As soon as his name was called, I saw Carcel suddenly fall over with a loud crash from the chair he was sitting in.
He was a muscular man with a very thick rib cage, so the sound was loud.
I hurriedly ran into the room and headed toward him.
"No, are you okay?!"
“Uh, it’s okay.”
Carcel got up with an embarrassed look on his face.
I approached him in one go.
"Did you trip and fall?"
"...No, not at all."
He avoided my gaze with a look of disappointment.
“Wake up.”
I reached out my hand to him.
Then, Carcel, who had been looking at my hand for a while, reached out and grabbed it.
Unlike the back of my hand, which was smooth without a single prominent vein, tendons and blue veins were sticking out on the back of his hand, which was twice my size.
Carcel stood up before I could even be flustered by my hand, which had vanished into his palm in an instant.
Even after he got up, he didn't let go of my hand and kept holding it.
I awkwardly opened my mouth and asked for a favor while trapped in a tight grip.
"If... if you let go of my hand."
"Ah."
As if realizing it only then, Carcel hurriedly let go of my hand.
I tilted my head and observed him more persistently.
"Excuse me, it looks like your cheek was hurt."
A reddish tint like a fever rash spread across Carcel's smooth cheeks.
But no matter how much I think about it, there's no way that could be true.
Did he get a bruise from hitting the floor when he fell earlier?
I carefully asked for his permission so as not to startle him
"May I touch your face for a moment?"
"... Yes."
My fingertips slowly touched Carcel's cheek.
He had been staring defenselessly as my hand drew closer, and he let out a breath as if he were collapsing in an instant at the slightest contact.
A damp breath touched me.
I delicately touched the red mark on his cheek with only my fingertips.
“Does it hurt?”
Every time my fingertips traced down his cheek, Carcel's body kept twitching.
Only after a brief silence did he answer in a faint, cracked voice.
"A little."
"It doesn't look like there are any scratches. I guess Carcel has sensitive skin."
I was really worried, so at first I didn't realize it because I was focused.
The distance between Carcel and me was... excessively close.
And unlike before, even his noticeably flushed cheeks as he subtly avoided eye contact.
'Just a moment ago, only the cheek was red, but now even the nape of his neck has turned bright red.'
The scent of Carcel's body tickled the tip of the nose along with the fragrance of the soap he used.
'Good smell.'
It was a neat and tidy smell.
Clearly, at first I was just trying to check if Carcel had a cut on his cheek.
Now, without even realizing it, I was admiring his face right beside me.
Cool eyes framed by long, delicate eyelashes, a handsome nose, and even a firm mouth devoid of a smile.
Eyes whose inner thoughts I could not read were staring back at me.
I didn't realize it when he smiled subtly, but when he withdrew the smile, his face was particularly fierce and sensual.
"Uh..."
I didn't know what to do about the awkward atmosphere and twitched my lips.
Why are my lips so dry?
As my face drew closer to Carcel's, I snapped out of it, thinking that if I swallowed even a little dry saliva, the atmosphere would become awkward.
"I-I'm sorry. I don't think you're hurt. It looks like you just bumped into something slightly when I fell, so it's a little red."
"Um, hmm. Yes."
It seems I wasn't the only one who suddenly came to my senses.
Carcel also showed signs of nervousness and forced a smile.
"I would appreciate it if you could forget the disgraceful behavior from just now.'
"Did Carcel fall down while trying to get up because he was startled to see me? I'll pretend I didn't see it."
I thought it would be even stranger if I acted unnecessarily cold in this atmosphere, so I brushed it off playfully.
"By the way, there weren't any roses here yesterday, but I noticed they suddenly decorated it with roses today."
I sat down with the help of Carcel, who pulled out a chair for me, and changed the subject.
Fortunately, Carcel took his seat opposite without any trouble this time.
"Oliveto is a restaurant originally inspired by olive trees, so the interior features a natural wood style, but I think it goes better with fresh flowers than I expected."
