But it was impossible for him to be here.
‘There’s no way they found me.’
It was a ridiculous story. Even when I was in the mansion, I thought just in case, but I didn’t even see his shadow.
If you ask me if I regret it, the answer is no.
For her, everything associated with the imperial family was an object of hatred.
Riley glanced at Carver. Though he looked different, the way he acted was enough to remind her of him.
“Funny.
To think of him now, to find myself thinking of him, to have such unexpected expectations.
Carver’s ears perked up at the sound of familiarity.
‘I wonder if she recognizes me.’
For a moment, he held out hope that she might recognize him, even though he had changed his appearance.
“I don’t know, maybe I saw him in the paper?”
Carver’s heart sank at the dullness of Riley’s voice along with her expressionless face.
“Oh……..
What did he stupidly expect?
Carver locked eyes on Riley.
“I don’t think I’m great enough to be in the papers.”
He smiled weakly and looked away,
Apparently, she didn’t recognize him in disguise.
Ren giggled and began to stir.
“As expected, it’s better to come without disguising…”
Carver muttered and put his hand to his forehead. He didn’t like this encounter. He would explain everything when we met again.
Ren, who had been watching Carver with amusement, moved closer to Riley.
“Give it to me,” he said, “I can still do it.”
“She’s good at it.”
Ren took the string that Riley had been tying around and skillfully tied the ribbon.
“You did well with the delivery, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m always good.”
Ren was heading to drop off the package himself because Riley asked him to. He had to leave her alone to do it because she was worried it would be a disaster if it got damaged.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
Ren let out a short breath as he looked at Riley, who had stuck by his side and watched him wrap the package. Ren’s brow narrowed at the blatant stare from Carver, which he could feel.
‘I’m sure Riley will think it’s weird to see her so blatantly. That idiot…….’
Ren sneakily brought up a topic of interest to send her inside.
“Hey, Cetria, I got the gemstone you asked for.”
“Uh-huh.”
Riley didn’t hear Ren’s words. She wondered how he’d packaged it so nicely. She was amazed at his attention to detail several times a day.
“The real Ren is amazing.”
She spit out an admiring exclamation and stared at the gift as it was wrapped.
His sleeves were rolled up and his forearms were toned and defined, and she couldn’t believe he could tie a ribbon better than she could with his clumsy hands.
BAM!
A large hand rested on Riley’s head. Startled, she looked up.
“Go inside and take a quick look. If you don’t like it later, I won’t buy it for you again.”
Ren whirled her around before she could respond. Somehow, Riley had to go inside. She turned her head quickly to look at Carver.
She stared at him and Ren for a moment, then bowed slightly in greeting.
“You’ll love it! Goodbye. Oh, and come back again!”
Riley smiled and waved back, and Carver’s face contorted in an odd way.
“Thank goodness your face has improved.”
Carver was feeling anxious. He was wondering if she was staying with someone else like she did before, and he was afraid he would be late again.
Roughly drying his face, Carver’s head tilted downward. His mouth, which hadn’t fallen open, gingerly opened, and he asked Ren.
“Why did you hide it from me?”
“Because Riley doesn’t want it yet.”
“Ah…….”
At Ren’s words, Carver was relieved. He’d been afraid she didn’t want to come back for some other reason.
“By the way.”
Ren smiled, handing Carver a well-wrapped gift.
“I’ll have to think about sending it to you.”
Besides, Riley’s memory was incomplete right now. She’d signed a contract that forced her to erase anything to do with the child, leaving her with a gaping hole in her memory.
What she wanted to forget was the guilt and pain of what happened to her child.
Ren wasn’t sure why, but Riley seemed to have had some of her past erased from her mind as well. Maybe it was a side effect of the incomplete contract.
Perhaps even her reason for being here now was distorted.
“And… don’t be ridiculous. She has no memory right now.”
Carver’s mouth twitched at Ren’s words but was quickly shut by the sight of Riley outside.
Carver understood his words immediately. She couldn’t have forgotten the pain of losing her child, and Riley seemed too cheerful now.
Carver realized that Ren was right, and it was best not to speak to her now.
“I wonder if they erased the past.”
He felt a pang of pain in the pit of his stomach. He feared that even his existence had been erased from her memory.
Ren turned to Riley and asked in a soothing voice. She didn’t look away, not even to meet Carver’s intense gaze.
“You like it?”
“Nice gemstone, must have been pretty hard to find.”
