Chapter Title: The Offer
"Alright, and then?"
"Then, the Della Valle family suddenly demanded that the promise be kept. However…"
Adèle's gaze briefly turned to Cesare.
"Currently, there is no daughter in the direct line of the Bonaparte family, and Della Valle demanded a son instead. And Mr. Cesare Bonaparte here needs a woman to fulfill the promise."
Jude turned to Cesare. He looked as though he was in serious trouble because he couldn't find any flaws.
Cesare, who had been smoking a cigar the whole time, finally spoke.
"Do you know why they suddenly brought up the promise?"
It was a light question, but one that couldn't be answered without reading the newspaper. Adèle answered without hesitation.
"I believe it was planned by Miss Lucrezia Della Valle, who wishes to marry you."
Indeed. Lucrezia Della Valle, the beloved youngest daughter of the Della Valle family. Even the stray cats in Fornatie knew that she was in love with Cesare.
Cesare's lips curved into a beautiful smile at Adèle's answer.
"My goodness. Even a shoe shiner in Fornatie knows about Lucrezia's mad schemes."
There wasn't an ounce of respect for the lady in his expression, but that didn't matter to Adèle. What mattered was that Cesare needed a woman. And that she would rather be sold to a noble family than to a brothel.
"I don't think you want to marry her. But the promise between the families is sacred, and you want to be rid of it now."
"So?"
Apart from the faint smile, his golden eyes were remarkably cold as he looked at Adèle.
"So sell me."
Adèle did not avoid his gaze.
"I will be sold to Della Valle as the daughter of Bonaparte. Then you won't have to marry her, will you?"
The man who was said to have received the utmost love from fate and God stared silently at the woman in front of him.
_Hmm._
He took a deep drag on his cigar and exhaled softly.
_Is this really a woman?_
His scrutinizing gaze turned to her. Her hat was so oversized that it looked like it could fit two heads, and her face was rough and bumpy. She was beyond ugly; she didn't even look human. If it weren't for her clearly resonant voice, he wouldn't have thought she was a woman at all.
Yes, she spoke well. She seemed to have a working brain, too. But that was all.
The country of Santnar, made up of two main islands and dozens of smaller ones, valued the virtue of "Beautiful Appearance." It meant being beautiful and attractive in every way.
In that sense, Adèle Bibi was disqualified from the preliminaries.
"It won't work."
At Cesare's words, Adèle Bibi slowly held her breath. She seemed like she was going to ask why, so Cesare laughed lightly, tapping his chin.
"Adèle Bibi. To be sold, at least you should look presentable, don't you think?"
He thought she would back off on her own at this point.
"Ah."
But instead of backing off, Adèle Bibi suddenly grabbed her hat.
"I see. Just a moment."
Cesare didn't even have time to feel puzzled before Adèle whipped off her hat. In an instant, the hair contained within cascaded down like a waterfall. Her hair, shimmering with a silky luster, began to sparkle haphazardly under the sunlight of Fornatie.
Hair as smooth as silk. Thick hair with green highlights on a black base. Even Cesare, who had seen the most beautiful things in Fornatie, was momentarily speechless.
"Splendid hair!"
Jude exclaimed beside him. Jude, who loved art and beauty, had green eyes that sparkled with curiosity.
"Like a mermaid's hair. Did you take special care of it?"
"Sometimes I used fish oil."
"Just that? Impressive. And it resembles…"
Jude looked back and forth between Cesare and Adèle's hair.
"…it resembles yours! Ah, of course, the undertones are different, but both have the luster of black pearls. It's amazing. Now that I look, this lady's eyes are golden too. Or are they more like honey?"
"Are you comparing me to a shoe shiner?"
Cesare said, frowning while holding the cigar in his mouth.
"No man falls in love with a woman's hair alone."
"Wait a moment."
It was Adèle who answered. Before Cesare could give permission, she started wiping her face with her dirty clothes. No, it was more like she was peeling something off.
"Huh?"
Jude let out a strange sound as Adèle's thick mask-like layer fell away with a harsh sound. It smelled strongly of shoe polish.
Eventually, when a surprisingly slender and elegant face appeared from underneath, Cesare couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Hah."
Indeed, she was beautiful enough to pose as a Bonaparte. A smooth jawline, perfect almond-shaped eyes, and nearly symmetrical features. A face that was the epitome of beauty.
And surprisingly, Adèle had an aura that didn't quite match her face. There are people like that sometimes. Those who seem born to seduce the opposite sex. Cesare was like that, and so was Adèle before him.
"…"
Cesare took another deep drag on his cigar and exhaled with a sigh.
Jude, beside him, spoke in an excited voice.
"With this, it seems more than doable, don't you think, Cesare?"
"…"
He wasn't wrong. In terms of appearance alone, the woman in front of him was ideal for his purpose. With her looks, even if he took her and taught her just enough to present her in society, he was confident that people would overlook minor flaws, blinded by her beauty.
Knowing her own beauty, Adèle spoke calmly.
"I forgot to clean it off."
She had considerable nerve as well.
Cesare covered his mouth with the hand holding the cigar. In a short time, an intense battle of thoughts raged in his head. But he soon shook his head.
"It's impossible."
"Why!"
Jude exclaimed. Cesare lowered his gaze coldly.
"She's uneducated."
The reason he had been looking for a fallen noble's daughter to fulfill the promise with Della Valle was simple. They were easier to educate.
"She wouldn't know the six arts, and she probably has no manners. Can she even speak foreign languages?"
"But she's beautiful!"
"Looks aren't everything."
"You saying that with your face holds no credibility!"
"True enough."
Cesare leaned back in his chair, as if he had nothing more to see.
"To sell her to Della Valle, she needs to have something in her head. They are a family of scholars."
"Ugh…"
Jude groaned. There was nothing wrong with Cesare's words.
_This should make her back off on her own._
Cesare thought as he put down his cigar.
"You're right about everything."
Adèle spoke. At her calm confession, Cesare's gaze turned to her.
"I haven't received any formal education. But I've made efforts within my means."
_She's more tenacious than I thought._
Cesare frowned and smiled.
"What efforts? Efforts to shine shoes?"
"Well, I did make efforts to frequent the Fornatie City Library."
"Reading a few books is all."
"And I can speak Drinang and Algeais."
Cesare was speechless at the Algeais that flowed from her mouth as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"Impressive!"
On the other hand, Jude was thrilled. He seemed to find it astonishing that this beautiful shoe shiner could speak a foreign language.
"That too, from books?"
"I learned conversation from foreigners on the streets and grammar from books."
"There are people who know Algeais on the streets?"
"Fornatie has a high influx of foreigners, and many live here."
"You have an academic zeal that's remarkable for an ordinary shoe shiner!"
"Because that was all I could do."
Adèle looked back at Cesare.
"It wasn't just efforts to shine shoes."