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Side Story chapter 03
‘…Still, St. Valentine’s Day should be okay, right?’
Wasn’t it one of those quintessential anniversaries that no couple could possibly ignore?
Traditionally, women gave men chocolate on St. Valentine’s Day, while men returned the gesture with gifts.
Amon, too, wanted to give Natalie something beautiful and extravagant—a tiara, earrings, necklace, or perhaps a ring that would suit her perfectly.
Better yet, he could give her a private villa where the two of them could spend some quiet time together.
In fact, he had already secretly had one built.
‘But she’d probably find something like that too burdensome.’
All right, then. Chocolate it was.
Amon made his decision with ease.
As he happily thought over Natalie’s preferences—everything from her taste in food and the fabrics she liked to wear to the weight of the jewelry she wore most often—he suddenly stopped.
‘What kind of chocolate should I give her?’
Since this would be their first anniversary as lovers, he wanted to give her the best gift possible.
Amon, who had been brimming with excitement, suddenly found himself faced with a serious dilemma.
The truth was, Natalie’s tastes weren’t particularly distinctive.
There weren’t many things she disliked, but there weren’t any things she was especially passionate about, either.
She wasn’t particularly picky, so almost any gift would probably suit her. But in a way, that made her preferences even more difficult to cater to. It meant he had to put in the most meticulous effort.
“Hmm.”
A serious look settled over Amon’s beautiful, flower-like face.
For a man who had never once found gifts or events difficult in his entire life, this was the first truly formidable challenge he had ever encountered.
“You’re back?”
Natalie greeted Amon when he returned after finishing his work for the day.
She had produced a mountain of failed attempts yet again and was feeling rather depressed, but she did her best to put on a bright expression.
Unfortunately, Amon could tell something was wrong just by looking at her face. He quickly approached her with a worried expression.
“Did something happen? You look tired.”
“Oh, no. I’m just sleepy.”
Natalie yawned and casually asked Amon as he placed a concerned hand against her forehead.
“Um… Amon, do you prefer things that are pretty, or things that are practical?”
“Hm?”
“I was just curious.”
She pretended it was a meaningless question, but in reality, Natalie was extremely anxious.
Amon’s answer would determine the fate of the chocolate she had made.
That was, assuming the lumpy, ragged, practically mauled mass in her possession could even be called chocolate.
‘Please say practical!’
It might not be pretty, but at least it was food, so it had some practical value!
Trying to advertise homemade chocolate by emphasizing its practicality was hardly romantic, but Natalie was dead serious.
There was no way she could make chocolates as beautifully shaped and delicious as the ones the maids made.
If Amon said he preferred pretty things, she was prepared to order something specially made from a professional boutique.
But if possible, she wanted to give him something she had made herself.
If she simply bought him chocolate, wouldn’t it look like she had put in far less effort than all the other women who would be giving their lovers dazzling handmade chocolates?
“Hmm. Aren’t practical things pretty in their own way?”
Amon answered gently.
His beautiful blue eyes curved into a soft smile as his soothing voice continued.
“Beauty is subjective, after all. If something is practical, I think it would be beautiful enough in my eyes.”
Oh, my goodness. That was the perfect answer.
“I’m touched.”
Natalie’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at Amon with fervent admiration.
Amon, having no idea what had prompted such a reaction, looked puzzled before letting out a small laugh.
“So you prefer practicality? You like simple clothes and jewelry rather than flashy things, too.”
“Yes. I do like pretty things, but I prefer something comfortable over something overly elaborate.”
Natalie answered casually, then subtly tested him again.
“Ahem. Then when it comes to food, the substance matters more than the appearance, right?”
Amon blinked slowly.
But when Natalie looked at him with shining, expectant eyes, he readily nodded.
Only then did Natalie relax and flop down onto the bed.
“I knew you’d say that, Amon.”
“If it’s something you like, then I like it too.”
Amon spoke sweetly as he gently smoothed Natalie’s disheveled hair.
Natalie smiled happily, feeling as though the heavy burden that had been weighing on her for the past few days had finally been lifted.
Perhaps because all the tension had left her body, she began rolling around on the bed and soon felt drowsy.
“Natalie. Then I suppose you prefer food made by a professional—that is, a chef—rather than something you make yourself?”
A gentle voice reached her as she rubbed her heavy eyelids.
Perhaps because she was sleepy, his voice sounded even softer than usual.
There was something strangely meaningful about his tone.
“Of course, right? A chef’s cooking tastes better, after all.”
“I see.”
Natalie answered without giving it much thought, then yawned and rested her head on the inside of Amon’s thigh.
