I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 72

Chapter 37.1

“I did want to meet you as soon as possible, but I didn’t expect we’d meet this quickly! This isn’t a dream, right?”

Perideline’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

I chuckled softly at her excitement.

“I was the one who urgently requested this meeting, so thank you for coming out like this. Oh, and if there’s anything you’d like to eat, feel free to order it all. Today’s my treat.”

“Ah, really? That’s too much… Oh, no! I didn’t mean to suggest I doubted the marquis family’s wealth! If anything, after the tea party last time, I feel like I should be treating you instead…”

Even though her words weren’t out of line, Perideline stumbled over herself, trying to clarify. I held out a piece of paper in front of her.

When she saw the blank check made out to Heron, her eyes widened in surprise.

I shrugged and spoke.

“As you can see, the amount hasn’t been filled in, and while I’ll handle the bill, someone else will be paying.”

“W-Wait a second. So, does that mean the bill for what we eat today will be covered by the young lord?”

When I nodded, she playfully lifted the corners of her lips in response.

“In that case, I’ll gladly take you up on that!”

With a determined look, she clenched her fist and enthusiastically began ordering a variety of dishes from the server. Watching her, I thought it was a good decision to bring the check from Heron.

〈 Brother, you said last time to let you know if I needed help. Could I call in that favor now? 〉

〈 Alright, go ahead. 〉

〈 Please give me money. 〉

〈 …What? 〉

〈 The more, the better. 〉

Heron looked flustered as if he hadn’t expected me to ask for money. But soon, he handed me a blank check made out in my name.

At first, I considered taking it to an informant, but I didn’t want him to find out that I had used one.

‘A cafe like this is perfect for the situation. It’s a chance to get on Perideline’s good side, and even if Heron finds out later, it won’t seem suspicious.’

After finishing my train of thought, I looked up and froze at the sight of the table piled high with desserts.

…Hmm, no.

This might be suspicious after all.

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“His Highness the Grand Duke must be very busy these days.”

“My brother?”

I only mentioned Estieren after half the desserts on the table had been finished.

Perideline, who was cutting her green grape tart into bite-sized pieces and eating it, tilted her head at my question. Then, as if it were no big deal, she nodded and replied.

“Well, yes. Since he’s part of the imperial knights directly under the imperial family, that’s to be expected. Yesterday, he received an urgent message from the palace and had to leave in a hurry. He hasn’t returned yet.”

“An urgent message from the palace?”

I asked, feigning surprise.

Perideline paused mid-bite of her tart and glanced around. After confirming that no one was paying attention to us, she leaned in and responded.

“I heard something happened in Neitzia. Apparently, a body was discovered.”

Her words made me clench my fist without realizing it. Taking a moment to steady my thoughts and calm my excitement, I leaned toward Perideline and asked,

“Did they say if the corpse resembled the World Tree?”

Her eyes widened in surprise at my question. She blinked a few times, then cautiously glanced around before whispering.

“H-How did you know that?”

“A merchant who delivers goods to my house said he passed through Neitzia. I heard it from him.”

“They’re trying to keep it quiet, but if merchants saw it, the news probably won’t stay hidden for long.”

Shaking her head, Perideline leaned back.

I watched her quietly and sipped my tea.

‘As I thought, this must be the ‘suspicious death’ mentioned in the mission. And if Estieren is investigating it…’

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being pulled into something serious. As I mulled over what to do next, Perideline spoke again, her voice tinged with bitterness.

“I can’t help but feel uneasy every time I hear those kinds of rumors about Neitzia. That place means a lot to me.”

When I gave her a curious look, silently asking for an explanation, she caught on and grinned mischievously.

“It’s the place where Fairy saved me!”

‘Now that I think about it, one of the reasons I wanted to meet her today was to ask about that incident.’

She poked at the fluffy whipped cream on her plate with her fork as she continued.

“To be honest, I think I would have died that day if it weren’t for Fairy.”