Chapter 7
Olive extended her hand to Million for a handshake. Smiling warmly, Million grasped her hand and gave a brief shake.
In the cheerful atmosphere, only Ludwig’s expression remained stiff. But no one paid him any attention.
“I didn’t expect to meet you here. Our bakery’s bread is actually quite tasty. Oh? You’ve already tried some?”
Million grinned as he spotted the half-eaten slice of cake.
“It’s really delicious. It feels like all the bad feelings have just flown away!”
At her words, Ludwig’s eyebrow twitched. “Bad feelings flying away”? That implied she was in a bad mood before eating the cake.
“Then I’ll pack some of our bakery’s most popular breads for you on the house. Share them with your family back at the estate.”
“Wow, thank y—”
“I’ll buy them.”
Ludwig interrupted in a sharp tone.
Million looked at him in confusion.
Million didn’t know he was a prince. Who the hell is this guy? His eyes silently questioned Olive.
“Haha, well… This is Ruby. He’s with me. Haha… He’s a provincial noble, here in the capital for the first time!”
Thinking quickly, Olive fabricated a fake identity and even gave him a nickname.
Ludwig muttered “Ruby” a few times with a dry chuckle, but Olive was too preoccupied to notice.
“Ruby? That’s a name I’ve never heard before.”
Million scratched his head. Very few of their peers actually recognized Ludwig. Only a handful of nobles introduced to him at Flaners’ birthday banquet would know his face.
“That’s a really shiny name. Nice to meet you, Ruby.”
Apparently convinced Ludwig was just a noble from some province, Million greeted him politely, albeit with a slightly uncomfortable look.
“Tch.”
But Ludwig turned his head sharply, ignoring Million’s greeting.
He muttered quietly, “I really don’t like Goldrot.”
Million caught part of what he said and looked at Ludwig with a puzzled expression.
“D-don’t mind him, Million. Hahaha.”
“Your companion’s really shy, huh?”
“Yeah… he’s really picky about people.”
Olive whispered in embarrassment.
“Even his name sounds like a cat, and now he acts like one too.”
Ludwig’s eyes flashed coldly at the remark.
“Haha, Million? You probably have a lot of customers right now. Don’t worry about us—go on ahead.”
In her urgency to manage the situation, Olive half-rose from her seat.
Million scratched his ear, waved goodbye to Olive, and headed back to the counter.
Now seated again, Olive puffed out her cheeks and chugged the milk tea elegantly served in a dainty porcelain cup.
Ludwig, oblivious to his fault, sat upright with graceful posture, gazing intently at Olive’s face.
“Ludwig.”
The moment his name left her lips, a crack formed in his porcelain-doll-like expression.
Ludwig’s eyes seemed to waver for a moment, but Olive continued unfazed.
“So, what exactly did you want to say when you invited me on a ‘date’?”
Her tone was lower than usual. Ludwig found even that voice pleasant to hear.
“I wanted to ask you to be my debutante ball partner.”
What did he just say? They’d only met four times, and he was already asking her to be his debutante partner?
And his expression was so calm—like he truly believed she wouldn’t refuse.
I thought it was suspicious when he kept approaching me with that flawless face…
As the certainty settled in that she was dealing with someone truly odd, all color drained from her face.
Ludwig watched Olive’s pale expression carefully.
Her wide eyes darted nervously around—reminding him of her before the regression.
It was a habit she displayed when rejecting something. Olive hesitated, then opened her mouth.
“I—I already have a debutante partner, Ludwig.”
Ludwig’s grip on the teacup handle tightened.
That’s a lie.
Before the regression, her partner was her older brother. And she danced the first dance with Second Prince Carlos.
She had even publicly declared her engagement to Carlos, ignoring Ludwig.
It was a day he remembered well—the first time in his life he felt his blood boil in reverse.
That day marked the beginning of his plan for a coup and his alliance with the underground powers.
Victory became his. He shed much blood to seize both the throne and Olive—though the ending had been a tragedy.
Ludwig believed that if he corrected the mistakes of the past, Olive would eventually accept him.
This time, he hadn’t stabbed her foot at their first meeting.
He hadn’t forced himself on her at Flaners’ birthday banquet.
He had straightened the two twisted encounters, and now it was Olive’s turn to accept him.
But instead, she rejected him.
An outcome he hadn’t accounted for.
