For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 146

It was probably Cassius’s repeated warnings that made things feel a bit awkward.

‘He did always say that personality and looks don’t go hand-in-hand.’

Still, sometimes you have to take risks. For now, it seemed better to keep Elaine close by—at least then, if she needed to know something, she could just ask.

“…The second goal is something I can only confirm after we accomplish the first. If it works out, I’ll share it with you then.”

“Hm.”

Elaine frowned a little, but Eugenie stubbornly ignored it.

Either way, it was a thrilling moment—like a lab slave acquiring a subordinate for the first time.

* * *

Whether it was from the length of the conversation or sheer fatigue, Elaine soon started yawning.

“I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep. I hope there’s some meat for breakfast.”

Eugenie was just as exhausted and didn’t object to leaving the room.

But the moment she stepped outside, something heavy clamped down on her and made her cry out.

“Ugh!”

“Lady!”

Cassius had snuck up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

No matter how much Cassius looked like the embodiment of spring flowers, his body was honed like a dancer’s. Being caught in his arms squeezed the air out of her lungs.

“How’d it go? Everything all right?”

“Ghk—yeah. Oh, good.”

Before the other husbands could catch up, Eugenie pulled Cassius into a dark corner of the hallway. With the distance closed between them, Cassius smiled sweetly.

“Wow, this is a little exciting.”

“Cassius, I need a favor.”

“I’ll do it if you give me a kiss.”

“…Don’t mess around.”

Cassius was usually a bit of a flirt, but only when he was playing a part—he rarely made requests like this when it was just the two of them.

But this time, he looked genuinely disappointed, sticking out his lower lip.

‘I’m finally ready to be serious, and she thinks I’m just playing games!’

He sulked internally, but on the outside, he just pouted.

“Fine. What is it?”

“I need you to gather as much information as you can about the abandoned mine. Especially if there was anything strange going on there.”

“Hm? Why the sudden interest?”

“I want to find out how the magic stone solution affects people. I have a theory, but I need more data.”

Back when they went into the mine, Eugenie, Cassius, Carter, Percival, and Elaine had all been there.

But only Percival had reacted to the area where the magic stone was dissolved.

“I have wizard blood, so you’d think I’d be affected too, right? But you, me, and even Elaine were fine.”

“If that’s the case, what about the priest?”

“That’s Livingstone. It’s a hereditary priesthood, so maybe there’s some hidden power.”

“Hm. Then maybe Duke Troys was affected because of his monster blood?”

“Maybe. Honestly, I hope it’s just that.”

If it really was just Percival’s lineage that made him react, that would be ideal.

“But what if this stuff affects people who aren’t connected to magic at all?”

“…”

“If my theory is right, and it gets out… a lot of people could get hurt.”

And the ones with the biggest stockpile of magic stones were—

‘The Schroeder family, of course.’

She’d already suspected they’d produced magic stones by killing countless people.

But what if something even worse had happened while they were amassing their wealth?

She didn’t want to get caught snooping around the Empress’s property, so she’d have to look for other ways to investigate.

“That’s why I want samples from other abandoned mines. And you’re the one who understands the magical side of things.”

“That makes sense…”

Cassius smiled softly down at her.

Running La Noir, he’d gotten used to people asking him for favors, though every time he agreed he’d secretly think, ‘What a pain. Useless people, always begging for help.’

But this time, it felt good. He liked being recognized as someone capable.

‘So this is what it feels like to be chosen by a woman.’

He pressed a sly kiss to Eugenie’s cheek and grinned.

“Of course, Lady.”

Yes—he was determined to keep this happiness to himself from now on, even if it meant behaving badly enough to prove that personality and looks really don’t go together.