Chapter 6
The Duke and the Princess’s Night
“What are you doing here?”
The person standing in the kitchen was startled and dropped what they were holding.
Clatter—Clink—
A knife fell onto the marble floor with an ear-piercing screech.
“Oh, it’s the princess.”
Richard greeted Eliana with an awkward smile.
Behind him was a plate of golden, perfectly cooked pancakes, and on the floor, a fork had fallen.
As Richard picked up the dropped fork, she stepped inside.
“What are you doing in the kitchen at this hour?”
“Obviously, I’m making pancakes to eat.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m hungry. Would you like a bite, Princess?”
Richard held out the pancake to her.
The golden-brown pancakes, topped with butter and syrup, looked delicious.
The sweet aroma that wafted up instantly made her mouth water.
“With tomorrow’s early dress fitting, Princess.”
Milla’s voice flashed through her mind just as she was about to reach out.
Eliana swallowed and quickly turned her head away.
“No, thank you.”
“Really? That’s a shame. It turned out pretty well, actually.”
Richard licked his lips.
“If you’re hungry, shouldn’t you have called for the servants instead of doing this?”
It was laughable to see someone of his stature, a Duke no less, sneaking around in the kitchen, making pancakes on his own. It was almost absurd.
“If I said I was hungry, you know it would cause a fuss. I’m not just any guest. I don’t want to wake people up just to receive a royal treatment at the drop of a hat.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable stance.
As a guest, Richard was entitled to the proper hospitality, and his status as the Emperor’s brother and Duke often meant that anything less than a grand reception would have been seen as a failure.
If he had called on someone, the kitchen would have been alive with lights and the rich aroma of food.
The exhausted former head chef’s yawn would have been a given.
His thoughtfulness toward the servants was admirable. So why did it still seem unlucky?
“While I appreciate the thought, Duke, please call on the servants next time. If His Highness finds out you brought a guest into the kitchen, he’ll surely blame himself for inadequate hospitality.”
Eliana subtly reprimanded Richard.
No matter how much of a rogue he may act, Richard was, by all means, an aristocrat of the highest rank.
Even though he had spent a long time on the battlefield, he had never forgotten the decorum of the noble class.
Naturally, he understood her hidden meaning. With a light smile, he casually spoke.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I already got permission from the fourth Prince.”
“The fourth Prince, Gerard?”
“Yes, I went to his room and asked. I feel bad for waking him, though.”
“What did he say?”
“He just grunted, ‘Hmm.’”
Richard pouted playfully as he answered.
‘That wasn’t permission, it was a half-asleep response.’
A slight twitch passed through Eliana’s eyebrows.
“Since one of the household owners gave permission, it shouldn’t matter, Princess?”
She wanted to argue, but there was no way she could win against that brazen face.
Eliana stiffly nodded her head.
“Of course. If that’s the case, the Duke won’t mind. But to be up so late, are you uncomfortable with your bed?”
She subtly poked at him.
If he had gone to bed early, he wouldn’t have been hungry.
Richard immediately caught her hidden meaning.
“I’m more sensitive about my sleep than I look.”
Eliana shut her mouth at Richard’s unabashed response.
‘He could probably sleep just fine in a rabbit hole.’
There were words on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak them.
“But if I’m sensitive about my sleep, why are you wandering around at this hour, Princess? Aren’t you sensitive about your sleep in your own house?”
This time, Richard asked her the question.
Unlike her neatly wrapped words, his language was blunt and direct.
She hesitated for a moment, then turned her gaze away and said,
“It’s just because of the time difference.”
“The time difference? I vaguely remember hearing you went abroad for studies three years ago.”
Her studies had come up once in a letter from Yvon.
The content was brief:
A compliment to Eliana for courageously going abroad, disregarding public opinion, and a brief observation that
Albert had been downcast after seeing her off.
That was all.
“So where did you study?”
Richard wiped his lips and asked.
The canines that peeked out from his slightly parted lips looked fierce.
“The Eastern Duchy.”
“A country on the opposite side of the Empire. I suppose you majored in archaeology?”
“Yes. Do you know about the Eastern Duchy?”
“A little. I had a tutor who was an expert in world geography.”
Richard shuddered slightly, recalling his time under Paula’s strict tutelage.
The Eastern Duchy was a neutral country, about a month’s boat ride away, where both archaeology and scientific advancements flourished.
As Richard mentioned, Eliana had studied archaeology at an academy there.
“That must have been met with a lot of opposition.”
“Yes, it was.”
Many people had tried to stop her from going.
Her circle of friends had wanted her to follow a predetermined path, one leading to the role of Empress, and live her life accordingly.
To them, archaeology was merely a hobby, or at best, a light interest.
But to Eliana, it had been a lifelong dream.
Even though she hadn’t been able to speak of it after the late Duke’s death.
If Albert hadn’t supported her and encouraged her to go, she would have ended up trapped in the palace as the Crown Princess by now.
Albert had willingly supported her dream.
She remembered him, waving her off, even postponing the imperial wedding for her to go.
It made her stomach twist.
Who would have thought that the happy end to her studies would lead to an engagement cancellation request?
Noticing Eliana’s downcast mood, Richard gently placed his hand on her head.
“Welcome back, Princess.”
