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Chapter 14: Is This the Prelude to a Wedding? (It Isn’t)

What is the key to winning a woman’s heart?

This was a universal problem that had confounded countless men since the dawn of mankind. It was like a philosophical question, where every single person had a unique answer.

Some women indulge themselves in beauty, seeking out an attractive partner to spend their lives with. Some women value culture, demanding their other half to be romantic and talented. However, to children still caught in their studies, the greatest mark of success was often examination results. They tend to look up to their smarter peers with rose-tinted glasses, influencing their perception of the latter.

Alicia was a child who had matured early, due to her past experiences, experiences which resulted in her having her own unique perspective regarding the world. A perspective which, while not necessarily a bad thing, resulted in her being unable to fit in with her peers, becoming estranged. Not even Roel, who had opened her heart, could change the girl’s independent nature.

That was why she desired to prove herself through her studies, so that she could receive everyone’s acknowledgment. And right now, she desires one person’s acknowledgment more than anyone else’s in the world.

Roel’s.

On the study desk, Alicia watched how the black-haired boy sitting next to her calculated out an entire page worth of sums, and her eyes twinkled in admiration.

It didn’t surprise her that Roel was able to solve the problem she had stumbled over easily; after all, she had already thought that this big brother was ahead of her in his studies. However, what Roel then proceeded to do made her realize just how vast the gap between them was.

Not only did Roel explain the method of solving the problem to her in a concise manner, but he even went through the rest of Alicia’s assignment to check for any errors—and he did so by calculating all of the sums on the spot.

“Big brother Roel, how are you able to calculate so quickly?” asked Alicia in a mixture of shock and awe.

After all, Roel had managed to work out all of the problems in just ten minutes when she had already spent more than half an hour on them.

Hearing Alicia’s question, Roel put down his pen before gazing at the questions before him, a pensive look on his face.

“Regarding this...”

You’d have been able to do it as quickly as me if you could recite the multiplication table too...

2 replies – 2 weeks ago

Roel chuckled lightly to himself.

“There’s a small trick to it. I’ll show you later.”

“Alright!”

Witnessing Alicia’s sweet smile and the massive influx of Affection Points he had just received, Roel couldn’t help but smile to himself too. He casually turned around to glance at the utterly flabbergasted Anna, and a smug smile emerged on his lips.

Heh, looks like I’ve managed to preserve my dignity!

—————————————–

The following morning, Roel woke up early and had breakfast together with Alicia. The two didn’t follow the usual routine of sticking close together. Rather, they quickly finished their meals before heading back to their rooms to prepare for the day’s events.

This was all because an esteemed guest was visiting today.

The servants hadn’t just shrugged off the message from Marquess Carter either. They’d worked through the night to ensure that the Ascart House was ready to host their guest. The change was so great that Roel nearly thought he had been kidnapped to somewhere else when he first emerged from his bedroom.

On top of ensuring that the entire place was spick and span, the servants also changed the carpets, put up paintings, and took out the valuable antiques that had been stowed away in storage—placing them on display in the study room, along the corridors, and other prominent locations.

To conclude, it was as if they were preparing for Christmas.

2 replies – 2 weeks ago

It goes without saying that the stars of the show, Roel and Alicia, couldn’t just dress casually, the way they normally did, especially so for Roel. As the sole son and heir of the Ascart House, he had to play the part.

“Young master, please don’t move around.”

Back in his room, Anna was squatting before Roel, tidying up his eyebrows for him. For the sake of appearances, Roel had to have a touch of makeup applied, improving his already handsome face slightly, though it wasn’t the same kind of makeup that was used back on Earth.

“Alright, young master. Please close your eyes now.”

After applying a razor to Roel’s eyebrows, Anna next picked up a small brush and dabbed it inside a jade bottle filled with some sort of transparent fluid before carefully applying it to Roel’s face. It felt refreshingly cool against his skin.

When Roel finally opened his eyes once more, he was shocked by what he saw. It was almost as if he was looking at himself through a camera’s beautifying filter.

Holy moly. I look dashing!

1 reply – 2 weeks ago

He lightly touched his lower jaw as he examined the handsome lad inside the mirror. Dropping his gaze, he eyed the jade bottle and its contents of transparent liquid. Demon Dew.

Rumor had it that the main ingredient of Demon Dew was a resin gathered from the tree demons of the Lost Forest. It was an exclusive product sold by the Sorofya Merchant Association. From the moment it appeared on the market, it became an ultra-luxury product that innumerable noblewomen scrambled to get their hands on.

