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Chapter 24
I continued speaking as if it were nothing.
“They both passed away.”
My real parents had died when I was young. Around the time I graduated middle school, probably.
It was a traffic accident.
I had stayed home alone because of school exams that day, while my parents had gone down to visit my maternal relatives and were on their way back.
While driving back to Seoul, their car collided with one driven by unlicensed middle schoolers. I heard the car rolled over one and a half times.
And when I rushed to the scene, what greeted me were my classmates who had gotten out of school early because of exams and excitedly run outside.
“…Though honestly, I barely remember it now.”
What was the point of dwelling on it? The accident had already happened, and I wasn’t even in that world anymore.
It was old enough now that I could talk about it without feeling anything.
“…What about other family members?”
“I don’t have any. I wasn’t particularly close with my relatives either, so I just lived alone ever since.”
Living alone wasn’t bad.
I wasn’t the type to get lonely in the first place, and even if they weren’t family, I’d met good people several times throughout my life.
Suddenly sensing a strange gaze, I lifted my eyes.
Red eyes were staring straight at me.
“…?”
His lips moved slightly, as if he were trying to organize his thoughts. It looked like he was searching for the right words.
…What was wrong with him now?
After a moment of silence, Rakiel carefully opened his mouth.
“During the war, the place that suffered the most damage was… no, never mind. I shouldn’t ask.”
“…The war?”
Why stop halfway through?
My hood kept slipping down, so I irritably adjusted it.
He glanced at me, then became flustered again, repeatedly lifting and lowering his glass of water.
“…Perhaps the reason you cover your face is…”
“Yes?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
He panicked visibly, waving his hands around awkwardly.
Seriously, what was his problem?
Because Rakiel kept acting strangely embarrassed, the atmosphere quickly turned awkward.
The one who finally broke the heavy silence was the waiter approaching with dessert.
“To finish today’s course meal, we’ve prepared lemon sorbet. It’s made with lemons from Rantzhuht and has a refreshing flavor perfect for cleansing the palate.”
He placed one sorbet in front of me and another before Rakiel, then handed over the last dish remaining on the tray.
“And today, our chef has specially prepared madeleines as complimentary service.”
“Complimentary service?”
Rakiel repeated the words.
The waiter nodded brightly and turned toward me.
“By any chance, are you Miss Eve?”
“…I am.”
“Ah, I’m not sure if you remember me. You once helped bring my daughter home after she got lost…”
Ah, here we go again.
I waved my hand dismissively, already tired of this. But somehow, the waiter interpreted it differently and broke into a wide smile.
“You always waved it off as though it were nothing, even when everyone thanked you.”
What was he talking about?
Slightly flustered, I slowly lowered my hand.
It had to be because my veil hid my expression.
“When we told the chef that Miss Eve had visited, he was overjoyed. I heard you once found his son’s lost ring? Apparently it was a keepsake left by his mother.”
…Who was that again?
“He wanted to greet you personally, but worried it might burden you, so he prepared this small service instead. We hope you enjoy your meal comfortably until the very end.”
“No, you really didn’t have to go this far…”
“And he also asked me to give his regards to Your Highness.”
Rakiel lifted one hand lightly toward the waiter, who bowed.
“Tell him I’m the grateful one. His food is always excellent.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After the waiter left, I stared blankly at the madeleine placed before me.
It smelled fragrant and looked delicious. Even at a glance, it was obvious how much care had gone into baking it.
“There’s no one more blunt than the chef of this restaurant… surprising.”
“…I didn’t do any of it intentionally.”
“You’re always rushing around so busily. Still, it’s fascinating how everyone recognizes you.”
Tell me about it.
“It’s probably your atmosphere.”
“Atmosphere?”
I widened my eyes at his words.
Resting an elbow lightly on the table, he continued speaking with a faint curve on his lips.
“There are things people can’t hide no matter how much they cover their face. The way they speak, for example.”
So it really couldn’t be helped, huh?
