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As soon as the lord waved his hand, the armed soldiers advanced in an orderly line.
The resonant, rhythmic sound was menacing.
Suddenly, Archduke Richard took a defensive stance and hid me behind his back.
'What is this...?'
I frowned slightly, looking at the two rows of soldiers around us.
Not only were they walking, they seemed to be guarding something.
I stuck my head out from behind the Archduke's huge back and looked at the soldiers.
"What is this?"
Finally, I realized what they were carefully holding, and a confused reaction escaped my lips.
The Archduke's tense shoulders trembled.
He looked confused, too.
“Haha, I've always wanted to show you!”
The Lord pointed, smiling, with his hand, and the faces of the soldiers opened like water.
At the same time, dozens of servants who were accompanying them appeared.
Each of them held a large crystal box in his hand.
Inside the box, framed newspaper clippings, china dolls, stuffed animals, postcards, and other scattered items were displayed with the utmost sophistication, like the collection of a devoted admirer.
“This is my carefully crafted collection.”
“I… I don’t mean to question Your Eminence’s collection, but… the doll’s form..”
I blinked slowly, skeptical.
The image of porcelain dolls, a man and a woman kissing passionately, seemed familiar no matter how much I looked at it.
A man with black hair in a uniform, and a woman with flowing blond hair.
Could they be…
“Ha-ha-ha, as the Archduchess thought!
It’s you two!”
The Archduke and I gaped at the Lord's sincere laughter.
I quickly rolled my eyes and checked the rest of the boxes, and found that they were all related to us.
Newspaper articles about our story, dolls made to look like us, postcards with our pictures on them...
"Mr.
Odilo!
What the heck is this?"
The Archduke could not hold back his excitement and suddenly raised his voice.
The woman next to him smiled, her eyes drooping.
“Indeed, the Lord is a romantic par excellence.”
“….”
I was at a loss for words as I stared at the Lord and Lady with blank looks.
The lady continued in a low voice.
“He especially loves romance novels, and the love story he's been reading avidly lately is yours.”
“…Huh?”
I was astonished as I looked at the Lord, and his face turned red.
The Lord spoke proudly.
“Haha.
Isn’t your story true?
I couldn’t sleep the night I read the article about the day you first met.”
“Please take a look at the scrapbook the master made after that day.
He has become a huge fan of both of you.”
So...did you like our story after reading an article about my made-up love story?
I looked at the tough soldiers and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.
If the whole story was discovered to be a lie, it would anger Lord Odilo.
A fanatical admirer tolerates anything, but he cannot tolerate the lies of his favourite.
Without realizing it, the number of people who hated our false marriage was increasing.
“The words of Archduke Richard as he carried his wife in the midst of battle, engraved in gold by a skilled calligrapher.
They are the most beautiful words I have ever heard in my life.”
[With you, even falling flames will seem like a rain of flowers to me.]
The Lord lifted a shining gold piece from a crystal case and smiled proudly.
The Archduke's observing eyes were now distracted, as if freed.
Just thinking about himself saying those words sent a shiver down his spine, leaving him breathless.
Anyway, his wife smiled kindly and pointed to a pair of dolls in a crystal box.
“Several copies of this doll have been made, and a pair are placed in his lordship’s bedroom.”
“Ha, ha, ha…”
Likewise, when I saw the two cotton balls, which were clearly both of us, I let out an embarrassed laugh.
I had no desire to be crammed into someone's bedroom.
“Anyway, I really wanted to see you two in person.”
The Lord's smiling face as he spoke looked exactly like the face of someone who had finally obtained what he wished for.
The Lord quickly led us to the luxurious guest room (VVIP) that he had prepared for us in advance.
A luxurious ivory table was presented with a wonderful selection of refreshments.
With the fragrant tea in front of him, the Lord kept shouting happily.
“But how pleased I was to hear that you both make and sell watches.
Aren’t these official things made with the power of love?”
“How so?
Watches are not made with love, but with iron ore and craftsmen...”
This man...!
I hastily interrupted the Archduke, who had suddenly interrupted the Lord's question, and I laughed nervously.
“Yes, yes.
Of course, it is the fruit of love.
Of course.”
To be precise, it was not love, but the product of selfish desire, designed to increase the Archduke's wealth, but it had to be tailored to meet the client's needs.
“Oh my God!
Then this would be the perfect collection for me!
I thought I would buy all kinds of watches right away.”
Oh, my God.
It was a remark that made my eyes twinkle even in my sleep.
I quickly remembered his collection, stored in crystal boxes, and the countless jewels adorning the palace.
Wasn't this basically a request for me to take whatever money I wanted from his vaunted pocket?
I smiled with a smile full of salesmanship.
Now, Mr.
Odilo was not just a customer, he was a very important person.
“Your Honor, of course I can make as many watches as you want.”
“Give me everything in this catalog.”
He waved the workshop catalog I had prepared in advance in the air, smiling contentedly.
That alone was enough to cover the Archduke's annual budget.
But if I really want to make money, I can't rest on my laurels.
I looked at the king with shining eyes, like a peddler who has found his victim.
“The catalog is not everything.
If the Lord wishes, I would like to inform you that we can also produce limited editions.”
“Limited edition...!”
The Lord stumbled excitedly at the captivating words.
I whispered to him in a seductive voice like a devil fulfilling his greatest desires.
“Don't you want a unique watch?”
"Sure!
I want to have a limited edition one, where two of you come out instead of the cuckoo when the time comes, and dance the waltz!"
The Lord raised his voice as he spoke, like a child begging Santa Claus to give him a Christmas present.
“Hmm, but honestly, there are already four watches in the catalog that show lovers dancing per hour—”
“My God, what an excellent choice!
When it comes to love and lovers, dance is the perfect choice.
Leave it to me, Mr.
Odilo!”
I panicked, pushed the Archduke on the shoulder, who was about to tell him the truth again, and quickly interrupted him.
Then I winked at the Lord.
“Of course, the price will be kind of, a little more.”
“I'll pay whatever you want!”
“I will do my best.”
As soon as the Lord had finished speaking, I quickly wrote an order for a new item at the bottom of the catalogue.
Finally, I was able to smile with relief.
With this, I earned enough money to upgrade the armor and weapons of every soldier in the Archduke's household.
“By the way... are you ashamed just in front of me?”
“Huh?”
I turned to Lord Odilo, who was muttering and rubbing his chin.
He stared at us sadly.
The Archduke was making empty, soulless answers, and I was busy trying to restrain him, and even had to resort to physical means.
“You two don't seem as close as you used to...”
The Lord's face appeared frowning as he spoke.
It was like a fan who invested a lot of money to attend an autograph event for his favorite fan, only to be disappointed by the keen eyes of his favorite.
How did I know that?
'Because I dealt with the case of a fan who abandoned his favorite and became his biggest hater, so he revealed his private life on the Internet, and a lawsuit was filed against him!'
Then I realized, the most dangerous thing in this world is a fan who has lost his loyalty to his favorite.
The moment I saw Lord Odilo's disappointed expression, an image of him canceling all his orders and leading Odilo's army to eliminate the Archduke flashed into my mind.
“So...”
Just as I was about to chatter to calm the situation, the Archduke's tactless mouth began to move again.
“Sir, this is the first time you've seen us.
How do you know if we were more friendly with each other before?”
the curse!
Why are you doing this?
Whose work are you trying to ruin...?
A scream of terror rose within me, and curses mixed with my heart.
Before I knew it, the Lord's face had turned red.
Now, there is only one solution left for this matter.