Chapter 58

Chapter 58

It hasn’t been long since we’ve been apart, so why was he saying it’s been a while? I wanted to greet him casually just like I usually did, but that wasn’t going to work now.

The coat he placed around me was warm thanks to the wool lining inside. Even so, the comfort this warmth brought was no match for his voice.

I missed his voice. His real voice, not the cold voice I heard in that nightmare. I had yearned to see this face which looked at me.

Now that I’ve been reunited with Albert, I realized once again just how terrible that nightmare was. It had been a necessary experience for me to face my fears, but seeing him act so coldly like that was no good for my heart.

I liked his scent as it reached the tip of my nose. Did he just come out of the bath?

“Rosé?”

Albert shook my shoulder lightly. I must really be in shock. It’s the first time I’ve ever been like this around him.

I usually kept the contact we had to a minimum, but now, all I wanted was to be in his embrace.

His chest went up and down as he breathed. I looked up. I saw that familiar but still unrealistic face, then smiled. And he, too, smiled at me.

“It’s been a while for me as well, Prince.”

Albert blinked. As though he didn’t expect me to say that.

But his surprise soon disappeared like melted snow. The corners of his eyes curled up.

“Let’s go.”

He reached out to me, and I took his hand. Neither of us mentioned the terms of the contract. It’s been like this since perhaps the time before I left, when we kissed.

Blanc flapped his little wings and perched himself atop my head. I’m a bit surprised to find out we could balance like this better than I thought.

The small dragon stared at Albert. It seemed like he’s thinking deeply about something. But soon enough, Blanc opened his mouth.

“Me toooo… It’s been a whiiiiile…”

Blanc bravely spoke to him first. Albert’s expression soured at this. He moved his gaze to look at Blanc and quietly said,

“…Yes.”

It was a rather awkward exchange, but I was happy. As someone who didn’t like dragons, Albert normally would have ignored Blanc, but I wonder where that version of the prince went.

* * *

When we returned to the castle, I came back to my senses. I had to tell Albert that I’m going to enter a contract with Blanc to prevent his death.

Ah, and I also have to tell him about the nightmares I had during the dragon’s disaster—that I didn’t just watch it from afar, but even disguised myself and infiltrated the villa to get close.

I could already imagine what kind of reaction Albert would have. I get why Liam left all this work to me.

But I needed time to think first. I asked the first question that popped into my head.

“Prince, shouldn’t we go back to the tower now…?”

“It’s fine to stay. Rosteratu is busy gathering soldiers, so he can’t attack today. And there’s still that spell on the tower that’s preventing anyone else from coming in.”

You and I are the only ones who can go in and out of there. When he said this, his voice was so full of confidence that it’s like he’s telling the obvious truth.

…I was going to use the travel time back to the tower to my advantage so I could organize my thoughts, but that plan fell through. I wracked my brain again for a new plan.

It’s almost dinner time.

As soon as we walked through the gate and walked down the hallway, I opened my lips.

“Ah, Blanc, go back to your room and rest. I’ll fetch you later.”

“Okaaay…”

Blanc nodded readily. It’s great that he could still remember what I told him before we returned.

When I made up my mind about becoming Blanc’s contractor and told him about it, there was one thing that we agreed on—that Blanc would hide somewhere else while I’m telling Albert about the decision.

It’s obvious enough that Albert was going to be angry, and there’s a chance that he might harm Blanc.

I knew very well that Albert was going to prioritize me.

While watching Blanc disappear as he turned the corridor, I glanced back at Albert.

“Prince, you must be hungry, right? I’ll cook dinner for you.”

As soon as I was about to let go of his hand, Albert instead grabbed my hand and held it tighter, pulling me back.

The unexpected force made me lose my balance and stagger, and so Albert wrapped one arm around my waist and snatched me right into his embrace.

I almost fell down. I took a deep breath and tried to stand upright again, but my back touched something hard behind me.

It was Albert’s chest. As I was in his arms, it was obvious just from hugging him that the solid chest was made up entirely of muscle.

My face flushed bright red. I’m lucky that my face wasn’t visible to Albert right now.

“You have to be careful.”

“…Yes. Please also be more careful from now on, Prince.”

Albert chuckled softly as I chattered nonsense in an attempt to hide my face.

AD

Slightly hunched down, Albert slowly leaned closer. He’s trying to get close to my face. His breath brushed against my right cheek and ear.

“We’re not done talking yet, but you were trying to leave, that’s why. And you didn’t get hurt. Did you think I’d let you get hurt?”

“…No.”

This much I was sure of. Albert’s reflexes were fast enough that it’s difficult to tell whether they’re still the reflexes of a human.

“And you know that there’s still something I need to hear from you.”

“I haven’t even had dinner yet, Prince. Don’t you miss the food I usually cooked for you while I was out? I can make you the ultimate chicken again, the same kind I cooked for you before!”

I chose the dish I knew was going to take me the longest to cook for Albert.

“Seems like you’re looking forward to it more than me.”

“Of course. I like chicken.”

And I need time.

But as I held myself back from saying that, my shoulders drooped.

“If Your Highness doesn’t like that, then we can go back to your room and talk right away. Sure, of course, since the Prince would like to talk, how can I…”

Albert placed a hand over my shoulder and gently pushed me away from him.

“Stop playing innocent. Fine, cook whatever you want.”

“Thank you!”

