"To be honest, Duke Hesmann is indeed a duke, but the one who drew the most suspicion was definitely Princess Meldenik."
Rasmus lay back on the sofa, his expression unchanged. Isaac closed his eyes, lost in thought.
"Princess Meldenik."
Strangely, he found himself thinking of Meldenik, who had been making cotton candy right before him.
She was smiling.
He recalled that was always the expression she wore when she saw young children. He couldn't recall any other expression. He didn't even remember what her face looked like when she wasn't smiling.
He often thought of that look she made, a look he found irresistible because Henry was simply adorable.
"This is a big problem."
Strangely, she kept lingering in his thoughts. He didn't think this was a good sign.
To lighten his mind, he unfolded Carat's letter.
How are you, Lord of the Demon Tower?
It's none other than 'Mel,' whom I decided to introduce to you earlier.
I'm looking for an escort to accompany me to the ballroom!
Could it be that the Lord of the Demon Tower could provide me with an escort?
The official identity of the Lord of the Demon Tower is indeed the owner of the Demon Tower, but there is also a title that He has received separately from His Majesty!
It would be wonderful if the two of them could get to know each other.
-Carat
It was a letter that made Carat's excitement palpable.
Normally, he wouldn't have bothered to match the tone or length. However, Isaac narrowed his eyebrows and picked up his pen.
'Meldenik Babyloa and the Duke of Hesmann might clash there.'
He would be able to uncover who the real thief was and what the Duke of Hesmann's schemes were.
"We need to catch the thief quickly."
To be clear, he had no intention of protecting Meldenik.
"I'll go look for it tomorrow afternoon, on my way back."
The nib scratched against the paper, making a harsh sound. It was a simple reply.
He stamped his seal, bearing the words "Isaac Mathieu Reinhold."
"I'll go."
"Yes?"
"This time, I'm going to catch the real thief."
Rasmus tilted his head leisurely to one side. His face was quite languid and disheveled.
"You can't reveal your identity right away, can you?"
"Yes."
"She's a suspect, a suspect. You never know. We mages are 100% sure that Meldenik is the culprit, you know?" Rasmus emphasized his point.
Isaac shrugged his shoulders and picked up his pen again.
"I know. I won't reveal my identity."
For the time being.
Anyway, even Rasmus had misunderstood him as Henry's father. But for some reason, he didn't want to tell Rasmus that.
Since Hildegard and Lennox didn't interfere, my stationery store was thriving. Regardless of the way to and from school, many distinct children from Malton Academy came to visit. Most of them visited expecting limited edition cotton candy, and everyone left feeling inspired in their own way.
However, there were also those who did not. It was the same with the child with strawberry-blonde hair and freckles on both cheeks who arrived today. She was just about seven years old, and she pretended to be arrogant, entering the stationery store and opening her mouth.
"Hmph! What's so great about this...? It's not impressive at all."
"What are you looking for, little one?"
The child, who was about to wave her hand while looking inside the stationery store, soon saw Dominic standing behind my back and her eyes widened.
"Hey?"
The young lady looked at me, and her eyes seemed to blur with recognition. She was strangely familiar, avoiding my gaze, and her brown eyes with a hint of peculiarity, matching her wheat-colored hair, were also strangely familiar.
Had she seen her at the dinner party? Was she Hildegard Knaful's daughter?
"Ahem, ahem."
The small, fresh face that narrowed its eyes to catch the scratches was cute.
I was wondering if I should surprise her with something from my stationery store, but the child squeaked and approached Dominic.
"You're so handsome, commoner!"
Dominic had a gloomy face, but he squatted down and made eye contact with the child.
"I know."
"Really? Then let's get everything you recommend!"
The child opened her mouth wide and slapped Dominic lightly.
"…Wow! Seriously, your voice is really handsome."
"…?"
Well, anyway, it's a good thing that Dominic's presence pleased a child.
I approached the counter and received the fee paid by the child.
"A million becquels?"
The child clicked her tongue and handed me a million becquels in cash.
"The rest is for service. Always give more to these commoners. This is Marie, with a handsome face and a lot of importance."
Did you lose weight? No. Dominic's sharp face was moderately fleshy.
…It's like Grandma's soul is trapped in a child.
However, as a president who faithfully protects customer satisfaction service, I answered sincerely.
"Yes, customer."
"I'll be back again. Make sure you're feeding those commoners well."
I waved at the child.
"There are so many different types of customers."
Today, the management of the unique stationery store has ended.
Dominic looked at the child's back and said lowly.
"Give me a higher salary."
He had said that hiring a handsome part-time worker would increase sales. Perhaps that's exactly what happened.
"Yes, I really do need to raise your salary."
Still, this month, for the first time, it seemed that the stationery store management would be profitable.
"Come to think of it, it's time for Carat to arrive, right?"
"Oh, with that escort. Is that right?"
"Yes, I asked her to meet me at the teahouse."
Earlier, Carat was on her way back to school, dressed up, and said that we should meet at the only teahouse in front of the academy this afternoon.
There was only one suitable teahouse near the academy. It was a place called 'Iro's Café' run by the vice chairman of the merchants' association.
But it's strange.
"It's normal for it to be noisy with people enjoying tea time..."
When I entered the café, I was taken aback when I saw the empty private room.
"We cleared all the seats when we saw you arriving." The vice president of the merchants' association said, one eye frowning.
"Thank you. I'll make good use of it." I smiled broadly and thanked him. There was no reason to refuse, and the fewer people who recognized me, the better.
I sat in the center of the tea shop they offered me and ate a wonderful mille-feuille with the afternoon tea set, which is said to be the most famous in this restaurant.
I relaxed and tasted a drink, looked at my watch, and it was the promised time. And just as expected, I saw Carat clearly entering the teahouse.
And the man who followed her in...
I opened my eyes wide when I saw someone entering the teahouse.
Oh, I thought it was the first time, but it's a familiar face.
A black-haired man with dark skin and a good complexion. He's just a regular person, but he's strangely handsome.
He looks so handsome today...
As he approached the table, I immediately reached out and greeted him.
"Henry's Father!"
"Snort!"
In the middle, the sound effect was Carat snorting with a strange expression.
"Yes, Henry's guardian, my name is Mathieu."
By the way, Henry's guardian. Can you go to a ball with a married man?
"Yes, I'm glad to see you, Henry's Father. But is your father my partner?" I shook my head in wonder.
"…Henry's Guardian." Henry's Guardian quickly corrected his title.
Isn't that the same thing?
After all, since he is a young man, he may not like the title of "father" very much.
I adjusted my greeting and tilted my head at him.
"Yes, Henry's Guardian."