He had a fairly handsome face and a stocky physique, and he looked to be in his early thirties. The clothes and accessories he was wearing were all expensive.
'This man has a lot of money and likes to dress up.'
Judith immediately figured out the man's disposition. Any man with this disposition could easily become Judith's potential client.
“This is that famous incense.”
The man picked up the incense on the table, savored its scent, then stood up and approached Judith. When Judith stood up awkwardly, the man lightly kissed the back of her hand.
“Baron Lionel Morbius, my lady. You may call me Lionel.”
“It’s a long greeting, Lionel.”
Mrs. Everdeen frowned slightly as if disapproving.
“Since the host of the previous engagement has arrived, how about we leave this place for now?”
“Of course, aunt.”
Lionel let go of Judith's hand and straightened his back.
“I’ll stop by again before I go down.”
“...Yes.”
Then he hugged Mrs. Everdeen tightly and strode out of the drawing room. The woman sighed and shook her head.
“He is my cousin. He lives in the south, but he came up to the capital for this imperial banquet. He came to visit me out of the blue, saying he wanted to say hello, I gave him a hint, but he didn’t even think about leaving.”
Mrs. Everdeen clicked her tongue, saying that was not the attitude of a gentleman.
“I’m saying this because I think that guy is interested in Miss Harrington, so be careful.”
“Yes? To me?”
“Lionel likes all women. He should be careful with unmarried women, and even more so with married women.”
Judith was finally able to leave the drawing-room after listening to Lady Aberdeen's warnings for over thirty minutes to be careful with the Baron, and after patting Charlotte III on the head once.
And the next day as if Mrs. Everdeen's warning had not been in vain, Lionel came to the candle shop.
“Miss Harrington.”
“Ah, Baron... Sir.”
As soon as Lionel saw Judith, he grabbed her shoulders and pretended to kiss her on both cheeks.
Judith was flustered and froze in place.
“It’s a southern greeting.”
Erne, who had been leaning against the corner of the store, suddenly stood up and laughed at Lionel's shameless response.
“Hey, Baron, what are you doing here?”
Although slightly flustered, Judith quickly came to her senses and responded to Lionel.
“I came to buy some incense. I wanted to put it in my townhouse.”
Lionel picked up each candle and smelled them. It would have been a shame not to buy them, but Lionel picked two of each candle.
“It must be a lot of work to make a new incense stick every time.”
“I guess so. There is a limit to the amount of scent that can be created with incense.”
“Come visit the South sometime. There are many spices that you can’t get in the capital. Just come and I’ll show you around, Miss Harrington.”
Lionel winked at Judith. She laughed awkwardly. Still, she firmly refused, drawing a clear line between the customer and the shopkeeper.
However.
“It seems like the Baron won’t give up on your wife.”
“Make sure you never come near here again?”
From then on, Lionel kept trying to cross the line. He left small accessories or flowers in front of the scented candle shop and gave her perfume he brought from the South as a gift.
Judith consistently refused, but Lionel persisted. If he had just held on to Judith, who said she didn't like him, it would have given Erne a reason to step forward, but Lionel didn't do that.
A gift and a compliment that she was beautiful today. And she left after doing just that in a very short time.
“My gut tells me that the Baron will confess today.”
Henry whispered as he watched Lionel get out of his carriage opposite the incense shop.
“Then I must definitely refuse this time.”
Judith didn't feel even the slightest bit of rational curiosity about Lionel.
“If he holds on to you and hangs on, then I’ll step forward.”
Whether it was by scaring him away or by hitting him a few times, Erne was ready to step forward immediately as long as there was a justification for it.
“Oh, Miss Harrington, were you waiting for me?”
Lionel approached, his already heavy voice adding even more oil to it.
Judith raised both hands in advance to prevent him from giving her his usual Southern greeting.
“You are truly beautiful today as well.”
But instead of giving the Southern greeting, he knelt on one knee before Judith.
I knew you would confess, but I didn't know you would do it this way.
Whether Judith was embarrassed or not, Lionel took the ring case out of his pocket and handed it to Judith.
“I fell in love with you the moment I first saw Miss Harrington. I think I have expressed my feelings sufficiently, but I would not be a gentleman if I did not assure you with words.”
“Excuse me, Baron.”
“Miss Harrington, will you marry me?”
Marriage? Not dating, but marriage? No, when on earth did you meet me and say marriage? Judith was so shocked that she couldn't even say the words of rejection that she had prepared in advance.
“I heard you have debt.”
"Yes?"
“I hear you visit the moneylender regularly. I don’t know how much you owe, but I’ll pay it back for you.”
“My debt amounts to two hundred million gold, Baron.”
Well, what do you think? You don't want to marry a woman who has 200 million gold in debt, do you?
Judith hoped that Lionel would leave her after hearing about her huge debt. However, Lionel frowned slightly as if he felt sorry.
“Are you suffering so much for just 200 million gold?”
You're incredibly rich, aren't you?
Judith was momentarily intimidated by Lionel's wealth, who said he could only afford 200 million gold.
“I know you need time to think. I will be in the capital until the banquet is over, so please think about it carefully until then.”
