The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 109

Amelia felt the relatively cold air and shook her head slightly to shake off her drowsiness.

Her tired body had met the warm water, making her feel relaxed and sleepy. She must have dozed off for a moment—she hadn’t heard the servants leave at all.

When she opened her eyes, the sight of Kyle standing alone in the bathroom, wearing a smile full of mischief, was quite provocative.

“You’re here?”

He acted as if he had been waiting for her. Ignoring the tingling sensation running through his body, Kyle took a step forward—toward the glass bathtub, where everything inside should have been visible.

“……?”

However, instead of clear water, the tub was filled with cloudy, milky water. Because the bathwater was opaque, the inside wasn’t visible like in other glass bathtubs.

Kyle was momentarily speechless.

After all, the whole point of a glass bathtub was to be see-through. If they wanted a marble tub, it would have been easier to carve. So why go through the extra trouble of making it out of glass?

This wasn’t right. He was tempted to call the servant who had added something to the water—whether it was powder, liquid, or herbs—right away.

“Kyle, I put in the bath salts myself. I heard they’re good for relieving fatigue.”

“……I see.”

“If I had known you’d be this disappointed, I would have added something else.”

A slender hand, barely above the water’s surface, reached out and stroked his cheek. She was still wearing her engagement ring, making him momentarily forget that she could read his feelings.

The bathwater was warm, and so was her touch. Kyle swallowed hard.

He stopped at the head of the tub, bending slightly forward. Leaning against the bathtub, Amelia tilted her head back to receive his kiss.

His lips brushed against her nose and chin before pulling away briefly. Then, after a short taste, Kyle sat on the edge of the tub.

“Kyle, what did you bring?”

“Can I put it in?”

Kyle showed her a tray filled with red rose petals before scattering them into the water. He casually tossed his jacket onto the floor, rolled up his sleeves, and dipped his hands deep into the bath.

As his hands moved slowly, the petals swirled along with the water’s ripples. Kyle enjoyed the unhurried movements and the reactions they caused, continuing to move his hands.

His shirt became completely soaked, clinging to his skin and turning slightly transparent. Amelia gently took his hand and spoke.

“Do you want to come in?”

Kyle, as if enchanted, stood up. The water overflowed as he stepped in. Whenever he kissed her, the water rippled.

His lips left lingering marks on her neck. A soft, contented sigh escaped from her lips.

Amelia closed her eyes and ran her fingers through the back of his hair. As he moved, her head tilted back in response.

＊＊＊

I felt something touch my cheek and opened my eyes.

Kyle had already finished getting ready for the day. He had just kissed me and was about to leave.

We had fallen asleep together at the same time last night, but he looked completely refreshed, as if he had gotten a full night’s rest. His stamina was truly remarkable.

“I have a meeting to attend. I’ll be back by evening.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I’m planning to stop by the High Times building for a bit, so don’t worry.”

“High Times?”

“Yeah. It’s partly for a walk, and also to have tea with Mr. Pringles, the owner. He makes amazing lemonade.”

Kyle’s lips curled up in satisfaction. He seemed pleased that I no longer kept my whereabouts a secret.

I gave him a light kiss as a goodbye. A faint blush rose on his cheeks, making me tilt my head in curiosity.

“Did you know? We smell the same right now.”

“Well…….”

After spending so much time in the same bath last night, we had practically soaked in the same scented oil. His enjoyment of such little things was adorable, making me smile.

Kyle carefully tucked the blanket around me before leaving, but I was already wide awake. My body, which I had expected to feel heavy, was surprisingly light.

“Maybe it’s because of the massage last night? My body feels great.”

I was curious where he had learned such an effective massage technique. Stretching lightly, I mentally went over my schedule for the day.

I had been keeping quiet, worried Kyle might declare war on Triha. But honestly, I was still furious about the kidnapping.

Enoch, not realizing he had a curse on his shoulder, had approached me, only to end up sending me straight to Triha. In the end, he only apologized to Child, merely sending me a message expressing regret.

As compensation, the empire promised tax benefits to Child’s trading companies, fearing they might impose export restrictions.

Unofficially, they had also hinted that once the empire and the political situation stabilized, I would receive appropriate compensation. But that so-called offer only made me angrier.

“Are they joking? I was the one who got kidnapped.”

I didn’t care about Enoch’s calm nature, his kindness, or his concern for his half-brother. As the victim, none of that mattered to me.

What truly irritated me was how Enoch kept delaying Itar’s extradition.

“What should I do about this?”

Now that I was the Countess of Heil, I could use my position to pick apart Enoch’s justifications with imperial authority. Involving Child’s family—my fiancé’s house—would also be a perfectly natural move.

But that wasn’t the kind of revenge I wanted. True revenge was making the enemy fall without them even realizing it.

“Not total destruction—just a small revenge should be fine.”

All I wanted was to knock Triha down a peg.

Triha didn’t even have a central bank, which gave me the perfect opportunity.

Since the country focused more on arts and philosophy than industry, their economy could easily become unstable. But that wasn’t my problem.

“Yes. Just a little financial crisis… the imperial family should be able to recover quickly. Or not. Whatever.”

The thought of Enoch struggling to fend off debt collectors from all sides made me smile.

Thud—

“M-Madam? Why are you smiling so… wickedly?”

“Oh my, Vanessa. When did you get here?”

Vanessa, who always brought me the morning newspaper and books, was so startled that she dropped them. Was my smile really that sinister?

As she picked up the newspaper and handed it back, I could hear her anxious thoughts loud and clear.