She felt him twitch slightly, which made her let out a sleepy little giggle.
It was about time he got used to this kind of contact, yet Amon was still such an innocent man.
“How can His Majesty the Emperor be this innocent?”
She muttered half teasingly, half sincerely, and Amon burst into a fresh, bright laugh.
“Do I still seem that innocent?”
“I can read your reactions so easily. How am I supposed to feel comfortable letting you go anywhere on your own?”
“Hmm. Then if I act even more innocent than I do now, will you stay by my side all the time?”
“Stop teasing me.”
They giggled and continued their playful banter, while Amon casually slipped in a few more questions.
Every single one of them was about food.
Normally, he would have simply patted her gently until she fell asleep, but today he seemed oddly curious.
“Do you prefer fruit soaked in syrup, or fruit as it is? You seemed to like both before.”
“Just whichever tastes good.”
“What about nuts? Whole, or finely crushed into powder? Personally, I prefer the texture of whole nuts.”
“Whichever is easier to eat…”
Why were they suddenly talking about food?
It was strange, but Natalie was so sleepy that she answered as sincerely as she could despite her drooping eyelids.
And yet, there was only one thought occupying her mind.
‘I absolutely have to succeed with the chocolate tomorrow.’
Thanks to Amon saying he preferred practicality, she had been able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Her motivation blazed anew.
‘Let’s just give up on the appearance.’
If I focus entirely on the taste, I’ll succeed… right?
To cut straight to the conclusion, Natalie’s chocolate was a complete disaster.
Even if she were to overlook the questionable shape, the taste was… rather ambiguous.
Holding the lumpy mass that was nothing but overwhelmingly sweet, Natalie stared at it in despair before abruptly jumping to her feet.
‘Nope. I’m just going to buy some!’
St. Valentine’s Day was tomorrow, and there were barely six hours left.
Natalie brushed aside the maids who tried to comfort her, insisting that she should just try one more time, and hurried out of the imperial palace.
Unfortunately, since it was already the day before St. Valentine’s Day, all the famous dessert shops had already sold out of chocolate.
“No, I’m telling you, I need chocolate right now! I’ll pay you whatever you want, so just make some more!”
“I’m sorry. For the sake of maintaining the quality of our products, our shop only produces a limited quantity.”
“Seriously? What kind of shop is this?!”
People who had completely forgotten about St. Valentine’s Day and came rushing over at the last minute were pointing fingers and complaining.
Some even clung desperately to the employees.
“Please! If I can’t give my lover chocolate this year either, we’re going to have a huge fight!”
“Tsk, tsk. You should have reserved yours in advance like I did.”
“It’s the most important anniversary of the year. Why didn’t they prepare beforehand?”
Customers who had wisely reserved their chocolates in advance passed by, clicking their tongues.
Caught in the middle and suddenly receiving sympathetic looks from strangers, Natalie felt terribly wronged.
But if she stayed like this, she was going to end up giving Amon a demonic confection that merely happened to resemble chocolate.
Natalie quickly pulled herself together and began running from shop to shop.
‘There has to be somewhere with at least one box left!’
One shop, then two… then four…
But even after visiting ten dessert shops, she couldn’t find a single one that still had chocolate in stock.
“Haah… Should I just give up?”
Just as despair began to sink in, Natalie’s eyes widened.
She spotted the woman who had been tearfully pleading with an employee earlier, now walking away with a box of chocolates in her hands.
Natalie dashed toward her so quickly that her hood was nearly thrown off.
“Excuse me! Where did you buy that?!”
“Oh, aren’t you the person who was at Spring Shop earlier? Try the second shop on Block Two. I just bought mine there, and there was exactly one left.”
“Thank you!”
The woman, sensing their shared desperation, quickly gave her the directions.
Natalie raced toward the shop without even stopping to catch her breath.
“Huff… huff…”
It was almost midnight.
Ahead of her stood a slightly shabby shop with a polished wooden door, its craftsmanship giving off an unmistakable old-world charm.
And inside, displayed proudly on the counter, was a single box of chocolates.
The elderly shopkeeper yawned as he prepared to close for the night.
Just then—
Bang!
Natalie threw herself against the closing door and grabbed it with both hands.
“Wait!”
“Hold on!”
But at that very moment, another hand suddenly landed on top of hers, and their voices overlapped.
The sensation was strangely familiar.
So was the voice.
Natalie reflexively turned her head.
“Natalie?”
“Huh?”
Natalie’s mouth fell open.
Beneath her hood, which had slipped off sometime during her frantic run, her face was fully exposed.
And the blue eyes staring back at her had widened just as much.
“…Amon?”
