MMFB 48💘

CHAPTER 48

“Wow, Mother! What is it? I want to see too!”

“What else could it be? If it’s from that man, it’s the usual nonsense.”

“Oh, Mother, really. Father begs for reconciliation every year.”

“…If he truly meant it, he should come in person. How does he keep sending these things through you or Renata?”

Though her expression was twisted in displeasure, Mother’s eyes kept drifting toward the box, betraying her curiosity.

I exchanged a quick glance with Renac, both of us suppressing a smile.

Clearing his throat, Renac was the first to regain composure. “It’s tempting to peek inside, but maybe we should leave this little joy just for Mother. It’s not like we’re the only ones here.”

“…Renac.”

“Hold on, Renata. Lend me your ear for a sec.”

“Huh? What is it?”

I leaned in, and he whispered, “Come to my room at 1 a.m.”

“You two… don’t tell me you’re gossiping about your poor mother and that Kesad man.”

“Us? Never! Now, let’s eat, shall we?”

Mother grumbled, clutching the box, unsure what to do with it. But when Renac raised his wine glass with a charming smile, she sighed and picked up hers as well.

We hadn’t eaten a proper meal for days—every village we’d passed through had been small and humble.

So Renac and Cassian, having gone half-starved for days, were already slicing into juicy meat and digging into fresh salad like men on a mission.

I focused on deboning the fish in front of me. Then, suddenly, a perfectly cleaned piece of fish was placed on my plate.

Startled, I glanced at the person beside me.

“…What’s this? Why are you suddenly acting so unlike yourself?”

“Why so many questions? Just eat it.”

“You know, they say when people start doing things out of character, it’s a sign they don’t have long to live…”

“Renata, you’re not trying to become a widow again, are you?”

Khalid nudged my shoulder with a chuckle, urging me to just eat.

But his strange bout of kindness left me wary.

As I narrowed my eyes at him, Khalid raised a brow.

“Why are you always on guard with me? Shouldn’t I be the one person you don’t have to be wary of anymore?”

“Well… true, but hearing it from you is a little…”

I stared at the soft white fish for a moment before finally lifting it to my mouth. Only then did Khalid relax and return to his meal.

Somehow, though, my throat felt tight. I took a sip of fruit juice to clear the feeling and blinked away the tension.

“By the way, Khalid, how long are you staying? And more importantly—are you even allowed to leave the capital?”

“Of course not.”

He shook his head as he chewed a piece of meat and chased it down with juice.

“Now that I’ve confirmed you’re alive and well, I need to get back as soon as possible.”

“You’ve really… grown into your crown prince role, haven’t you?”

I didn’t even bother hiding my surprise.

The old Khalid would’ve taken this as an excuse to travel a bit before heading back.

Then again, the fact that the Crown Prince had left the capital and come all the way out here was already absurd in itself—but this was Khalid, after all.

Still, if the emperor were to find out Khalid was gone…

Well, that wasn’t my problem.

And it’s not like he’s officially my husband yet, either.

I ignored the looming future that seemed to form every time I looked at Khalid.

“Your Highness,” Mother spoke up, “when you return to the capital, could you let His Majesty know that it’ll be difficult for El La Mar to supply magic stones for a while? Right now, eliminating the sea monsters is the priority.”

“Mother, didn’t you say no business talk during meals?”

“Oh, did I?” she said, dabbing her lips with a napkin and smiling. Renac nodded vigorously.

“Yes, you did. But still… monsters in El La Mar too?”

“Seems like the entire empire—and maybe even the whole continent—is in chaos. At this rate, every nation might have to unite to get rid of them.”

Khalid, now resting his chin on his hand, sighed deeply.

It felt strange seeing him so engaged in a conversation about continental politics. I stared at him quietly.

He was holding the same juice glass he’d picked up earlier, and I said:

“Wait… why are you drinking my juice?”

“…What?”

“That’s my glass. Yours is over there.”

“Really? Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

He froze for a second, then narrowed his eyes. His lips, stained red from the juice, curled mischievously.

“But does it really matter anymore? Between us?”

“Excuse me, Your Highness. We’re not alone at this table.”

I glanced around nervously, flustered.

He’d gone from loudly refusing marriage to acting like this? What was going on in that head of his?

Something had definitely changed since we’d last seen each other in the capital.

My eyes darted toward Mother, worried about her reaction.

“Young love, isn’t it?” she said with a smile. “Well, if it’s Prince Khalid, I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad.”

…What?

I had no idea how to respond.

When I was engaged to Izar, she’d shown nothing but disapproval. But with Khalid, she was strangely accepting.

“I saw him losing his mind saying he had to come save you,” she added. “Made me realize maybe I’ve been too biased against the royal family all this time.”

She must’ve noticed my stunned silence.

Still, that would’ve been true even if it were Izar instead of Khalid. But Mother didn’t know Izar well.

He had never visited El La Mar, and she hadn’t been to the capital since our engagement.

So I kept my thoughts to myself and stayed silent.

When I glanced back at Khalid, he was now hiding his face behind one hand.

“…Ugh. My lady, didn’t we agree not to bring that up?” he muttered.

“Oh dear. Did I say that?”

Mother giggled, clearly enjoying his reaction.

Honestly, I was surprised at how naturally they got along.

Feeling a mix of emotions, I reached for the untouched juice glass Khalid had set aside.

Its sweetness—made from crushed red fruit—left a strangely bitter aftertaste.

Khalid’s unexpected kindness, and how easily he spoke with my mother, left me too distracted to properly enjoy the rest of dinner.

Afterward, he asked if I wanted to go for a walk to help digest the food, but I couldn’t.

I fled the dining room and buried my face in the bed.

Time passed as I stared blankly, then finally sat up. The large clock hand was pointing at 1.

One a.m.

Renac’s promised time.

The hallway was quiet, lined with gold-trimmed ornaments.

I threw a glance at the perfectly clean decorations as I made my way to Renac’s room.

Hopefully, he hadn’t passed out from all the food and wine he shared with Cassian earlier.

I was dying to talk about Izar with them.

Of course, I knew being anxious wouldn’t make things happen any faster. So I tried to stay calm.

But the closer I got to Renac’s room, the quicker my steps became.

Just around this corner—

“Lady Renata.”

“Sir Cassian.”

I nearly collided with him, panting from having run the last few steps.

He was standing in front of Renac’s door, looking puzzled.

“What are you doing here? Why haven’t you gone in?”

“Well…” He lowered his hand from the door. His golden eyes shifted gently in the dim light. “It won’t open. I think he passed out.”

“…Seriously? He promised we’d talk—and then locked the door?”

“When you travel abroad, all sorts of things happen. Assassination attempts aren’t uncommon.”

“I know. Business comes with plenty of danger.”

“That’s why he told me he got into the habit of locking his doors. He mentioned it before.”

“Still, this isn’t abroad.”

I moved past Cassian and knocked hard on the door—but no response came from within.

Unbelievable.

Cassian’s room was next door, but I had run across the whole mansion just to get here.

Frustrated, I jiggled the doorknob aggressively.

“Wake up, Renac. I said wake up!”

“Seems you’ve dropped the ‘brother’ title.”

“Not in the mood for formality tonight.”

I’d been waiting for this conversation all evening!

I tugged at my hair in frustration and let out a deep sigh.

Cassian chuckled under his breath, then quickly composed himself when he noticed my glare.