Chapter 23
“Isn’t that obvious? She’s been with the Prince outside the palace for a long time. Do you think she wouldn’t notice, no matter how much you hide your voice and face with a mask?”
She didn’t notice.
Dante could barely get the words out of his mouth.
Rationally, Reuter was right.
But I had no desire to follow his words.
“Wait for now. I won’t call the Princess for a while. It’s not that urgent to send Letier back.”
“It’s urgent!”
“It’s because she has a use.”
“Use?”
Reuter asked, narrowing his eyebrows.
This time he looked like he was trying to figure out what he was going to say again.
“Letier is very knowledgeable about raw materials, and in yesterday’s case, he recognized the poison that knocked out the victim right away.”
“… Is that true?”
“Yes. Unlike a young girl who grew up with dignity, she already knew things like Nixie’s blood and Litufis flowers. If you keep her by your side, it will be useful.”
“…….”
Reuter lowered his eyes to the floor, as if trying to organize his thoughts for a moment.
She is a Princess who is good at raw materials…
“… I understand for now.”
“Yes. If you’re done talking, you can leave.”
“But I have a condition.”
“What else?”
Dante frowned, glancing up at Reuter with a look of boredom.
Reuter pretended not to see the Prince’s terrifying gaze and opened his mouth.
“In future meetings between the two of you, please make sure you have me accompany you.”
“What?”
“And don’t talk too much with the princess. If you have anything long to say, go through me.”
“What do you mean…”
“If it can be answered with a yes or no, use a nod instead of saying it directly.”
Dante tilted his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows.
He didn’t like any of what Reuter was suggesting.
“If you can’t promise me, I’ll send the Princess back to the Dukedom right now. The right to make personnel decisions related to the treatment of the Prince is the role that His Majesty has given me.”
At Reuter’s firm words, Dante straightened up, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms.
It was clear that the offer had come with strings attached.
He looked at Reuter with a very unpleasant expression.
Reuter couldn’t bear to meet his eyes and turned his gaze to the right.
“… Do whatever you feel like.”
Eventually, permission was granted with a small sigh, and Reuter let out a sigh of relief and bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
*****
“Today too?”
Lucy asked, her voice desperate.
She turned to see Reuter standing in the doorway, nodding with a grimace.
“Yes, it happened. I’m sorry about this…”
“… I understand for now.”
Lucy closed the door and returned with her shoulders drooping.
“Princess….”
“Lucy, we are not coming today?”
“Yeah…”
Lucy let her words hang in the air.
Since the last treatment last time, it had already been ten days since she hadn’t seen the Prince.
Prince Dante was always coming up with new excuses, why he was so overwhelmed with work, and why he hadn’t seen Letier.
“If that’s the case, why did you invite her here, if you’re not going to see her for ten days!”
Lucy sighed and moved on.
“He must be very busy.”
“No matter how busy he is, it’s not like the treatment takes that long!”
“I should have asked Mr. Roizen if the Prince’s condition had improved.”
“If he comes tomorrow, I will ask him.”
Letier picked up her teacup and fiddled with it in silence.
It seemed like a long time ago, when she applied cream on him in the garden behind the Prince’s private residence.
I thought we were getting a little closer…
Letier, who was lost in thought for a moment, immediately got up from the sofa.
Lucy, who was sitting on the other side grunting, raised her head.
“Princess! Would you like to go to the lab?”
“Yes, I will. The prince isn’t looking for me, so I’m going to do my work.”
“Then let me help you!”
Lucy quickly chased after Letier and said.
Lucy, who had quick hands, was a very good experimental assistant.
However, Lucy’s role was different today.
“No, Lucy has something to do for me today.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I need you to go to Simon’s store and pick up a colorant for me. I wrote him a letter, I’d go myself, but I’m afraid Ephron will get in trouble if I do.”
“Hmm… Is it for the Prince cream or for our new launch products?”
“Of course it’s our products!”
At Letier’s words, Lucy opened her wrinkled expression.
She showed her teeth and replied with a bright smile.
“Okay! I’ll be right back!”
After Lucy got ready and went out to the commercial district, Letier moved her body diligently.
It wasn’t the time to be like this.
As she walked to the laboratory in the Imperial palace, she planned the experiment she was supposed to do today.
‘There are still many experiments to be done. If it’s fortunate that the Prince doesn’t call me, then I might be lucky!’
Arriving at the lab with the most positive mindset, Letier walked straight to the messy lab table.
