***
***
“Let’s go out. We can eat and watch shows.”
Noah suggested, glancing at the money in his bag.
As I sat on the hotel couch, I nodded in faint anticipation, but I was no longer worried about money. This was the moment when we were upgraded from backpack travel to luxury travel.
I tend to be a homebody, but I also like traveling, and when I go out, I play well, although not for a long time. Once I’m out, I have to finish all my errands before going in in order to feel comfortable.
Compared to me, who searched through my suitcase and dressed with maximum care to keep warm, Noah was wearing a classic chesterfield coat in a shade that matched his suit.
He always kept a neat and nice appearance, apparently coming from an upper class aristocracy. Except for the military clothes, all of his clothes were top quality, made of expensive fabrics.
It was not an incomprehensible situation since he was a man who had hundreds of millions in cash even if he was poor in words. How rich was he before? It was a common belief in academia that rich people are rich even when they fail. After Noah put a lot of bills in his wallet, he kept the rest in the safe in the hotel room for safekeeping. He said, “It’s not very safe here.”
I wrapped a wool scarf around me and holding Noah’s hand, we left the hotel and walked around the town, looking here and there as if we were sightseeing. He stopped in front of a medieval style building with columns supporting the ceiling not far away. It also looked like a courthouse.
“There’s someone I’m meeting at the Royal Exchange.”
Noah explained gently, bending the corners of his eyes.
Inside the Royal Exchange, well dressed stockbrokers, auctioneers, financiers, and businessmen exchanged stories over cigars and brandy.
As we went inside, a man with dark hair and blue eyes, wearing a monocle, approached us. Tall and nicely suited, he held a cigar and smiled nicely as he alternately looked at Noah and me.
“Long time no see, Duke. No, what should I call you now? Noah?”
“Jace Grenendlal. It’s been a long time.”
I opened my eyes wide at Noah’s words, “Jace Grenendall”. He was the first son of the Prime Minister of Belford and successor to the duke. He was Jeffrey’s brother. What on earth is Noah and him doing here? Moreover, Noah had almost killed Jeffrey, Jace’s brother. I slipped past him, pretending not to know.
“Are you going to keep smoking like that?”
Noah stared blankly at the cigar in Jace’s hand. Jace, who had glanced at me with a face somewhere between nervous and bewilderment, smiled at me, then looked at Noah again and extinguished his cigar.
‘’Let’s go inside and talk.”
We headed to a private room inside the trading post. Noah walked into the room and sat down next to me.
“This is Jace, an earnest banker.”
Jace frowned as he heard Noah’s general introduction of himself.
“Why do you say it so loosely? My name is Jace Grenendall. I’m a financial entrepreneur and the president of Kelheit Bank.”
“It’s okay. She doesn’t need to know the details. What did you do with my money?”
“Don’t be rough. The money is properly stored in the vault of my bank. Because of federal law, I will not leak any customer information even if the dirty thunder emperor comes directly to me.”
Was this the kind of bank that received black money no matter what, and got a tremendous storage fee? Jace chuckled and leaned back on the couch, lifting his chin.
“Do you know why I helped you so much, Noah?”
“I know it’s not just the Duchess’s will.”
“It’s a part of it. Businessmen don’t do things without benefits.
And since it fits in with my mother’s will, there’s no reason not to help. Anyway, how are things now?”
“Yes. Factories have started operating on the sites of Cynthian, Mertania, and Hitar of Medea empire.”
“It seemed that the field performance tests had already been done. Seeing as how you’ve made it this far without dying.”
I didn’t know what the two entrepreneurs were talking about. I listened to their conversation in silence and cut them off modestly.
“Are you talking about cars?”
Jace looked at me silently for a moment, then chuckled.
“Yes. I have some shares in the automobile company. If it wasn’t for that car, I don’t think you would have made it out.”
