Chapter 406 - Jean and Marion's Agreement

They sat on the bank of the river and talked about trivial things. Jean became talkative as he was influenced by the three glasses of glow wine he drank. Marion was very entertained to hear his stories as he talked about various movies that he had played throughout his career.

"Gosh, I now believe that you're very famous," Marion nodded. "Actually, I think I have seen one of your movies. I was bored that day and so I was randomly flipping through the channels on TV. Do you still remember the movie about the grand theft in Louvre?"

Jean nodded, "Of course. I had to train very hard for that chase scene in Paris. Did you like it?"

Marion laughed out loud, "Well, it wasn't ... bad. But, there were some scenes that didn't make sense. For example, the scene where you disguised yourself and went to the museum to steal the Monet painting."

"So what?" asked Jean, interested.

Marion smiled broadly. "For that scene, you should have consulted the only thief who successfully stole the Mona Lisa painting from the Louvre and exchanged it for a fake one. What you did was not the right way to enter."

The girl patted her chest proudly. Jean was stunned to hear that.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm serious. So, remember this. The next time if you are going to make a movie about theft, infiltration, disguise, etc., you have to come to me. I'm willing to be your movie consultant," Marion said earnestly.

Jean nodded with a smile, "Thank you. But I have decided to retire from acting. After resting for a year, I will fake my death and start a new life somewhere."

Marion turned her head and looked closely at Jean, "Aren't you going to miss acting?"

"Hmmm ... maybe. But clearly I can't continue using my current identity. The whole world thinks I'm 45 now. Even though I am half Asian and I can claim to look young, in a few years people will definitely start to be suspicious"

"Then what are you going to do?" Marion asked again.

"Maybe I will work as a freelancer like you..." Jean answered simply.

Marion smiled broadly and nodded and patted Jean's shoulder warmly. "If you bow down and call me big sister, I will teach you how."

Jean laughed at that. This girl was very funny, he thought.

"Hmm ... I can give you something far better than that," Jean said in a teasing voice. "If you can teach me how to be a freelancer who can infiltrate the most strictly guarded museum in the world and steal famous paintings, I will teach you about men's hearts, so you can get the man you love."

Marion was stunned to hear that, she looked at Jean closely and brought her face closer so that their noses almost touched.

"You are lying!" she exclaimed.

"How am I lying?" asked Jean, not understanding.

"You can't possibly teach me how to make Lauriel love me. Lauriel's heart is rock-hard. I've been trying to get his attention for almost 100 years, but he never returned my feelings! Not even a little bit." Marion said.

Jean's cat eyes twitched after hearing that the man Marion loved was Lauriel. He had known Lauriel for 18 years and they always met during Christmas holidays with the Schneider family. He understood what Marion meant when she said Lauriel's heart was rock-hard.

"I'm not lying. I can make Lauriel love you in a few months. Do you want to bet with me?" Jean asked earnestly.

Marion was impressed and somewhat curious. She looked at Jean with a very serious expression, and slowly she became convinced. Tears almost trickled from the corner of the girl's eyes.

"Don't you lie to me ... I will be very embarrassed if I chase after Lauriel and he rejects my feelings … again."

Jean smiled faintly. He touched his nose to Marion's nose. He was tempted to kiss her again, but fortunately he was able to hold back. Marion was very adorable when she put on a look of despair like this, and Jean couldn't bear to see her tears.

"I am not lying." he said calmly.

"Uhmm ... okay. If you can make Lauriel fall in love with me, I will owe you a favor. I will give you anything you want," Marion said firmly.

"Anything?" Jean asked, smiling broadly.

"Anything" Marion answered again.

"Including the original Mona Lisa painting?"

"Including ... the..." Marion bit her lip, "Mona … Lisa … painting … the real one."

"OK." Jean stood up and offered his hand to help Marion up. "Let's go back to the mansion. Caspar is holding his own Oktoberfest festival at 8 pm."

"Eh ... should I come?" Marion asked doubtfully, "I already stopped by this afternoon. Actually, Lauriel told me to come to his place in Grosseto next week, but I was too impatient. I live in Basel, which is not far from here, so I rushed over immediately. After 18 long years, his attitude still hasn't changed. He's just like how he used to be. Ughhhhh ... I'm so desperate."

"Hmmm maybe this is not the right time, Marion. His beloved goddaughter is sick and he is frantically chasing down those who are responsible. You chose the wrong time to appear and try to attract him." Jean patted Marion on the shoulder and told her to get up, "Come on, we're going to the mansion. I'll help you make Lauriel fall in love with you."

Marion finally got up while holding Jean's hand. "How?"

"I will pretend to be your boyfriend. I will treat you very well. Lauriel will see how such a beautiful girl like you is desired by other men. He will feel something missing in his life. The best way to make a man fall in love with you is to reject them. Men are hardwired to be hunters, not the prey. Because all this time you were chasing after Lauriel, his manliness was nudged and so he avoided you. If you show that you don't care about him, he might actually chase after you."

Marion was stunned to hear that. Maybe she was indeed doing it wrong. She then remembered that in the past, Princess Luna chased after Lauriel for decades; she even disguised herself as a man to be by his side. But she failed.

After Luna finally gave up and returned to her parents' castle, Lauriel realized that he loved the girl and in turn he pursued Luna back to England.

Maybe Jean's words were true, she pondered. Finally, Marion nodded. She held out her hand and accepted Jean's handshake as a sign they had made a deal.

"Okay, let's go with your plan," Marion said. "I want to make Lauriel fall in love with me."

"All right, I'll help you make Lauriel fall in love with you." said Jean, taking Marion's hand. "But, I can't guarantee that you won't fall in love with me instead."

After saying that, he casually walked towards the Schneider family mansion while holding Marion's hand, who was walking behind him. On his lips was a mischievous grin.

"What ... what do you mean?" Marion asked, punching his back. "I WILL NOT fall in love with you!"

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