Wishuan Weirui

"This...?"

Wishuan handed me his business card.

Another S-rank healer from the Weirui family had approached—someone whose mere presence anywhere near Korea would be enough to cause an uproar.

Since I wanted no more attention, I asked cautiously.

"M-me? Why? If this is a matter between families, Lady Livi is here."

Wishuan replied.

"I understand that you're currently a baron of 'Thebes,' Lady Raebi. Although your title was transferred to you, your current status is indeed higher."

......He knows quite a lot.

The baron matter was something updated after the entrance ceremony, so most people didn't know. I thought only Iroha and the British side, whom I'd told personally, were aware of it.

At least, until just now.

"I didn't realize the Weirui family was so concerned with Douglas Kim."

"Haha, you didn't notice? I didn't seek you out because of my interactions with Douglas Kim. It's for a thoroughly personal reason."

'I know.'

That expression didn't even seem to be trying to hide it. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes sparkled, making it clear he was quite taken with me.

I'd hoped that pretending not to know would embarrass him into backing off, but that had been wishful thinking.

He finally began explaining his purpose. Since he wasn't trying to harm me in any particular way, I had no choice but to listen to the end.

"......Because, as a noble, it's about time I got married."

"Hmm... But don't you think I'm a rather inappropriate marriage candidate?"

"Not at all. You're currently a baron, Lady Raebi. Besides, you're connected to several of the highest-ranking families.

So by any measure, you aren't lacking at all. In fact, my mother said that, if possible, we should bring you into the family."

......His mother.

This wasn't an entirely unexpected development. Who wouldn't take notice when a family of ambiguous middling rank—an adopted noble family at that—was invited to the highest-level social gathering?

Just as when Douglas decided to adopt me despite my being E-rank.

Wishuan added with a faint smile.

"More than anything, you're young, Lady Raebi."

"......"

I felt there was no point in continuing the conversation; we simply weren't going to understand each other.

When I'd said I was inappropriate, I'd meant that I was too young, but he had interpreted it in an entirely different way and responded with something else altogether.

To make matters worse, he'd even identified my 'age' as an advantage. This was a gap in common sense too wide to bridge, feelings aside.

"Lord Wishuan. I don't want to get married."

Wishuan's eyes wavered.

"Are you rejecting me? Even so, I thought you might at least consider getting to know each other."

"Of course, I'd welcome staying in contact. But not in the direction of marriage or romance. If you take this as a rejection... all I can say is that I'm sorry."

He might be offended, but it couldn't be helped. Matters like this had to be settled clearly.

If I left even the slightest opening, I felt I might somehow end up in a situation where I had to keep meeting him. With neither the experience nor the power of a noble, the best course was to reject him without overcomplicating things.

'And above all...'

I still had so much I wanted to do and enjoy, so this sort of problem was premature.

Although nobles by birth sometimes entered arranged marriages around the age of ten, I had lived a life far too distant from that culture.

I had no desire whatsoever to be entangled with anyone already.

Wishuan spoke, unable to hide his disappointment.

"May I ask why? Is there perhaps a problem with my family?"

"Not at all. It's simply that I'm not ready yet. Even if Cecil or Cavendish had made the same proposal, I would have turned them down."

"……Ah! Come to think of it, you're an adopted noble, aren't you? That doesn't bother me, but I suppose it could feel burdensome from your perspective, Lady Raebi."

His expression relaxed a little. He still hadn't understood the point at all.

The reactions of everyone there split sharply into two camps.

The commoners shot Wishuan dirty looks and seemed to be looking up my age, while the nobles looked disappointed that I'd rejected the Weirui offer.

I keenly felt just how enormous the gap in common sense was.

"I understand. I suppose I rushed things too much."

"No, thank you for understanding."

"Hmm... Even so, would you be willing to stay in contact? It seems many Chinese families have gotten tangled up with Douglas Kim in one way or another, and I want to make it clear that our intentions differ from theirs."

'Many in one way or another?'

"You know which families have become involved with us?"

"Of course. For instance, the place where 'Wang Kangdu' was born and raised..."

......!

"Where is it?!"

"I'll tell you in time. It's too soon for that. You'll continue associating with me, won't you?"

*

-...So that's what this was about. But are you sure that's all right? You said you didn't want to get married.

"Lord Wishuan promised me he wouldn't make any sexual advances. If it's simply associating with the Weirui family, there's nothing wrong with that for us, is there?"

-That may be true, but there's no guarantee Wishuan will keep that promise.

Jennifer emphasized that I ought to be very careful.

We did need to identify the people who had targeted Douglas Kim, but she also seemed worried that I might be taken away from us.

Even if Cavendish and Cecil's influence meant there would be no significant pressure, it would be dangerous if I, the person actually involved, wavered.

In reality, Wishuan was a young star who had captivated hundreds of millions of women in China.

With his looks, power, and gentlemanly personality, he was the number-one marriage prospect. Since other families would never stop contacting him either, this rejection must have come as an even greater shock to him.

"Don't worry, Mother. I'll never fall for a man."

-......Ha.