I thought long and hard, remembering how I had witnessed a technology that was ahead of its time. Maybe it was the influence of the writer of this story, but this world had a late 19th century feel to it in terms of culture and ideas, and an early 20th century, late modern feel to it in terms of technology and military weaponry.
I was told that Noah had taken over the steel business and had mainly been involved in the railroad and military businesses. Flickering through my mind, I asked with nervousness at the conclusion that suddenly came to my mind.
“……… are you developing military weapons? You know, armored vehicles, fighter jets, new guns?”
Noah and Jace were both staring at me at the same time. I smiled awkwardly, thinking I had misspoken due to the unexpected and deep attention, and Jace looked at Noah and asked with a strange expression.
“Did you tell her that?”
“I didn’t.”
“How do you know? You’re smart!”
“Yes. I read a lot of books.”
Oh, well, that response was as good as a default.
It was clear that Noah wanted Medea to provide him with military weapons technology to use against Progen and Belford in the future. I don’t know if it would be revenge against Progen or an effort to get rich. I don’t know how far they have developed, but whatever the world it was, human nature is the same and history will flow the same way.
I suppose that means this world will continue to wage war until the day I grow old and die! If I make a mistake, the place where I am settled will be considered a war criminal, or I may face nuclear weapons in my later years as a result of the karma of making enemies of the world. Seeing my face full of anguish, Jace swept his chin.
“You’ve invested a little too much in your girlfriend. Hopefully, you will be able to live in luxury for your children.”
“Yes …… I don’t know much about this field, so please feel free to talk to each other.”
I pretended not to know and touched a tea cup.
“I’m going to go now, the princess will be bored if I talk about boring things. You can talk the rest to my secretary.”
“Is your secretary still working? The high-ranking noble secretaries are the most pitiful. They work almost like slaves in business.”
Noah stood up, straightening his clothes and pulling me up by the hand. Jace lifted his wine glass and advised.
“I think you should go to the Cynthian Empire. You know the Cynthians my father helped.”
“I have to go to Medea. As you can see, the princess is of Medean descent, so even if she is half-breed, she will be protected on a national level.”
“What, I’m curious. Well, I wish you luck.”
Jace stood up, handed Noah a suitcase with one hand, and smiled. I don’t know what was in it, but I’m afraid I’ve participated in the mastermind’s plan.
“May God bless you, princess.”
Jace lifted his glass high as if to congratulate me. Even that man called me princess. My face heated up and I bowed my head in greeting, turning back to follow Noah.
I remembered Jeffrey, whose mother was Medean, and looked at the pitch-black hair of his brother, Jace. Noah seemed to know about me better than I know myself, but he won’t tell me the details.
If I asked him openly, he would change the subject. We left the Exchange building and had a late lunch at a nearby restaurant. The tables were set up in a separate space, perhaps for couples only.
Outside the window, snow-covered mountains with clouds in the distance looked like a mirror of the blue lake. A restaurant employee was taking orders and serving in a dantle apron, wearing a white blouse and skirt like an Alpine girl’s uniform. The employee, who had braided red hair, looked blankly at Noah’s face and set his plate down loudly.
Noah cut a crispy cutlet from a plate with a bird on it and handed it to me, smiling as he looked at me.
“We’ll go on a ship. Do you get seasick?”
“No, I don’t think so, but I think it’s very beautiful here. The scenery is nice.”
It was like a free trip to Europe on the pretext of escaping. It was fun.
I rested my cheek on my hand and looked out the window at the fine houses and small alleys just below.
Children were cheerfully playing on the streets, which were regularly paved with stones of a certain size. I felt warm and contradictorily peaceful in the winter sunshine that harmonized with the joyful voices of the children. Just thinking about this warm color turning into the gray of the war made me shudder.
Noah looked at me with a hint of peace in his face.
“Then we will rest here today and leave tomorrow. If you like it here, shall we live here next?”
“Okay. Actually, I don’t care where we live.”
