YWPWYLFDM 54

Chapter 54

Binka turned away in shock when she saw Winfred with his shirt half off, and the chief attendant pressed his temples as though his head were about to split.

“Don’t get mad, Joseph. It’s my fault for oversleeping. Normally no one’s around at this hour anyway, so it just happened.”

Winfred tried to ease Joseph’s anger with a playful smile, but it only stoked his irritation further.

“…Your Highness!”

Ever since Binka had given him a handkerchief, Winfred had treated her with unmatched kindness. Today’s mishap was clearly her fault, yet he wouldn’t even let Joseph scold her properly.

If this went on, the maid would grow spoiled. Shaking his head in frustration, Joseph let out a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, Winfred—now fully dressed—grabbed Joseph’s arm and tugged.

“Come on, let’s go. We need to move so Binka can tidy the bed!”

Not, ‘We’re running late because I overslept, let’s hurry,’ but rather, ‘Let’s step aside so Binka can do her job.’ At this point, who was the crown prince and who was the maid was anyone’s guess.

That afternoon, Joseph, still stewing over the morning’s events, finally asked the question gnawing at him.

“…Your Highness. Do you… like Binka?”

“Huh?”

“Do you like her?”

Winfred, who had his face buried in a stack of documents, lifted his head with a blank look. The question was so sudden it left him baffled.

“Yeah! I like Binka.”

His bewilderment lasted only a second before he nodded brightly.

That answer made Joseph’s throbbing headache flare up worse than ever.

“…Your Highness, how could you—!”

The crown prince of a great empire harboring feelings for a maid? And not only that—Binka was already twenty, five years older than Winfred.

She did look young for her age, but that wasn’t the point.

“This is unacceptable, Your Highness!”

“Huh? Why?”

Winfred tilted his head in genuine confusion. Why wouldn’t it be okay to like Binka?

Joseph clutched his chest in frustration. He had always thought Winfred was clever, but how could he not grasp something so obvious?

“…You are the crown prince of the great Peles Empire! If anyone found out you had feelings for a maid, Binka would be the one to suffer most.”

“What—what are you talking about? Me, having feelings for Binka? That’s ridiculous!”

Winfred gaped, jaw nearly unhinged, protesting with all his might. He had no idea why Joseph was saying such things.

“…But you just said you liked her!”

“Yeah! I like her. She’s like a big sister to me. She’s kind and dependable!”

Only then did Joseph realize they’d been talking about two different things. He slumped into a chair, utterly drained.

“If that’s what you meant, you should’ve said so from the start…! I made a complete fool of myself!”

“Wasn’t it obvious? There’s no way I’d see Binka as a woman. I already…”

Already had someone else in his heart.

But he couldn’t say that to Joseph, who knew nothing about Ayla. If Joseph had known how deeply Winfred loved her, there would’ve been no room for this misunderstanding in the first place.

Even his closeness with Binka had begun because of the handkerchief—an irreplaceable keepsake tied to Ayla. Winfred could never be swayed by another woman.

“Like a sister, huh…”

Joseph muttered, looking defeated, as though he’d just gone ten rounds in the ring.

“Yeah, like a real sister. Binka’s an only child, and her mother’s unwell. We just have a lot in common.”

Winfred answered with a pure smile, even pointing out how much they looked alike.

Seeing him so genuinely happy, Joseph realized how much comfort Binka must have been to the lonely prince, who had grown up as an only child himself.

…Come to think of it, they really do resemble each other.

The long lashes, the slightly downturned eyes—they did share similarities.

No, that’s not the point.

While it was fortunate Winfred only saw Binka as an elder sister, his behavior was still enough to invite rumors.

If word spread that the crown prince was infatuated with a mere maid, things would get ugly.

“In any case, Your Highness, if you show her too much affection, people will misunderstand. Worse, they might accuse her of seducing you for favoritism.”

“…I suppose that could happen. Fine, I’ll be careful from now on.”

Winfred nodded lightly at Joseph’s explanation.

Truthfully, he didn’t care what strangers thought—but he did worry that one day, if Ayla returned to her parents, she might hear whispers that the crown prince was living a scandalous life. That alone was reason enough to avoid misunderstanding.

Joseph finally let out a long breath of relief at Winfred’s firm answer. He felt as though he’d lost ten years of his life to stress.

Such a lovely fragrance.

Ayla drew in the scent of an unfamiliar flower.

Training had ended early for once, and with permission to wander as long as she didn’t leave the annex, she was enjoying a rare leisurely stroll.

The flower gave off a chocolate-like sweetness, its small violet blossoms clustered together like a bunch of grapes. The fragrance seemed to soothe her unsettled heart.

…I wonder if it tastes like chocolate too?

She bent down to inhale the scent once more.

Of course, she was too well-trained in toxicology to actually put an unknown plant in her mouth.

Just then, a voice came from behind.

“Hey, pretty. What are you doing there?”

There was no mistaking who it was. Only one man in the world ever dared call her pretty in such a nauseatingly cheesy way—Gerald Senosfon.

Without answering, Ayla kept her face buried in the flowers. She already disliked him, and now he was interrupting her rare moment of peace.

Why did he insist on showing up nearly every day?

“You’re not planning on eating that, are you? Those flowers are poisonous.”

“…Poisonous?”

She thought she knew most toxic plants, but this one was unfamiliar. The sweet chocolate scent hadn’t suggested danger at all.

“Yeah. Not deadly, but they do contain some toxins. They’re called Duranta. You’ve probably never seen them before—they’re native to our country, and they can’t survive the cold elsewhere.”

Gerald puffed himself up, rattling off unnecessary information. It was, after all, a perfect chance to flaunt his knowledge in front of her.

But Ayla hardly reacted.

Ah, so it’s native to Inselkopf. No wonder I didn’t recognize it. And if it’s not lethal, even less reason to have studied it.

That was about all she thought.

“…Forget the flowers. I brought you something really delicious.”

Flustered by her indifference, Gerald pulled out his trump card: a chocolate pound cake he’d harassed the royal chef into making.

Having just finished training, the cake did look tempting to the hungry Ayla. Still, she refused without hesitation.

“Thanks, but no. You eat it.”

Dinner wasn’t far off, and if she spoiled her appetite with cake, Byron would scold her again for barely touching her meal.

Not that that was the only reason. Even if she liked cake, she had no desire to share it with him. They weren’t nearly close enough for that.

Gerald, however, clearly thought otherwise. Her rejection visibly shook him.

“W–why not?”

“…Do I need a reason? I just don’t feel like it.”

She couldn’t very well say, Because I don’t want to eat with you, so she brushed him off and turned toward the annex. The longer she stayed outside, the longer she’d have to endure his pestering.

But Gerald wasn’t about to let her walk away so easily.

“Come on, at least stay with me—”

He reached for her wrist.

But Ayla was not the type to let anyone touch her so casually. Once, she had allowed him to pat her head because she’d been caught off guard, but this time was different.

In a swift motion, she twisted away, leaving Gerald grasping at air.

“…What, do you have eyes in the back of your head? Why’d you dodge like that and embarrass me?”

He scratched his cheek awkwardly, baffled by how quick she was.

Ayla narrowed her eyes at him.

Normally, she wouldn’t have stopped at dodging—she would’ve grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. But that would only cause trouble, so she restrained herself.

At that very moment, someone appeared who could save her from this bothersome situation.