I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 64

🍃

 

To my surprise, it was someone I had run into before.

 

‘That lunatic I ran into the day I was supposed to buy Carson a meal…!’

 

It seems she’s in the same class as Carson.

 

Narrowing my eyes, I felt even worse. Jane stood beside me and explained what she knew about her.

 

“Her name is Sera. She’s the second daughter of the Marquis of Brandy, and she’s known for being greedy and rude to the people.” (Jane)

 

Somehow, in the end, she kept her distance from Carson.

 

She sat almost opposite him and didn’t give him a single glance. It was almost as if she was avoiding him.

 

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

 

“What are those gloves?”

 

Jane spoke up before I could, pointing out the oddity.

 

Yes, she was wearing gloves that completely covered her wrists.

 

The design didn’t match her school uniform or the gym clothes she was wearing.

 

“Yeah, what kind of gloves are those?”

 

“Besides, I’ve been watching her since earlier, and she’s been fiddling with her wrists nonstop.”

 

“Wrists?”

 

“Yep. Are those joints sore?”

 

It was a questioning tone. But unlike with Fjord, I was able to look away nonchalantly.

 

“That’s probably not something we need to know.”

 

🍃

 

It’s a breezy afternoon, as the day has yet to break.

 

I met with Hans to discuss the sale of additional medicines.

 

This was something we had been working on since the vacation, and we were already looking forward to selling them.

 

“First of all, there are so many recipes you gave me, so I’m going to select a few to pre-release.” (Hans)

 

“What are you going to pre-release?” (Leen)

 

“Why, do you have something you’d like to see released first?” Hans asked, and I said without hesitation.

 

“Mana relaxants and painkillers. I don’t know about the others, but I want those two to be available first.” (Leen)

 

The mana relaxant was inspired after seeing Carson on the verge of a rampage.

 

Taken when he was having trouble controlling his mana, it worked to loosen up his unnaturally concentrated mana.

 

Its effectiveness varies from person to person, but it should reduce the frequency with which mages experience mana outbursts.

 

Painkillers are exactly what they sound like, pain relievers, but they’re actually less effective than what’s already on the market.

 

However, the existing painkillers on the market are narcotic painkillers, which have severe side effects.

 

They were also quite expensive for the common people.

 

The recipe I gave Hans had the advantage of being mild, gentle on the body, and relatively inexpensive to produce.

 

If I’m going to make money, I might as well do something that could help someone.

 

Hans nodded, a satisfied look on his face, “All right, I’ll do as you say.”

 

“It’s a secret that I gave you the recipe. I don’t know how word got out last time, but I want you to be extra careful this time.” (Leen)

 

I don’t want Erhan and Rex Begonia to know that I’m making a pretty penny.

 

Hans scratched his cheek, looking a little prickly.

 

“Sorry. I’ll be more careful in the future.” (Hans)

 

“Well, the antiperspirant incident was probably my mistake, so let’s call it a day for now…” (Leen)

 

I asked with a faint smile, “How are things with Jane these days?”

 

“Hehe, I’m greeting her when I see her, she hasn’t ignored me since the party!”

Hans began to brag, his voice rising in excitement.

 

“Sometimes she even talks to me first!”

 

“Oh, really? What do you talk to her about?” (Leen)

 

I hadn’t heard anything from Jane, so I wondered if they’d made any progress without me knowing.

 

“Rumors and gossip among the nobles, I suppose! Oh, that’s right, Jane told me something earlier, do you want to hear it?”

 

My eyes narrowed as I looked at Hans.

 

I felt a little pity for him. How could he be so excited about an exchange of information, let alone a private conversation, after how thoroughly he’d been treated?

 

“What’s the news?” I asked, trying not to show it in front of Hans.

 

“The Duke and Duchess of Begonia passed away the other day.”

 

“What?!” (Leen)

 

While my eyes widened in confusion, he lowered his voice and spoke in a confidential tone.

 

“Rumor has it that it wasn’t due to a long-standing illness, but rather murder. They say no one saw anything on his deathbed… and there is something suspicious about that.”

 

My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t think of anything else.

 

It couldn’t be. Impossible.

 

No way…!

 

I stormed out of my seat and ran back to my dorm.

 

Once there, I immediately opened the drawer where I kept Erhan’s letters.

 

When I opened the drawer, the scent of lavender wafted into the air, but I didn’t let it bother me and grabbed the first letter on top.

 

It was the most recent letter from Erhan. I never thought the day would come when I would open one of Erhan’s letters.

 

With trembling hands, I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

 

Sure enough, there were two letters inside the envelope.

 

I opened one of the letters and recognized the familiar handwriting.

 

There was nothing else to see.

 

Realizing that it was Erhan’s letter, I immediately tossed it aside. And the unopened one…

 

I took a slow, deep breath and opened the letter.

