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CHAPTER 55

“Delphine, you’ve always been so positive. You see the good in everything, and when it comes to people, you always notice their good points first.”

“Ah… was I like that…?”

What the heck! This peach of a man! Talking to him makes me feel so good! He’s like a sly little fox!

I grinned like an idiot as I looked at Edward. Even though he must be so used to all these places, he still took the time to show them to me, and I was thankful.

“And finally, we haven’t been to the most important place yet.”

“The most important place?”

Edward’s eyes sparkled like a baby seal’s as he looked at me.

“Delphine, where do you think the most important place in this castle is?”

“The most important place…”

A bunch of places popped into my head.

If it’s the most important… of course…

The bathroom?

But there’s no way Edward would take me to the bathroom. That’d be way too weird!

Then… where? The most important place in the castle…

Ah!

“The kitchen!”

“That’s right, Delphine. Let’s go see the kitchen.”

“Okay!”

I kept sneaking glances at Edward as we walked. He noticed and asked,

“What is it, Delphine?”

“Oh, I just think it’s funny. That you’d call the kitchen the most important place. You look and act exactly like a nobleman, so I didn’t think you’d care about a kitchen.”

“Really? I actually go there pretty often. I’m friends with the kitchen staff, and I’ve even learned a few recipes from them. When I was studying theology to become a priest, I learned how important food is—and how important it is to share it.”

“Oh… right, you’re from a priestly family.”

I didn’t remember any of that, but I pretended I did and nodded.

“…Actually, Delphine…”

Edward trailed off, looking a bit shy.

“When we were at the academy… I liked you. I thought I was going to become a priest, so I never said anything, but I liked you.”

“…Huh?”

Wait… so Delphine’s first love was actually mutual?

That’s such a shame. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have needed to date Leo—they could’ve ended up together.

Edward lowered his gaze, his long lashes trembling slightly.

“At the time, my older brother hadn’t settled down yet, so everyone assumed I’d be the one to become a priest. I accepted it and prepared myself… but just when I’d let go of everything, my brother decided he wanted to become a priest instead.”

“…Ah.”

Edward’s green eyes looked sad, and the sadness made them shine even more vividly.

“I was actually going to confess to you then, even if it was late. But I heard you were already dating Leo. I thought it would only confuse you, so I stayed quiet.”

“I… see.”

“Delphine, maybe it’s a bit selfish for me to say this now, but the reason I’m telling you is because I want you to know how amazing you are. Back then, I was pretty popular, you know? But I only liked you.”

He gave me a playful smile, the sadness gone from his eyes.

I didn’t know how to respond to his sudden confession, so I awkwardly blurted out,

“What are you talking about, Edward? You look like you’d be super popular—good looks, nice personality, smart…”

I almost added “and a great body” but stopped myself. Even in his loose robe-like clothes, his broad shoulders and the firm muscles of his forearms were obvious.

Edward gave me that shy look again and asked,

“Delphine… if—just if—I still liked you… what would you do?”

“Me? You mean… like me?”

If he liked me, I’d be thrilled. But… my current situation bothered me. I’d been kicked out of House Plerin, after all. I didn’t want to lie to him.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but my situation’s not great. I’m not part of House Plerin anymore. I’m not a duke’s daughter.”

“….”

His expression froze instantly.

Ah, so this human peach’s flaw is that he’s a snob? That’s disappointing.

Seeing his face change in real time made me feel a bit let down.

Edward finally said,

“I already knew.”

“Oh… so the rumors have spread this far.”

Then why did he even invite me to the palace, if so many people knew?

I swallowed my questions and stayed quiet.

“But Delphine… it doesn’t matter to me. When I liked you back then, it wasn’t because you were a duke’s daughter. I liked you because you’re you.”

“…Ah.”

What! Finally! A man who likes Delphine for who she is!

Everyone, let’s celebrate—finally a real male lead!

I wanted to run around squealing. Finally, someone who likes her without any baggage—no ex-girlfriend obsession, no reclusive tendencies, no playboy habits!

But then… Leo, Frederic, and Tiago’s faces flashed through my mind.

“….”

Thinking about Frederic and Tiago made me feel weird. What was this feeling?

Edward asked in concern,

“Delphine, are you okay?”

“Ah… yeah. Just thinking. Let’s go see the kitchen now.”

“Okay!”

When we left the kitchen, I had two crème brûlées in my hands.

“Delphine, do you still like crème brûlée best?”

Edward asked with a smile as sweet and fresh as a lemon tart.

“Yeah! I can’t believe you remembered! Thanks.”

Suddenly, I felt bad that I didn’t remember him at all.

Seriously, why didn’t the original story use a guy like this? They should’ve just paired Leo with Charlier and let Delphine end up with Edward.

I sighed to myself.

“Thanks for today, Edward. I’ll head back to my room now—you probably have work to do, right?”

Edward nodded with a slightly disappointed look.

“Okay, see you!”

I waved and headed in the direction he’d told me.

Almost back at my room, I had a thought.

Ah… I’ve got two crème brûlées. Should I give one to Frederic?

Frederic’s room was on the same hallway as mine—and so were Charlier’s and Leo’s—so it’d be easy to stop by.

—Thunk, thunk.

With both hands full, I knocked on Frederic’s door with my elbow.

“….”

Frederic opened it slightly without a word.

Oh, it’s nice to see him here. You know that feeling when you see someone familiar in an unfamiliar place?

Smiling, I held up the crème brûlées for him to see, offering one with a “here, take it” look.

“Uh…”

He looked a little flustered. Before he could say anything, a familiar voice came from inside his room.

“Frederic, what’s going on?”

Charlier.

It was Charlier’s voice.

Oh, so they were together.

I suddenly felt like I was intruding. Frederic seemed awkward, not taking or refusing the dessert, just holding his hand out halfway.

“Frederic, what is it?”

Charlier’s voice was getting closer.

Should I just pretend I didn’t come? No. I didn’t do anything wrong, so why run away?

I stayed where I was.

“Oh, it’s Delphine.”

Charlier appeared, arms crossed, standing with a tilted head.

“Well, well. What’s this? Crème brûlée? How sweet of you.”

Something about her tone rubbed me the wrong way. She sounded polite and friendly, but underneath it was condescension—like she was talking to a servant.

Charlier moved closer to Frederic and looked up at him with big, innocent eyes.

Ugh… this is annoying.

Honestly, Charlier was gorgeous. Even I’d fall for her if she looked up at me like that.

Then she spoke, lips as red as cherries.

“Frederic, did you tell Delphine to bring you dessert?”

What was that supposed to mean? I snapped back,

“What? Told me to?”

“Oh~ sorry, sorry.”

She smiled like she wasn’t sorry at all.

“I just thought you might have. Since Delphine works at your place. Sorry, sorry. If he didn’t, my mistake!”

Her words were obviously rude, but Frederic said nothing—just stood there silently.

Then Charlier snatched the two crème brûlées from my hands.

“Anyway, thanks! How sweet of you—to bring dessert without being asked. Frederic, now I get why you hired her! Bye, Delphine.”

—Bang!

The door slammed in my face. I felt like I’d been slapped.

Looking at my now-empty hands, all I could feel was emptiness.

“…Seriously. What was that?”