She picked up the beaker containing the essence she had made yesterday and stirred it with a glass thermometer to check the level.
Knock—
Just then, someone knocked on the lab door.
“This?”
At the low voice that came along with it, Letier, who had carefully looked into the beaker, turned his head.
A tall, slender man was entering the laboratory.
Sleek silver hair cascaded down his shoulders.
“Huh? Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Letier, who noticed him entering, jumped up from her seat.
Aiden gave her a gentle smile and urged her to rise.
“Ah, no need to be polite. I’m just an uninvited guest.”
“No! But what brings you here…?”
“I saw the Lady walking in the hallway and secretly followed. I was curious.”
He sounded sweet and brazen for someone who claimed to have followed her.
Stepping into the laboratory, Aiden slowly looked around.
He nodded his head up and down as if he were watching something interesting.
“Wow… When I came in, I was even more excited. So this is what it looks like.”
“Were you curious about my lab?”
“Yes. I was curious about what the first cosmetic laboratory in the Imperial palace looked like, and also I was curious about the researcher.”
Aiden moved closer to Letier’s lab bench.
He stood close to Letier and examined the white contents of the beaker she was looking at.
“Is this cosmetic?”
“Yes. It is a low viscosity formulation. You just apply it on your face after applying toner.”
“Haha, even if you tell me, I don’t know what it is. I just apply what the maids provide for me.”
Letier quickly scanned the face of Aiden, who was nearby.
It was clean skin without any blemishes.
The Imperial palace maids are working hard…
“Your Highness, if there is anything else you need, would you like me to make it for you?”
“Uh, is that possible? I would be grateful for anything you could make for me, Princess Letier.”
Aiden replied with a grin.
He fiddled with the container of raw materials on the bench, then turned to Letier.
“As long as it’s not poisoned.”
“Pardon?”
Aiden’s blue eyes looked straight at her.
Poison, what…?
At the absurd voice, Letier stared blankly at Aiden.
He continued to make eye contact with her, and burst into laughter.
“I’m just kidding, why are you so serious? I just remembered a book that Princess was interested in the last time we met.”
“Ah…?”
A red cover appeared in Letier’s head.
You mean human toxicology!
“Ah! I was surprised!”
“You must still be very uncomfortable with me to be so upset by what was only a lighthearted joke.”
“That’s not it…”
“I want to get along with Princess Letier.”
“With me?”
At Letier’s question, Aiden nodded.
His eyes widened, and his smile became quite gentle.
Letier quickly pieced together the information Lucy had told her before she left for the palace.
Your Highness Aiden, Prince Dante’s half-brother…
Since they were competing for the position of Crown Prince, the relationship between the two could not be objectively good.
Could it be that you are trying to get information about Prince Dante through me?
After thinking that far, Letier felt a little tired.
This is why I didn’t want to enter the Imperial palace.
It’s just disgusting to get caught up in a power struggle like this…
“It’s just like I remember you.”
“… Yes?”
Letier asked, surprised, wondering how he should reject the king if she were to receive a secret offer.
What did he mean by remembering me? What are you talking about all of a sudden?
“The last time I saw you in the library, I was so flustered that I walked right past you, but you haven’t changed.”
“What do you mean, not changed… have I met you before?”
“Ah… You don’t seem to remember.”
The innocent face quickly changed to a sullen expression.
Aiden lowered his long eyelashes and looked at the floor.
At his downcast attitude, Letier felt a shallow sense of guilt.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have a bad memory…”
“Well, it was so long ago that you probably don’t remember.”
“When is it?”
Letier asked again.
Aiden pondered for a moment with his head bowed to the side, then pulled back the corner of his mouth and replied with a grin.
“I don’t want to tell you.”
What the…?
In this case they’re brothers, they look so much alike!
Letier paid attention to the corner of her mouth that kept falling down to keep a straight face.
The people in the Imperial palace really, I couldn’t understand it easily.
“I’m the only one who remembers, I feel unfair for some reason.”
“Ah… I’m really sorry.”
“I’ll give you a hint instead.”
Aiden lowered his voice as he bent over Letier.
Letier nodded with a serious face.
“I… ”
Letier looked at Aiden’s lips and swallowed.
No matter what hints His Highness gave me, I had to receive them and answer them correctly.
“I really hate root tea.”
“Root tea?”
“Yes, I hate it very, very much.”
Aiden, who had finished speaking, was looking at Letier with eyes expecting something.