Ludwig’s razor-sharp mind, usually faster than others’ by several measures, stopped working like a lightning-struck windmill.
Ludwig was learning what “flustered” felt like.
Why does he just keep blinking like that? It makes me feel guilty.
She had intended to reject him, but she hadn’t expected him to be this shaken.
As if it was his first time being rejected.
Wait, did he seriously not consider the possibility of being turned down?
What kind of mindset did someone need to be this arrogant?
Maybe he didn’t know any other noblewomen, or maybe his personality was so bad that even his good looks couldn’t make up for it and he was unpopular.
…Or perhaps, that mysterious noblewoman who told him to cut his hair ran away because she couldn’t handle his personality either.
If that’s the case, Olive could guess why he had so urgently asked her on a date.
“Do you perhaps not have a partner to attend with, Ludwig?”
Her soft voice nudged Ludwig’s stunned mind back into gear.
Realizing Olive was looking at him with pity, a surge of inexplicable rage bubbled inside him.
How dare this woman look at me like I’m some fool? Me, Ludwig!
“I am popular because I’m excellent, I’ll have you know!”
Words he would never have said before the regression slipped out unfiltered.
Damn it. Did that really just come out of my mouth? Regret followed instantly, but there was no taking it back.
At his ridiculous boast, Olive tilted her head slightly and replied, “Ah. I see,” with a deadpan face, then furrowed her brow.
Each blink of Olive’s annoyed eyes made Ludwig feel his soul shrink.
For the second time today, Ludwig’s pupils trembled faintly.
【 Misjudgments and Misunderstandings 】
In the rear garden of the Chartres estate, there was a small pond. Surrounded by four large cherry trees, the pond had picnic tables and benches nearby. Olive often sat there to read or knit when the trees were in bloom.
Today again, she was knitting diligently while watching cherry blossoms fall.
“It’ll get hot soon, Olive. Why are you knitting?”
Her brother, Flaners, dropped the papers he was holding onto the table and flopped onto the bench.
“For the same reason you don’t cut your hair in summer.”
Without looking up, Olive kept her knitting needles busy.
Flaners smiled gently and rested his chin on the table, watching his sister.
“What made my cute little sister so grumpy?”
“Cancel that thing from yesterday. I can’t do it.”
“You mean tutoring Prince Ludwig privately?”
As soon as he said it, Olive slammed her needles on the table and covered her face with both hands.
“Why on earth do I have to be the prince’s private tutor? Asking me to teach him embroidery and knitting—no matter how you look at it, that’s weird, brother!”
He’s definitely doing this to get back at me for rejecting his debutante proposal.
Olive looked close to tears.
“Oh dear, Olive.”
Flaners patted her on the shoulder. With a troubled expression, he recalled the proposal he had presented to his younger sister the day before.
Even he had found it absurd at first.
Lately, the palace had been in turmoil due to the expansion of the underground criminal group “Black Shadow.” After wrapping up yet another strategy meeting, he ran into Prince Ludwig outside the royal conference room.
Contrary to the rumors that the “cursed prince” was cruel and cold-hearted, Ludwig had come across as very proper.
Even the best-educated nobles made mistakes growing up, but Ludwig had never been caught in a single scandal.
Though unloved by the emperor, he used his allocated budget shrewdly to run successful businesses.
He even branched into cultural projects like art museums, generating impressive profits wherever he went.
Flaners, raised in a prestigious political family, had come to respect Ludwig’s capabilities.
“Greetings, Lord Flaners. I’m planning to start a new textile business, but I lack relevant knowledge.”
Ludwig had approached and requested Olive to tutor him in weaving, embroidery, and knitting.
“There are many experts among the palace attendants. Why ask Olive, Your Highness?”
“It wouldn’t be proper for someone of my status to learn from attendants. And nobles tend to be too prejudiced.”
He had even pointed out that Olive Chartres had won first place in the weaving competition during last autumn’s festival.
His reasoning sounded valid, but Flaners still felt uneasy. So he declined.
But Ludwig had clearly anticipated this and presented something Flaners couldn’t easily turn down.
The envelope he handed over read: “Report on Black Shadow Base Locations.”
“How did Your Highness obtain this while staying within the palace?”
Flaners couldn’t hide his shock.
“Trade secret, Lord Flaners.”
Ludwig gave the envelope a gentle shake.
