Chapter 18 - Chapter 15

When working for the intelligence guild, Isidor wore a bracelet with magic that transformed his appearance and voice.

For that reason, no one but Miguel knew that the master of the secret organization was the heir of the Visconti family, one of the country's founding families.

"How will I approach her? Do I have to worry about that when I have this face?"

Isidor asked back curiously, pointing to his beautiful face with his finger.

Miguel, whose mouth was trembling with an expression of wanting to curse, immediately lowered his head in acknowledgment.

"I apologize. I asked the most unnecessary question in the world."

He felt bitter, but he couldn't help it. Using that handsome face to attract his opponent was foul play.

Isidor had a handsome appearance that was difficult to describe in words.

Just the portrait painters who dashed out, crying, saying they could not dare express his remarkable face with brushes and paints, were more than ten.

That's not all. Hundreds of wigs could be easily made with just the hair pulled out from the ladies' heads, who fought head-to-head over Isidor at parties.

Even his legs were overwhelmingly long and his shoulders were also wide, so he had both delicate beauty and strong masculinity at the same time.

Due to Isidor's presence that makes the men around him invisible, Miguel only felt sad because it was like he was hiding in the shadows even when he wasn't.

"Miguel, you look scornful. You seem to have something to refute?"

"I have not. Lord."

"Good. So, prepare to go to the academy too."

At the threat to become a sidekick again, Miguel nodded, depressed.

"Ah."

Isidor, who had returned to being the Visconti heir and not the guild master, suddenly hesitated and put on the bracelet again.

'I need to modify the diamond color grade and quantity.'

He was planning to slowly bring a total of three colored diamonds to the market.

Pink, blue, green.

Among the three, pink was the one that was going to be released in the smallest quantity.

However, the moment he received Deborah's second request, he quickly changed his plans.

As he unconsciously recalled her purple hair, flowing down like the night sky above her white face like a full moon, he tapped on the table lightly.

"Miguel. I'm adding a diamond color, so call the guild manager."

"What color is it?"

With his hand on his chin, he slightly narrowed his eyes.

"A color like lavender."

***

'Time flies.'

Ten days have already passed since the deal with the Blancia Master.

In the meantime, everything has been peaceful.

Duke Seymour left the capital for a while because something happened in his land.

Belreck, who was pushing with her marriage, was stuck in the Wizardry Association to see whether there was a setback in his research, so he didn't even come into the house.

Meanwhile, I was spending time in the capital shopping district for market research.

Market research, it was no different than taking my father's credit card and going around aimlessly.

'Desserts like cake are already a known market space.'

While eating a cake with plenty of custard, I crossed out the items that were not competitive one by one.

'This alley is so isolated that people don't come here. Out.'

I also checked the transient population while spacing out like a sloth on the terrace.

It was a tour of delicious restaurants and healing, disguised as market research.

'The weather is good.'

The weather gets warmer day by day, as if announcing that spring is coming.

The weather getting warmer means that the opening of the Imperial Academy is just around the corner.

Here too, spring means the beginning of classes.

"Ugh…"

The good news is that I don't have to be obsessed with my grades like in my last life.

As an 'academy', it may give the feeling of a great academic institution, but the Imperial Academy was a space where socialization was prioritized over education.

Most of the aristocratic children received their education from a private tutor and only went to the academy for personal connections.

In order to find out why the academy became a social place and not a place to study, we have to go back to the distant past.

In the early days of the establishment of the Azutea Empire, because the local lords had a weak concept of country, a lot of disturbances happened all the time in regions beyond the control of the Imperial Family.

In order to control the local lords and influential aristocrats that were behaving recklessly, the second Emperor called their children to the academy in the capital and took them hostage, raising their sense of belonging to the Empire.

The problem is that, even though the Empire's reign is in a stable condition, the laws made at the time haven't been revised and remain unchanged.

Even now, the daughters and sons of the families appointed by the Imperial Family were required to attend the academy.

Still, it was a place tolerant of the high-ranking nobles, so they could graduate if they just met the number of attendance days.

For those who were in poorly ranked families, or didn't have much to inherit, to get into government services or get the attention of high-ranking officials, they had to get good results at the academy; but that has nothing to do with me.

Besides that… I feel uneasy that I might run into the heroine sooner or later.

'I don't want to get involved.'

Mia Vinoche's nickname among the readers was 'Crazy Girl Magnet'.

Of course, one of those crazy girls is Deborah.

'In that aspect, the Blancia Master is trustworthy.'

Although the novel wasn't finished, the Master, who didn't flirt with Mia in over 100 chapters, is the person with remarkably the lowest chance of doing anything stupid.

'Thinking of it, I have to stop by the Maisond.'

