Chapter 18

Prince Luciano stared blankly at my sudden question.

I was so unpredictable that he wondered what was going on this time.

It was a situation that couldn’t be put into words.

“Even if it’s impossible, we’ll go out. Let’s go right now!”

I dragged Prince Luciano.

He was displeased but did not refuse my help.

I brought him to my mansion.

“A guest has arrived! Prepare a grand dinner tonight.”

I hopped out of the carriage and told the butler.

“My lady, you came early. But suddenly there’s a guest?”

The butler asked as if bewildered that I had brought guests from the Imperial Palace.

Having never been like this before, the butler, who turned his head more curiously, saw Prince Luciano getting out of the carriage and became stiff.

The butler who recognized him at once greeted him politely.

“It’s an honor to have you here, Prince Luciano.”

“I’m sorry for my sudden visit.”

He had been in trouble since realized that the place he had arrived was my mansion, but he was quite calm in front of others.

Our competent butler also acted skillfully.

“No. Rather it’s an honor to have the prince here. However, the Count and Countess will not be here for dinner today, and are you all right?”

“Of course, it’s fine. He didn’t come to see my parents. Stop talking, and come this way, Prince.”

I thought the words would become longer if I left them alone, so I quickly intervened.

Prince Luciano glanced slightly at me and said to the butler. “I’ll be with Aesvin, so don’t feel too burdened.”

“Please call me whenever you need anything.”

“Would you like to see the mansion?”

Prince Luciano shook his head, and I led him to my playroom.

“Rest here until dinner is ready.”

I pointed to the sofa to let him sit comfortably, but Prince Luciano wasn’t willing to sit down.

He ruffled his hair in annoyance.

With a sigh of frustration, he muttered.

“It’s very difficult.”

“What’s so difficult?”

“It’s difficult to catch up with you. How can you suddenly bring me like this? It would cause a nuisance. It’s good that the Count and Countess aren’t here.”

Seeing his unusually sloppy expression and the long speech, Prince Luciano must have been shocked.

‘Now that he expresses emotions, saying that he liked this and liked that, he looks more like his age.’

“But you have to do it so suddenly that no one else has time to get their hands on you.”

Prince Luciano’s footsteps, who had been wandering around the room in annoyance, stopped.

He looked back at me.

“… did you do this to treat me a dinner?”

“It’s a situation that no one expected, so even the opponent can’t do anything. You can eat at ease, right?”

Prince Luciano seemed at a loss for words this time.

Staring at me with his red eyes for a moment, he went to his seat and sat down.

Then he kept his mouth shut with a stubborn look on his face.

He might be moved by the fact that he could eat a proper meal or be annoyed by this forced situation.

I didn’t talk to him because I knew his mind would be complicated.

Prince Luciano didn’t speak until we were told that the meal was ready.

“There may be some shortcomings because we prepare in a hurry. I ask for your understanding.”

The butler informed Prince Luciano first before serving his meal.

It was burdensome for the butler to treat the royal family without notice.

I wanted to let you know that he didn’t have to worry so much, but Prince Luciano replied briefly first.

“It’s all right.”

“I’ll serve you dinner.”

When the butler beckoned, the maid who was waiting pulled the tray.

The butler first put down the appetizer plate for Prince Luciano and placed it in front of me.

“Wow!”

I was impressed.

The butler’s warning that there would be shortcomings must have been a bluff.

“It’s a grilled shrimp with tomatoes. There’s ricotta cheese inside to add flavor and orange sauce to add freshness.”

It looked even more appetizing today, probably because the chef paid attention to the fact that an imperial family member was coming.

I wanted to try it right away, but Prince Luciano hesitated to eat it and just looked at the food.

He stared blankly.

He looked as if he were unfamiliar with the food.

“Try it.”

So I gave him a suggestion.

The red eyes that were stuck on the plate stared at me.

I could see his strange hesitation.

“Our chef is very good. Go ahead and try it.”

