Unspeakable bubbles

Did she know that the two of them had bumped into each other on the street corner?

Was this invitation a coincidence?

No, most likely, it's all just a setup.

She wanted something from me, so she...

"enough!"

Cecil slapped himself hard, anger rising within him, but it quickly turned into sorrow.

He suddenly felt extremely sad. When did he become like this?

It's been a very, very long time since I attended Grandpa's class.

For a year, or perhaps a year and a half, he spent his time traveling and sightseeing, paying no attention to the major events happening in the kingdom.

Why......

The sudden stop of the carriage interrupted Cecil's thoughts. He took a deep breath and a perfect smile appeared on his face.

Cecil stepped down from the carriage with graceful movements, his heart now at peace.

'If it's not an unreasonable request, just agree to it.'

'Perhaps it was carefully planned, but she truly gave me a wonderful encounter.'

"Young Master Cecil"

The beautiful count walked over with a smile, and Cecil's heart stirred once again, but ultimately turned into a sigh.

"Greetings, Mrs. Mary."

"..."

Mary didn't speak for a while, then asked curiously, "Master Cecil, why are you so sad?"

The perfect smile cracked, and Cecil touched his face in astonishment.

"Madam, am I not laughing?"

"Of course you're laughing."

Mary looked at him gently: "But your eyes make Mary feel very sad."

Cecil felt an urge rising within him, an urge that grew so strong that he abruptly asked an awkward question: "Mrs. Mary, do you remember me?"

Of course I remember.

"..."

“Indeed, that encounter was not a coincidence.” Cecil gave a wry smile.

“Young Master Cecil, you are mistaken.”

Mary looked at the dejected young man with her bright eyes: "Your butler has kept your whereabouts well hidden. Mary did try to create a 'chance encounter' at first, but unfortunately, she didn't have enough information and failed."

She smiled and said, "Mary never expected to run into you on the street corner back then."

"Yes, is that so!"

Cecil chuckled to himself, a weight lifted from his heart.

"Mrs. Mary, is there anything I can do for you?"

This time, it was Mary's turn to be surprised.

"Young Master Cecil..."

Call me Cecil!

“Cecil, my motives for approaching you are not pure. Why…”

"Our meeting was fate, and knowing that is enough."

Cecil grinned: "Now that I think about it, that makes sense. How could my butler possibly let others find out my whereabouts so easily?"

“Nobles with deep-rooted power in the capital may be able to do it, but you cannot.”

"I'm very happy, so please speak!"

"I will agree to any request, no matter what it is, unless it is something I cannot do."

"..."

I want to be your friend.

"Hmm? Is that all, madam?"

"Please call me Mary."

Mary smiled and said, "Let's go inside and talk about the details."

"Mary, did you invite anyone else today?"

Seeing Mary nod, Cecil's expression stiffened.

"Then, I'll come another day."

"Since this is our first meeting, I don't want to leave a lasting impression on anyone else."

"Cecil, I invited other people, but none of them came."

Mary extended her hand in an inviting gesture: "Please come in, I am the only guest at this humble banquet."

Section 613, Chapter 612: The Marquis

"So it was because he broke everyone's agreement by meeting with Earl Yog without permission, and was worried about being punished by the royal family later."

Cecil said with some admiration, "Mary, you are really brave."

If the positions were reversed, Cecil would never dare to do that!

"Cecil, would you be willing to help me?"

"Of course, it's no big deal!"

Cecil replied without hesitation, "I will visit them more often in the next few days so that everyone knows about our friendship."

He paused, then said jokingly, "Mary, actually, your request is a bit unreasonable."

"Oh?"

"You didn't see it, but Earl Yog and His Majesty had a very pleasant conversation at the banquet. This meeting can be described as a great success."

"Under such circumstances, the royal family will not take any major action; at most, they will issue you some 'minor warnings' in secret."

“Even a ‘minor warning’ would be hard for Mary to bear.”

She asked with a smile, "With your friendship, will these 'little warnings' still be necessary?"

"of course not."

Cecil said calmly, "I don't have much influence in front of His Majesty, but my grandfather does."

"Your matter could be a big deal or a small deal. Don't worry, we'll definitely get through this safely."

"Speaking of which..."

"Please speak your mind."

Mary poured Cecil a glass of wine herself: "Talk more, so we can get to know each other better."

“Mary, I think you were reckless this time.”

Cecil revealed a sincere expression: "The Earl of Yog's base is in the south, and the difference in your status is too great."

Even if you go to great lengths to show goodwill, you might not get anything in return.

“I don’t care about the immediate rewards. I’m already very satisfied to have been able to make contact with the Earl this time.”

"I see." Cecil nodded, but still felt that Mary was taking too much of a risk.

“Cecil, Mary wasn’t born into nobility. She would never have achieved her current status without taking risks and 'gambling'.”

"Status... I don't think status is that important. The most important thing is to live happily."

Mary laughed immediately, then shook her head: "Cecil, you're a little different from what I expected."

"Oh?"

Cecil asked with interest, "What do you imagine me to be like?"

"In my imagination, the heir to the ducal family should be more rational."

“I’m actually very rational,” Cecil said seriously.

"But your naive side hasn't been erased yet."

"This is so rare, Mary, I'm so envious."

“Envious?” Cecil looked at her in astonishment.

“That’s right, that’s the privilege of those in power,” Mary said meaningfully.

"..."

"Haha, Mary, it's so nice to chat with you. I feel like all my troubles have vanished in an instant."

"We're already friends, so please get used to chatting like this."

Mary didn't bring up any more serious topics; instead, she began to describe the scenery of the capital to Cecil.

“If you go straight west from this mansion, there is an open park built with royal funding.”

"No noble status is required; ordinary people can freely come and go as they please. Shall we go for a stroll next time?"

"Great, isn't this a welfare project for the royal family?"

"kindness"

"Haha, to be honest, Grandpa also had such thoughts, but in the end he gave up."

"Have you encountered any real-world obstacles?"