~TMPM 10~

Chapter 10

After putting on the dress Cassian had prepared—along with a hat lightly veiled—I boarded the carriage with him.

When I asked if it was really okay not to wear a wig since I was worried about my hair, Cassian said something strange.

“You can’t hide Rose’s pretty hair with something like that.”

I took that to mean the hat alone was enough.

“By the way… Your Highness.”

“No ‘Your Highness.’ That’s forbidden.”

“Then what should I call you… hey, you?”

At my words, Cassian let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“What’s our relationship today, Rose?”

“…A married couple.”

I didn’t like the setup at all, but it was the safest choice.

A commercially successful business couple from the kingdom visiting the imperial capital as tourists—that was the story.

“But I can’t just call you by your name.”

“You can, if it’s you, Rose.”

“I’d rather not get arrested for insulting the imperial family, Your Highness.”

“…Back then… well.”

At my refusal, Cassian muttered something too quiet to catch.

“Ian.”

“…Pardon?”

“Call me Ian.”

The name felt distant enough from “Cassian” that I relaxed.

No matter how shameless I was, I still couldn’t bring myself to casually say a prince’s real name out loud.

Though for some reason, it sounded oddly familiar.

“Anyway… Ian.”

“Yeah.”

…Why was he smiling so brightly at that?

His face alone was an attack; I had to hold my breath for a moment before getting back on track.

“Weren’t you planning to crack down on the gambling den six months later?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Now that Her Majesty the Empress is laying low, if you target that side again…”

“It’ll get annoying.”

He finished my hesitant sentence as if it were nothing.

The Empress had multiple sources of funds, and this gambling den wasn’t even the biggest.

Still, it was enough to irritate her.

“That’s why you said you’d take more time.”

Even the Emperor might blame Cassian this time.

After all, he wasn’t entirely innocent when it came to the Empress’s funding sources.

As Cassian himself had said, the Emperor wasn’t a foolish ruler. If it filled the treasury, he sometimes turned a blind eye to minor illegality.

The Empress’s gambling den was no different.

A place where the money of rising businessmen—like the disguise Cassian was using—could be funneled into the treasury and high-ranking nobles.

If he struck it, the Emperor might outwardly reprimand the Empress, but inwardly grow more resentful of Cassian.

“Are you that worried about me, Rose?”

“Of course. If you’re not around—uh, I mean, Ian—who’s going to pay my salary?”

At my shamelessly honest answer, Cassian burst into laughter.

He reached out and idly played with the strands of my hair beneath the hat.

“Don’t worry, Rose. This isn’t really a crackdown. It’s just a simple inspection—and the target isn’t the Empress.”

At that, I felt a wave of relief.

For a moment, I thought he’d gone full original-story mode.

I preferred a male lead who minimized losses through schemes rather than one who played fair and square.

“If not the Empress… then the businessmen?”

“Yeah.”

I frowned.

“Then you shouldn’t call it a crackdown.”

This was intentional!

In other words, Cassian planned to observe the businessmen at the gambling den and recruit the ones worth taking.

Since the Empress held the noble class, he had to secure the emerging class of businessmen.

“…I worried for nothing.”

As I grumbled, Cassian released my hair and spoke gently.

“I’ll buy you one more thing from Saphir.”

Don’t think money solves everything.

This time.

…It does, though.

The gambling den was in the western district, but for some reason, the carriage headed toward the central shopping district.

“Aren’t we going straight to the gambling den?”

“The sun hasn’t set yet.”

“They operate during the day too.”

More importantly, the solid businessmen Cassian wanted would be there during the day.

It was a place that changed character between day and night.

At night, illegal dealings increased, bets grew higher, and things became dangerous.

During the day, it was more for tourists—but at night, I’d heard fights could break out.

As I looked at him suspiciously, Cassian simply smiled.

“The sun hasn’t even reached its peak yet, Rose.”

For some reason, everything he said today felt contradictory.

“And I wanted to give you your gift first.”

With that, he personally opened the carriage door as it came to a stop.

That prince really had a habit of stealing the duties that should belong to his subordinate.

Naturally, he extended his hand to me.

Since my dress was longer than usual, I accepted it and carefully stepped down.

“The moment Saphir came up, your eyes started sparkling. I couldn’t just ignore that.”

“…Mine?”

I couldn’t deny it outright.

It was painfully true—I was that materialistic.

As I hesitated, I heard a low chuckle above me.

Cassian offered his arm and said in a dangerously smooth tone,

“Shall we go, my wife?”

The inside of Saphir was breathtaking.

Unique, beautiful, adorable!

A charming wooden clock carved from a single block, elegant ceramics seamlessly fused together, and crafts made from rare stones found only in the kingdom.

Everything was so pretty I couldn’t choose.

“…That’s all?”

After much agonizing, I finally picked something, and Cassian looked at me with dissatisfaction.

What’s wrong with this? It’s a beautiful fountain pen.

If I bought decorations, I’d only see them briefly morning and night.

I preferred things I could keep close and use.

“This is what I want.”

It was finely crafted, yet comfortable to hold.

It even felt like it could soothe my calloused fingers.

“And they say the material prevents ink from clumping or drying.”

Practical too—how could I pass it up?

Cassian let out a sigh I didn’t understand.

“I can never quite figure you out, Rose.”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t understand me too well, Ian.”

He already knew my tastes too well.

Instead of replying, he simply took the pen and paid for it.

After handing me the warranty and pen, he spoke leisurely.

“You only chose one thing…”

“Yes?”

“That means you’ll make time for me again next time, doesn’t it?”

How does that logic work?!

I was just trying to be reasonable!

But somehow, I couldn’t say anything.

Because Cassian Artez was looking at me with such excitement and anticipation.

After finishing at Saphir, I thought we’d finally head to the western district.

But Cassian said something to the coachman and sent the carriage away.

“…Ian, you do realize the western district is quite far, right?”

Even if the shoes he prepared were surprisingly comfortable, I didn’t want to walk over an hour.

“I know. But we’re not going there right away, and it’d be unfair to keep the coachman waiting.”

Then he pulled my hand onto his arm.

“I believe Rose once said we should value our subordinates’ time.”

Since when did he listen to me so well?

He still wasn’t explaining anything and was doing whatever he wanted.

Seeing my expression, which didn’t even try to hide my thoughts, he just kept smiling.

“You get cranky when you’re hungry, Rose. Since I brought you out, I can’t let you skip a meal.”

“…I can endure that much.”

What exactly did he not understand about me?

In just one year, he’d already memorized all my preferences and personality.

It was almost terrifying—his determination not to lose a useful subordinate.

Ignoring my words, he took me to the most popular restaurant in the capital.

Apparently, reservations were booked two months in advance.

And true to its reputation, the food was excellent.

“But I think the steak you make tastes better, Ian.”

He nodded as if making a mental note.

After that, instead of heading to the gambling den, he kept taking me around the most talked-about shops in the central district.

“Shall we go look at the books you like next, Rose?”

By the time we called a carriage again and arrived at a bookstore near my home, the sun was already setting.

Winter days were short enough as it was.

“…You tricked me, didn’t you?”

Flipping through a romance novel that didn’t suit him at all, Cassian answered casually,

“Yeah.”

Far too cheerfully.

“The thought of you enjoying your day off without me—”

“Without you?”

“It made me jealous.”

Of what exactly?

You could’ve just lounged around by yourself too, you workaholic!

As I stared at him in disbelief, Cassian grabbed all the novels I had glanced at and fled to the counter to pay.