I Became the Fiancé of a Crazy Heroine - Chapter 9-2

Second floor corridor, Duke Adelaira’s mansion.

Hanette strolled down the corridor with a sullen expression on her face.

She had only just returned from a meeting with her father, where she received semi-forced instructions from Robbins.

If she followed the conditions, she would benefit, but if she didn’t, her pocket money would be reduced.

‘Ha… You’re trying so hard to set me up with him.’

It was quite unfair from her point of view, but she couldn’t ignore it.

All of her money came from Robbins, and it wasn’t a small amount.

She would have rebelled if he’d just told her he was going to cut her allowance, but now that she was given a choice, she had to back down a little.

“Why complicate things by asking me to accompany him?

Robbins’ terms were simple enough.

Whenever you go to the pub or the gambling establishment, take Sion Laird with you.

If she did, he would double her pocket money, but if she didn’t, he would cut it in half.

In other words, half of her pocket money would fall and rise depending on whether Sion was with her or not.

‘Drinking, gambling, what’s the fun in that…’

Hanette sighs and heads up the stairs.

She’d only ever used alcohol and gambling as a way to stockpile funds.

If Sion Laird were to follow her, it would only hinder her from siphoning off her pocket money.

‘At least he’s giving me half the money.’

For now, Hanette was focused on saving as much money as possible.

If she could get Sion Laird to cooperate, another half of her pocket money would follow.

She couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

‘How do I convince him…’

Hanette came to a halt in front of Sion’s room, pondering.

She had already agreed to team up with Sion Laird.

If he was paid for his efforts, he would do as he was told.

‘I suppose we could split it equally.’

Hanette cleared her throat and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Sion was immediately visible, sitting at his desk.

“Can I have a word with you?” she asked.

“My time is expensive. Did you bring payment?”

“Hah… What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything, I’m just kidding.”

“… You’re a real brat.”

“My sister is excellent at catching my words.”

Hanette strode into the room with a scowl on her face.

Sion offered a faint smile and moved to the round table.

“So, what do you have to say?”

“I want you to do me a favour. I just need you to stay with me while I go somewhere.”

“Where do you mean… Do you mean the pub or the gambling establishment?”

“Exactly, and if you do, I’ll get extra half of my pocket money.”

“Hmm… What do I get if I do what my sister says?”

“I’ll give you half of the extra money. Isn’t that good?”

Based on the conversation, Sion quickly understood Hanette’s situation.

From her perspective, she wouldn’t want to go to a bar or gambling house with someone else.

Sure, she’d benefit from going with him, but she’d be siphoning off money, so it wasn’t a great option.

It would be a risky proposition, with both benefits and losses.

“… So if you don’t go with me, you’ll lose your pocket money?”

“You’re a smart one. So will you or won’t you?”

“Your reasoning is wrong. If I don’t go with you, you’ll lose money, right? So how about you give me everything you gain by going with me?”

“What? You think I’m doing this for your benefit?”

“I have nothing to lose, so why not give it all and keep what you have?”

“You…”

Hanette clenched her fists and glared at Zion.

He may be young, but what he was doing was cunning.

Regardless of the benefits, she didn’t like his answer.

“Forget it! I’ll rather have a lesser allowance and not go with you, who do you think you are…?”

Hanette raised her voice and stood up.

She felt stupid for expecting anything from him.

It would have been better to give up half her allowance rather than lose her pride and receive his help.

“Um… did I offend you?”

“Forget it, I’m not going with you anymore.”

“Don’t be like that, at least listen to what I have to say.”

“Listen to what? You’re completely ignoring me, and I can’t believe I’m caught up with a guy like you…”

“I can’t even joke? Sit down, I’ll only take half of it.”

“…I don’t know. I won’t.”

Despite her answer, Hanette did not leave the room.

Sion covered his mouth, barely holding back the laughter from escaping.

“I was just kidding, what would I spend my sister’s pocket money on?”

“I don’t know, maybe you have plenty of places to spend it, or you wouldn’t be asking for it.”

“Kuku… Okay, fine, I won’t do that again.”

“… Add one more thing.”

“Add what?”

“Don’t call me a crazy in the future. You think anyone listens to that because they want to hear it?”

“You don’t want to hear that, noted. I won’t, so take a seat.”

Hanette still glared at Sion, but then carefully sat down.

The smile slowly fades from his face, and he resumes his conversation.

“I’ll do what you want. But on one condition.”

“What are they?”

“When you leave, you have to leave after sunrise, and when you return, you have to return before sunset. Can you do that?”

“…Okay.”

Hanette replied bluntly, but she understood where Sion was coming from.

He probably had his own schedule and things to do, and she couldn’t just ask him to show up.

Depending on the situation, she might have to adjust to his schedule.

“I have things to do, too, so I can’t always be there.”

“I won’t force you, I just need you to stay with me for a while.”

“Oh. Just so you know, I can’t drink, though I might gamble once in a while.”

“I’m not asking you to drink. Whether you want to gamble or not is up to you.”

“Not for long.”

“I don’t plan on staying long.”

Sion didn’t want to interrupt Harnett’s plans.

He might be a minor character, but that didn’t change his mind.

It was easier to see into the future when the flow of content remained constant.

‘I’ll pretend to fit in.’

It wasn’t time to move on yet.

I didn’t have the Sword I wanted, and the main character hadn’t even shown up.

For now, he had to cooperate with Hanette and play nice.

‘I don’t think she’s very good at drinking…’

* * *

A luxury tavern in the capital of the Kingdom of Alaine.

Unlike the more common taverns, luxury taverns had a strictly targeted customer base.

Only nobles were welcome, and they were served and paid for accordingly.

Commoners could only enter if they had a lot of money or were accompanied by a noble.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t drink?”

“I did.”

“I’ll order you something else, but you can have that.”

Hanette sat down first, looking relaxed.

Sion sat down behind her, glancing around.

The only people he could see were richly dressed nobles, with the occasional sound of conversation or laughter.

“You’re only a child, after all. Who can’t drink?”

“Do you expect to be treated like an adult because you can drink?”

“What do you think I want from you? Just wait and see.”

Hanette opened the bottle and poured the alcohol straight into the glass.

Sion watched with a faint unease.

He wondered if she was going to drink too much, just to show off.

“Drink in moderation. It’s not healthy to drink until you’re drunk.”

“Are you worried about me? Looks like I got a good fiancé.”

“I’m worried about me, not you. I don’t think I can handle a wasted person.”

“I don’t drink that much.”

Hanette smirked and raised her glass.

Sion, on the other hand, sipped his tea, trying to shake off his anxiety.

But the thing he feared would happen eventually did.

“Hey… You think you’re better than me, and that’s why you’re making fun of me, huh? If you’re going to call me sister, at least be polite, you b**tard.”