Thankfully, an opportunity quickly presented itself to me.
I chanced upon Nadir at the palace, and called out to him in my best flirty voice as I approached. “Lord Naaadir!”
He gave me a blatantly displeased look in return.
See, I was at the castle due to the whole “being Leticia’s conversation partner” business. Quite literally a business, really, as I was paid a small stipend each time. Wonderful, truly.
And when I say small, I do mean small, but I believed it was coming out of the prince’s own pocket, so I didn’t quite mind. It wasn’t as though I disliked speaking to Leticia, after all, and she’d been opening up to me of late, I felt.
“What a maaarvelous coincidence,” I said.
“Aren’t you here for Leticia?” Nadir asked. “Just go.”
“Oh myyy, but even your indifference is charming!”
Nadir said nothing in response, looking at me like I was some sort of cryptid. Rude. Very rude indeed.
But I wouldn’t let such minor things discourage me. I took great pride in my mental fortitude. Which, considering the unspeakable amount of debt my family was in, had to be quite steely indeed, or I’d have dropped dead from shock already.
“Are you headed to meet with His Highness, my looord?” I asked Nadir.
He clicked his tongue. All I did was ask a question! Goodness. Without gracing me with an answer, he began to briskly walk away, so I hurried after him.
“L-Lord Nadir!” I called after him. “Please waaait!”
He stopped. “Quit talking like that,” he said sternly.
“Oh. Apologies,” I replied, straightening my back and dropping the elongated vowels. That had bothered him, apparently.
“You didn’t speak like that before,” he pointed out.
True. This manner of speaking was intentional—a persona I’d created for flattering others.
“Tell me,” he said, stepping closer and gripping my shoulders, peering into my face. He certainly was keen on touching me, wasn’t he? “You never used to speak like that in the past. Right?”
“Um, that’s right,” I stammered.
What did he mean by “in the past”? It wasn’t as though we were old acquaintances or anything...
I nodded despite the lingering questions in my mind, and Nadir left, seeming satisfied with that.
My attempt at flirting had been a complete disaster.
✦ ✦ ✦
Why give up after one or two failures? That was a loser’s mindset.
“And that’s why I came to see you again!” I explained.
“Out,” Nadir snapped.
Wow. Told to go home immediately.
Since he hadn’t appreciated my flattering manner of speech, I was back to talking normally. He knew what I was like when I wasn’t pretending. Not that he liked that either. Hmph.
“What’s the issue?” I asked. “Tell me. I’ll fix what I can.”
His reply didn’t change. “Out.”
But considering he’d allowed me inside his home despite my unannounced visit, I remained optimistic. I had to be positive to push forward!
“See, if you marry me, you can ogle my chest all you like,” I offered.
“Doesn’t saying that make you sad?” he countered.
Of course it did! I would’ve preferred not to behave in such an unseemly manner, had I the choice! Which I didn’t!
“Well, what else am I supposed to do?!” I asked. “My body is the only weapon at my disposal!”
“You poor thing,” he said, sympathizing with me. I wished he wouldn’t! That only made it hurt more! It would’ve been less painful for him to call me a filthy hussy. Please stop.
“Well, what about my legs?” I said. “You could touch them to your heart’s content!”
“Hey!” he called out. “There’s a pervert in here! Someone get her out!”
“Oh! No, no, I’m sorry!” I apologized hastily. “Please don’t ask your butler to kick me out! Wait, wait!”
When the butler arrived, I raised both hands in surrender to signal I’d meant no harm. The man looked at me, then at Nadir, then back at me in contemplation. Then, seemingly having realized something, he clapped his hands.
“Oh! I see! Young Master Nadir, you two are...you know,” he said, joining his curled fingers and thumbs into a heart shape.
“You’re fired,” Nadir said.
“Don’t destroy my livelihood!” cried the butler, who barely looked older than me. His voice took on a sorrowful tone as he desperately apologized to his master. “Please, Young Master! However will I survive out on the streets?! Have mercy!”
“Oh, shut up,” Nadir snapped. “And don’t call me ‘Young Master.’”
“But I’m so used to saying it!” the butler protested. Then, he suddenly turned to me, and said, “Oh! How about I kick her out?!” Perhaps he thought that would absolve him of blame.
I was so taken aback by the butler’s familiar manner of speaking to his master—and by the fact that Nadir simply allowed it—that I was too slow to react. In one swift motion, the butler picked me up, carried me to the estate’s front door, and unceremoniously dumped me there.
“Hey!” I cried out. “Don’t just toss people around!”
Ignoring my protests, the butler simply returned to his original spot at the door, whistling innocently as if nothing had happened. Nadir’s personality was truly something, but this butler wasn’t that far behind!
Despite having ordered the butler to kick me out, Nadir stood before me, with a mocking expression on his face.
“Don’t waste your time,” he said. “If you show up here again, I’m telling your parents.”
“No!” I pleaded, lowering my forehead to the ground to grovel in earnest. “Please leave my parents out of this. I beg of you.”
Anything but my family! They wouldn’t scold me, see; they’d feel guilty, thinking they were putting me through hardship, and cry!
“Hmph,” Nadir scoffed. “Behave, then.”
With my parents in the picture, I had no choice but to back down. During my reluctant walk home, I realized how dejected I actually felt. Maybe my emotional fortitude wasn’t quite so steely as I’d thought. That was a bit disheartening.
But I wasn’t about to give up just yet!
“Father! Mother! I’ve got this!” I declared, blissfully unaware of the odd looks I was getting from passersby as my fighting spirit blazed on.