I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 80

Chapter 41.1

“B-Brother…”

I nervously swallowed, my throat dry. At the same time, I quickly hid the paper I had been holding out to him behind my back and awkwardly asked,

“Wh-what brings you here…?”

Even though I knew Heron didn’t like it when people didn’t finish their sentences properly, the rush of embarrassment kept making me stumble over my words.

As expected, his eyes narrowed in displeasure. Thankfully, though, he didn’t say anything more.

‘D-did he see the Grand Duchy’s seal on the paper? But more importantly, why did he suddenly come to my room?’

A silent cry of frustration erupted in my mind.

I couldn’t help but feel cold sweat trickling down my back at his unexpected visit. It wasn’t surprising. After all, the chances of Heron showing up in my room were slimmer than the sun rising in the west. In fact, ever since I joined the Marquis’ family over ten years ago, he had never so much as glanced in the direction of my room.

‘But what’s with him today, seriously?’

I couldn’t bring myself to speak, too busy trying to figure out why he’d suddenly shown up, so I just kept watching him.

Heron shot a quick glance at the hand I had hidden behind my back, then turned away and spoke.

“Aren’t you going to offer a cup of tea to your guest?”

“Pardon? Oh, I-I’ll get it ready!”

The way he casually walked over to the sofa in the middle of the room only deepened my confusion.

‘…He’s probably saying that because he didn’t see it, right? But seriously, what’s going on with him? Did he eat something strange or what?’

I barely managed to swallow the words asking what in the world I had eaten to make him act like this. Then, I quickly placed the paper I had been hiding behind me between the books on the desk to conceal it.

As I shook the bell to prepare the tea, Marie rushed into the room as if she had been waiting.

“Did you call for me, Lady…?”

Perhaps because she hadn’t expected to see someone like him in my room, her eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. Seeing that, I awkwardly raised the corners of my mouth and spoke to Marie, who was silently asking what was going on with her wide eyes.

“Marie, could you please prepare some tea and cookies for my brother?”

“Ah, yes, of course, Lady!”

Marie seemed confused at first, not knowing what was happening, but once she realized Heron had come to my room, her confusion vanished, and she looked pleased.

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I hesitated for a moment before walking over to the sofa where Heron was sitting.

“….”

As I took a seat farthest from the sofa where he was sitting, his brow furrowed just enough to show he was slightly annoyed. I turned my gaze away, pretending not to notice, but he let out a shallow sigh and spoke first.

“If you need something, just say it.”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t that why you’ve been hanging around me these past few days?”

I blinked, confused by his words, then realized he was referring to my behavior over the last three days. Even though I had assumed Heron knew I’d been hanging around him, hearing him mention it directly made me feel strangely embarrassed.

“Ardi Aidelis.”

As he called for an answer, his gaze pierced through me. Unable to bear it any longer, I hesitantly began to speak.

“…I-I wasn’t hanging around because I had a favor to ask.”

“Then?”

“….”

“I’m not here to lecture you, so just tell me. Why are you suddenly acting in a way you never have before?”

No matter how much someone insisted you speak, there were just times when you couldn’t find the words.

Just like now.

‘How could I possibly tell him that I was observing him because I heard my brother was searching for someone through an informant, wondering if there had been any changes in his limited social circle that I didn’t know about?’

I held my tongue, unable to speak because of the awkward situation, just as Marie returned with the refreshments. Oblivious to the tension, she smiled brightly and placed the tea in front of me and Heron. Then, she clenched her fist and offered a half-hearted encouragement.

As she exited the room, the tension that had made me so stiff began to melt away a little.

I casually glanced away and saw that Heron was still waiting for my answer. In the end, I gave him the most plausible response I could come up with.

“…Well, the reason I’ve been hanging around you for the past three days is that I wanted to thank you for your help the other day.”

“….”

“Because of that, I was able to thank the young lady who has been so kind to me.”

In truth, I wasn’t just hanging around to find clues about the mission, but also to figure out if there was any connection between my lost memories and how Perideline called me her benefactor…

‘I guess, in a way, it’s not entirely wrong. I’m passing on my thanks through Perideline to the grand duke for helping with Marie’s treatment.’