Chapter 31 (2/2)

I was surprised that Damian could speak in such a soft voice.

More than that, I’m glad he values me.

He asked me a question.

“How did you get in here?”

“Her Majesty has done me a favor.”

I went into detail about how I was able to come here.

Of course, there was plenty of praise for the empress.

Damian listened intently to my story and nodded calmly.

“Really? Her Majesty……”

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

Damian was quiet for a long time after that.

When Damian was deep in thought, I left him alone so that he could sort his feelings out on his own.

After a while, Damian said mischievously.

“Your eyes are very swollen. You look like a carp.”

“Crown Prince, I hate you…”

Why did you say such a mean thing as soon as we met again!

While rebuking him, I realized that the corners of his eyes were slightly wet.

What?

My eyes narrowed.

“… Crown Prince, are you crying?”

“No, I’m not!”

Damian shouted in annoyance.

Hehe, I’ve already seen that.

I teased him playfully.

“If you cry like that, you’ll be like me. An ugly carp.”

“I didn’t cry!”

“Yes, yes.”

After that, Damian reached out to me.

He tidied up my messy hair and gently stroked my cheek.

He looked at me and let out a sigh of relief.

“……I’m so glad to see you again.”

“Me too.”

His smile grew as a result of my response.

He had a bright and clear smile, like a lake in broad daylight when the sun shone upon it.

***

The emotional reunion was over, and now it was time to eat.

The dinner we got to enjoy today was very luxurious.

“The head maid prepared for it this time.”

I said with confidence.

At that, Damian smiled affectionately at me, as if he was looking at his little sister.

Hey, my mental age is older than yours….

With a gloomy look on my face, I laid the cloth on the ground first.

I placed my bag down and took out everything in it, one by one.

Then, I opened my eyes wide.

Wow, the maid put in a lot of effort.

“This is my favorite meat dish, crown prince.”

I picked up some containers containing meat dishes.

Damian looked at me with a puzzled expression for some reason.

“… Why are you staring at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

“Come to think of it, you always try to take care of me.”

Huh? Do I?

I tilted my head.

Well, from my point of view, of course I have to do that in order to get on Damian’s good side.

However, the sensitive crown prince looked dissatisfied.

“Every time, we only talk about my food preferences, we don’t talk much about yours.”

“Really?”

“Yes, we do.”

Damian responded firmly.

But what’s wrong with that?

I was a little perplexed.

Does Damian dislike me for taking care of him?

“So today, I’ll take care of you,” Damian told me after getting the container from my hands.

“…What?”

The abrupt remark took me completely by surprise.

Damian, on the other hand, was serious.

When I saw him removing the containers from the bag, I panicked.

“I- I will do it!”

“No, you just stay still.”

I hurriedly tried to dissuade him, but Damian was already opening the lid of the containers.

There was a lot of colorful food.

Damian, who firmly grabbed the fork, asked me a question.

“Do you like meat or vegetables?”

“Meat!”

I shouted in excitement.

Of course, meat is an absolute favorite for many people!

Damian simply shook his head.

“You can’t eat only that. You have to eat vegetables too.”

… If the answer is already decided, why did you even ask?

Damian stuck a fork into the well-seasoned steamed cabbage.

After that, he smiled as he placed the steaming cabbage directly in front of my mouth.

“Say ah, Charlize.”

I said I like meat. Why isn’t he listening to me?

I tried to get the fork in his hand with tears in my eyes.

“I-I’ll eat the cabbage myself.”

“No, I want to feed you.”

Is it my imagination, or does Damian’s expression appeared to be mischievous?