Chapter 165

Translator: Yonnee

—

Come to think of it, it’s not all that strange anymore for Albert to come and see me often. Just as he promised, he sought me out every day.

Now, however, I don’t know if I’ll be able to act like nothing had happened whenever I saw his face.

I heard all that about Albert from Mercy just now.

I’m not sure what I’ll do, but as soon as I see him, I might try to argue and say, ‘Back when you treated me from the black magic, why didn’t you tell me about how life-threatening it actually is?’ Even though I knew all too well that I’m not really in any position to argue with him about that.

Ah, what a headache. I grabbed my head, letting out a loud sigh.

After a while, with perhaps a determined voice, I muttered.

“I didn’t hear any rumors.”

If Albert doesn’t want me to know about it, then I’ll pretend that I don’t know for the rest of my life.

Mercy grinned at me.

“Yes, of course.”

* * *

Albert rented out that large two-story restaurant.

Indeed, even if we came here covertly, such a feat wasn’t difficult to do. After all, there’s no chef in the country who would hate for the king to come.

As we went inside, the first thing I saw was the splendidly decorated table in the middle, luxurious tableware atop it.

“You must be hungry. Did you get to choose the dresses that you wanted?”

“I think the problem is that I picked too many.”

“What limit could there be to the person who saved the king? Come, sit.”

We sat down, shoulder to shoulder. Whenever I ate with Albert before, I was always sitting in front of him, so I was feeling sort of awkward as I heard the sound of his breathing close by.

“…Wouldn’t it be better to sit while facing each other?”

“I don’t know about that. I prefer sitting like this, side by side. Put your favorite dragon fledgling there in front of you.”

Albert shamelessly replied like that. Blanc tried to stick close to me, but when he found out that there was no room for him, he stood on the table.

Blanc glared straight at Albert. Of course, this had no effect on Albert.

Acting like this with each other had practically become a daily routine now, and as I saw this, I felt the tension in my body dissipate.

I tried to pretend that I didn’t hear any of those rumors. Because that’s what he wants.

But I wonder, was it still possible to still call out his name?

I had already decided to call him by name, but I hadn’t done that many times yet.

I wasn’t used to it, really. And since this place wasn’t like the modern times, I had to be more aware of other people’s eyes and ears.

But Albert wants me to call his name, so.

“Albert.”

Squeezing his hand slightly, I whispered to him. His hand flinched beneath mine. Furtively glancing up, I caught sight of his chin.

His languid expression showed a slight sense of impatience. It seemed like what I did was far from his expectations.

There were times when he, too, would get flustered. I came to realize this fact once again.

Still, it didn’t take him long to recover. Leaning down close to me now, his head tilted towards me, he whispered back.

“As I’ve said before… You’ve got me figured out pretty well.”

And I replied with a wide grin.

“Of course. Who did I work under all that time?”

Albert rested his chin on one hand.

“You wouldn’t have done that for no reason.”

He murmured, raising his half-lidded eyes.

I want to hear about it, but I can wait.

Albert stared at me. His red eyes glimmered with a shade similar to that of the setting sun outside the nearby window.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“……”

“If there’s something you want to ask me, then you can ask me. If there’s something that you found out, then you can continue knowing about it.”

The soft, gentle smile on Albert’s face held no darkness at all. His face, without a shadow, rather made me nervous.

It was a smile with the intention to comfort me.

And this smile made it difficult for me to tell what Albert’s feelings really were.

“Rosé, I am who I am right now because of what happened at that time. That’s what I think.”

He reached up and gently touched one cheek of mine. His calloused hand was a great contrast to his beautiful face, but even so, that too was a part of Albert.

“So, please don’t look like you’re going to cry.”

“My tears don’t mean pity.”

Maybe he didn’t want to tell me about it because he thought that I would pity him. And I was also afraid that Albert would think that I do.

Hearing my words, Albert shook his head.

“I know.”

He brushed a thumb beneath my eye.

“It’s just that I don’t want to see you cry.”

“……”

“Because I like your smile.”