EBUY 09

• CHAPTER  9……………………………………………………………………. –

Cheroyan stood frozen, eyes wide, after the sudden kiss. Melina smiled in satisfaction and took his hand, leading him along.

Following the savory scent tickling their noses, they soon saw a waffle shop.

“Yan, want to try that?”

At Melina’s question, as she pointed to the waffle shop, Cheroyan gave a small nod.

Round-shaped waffles were displayed in the window. Melina picked one, paid for it, and broke off a piece, putting it into her mouth.

The crisp texture instantly lifted her mood.

“Yan, try some too.”

She smiled brightly and held out a piece of waffle to him.

“It’s fine.”

He shook his head and leaned back.

“It’s not sweet at all. It’ll probably taste bland to you. Come on, say ah.”

Melina coaxed him gently, bringing the waffle closer to his mouth.

Reluctantly, he took a bite—and his expression turned puzzled.

“See? Not sweet, right? At first it tastes plain, but the more you chew, the more you notice the nutty flavor.”

This was a waffle commonly eaten by commoners. Because it didn’t use luxury ingredients like sugar or milk, the flavor was rather plain.

Even Melina had only learned of this type after becoming Berta.

The waffles she used to eat were rich and sweet, baked with chunks of sugar, butter, and caramel aroma.

At first, she thought this kind tasted like nothing at all—but the more she ate it, the more she came to enjoy its crisp texture and nutty flavor.

“I’ve never had something like this before. I thought all waffles were the same.”

No matter how unfortunate a prince he was called, and even if the current emperor distrusted him, he had been born a prince and was now a Grand Duke.

There would have been no reason for him to try commoners’ food.

“If you pay extra, they’ll even drizzle honey on it. Want to try?”

“No need. I don’t particularly enjoy sweets.”

“Really? I like sweets. Then I’ll have one more with honey. You should finish this one first.”

When Melina insisted again, Cheroyan hesitantly accepted the waffle.

After finishing her remaining piece, she turned to pick another one.

At that moment, Cheroyan gently grabbed her.

“Why?”

“I didn’t expect you to like waffles this much.”

Confused, Melina watched as Cheroyan lightly brushed the corner of her mouth. Then, without a care, he licked the crumbs from his finger.

Melina stared blankly at him. Her gaze lingered on his red lips that had just stolen the crumbs from her mouth.

Lost for a moment, she met his eyes—eyes that looked at her with amusement—and quickly turned away.

“C-cough. I’ll go get another one.”

She hurried back to the display counter, and Cheroyan let out a soft laugh behind her.

‘How long has it been since I decided I’d make him flustered?’

Melina covered her burning cheeks and lowered her head. But the flutter in her chest—the unfamiliar, unfamiliar excitement—didn’t feel bad.

Since Cheroyan rarely smiled, the sound of his laughter drew attention from passersby.

Naturally, curiosity also focused on Melina, who was with him.

After that, the two bought drinks and browsed shops, slowly strolling through the streets.

People’s gazes followed them persistently, but neither of them cared.

Instead, they sat on a bench in an open square, openly enjoying those stares.

“I don’t even know how long it’s been since I could walk around freely like this.”

Melina leaned back on the bench and tilted her head toward the sky.

Ever since she had become aware of the world, her father’s surveillance had always followed her, and after entering the imperial palace, her movements had been even more restricted.

Even now, there were still occasional glances, but nothing that imposed real constraints.

Rather, it felt like she was truly on a date.

“Your position is indeed special.”

Not knowing her circumstances, Cheroyan seemed to be thinking of her role as the leader of Temno.

“You haven’t really walked around like this either, have you?”

“No. I never had the leisure to stroll through the streets.”

The Grand Duchy in the northwest of the empire was a place where one could never let down their guard.

To the west, it bordered the Harshen Empire, and to the north lay the Tahan Mountain Range, home to monsters.

So it made sense that he had no leisure.

“And…”

He hesitated briefly.

“I was always alone.”

Cheroyan looked quietly at people walking with their families or lovers.

Melina followed his gaze and saw the loneliness and deep longing in his eyes.

Suddenly, she remembered a time when she had longed for family love—times when she had felt unbearably cold even while surrounded by them.

‘He must have been lonely too, like me.’

That thought made him feel a little closer. Perhaps that was why—

“From now on, let’s go out more often. There’s someone to go with now.”

The words slipped out before she realized it.

Even if this was a contractual marriage, it would be nice if they could become comfortable enough to share a drink during hard times, or talk when lonely.

Then maybe they would both feel less alone.

With that small hope, Melina smiled at the couples walking happily by.

“A person to go with, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve heard that.”

Cheroyan murmured quietly, as if savoring her words, then turned to look at her.

His eyes—once empty as he looked at passersby—now shimmered faintly like the Milky Way in the night sky.

“Where would you like to go today?”

Cheroyan asked Melina as they got into the carriage.

Today was their second date. Just like last time, he had come to pick her up at the inn where she was staying.

“I heard there’s a street with shops that sell unusual items.”

“You mean Zarde Street?”