Lionel no longer pushed Judith, but only gave her the ring and left. Judith was so shocked that she let out a blank laugh and stared blankly at the back of Lionel's head.
'You're going to pay off my debt without even seeing me a few times? You're a piece of shit, really. There's a reason Mrs. Everdeen warned me to be careful.'
Judith did not believe in unmerited favors.
Meanwhile, Erne could only watch as Judith received the proposal, for he had no reason to come forward.
'It's only 200 million gold.'
Lionel said that he would cut off the thickest chains that bound Judith in one fell swoop.
Something that Erne himself could never do.
‘...I shouldn’t come out.’
Erne knew this much: Judith and him were legally bound as husband and wife, but that was it.
If Judith were to formally divorce and marry Lionel, Erne had no right to catch her.
He can't solve the 200 million gold problem, and he can't bring her such a huge amount of wealth that he can say 200 million gold is barely enough.
Above all, he was nothing to Judith.
“Yeah, I’m tired.”
Judith fell asleep as soon as she laid her head on the table. Lionel's proposal momentarily confused her mind, but she decided not to think about it any longer, knowing that she would soon reject him firmly.
Judith, who was rolling around on Erne's bed, fell asleep before Erne could change into his pajamas and get into bed. Erne, who was lying next to her, took Judith's hand without realizing it.
Judith, who had been stretched out on the couch, tossed and turned toward Erne.
One of her free arms was tugging at Erne's pajamas. It was one of Judith's worst habits.
Erne's eyes grew dim. He quickly pulled away Judith's arm that was stroking his abs.
“...It’s not polite to do this after being proposed to by another man, Miss Harrington.”
The jealous Erne Rhineland has become a little childish.
Baron Briggs.
Judith came to deliver the incense that Layla had ordered and was dragged into the reception room.
“Miss Harrington!”
As soon as Judith entered the drawing room, Layla jumped up. Judith flinched at the sound of the chair being roughly pushed.
“Why, why are you doing this, Lady Baroness?”
“No, Miss Harrington, are you getting married?”
"Yes?"
“Are you marrying Baron Lionel Morbius?”
What the hell is this? Judith was momentarily dumbfounded when she heard such absurd talk.
“Do you know what rumors are going around in social circles right now?”
Layla took the dazed Judith by the arm and sat her down on the chair, sitting opposite her.
“Rumors have spread that Miss Harrington is marrying Baron Morbius and moving south.”
Of course, Layla, who knew about Judith and Erne's relationship, did not believe it. However, the others who knew that Judith was an unmarried woman believed the rumor.
“What happened, Miss Harrington?”
'This man has a lot of money and likes to dress up.'
Judith immediately figured out the man's disposition. Any man with this disposition could easily become Judith's potential client.
“This is that famous incense.”
The man picked up the incense on the table, savored its scent, then stood up and approached Judith. When Judith stood up awkwardly, the man lightly kissed the back of her hand.
“Baron Lionel Morbius, my lady. You may call me Lionel.”
“It’s a long greeting, Lionel.”
Mrs. Everdeen frowned slightly as if disapproving.
“Since the host of the previous engagement has arrived, how about we leave this place for now?”
“Of course, aunt.”
Lionel let go of Judith's hand and straightened his back.
“I’ll stop by again before I go down.”
“...Yes.”
Then he hugged Mrs. Everdeen tightly and strode out of the drawing room. The woman sighed and shook her head.
“He is my cousin. He lives in the south, but he came up to the capital for this imperial banquet. He came to visit me out of the blue, saying he wanted to say hello, I gave him a hint, but he didn’t even think about leaving.”
Mrs. Everdeen clicked her tongue, saying that was not the attitude of a gentleman.
“I’m saying this because I think that guy is interested in Miss Harrington, so be careful.”
“Yes? To me?”
“Lionel likes all women. He should be careful with unmarried women, and even more so with married women.”
Judith was finally able to leave the drawing-room after listening to Lady Aberdeen's warnings for over thirty minutes to be careful with the Baron, and after patting Charlotte III on the head once.
And the next day as if Mrs. Everdeen's warning had not been in vain, Lionel came to the candle shop.
***
“Miss Harrington.”
“Ah, Baron... Sir.”
As soon as Lionel saw Judith, he grabbed her shoulders and pretended to kiss her on both cheeks.
Judith was flustered and froze in place.
“It’s a southern greeting.”
Erne, who had been leaning against the corner of the store, suddenly stood up and laughed at Lionel's shameless response.
“Hey, Baron, what are you doing here?”
Although slightly flustered, Judith quickly came to her senses and responded to Lionel.
“I came to buy some incense. I wanted to put it in my townhouse.”
Lionel picked up each candle and smelled them. It would have been a shame not to buy them, but Lionel picked two of each candle.
“It must be a lot of work to make a new incense stick every time.”
“I guess so. There is a limit to the amount of scent that can be created with incense.”
“Come visit the South sometime. There are many spices that you can’t get in the capital. Just come and I’ll show you around, Miss Harrington.”
