CPSMBD Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The Kiss

"Your Highness, I apologize. But this is all for your sake."

And with that, my lips met the Crown Prince's.

'Ah, farewell my first kiss.'

While I hadn't placed too much significance on first kisses, it still stung to lose it like this.

My first thought was that the Crown Prince's lips were softer and more plush than I had imagined.

Unlike my expectations of something terrible, kissing the Crown Prince wasn't bad at all.

Rather, it was sweet - and that made it even more problematic.

'Why doesn't this feel unpleasant? How is that possible?'

My heart raced as if I'd been running.

My fingers trembled where they gripped his collar.

This was getting dangerous. If I lingered any longer, I feared I might never be able to break free from this sweet act.

'This should be enough.'

I pulled my lips away from his.

I could see the Crown Prince's eyes looking down at me.

My disheveled reflection was caught in those blue eyes. If I thought I saw sparks flying in his languid gaze as he looked down at me, surely that was just my imagination.

The Crown Prince, who had been standing stiff as a stone letting me do as I pleased, suddenly moved.

His large, warm hand cupped my cheek and pulled me closer.

'Oh! W-wait!'

His nose pressed against my cheek again, and lips hotter than flames devoured mine.

His kiss was so intense it made my previous attempt feel like child's play.

I tried to step back, but he wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck to prevent my escape.

My plan to end it with a light kiss had completely backfired.

The kiss grew deeper and more passionate.

My legs felt weak.

I pushed against his shoulders, but he showed no intention of letting me go.

Instead, he pressed me against the wall, desperately exploring my lips. The impact against the hard wall sent a dull pain through my back.

"Mmph!"

A moan escaped, but the Crown Prince swallowed even that sound.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't take it anymore. I pounded my fists against his shoulders.

Finally, just as I reached my limit, our lips parted.

'Thank goodness. I almost bid farewell to this world via suffocation.'

Catching my breath, I studied the Crown Prince.

'This should be enough, right? He must have returned to his normal self. If this didn't break the spell, I'll march to the Epola Mountains and wipe out all those fairies.'

The Crown Prince was still looking down at me with dreamy eyes, as if lost in a trance.

Ugh. He was unnecessarily lethal.

'Why is he still looking at me like that? Don't tell me... the curse hasn't broken?'

At that moment, his gaze changed.

Like sea foam suddenly clearing from ocean waters, his eyes returned to their clear, sharp state.

And then, shock washed over his face like an incoming tide.

He covered his mouth and stepped backward, staring down at me with horrified eyes.

Finally, he had returned. To his true self.

"Y-you! You just k-k-k-k..."

"Kissed you?"

I casually wiped my lips with the back of my hand, which were wet with saliva.

"Yes! That! How dare you do such a thing to me..."

"You kissed me much more intensely than I kissed you, Your Highness."

At my words, the Crown Prince's face burst into flames.

I had sacrificed my lips, and this was his reaction the moment the fairy's tears were neutralized.

All I did was press my lips against his.

'If anyone was passionate about the kissing, it was Crown Prince Friedrich, not me!'

"H-how, how can you say such..."

Though I had only stated facts, the Crown Prince's reaction was more intense than expected.

Could it be that this was his first kiss too?

If so, that might lessen my indignation somewhat.

"Your Highness, was this perhaps your first-"

Before I could finish, the Crown Prince shouted.

"O-of course not!"

If it wasn't, there was no need to yell like that.

It was my first.

How disappointing.

'For someone who claims all women look like monsters, I wonder when he managed to kiss anyone.'

Why am I feeling this way? Get it together, Violetta.

This was just a treatment.

Like administering medicine to someone sick or injured.

Of course, I could somewhat understand the Crown Prince's reaction.

'How horrifying must it be to think you've kissed a monster? I would probably react the same way.'

But he didn't need to look at me with such contempt!

How infuriating.

"It's nothing special. It was necessary to neutralize the fairy's tears."

"N-nothing special... It might be nothing to you, but..."

That's when it happened. A third voice interrupted what we thought was a private moment in the office.

"Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! What do we have here!"

An uneasy feeling crept down my spine.

I slowly turned my head toward the voice.

The office door, which I thought had been tightly closed, was now wide open.

And standing in that doorway was the Empress, the Crown Prince's mother.

"Our Friedrich and Chief Aide Violetta kissing! Heavens, what a sight! This mother can hardly believe her eyes!"

Behind the Empress' shoulders, I could see the shocked faces of Brahe and General Chief Aide Kuan.

I slowly backed away.

'This can't be happening. I'm completely ruined.'

To be caught kissing my superior by his family!

To be caught kissing my superior by my colleagues!

'Will I even be able to keep working here?'

Even with my thick skin, this was beyond what I could handle!

I needed to write my resignation letter immediately.

***

When the Empress entered the office, the gloomy room brightened as if someone had turned on the lights.

But where I stood remained dark, as if under storm clouds.

'Why did Her Majesty choose to visit Crown Prince Friedrich's office now of all times?'

The Empress rarely visited the Crown Prince's office in person.

'But why did she have to visit right when we were kissing!'

The Empress sat in the main seat and began to scold.

"Really now! When a lady musters the courage to express her feelings, that's not how you should respond. Besides, surely you allowed Chief Aide Violetta's kiss because you have feelings for her too?"

"...That's not it, Mother."

"Nonsense! With your skills, you could have easily avoided Chief Aide Violetta's advance if you wanted to, yet you stood still. And I saw with my own eyes how you kissed her back at the end as if you wanted to devour her. My, my. Your mother's face is burning with embarrassment!"

The Empress, who had been interrogating the Crown Prince, warmly clasped my hands and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Chief Aide Violetta, thank you so much. I've been so worried that Friedrich might be made of wood, but now I see that's not the case. This is all thanks to you, Chief Aide Violetta."

The Crown Prince spoke up.

"I regret to inform Chief Aide Violetta, but I harbor no romantic feelings for her whatsoever."

As expected, even after taking the antidote for the fairy's tears, his feelings toward me remained unchanged.

Complete lies.

Seeing how he changed immediately after taking the antidote, reversing his words so quickly.

A strange sense of betrayal filled my heart.

"My son, are you unable to acknowledge your feelings out of embarrassment? There's no need for that. From what I've seen, Chief Violetta appears to have feelings for you as well... Let's set a date right away. We must hold a grand royal wedding. What joyous news this is!"

The Empress's misunderstanding only deepened.

The Crown Prince, seemingly giving up on explaining to his mother, ran his fingers through his hair irritably and fell silent.

"Um, Your Majesty, that's not what..."

The Empress spoke in an incredibly warm and gentle voice.

"Yes, my future daughter-in-law. Why don't we set aside such formal titles and use something more familiar? Ah! 'Mother' would be perfect, don't you think?"

D-daughter-in-law? M-mother?!