Chapter: 07
Finn, who had been tapping his fingers on the desk in a steady rhythm, finally spoke.
“Of course, Johan Veloster, the Marquis, isn’t lacking in looks or title. But…”
“……”
“Realistically, there’s no way he could be with His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Yeah.”
Heaven nodded and went back to eating his sandwich.
My head tilted to the side.
‘What…?’
Did Finn just insult Johan right in front of me?
As Johan’s number-one fan who came into this world to support him, I was annoyed.
Crossing my arms in disbelief, I said,
“No, that’s not it. Why dismiss even a slight possibility?”
“Huh? That’s not it—it’s just realistic.”
“With effort, it could work. Even if Miss Violet Bringer likes the Crown Prince, her heart could change once she experiences the Marquis’s sincerity.”
“……”
“Marquis Veloster is someone who wouldn’t fail no matter where he goes. You all would agree, right?”
Finn couldn’t refute me. He just stared at me with a ‘what is wrong with this person…?’ expression.
At that moment, Rian, who was standing next to me, spoke up.
“Center Director, do you have feelings for Marquis Veloster?”
It was the first time I’d heard him say something like that since coming to work… and it hit hard.
‘Is this guy insane?’
He was so perceptive today that it felt like he was hitting me with pure facts.
Naturally, I played it off.
“W-What are you talking about? I don’t even know Marquis Veloster!”
Rian, who had been staring at me with an unreadable expression, shrugged.
“You got defensive when comparing the Crown Prince to the Marquis.”
“I’m… I have absolutely no feelings for him! None at all!”
“……”
“If I did, I wouldn’t have taken this request.”
Even as I said that, I felt a pang of guilt.
‘Actually, I took the request because of my feelings.’
I couldn’t resist the gaze of my beloved…
Worried that he might catch me lying, I glanced at the staff.
But the staff, who had been alternating their gaze between Rian and me, quickly looked away.
‘What’s with them? They were like this a few days ago too.’
Was someone hiding something from me…?
Isadora cleared her throat and shifted the topic.
“Although the advance payment is regrettable… I believe it’s best to cancel the request.”
“……”
“Honestly, there’s no chance of success in this matter. Miss Violet Bringer likes someone like the Crown Prince.”
“……”
“A ‘benchmark’ has already been set.”
Rian’s gaze, which had been on me, turned to Isadora.
“What do you mean by someone like the Crown Prince?”
Then he asked the question so suddenly it caught me off guard.
‘Does he really not know?’
Ah, right… Rian is from the kingdom, so he might not know much about the Crown Prince.
The fact that he never used the honorific ‘His Royal Highness’ for the Crown Prince, and just said “Crown Prince,” already gave the answer.
Isadora replied.
“It literally means a person of high status.”
She adjusted her glasses and stood up.
With her quick, brisk steps, Isadora stopped in front of the movable blackboard.
“Everyone here probably knows this, but it seems the youngest doesn’t, so I’ll explain.”
Isadora wrote on the blackboard.
On the left: ‘A’
On the right: ‘B’
“Miss Violet Bringer is 18 years old. Since she’s an adult, marriage would be on her mind.”
“……”
“So along with who she feels drawn to, she will also consider a man’s qualities. These qualities can be divided into six categories.”
Raising her left hand, Isadora extended her index finger.
“We will analyze them one by one. First, appearance.”
“……”
“Marquis Johan Veloster is handsome.”
No further elaboration followed.
I was shocked.
‘What… Johan is just “handsome”?’
Dora, what’s wrong with your eyes?
‘How can you look at this sacred, radiant, silver-haired, blue-eyed ultra-handsome man and just say “handsome”?’
I shot lasers at Isadora with my eyes, but she seemed oblivious.
She continued.
“As for His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince… I don’t know. I’ve never seen a single portrait of him.”
Isadora put a question mark between A and B.
I tried to recall the cover of <Hwangchimsah> in my mind.
‘Hmm, Castilian…’
But it had been too long since I read the work to remember clearly.
All I could recall was that he had blond hair and red eyes, was incredibly sexy, and had an exquisite physique…
‘But I can’t say that out loud.’
The host remained silent.
Isadora spoke again.
“Second, personality.”
“……”
“Marquis Veloster is widely regarded as having a good character. The Crown Prince… I don’t know.”
“……”
“However, since he is the chosen heir to the throne, it can be assumed he possesses a noble disposition.”
Isadora drew two circles beneath A and B.
“Third, wealth.”
“……”
“Marquis Veloster’s wealth is considerable. It was already proven by offering a combined 100,000 gold as the commission fee.”
“……”
“However…”
She trailed off and drew a circle under B.
It was significantly larger than the one she drew under ‘personality’.
‘No matter how much Johan is my favorite, in terms of wealth, the royal family wins easily.’
Isadora maintained her typical expressionless face and continued.
“Fourth, family background.”
“……”
“According to the documents submitted by Marquis Veloster, he has three younger sisters. As the Marquis has an excellent character, he would also be warm toward his family.”
“……”
“On the other hand, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has one younger brother.”
Heaven, scratching his head, interjected.
“It’s true, a man with sisters understands women well.”
“No, the Marquis is different.”
Finn sharply pointed out.
“If he understood women well, why would he even come to a romance counseling center?”
That made perfect sense.
‘Right… Johan may treat his sisters well, but he’s terrible at romance.’
I remembered how Johan floundered for 120 chapters, unable to approach Milaira.
Isadora drew a triangle between A and B and continued.
“Fifth, reputation. As mentioned, Marquis Veloster has a good reputation.”
“……”
“But as a woman, I would side with the Crown Prince.”
The chalk squeaked across the board as a circle was drawn under B.
I couldn’t hold back and asked.
“Why? Is there some bad rumor about Marquis Veloster?”
Of course, nothing bad could possibly be said about good Johan.
I felt Rian glance at me.
Isadora shook her head.
“That’s not the reason.”
“……”
“We commoners hear various rumors about nobles. We enjoy hearing gossip about high-ranking people.”
“……”
“All the rumors about Marquis Veloster were positive. He is kind to everyone and naturally considerate.”
“……”
“However, when considering it not as a human-to-human matter but from a woman’s perspective, it’s different.”
“……”
“If my husband, for whatever reason, were spoken about by another woman, I would be extremely bothered. So I prefer His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, who has no connections with anyone, over the Marquis, who is kind to all.”
I couldn’t hide my blank expression.
‘Makes sense…’
It’s like preferring the (handsome) nerd who’s good only to me rather than the popular guy everyone likes.
‘Not that Johan is lacking in any way.’
Taking a deep breath, Isadora said,
“Finally, sixth, title.”
Through her glasses, I glimpsed her eyes straighten.
Without a word, she drew a circle under B. She drew it once, then again on top of it.
Finn and Heaven both nodded.
“Of course.”
“Mm-hmm.”
I bit my lip hard.
‘Johan… how many times are you getting killed today…’
My favorite being mercilessly beaten by cold facts…
‘Violet, this is all your fault.’
Why, out of all the men, did I have to like the Crown Prince?
Rian, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“So… everyone thinks the Crown Prince is better?”
“Exactly.”
Heaven confirmed, putting the last piece of his sandwich in his mouth.
Isadora and Finn nodded too.
Rian’s gaze, which had been scanning them, landed on me.
“What about you, Center Director?”