Lionel winked at Judith. She laughed awkwardly. Still, she firmly refused, drawing a clear line between the customer and the shopkeeper.
However.
“It seems like the Baron won’t give up on your wife.”
“Make sure you never come near here again?”
From then on, Lionel kept trying to cross the line. He left small accessories or flowers in front of the scented candle shop and gave her perfume he brought from the South as a gift.
Judith consistently refused, but Lionel persisted. If he had just held on to Judith, who said she didn't like him, it would have given Erne a reason to step forward, but Lionel didn't do that.
A gift and a compliment that she was beautiful today. And she left after doing just that in a very short time.
“My gut tells me that the Baron will confess today.”
Henry whispered as he watched Lionel get out of his carriage opposite the incense shop.
“Then I must definitely refuse this time.”
Judith didn't feel even the slightest bit of rational curiosity about Lionel.
“If he holds on to you and hangs on, then I’ll step forward.”
Whether it was by scaring him away or by hitting him a few times, Erne was ready to step forward immediately as long as there was a justification for it.
“Oh, Miss Harrington, were you waiting for me?”
Lionel approached, his already heavy voice adding even more oil to it.
Judith raised both hands in advance to prevent him from giving her his usual Southern greeting.
“You are truly beautiful today as well.”
But instead of giving the Southern greeting, he knelt on one knee before Judith.
I knew you would confess, but I didn't know you would do it this way.
Whether Judith was embarrassed or not, Lionel took the ring case out of his pocket and handed it to Judith.
“I fell in love with you the moment I first saw Miss Harrington. I think I have expressed my feelings sufficiently, but I would not be a gentleman if I did not assure you with words.”
“Excuse me, Baron.”
“Miss Harrington, will you marry me?”
Marriage? Not dating, but marriage? No, when on earth did you meet me and say marriage? Judith was so shocked that she couldn't even say the words of rejection that she had prepared in advance.
“I heard you have debt.”
"Yes?"
“I hear you visit the moneylender regularly. I don’t know how much you owe, but I’ll pay it back for you.”
“My debt amounts to two hundred million gold, Baron.”
Well, what do you think? You don't want to marry a woman who has 200 million gold in debt, do you?
Judith hoped that Lionel would leave her after hearing about her huge debt. However, Lionel frowned slightly as if he felt sorry.
“Are you suffering so much for just 200 million gold?”
You're incredibly rich, aren't you?
Judith was momentarily intimidated by Lionel's wealth, who said he could only afford 200 million gold.
“I know you need time to think. I will be in the capital until the banquet is over, so please think about it carefully until then.”
Lionel no longer pushed Judith, but only gave her the ring and left. Judith was so shocked that she let out a blank laugh and stared blankly at the back of Lionel's head.
'You're going to pay off my debt without even seeing me a few times? You're a piece of shit, really. There's a reason Mrs. Everdeen warned me to be careful.'
Judith did not believe in unmerited favors.
Meanwhile, Erne could only watch as Judith received the proposal, for he had no reason to come forward.
'It's only 200 million gold.'
Lionel said that he would cut off the thickest chains that bound Judith in one fell swoop.
Something that Erne himself could never do.
‘...I shouldn’t come out.’
Erne knew this much: Judith and him were legally bound as husband and wife, but that was it.
If Judith were to formally divorce and marry Lionel, Erne had no right to catch her.
He can't solve the 200 million gold problem, and he can't bring her such a huge amount of wealth that he can say 200 million gold is barely enough.
Above all, he was nothing to Judith.
***
“Yeah, I’m tired.”
Judith fell asleep as soon as she laid her head on the table. Lionel's proposal momentarily confused her mind, but she decided not to think about it any longer, knowing that she would soon reject him firmly.
Judith, who was rolling around on Erne's bed, fell asleep before Erne could change into his pajamas and get into bed. Erne, who was lying next to her, took Judith's hand without realizing it.
Judith, who had been stretched out on the couch, tossed and turned toward Erne.
One of her free arms was tugging at Erne's pajamas. It was one of Judith's worst habits.
Erne's eyes grew dim. He quickly pulled away Judith's arm that was stroking his abs.
“...It’s not polite to do this after being proposed to by another man, Miss Harrington.”
The jealous Erne Rhineland has become a little childish.
***
Baron Briggs.
Judith came to deliver the incense that Layla had ordered and was dragged into the reception room.
“Miss Harrington!”
As soon as Judith entered the drawing room, Layla jumped up. Judith flinched at the sound of the chair being roughly pushed.
“Why, why are you doing this, Lady Baroness?”
“No, Miss Harrington, are you getting married?”
"Yes?"
“Are you marrying Baron Lionel Morbius?”
What the hell is this? Judith was momentarily dumbfounded when she heard such absurd talk.
“Do you know what rumors are going around in social circles right now?”
Layla took the dazed Judith by the arm and sat her down on the chair, sitting opposite her.
“Rumors have spread that Miss Harrington is marrying Baron Morbius and moving south.”
Of course, Layla, who knew about Judith and Erne's relationship, did not believe it. However, the others who knew that Judith was an unmarried woman believed the rumor.
“What happened, Miss Harrington?”
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