Chapter 49: Young Lovebirds (III)

Silence filled the room.

Both Carrie and Louis wore sullen expressions on their faces.

The first to speak was Carrie, as this was her bedroom after all.

”…What are you doing here?”

“Can’t you see? Your mom brought me over so we could play together.”

“Haaah, Mother really… Playing with such a brat? How old is he anyway…?”

A vein popped out on Louis’s forehead. If it weren’t for his gratitude regarding the elixir, he might have rushed at her and punched her right then and there.

Phew… I should be patient since I’m older now.

As he endured the situation while scanning the room—

“Huh?” A smirk spread across Louis’s face like a cat who had caught its prey upon spotting something interesting.

Louis toddled over to one corner of Carrie’s room and picked up something there with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Wow, a big kid like you still plays with this?”

In Louis’ hand was a finely crafted iron-armored doll.

“P-Put it down!” Blushing at Louis’ snickers, Carrie hastily rushed forward and snatched back the doll.

Seeing him react that way, Louis couldn’t help but grin inwardly.

No matter how hard he tries to act mature, he’s still just a kid.

Based on his manner of speaking, Carrie seemed every bit the adult. Yet, deep down, he remained a boy who cherished toys.

“D-Don’t touch my stuff!”

Offended by Louis’s mocking gaze, Carrie put down the doll and sat back at his desk, leaving Louis bewildered once more. With nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs, he slowly approached Carrie again.

What is he doing now?

Louis tiptoed to peek over Carrie’s shoulder.

Scribble, scribble.

Carrie was writing something on delicate paper. From what Louis could see, he read aloud:

“Dearest Lady Lucia, I have prepared this necklace resembling your luminous eyes, hoping you will…”

“Ahhhhh!” Focused on writing his letter, Carrie jumped at the unexpected voice.

“D-Don’t look!” Sensing Louis’s gaze, Carrie frantically covered up the letter she was holding with both arms. In the process, a palm-sized jewelry box on her desk fell to the floor.

Clank!

The contents of the box spilled out as it hit the ground.

“Huh?”

Louis picked up what had fallen. It was a necklace adorned with a shimmering sky-blue gemstone. While not overly flashy, it possessed a captivating allure that drew one’s attention.

“Give it back!”

Carrie swiftly snatched the necklace from Louis’s hand.

He smiled knowingly and asked, “A fancy necklace along with such a heartfelt letter… What’s going on? Are you planning to propose or something?”

“P-Propose?” Embarrassed and flustered, Carrie hastily waved her hands, her face turning red.

Flustered and embarrassed, Carrie hastily waved her hand, causing the necklace to jangle loudly.

Louis observed this and warned, “Careful, you might break it.”

“Oh!” Realizing his mistake, Carrie gently placed the necklace back into its box.

Fascinated by Carrie’s reaction, Louis commented, “Well… your taste in necklaces isn’t bad. This would suit Lucia perfectly.”

“R-really? You think so too?” Encouraged by Louis’s compliment, Carrie eagerly began explaining without being prompted.

“I-I’m glad to hear that. It wasn’t easy getting this necklace, but it was worth it.”

“It’s hard to come by? Even though it looks expensive, there seem to be plenty of necklaces like this in Luft Hagenn.”

“This one is different!” Carrie bristled at Louis’s dismissive comment.

“It’s the famous Tear of the Siren! What better accessory for Lady Lucia, the siren of Luft Hagenn herself?”

“Ohhh, so it’s the Tear of the Siren. Wait…the Tear of the Siren?”

Louis initially sounded unimpressed but then his eyes widened in surprise as realization dawned on him.

“Th-that’s…the Tear of the Siren?”

“Yes!”

“For real? Seriously, truly?”

“Yes!”

“Yes, it’s authentic!”

“But it can’t be fake?”

“Fake?! This was verified by a government-approved appraiser!” Carrie’s firm insistence made Louis gulp.

His eyes returned to the jewelry box.

Whoa… How did this end up here?!

But his surprise didn’t last long. He took Carrie’s hand and looked at her with pleading eyes.

“…Can you give that to me?”

“What…?” Carrie frowned at Louis’s request.

Louis gritted his teeth, realizing he had no choice but to acquiesce.

If that really is a siren’s tear…

If it truly was what he thought it was…

Louis had to set aside his pride and find a way to get that necklace at any cost.

Yeah, this isn’t the time to worry about my ego!

Determined, Louis resorted to his last resort.

Whew…

He took a deep breath. Then, with a slight pout, he spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

“Hyung… Can you not be mad at me?”

It was his signature move, using cute baby talk. Normally, Louis wouldn’t do such things even if asked, but voluntarily resorting to this tactic showed just how desperately he needed the necklace.

However, Carrie remained unmoved by Louis’s charm.

“…Are you feeling ill?”

His expression grew even more sour.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence fell between Louis and Carrie.

“Tsk.” Louis pouted.

He had cast aside his pride to get what he wanted, but…the response was cold, colder than he expected.

He’s looking at me like I’m rotten trash…

The blatant disdain on Carrie’s face hurt Louis strangely. Yet, despite this emotional turmoil, Louis couldn’t tear his gaze away from the Siren’s Tear.

