Chapter 83

When I turned my head, I saw a young lady from another table staring at me, her eyes filled with anticipation.

She even had her hands clasped together as if praying, pleading for me to accept it.

“…You can leave it.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

And that was just the beginning. All sorts of drinks and desserts started piling up on my table.

When the table was so full there was no more room, I heard a waiter apologizing to the other patrons.

“I’m sorry. As you can see, there’s no more space on the table. Even if you send it, the Princess won’t be able to finish it all.”

“Oh, what a shame. I should have ordered sooner.”

At this point, even the densest person would have noticed. The way people were looking at me had changed.

‘Just what is the reason for this?’

The atmosphere was completely different from when I’d been here a short while ago.

Back then, it was filled with fear and disgust; now, it was closer to fondness and admiration.

‘Did something happen while I was asleep?’

What in the world could have occurred to cause such a drastic change?

I looked around the table. The uneasy feeling of being caught in a trap quickly faded, and I swallowed hard.

‘It… it looks delicious.’

From among the colorful and extravagant desserts, I chose a slushie first. Its gradient, shifting from a deep sunset orange to yellow, was fantastic.

‘I should drink it before it melts.’

“Gasp! That’s the one I sent! The Princess chose mine first!”

“Oh my! Congratulations, my lady.”

“Ah, I should have sent a slushie, too.”

I half-listened to the chatter from the next table as I sipped through the straw.

‘Wow, this is amazing.’

The sweet and sour slushie filled my mouth. It was incredibly sweet, but the coldness made it feel refreshing.

Slurp, slurp. I finished it in one go and popped a whole pink macaron into my tingling mouth, chewing it.

“Mmm…”

The thick filling, slathered in syrup, grew sweeter the more I chewed.

After rinsing my sugary palate with iced black tea, I chose another dessert. A cheese egg tart and an apple-mango juice.

“Damn…”

The combination was so fantastic it was almost obscene.

I swallowed the curse I hadn’t managed to spit out and savored the soft tart.

The slightly salty cheese was exquisite. My eyes closed on their own.

“She seems to like tarts.”

“Indeed. Shall I order more?”

“There aren’t many left. Let’s not be greedy and hold back.”

As I steadily worked my way through the desserts and drinks people had sent, a shiver ran down my spine.

Closo’s bright smile came to mind.

“I was originally thinking of a 9:1 split…”

Honestly, as long as I could get Johan to join the guild, even taking just 10% wouldn’t have been a loss.

And yet, I’d compromised at 7:3.

Even then, Closo had been so delighted that I almost felt sorry.

“Saying I have a long way to go to match his business acumen… Ah, what am I to do with this adorable old man?”

For the sake of Closo’s mental well-being, I’d have to keep my willingness to go 9:1 a secret.

I chuckled to myself and pulled out a long biscuit stick that was stuck in a parfait, placing it between my lips.

Just as I was about to bite down, a large hand grasped my shoulder.

“Hm?”

The moment I looked up, someone in a robe bit the other end of the biscuit.

Red lips, puckered from holding the snack.

Before I could even identify the owner of those lips, the tips of our noses brushed. A cool, slightly bitter scent belatedly washed over me.

*Snap.* He bit off his piece of the biscuit and pulled back the hood he was wearing.

“Hello, Princess.”

“…”

Before I could answer, the area was thrown into an immediate uproar. Excited voices erupted from all directions.

“Aah! It’s Lord Dante!”

“Oh, my goodness! What is happening! I’ve hit the jackpot today!”

“I wonder why I felt like coming here today of all days. Haa… The Second Prince is as stunning as ever.”

‘I should have sat in the corner of the shop, right next to the bathroom…’

Of all places, I had to be sitting right in the middle of the outdoor tables—the easiest spot for all eyes to gather.

“Is it all right for you to be wandering around like this?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Dante sat down next to me without asking and casually took the parfait I’d been eating to have a taste.

‘Even my own Alex wouldn’t do something like this…’

I forced a smile.

“That’s mine, you know.”