Prince Luciano’s hand lifted the fork.

In slow motion, he poked the shrimp and tomato together and put them in his mouth.

His eyes slowly dilated. And his jaw was slowly moving.

Prince Luciano chewed the food for a long time and swallowed it.

I waited deliberately until he swallowed it.

“How is it?”

I expected a harsh response, but I still wanted to hear it in person.

Prince Luciano’s eyes turned at me.

His gently trembling eyes were swirling with indescribable emotion.

I just wanted to know how he felt to eat a proper meal after a long time.

Belatedly, I was terrified of his emotional expression.

Although I failed with a muffin, it was similar to Prince Luciano’s reaction when he became aware of his feelings for the original female protagonist.

His eyes filled with tremendous emotion.

‘Oh, this wasn’t meant to be like that.’

Prince Luciano’s flushed cheeks couldn’t hide his feelings.

His lips seemed to have a lot to say.

Was this going to make up for my old mistakes?

I got the perfect protagonist’s buff and built up my affinity.

‘But now it’s a little awkward to really fall in love with him.’

I felt a feeling similar to difficulty.

It was when I was unconsciously worried about whether this would be good or not. Prince Luciano, who was staring at me, slowly swallowed his saliva as if he were choking and opened his mouth.

“It’s unique.”

“….”

…. Huh?

Huh?

I was taken aback by the novel expression.

“It’s not delicious?”

I asked again just in case.

“… just because, it’s unique.”

He spat out with a slightly blunt face and finished his food.

Disappointment came a beat late at his blunt reaction.

Yeah, that’s right. There’s no romance between us.

‘I’m a fool for thinking so hard.’

Maybe because he wasn’t my man, the reactions to the female protagonist and I were very different even in similar situations.

This situation was ridiculous.

‘Luciano eats well, that’s all that matters.’

A thought came to my mind.

He seemed to like the food, so he gradually ate faster.

He seemed to be trying not to eat in a hurry.

However, the gradually faster movement made him look like he would lick the appetizer plate anytime soon. So I told the butler.

“Give us our food quickly. No. Can you give it all at once? We’ll eat comfortably together.”

“I understand.”

The butler quickly served the food after that.

After the table was filled, the butler left the room.

As the eyes in the room decreased, Prince Luciano ate faster.

‘I guess he’s also comfortable with me.’

He was less polite than in front of the butler.

Seeing him concentrate on food without caring, I thought a hundred times that I was glad to bring him home.

Having finished steak as his main dish, he slowed down as if he was full.

A more relaxed expression revealed his satisfaction.

Prince Luciano’s face was so relaxed that I suspected he had been cranky because he was hungry.

“It tastes good, right?”

I asked half-jokingly and half-curious about his inner feelings.

At that moment, Prince Luciano’s face turn sour when he noticed my grinning face.

Then he returned to his sullen countenance and uttered:

“I said it’s unique.”

Tch, so stubborn.

Why did you react differently from when you treated the female protagonist?

‘He ate so well.’

“From now on, let’s go out often and eat together.”

While enjoying the meal, Prince Luciano’s expression froze at once when I made a promise for the next one.

“It’s dangerous. I can’t do that.”

I understand the situation in which he has to be careful, but I was worried that he couldn’t continue to eat proper food.

You shouldn’t have just eaten raw food at an age when you had to eat well.

“I don’t mean to eat at my home. We can go out and eat.”

Prince Luciano kept his mouth shut as if holding back something.

“It’s not dangerous to choose a place on the spot, right?”

I didn’t know if my persuasion worked or if he liked the food he ate after a long time.

“… just once in a while.”

Prince Luciano, who seemed to be more stubborn, promised the next one while hesitating, and I was pleased.

It felt like I had succeeded in feeding a starving stray cat.

‘I’ll have to pay more attention to what you eat in the future.’

I could do that for him as a friend.

So we went one step further down the path of our friendship.