Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 72- Fake Witch

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It’s commonly said that 80% of the human body is made of water, but males are different.

As a fellow male, I understand this.

Their bodies are made of 50% pride, 10% bravado, 10% appearance, and about 30% is made up of pork cutlet and stir-fried pork.

Given this knowledge, creating a sexually appealing male character was quite difficult for me.

But one day, I realized I had a knack for Boys’ Love.

So I logically concluded, “I need a role model for the ultimate alpha male who will captivate the readers.”

From that day on, I studied popular romance comics, webtoons, and BL novels, interviewed an archery club senior who was quite popular with the girls in school, and analyzed audio-visual materials filled with panting sounds.

The result of all that effort was the character, Carlisle.

Why was I working so hard on this?

I wasn’t sure myself, but since I’d found my talent, I wanted to present the coolest character possible to the readers.

Regardless of my personal preferences, I was a writer who made a living from selling novels.

I had to give it my best.

All the traits I painstakingly researched for the ultimate alpha male were packed into Carlisle.

He was combative, always composed, family-oriented, and never strayed too far from the norm.

He had a sense of consideration, never overstepping boundaries with his partner. In short, he was a flawless man.

“All the characters I’ve written have had some kind of deficiency, but I intentionally didn’t give Carlisle any. People who have weaknesses are bound to become vulnerable.”

With a light whinny, the carriage came to a stop.

I took the escort knight’s hand and stepped down.

After glancing at the bustling surroundings, I retrieved the letter I had tucked inside my coat and read it once more.

“A person without any weaknesses has nothing to regret. The only thing that could be considered a flaw is that he’s hiding the fact that he’s the first prince… but if I revealed that I knew, I’d immediately be the one to raise suspicion.”

A few days ago, I sent a letter to Carlisle.

Even I wasn’t foolish enough to storm into Flare’s guildhouse alone.

So, I had a maid deliver a letter saying I’d repay the debt if he agreed to meet secretly, and before long, Carlisle’s response came.

[Fine, come to the Floral Café at noon the day after tomorrow.]

The Floral Café, located in front of the clock tower, was the empire’s most historic café and a hotspot for nobles to meet.

Despite its quaint charm, often used for dates or social gatherings, it felt more like a dungeon to me.

Clutching the leather pouch containing five million carats, I thought to myself:

“No matter how much I try, dealing with Carlisle, who has no weaknesses, is always uncomfortable. Let’s throw the money in his face and get out of here. If he thinks I’m insane, he’ll probably stop bothering Jeanne.”

Though I wanted to avoid this confrontation, paying back the debt was the only way to ensure the survival of the Luna Guild.

After a deep breath to steel my resolve, I entered the café.

The owner, who had been polishing glasses at the bar, quickly rushed over.

With a tone laced with arrogance, I asked him,

“Where’s Carlisle?”

“I’ll take you to him right away, Hans!”

At the owner’s call, a waiter carrying a tray quickly approached, looking pale and unable to meet my eyes.

I followed him upstairs, feeling puzzled as to why we were going to the second floor instead of staying on the first.

When the waiter finally stopped in front of a door, he bowed and said,

“You’ll go in alone from here.”

Unlike the first floor, which was open to anyone, the second floor seemed off-limits.

Well, Carlisle is the head of a major guild, so security must be critical.

As I opened the door, a wide terrace came into view, with the bustling marketplace and the enormous clock tower visible in the distance.

I scanned the area with a blank expression and found Carlisle, reading a newspaper, glasses perched on his nose.

Last time I saw him, he looked like someone who had been on a long expedition, all ragged and dirty.

But today, he seemed much more put together.

His broad white shirt suited him perfectly, likely because of his muscular frame.

As the cool breeze tousled Carlisle’s hair, I heard a squeal from below the terrace.

I glanced over, seeing a group of flushed noblewomen giggling and making a fuss.

“Did you purposely choose this spot?”

At my weary question, Carlisle lazily flipped a page of his newspaper and replied,

“Beauty, you see, must function as beauty wherever and whenever it’s needed. I’m simply fulfilling the role Maya assigned to me.”

I’ll say this again: 50% of men is pride, 10% is bravado, and the remaining 10% is all about appearance.

As Carlisle rambled on, full of self-love, I noticed something odd.

His glasses had no lenses.

When I reached out to touch them, Carlisle quickly leaned his head back.

