TBKBS 05

Chapter : 05

A few days later, the night market that Abby took me to was nothing short of a whole new world.

The world of the novel I had possessed felt even more enchanting, so much so that I could temporarily forget the perilous situation I was in.

Every kind of food and spectacle filled the streets, and from daily necessities to rare items imported from other empires, antiques, and expensive luxury goods, there was a staggering variety of merchandise being traded.

According to Abby, most of the merchants were from the Everettian Empire, but traders from other countries were also mixed in, selling their wares. There were even some illegal traders operating without permission.

Following Abby as we turned from the main road into an alley, we came across carts piled with romance novels.

How wonderful, carts!

How I’ve missed you, romance novels!

And it wasn’t just one or two carts—there were easily ten or more.

The thought of being able to browse these novels without anyone scolding me made my heart race. At home, whenever I read web novels or webtoons, my mother would start scolding me, so I always had to be cautious.

Moreover, after graduating, a strange virus swept across the globe, and I not only couldn’t get a job, I even got fired from part-time work. Since my parents no longer gave me an allowance, I had to stop reading paid chapters promptly.

But Kaelin was the daughter of a very wealthy duke, and there was no one to scold her.

These gracious books were about to let me temporarily forget the stress of my fierce struggle to survive.

Still, since they were thick paperbacks and I had to sneak them into my room, I thought, as Abby had said, I could only buy maybe two at most.

As I was carefully selecting the books I liked, Abby said:

“Lin, this cart has the best picture books. But I already have all of them, so I’ll go check if there are any new novels over there. You’re staying here to look more, right?”

Of course! Of course!

This is the best place! I’ll stay right here!

“Okay. Go ahead.”

The next night market would only be held on the fifteenth of next month.

I wanted to take the entire cart home, but since that wasn’t possible, I had to choose carefully.

I was flipping through the pages carefully to pick the illustrations I liked.

Hmm… this one’s different.

The art style was quite unlike the Grade 19 webtoons I had seen before. As expected in a romance fantasy, the outfits were all dresses, each fold drawn in meticulous detail, and the way the artist slowly undressed the characters left me nearly breathless.

The decisive scene, the decisive scene!

I quickly turned the page.

Boom. Finally! The long-awaited decisive scene appeared.

‘Whoa.’

No way!

Like this…

Without any mosaic, it’s so explicit!!!!!!

Unable to look away from the scene, I immersed myself in the illustrations as if diving into the book itself.

Huh? Wait, what’s this?

Suddenly, I noticed some slightly unusual text next to the illustration.

The font was different from the rest of the book.

<Warning: Rear view>

Rear view warning?

Ah! Right, right! Always be careful.

I admired the book for its thoughtfulness.

At that moment, a sudden warmth behind me reached my ears, accompanied by a rush of citrus scent.

‘!!!’

A strange feeling made me instinctively turn around.

‘It can’t be!’ I prayed desperately.

But sigh…

Tragically, there was someone behind me who shouldn’t have been there!

And that person’s gaze was locked precisely on the illustration that required a rear view warning.

At least those eyes had to belong to Abby!

They had to!

Even though I realized the eye color was different, I screamed internally.

But there was no way Abby’s brown eyes had miraculously turned blue.

Her hair color wasn’t red anymore either.

In this world I had just arrived in, there should be very few familiar faces… and yet, there was one.

Silver hair, translucent skin, gentle features, smooth as if buttered, and pale blue eyes.

I wasn’t sure if the owner of those eyes recognized me, but I knew this face.

The most handsome man in this world, my type, was definitely the male lead, Calix. But the man in front of me also possessed unforgettable beauty.

Eden Dercus.

Even standing behind me, in a relaxed pose, looking at the high-quality illustrations, was none other than Estelle’s older brother and the Crown Prince of the Dercus Empire, Eden Dercus.

He had flashed me a mysterious smile at the recent royal party.

My head spun, and I quickly turned forward and closed the book I had been reading.

Calm down, calm down!

He couldn’t have seen my face.

And even if he did, there’s no guarantee he would recognize me.

After all, our eyes had only met once.

After completing my internal mind control, I placed the book back on the cart as naturally as possible, moved my body minimally, and tried to leave the cart gracefully.

Yes, if I just disappear quietly, it will be as if we never met here!

However, before my first step touched the ground, the man behind me spoke, his voice striking the back of my head like a hammer.