"……?"

Jennifer suddenly let out a sigh. Then she said in a stern voice,

-Don't tell anyone else.

"Huh? Yes...?"

-Homosexuality can be a weakness. Keep it secret, at least until the situation improves...

"No! That's not what I meant!"

Good grief.

Why did saying I wasn't interested in men always veer in that direction?

Was it because arranged marriages were so common among nobles...?

I explained to Jennifer that I simply wasn't interested in that sort of thing because I was still young.

Of course, the real reason was something else, but she'd keel over if she heard it.

Livi and Iroha would definitely treat me like a complete pervert, and Vincent would torment me as though I were his 'younger brother.' I absolutely did not want that.

Jennifer listened, then asked in puzzlement,

-I understand how you feel, but then why did you accept Wishuan's proposal? Even if it wasn't an impure approach, it doesn't seem to offer you any benefit.

"How is there nothing to gain? We're trying to find the bad people targeting our family."

Jennifer gave a quiet snort of laughter. Then she hung up after telling me to 'finish the academy properly and come back.'

Wondering whether there was some other meaning behind the abruptly ended conversation, I asked Han Jihye for her opinion, but Han Jihye replied, 'She is enjoying herself.'

I also informed Livi and Vincent of the relevant facts. Livi sighed as though the inevitable had finally arrived.

"Similar things will happen often from now on. So don't accept every request that comes your way. It will only make things harder for you, Raebi."

"Should I have rejected Lord Wishuan too?"

"No, not that one. There's no need to offend the Weirui family. I only mean that you won't be meeting another top-ranking family after this, so you can afford to take it easy."

The fallout from being invited to the social gathering seemed to be greater than I'd expected.

It was fortunate that Britain's influence was currently forcing the nobles to freeze their movements, but apparently everyone was frantic to investigate who I was.

Livi predicted that a council of Korea's nobles would even be held immediately after graduation. Of course, I was the reason for that too.

"I'm not going."

"Pardon?"

"I'm going out to have fun. If they want to see me that badly, they can visit the workshop as customers."

Livi froze like a robot that had lagged. It looked as though circular loading icons were spinning in her two bewildered eyes.

Where on earth should I start, and how was I supposed to persuade and explain this?

She was probably thinking something like this.

"Don't worry. April must already be going around showing off her items all over town. Can't they just see me at the workshop before holding some meeting or whatever?"

"That may be true... But wait a moment. Did you give her something else again?"

"Yes. I made something nice for her before coming here."

"......."

"What about mine?"

"Yours?"

"We're bound by fate, remember? You give things to Lady April and Lady Iroha all the time, and I'm feeling left out."

"Huh? I thought you weren't interested in luxury goods."

"Gifts aren't limited to items, you know."

......What does she want?

It was rare for Livi to ask for something first. Her defining trait had always been that 'unhurried generosity' with which she cared for and welcomed me, so to mention our being bound by fate and then bring up a gift...

I found it strangely delightful and fascinating, so I asked,

"Did 'Livi Li' get greedy too?"

"Who in the world doesn't want something? Besides, it would be more accurate to call this jealousy than greed."

"......Jealousy! Lady Livi, you're jealous because of me? That's so cute!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Tell me what you want! I'll get it for you!"

"Then I won't hold back..."

What Livi wanted was none other than distribution and sales rights to my items.

Apparently, Livi had originally been supposed to manage the things her older brother had made, but that had fallen through after I joined the family.

Come to think of it, she'd occasionally brought up matters related to business, but I'd failed to pay attention.

She had also advised me on various sales channels from the time I planned the workshop, so she wore a hurt expression and said she'd thought I would ask her at least once.

'Now that I think about it...'

She had coveted the field materials during the inventory incident too. And when I looked back on everything else one by one, endless hints had been popping up. I realized how ignorant I'd been.

"Normally, I'd have thought you were deliberately avoiding the subject."

"I absolutely wasn't!"

"I know. You're an idiot when it comes to things like that, Raebi. Your words sound convincing, but you're actually clueless about the way women communicate... Yes. Just like my older brother Matthew."

......What?

"Hm? Why do you look like that?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Come on, it was a joke! Though some of it is true."

"Haha..."

There was no way Livi knew I had once been an adult man.

I hadn't told anyone to this day. And since mental skills had no effect on me, there was no chance anyone had forcibly pried the information out of me.

But, as they say, a guilty conscience needs no accuser; whenever something that hit too close to home came up, I couldn't help my expression stiffening.

I told Livi I'd consider it favorably and changed the subject.

"Oh, right! We have the teamwork test coming up. I found a way to pass it in one shot..."

"Ooh~ Our sexy-cute little ladies are all here already?"

.....Twitch.

"Mr. Chahun... It's still an hour before our appointed time. Why did you come so early?"

"Oh, come on~ You were just about to talk about the test anyway. I have sharp ears, you know. Do you know why they're sharp?"

"I'm not interested."

"Because I have to hear your voice wherever you are!"

"Take this!"

I gave Kim Chahun a light smack on the ear—smack!—and turned down his hearing a little.