I escaped his arms and ran straight to the kitchen. I mean, well, I tried to keep running like that.

“The longer you take over there, the more I’ll look forward to a perfect explanation.”

If Albert didn’t say this.

It really feels like I’m on the palm of Albert’s hand. I had to wonder if I should be grateful for his mercy.

As I headed towards the kitchen, somehow, it still felt like I lost.

* * *

Liam’s fortress had lots of quality ingredients. I felt bummed after hearing Albert say that just now, but I began to feel happy again as I cooked.

Cooking from time to time is a good way to divert yourself. In this case though, my mind continued to wrestle with my thoughts round and round.

First things first, I have to explain the reason I made this decision, so I should start with telling him about the nightmare I had.

…And the reason why I can’t bear to part with the ones I love.

It’s been a long while since I brought up my parents to anyone.

My friends didn’t ask me about it, and people who didn’t know me naturally didn’t know, so I’ve never talked about it.

It’s also a bit troubling that I didn’t know anything about Rosé’s past. However, if I had to explain my situation to Albert, I couldn’t leave out the past.

I cut the raw chicken up into pieces, drained its blood and dressed it with the flour batter I prepared.

Cooking in this unfamiliar space reminded me of the tower.

Sizzle. When I dropped a bit of batter on the oil, it started sizzling already. It’s the right temperature. One by one, I put in the well-coated chicken.

The coated drumsticks began to cook to a golden brown in the oil. I turned the chicken over from time to time so that it could be cooked juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

I had a fleeting thought that maybe I should run a chicken restaurant business in this world, but I soon gave up on that idea. Anyone can do business. I’ll just live as a humble citizen.

I made a plan to increase Liam and Schubert’s shares. I owe them both, after all.

I felt especially apologetic towards Schubert since I got him roped into doing something bad. And because he followed my example, he also fell unconscious at that spot.

…And apart from all that, I felt guilty about inadvertently causing Rosteratu to have that nightmare. If he didn’t have one, then there wouldn’t be a call to arms right now.

I sprinkled the minced scallions on top of the well-fried chicken. I soaked the scallions in water for a long time before this so that the flavor wouldn’t be too overpowering.

“Too bad we don’t have condiments.”

The kitchen here at Liam’s residence didn’t have red pepper paste or soy sauce stocked. This was probably because those ingredients weren’t very popular.

Indeed, that’s why I’ve been given permission to cook food for Albert in the first place. If the pantry was full of ingredients from guaranteed sources and with guaranteed taste and composition, then it would be difficult to poison him, unless I prepared poison in advance.

The meal has been completed.

While I stared at the fried chicken, I grabbed a fruit knife and nicked my finger with it. The moment I made the cut, it stung.

Uuugh, I hate this. But if I was going to make a wound without him knowing, this was the only way. I pressed down on the wound. Blood bubbled up. I remained still for a while, then I soon arranged the fried chicken on the tray.

…As I left the kitchen, I hoped my prediction was wrong.

I asked a passing attendant to deliver Blanc’s share of the chicken to him, then after he’s done eating, I asked the attendant to bring Blanc to me in the dining room.

Compared to earlier, I felt more at ease now because I had some time to think. This was why it’s important to prepare one’s heart. I pushed the tray cart towards the dining room.

After knocking, I entered the room, and there I saw Albert sitting at the table while reading a book.

…It was a book about dragons. Anxiously, I placed the fried chicken on the table. At this, Albert closed the book and set it aside.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Rosé.”

As I laboriously tried to avert my gaze from the book, I laughed slightly.

“Yes, I’m done preparing for our conversation. But please eat first before we talk. Today, I prepared scallion fried chicken. There’s no sauce for it, like red pepper paste.”

This wasn’t the kind of topic that should be brought up while eating.

Albert blinked as he scrutinized the fried chicken that I cooked. But shortly after, he nodded casually.

“Alright. You eat up, too.”

And so, Albert and I started eating. If we really started talking while eating, I’m sure I’d get indigestion. Fortunately though, he was quiet. I bit into the drumstick I had in my hands with the particular mindset of the last supper.

Crunch. I savored the scallions’ spiciness, the chicken skin’s crispiness and the soft flesh’s moistness all in one bite.

There was a delicate line that could easily be crossed when it came to the chicken’s greasiness, but thankfully, the crisp scallions were perfect to balance it out. Delicious. As expected, it has a different charm from any other sauce!

It seemed like Albert was also eating well, so that’s a relief. Everyone inevitably feels better when eating delicious food.

But if we’re going to talk about the drink alongside this, I missed fried chicken’s usual pair. Ah, the best drink along with fried chicken really was beer. Whether it was in this place or back in the tower, I’ve never had a drink since.

“Prince, beer goes really well with this dish. When we eat this together again next time, it’s a really good combination to have.”

At my determined remark, Albert blinked.

“Are you asking me to drink with you, Rosé? That’s quite tempting.”

“No, I don’t mean it that way!”

I shook my head desperately when he replied playfully. I really don’t have ulterior motives!

“I know. But seeing you refuse so strongly like this is making me a little sad.”

He chuckled. Albert’s smile was like the beautiful springtime, unyielding to the cold northern wind. No one would be able to take their eyes off him.

He pressed down on his lower lip for a moment, then he soon broached the topic.

“So, what’s your reason for deciding to become a contractor?”

Though he already knew the answer, he asked anyway.