"Aren't you bothered by the abundance of roses?"
"It’s pretty because it’s pink, and I love the fresh rose scent that tickles the tip of my nose."
“Thank goodness.”
Carcel narrowed his eyes and smiled with satisfaction.
"I visited yesterday, and my recommendations are the grilled steak, lamb, and spring pea soup."
The flush on Carcel's cheeks, which had been listening to my chatter, had subsided a little.
Instead, looking at me affectionately once again, Carcel let out a small laugh, letting out a low hum.
'Why are you acting like that?'
It was the result of ordering and eating until we were stuffed yesterday, partly to feed Linea to my heart's content and partly to select a menu to eat with Carcel as well.
"Oh, and the pasta made with shepherd's purse pesto was delicious too."
“What about wine?”
"I couldn't drink wine because I came with Linea yesterday. It would be great if you could recommend something."
Carcel nodded as if he understood and pulled the rope.
And I ordered the dishes I recommended and even wine from the server who came in.
"Please wait a moment.'
The server left, and only the two of us remained in the room again.
Still, the good thing is that he wasn't as awkward as he was yesterday.
I felt it would be awkward to speak once the meal started, so I quietly opened my mouth.
"You know what? I didn't call Carcel all the way here today simply because I owe you a meal."
Even though Carcel had paid for the meal, I could have returned half the cost or never invited him again.
Carcel came out from the opposite side, met eyes, and asked.
"You said it wouldn't be a story that is entirely calculated."
"Yes. I'm not sure where to start."
True to my impatient nature as a Korean, I got straight to the point.
"Let's just start seeing each other for now!"
Actually, after confirming yesterday that Carcel was not a swindler or a womanizer, I made a resolution.
Contract marriage? Fine. This is it.
Because what I originally intended was just a formal transaction to exchange only what was necessary for each other.
But a contract marriage in a romance fantasy? To put it bluntly, that is no different from saying you will date.
It’s just a contract in name only; it basically means getting married first and dating later.
I’ve never seen a couple who actually got married under contract and then broke up after the contract ended.
Honestly, Carcel and I could not deny that we were also on the same trajectory as that situation.
He and I were conscious of each other.
To be honest, it’s not that I like Carcel, but it’s not like I’m not interested.
'There's no need to push away a handsome guy like that who's hitting on me and saying he likes me.'
If Carcel hadn't had the title necessary to take Linea out, things really wouldn't have worked out well between him and me.
Because what I need is an unmarried man with at least the rank of Marquis.
However, he is even the Marquis of Rivandel!
It was a conclusion reached after organizing my thoughts and making resolutions in my own way.
And Carcel did not answer for a long time.
For some reason, the time I waited for his answer felt unusually long, and my heart only grew faster.
Carcel finally spoke, and his answer was as follows.
"... Can we have some?”
"What I mean is, wouldn't it be nice to take some time to get to know each other with the intention of dating?"
At those words, Carcel's eyes finally widened.
I started to explain it to him in more detail.
"This is the third time I've met Carcel personally. We don't know each other very well yet, but I don't get the feeling that Carcel will harm me."
"I absolutely have no intention of harming Asha."
Carcel says that, but honestly, from my perspective, he had been elevated from a kidnapper to a con artist, and now to a decent contract marriage partner.
"I originally intended to propose a contract marriage to Carcel."
"A contract marriage? If it's a marriage, it's a marriage. Why is it a contract marriage? Why would anyone do something like that?"
It was somewhat difficult to answer his question, which was asked out of pure curiosity.
Yes. Our genre has a keyword called 'contract marriage.'
I answered the ordinary question, which seemed to ask what on earth that was, step by step.
"It is because I want to take Linea and leave the Delmore estate. I looked up precedents under Imperial law, and I found that to take an adopted child out, I need proof of abuse and evidence that an environment suitable for raising the child has been established."
I added an elaboration to him.
"I bought the land to show that I had enough assets to raise a child."
At those words, Carcel spoke to me as if he had remembered something.
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