8 – ​8

Euro ​followed ​Raymond’s ​guidance ​toward ​the ​dining room, repeatedly ​checking ​the ​clothes ​he ​was wearing. No matter ​how ​he thought about ​it, the origin ​of ​the ​clothes ​bothered ​him.

Since ​there wasn’t a ​factory ​on ​site, how on ​earth could clothes that ​fit his ​body so ​perfectly be ​obtained in ​a ​single ​day?

Moreover, strictly speaking, ​it hadn’t ​even been a full ​day. Had he not ​arrived at the Dukedom ​late at ​night? ​He had even been given pajamas ​to wear, and those ​had ​been ​prepared ​in ​the short time ​he spent ​speaking ​with the Duke.

It ​wasn’t ​as if there was a ​resident tailor ​in ​the mansion, and ​even ​if ​there ​were, ​it made ​no ​sense to ​whip up clothes in a matter of ​minutes.

Of course, the ​clothes he was ​wearing now weren’t a ​perfect custom ​fit like the ​ones ​he brought from ​Norden, but they ​were close ​enough ​that it ​wouldn’t ​be strange ​if ​they had ​been ​tailored ​based on his ​measurements.

If ​someone had ​found ​clothes ​of ​a similar make and simply adjusted the size in a short time, it might make sense, but to do that, they would have had to measure his body at least once.

But no such thing had happened. He wondered if someone had hidden and watched him to estimate his size by eye, but why would anyone go to such lengths?

Just as his doubts were deepening, Euro arrived at the dining room. In the spacious area sat a long dining table like the ones seen in movies.

Because he had always eaten in the detached unauthorized copypalace—and specifically only inside his room—in Norden, this [stolen content]was his first time ever dining in a decorated hall like this.

With a slightly vacant expression, Euro let out a small gasp of admiration and looked around. At this sight, Raymond gave a deliberate, small cough, and Euro snapped back to his senses.

Melione, sitting at the head of the table, had been waiting for him, yet Euro had been standing there blankly without even greeting him.

Euro approached as quietly as possible, yet with quick steps, placing a hand on his chest and bowing his head slightly.

“I hope you had a pleasant evening, Your Excellency.”

At that greeting, Melione nodded with an indifferent expression and lightly extended his hand toward the chair to his left. A waiting servant then pulled out the chair, and Euro sat down with a word of thanks.

“It would have been fine if you slept more and ate separately. Did you come down on purpose?”

“No, not at all. I have rested sufficiently. However… I feel apologetic that you seem to have waited so long for me. It would have been fine if you had started eating first.”

“It is fine, as there was a reason for it. It is not as if you did it intentionally.”

“….”

“Were you very surprised?”

Melione asked in a fairly soft voice, and Euro found the gesture somewhat awkward. It seemed he was already aware of the commotion that had occurred on the second floor.

Melione and Euro were acquaintances, yet not quite. To Euro, Melione had always existed as text in a novel, or as a character played by another actor in a script.

Thus, while he felt very distant, he also felt a sense of familiarity, as if they had known each other for a long time. It was as if the method of dealing with him was already stored in his mind.

However, when Melione spoke to him with an expression and tone different from what he had expected, Euro found it difficult to speak. It felt as if he were holding the wrong answer sheet.

‘In times like this, just smile.’

It was a long-standing habit of Koreans. If things are awkward, smile first. Even if you don’t understand, smile first. If you don’t know what to do, smile first. After all, people can’t spit on a smiling face.

Euro gave the brightest smile possible and answered Spiorene.

“Do you mean Kisha? I was somewhat surprised… but I was happy that he greeted me first.”

“….”

“Raymond told me that such a thing [unauthorized copy]is extremely rare. To be welcomed by visit our sitethe first master of the Spioren Family, and even Read on Read BL Novelsthe second, is a great honor, Your Excellency.”

“Do you truly think so?”

“…Pardon?”

Another unexpected response came, and Euro very slowly lowered the corners of his mouth, gauging Melione’s reaction.

Most problems could be solved with a simple smile, but there was one instance where smiling was forbidden: when one failed to read the room. In other words, if you smile when the words weren’t meant to be laughed at, the situation becomes serious.

The Duke’s voice asking if he was surprised had certainly been quite affectionate. He felt there was no hidden meaning in it, but could he have been wrong?

In the script and novel he had read, Euro Leches and Melione were always in a state of confrontation. Therefore, there were only conversations where they sneered at and attacked each other.

‘Is that why I take it as kindness even if he speaks just a little softly?’

Euro pondered seriously. He had only ever heard things like ‘Norden’s filthy blood,’ ‘a lowly wretch who doesn’t know his place,’ or ‘a disgusting piece of trash revealing foul desires toward my sister.’ Hearing lines like ‘Are you alright? You must have been very surprised’ seemed to have twisted his cognitive circuits.

