【Chapter 31】
As the day gradually turned dark, the shop they entered, claiming it to be their last refuge, appeared to be much more spacious on the inside than it seemed from the outside.
‘It’s an illegal expansion magic.’
Since magic that expands the interior compromises the structural integrity of buildings, it was illegal. While Esadien was inspecting for any other violations, the trembling voice of an old woman flowed into his ears.
“So, you were watching this.”
Esadien, who hadn’t noticed any movement, was startled and turned his body around. The person who spoke to Esadien was an old woman with a hunched back and a height not even reaching his chest.
She chuckled softly and handed him one of the glass bottles from the shelf. It wasn’t just this bottle that caught her attention, but the old woman’s words had an inexplicable power that made Esadien immediately take it and look at it closely.
“What is this made of?”
In the glass bottle, as clean as if it had just been wiped, there was a transparent liquid, resembling water. The old woman burst into cheerful laughter.
“Ask not what it is. It’s a love potion.”
“Love potion?”
“It’s a gift, so take it. If you drink one drop a day for a hundred days, love will come true. However…”
The old woman’s voice became earnestly low.
“Remember not to drink more than one drop, as there may be side effects.”
Esadien let out a small sigh. He had never trusted this kind of “potion” to begin with, but hearing such a warning made it even harder to believe.
How could they extract only one drop from such a wide opening? It was obvious that she was just adding unnecessary words as a precaution in case it had no effect.
“Thank you.”
However, Esadien wordlessly tucked it into his bosom. Seeing that she didn’t respond to the question of what it was made of, it was evident that she had put something suspicious inside.
“It’s also not here. It’s probably best to go back now.”
As they turned around, Lafesch, who had been waiting for Esadien, spoke with a completely drained expression and headed out of the shop first. However, contrary to the claim of it being empty, once again, Esadien witnessed another thing being tucked into her clothes.
With a slightly deepened suspicion, Esadien followed her slowly from behind, and the old woman greeted him.
“Farewell, young prince. It’s best to now focus on the future and not look back.”
“What…?”
He deliberately concealed his appearance, but how?
Surprised, Esadien turned around, but the old woman was nowhere to be seen.
The next day, Esadien swept through the magic market with his knights. It was to apprehend the shop owners who were discovered to be engaged in illegal activities when he looked back the day before.
However, in just one place, where he had received the ‘love potion,’ he had to give up and turn away.
“Your Highness, there is no building at your mentioned location.”
“What? There should be something here for sure….”
Frowning, Esadien shifted his steps, but he soon had to close his mouth. The small shop that seemed to have been forcibly squeezed between the buildings had disappeared without a trace. Only a vacant lot, overgrown with weeds as if something had been taken out during the night, remained there all alone.
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As soon as I arrived at the prince’s palace, I left Ramande inside the carriage and got out alone. However, to my surprise, the carriage had been pushed far back from where I usually alighted.
‘Our coachman is always a master of parking, never leaving even an inch of difference, but….’
What’s going on?
“What’s going on?”
“Huh?”
As the words I had thought of echoed in my ears, I was startled, and my foot which had been tapping the ground in confusion, slipped for a moment.
‘Ah! I’m falling!’
Prepared for the impact that would follow, I tightly shut my eyes, but in that instant, I was embraced by a familiar scent and firmly held in strong arms.
“Minuelle.”
Ah, this scent.This warmth. This voice.
“Esadien……!”
It was truly overwhelming, even to myself, how much I enjoyed it. As if all the sadness and tears I had felt until now were lies, my heart was suddenly relieved.
‘So, the saying that loving someone more is a disadvantage meant this.’
I thought that while tightly embracing the strong back.
“I missed you so much.”
As the words came to an end, our bodies, which were in close proximity, grew warm, almost frighteningly so.
‘Human bodies aren’t like button-type heat packs, and even if it’s late summer, can they suddenly become this warm?’
I raised my head, wondering if there was any pain somewhere. However, Esadien was standing, his face barely visible, as the shadows were cast due to the brightly lit surroundings.
“The sun has set. Coming at this hour, there must be something important.”
“I was worried, so I came. Earlier….”
As I recounted what had happened in front of the magic school, Esadien pulled me away and spoke with a slightly angry voice.
“But why did you come here instead of going home?”
“Why? Would you just go home if the situation were reversed?”
“That’s… “
“By the way, that’s not the right answer. Yes, it’s not. If the opposite situation happens, make sure to come to the Grand Duchess’s place. It would be better than facing it alone at the palace.”
“Minuelle.”
We gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment.
“Please promise me.”
“…..I will.”
Although there were no special expressions, I could feel that Esadien was grateful for my words. With that, the atmosphere became more tender. It was almost a shame to break this moment.
‘Should I just be satisfied with this and go back?’
Although such a thought briefly crossed my mind, I knew I would regret it if I did that. I firmly made up my mind and opened my mouth again.