“Miss Kaelin Brockburke.”

Damn!

You know me too…

And you saw me clearly.

I sulked deeply.

And why does that voice sound so sweet at a time like this?

Ridiculous.

Okay, pretend you didn’t hear it!

In this alley of book carts, with not many people around, I somehow couldn’t hear that soft, honey-like voice! That’s it!

Hesitating for a moment, I quickened my pace again.

“Miss Brockburke, daughter of Duke Luktain Brockburke!”

But the slightly louder voice stuck to the back of my head like glue.

This strategy had failed too…

I couldn’t pretend to ignore him anymore.

He had raised his voice enough for others around the cart to hear.

Damn, that guy.

Blow the trumpet all you want!

Why do you know me so well?

I had no choice but to stop and stiffly face him, keeping my awkward expression under control.

He approached me with a bright smile.

That smile…

Handsome, but now it somehow seemed irritating.

Yes! I’ll face him boldly!

So what if I read adult comics!

I’m a proper adult.

Adult content is a natural part of life, right?

And the 19+ comics at the night market aren’t illegal, are they?… Well, maybe they are?

Even if illegal, what does that have to do with the crown prince!

Yes! Be confident!

As I struggled internally to turn embarrassment into confidence, he said nonchalantly:

“So you are indeed Kaelin Brockburke. I was worried it might not be you.”

Worried?

You knew exactly who I was.

Flirt once and you never forget a woman, huh?

“Who are you…?”

I pretended not to know him, keeping my tone as calm as possible.

“Ah, I’m Eden Dercus. Just call me Eden.”

Got it. Eden.

“Yes, hello, Eden. Well, I’m busy, so…”

I greeted him; that should suffice, right? Let’s end this!

“Miss Kaelin Brockburke, daughter of Duke Brockburke, Prime Minister of the Everettian Empire, it’s unexpected to see you here at this famous night market book cart.”

Ugh…

If you didn’t expect to see me, you could’ve just pretended not to see me. No need to call me out like this.

Now he was using my father’s title and position to hold me in place.

Damn, the only daughter?

Soon he’d probably pull out a family registry too.

His voice was so loud that the cart owner and surrounding merchants started glancing at me.

Damn foreign crown prince…

I ground my teeth.

Why are you pretending to know me? We have no connection!

“Ahaha… yes. I heard this place was famous, so this is my very first time here, Eden. Enjoy your visit. I’m really busy…”

I wanted to pretend not to know he was the crown prince and run, but he quickly continued:

“Miss Brockburke, if you’re busy, you can just choose from this cart. Even a glance shows these books are the highest quality. That book you liked earlier too.”

“Huh?”

He means high quality in terms of… explicitness, right?

“Your taste is refined. Even if you check other carts, you might not be satisfied in terms of artistry and realism.”

Gasp! The level… it matches!

I couldn’t just pass by him; I had to adjust my plan.

I stepped closer so others wouldn’t hear me.

“Your Highness Eden Dercus!”

“Ah… you already knew who I was. I almost felt slighted thinking you’d forgotten me.”

Oops, slipped up!

My plan to pretend not to know him had failed.

Being a writer should be an advantage, but I had just slipped up from an omniscient perspective.

I lowered my voice further, mindful of the surrounding merchants.

“Yes, I actually recognized you at the party. But how do you know me, Your Highness?”

He immediately switched to a casual tone suitable for his status.

“How could I forget a memorable beauty? That’s why I attended the party. I noticed a beautiful woman engrossed in reading—it was Miss Brockburke I saw at the party. Ah! May I call you Kaelin?”

Kaelin?

When did we meet to call me that?

Typical flirt!

Why did I have to run into this guy here?

I never wrote a scene where Eden and Kaelin talk!

I felt irritated but quickly composed myself.

If this is how it’s going, I need to shut him up.

He’s a foreigner; unlikely I’ll see him again.

“Yes… hahaha. Sure, you can call me that. Nice to meet you. I have a feeling we’ll soon forget this meeting at the night market, Your Highness. I have a hunch I’ll forget seeing you here forever…”

Even if we meet again, we’ll just pretend this never happened, right?

“Ah… the book you were reading, ‘The Duke’s Daughter’s Unforgettable Night,’ left a strong impression… I wonder if I can easily forget it…”

Damn.

That’s the title?

And it’s about the Duke’s daughter?