“Yes, that one. I heard it’s like a small museum—there’s a lot to see.”

Melina’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Born and raised in the imperial capital, she had never had the chance to travel.

So recently, using dates with Cheroyan as an excuse, she had been quietly enjoying visiting new places, excited like a child.

Seeing her like that, he let out a faint laugh.

“Then let’s go there.”

After telling the coachman their destination, the carriage began to move.

When they arrived at the entrance of Zarde Street, a winding road stretched before them.

Unlike the central avenue, the road was narrow, lined tightly with small shops on both sides.

“Have you been here before?”

“Sometimes. There are many interesting things.”

Surprisingly, he seemed to be enjoying himself, so Melina stepped forward more comfortably.

“Let’s go in here.”

The shop she pointed to displayed prints and portraits.

“The interesting things are in other shops. This one only has paintings.”

At his reluctant tone, she hesitated for a moment—then mischief took over.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, making him flinch in surprise.

“There might be interesting paintings too. I’m curious, so come on in.”

Cheroyan had no choice but to follow her into the shop.

Inside were many prints—mostly ink impressions made by pressing ink onto engraved metal plates.

“Oh my.”

While browsing, Melina picked up one engraving and exclaimed in admiration.

It depicted her wedding ceremony with the crown prince in intricate detail.

Seeing her younger self brought a strange feeling.

Back then, she had been full of expectations for palace life… and for her husband, Mesed.

Bitterness lingered in her mouth.

“That must be from when the emperor was still crown prince. This place has many prints of historical events and the royal family.”

Looking around, as he said, important imperial events like coronations and royal weddings were depicted.

“Oh? Then there must be pictures of you too.”

“Don’t look for them.”

Cheroyan immediately frowned, looking troubled.

Only then did she understand why he had been reluctant to enter, and she suppressed a laugh.

“I’m even more curious now.”

As Melina searched enthusiastically for images of him, she heard a sigh behind her.

After rummaging through prints like a treasure hunt, she found images of a birthday banquet and parade.

“Wow, this really is from when you were young.”

Inside the picture was a small, chubby Cheroyan. Melina stroked the image with a fond smile.

“I’ll buy this.”

“Why would you buy something like that?”

“It’s you as a child. I’ve been curious, and I want to keep it.”

After a long tug-of-war, Cheroyan finally lost.

Melina, victorious, quickly secured the print.

“Oh, there are portraits of the royal family here too?”

In a corner of the shop, small portraits that could fit in one’s hand were displayed.

“If you’ve seen enough prints, let’s go. There are other places to see.”

He stood in front of the portrait section, looking oddly tense.

“I already saw your childhood self. Portraits are different from prints—they’re colored.”

“The real person is standing right here. Why look for a picture?”

“But I want to see your grown-up portrait. Move.”

As she pushed him slightly aside, he reluctantly stepped away.

Among the portraits were Cheroyan, the former emperor, the current empress dowager, and the late imperial consort.

Melina picked up every portrait of Cheroyan she could find. There were yearly portraits until age four, but very few afterward.

It seemed that after the incident when he was four—when he was burned—the emperor’s favor had been withdrawn and portraits were rarely made.

“Oh, look at this expression. So cute.”

Melina burst out laughing at one of his childhood portraits.

The child in the picture looked extremely tense. Another showed him trying hard to look stern in a way that didn’t suit him at all.

It was so adorable she wanted to pinch his plump cheeks.

Cheroyan watched her fondly admiring his childhood images with a strange expression.

“Enough. Let’s go.”

Melina looked at him interestingly as he urged her away in embarrassment.

Then she handed him a stack of portraits.

“I’m buying all of these.”

Cheroyan looked between her and the portraits in disbelief.

“What are you going to do with all that? There are already large portraits displayed in the palace.”

“But I can’t carry those around. I want to take them with me.”

At that, his expression changed oddly.

“You’re going to carry my portraits around?”

“You can’t see childhood again. So I want to keep it like this. You’re my husband now.”

At the words “my husband,” his eyes flickered briefly.

“Don’t stop me. If you won’t buy them for me, I’ll use my own money. You know I have plenty.”

“…Fine. I’ll buy them.”

Realizing she wouldn’t be stopped, Cheroyan sighed and went to pay.

While he did, Melina quietly slipped a small portrait from the display.

It was the Empress Melina—herself.

She wanted to keep it, since she would never see that version of herself again.

Her original self. The traces of her past life.

Because there might be no one else who would remember her if she didn’t.

Melina headed to the counter.

After leaving the print shop and browsing other stores, an unpleasant voice reached their ears.

“Hey, hand that over.”

“No! That’s what I earned today.”

“Where do you think you’re acting up? Hand it over now. If you’re making money in this area, you have to pay a fee.”

“There’s no such thing! That’s money for my mother’s medicine!”

“Look at this. Do you even know who we are?”

“Who are you?”

“Temno. Ever heard of it? Stop causing trouble.”

Thinking they were just thugs, Melina was about to walk past—but at the word “Temno,” she suddenly stopped in her tracks.