His greeting wasn’t mocking, but pure and sincere. Eliana’s dark eyes fluttered.
Old memories resurfaced.
The boy with black hair like the night sky and eyes shining like amber.
The familiar hand that often ruffled her hair.
Eliana smiled softly.
“You haven’t changed, Duke.”
“Really?”
Richard raised an eyebrow.
“But you’ve changed a lot, Princess. You used to be so hot-tempered and stubborn, but you’ve become calmer with age. And most of all, you’ve lost weight. Your cheeks have hollowed out. It’s quite worrying.”
Just as the mood had started to warm, Richard killed it.
He lightly pinched her cheeks, which had lost their baby fat.
His earlier, gentlemanly demeanor collapsed in an instant.
‘You haven’t changed at all.’
Eliana pulled back from him, shaking his hand off, and corrected him.
“Ah, I must have been mistaken. I guess you’ve changed too, Duke.”
“Hmm? How have I changed?”
“Reverse aging.”
“Reverse… what?”
“Reverse aging.”
Eliana made a playful remark, smiling brightly.
Maybe it was because of what had happened earlier, but she didn’t want to lose out to this sly man.
“Hah—! Ha ha, I see. Maybe so.”
Richard laughed heartily, shaking his shoulders.
His laughter was genuine, but for some reason, it felt like a mask.
The loneliness he had shown when leaving the mansion resurfaced in his demeanor.
“Why are you laughing so much?”
Eliana asked, hesitating.
It was a question about what was so funny, but also about why he wore such a sad smile.
Richard, perhaps not understanding the full weight of her question, waved his hand dismissively.
“Sorry if I upset you. You’re the first to ever say something like that to me. Reverse aging? It’s not wrong.”
Richard wiped away the tears from laughing so much.
“I wish everyone could be as honest as you.”
His low murmur scattered into the air.
The candle flickered, casting shadows.
The amber eyes, shimmering like the sun, seemed almost teary, and Eliana swallowed.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Eliana bowed her head.
“Hmm? No, don’t apologize. Why apologize for something said in jest?”
“But…”
In that brief moment, Richard’s bitter expression pierced her thoughts.
The heavy atmosphere lingered, and Richard awkwardly scratched his head.
Then, his eyes lit up as if an idea had come to him.
“Princess, if you’re really sorry, you can guide me to my room.”
Richard’s tone was light, but his eyes held a mischievous glint.
Eliana hesitated for a moment, considering his request. The atmosphere between them had shifted again, becoming slightly more intimate, despite their banter.
With a soft sigh, Eliana finally gave in.
“I suppose I can do that,” she replied, her voice laced with a touch of reluctance.
She turned and began to lead the way. The soft glow of the lantern in her hand illuminated the hallway, casting gentle shadows along the walls. Richard followed behind her, his footsteps light but purposeful.
As they walked, the silence between them was filled with an unspoken understanding, each of them feeling the weight of the night’s strange turns.
When they reached her room, Eliana turned to face him.
“Here we are,” she said softly, holding the door open.
Richard paused for a moment, looking at her with a wry smile.
“Thank you, Princess.”
Eliana nodded, her gaze briefly meeting his before she turned away, a sense of unease creeping in.
It was as though their interaction had moved beyond simple politeness, and now, standing at the door of her room, there was an awkwardness neither of them could shake off.
Richard stepped forward, entering the room with a calm demeanor. But as he crossed the threshold, he paused, turning back to Eliana.
“I really do appreciate your kindness tonight. And, in case it wasn’t clear, I wasn’t being serious about the pancakes.”
Eliana frowned slightly but then smiled, the tension dissipating a little.
“I know,” she replied, her voice softening.
She stepped back, allowing him space to settle.
“I’ll leave you to it, then.”
But before she could turn away, Richard spoke again, his tone more serious now.
“One last thing, Princess.”
Eliana stopped, turning back to face him.
“Yes?”
“You don’t have to always act so distant with me.”
His words caught her off guard.
Her heart skipped a beat, but she quickly masked it with a neutral expression.
“I—”
He held up a hand, cutting her off gently.
“I’m not asking for anything, Eliana. But we’ve known each other long enough for you to stop putting up walls. I can see right through them.”
The air seemed to thicken between them, and for a moment, Eliana struggled to find her words.
But instead of replying immediately, she nodded stiffly and offered a polite, “Goodnight, Richard.”
Without waiting for a response, she stepped back, closing the door softly behind her.
Her back pressed against the door as she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
On the other side of the door, Richard remained still for a moment, his hand resting on the doorframe. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something that Eliana couldn’t quite place.
The next day, Eliana awoke early, the events of the night lingering in her mind like a hazy dream.
Her body ached from the strange tension that had built between her and Richard.
She quickly pushed the thoughts away, focusing instead on the tasks of the day ahead. There would be no time to dwell on feelings she couldn’t afford to entertain.
She dressed swiftly, preparing for the fitting, the events of the previous night now locked away in the recesses of her mind.
But as she stepped into the main hall, she found herself thinking of Richard again. She couldn’t deny the subtle shift in her feelings, the quiet longing she hadn’t expected to find in him.
Perhaps, she thought, it wasn’t just about pancakes or casual conversation.
It was something more—something neither of them had fully acknowledged yet.