“By the way, all the servants in the palace seem to have been replaced.”
“The original ones are staying at their own homes.”
“What? What did they do wrong to…?”
They were kind people, and there had been no apparent issues between them and Esadien. But suddenly being dismissed from service? Esadien hesitated, but unable to withstand my prodding, he eventually spoke up.
“Well, there was an issue where poison was found in the guests’ food.”
“Poison? Esadien, you didn’t eat any, did you?”
Esadien wiped his face and gently took my trembling hand, then he smiled faintly.
“I’m fine. The servants are fine too. It seems the guests experienced some stomach discomfort, nothing more.”
‘So, that’s why they were simply dismissed from service.’
If it were really poison, they would have been severely punished for neglecting the safety of the nobility. However, as a sigh of relief passed, another point caught my attention.
Considering that the guests at the palace are either me or Theodore, and I haven’t met Esadien, and Theodore has left Roquette, then in other words, those “guests” must be…
“She’s Lady Celeste, right?”
“….yes.”
You don’t even have the intention of denying it.
“Have you been constantly with Lady Celeste lately? What’s going on?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Is it because of the mission you received from the Crown Princess?”
“Yes.”
Ha, I burst into laughter, feeling overwhelmed and surprised.
“The Crown Princess said he didn’t assign you anything.”
“Did you personally confirm that with the Crown Princess?”
Esadien released the hand he had been holding and stepped back, his expression like ice, unlike anything I had seen before.
‘What’s wrong? Are you angry now? Don’t you believe my words?’
The person who farts gets angry*! Don’t lie about it!
[*To get angry at others even if one did something wrong; He blames his own mistakes on others.]
“I just happened to overhear it while I was going with my sister.”
As Esadien moved away, I closed the distance again, but he retreated even further. It felt like every step I took forward, he took two steps back, repeating this behavior a couple of times, as if a lid was being lifted.
Are you kidding me?
“What’s going on? You said that even if there’s no affection, there should be trust. I don’t like you being with Lady Celeste!”
As soon as I shouted, a soft and lovely voice followed, as if waiting for the right moment.
“Your Highness, are you still here?”
Lafesch was sticking her head out of the window of Esadien’s carriage.
“…..”
A moment of silence passed.
As I took a few steps back, I finally noticed Esadien’s attire. It was too plain for someone of his rank, almost as if he was trying to hide his identity while wandering around incognito.
….Like the day we went to the lake.
The reason our carriage couldn’t park in its usual spot was because of Esadien’s carriage, which was already there.
“Oh my.”
Lafesch apologized with a somewhat flustered voice.
“I didn’t know that Minuelle was there. I’m sorry!”
Of course, I didn’t need Lafesch’s apology. Neither Esadien nor I paid any attention to Lafesch. Sensing the atmosphere, Lafesch quickly withdrew her head back into the carriage, just like when she revealed her presence before.
“Ugh.”
As the heat rose, everything seemed to spin in front of me. There was a sharp metallic smell in the air, and it felt like my nostrils were tingling with a bitter scent.
‘This darn heatstroke, seriously!’
“Haa.”
It was bitter. I touched my forehead and made a suggestion.
“Our knights will accompany Lady Celeste, so please don’t go with her, Your Highness.”
“You, are you ordering me right now?”
Esadien’s voice sank even lower. The more my emotions rose, the colder Esadien seemed to become in contrast.
“Does it sound like an order to not be with another woman while you have a fiancée?”
As I spat out those words, my head was swirling with the impulse to grab something and throw it away. At the same time, there was a reckless sense of not caring about the consequences.
“It seems that lately, all I see from you is anger toward me.”
It was a regrettable and hurtful remark.
‘Did you give me a chance to show my smile?’
Pushing you away and hiding your feelings all the time. I couldn’t help but feel my gaze becoming sharp.
“It seems that Your Highness only shows me the side of you that hides something.”
In front of me, Esadien, who used to be shy and anxious, felt like he had gone to a distant country across the sea.
“Is there nothing you are hiding from me?”
That question.
It felt like a flickering flame reigniting the already blazing fire in my fervent heart. Like fire spreading in a dry winter mountain, my fingertips and even my tears became incredibly hot.
My voice naturally rose.
“What do I have to hide? I’ve shown everything! Since the first time we met! Everything!”
I said I liked you.
I said I loved you, and asked you to come to me.
I showed you everything, yet why did it end up like this? Does Esadien doubt me?
With these doubts, the palm hidden under the thin glove felt like it was burning hot. As my tightly clenched hand loosened, Esadien’s blue gaze also shifted downwards.
“It’s a glove I gave you as a gift.”
“…yes.”
Even feeling reluctant to take off the gloves that Esadien had given me felt foolish.
“Will you take it off?”
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I’ve picked up another novel, feel free to check it here!
I Became a Prison Officer of the First-Class Prisoners
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Drama
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Thank you for reading!
