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n“I’m honored to greet the Crown Prince, the Little Sun of the empire!”

nOrdering them to raise their heads with a cold voice, he jumped off the horse. The royal guards also got off the horses one by one, and I followed suit.

n“As I heard that you skipped lunch, I ordered my kitchen staff to prepare dinner a bit early. Would you like it right away? ”

n“Well, let me first beat the dust off.”

n“I see. I’ll escort you to the guest room first. ”

nThe quick-witted butler came quickly and bowed to him. I looked at him disappearing, escorted by the old butler.

n‘Oops!’ I couldn’t afford to idle away here. Parting with Carsein who seemed to be displeased for some reason, I headed to the kitchen. I could have asked him why, but I was too busy to do it now.

n“Chef?”

n“Oh, welcome, lady!”

n“I know you’re busy, but I stopped by to see how you preparations are going. Are the preparations for dinner going well?”

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n“Well, we are preparing dinner for three, namely you, the crown prince and Carsein Lars, plus a couple of more servings. Do you think it’s enough?”

n“Oh, that sounds good. You can prepare dinner for three of us.”

nAs most of the attendants who followed the crown emperor were royal guards, they were not eligible to attend the dinner. The deputy of his entourage could attend, but he was very busy arranging the royal guards’ seats. So, only the emperor, Carsein and I would have dinner together.

n“Got it, my lady. The menu is the same for all three, but let me bring some other dishes, wines and desserts as you directed.”

n“Good. You keep in mind the precautions well? ”

n“Of course. I’ve prepared grilled mushrooms instead of fish for the emperor. I made the mushrooms less salty. As for wine, I’ve prepared the Belotic red wine made in 900 by the imperial calendar and the white wine of Freia in 928 by the imperial calendar. You also instructed me to prepare fresh lemon tart that is not sweet. Correct?”

n“That’s right. It may not be easy, but since he is picky, please pay a little more attention. Make every effort to make the best food for the crown prince, but at the same time make sure you prepare good food for Carsein Lars, too. I trust your excellent skills, chef.”

n“Thank you, lady. I won’t let you down. ”

nI patted the middle-aged chef’s shoulder lightly as he replied loudly and left the kitchen.

nI looked for Carsein to talk about something for a moment, but he was already entering the dining room with the blue-haired young man.

n‘I think I have to ask him the reason later.’

nI sat on the crown prince’s right side in the upper seat, facing Carsein. In silence, we began to eat. Just like those who mastered perfect table manners, we were busy enjoying the food with nimble hands.

nAfter having appetizer and clear soup, the maids silently put down the plates. They served mushrooms instead of fish for the prince, and grilled fish for me and Carsein, based on our favorite taste. Looking down at the dishes in front of him, the prince paused for a moment.

n“What’s wrong, Your Majesty? Is there anything missing?”

n“… No, nothing, so you don’t have to worry about it. ”

n“Okay. How about you, Carsein? Do you like it?”

n“Well, I like it. Thanks.”

nCarsein, who was inadvertently talking down to me, looked embarrassed at the moment.

nLooking at him nonchalantly, the prince picked up the fork silently. A serving servant came over and poured a drink into each glass. He served white wine for the prince and Carsein, and simple fruit drinks for me.

nAfter enjoying a sour sorbet, the prince again looked at me with a mysterious expression.

n‘What else did I do wrong?’

nWhen I asked why, he replied again, “Nothing special.” Somehow, I felt heavy.

nWhy is he staring at him if there is nothing wrong or special?

nHis persistent gaze at me continued until the dessert came out. After glancing at the dessert placed in front of us, he looked back at me again. I slightly changed my posture to avoid his eyes as I was very uncomfortable. What the heck is he doing now?

nIn a strangely subdued atmosphere, I barely finished dinner and led him to the drawing room. Was it because I ate, conscious of his countenance? I placed my hand on my bloated stomach and signalled to the maid. She quickly bowed and left the room. Shortly afterwards, she came back and put a teapot, a teacup, and a small jar on the table.

nOne cup of chamomile and two cups of hibiscus. She prepared tea well as I instructed. I stirred light chamomile with a silver spoon and put it down in front of him. Then I pretended not to have noticed his persistent gaze and put a sugar cube into each teacup and gave it to Carsein.

n“Thank you,my lady.”

n“You’re welcome,” said Carsein with a gentle smile, pulling my mug. Only then did the prince take his eyes off of me and slowly lifted the mug. After sipping yellow tea, he said, “Carsein Lars.”

n“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said with a relaxed look, leaning on the chair, with his hands folded.

n“Thank you. I was worried a lot because my fiancee was alone in this estate. I feel relieved to know that a fencing strongman like you is here with her.”

nCarsein remained silent for a moment. There was a cold silence. With some uneasy feeling, I carefully put down the mug I was holding. When I tried to say something, the prince said first with a cold voice, “What’s the matter, Carsein Lars?”

n“…Oh, nothing, Your Majesty. ”

n“Hmm, really?” After looking at Carsein for a moment, he turned to me.

n“By the way, when are you going to return to the capital, my fiance?”

n“Your Majesty?” I was embarrassed for a moment by the way he spoke to me in an overly friendly manner. Why is he doing this? Normally, he would have rebuked me coldly when I didn’t reply, but he asked me again casually.

n“Well, when are you going to return? ”

n“Oh, I haven’t decided yet. Why are you asking, Your Majesty? ”

n“Because you’ve been away for a long time, I feel empty. And the emperor seems to want to see you a lot. ”

n“Your Majesty!” I was very embarrassed to hear that. Why is he doing this? Looking at me stuttering a bit, he reached out to the mug with a smile. He, who used to enjoy tea alone in the frozen atmosphere of the Imperial Palace, said as if he remembered something, “Carsein Lars!”

n“Yes, Your Majesty.”

n“I’m sorry to you, but I want to spend time with my fiance from now on because I haven’t seen her for a long time.”

nWhen he said that, my heart sank immediately. Although I was ready, I was scared when I thought that I would be left alone with him. When I stiffened and looked down at the teacup, he told Carsein, who was still hesitant, to get out by saying, “Is there anything else for you to say?”

nCarsein, sitting silently, stood up slowly. Although his shoulders seemed to shake when he bowed politely, I couldn’t afford to pay attention to it. I was stricken with a sense of fear.

n“You!” He uttered with a cold and low voice. I momentarily shivered and barely raised my head. Turning cold to me as usual, he looked at me, narrowing his eyes.

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n“Yes, Your Majesty.”

n“I really don’t understand. What about your contradictory attitude? ”

n“Well, what do you mean…”

n“How come you know what only a few know? Well, good. You can find it out with the intelligence power of the Monique family. Why are you so thoughtful towards me even as you’re avoiding me? Is it your nature? You are contradictory enough to tremble before me because you are scared. I don’t understand.”

n“Yeah? I don’t know what you mean…”

n“You still don’t know? Fish dishes, wine, desserts, and tea. ”

n‘Fish dishes, wine, dessert, and tea? What is he talking about?’ I found it out while I was reflecting on his question. I felt goosebumps at the moment.

n“Now you have realized what I mean.”

n“That was…”

n“Huh? What did you say?”

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