Riley nodded and gave him an approving smile. When she turned her head to look at him, her gaze locked with Carver’s for a few seconds.
“Oh……. I see you haven’t gone yet. I hope you like it.
Riley’s gaze shifted to the gift in his hand.
“I’ll deliver the rest.”
Ren nodded toward Carver. Carver gave a quick bow and took a step away.
It was an inevitable retreat.
Click.
Ren’s eyes narrowed as Carver left the shop. Riley ignored his gaze as best she could and began to organize her prized jewelry.
“You, earlier.”
“Huh?”
Ren nagged. Riley rolled her eyes and tried to think of a way out.
“I told you to be careful.”
“……I didn’t.”
Ren turned Riley’s body toward him. Her mouth dropped open and she smiled awkwardly.
As she straightened her crooked scarf once more, Ren looked at her affectionately.
An incomplete contract, a sword that wants a contract again and again.
It was a call that would never go away.
But Ren wanted her to forget everything and be happy, if only for a little while. Even if it was only for a short time, he wanted her to have that smile on her face, just a little longer.
“If that bastard’s patience holds out.”
* * *
“Have you checked, Your Highness?”
“Oh, I saw it wrong.”
“Yes, sir, but what paper do you have in your hand?”
Harvan asked, staring at Carver’s hand.
At first glance, He could see the words “urgent”……
Harvan shook his head from side to side as a wave of anxiety washed over him.
‘No way, you didn’t take it from that store.’
Carver’s expression as he left the store was unusual, but Harvan thought it was just because he couldn’t find Reilly.
“Oh, this?”
Carver readily handed the paper to Harvan.
“So, I’ll have to wait and see.”
“What? What do you mean?”
His eyes shook in a panic and looked carefully at the paper.
[Suddenly in need of staff]
Don’t tell me. He can’t imagine anything these days.
Harvan smirked and crumpled the paper with his hands. He smiled brightly and shook his head vigorously as if he had not seen anything, looking at Carver with pure eyes.
“I’m not saying I’m going every day. It’s written there, isn’t it? I only need it in the morning, not all day.”
“Oh, you’re going to send an employee to check the situation, right?”
Harvan shrugged, smirking innocently.
“I’m going to work there, not anyone else, take care of the mess.”
“……No, I can’t. I can’t even die!”
He shook his head determinedly, his expression hardening. But then he glanced over to where Riley was and put his hand on Harban’s shoulder and patted him.
“It’s about time you got used to it, isn’t it?”
This crazy crown prince…
He choked up and squeezed his lips and cursed. If he does that, his throat may really go away.
Harvan sobbed and lowered his head. There would be a lot of work to do as soon as he returned. First, he would have to create a false identity to hide his crown prince status, and then what about reporting to the king?
“No, in some crazy country, a crown prince is doing odd jobs in a shop.”
His head was pounding and he felt like lying down.
“No way.”
He could never listen to this. he thought about lying on the floor and asking him to stomp on him.
‘No, he’s the one who’s really going to step on him.’
Troubled, he tried to think of another suggestion, but he knew he couldn’t win.
“If I reported to the king, I might be killed on the spot.”
“Then I will report to him.”
“Don’t you think that would be enough to get my head blown off?”
“It is necessary for the crown prince to experience the life of his people for himself.”
“his intentions are impure.”
It wasn’t as if he couldn’t see through Carver’s thoughts, no matter how much he wrapped them up. Even if it wasn’t Riley, the fact that he was willing to stand by and watch must have something to do with it.
“What is the condensed milk?”
“How dare you ask me, Harvan?”
Carver narrowed his eyes in a stern expression. It was an intimidating gesture, but Harvan had seen him since he was a child.
He knew it wouldn’t work.
“You can’t do that, no matter what.”
“Not the others. I don’t know Riley. Isn’t that fair enough?”
“No, it’s not reasonable.”
“And you know it wouldn’t do any good to come out like that.”
Carver was not one to change his mind once he had made up his mind, and the man who had brought him along was no different.
“You know that I do, too.”
“Harvan!”
“There’s no use in shouting, and you’re not going to start acting like a child, or trying to play some kind of prank on me, are you?”
Harvan did everything in his power to discourage Carver. The idea of a crown prince working as a staff member in a shop was unthinkable.
“If the people knew, the stature of the imperial family would be…….”
The goosebumps rose up not only on his whole body, but also made him shiver with chills. He even felt a chill in the air and wrapped his hands around his arms.
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