NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4 – The Hero.
There were tables and chairs outside with quite a few people at them. Most people had their eyes on me. After all, traveling by car was only for the well-to-do.
Fortunately, the former Zedrick spent most of his time studying, so his identity as the Duke's fifth son was not widely known.
The cafe had large windows and glass doors, with a green and white facade.
Opening the doors, I scanned the crowded tables with my eyes, finding the energetic blond-haired boy waving at me in the corner.
Walking over, I quickly reviewed what I knew about him, finding only one word to describe him; "Hero."
So was Theo's father. A hero who died while slaying the Demon King; typical.
Theo Waverley had blond hair and blue eyes, with the typical hero's personality, even his luck. The number of fiancées he had was quite high, after all, he inherited his father's class. Everyone expected him to follow in his father's footsteps.
He had many Asian traits from his mother's side, who lived in the eastern kingdom, where ninjas, samurai, beastskins and a lot of Japanese culture abounded.
I reached the table, seeing that there was someone else with him. A boy, possibly my age, with brown hair and brown eyes. An average appearance.
"Zed! What took you so long?" Theo asked when I sat down.
Sighing slightly, I replied, "I had something to do. Anyway, he's the one you wanted to introduce me to?" I questioned, looking at the unknown boy, who was looking nervously at Theo.
"Yes, this is Edwin." Theo pointed to Edwin with a smile before continuing. "He has a little problem and I have no idea what to do, so I called you." he said with a bit of embarrassment.
At that moment, a waitress approached. She was wearing a green uniform with a white apron starting at the waist.
"Lord Zedrick! It's an honor to see you here again." she curtsied as she arrived, and I quickly waved my hand casually. "It's all right, Blissia. I've already told you to stop doing that."
She straightened up and smiled. "Are you going to order something?" Blissia questioned, ignoring my earlier words.
Surely she would continue to do so, and personally it didn't bother me, I was simply mimicking the former Zedrick's reaction.
"The usual, Blissia," I replied, feeling Theo's look of curiosity. He was always the one who responded first, sometimes even deciding for others, becoming normal for him even if it was something unconscious at first.
Blissia simply nodded and walked away. I was the son of a Duke, to her, my opinion was more important than the other two.
Looking at the back of the brown-haired girl's neck, I decided to take a look at her information.
[Name: Blissia
Partner: Dash (Boyfriend for 1 year)
Fetishes: Rough Sex, Rape (Undiscovered), Being Dominated (Undiscovered)
Sexual Status: She's frustrated that her boyfriend treats her very gently but is too embarrassed to say so; doggy style became her favorite position after seeing it on the internet, but she's too embarrassed to do it.
Affection: 17/100; She respects you because you're the Duke's son; doesn't know you well enough].
Those are very unusual fetishes considering her fiery and fierce personality... Or maybe it's normal? Well, anyway, Blissia is pretty cute. Her body is decent too, with C-cup breasts and her ass is a bit noticeable under the long skirt.
I shook my head inwardly. I could figure out what to do with it later.
"Um... I'm Edwin, it's a pleasure!" The boy suddenly stood up and introduced himself with a bow.
"Haha! You don't have to be so uptight and formal!" Theo laughed and pushed the nervous Edwin into the seat. "Zed doesn't care about that stuff, so calm down," he added when Edwin looked at him nervously. The boy looked at me and sighed when he found no discomfort on my face.
"Theo's right, you don't have to be so nervous." When he nodded, I continued. "So, what's the problem?" I questioned. They exchanged a look and Theo started talking.
The more I listened, the more I wanted to punch the idiot for interrupting my time with Kristia.
The problem was insignificant and something the former Zedrick would not have been able to solve, so confusion also occupied a part of my mind. Why did he call me for something like this?
Long story short; Edwin had an argument with his childhood friend and since they had no idea what to do, Theo called me.