“Does Madam not know that Duke Chaeild even renamed his terrifying troops as ‘peacekeeping forces’?”

“And yet, Madam herself doesn’t look like someone who seeks love and peace at all.”

“What kind of scheme is she plotting this time…?”

I saw her gulp nervously, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Looking at her expression alone, it seemed like I really was the mastermind behind all the dark secrets of this world.

“Madam, if you’re planning to launch an exposé on Traiha, please let me know in advance. I need time to mentally prepare.”

“An exposé? I’m not doing that this time.”

“Huh? Then what is it? You’re not plotting an assassination attempt on the crown prince or anything, right? If it’s something like that, you really need to tell me.”

“An assassination? No way. This time, my column will be warm and peaceful—completely different from the ones I’ve written before.”

Vanessa instinctively nodded but still treated my words as a joke.

Well, it was understandable. Until now, all my articles had looked like opinion pieces on the surface, but they were always meant for exposing or attacking someone.

But I was serious this time.

I couldn’t stop the news of Amelia Diane, Duke Chaeild’s fiancée, being kidnapped from making the front page…

But if I want to keep Enoch on edge, this is the most effective way.

I smiled again, and Vanessa flinched in horror. She begged me to tell her what I was thinking because, apparently, my smile looked too sinister.

“Vanessa, what do you think of Traiha’s current economic situation?”

“Hmm… I’d say it’s doing well? They’re bringing in a massive amount of silver and spices from their colonies, after all.”

“That’s what I think too. And to calm his people, Enoch will pump a lot of money into the economy. The citizens of Traiha will have more money in their hands.”

Vanessa’s eyes sparkled like a detective who had just solved a case.

“So, you’re going to stir up negative public opinion against the imperial family and its inner circle again? Let things collapse without directly interfering?”

“No. I’ll simply send a message to Heil’s entrepreneurs, letting them know that now is the perfect time to expand their businesses into Traiha. So that Heil’s high-quality products can be exported.”

“Huh? A column that encourages exports? That doesn’t sound like revenge at all.”

“I don’t plan on writing anything out of spite. I’ll go out in the afternoon, so prepare accordingly.”

Vanessa nodded, but she still looked puzzled, unable to grasp my true intentions. Amused, I gave her a little hint.

“With the government unable to function properly for a while, and with an influx of silver making everyone rich… what do you think will happen next?”

＊＊＊

Meanwhile, Kyle finished his schedule much earlier than expected.

The attendees of Duke Chaeild’s regular meeting were all aware of his foul mood over his fiancée’s kidnapping, so they were careful not to provoke him, keeping their words brief.

A meeting that ended without any trouble. Kyle saw this as yet another example of the power of love and peace as he climbed into his carriage. There was something he needed to do for his beloved fiancée.

“To the High Times building.”

It would have been nice to see Amelia for a moment, but she wouldn’t be leaving until the afternoon. That meant he would meet Mr. Pringles first.

Just like she had done before, Kyle stopped the carriage at the central market, threw on a disguise cloak, and headed straight for Mr. Pringles.

“D-D-Duke Chaeild—!”

“Let’s talk inside.”

Kyle’s bright smile made Pringles look as if he had just heard the voice of a god. And to a businessman like him, a duke as wealthy as Kyle was practically divine.

“Mr. Pringles, I was quite rude when I dropped by unannounced last time. I apologize.”

“Not at all, not at all! Please don’t worry about it. It was an honor for me, truly!”

That was a lie.

Pringles had been thinking about that moment ever since it happened.

Businessmen often collected small statues engraved with Duke Chaeild’s crest or repeatedly admired portraits of the duke for the same reason. Pringles had been dreaming of a similar opportunity.

“Could he be planning to buy High Times? It’s not impossible, especially now that we have the legendary and beloved Miss Ann Smith here.”

Now that he knew Ann Smith’s true identity, Pringles couldn’t help but hope that High Times would be acquired by the Chaeild family.

Not only Traiha Times, but even Kelton Times and various other newspapers across different countries could be linked under the same network.

The idea of people across nations starting their mornings with High Times was enough to make his heart race.

“I believe you already have an idea of why I’m here. I want to help the company that my fiancée cherishes.”

Pringles struggled to keep his beard from trembling as he pretended to be clueless.

“H-H-Help? In what way…?”

“Acquisition.”

“……!”

“Based on the company’s current status and future potential, I’ve estimated this as a fair price.”

Kyle pulled out a piece of paper from his coat and handed it over.

Pringles took one look and nearly gasped.

There were so many zeros.

“With this kind of money, I could buy an entire village… and still have plenty left over! This is too much…”

Pringles admitted to himself that he wasn’t capable of handling such a massive deal on his own.

But that didn’t mean he would let go of this golden opportunity to align himself with the Chaeild family.

“T-Thank you for your generous evaluation. High Times will continue doing its best!”

“Then I’ll take my leave. My staff will handle the rest of the discussion with you.”

With that, Kyle stood up, moving with his usual efficiency, making it clear that he wouldn’t take back his offer.

But then, Pringles, overwhelmed by excitement, let something slip.

“We’ll do our utmost to ensure the convenience and safety of your wife—no, the Duchess!”

“…….”

Wife.

Duchess.

At those words, Kyle immediately picked up his pen again.

His earlier resolve not to revise the offer crumbled in an instant.

“Huh?!”

Moments later, Pringles clapped a hand over his mouth in shock.

Kyle had just added one more zero to the price.

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