As the maid always goes to Maisond to buy desserts, I haven't visited it so far.

But since 10 days have passed, I wanted to stop by and check the progress of the requests.

I got up from my seat, fixing my hood.

Since it was uncomfortable to wear a corset while touring delicious restaurants, I was walking around wearing a hooded robe.

Upon arriving at the Maisond, I took a seat on the terrace and scanned through the menu.

Seeing the 'Sold Out' sign next to the cake made by the master artisan of the Imperial Family, I suppressed a laugh.

'The Master's business skills are really different from others.'

After looking around dozens of dessert shops, only the Maisond was doing modern marketing.

'Limited quantity, time deal marketing.'

A method of limiting the product's quantity, even though it can be increased, and pretending to be sold out even if it's not.

People are naturally obsessed with items that are scarce and difficult to have.

Aristocrats with a sense of privilege must be even worse.

The Maisond is bound to make it big because it makes good use of the psychology of their main target audience.

'Oh?'

Having been clicking my tongue, I rejoiced when looking at the menu.

The business item I've been looking for was right here.

Coffee!

However, it was in a corner of the menu as if it wasn't popular, and there was only one variety.

"Bring me this drink."

When I pointed at the coffee with my finger, the employee immediately showed disapproval.

"Lady, I apologize but this drink has a strong bitter taste and may not suit your taste. It's a drink made with beans imported from a hot region, but since the response wasn't good, we are going to take it off the menu soon."

"I don't care. Bring it along with the whipped cream cake."

After a while, the nice and handsome employee returned and put down a cup of coffee and a cake.

'As expected, the Master is onto something.'

With a warm feeling, I picked up a fork and reached for the whipped cream cake.

Now it's time to neutralize this sweetness with bitter coffee…

'Yuck!'

Why is it so bad?

The bitterness was basic, and the scent wasn't good, so I almost spit it out as soon as I drank it.

'Did they carelessly roast the coffee beans? It's a complete mess.'

It was no different from a bitter medicine because it did not go through a proper manufacturing process.

Even the color was pitch-dark, it must have felt like poison to people who are used to transparent teas.

'No wonder it's not popular.'

I put down the coffee, which marketability was close to zero, and fell into thought.

I stumbled upon the founding item that ruled the 21st century, but it didn't seem easy to build it up so it could be sold.

It was a lot of trouble, but my concentration was disturbed because of young ladies who came rushing in and settled near the terrace.

'It's really spring over there.'

Four aristocratic ladies wearing beautiful pastel-tone dresses sat around the table and ordered cakes and drinks.

"Have you heard the rumor?"

My ears perked up instinctively when someone said those words, secretly.

I was interested because no maid talked about the society's gossip in front of me.

"What kind of rumor?"

"Charles Orgo is entering the academy this year."

"Oh my goodness. That's great news."

I don't know if it's great news, but I've heard of the Orgo family before.

Like Seymour, Orgo was one of the country's founding families, a family well known for their swordsmanship.

In addition, the heir of the Orgo family, Diera, was one of the heroine's fishes.

Diera Orgo was only 19 years old, but, since he was born with a natural talent, it was predicted that, in a little while, he would be on par with the Crown Prince, who was a swordmaster.

"If I enter the academy, I will be able to watch the Knights' training from a distance, right?"

The girl with the youngest face among the ladies asked, shyly.

"I guess someone here admires the Knights?"

"Because it would be great to be able to see Diera. I happened to see him last Thanksgiving and he was so cool."

As expected, as one of Mia's fishes, Diera is also extremely popular.

"I want to talk to Philap at least once. A warlock, he's so amazing."

"I know, right. That red hair that looks like it's burning, he's so cool."

They chatted with excited voices.

Gossip related to the high-ranking aristocrats was by far the biggest topic of conversation among the nobility.

By analogy, it could be said that they were idols among the nobles.

If commoners longed for nobles, nobles longed for high-ranking nobles and royal families.

So, when Mia Vinoche, the daughter of a fallen noble family, made an appearance alongside Philap Montez at the academy, wearing a pink diamond on her neck, the impact was even bigger.

'It was an impressive heroine-like appearance.'

I recalled the first part of the novel and nodded back and forth, slowly.

"I wanted to see Belreck Seymour, so it's regrettable that I have already graduated."

"Belreck. So elegant and intelligent."

Elegant? Intelligent?

There is only one word you can mix with that bastard Belreck.

'Everyone is being deceived by his appearance.'

I suddenly lost my appetite and put down the fork, and the voices of the young ladies suddenly went up three octaves.

"To be honest, the one I want to see the most is Isidor Visconti."

"Kyaaa!"

"Isidor! So handsome!!"

The sudden scream pierced my eardrums and I almost spit out the cake that was in my mouth.