 

What I expected to be a mess of writing was frighteningly clean. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or more terrified that nothing was written.

 

In the bottom corner of the letter. Until I noticed the small print.

 

<How did you like my gift, Leen?>

 

Argh.

 

Aahhh…

 

Goosebumps crawled all over my body.

 

My legs went weak, and I fell back in my seat.

 

This situation was so horrible.

 

My mind went white, and like a helpless child, I wished I was dreaming.

 

“Because of me, the Duchess of Begonia… because of me…!”

 

And then I felt my consciousness sinking into the depths.

 

Yes, this was a continuation of a dream I hadn’t seen before.

 

A trauma I didn’t want to be reminded of.

 

🍃

 

I only learned the boy’s name after he was gone.

 

Rex Begonia.

 

A younger member of the Duke of Begonia’s family. He was the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Begonia, a title that was supposed to be passed down through ten different siblings.

 

He must have had a rough upbringing, with plenty of competition.

 

That’s all I had to say about Rex Begonia.

 

Until I received his letter.

 

Receiving a letter from a person I’d never met before, I had to question my ears.

 

Why would he write to me?

 

I quickly ripped the letter open and read it.

 

<Catch you later, free up some time tomorrow.>

 

“What the…”

 

It was an unexpected appointment. ‘This was more like a notice.’

 

I was stunned, but fortunately, I didn’t have anything big planned for tomorrow.

 

That’s how I met Rex Begonia.

 

I met him in the reception room, and he looked at me curiously without any other greeting.

 

“…little Duke?” (Leen)

 

“Rex.” 

 

“Ah. Yes, Lord Rex.” (Leen)

 

“Ease up, I’d prefer to be called by my first name.”

 

“Yes. Rex.” (Leen)

 

His eyes widened a little as if he hadn’t expected that straight answer, and then his lips curled into a smirk.

 

“You’re funny.”

 

“I’m a commoner, so I’ve never learned manners.” (Leen)

 

“Other than that, you seem to have a similar level of education to Erhan.”

 

…How do you know that?

 

Was Erhan close enough to Rex to talk to him about things down to our education differences?

 

I pushed the question to the back of my mind. It wasn’t important right now.

 

“So why did you come to see me and not Erhan?”

 

“You didn’t call him that last time. Whatever happened to calling him brother?”

 

Oops. I’d forgotten that I’d called Erhan ‘brother’ last time.

 

I opened my mouth, feigning nonchalance, “Don’t turn the tables.”

 

Rex sipped his tea leisurely and stared at me, a look in his eyes that seemed to say, ‘I think you’re the one who’s changing the subject.’

 

“Why, don’t you want me to be here?”

 

“I don’t hate it, but I want to know the reason.” (Leen)

 

“Reason…”

 

Rex set his teacup down soundlessly. It was a neat, machine-like motion.

 

“Because I fell in love at first sight. With you.”

 

“…What?” (Leen)

 

I stared at Rex, dumbfounded. ‘What kind of crap was that?’

 

The casual way I’d said it had become polite. It was meant to create some distance between us.

 

“I’m sorry, Duke Rex. Even if it was love at first sight, this is too sudden for me.” (Leen)

 

Even if the Duke had indeed fallen for me, I was under no obligation to do anything about it.

 

“I’m a commoner, as you know, and I’m far too young to be discussing matters of love.” (Leen)

 

“It doesn’t matter that you’re a commoner, my father didn’t consider the status of the woman he chose to keep by his side.”

 

Rumors of the current Duke of Begonia’s extramarital affairs were as rotten as they were colorful.

 

The Duke’s high rank and dashing appearance were enough of a shield to cover up his infidelities.

 

But even he married into a prestigious family. It was a common arrangement.

 

In other words, to say that my status was irrelevant meant that I would be his concubine or mistress.

 

Rex Begonia spoke as though in mercy, “I’m willing to wait until you’re of age. After all, we’re not that far apart in age, are we?”

 

I was tempted to retort. Three years difference in our ages is hardly a lot.

 

“And let’s be honest, I’m pretty good-looking, don’t you think?”

 

He rolled up his eyes wickedly. But my heart, on the contrary, grew cold.

 

“If I, a commoner, dare to put into my head what I feel about you, Rex.” (Leen)

 

I looked him straight in the eye, making my point, “I absolutely don’t like you.” (Leen)

 

And the rudeness of making an appointment on such short notice. The arrogance of professing love at first sight on only our second meeting and asking me to be his concubine.

 

And last, but not least, the overconfidence of a man who thinks he’s handsome.

 

Of course, as the son of the Duke of Begonia, you are handsome.

 

Handsome men are not handsome unless they know they are handsome. Or at least don’t let it show.

 

His expression hardened as he looked at me.