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Chapter 4
The title I had worked so hard on was met with a completely dumbfounded expression from Kadelos.
“Contract marriage?”
Kadelos let out a short laugh.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a positive reaction.
“If it’s a contract, there must be conditions. What are they?”
“I-I’m an alchemist. I came to lift Your Highness’s curse. I’ll give you one potion a week that I’ve researched.”
I said, clenching both fists tightly.
But Kadelos didn’t react much.
“So it’s true… I really can do it…”
“You’re saying you’ll feed me unfinished experimental products?”
When I pouted and tried to emphasize again, Kadelos poked at something completely different.
His gaze felt like it was stabbing me, as if saying, “How dare you offer experimental products to the Crown Prince?”
What else am I supposed to do when I’m developing something that doesn’t even exist in this world…
I puffed my lips slightly in frustration, and he muttered:
“A rabbit.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It’s nothing.”
He didn’t explain.
Then he continued:
“Potion to weaken the curse… something like that doesn’t exist in this world. So we’ll have to experiment together.”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll make it. So please carefully consider my proposal.”
To change the subject quickly, I opened my notebook.
[1. Alicia Ferdinand (hereafter ‘Risha’) will lift the curse of Kadelos Ingram Azeldert (hereafter ‘Your Highness’).]
The moment he read the first line, Kadelos’s forehead creased sharply.
He immediately threw the notebook into the bushes.
“Ah! No! I worked so hard on that!”
I had even cut the paper myself and sewn it together because I didn’t know how to make a proper notebook!
I even decorated it with ribbons!
It was all to gain his favor!
“Ack… my knees…”
I groaned and went into the bushes to retrieve it.
It hurt so much I thought my bones would break.
This is bad… He looks like the kind of person who won’t trust anything.
Maybe because he was the cursed Crown Prince, his eyes were full of distrust.
No matter what I said, it probably wouldn’t work.
[⸜(ˊᗜˋ)⸝ : Did you forget about me~?]
Suddenly, a game-like window popped up in front of me.
It appeared irregularly every day.
[Today’s advice: A kiss will leave a strong impression and boost your romance luck!]
“…Excuse me?”
If I did something like that, I’d probably get arrested for disrespect.
Just imagining Kadelos’s cold face made the advice feel like a death sentence.
Still…
This advice has always worked before…
It had helped me every time so far, in one way or another.
But still… even monkeys fall from trees. Maybe today was that day.
While I hesitated, clutching the notebook, I suddenly felt a tap on my back.
“Hey… you’re not crying, are you?”
It was Kadelos.
I slowly turned around and looked up at him.
He examined my face carefully, then sighed.
“…So you weren’t crying.”
“…Did you come because you thought I was crying?”
I asked, eyes sparkling.
I didn’t expect him to care at all.
He shrugged.
“As long as you’re not crying.”
Then he turned away again.
I quickly followed him.
“Can you please read my notebook again? Please? Please?”
Kadelos jumped back onto the window frame and sat there.
After I kept begging, he reluctantly held out his hand.
If I just keep whining, he actually listens… should I just go for it?
I stared seriously at his cheek as he read.
Should I just kiss him and say it was a bug or something?
But there were knights around.
If I messed up, I might get executed for insulting royalty.
“Risha will provide one potion a week…”
“At first, I’ll focus on reducing the pain of the curse. Fully breaking it is difficult right now.”
“Is it even possible?”
“I’m quite capable. Please trust my skills.”
I smiled brightly.
What can you do if I say I’m capable?
“This contract ends when Risha becomes an adult… what does that mean?”
“It means exactly that. If it doesn’t work even after eight years, it would be too exhausting for both sides, so we won’t proceed with the full royal ceremony.”
Kadelos frowned slightly.
He didn’t seem pleased.
I smiled even more brightly.
“But if you fall in love with someone else, you can marry them. Isn’t that good?”
“…Why are you trying to become my bride?”
He looked at me suspiciously.
Oh no—did he misunderstand me?
“I’m still young, so managing the family alone is hard. I need a reliable person until adulthood.”
I wasn’t going to cling to him.
I smiled innocently to make that clear.
“In return, Your Highness gets a genius alchemist, attempts at curing the curse, stability, and a convenient break later. It’s a win-win.”
No matter how I looked at it, it was a perfect deal.
If he wasn’t stupid, he should accept it.
But instead of agreeing, Kadelos sighed and waved his hand.
“Go back.”
Huh?
No answer?
“No, you have to respond to my proposal!”
“What?”
I grabbed his hand.
And—
“Ah—!”
We both lost balance.
We fell into the grass.
When I opened my eyes again—
His face was right in front of mine.
His red eyes were extremely close.
Our lips brushed.
“…Huh.”
Kadelos froze.
“What… are you doing?”
“I-I…”
I had planned to explain very logically why rejecting a proposal like that was rude.
But no words came out.
He quickly pulled away, looking flustered.
Why is he so panicked?
He looked genuinely shaken.
Then I realized something.
Has he never been this close to a girl before?
Well… I had never been close to anyone like that either in my past lives.
But I was too shocked to think properly.
Kadelos turned away quickly.
His ears were red.
Oh… he’s completely shaken.
I tapped his shoulder.
“Your Highness.”
He didn’t move.
When I stepped in front of him, I saw his ears were bright red.
“Your Highness?”
He covered his mouth.
Then I asked carefully:
“Was that your first kiss?”
He looked at me like I had said something unbelievable.
“I’ll take responsibility!”
“…What?”
“For stealing Your Highness’s purity! I’ll repay it with an engagement!”
Kadelos tried to speak but stopped.
He looked completely lost.
He’s only twelve… of course he can’t handle this.
I smiled confidently inside.
Even if he was strong and cold, he had no idea how to deal with someone like me.
“No… that was just an accident…”
“But I can’t leave it without compensation!”
I pretended to tear up and clasped my hands.
Kadelos looked more and more confused.
He’s the type who reacts to unpredictability.
Good.
I leaned closer.
“Luckily, it was my first time too. So we should take responsibility together, right?”
“Just… just go back.”
He held his head like it hurt.
I picked up the notebook he dropped and placed it gently back into his hand.
“Please take care of me, Your Highness.”
