Letier stared at him blankly before slowly speaking.
“Then… what should we talk about?”
“Your story. Tell me your story, Letier.”
Dante took a few steps closer to her.
The sudden closeness startled her a little, but Letier tried hard to stay calm.
It wasn’t easy, though, thanks to the wine she had gulped down earlier.
“What kind of story?”
“Anything. Something from your childhood, something that happened while you were making cosmetics—anything is fine.”
“My childhood… Hmm… I don’t remember much, but I did live in the capital for a while when I was little.”
“Really?”
Dante raised his eyebrows, surprised, and Letier nodded.
“My mother was very sick. We moved to the capital so she could see doctors and go to a good hospital. I heard I even visited the palace once during that time, but honestly, I don’t remember any of it. It’s like that whole part of my memory was cut away with scissors.”
At her words, Dante’s expression subtly hardened.
Letier… at the palace?
Letier didn’t notice the change in his expression and kept talking.
“So I don’t have much to say about that… But I do remember things clearly from Lenever. I was apparently very unmotivated as a child. I rarely showed emotion, didn’t cry or fuss—just kind of stared blankly.”
“That still kind of sounds like you.”
“Sorry?”
“Nothing, go on.”
Dante brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder as he spoke.
The golden waves of her hair glowed beautifully in the light filtering in through the window.
Letier opened her mouth again, hyper-aware of his small gesture.
“But one day, I had a really long dream. There was a woman in it…”
“A woman?”
“Yes! A woman who lived in a very strange place. Somewhere that looked really different from here.”
As she spoke, Letier glanced at him and suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Dante was staring at her with a rather sunken gaze.
Was the alcohol getting to him now too? The corners of his eyes were tinged pink, and they drew her attention.
His gaze was… deeply intense.
It seemed like he hadn’t been listening to her for a while now.
“…”
Letier paused, unable to continue speaking, and bit her lower lip as the mood around them suddenly shifted.
An unfamiliar tension filled the air.
She clutched her skirt and nervously fidgeted with the lace trim.
She had no idea how to deal with something like this.
“Letier.”
Dante leaned in even closer.
Letier instinctively froze up.
He cupped both her cheeks with his hands and gently tilted her face up toward him.
“…”
Letier’s heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
His eyes were clearly focused on her lips.
She felt them go dry.
Dante stared at her in silence for a long moment, then finally opened his mouth with a pained expression.
“…Letier, should we stop here and head back?”
“Why?”
“I think I’m really drunk. I’m not thinking straight.”
Letier almost said she felt the same, but chose to stay quiet.
Looking into his dazed eyes, she could tell he had it worse than she did.
She licked her dry lips and slowly nodded.
Dante watched her, then let out a long sigh and gradually pulled away.
“I’ll take you back to the banquet hall.”
****
“Don’t push!”
“Huh? We’re only allowed to buy ten per person?”
“No, but I’ve been in line since earlier!”
Letier stood far away from the stall packed with people, watching the scene unfold.
The temporary cosmetics booth set up near the fountain in the capital’s shopping district to celebrate Foundation Day was packed with visitors from the morning, making it feel like a battlefield.
People stretched out their arms and jostled with one another, desperate to buy even one more product from Lenever Cosmetics.
“Just for today! The Foundation Day special set is only available today! Once we’re sold out, you won’t be able to buy it again!”
Letier spotted Lucy standing among the sales staff, cupping her hands and shouting loudly.
She smiled softly at the sight of Lucy, who seemed more excited than she’d been in a while.
Her enthusiastic yelling was kind of adorable.
Letier also watched the customers who had managed to buy something walking back into the streets, holding identical shopping bags in both hands.
Seeing their satisfied and happy faces made her feel something similar stir in her own heart.
‘Feels good…’
She hadn’t been able to focus on the cosmetics business for a while because she was busy treating the prince’s skin at the palace, but seeing the shop packed with customers again brought her real joy.
“My lady, at this rate, we’ll be sold out before the afternoon even starts!”