“Why are you wearing glasses without lenses?”

“And where’s the money?”

Dodging my question, Carlisle smoothly changed the topic.

I eyed him suspiciously before pulling the leather pouch from my coat.

I had planned to throw the money in his face, but instead, I calmly placed it on the table.

Of course, this wasn’t because I was scared—definitely not.

It was just that the sudden thought of being executed by guillotine for marring the first prince’s face crossed my mind.

“It’s five million carats. Feel free to check.”

Carlisle, who had been silently watching me, shifted his gaze to the pouch.

His speech had the typical tone of a noble, which somehow put me at ease during our conversations.

There was an unspoken belief that a well-educated man from a good family wouldn’t harm me.

“Hmm.”

But as Carlisle maintained his silence, the atmosphere became entirely different. A cold, heavy energy surrounded him.

I realized that his gentle tone might be a deliberate attempt to conceal his hidden menace.

Resting his chin on his hand, Carlisle tapped his finger on the table before finally breaking the silence.

“How could a lady from a noble family possibly raise this much money? If your family helped, then—”

“Don’t underestimate me. My pride wouldn’t allow it. Just check the money already.”

“I’ve already confirmed it. Besides, my goal was never to receive the money.”

“…Then what was your goal?”

“I just thought it would be more gentlemanly than prying up a lady’s skirt out of curiosity.”

I let out a dry laugh.

Teasing me to repay the debt with my body was gentlemanly?

This guy clearly operated on a different logic than I did.

Despite feeling a bit indignant, I didn’t care.

Anyway, now that I had repaid Carlisle, I wouldn’t have to see him again.

After staring at Carlisle’s expectant gaze for a moment, I turned to leave.

“Jeanne, why did you send Layla to the south?”

“How do you know about that?”

“My rats are quite capable.”

His cryptic answer made me raise an eyebrow.

Whoever his informants were, they were certainly skilled.

For him to have already learned that Layla had left the capital…

I didn’t want to discuss it, so I casually changed the subject.

“Is it okay to refer to a princess by name like that?”

“I’ll meet her later and apologize. Now, answer my question.”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“True. Then I’ll change the question.”

Carlisle lowered the newspaper and fixed his gaze on me.

After a few seconds of staring, he returned to the paper, but his next words made my heart drop.

“Why didn’t you attend the Blessing Ceremony? I kept waiting.”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

I had achieved my goal during the main ceremony and left immediately, but it seemed Carlisle thought I hadn’t attended at all.

But what really piqued my curiosity was why Carlisle had been waiting for me in the first place.

While I hesitated to answer, a trolley passed by, and a soufflé pancake adorned with whipped cream and seasonal fruit was placed on the table.

Carlisle gestured towards it.

“Eat. It’s a reward for paying off your debt without running away like the others. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d actually repay it.”

“How many people have you lent money to…? Never mind. We’re not exactly on friendly terms to be sharing desserts.”

“You should eat.”

As I made a puzzled expression, Carlisle folded the newspaper and handed it to me.

The moment I read the article he had marked, my body stiffened.

Quietly, I read aloud the headline in large letters.

“‘A man who brutally assaulted a servant girl from the Count’s household, suspected to be in retaliation for recent serial killings…’”

I looked at Carlisle’s grinning face and sighed.

He seemed to view me as some sort of righteous hero who couldn’t stand injustice.

I suddenly recalled a conversation I had with Bermut.

[Actually, there’s been some strange rumors circulating in the capital lately.]

[Rumors?]

[Yes, it’s said that there’s been a string of serial murders. Apparently, a witch with black hair has been poisoning men.]

I felt an ominous sense of foreboding.

Whether I liked it or not, I had a gut feeling that I’d end up entangled in this strange and horrific serial murder case.

After a moment of hesitation, I silently pulled out a chair and sat down, making Carlisle chuckle as he said,

“You’re probably the only lady who finds serial murders more interesting than dessert.””

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding due to Lady Layla, but I’m not the kind of righteous person you think I am. In fact, I avoid getting involved in grim matters like serial killings as much as I can.”

“Then I suppose I should just put away this investigation report that I painstakingly got from the guard.”

As soon as I reached out, Carlisle quickly raised the report out of my grasp.

Seriously, this sly guy.

He gave me a wink as I stared at him in frustration.

“I told you, you need to eat first.”

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