Apparently, I’m a Poisonous Woman Who Sells One-Night Dreams, but I Ended Up Awakening a Hero’s Devoted Love - Chapter 2.3

After having breakfast and going to see Liza at the Painter’s Guild, Mariadoll was told with surprising simplicity, “Please show Ben your dream.”

Faced with Mariadoll’s bewilderment, Liza elegantly sipped her tea as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“To begin with, the reason I founded the Painter’s Guild was to value the autonomy of painters. I want them to paint what they wish to paint without being forced into unreasonable creations. That applies to you too, Mariadoll. Your desire to paint should be your top priority.”

Mariadoll knew why Liza had established the Painter’s Guild, but she hadn’t realized that Liza’s definition of “painter” included Mariadoll herself.

Mariadoll, who knew she was far from a full-fledged painter and lacked talent, was taken aback by this. Seeing her surprise, Liza placed her cup back on the saucer with an exasperated look.

“Knowing you, you probably don’t consider yourself a painter. But if you’re commissioned to paint, sell your work, and receive payment, then you are a proper painter. You should have that awareness. Putting on airs is unbecoming, but recognizing your own worth is important. You should hold your head higher.”

“Until you said it, I never thought of myself as a painter. But you’re right. Since there are people commissioning me, even if I’m still inexperienced, I should respond to their expectations as a professional.”

At Mariadoll’s reply, Liza tilted her head slightly, thinking the meaning was a bit off, but nodded and said, “That’s just like the clumsy and earnest Mariadoll.”

“Don’t belittle yourself. You are the beloved fiancée of the hero, Lord Jerf, and soon to be his wife.”

“Th-that’s… ‘Beloved’ is a bit much…”

“My, my, it’s famous around town. The former femme fatale who melted the heart of that demon drill sergeant. Hehe.”

In front of the cheerfully laughing Liza, Mariadoll shook her head in disbelief, but Liza’s smile only deepened. “Anyway,” she said with a smirk, lifting the corners of her mouth, “You should do as you wish. Leave the details to me.”

“Thank you.”

Bowing to Liza, who spoke so decisively, Mariadoll left the guild with gratitude.

When she arrived at the café where she was to meet Aiden, Ben, who she assumed would be with him, was nowhere to be seen. Upon asking, she learned that Ben had been so nervous since morning that his stomach was upset.

“I can understand how he feels, but if he’s not feeling well, we can always do this another day.”

“If we do that, it’s clear he’ll be terribly disappointed. Even if it puts some strain on his body, I’d appreciate it if you could do it tonight.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s fine,” Mariadoll said, reaching for the menu on the table. Since her parents’ graves were on a small hill in the territory, they decided to have lunch before heading there.

Mariadoll ordered pancakes piled high with fresh cream, while Aiden ordered a sandwich and pasta. When their orders arrived shortly after, Mariadoll exclaimed, “Wow!”

“Lady Liza recommended this. Look at all this fresh cream!”

Her face shining like a child’s, she leaned her cheek against the table to look at it from the side. Aiden muttered, “What part of Mariadoll did the people in this country see to believe those rumors about her being a femme fatale?”

At the same time, as if feeling a bit queasy at the sight of the twenty-centimeter-high mound of cream, he frowned.

“Can you really eat all that?”

“According to Lady Liza, it’s not too sweet and you can polish it off in no time.”

“Are you sure you’re not being tricked?”

Mariadoll promptly cut a bite-sized piece of pancake with her fork and knife, piled a generous amount of cream on top, and took a big bite.

Instantly, her eyes narrowed dreamily, and her cheeks flushed a soft pink.

“It’s delicious! The pancakes are fluffy and moist. The cream isn’t too heavy, and you’re right. I could eat this forever. I’ll have to recommend this to Lord Jerf too.”

“No, no, Duke Stanley wouldn’t eat something like pancakes, would he?”

“Oh, he has more of a sweet tooth than I do.”

“What?! With that face?!”

At his unintended honest remark, Mariadoll chuckled lightly. Aiden thought, “Oops,” but then shrugged and reached for his sandwich.

“That’s right! Seeing that stern face of his happily eating cake is something else. And the way he picks up macarons with those big hands is just adorable.”

“Is it really okay to talk like that and ruin his image as a hero?”

“…It’s a secret.”

Mariadoll suddenly grew serious, placing a finger to her lips. Aiden nodded, half in exasperation.

“You two really get along well. I heard the rumors about Mariadoll being a femme fatale have been dispelled, but you were called that when you first met, right? So how did you end up engaged?”

“A year ago, there was talk of Lord Jerf marrying the princess. That’s when he asked me to be his temporary fiancée to make her give up on the idea.”

“Temporary?! Wait a minute. How could he be so rude? Just because he’s a hero doesn’t mean he can be that arrogant!”

As Aiden slammed the table, Mariadoll shushed him and glanced around.

“Q-quiet down! Calm yourself.”

“How can I calm down about this? Yesterday, seeing how close you two were, I felt relieved and thought since someone of the duke’s high status had taken a liking to you, there was no place for me. But this changes everything!”

“W-well, it started that way, but the rumors were quickly exposed as lies, and since then, he’s been sincerely facing me. Even our engagement—he seriously proposed to me again, for real this time.”

Despite Mariadoll’s repeated explanations, Aiden let out a sigh, drained his glass of water, called over a passing waiter for a refill, and drank that too.

“…Um, are you okay?”

“I’ve calmed down a bit.”

“You might be worried about me, but Lord Jerf treats me very well, so it’s fine.”

“But back then, he was the kind of man who would ask someone to be a temporary fiancée. And once the heat died down, he’d break it off? That doesn’t sound right to me.”

“Well, that’s true, but…” Mariadoll evaded the subject.

At the time, Jerf was emotionally wounded and didn’t want to marry anyone, so he was backed into a corner and made that decision out of necessity. But she couldn’t explain that.

Unable to speak freely about Jerf’s emotional scars, Mariadoll could only smile awkwardly.

Seeing this, Aiden pouted in dissatisfaction.

“When I saw you yesterday, you looked so happy that I thought I should accept how things are, but I think I’ll keep an eye on you for a while.”

“? Accept? Keep an eye?”

Mariadoll repeated his words in confusion. Aiden smiled back cheerfully and urged her to continue her meal.