone with Mina?”
"Yes? Your Highness! Why?!”
Anton looked pleasantly surprised, while Mina did not hide her disgust.
I took off my pocket watch and sighed slightly.
“Adrian has decided to come pick me up, and we have something to talk about in the carriage. Because it’s a bit of a serious topic.”
“But, Your Highness!”
“You can do a little sightseeing with Anton. I'll give you plenty of pocket money, so you can go to some new salons and cafes. I’ll send you a separate carriage when we get to Twins Castle, okay?”
“...Haaa."
Mina let out a deep sigh as she forced herself to answer.
“It can’t be helped. Instead, should you send a carriage immediately when you arrive at the castle?”
“Don’t worry about that. And here's your pocket money. There is no need to be sparing.”
Mina politely took the money I handed and glanced at Anton.
"What are you doing? Get up.”
"Yes? Ah, yes, yes!”
Anton quickly got up from the chair and walked over to Mina's side.
“Then we’ll go out first, Your Highness. Since you said you and Adrian had something to talk about, wouldn’t it be better if we weren’t there to begin with?”
I was impressed by Mina's great sense and gave her a thumbs up.
Mina smiled at me for a moment, but then her expression hardened and she glanced at Anton.
“Follow me quickly. If you walk slower than me, I will abandon you and go alone.”
"Ah yes! Yes. Then, Your Highness, we go first!”
Anton, who was smiling brightly, quickly walked out, following Mina who took the lead.
Finally, I was left alone in the agency, and I leaned my head on the sofa, massaging my sore eyes.
It was about time when I was slowly falling into drowsiness with my eyes closed.
Knock, knock.
A soft knocking sound sounded like a dream.
I was in a tired mood and inadvertently turned my head.
Then, the silhouette of someone leaning against the wide open door of the agency blurred into view.
Tall, wearing a neat suit, white skin, facial features that are clear enough to be felt even with blurred vision, and...
Short, neatly groomed blonde hair.
I stared blankly at the man, still half asleep.
However, it didn't take long before I felt a strange sense of familiarity with the man.
“...Adrian?”
No, that doesn't make sense. That man is Adrian.
I blinked slowly, doubting myself.
And the moment I raised my head to check the other person’s face again.
“It looks like you were very tired. You were sleeping so soundly that it was difficult to wake you up.”
With a soft bass sound, Adrian's beautiful face began to appear more clearly.
But why does it still feel unfamiliar?
When I looked at Adrian again, I realized that his long flowing hair had disappeared.
I slowly opened my mouth, fixing my eyes on his blond hair that was neatly trimmed with pomade.
“Adrian, your hair...?”
Adrian touched the back of his neck with a shy expression and smiled softly.
“I cut it. I think it would be better to be neat from now on.”
I had to speak out of courtesy, but I couldn't get my mouth to stop talking.
Because I knew very well what he meant when he said, ‘From now on,’ the disappointment that I had barely suppressed suddenly flared up again.
I just lowered my gaze and couldn't speak for a while.
Soon a dark shadow fell over the table in front of me.
“...Your Highness.”
When I slowly raised my head at the sound of a soft bass sound, my eyes immediately met Adrian who was standing in front of me.
He bent down with his blue-violet gaze fixed on me.
His beautiful face naturally came closer to me.
Instead of the fresh smell of grass like before, he smelled the heavy scent of sandalwood.
When I glanced up, his downcast eyes slowly sank downward.
“Are you not happy with how I’ve changed?”
After staring at his long, fan-like eyelashes in silence, I slowly parted my lips.
“No, it’s just... I felt unfamiliar with Adrian.”
As he muttered softly, his eyes turned to me again.
Maybe it was my mood, but the blue-violet eyes I saw up close were darker and clearer than before.
Those eyes seem to be hiding intense emotions beneath a hardened shell.
It made Adrian feel like a stranger more than anything else.
For a moment, he continued to look at me with unfamiliar eyes. A faint smile appeared on Adrian's lips.
“If that’s the only reason, then tell me it’s cool.”
“...I'm sure you've already gotten sick of hearing it from other people before, so what are you going to do? You just showed it to me.”
"It's different. I want to hear from Your Highness.”
For some reason, I avoided Adrian's gaze and remained silent.
Then he brought his face a little closer and asked me a question like a fussy child.
"Yes? Your Highness?”
I glanced at him, unable to hide my disappointment.
As I was contemplating whether or not to tell him to the end out of spite, it suddenly occurred to me that my time with him was short.
'Well, I won't have time to say this to Adrian anymore.'
I tried to shake off the mixed sinking feeling and looked at Adrian again.
“Of course. Adrian is cool no matter what you look like.”
I smiled and spoke quietly.
Then Adrian's eyes slowly opened wide.
A face as if he had finally heard the words he had been waiting for so long.
He looked at me in silence for a while, and then a red color gradually began to spread on the back of his neck.
Adrian's lips slowly opened as the color finally spread to his ears.
“It might feel better than you imagined.”
Adrian touched the back of his neck and muttered.
I let out a small laugh looking at him like that.
“....By the way, Adrian.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
When I looked up again, I saw him smiling at me like always.
I tried to suppress my mixed feelings and continued talking.
“How have you been?”
“...”
“These days, unlike before, you rarely come to see me first. Actually, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen each other.”
I asked Adrian cautiously, hoping he would quickly reveal the truth.
As I was waiting for his lips to fall, his eyes widened as he looked at me.
“I feel reassured that you sometimes think of me even when you are not with His Highness.”
As he said that, his eyes soon sank low.
“There have been circumstances in which I have not been able to visit you. There was something I had to take care of, and I also needed to mentally prepare to see Your Highness. But...”
Adrian paused for a moment, and a bitter smile spread across his lips.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Your Highness.”
Deep emotions once again seeped into the blue-violet eyes.
I gently turned my head to avoid his unwavering eyes.
I couldn't accept his feelings anymore.
Therefore, his feelings that had grown bigger before I knew it only incited my guilt.
Even now, I felt it would be better to reveal that I had spent the night with Cedric.
When I didn't know about the engraving, I felt embarrassed to reveal too personal things, and after finding out about it, I felt sorry for missing the opportunity to tell Adrian about it because we hadn't met him in a while.
I looked at Adrian again and slowly opened my mouth.
“Adrian. Actually, me, Cedric, and...”
But the words could not continue any further.
It was because Adrian, who had been looking at me with his back bent, turned his head.
He suddenly stood upright and took a step back with a stiff expression on his face.
“The coachman will be waiting. Please go back, Your Highness.”
He was definitely smiling, but there was a slight sense of intimidation in that smile as if he was trying to stop me from continuing what I said.
At that time, when I was unable to continue speaking, Adrian's hand was held in front of me.
I sighed softly and stood up holding his hand, and soon I heard a soft voice.
“Your Highness, would you please take a night walk with me tonight?”
“Night walk?”
“Yes, I want to see the Demon King’s gift with Your Highness like before. And above all...”
A bitter smile crept onto Adrian's lips as he paused for a moment.
“I have something to tell you, His Highness.”
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