“Is it tastier because it’s yours, my dear?”

“…”

“Oh my! Did you hear that? He called her ‘my dear’!”

“My… doesn’t his voice just drip with honey?”

“Look at that gaze. That’s the look of a man in love.”

‘A man in love, my foot.’

I shot Dante an annoyed look.

He had been staring at me with his chin propped on his hand, and when our eyes met, he gave me a gentle, smiling gaze.

‘Wow, what a method actor…’

I had no idea why he was putting on such a wholehearted performance in a place like this, but he really did look like a man in love.

‘If he’d been born in my past life, he’s talented enough to have taken Hollywood by storm. What a waste.’

I discreetly pulled the half-empty parfait glass back towards me and asked.

“What brings you all the way here?”

“I missed my darling.”

*Squeal!* Another commotion erupted. I gritted my teeth and asked.

“Perhaps… you should maintain some decorum.”

“What decorum? Ah, you don’t like me calling you darling?”

“No.”

“Then what should I call you? Sweetheart, honey, little bird. Or how about baby?”

“…”

“Baby.”

I gripped my spoon, my expression turning icy.

Finding something hilarious, Dante chuckled to himself before taking my parfait again and finishing it off.

I stared sadly at the empty glass. It had been so good…

“If you had business, you should have come to the mansion yesterday. I was home all day.”

“I wanted to, but I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Ah, I see.”

I proceeded to devour the remaining desserts elegantly yet quickly, trying my best not to look ravenous.

I knew it was pathetic, but I couldn’t help it. My gluttony was a form of PTSD from my death in my previous life.

Dante, who had been watching me quietly, suddenly asked.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“About where I was hurt, and why.”

“Where were you hurt, and why?”

“…Isn’t that a question you should ask while looking at my face?”

“…”

This is so annoying.

I forced my eyes, which had been fixed on the desserts, to lift.

“Your Highness, where and how were you hurt?”

Only then did Dante’s lips curl like a satisfied cat.

“I fell down the stairs. Kiss it better for me, right here.”

“…”

I glared at the back of the hand Dante offered, ready to bite it off, before my eyes widened.

Perhaps because of the weather, he was wearing only a thin shirt under his robe.

Through the thin fabric, I could faintly see the flesh of his forearm, where there was a long, stain-like mark.

‘I’ve seen that somewhere before…’

I knew from being beaten so much by the director in my past life. A mark like that appears when you’re hit with something like a belt.

I snatched Dante’s wrist.

“Who hit you?”

Dante’s reply came a little late, as if he was flustered.

“…What?”

“I’m asking if you were hit.”

“I told you, I fell down the stairs.”

“It clearly doesn’t look like a mark from falling down the stairs, what are you talking about? Roll up your sleeve.”

“…Here?”

His voice was a mixture of surprise and bashfulness.

A creepy feeling washed over me, and when I looked up, Dante’s cheeks were flushed as if in embarrassment.

“What’s with that disgusting blush?”

“I knew you were open-minded, my dear, but I didn’t know you were this forward. I like the outdoors, too.”

With that, he pressed a kiss to the back of my hand and looked up at me with a gaze dripping with decadent charm.

Gasps and swoons erupted all around us.

‘Ha, this irredeemable child of a demon.’

I snatched my hand back.

“What are you thinking right now? Who told you to take everything off? I just said to roll up your shirt sleeve.”

“Is doing it with clothes on your preference?”

“…Never mind. Don’t roll up your sleeve.”

“Ah, what a shame. I thought we were finally going to do it.”

Has this man lost his mind? Do what?

“Aren’t you busy?”

“Not at all. I handed the guild over to Igrid.”

“I’m surprised His Majesty allowed it. I didn’t think he’d stand for it… Then again, I suppose even an emperor can’t just beat his son for not listening. He’s not a dog, after all.”

“Haha!”

Dante clutched his stomach and laughed. For some reason, I felt annoyed and furrowed my brow.

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“Because it’s fun. Being with you is so much fun, it makes me want to live.”