Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 71- Fake Appearance

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“What kind of wish is that in a sacred festival?”

There was only one person in the entire empire who could make me angry with just a wish.

To top it off, next to the writing was a lipstick mark, which I assumed must have been Jerome’s.

He wouldn’t be wearing lipstick himself, so he must have borrowed it from someone.

Imagining Jerome awkwardly applying the lipstick and stamping his lips on the parchment, I felt a wave of irritation.

Frowning, I crumpled the parchment in frustration.

“Oh, Maya, sacred god, this wish was made without my consent. Please turn a blind eye to it.”

“So, Jerome is here at the festival, too?”

Feeling suspicious, I glanced around.

Unfortunately, all I saw were some unattractive men.

I groaned inwardly and crossed my arms.

I thought I had gotten pretty close to Jerome.

“If he’s back, why hasn’t he come to see me?”

Considering the strange message written on the parchment, I was sure the lantern had come from Jerome.

But I was puzzled—why hadn’t he shown himself?

Just then, I overheard some noblewomen chatting nearby and stopped in my tracks.

“Did you hear the rumor? Someone saw Sir Jerome entering the dean’s office this morning.”

“Sir Jerome? The one who sealed the demon Mephisto?”

Jerome went into the dean’s office?

Why?

It piqued my interest.

I slowed my pace deliberately to listen to their conversation more closely.

One of the women lowered her voice, glancing around before whispering.

“Yes, apparently the news of Sir Jerome’s return has thrown the social circles and guilds into a frenzy. He also just returned from purging heretics in the eastern lands.”

“Speaking of Sir Jerome, doesn’t he still not have a fiancée?”

“Ah, yes. A senior graduate tried to ask about that…”

Just as their conversation was getting interesting, I bumped into someone.

The person I collided with, stumbling from the impact, grabbed my shoulder to steady me.

My heart skipped a beat—could it be?

“Lady Jeanne?”

As soon as I heard the voice, a wave of disappointment washed over me.

I looked up and met the eyes of Derek, who wore a perplexed expression.

Though I found facing Derek uncomfortable, all I could feel in that moment was disappointment.

“Wait, why am I disappointed?”

Disappointment—wasn’t that something a child would feel upon discovering Santa Claus didn’t exist?

I’d never experienced such a bothersome and lukewarm feeling before, and it left me feeling down.

Derek, noticing my blank stare, gripped my shoulder tightly.

“So now you won’t even bother acknowledging me?”

After the unexplained disappointment passed, irritation flooded in.

I glared at Derek quietly before swatting his hand off my shoulder in frustration.

“Step aside if you get it.”

“…”

“Let’s not ruin a good day by fighting.”

I would’ve loved to curse him out, but I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

As I tried to keep my temper in check and walk past him, Derek grabbed my wrist this time.

“The council plans to investigate Luna Guild’s misconduct soon.”

“What? Misconduct?”

“They can’t allow an unqualified guild to continue operating indefinitely. Someone who lacks the necessary skills shouldn’t be taking up space, don’t you think?”

Carlisle came to mind, calling his aid to the Rabbit Brothers a “charity.”

Other guilds had turned a blind eye until now, but the message was clear: they wouldn’t anymore. Large guilds like Flare or Venus might not be interested, but smaller guilds like Pluto or Saturn certainly coveted Luna Guild’s first-class land.

I muttered under my breath, eyes lowered slightly.

“What do you want?”

Derek smirked at the sight of my weakened posture, his lips curling up arrogantly.

“Now you’re finally seeing the situation clearly. Don’t worry, as long as you grant my request…”

“You think I’d say that? Idiot.”

“…”

“Even if what you’re saying is true, I’ll never rely on you. I hate guys like you—sly and creepy. You’re the one who spread that rumor about me and a commoner guy, right?”

Derek’s face stiffened, his lips pressing tightly together.

In the original story, he had deliberately spread false rumors to isolate Jeanne.

I had no doubt that half of the gossip circulating about her recently was his doing.

With a smirk, I pressed down on his polished shoe with my heel.

“What kind of woman would ever like a guy like you, huh? You have a good family, a handsome face, a nice personality. If your family wasn’t so lacking, maybe you wouldn’t be so full of jealousy. All you do is spread lies behind people’s backs.”

“…”

“You don’t even like yourself—so how could I like you?”

I spoke with feigned politeness, knowing full well I was pushing Derek’s buttons.

A vein popped on his forehead, and it looked like he might punch me at any moment.

Of course, it was no surprise—since Derek was a character I’d created, I knew exactly which nerve to strike.

“You’ll regret this, Lady Jeanne.”

Derek, shaking with anger, muttered in a low voice.

I looked at him with a bored expression and raised my hand.

Derek narrowed his eyes, unsure of my intention.

Then, I flicked my middle finger at him with a faint smile before turning on my heel.

“Enjoy that.”

---

After the festival, the demand for tulip corsages skyrocketed.

It was only natural that as demand increased, so would supply, but due to the tulip’s rarity—being only available in the southern territories—no guilds could immediately produce them.

Moreover, the rare two-toned tulips, which were a product of my farmer drone’s special formula, became even more valuable when the Princess Layla was seen wearing one.

The tulip corsages quickly became exclusive luxury accessories.

Sensing an opportunity, I listed ten corsages at the guild market.

Despite the steep price of 12 million carats each, the Luna Guild’s tulip corsages sold out that very day.

After repaying the 5 million carats I borrowed from Carlisle, I still had millions left.

However, even with this newfound wealth, I felt oddly indifferent.

I couldn’t help but think of Ji Eunsoo, who couldn’t even pay his utility bills to take a proper bath.

If Ji Eunsoo had bought Bitcoin ten years ago, he’d be rich now.