Efron, who had been carrying a large box from the back storage to the stall, stopped beside her and spoke.
“Right? I didn’t expect this much of a response. I should’ve prepared more.”
“Efron! Hurry up!”
Lucy, who was surrounded by people and handling the payments, shouted toward him.
Startled by her voice, Efron ran off with the box in his hands.
Lucy took the box from Efron and tipped it over, spilling the contents onto the stall in a rush.
People started swarming toward the newly restocked cosmetics.
Letier watched the chaos with both worry and happiness.
Are they going to get hurt like that…?
“It really is popular, huh. Seeing it with my own eyes is even more impressive.”
At that moment, a low voice came from the spot Efron had just vacated.
Turning toward the familiar voice, Letier saw Dante standing with his arms crossed and a relaxed expression.
“Your Highness?”
It felt strange to see him dressed so nicely and without covering his face in the shopping district.
Whenever she’d met him outside the palace, he always wore plain clothes…
And now his hair was neatly styled too?
Letier looked at him with an awkward expression, like she’d just run into a friend who suddenly showed up all dressed up.
“Is it okay for you to be out like this?”
“The shopping district is open to everyone.”
“That’s not what I meant… Now everyone knows what you look like! There are some noble ladies and high-ranking young misses around here…”
Dante glanced at the crowd gathered like clouds in front of the stall.
“They don’t seem to be paying much attention to me.”
Well, that was true…
“And even if they do notice me, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just look like someone dropping by to support the store of the healer who treated my skin with such care.”
Letier silently nodded.
“…”
A brief silence fell between them.
She couldn’t treat him as casually as before, with the memory of the Foundation Day banquet night fresh in her mind.
It seemed Dante felt the same.
They both stood, staring straight ahead, unable to easily speak to each other.
“Your Highness…”
“Letier.”
They spoke at the same time.
Startled, they both went quiet.
What is this…?
Letier quickly spoke again before their voices could overlap a second time.
“You go first.”
Dante let out a small sigh and pointed behind them.
“Shall we take a walk? That is, if you’re not too busy watching the store.”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
Letier was willing to do anything if it meant escaping the suffocating tension.
She turned around cheerfully.
“My lady! Where are you going?”
From behind, Efron—who had been helping organize the products—called out.
Not yet realizing who was beside her, he glanced over the man next to Letier, assuming it was Reuter.
That rude guy is still sticking around the lady…
Stopping what he was doing, Efron began to walk toward them to accompany Letier.
“I’ll go with—ugh.”
“Efron, stay put.”
Just then, Lucy, quick on the uptake, grabbed Efron and yanked him back.
She raised her hand and shouted,
“Have a nice walk! We’re busy with work here!”
“What? Lucy, you stay here. I’ll go with the lady.”
“Just be quiet! Go on already! Hurry!”
“Let go. My job isn’t to sell cosmetics, it’s to guard Lady Leti—mmph…”
Lucy clamped a hand over his mouth before he could finish.
Besides, the prince’s guards were probably hidden all over the city anyway—there was no need for Efron to tag along.
Lucy, thinking Efron would only get in the way, waved her hands at Letier to hurry her along.
“O-okay, I’ll be back.”
Letier nodded with an awkward smile.
She began walking with Dante through the shopping district, naturally making her way toward the central plaza.
Colorful balloons floated across the sky, and delicious smells from various food stalls filled the air.
Children were running around, laughing brightly.
“The Foundation Day festival is in full swing.”
“Yeah. The city’s buzzing with energy.”
“It’s amazing! The one in Lenever isn’t nearly this big.”
“Careful.”
At that moment, a young child came dashing recklessly toward them.
Seeing the child about to crash into Letier without even looking ahead, Dante stepped in and spoke.
“This place is pure chaos.”
The kid, chasing after friends and accidentally bumping into Dante, turned to look up.
He blinked at the expressionless Dante and Letier peeking out from behind him—then grinned, showing a gap where his front tooth was missing.
“It’s a princess! A princess!”
“What?”
“Hey, guys! There’s a princess and her servant over here!”