A single droplet for unblemished skin, five droplets for a complete makeover; it was nearly as amazing as plastic surgery!

That being said, its effects were temporary and wouldn’t work against magicians that boasted high mana, such as Marquess Carter, since they would be able to easily see through such a low level beguilement.

On top of that, Demon Dew was not all good either. All of the mana-infused products of this world had some side effects. If one were to use the product too frequently, it could place a ‘Charm’ effect on one’s face. There was an incident where a noblewoman found herself attacked by a fanatic stalker after she overused Demon Dew.

Despite the downsides, the product still remained the favorite of noblewomen. Just a small bottle would cost dozens of gold coins.

While admiring his good looks in the mirror, Roel suddenly thought of something, so he turned around and asked Anna a question.

“Is there Demon Dew over at Alicia’s side too?”

“Young master, please rest easy. We have made sure to prepare some for Miss Alicia too.”

“Good.”

Roel nodded his head calmly, only to notice some unexpected Affection Points coming from Anna.

This is weird, why is Anna giving me Affection Points? I didn’t do anything at all... Oh wait, I get it now!

Roel smacked his fist against his palm in realization, as he felt like he had stumbled upon the truth.

It must be due to my good looks! Ahh, what a sinful man I am!

1 reply – 2 weeks ago

The little boy sighed to himself as he placed all blame on his splendid appearance.

Meanwhile, Anna’s thoughts were, of course, going off on a tangent to what Roel was thinking about.

Young master sure dotes on Miss Alicia a lot. Despite his young age, he’s already showing so much consideration for her!

The sudden bout of shipping induced a huge stream of Affection Points from Anna, which greatly boosted Roel’s ego and confidence, thanks to his own misperceptions.

Half a minute later, Roel finally tore his eyes away from the mirror and walked out of the room wearing a fitted suit. Just as he was walking down the left side of the central staircase, heading to the lounge, he noticed a silver-haired figure walking toward him from the right side of the central staircase.

Alicia was wearing a white banquet dress that was looser at the top and bottom but tightened around her slender waist. Her silver hair had been put up neatly, leaving just a few strands of it hanging by the side of her face. The effect of the Demon Dew had bestowed a touch of seductiveness to her delicate features, making her appear like a ravishing figure who had walked out from a painting.

That was not all. Those crimson eyes became the final note, the missing piece, to create a striking contrast with Alicia’s fair complexion, white dress, and silver hair; it was reminiscent of a blazing inferno in the midst of a snowy mountain. When all the elements harmonized together, it was hard for one’s heart not to pound in her presence.

Upon sighting Alicia, his footsteps halted and Roel fell into a daze for a good two seconds. The servants around him couldn’t help but make a sharp intake of breath themselves. Following that, a hushed, excited discussion broke out amongst the servants, filling the silent lounge with life.

What breathtaking beauty! How can anyone ever resist this?

Roel snapped out of his daze and quickly reached for his nostrils to check if he was bleeding. Confirming there were no problems, he hurriedly averted his gaze from Alicia and continued heading down the stairs.

Wow, I’m really going to die at this rate. Her fighting prowess is way too strong!

Roel’s thoughts raced as he continued his descent. He was too affected by the sight of Alicia that he failed to notice the girl’s return reaction.

In the instant that Alicia caught sight of the dressed up Roel, her body froze up. Her crimson eyes slowly widened as a tinge of red swiftly rippled over her face. Her heart began beating so quickly that it was actually starting to hurt a little.

Big brother Roel is so handsome...

Realizing that her breathing was starting to become a little chaotic, Alicia quickly averted her eyes. She felt like the boy before her was wrapped in a natural radiance that she couldn’t bear to look straight at. She lowered her head and clutched the sides of her dress nervously.

“Miss, you can do it!”

The whisper of support from a maid behind her snapped Alicia out of her daze. She walked down the stairs over to Roel’s side before timidly raising her head, only to find herself meeting with Roel’s eyes.

A moment of silence lingered between the two before they averted their eyes simultaneously and speedily.

“L-lord Brother, you look spirited today!”

“Yes, the same goes for you too. You look... beautiful.”

The little duo stood side by side with reddened faces, feeling inexplicably embarrassed about the situation. Meanwhile, the army of servants following behind was feasting their eyes at this rare sight.

How adorable! I would have no regrets even if I were to die now! Argh, just when is the young master going to marry the young miss?

“Anna, your expression, your expression!”

The nearby servants quickly tugged at Anna to remind her to rein in that bizarre smile on her face. It was in the midst of this slightly pink atmosphere of budding romance that the doors to the marquess house suddenly opened.