“I don’t mind either.”
He drank a warm drink and spoke to me intimately. Actually, it’s easy to live anywhere as long as you have money. But with this man, I felt that I didn’t have to worry about money and have a pleasant trip wherever there was.
“It’s nice to see it together…”
Unfamiliar words escaped my lips, and I quickly fell silent. I shuffled my toes and tried to get back to the conversation, but Noah had a very happy expression on his face, as if he had heard everything.
“Really? Do you like being with me?”
“…… Yes.”
“I’m happy whenever you say that.”
I was a little embarrassed that he seemed to know that I was a blunt person.
“I’m a little indifferent, aren’t I?”
“That’s fine. Just stay with me. Stay with me when I eat, when I walk down the street, when I sleep, when I bathe…”
“Bathe?”
I couldn’t help but raise my voice, so I quickly clamped my mouth shut and looked at the faces around me. Fortunately, it was just the two of us, so no one heard it. After taking a moment to relax, I whispered to him.
“We’re not in that kind of relationship yet.”
“We’ve slept together.”
“That’s true but…..”
“What’s the relationship that the princess thinks of?”
There was a low chuckle deep in Noah’s throat. He asked, knowing better than anyone. I was no match for him. I got caught up in this man’s pace. That mellow look in his eyes makes my sluggish heart tense.
And today, he’d only rented one room. I don’t know if he was trying to torture me or testing me. It was even harder for me because I was an adult who was already getting used to people. I put a piece of chocolate cake for dessert in my mouth and eventually avoided answering.
“Wow, it’s so sweet.”
To my amazement, Noah leaned toward me and wiped the chocolate off my mouth with his finger. He nodded as he lightly put his chocolate-covered finger in his mouth and tasted it.
“Yes.”
The sudden action of this insane man was embarrassing. It drove me crazy.
“Why do you always get food on your face? Is it because you have a small mouth?”
My eyes shook. Noah’s eyes were beautifully folded when he saw me freeze. With a stiff expression on my face, I lifted a napkin and rubbed it hard around my mouth, eventually covering my face with both hands.
I wanted to cry. I couldn’t even look at him because I could feel my face turning bright red. In a devastated voice, I asked.
“Do you enjoy teasing me?”
“Don’t you torment me?”
“I’m not picking on you, but you’re embarrassing me!”
Noah looked worried as he wondered how to organize the words.
“You don’t like it?” (Noah)
His voice subsided slightly, and his eyes drooped sadly. He leaned forward again, bringing his face close to mine, and looked at me with an apologetic expression.
“That’s not it…..” (Diana)
I closed my eyes for a moment, unable to bear the sight of his dazed gaze. Why does he always tease me in a relaxed manner?
…Why doesn’t he touch me? Why does he draw the line?
The frustrations that had always been raised but silently ignored by those who had jurisdiction over the deepest parts of our hearts and desires finally exploded.
In the end, as soon as I gave up and opened my eyes again, I noticed that Noah’s face was much closer than I expected. The eyes underneath the lashes looked hazy. We were so close that the tips of our noses rubbed against each other. His sharp chin tilted gracefully.
Before I could assess the situation, there was a low sigh and something warm and soft reached my lips, boldly. The heat rose and my dry lips became moist and wet.
I shivered at the feeling of his tongue smoothly licking and wetting my lower lip as if he was tasting it. I couldn’t breathe and froze.
Noah’s lips slowly parted from the contact, and he gave me a peculiar smile as he slowly licked his lips.
“You don’t like this either?” (Noah)
He asked in a drowsy voice, as he kissed me vaguely between a light kiss and a deep kiss. I couldn’t answer him, of course, because I was too distracted. I was just looking at the dimples that were lightly reflected on his cheeks.
I felt dizzy, even though the kiss had only lasted a few seconds. My restrained sensuality was scorching me inside, leaving me in agony.
One word, it drove me crazy.