Chapter 32
“Come, come! Fresh fish! Cheap, too!”
“Hey, take a look at these! Scarves made from rare sable fur brought all the way across the seaāonly 5 shillings!”
“Freshly baked soft bread and warm soup here! Have a taste before you go!”
Amidst the bustling market filled with people, two individuals stood outāa man and a woman both wearing suspiciously large cloaks that covered them entirely.
“Wow.”
It was much bigger than she had expected for a rural area.
Amid all the excitement, a delicious smell drifted toward her nose, and she suddenly realizedā¦
She had skipped lunch today.
Growl~
Before she could even finish the thought, Theodore, looking a little surprised, bought three skewers and handed her the juiciest one.
As if on cue, Autumnās stomach let out a loud rumble like thunder.
Hearing the sound, Theodore looked at her and asked,
“Can you handle street food?”
“Of course!”
As soon as Autumn took the skewer, she eagerly took a bite.
“So good.”
The smoky, savory taste of the skewer made her shoulders bounce with joy.
“Why, is it that unusual? Never seen someone eat a skewer before?”
She had grown used to refined gourmet meals recently, so she had forgotten the joy of simple flavors. She devoured the skewer in no time.
Watching her, Theodore finally spoke.
“I think this is the first time Iāve seen a Lady eat so greedily.”
Autumn gave him a sideways glare, then licked the sauce from her lips.
Pulling the borrowed cloak with its hood further down, she whispered,
“Shh! Iām not a Lady right now. Iām your assistant on a mission. Donāt forget that.”
Still, the constant feeling of people watching made her look around nervously.
“Why does it feel like everyoneās staring at us?”
Theodore thought to himself:
Does she really think that thin piece of cloth can hide her face?
Whether she realized it or not, menās gazes were following her from behind like shadows.
It was fortunate they were far from the capital, in a rural town where no one knew her face.
If she had walked out like this in the capital, it wouldn’t have been this peaceful.
Theodore was sureābefore he took even a few steps, crowds would gather just to see her.
“Isnāt it just because my face is too good-looking?”
Theodore replied shamelessly.
He positioned himself to shield her from the crowd, guiding her toward a quieter area.
“R-really?”
He nonchalantly touched his nose.
“Honestly, Iād love to show off my face to the Ladies like usual, but I canāt afford to be recognized right now either.”
He adjusted the hood of his cloak once more.
Then, without a word, he handed her another skewer.
Autumn gladly accepted it and thought:
Heās rightāhis face is dazzling too.
Though his hair was hidden now, when his long ash-blonde locks caught the sunlight, he looked noble and radiant.
If Randell was the stoic and refined type, then this man was the epitome of mesmerizing beautyāhair, eyes, nose, lipsāall captivating.
“I suppose… You’re right, Your Highness.”
Autumn reluctantly gave a half-hearted nod.
But Theodore slightly lifted his hood, revealing his confident violet eyes, and whispered:
“Right?”
At his teasing tone, Autumn froze.
Resting his chin on his hand, he muttered thoughtfully,
“When I was young, my mother used to call me āTeddy,ā but that feels a bit gross now. I prefer āTheo.ā”
ā¦Did she just hear a nickname for royalty?
She stared at his lips, now slightly open again.
“Would you call me that from now on?”
Whether he was joking or serious was hard to tell from his sly smile and ambiguous gaze.
Autumn blinked, stunned.
“W-what kind of nonsense is that!”
She jumped in disbelief.
Am I trying to throw myself into the fire here? Getting involved with this man would cause twice the chaos in the capital.
“Youāll be seeing me a lot for a while. How long are you going to keep using honorifics? Honestly, itās starting to feel awkward for me too.”
The more compliments he got, the more reckless he becameāa wild horse that knew no boundaries.
She reminded herself: Stay strong. Donāt get caught up in his silver tongue.
“I donāt think so. I feel more comfortable with formality, so donāt push it.”
But Theodore, looking dejected, lowered his head and mumbled softly.
“Againā¦”
“Huh?”
His always confident shoulders slumped, and his voice grew fainter.
“You tooā¦ Everyone finds me difficult.”
He was uncharacteristically sulky.
Autumn grew flustered and let him speak.
“Since I was young, I always envied how others were called by name. I barely had any friends, so itās been my wish to be called that way too.”
“What? Are you saying youāve never had a friend until now?”
Autumn gasped in disbelief.
But her words only made him look more downcast.
“But still, how can I speak so casually to Your Highnessā¦”
“Then how about just when itās the two of us? Okay?”
His pleading eyes held a secret he didnāt want anyone to know.
Without realizing it, Autumn softened and nodded.
Now that I think about it, maybe thereās a deeper reason. My sister was like that tooāshe didnāt want to be called by her noble title but by her name. To live your whole life being addressed only by rankā¦ The lives of high-born people are complicated too.
But even so, she knew getting too close to him was impossible.
He was royalty, after all!
This wasnāt like the men Rosaline Kiss had messed around with in the past. This was on a different level.
Just imagining how sheād deal with the consequences gave her a headache. Their worlds were simply too far apart.
“From my point of view, being friends with someone so high-ranking is justā¦ no. People would gossip endlessly.”
Theodore snorted and said, arms crossed:
“Disappointing. Let the birds eat the corpses of those petty people.”
“Anyway, no means no.”
Autumn crossed her arms and turned her head to the side like an annoyed lady.
“And could you please speak a little more elegantly? You’re a member of the great imperial family, after all.”
At that moment, something caught her eyeāa fluffy white ball of cotton candy.
Now that sheād had a proper meal, it was time for dessertāher favorite.
“Wellā¦ I supposeā¦ Iāll call you that secretly from time to time. But whatās that?”
Autumn mumbled, swallowing as her mouth watered.
As her gaze stayed fixed on it, Theodore grinned mischievously.
“Cotton candy. It’s sweet and fluffy, and the moment it touches your tongue, it melts away. A royal treat. I never thought Iād see it here.”
“Really? Sounds delicious.”
Autumn murmured, licking her lips.
“Want to try it?”
She looked up at him with hopeful eyes and nodded.
“Then repeat after me: ‘Theo, letās eat that cotton candy together.'”
She clearly wanted that sweet treat, butā¦ she had no money on her right now.
Autumnās lips trembled.