Euro felt as if he had been walking along a mountain path with a smile, only to suddenly step on a landmine. Calming his pounding heart as much as possible, he swallowed hard and asked cautiously.

“Did I perhaps make a mistake?”

“It is not that, but it was simply a bit unexpected.”

“Pardon?”

“I did not expect the title ‘Kisha-nim’ to come from Your Highness’s mouth.”

“Ah….”

Only then did Euro grasp Melione’s intention and let out an awkward laugh. He was saying it was absurd that a guy who had been rudely speaking down to him from the first meeting would attach a respectful honorific to a mere beast.

Well, that was natural. Just as he felt puzzled by every one of Melione’s attitudes, Melione also seemed to find it difficult to understand him, now that he was suddenly bowing and scraping.

This is why first impressions are so important. Euro Leches was the type who practically begged to be beaten. It was utterly frustrating that all the karma accumulated that way had remained for him to deal with.

But since he couldn’t call back the former owner of this body and shake him by the collar, what was the use of screaming, “Where did the guy who pooped go, and why am I the one cleaning this up?”

“That is… he was so dignified that I did it without thinking, haha. And I have matured quite a bit, so I am very different from before. I apologize once again for my rudeness back then.”

“I did not bring this up to receive an apology again. It was truly… just unexpected.”

“I am merely grateful that you understand with such a generous heart.”

“Your Highness does not need to be so formal with Kisha.”

“….”

“For Kisha will not treat Your Highness with such formality either. He is a free spirit who does not even listen to me well, so he will likely appear before Your Highness abruptly.”

“Raymond told me that he mostly stays by Your Excellency’s side, is that not so?”

“Usually, yes… but seeing his actions today, it seems that will not be the case.”

Melione spoke calmly and urged Euro to eat. Because the conversation had gone on a bit long, the prepared food was cooling down.

The two began their meal in silence. An awkward air lingered, such that it would have been better to keep talking, but Euro soon felt better thanks to the fantastically delicious taste of the food.

He had expected a meal so uncomfortable that he wouldn’t know if the food was going into his mouth or his nose, but now he was focusing so intently on the food that he wondered if he was eating too greedily.

In Norden, they had served him wretched food as if to remind him [visit our site]of his place, so dining was never a pleasure, Read on Read BL Novelsand while heading to Silon, he lacked travel funds, so his meals were not plentiful.

No matter how drenched in poverty he had been during his long years as a trainee and short stint as an unknown idol, the food had never been as miserable as it was in Norden.

Bread so hard he wondered if his teeth would break, and a watery soup that was worse than the cup noodles and triangle kimbap he used to eat.

While Euro was satisfying the hunger he had accumulated, Melione, who was barely eating, spoke first.

“After the meal, let us arrange some clothes. I will call a designer, so you may simply choose the designs you desire. Do not worry about the cost.”

“That… no, um. The clothes you have prepared now are fine. I have clothes I brought with me, I just couldn’t wear them because I couldn’t wash them while traveling.”

“Northern clothes, no matter how thin, will be too hot to wear here. Besides, you will not be staying for only a day or two.”

Did that mean he could stay as long as he wanted, or did Melione believe his words about falling in love at first sight? Having not yet received a proper confirmation of marriage, Euro’s feelings were complex.

He wasn’t brazen enough to ask, ‘Then are we getting married?’, so just as he was about to ask for the meaning indirectly, Melione suddenly spoke.

“Fortunately, it seems my clothes fit you well, so if you do not like the designs brought by the designer, I will call someone else.”

At those words, Euro dropped the stolen contentknife he was holding. With a clatter, the unauthorized copysilver knife bounced on the marble floor, and [Read on Read BL Novels]Euro asked with a vacant expression.

“What did you say?”

“What do you mean?”

“…That, the clothes I am wearing are Your Excellency’s?”

“Ah. It seems I did not tell you beforehand. I apologize if it was uncomfortable. They are among the clothes I wore when I was young; since I have several sets, I did not wear them often, so I gave them to you in haste. Some were completely unworn, so they should be clean.”

“…That’s not the important part.”

Euro’s flustered face began to turn red in an instant. His face becoming a total beet for anyone to see, Euro screamed internally.

So, he was currently wearing clothes that Melione had worn. The identity of the strange clothes whose origin he couldn’t figure out was the clothing Melione wore as a child.

‘Is the “fell in love at first sight” angle working? If not, how could he give his own clothes to someone he dislikes?’

Erasing the part about them being clothes from childhood and picking only the parts he wanted to hear, Euro shouted “Jackpot!” internally and immediately covered his flushed cheeks with both hands, speaking shyly.

“…It is too great an honor.”

“….”

“Could I just keep wearing these clothes?”

Never miss an opportunity that comes your way. That was the life philosophy of Kim Euro, who had gone through three survival shows.