Before and after disguising myself might be one thing, but if I kept using the same disguise, even with the perception-lowering effect, there would naturally be limits.
Especially for someone like Rakiel, who met and talked with me often.
‘I should find a way to level up this title soon.’
Such a weak effect might get me exposed someday. Though, to be fair, hiding my “true identity” itself seemed to be going fairly well…
‘At this rate, the whole capital is going to hear rumors.’
And if it ever became known that all of it was done by “Evelyn Rosenthal,” I had no idea what kind of backlash I’d face.
‘Well, as long as I don’t get caught…’
After all, Eve was just an alias, and I never planned on removing my hood. It was easier to think of Eve and Evelyn as entirely different people.
“Hmm, but.”
While I was eyeing the madeleine and swallowing unconsciously, Rakiel looked at me curiously.
“Now that you know I’m the Second Prince… shouldn’t something change?”
“…What exactly do you mean?”
I narrowed my eyes, unable to understand.
Rakiel raised one eyebrow, then let out a hollow laugh.
“What do I mean…?”
“What’s with that expression? Does being a prince suddenly change something?”
It wasn’t like I’d done anything disrespectful.
Well, aside from accidentally slamming my head into his chin… but let’s overlook that.
“What?”
Rakiel stared at me for a moment, then snorted softly.
Soon afterward, he burst into laughter so hard tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.
I stared at him blankly.
I hadn’t even made a joke, so why was he laughing like this? He seemed much easier to amuse than I’d expected.
No, more importantly, was it really okay to laugh this hard right in front of someone?
Only after a long while did he finally calm down. Still chuckling faintly, he spoke again.
“As expected, you’re still you. Right. You’re correct. Nothing changes. Even if I am a prince.”
“Why? You weren’t expecting me to suddenly get shocked and start acting all formal now, were you?”
“Of course not.”
Rakiel answered, amusement still lingering in his eyes.
“…You’re only the second person whose attitude didn’t change after learning I was a prince.”
“The second?”
Hmm, fewer than expected.
As someone who retained memories from the modern world, princes, nobles, and commoners were all just people to me. And no matter how many times I repeated my life, changing that mindset wasn’t easy.
‘To me, suddenly changing my attitude would feel more unnatural.’
But for people born and raised in this world, things would naturally be different.
“Yeah. I have an old friend like that.”
Rakiel suddenly cut himself off and closed his mouth.
I looked at him curiously but didn’t bother asking further.
Guess he had a friend from a different social class.
‘More importantly… this.’
I swallowed while staring at the madeleine in front of me.
I needed to eat it before it got cold.
After the satisfying meal ended, I rummaged through my clothes to pull out my coin pouch.
“…What are you doing?”
“Hm? Paying, obviously. Don’t tell me you were planning to dine and dash just because you’re a prince?”
Rakiel chuckled again.
“Ah, you really are entertaining.”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Not at all.”
He shrugged.
“I’m always sincere.”
Just as I turned away with a huff and finally pulled out my pouch, he pushed my hand back down.
“…?”
“I told you earlier that I reserved the whole place. I already paid, so there’s no need for you to.”
“What? But you told me to buy you food. What kind of—”
—idiotic situation is this?
If I’d known I wouldn’t have to pay, I wouldn’t even have come. I had plenty of other things to do!
“Did you really think I’d seriously ask you to buy me a meal at this restaurant? No matter how thoughtless I may be, I’m not that stupid.”
“But—”
“I’m still a prince. How could I make the person dining with me pay? Especially a maid.”
“….”
I opened and closed my mouth in disbelief.
“Think of it as payment for the entertaining conversation. When I’m with you, my mind clears.”
“…Are you serious?”
“I told you, I’m always serious.”
I studied his shameless expression carefully, but there wasn’t even the slightest trace of deceit.
‘Well, works out great for me.’
Did he think I was poor? Or was he acting like this because he’d taken two of my silver coins last time?
My thoughts became complicated for a moment, but I quickly brushed them aside.
There was no point thinking about it any further anyway.