His father wouldn’t have died from his work injury.

But, well, it’s all meaningless speculation at this point.

Still, with this capital in hand, the guild could now meet one of the three requirements: ‘funding.’

The only thing left for Luna Guild to satisfy was ‘members.’

The council required a minimum of six guild members, and including myself and the Rabbit Brothers, that left us three short.

I was wondering whether I should start recruiting ogres as guild members when Layla unexpectedly visited Luna Guild.

The timing was awkward, as I was in the middle of burying Bear alive, but the mood quickly lightened thanks to the Rabbit Brothers’ timely intervention.

As soon as Layla saw the shabby guild house, she instinctively felt that something was off, but she only had eyes for me and insisted on joining the Luna Guild.

The top celebrity of the empire wanted to join our guild?

I wanted to jump up and dance, but I managed to nod coolly with a nonchalant expression.

“But, you see, our guild is rather small… I don’t think we can afford to rent a merchant ship just for you. However, we’ll certainly cover your travel expenses.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I have my own merchant ship. We can use that as the guild ship.”

And that’s how the Luna Guild came to possess a warship-grade vessel that didn’t match our run-down guild house.

I glanced at the ship with a reluctant expression, then turned to Layla, who chuckled softly.

“How is it? Impressive, right? I pestered His Majesty to buy it for me as a coming-of-age gift.”

“Well, sure. It almost makes me want to start a revolution…”

“If you ever do, I’ll be sure to hold you accountable for those words when I execute you.”

Despite her words, Layla seemed genuinely thrilled.

Just as she was about to board the ship, I called her back and pinned the badge of the Luna Guild next to her tulip brooch.

Layla caught my eye and smiled faintly.

Feeling a bit awkward for some reason, I changed the subject.

“Are you sure about this? Leaving without a word… Cedrick might feel hurt.”

“Ha! It’s not like I’m the one Cedrick loves, anyway.”

Oh, so she knew.

My visible surprise made Layla laugh out loud.

“That’s why I was curious. Who could it be that stole Cedric’s heart, that stone-cold man?”

“…”

“I think I have a pretty good idea now, though.”

Her following words made my eyes widen. Layla seemed to know who Cedric’s love interest was.

But asking his fiancée outright would have been strange, so I kept my mouth shut.

Layla, who had been watching me closely, smiled and lowered her head slightly.

“Jeanne, you’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I have an incredibly sharp sense of smell, you know. From our first meeting, I thought it was odd that you didn’t smell like other noble ladies. I figured there was something peculiar about you.”

How could she figure it out from just my scent?

Seeing my pale face, Layla shrugged her shoulders mischievously.

“Don’t worry. I may not know why you’re hiding such a secret, but… I despise gossipy people who can’t keep their mouths shut. Honestly, though, your face is exactly my type. How about keeping me company in exchange for keeping your secret?”

“Pl-please don’t joke like that.”

I pulled Layla’s hand away as she twirled my hair.

Hesitating under her persistent gaze, I spoke in a small voice.

“Is my scent really that different?”

“Hmm, it’s very subtle, so only someone with a keen sense like mine could notice. I didn’t even realize until I got close to you. But you never know… Ah, hold on a second.”

Layla rummaged through her luggage at her feet and pulled something out, looking triumphant.

I raised an eyebrow, confused.

“This is a perfume I love. A master perfumer made it exclusively for me. It’s one of a kind in the world.”

Perfume was considered a high-class luxury item in the empire.

When noble ladies wore it, it signaled that they came from wealthy families.

As soon as I saw the imperial crest engraved on the perfume case, I gulped.

This wasn’t just any perfume; it was a royal perfume.

You could sell just one bottle and live comfortably for three generations.

While I was thinking such practical thoughts, Layla happily sprayed the perfume into the air.

The scent was fresh and clean, instantly clearing my mind.

It was a sophisticated citrus fragrance that anyone would love.

“That’s a lovely scent.”

“Right? Here, take it.”

“Huh? I-I couldn’t possibly accept something so precious…”

“You won’t need perfume while on the ship, and this isn’t just any perfume. It’s proof that you’re mine.”

Layla handed me the bottle, giving me a playful wink.

I stared at her silently before lowering my gaze slightly.

I felt like I had gained a powerful ally.

Gripping the perfume tightly, I murmured softly.

“Thank you.”

Layla, who had been tying her red hair back in the breeze, suddenly looked up at the sky.

Following her gaze, I saw a white seagull soaring high.

Watching it absentmindedly, I spoke without thinking.

“Lady Layla, birds can walk or run, but… in the end, they must fly. It’s their innate desire from the moment they’re born.”

To be honest, the tulip was just an excuse.

By the time Layla returned with the bulbs, they would be out of fashion.

Just like her, I was also forced to maintain a false appearance due to the situation.

I wanted to see Layla live as her true self.

Once the white seagull disappeared into the clouds, I met Layla’s eyes again.

I gently held her hand, smiling softly as I spoke.

Her eyes flickered.

“So fly, Lady Layla. As far as you can go.”

For the first time, Layla smiled brightly, not like the restrained princess she usually was, but with a genuine, carefree laugh.

Letting go of my hand, she boarded the ship and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“I’ll return with a ship full of valuables. Don’t forget for even a second—Jeanne, you’re my only true friend.”

“So, will you cancel the execution you threatened me with?”

“Nope.”

Some friend.

I sniffed and wrinkled my nose, feigning displeasure.

Waving energetically, Layla soon disappeared toward the horizon.

Looking up at the clear sky, I pulled a leather pouch from my robe.

Seeing the carat inside made a satisfied smile spread across my face.

“Well then, time to go settle a score.”

It was time to knock Carlisle down a peg.

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