"Well... I know it sounds really silly, and it's not something we should get into, but Edwin is in love with her and wants to reconcile before the Academy starts," Theo finished, taking a sip of the coffee Blissia had brought.
Oh? Maybe it's a wonderful opportunity to earn Credits?
With that thought, I probed a little further. "I see...by the way, how did you two meet?"
"Oh, he's staying at the same inn as me, and we hit it off after talking a bit." Theo replied. The inn he was talking about was the same one his father lived in for a long time. Or so he said when he turned down the former Zedrick's offer to live in the suite.
"Does your childhood friend also live at that inn?" I asked before taking a bite of the lemon muffin.
Edwin shook his head sadly. "No, Ophelia is staying at a cheaper inn outside the Gold District."
I nodded. "What about her? Does she like you too?"
Edwin blushed deeply and stared at the coffee. "I-I... don't know... maybe...?"
"Hm..." I hummed and took a sip of coffee before speaking. "I think I have an idea." They looked at me with surprise and curiosity.
"First of all, what's her personality like?" I asked, looking at Edwin.
"Eh? W-well... she's a little bossy and energetic..." he said with a little embarrassment and, although it wasn't much, it was enough.
"Well, I thought we could make Ophelia jealous. That way we'll know if she likes you or not and if she's as energetic as you say, it'll force her to move too." I took a sip of my coffee after saying that, letting the two of them think about my words.
"Doesn't sound so bad, but how will we make her jealous?" questioned Theo, accompanied by Edwin's nods.
"We'll hire a girl to pose as Edwin's girlfriend," shrugging, I spoke casually.
""Eh!?"" They both shouted in surprise, attracting the attention of the other tables.
They quickly blushed and lowered their heads.
"Zed! That's... That's crazy! That sounds like one of the ideas Percival would have..." whispered Theo loudly, accompanied again by Edwin's nods.
I sighed, looking at Edwin. "So, do you have any other friends to pose as your girlfriend? Or you could just go talk to Ophelia," I suggested the obvious, but Edwin blushed and shook his head.
He didn't even dare to talk to her? It made me wonder about the subject of the discussion.
"O-okay, we'll do what you said…" said Edwin, receiving a look of disbelief from Theo.
"Are you sure, Edwin? There might be another way if we keep thinking..." the blond tried to persuade him, but Edwin was adamant.
"All right, Theo. If I want to reconcile with her before I go to the Academy, this is the only way," said Edwin with determination.
I'm sure there are other ways, but what does it matter?
Theo sighed and looked at me, "How are we going to hire a girl? And it's only a few days before school starts. Are you sure it will work?"
Edwin's expression showed nervousness after hearing Theo's questions.
"I'll take care of hiring the girl, and I haven't told you the whole plan yet." I replied casually, and they looked at me curiously again.
The next part of the plan was my real goal, but I needed to know if Edwin would agree with the first part, to have a better chance of success.
"Well, if Ophelia really likes you, she will most likely start avoiding you when she finds out about your 'relationship'," Edwin was surprised by my words, but I continued before he could speak. "That's why it occurred to me to start a fake relationship with Ophelia, so I can bring her along every time we get together. That way, she won't be able to avoid you."
"A fake relationship? How will you do that?" Theo asked curiously before the horrified Edwin could say anything. Theo must be more interested in the why of my ideas than their content, after all, they're not things the former Zedrick would come up with. But the situation is also unique, so there is a perfect explanation.
After that, I went on to explain to them my plan, how to carry it out and the results it would have. Edwin wasn't at all convinced, but Theo was and that was enough to overwhelm the boy.
When I asked him to show me a picture of Ophelia, he was reluctant, but Theo was also curious, so he had no choice.
When I discovered Blissia's fetishes I felt that the trip here was not a complete waste, but seeing Ophelia I think it was completely worth it.
The girl in the photo was posing in front of the double doors of the capital. A beautiful face and shoulder-length blonde hair. She had rather small red shorts and a garment that only covered her huge breasts, exposing a large cleavage.