‘Anyway, that is indeed the Siren’s Tear?’

In the original story, various elements were scattered throughout to facilitate the protagonist’s growth. The necklace known as the Siren’s Tear was one such element. To be precise, it was the gemstone within the necklace that played a crucial role in the protagonist’s development.

Louis’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as he gazed at the sky-blue gem.

The key to the Underwater Labyrinth of the Sea Monarch.

There was a simple reason why this necklace was called the Siren’s Tear. The embedded jewel contained the last tear shed by the daughter of the emperor of the sea, who had once been known as the Sea Monarch. Cherishing his daughter above all else, the emperor transformed her tear into a gem and made it the key to the labyrinth he created. It was unclear how this artifact ended up in the human world at this point in time, but Louis knew that in the future, the protagonist’s party would be greatly strengthened thanks to this necklace.

I must find a way to get my hands on it…

If Louis could prevent the potential threat posed by the protagonist’s group from becoming stronger, he wouldn’t hesitate to employ even the most distasteful charm tactics.

The problem was that his charm didn’t seem to work on Carrie…

How can I get my hands on it…?

At first glance, Louis knew acquiring the necklace wouldn’t be easy. It was a heartfelt gift prepared by a young lovestruck boy for the woman he adored.

Wait? Hold on.

A thought suddenly crossed Louis’s mind, and his eyes lit up.

If it’s a gift…then what if Lucia refuses it?

With this revelation, Louis cautiously approached Carrie.

He casually asked, “So, uh…”

“Yes?”

“What will you do if Lucia doesn’t accept it?”

“That won’t happen! They say women love gifts more than anything!”

“Who says that?”

“…”

“You mean those middle-aged men who always hang around with you?”

”…Y-yeah!”

Louis rolled his eyes at Carrie’s naivety and pulled up another chair to sit across from him. With her short legs crossed, she folded her arms and shook her head disapprovingly, adding a click of her tongue for good measure.

“Tsk, tsk, you really don’t understand women.”

”…What?”

“From what I’ve seen, Lucia seems like a thoughtful and considerate person…don’t you think?”

“Absolutely! There’s no one as considerate as Lady Lucia!”

Watching Carrie take the bait so quickly made Louis chuckle inwardly. However, he maintained a straight face and calmly continued.

“But do you really think someone like Lucia would eagerly accept such expensive gifts?”

”…Huh?”

“Listen, if you want advice on romance, you should consult someone with some experience. Those middle-aged men would empty their wallets for any woman who merely flirts by flipping her skirt a few times.”

”…”

Louis’s biting critique rendered Carrie speechless. In truth, he had never heard of his subordinate having any meaningful romantic relationships before this moment.

Noticing Carrie’s silence, Louis continued. “Pay attention. I, Lord Louis, shall enlighten you about love and romance.”

“R-really?” Intrigued, Carrie pulled up a chair and respectfully sat facing Louis.

Despite being half Louis’s age, there was a persuasive insight to the younger man’s words that drew Carrie in.

Seeing Carrie’s readiness to listen, Louis began his explanation.

“Firstly, with someone like Lucia noona, it’s all about setting the mood.”

“Mood?”

“Yeah. Did you really think she would appreciate you suddenly showing up and giving her flowers out of nowhere like last time?”

”…”

”…And this advice also came from those clueless old men, right?”

Louis’ words prompted a slight nod from Carrie.

As if he had expected this, Louis clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“Tsk, you’ve been wasting your time. Time wasted, money wasted. What a waste of life!”

“B-but seriously?! T-then what should I do?”

“I already told you earlier. Set the mood! It’s all about the mood!”

“S-so, what kind of mood exactly…?”

“You need to approach her casually at first. Throwing flowers at someone you’re not close with is just rude.”

As Louis continued speaking, Carrie diligently took notes on his words.

“Slowly and steadily! Approach her warmly and knock gently at the door of her heart.”

“Knock?”

“Yes, like a gentleman. How would you feel if someone barged into your room without knocking?”

“Not good, obviously.”

“That’s right! Take your time and politely knock on Lucia-onee’s heart with ‘May I come in?’”

“Like a gentleman… Knock… Noted.” Carrie’s hand busily scribbled down the advice, then eagerly asked, “A-and after that?”

“And then…” Louis trailed off, feigning nonchalance as he pretended to massage his throat, which hadn’t even started to strain yet. “Ah, hmm, geez, why is my throat so dry?”

Before Louis could finish his sentence, Carrie rushed to the door and yelled, “B-bring us something to drink right away!”

As Carrie fumed, Louis chimed in from behind him, “And some cookies.”

“Cookies! No, bring all the snacks from the kitchen!” As soon as he finished speaking, there was commotion outside the room.

The countess arrived with snacks, startled by her son’s outburst. Upon noticing her, Carrie quickly approached and took the tray from her hands.

“M-mother, I’ll take it from here.”

“A-are you sure?”

“And I’ll escort this little rascal back later.”

“I-if that’s okay with you…”

Even before she completed her sentence, Carrie swiftly shut the door with the snacks in hand.

The surprised countess glanced at the firmly shut door and muttered to herself as she walked away, “They seem to have become quite close.”