CPSMBD Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The Second Date

It was all because of that kiss with the Crown Prince.

If it weren't for that incident, my heart wouldn't race simply from being near him. I desperately needed to erase the Crown Prince from my thoughts.

'Right. There was that blind date Brahe offered.'

The matchmaking opportunity with a knight that Brahe had mentioned earlier now seemed urgent. I needed to redirect my thoughts elsewhere, if only to forget the memory that surfaced every time I saw the Crown Prince.

I had thought it was just a simple meeting of lips, but seeing how the memory kept replaying at every opportunity, the aftereffects were far more serious than I'd imagined.

'This must be because I've never dated before, being too busy working myself to death. That's why I'm mistakenly thinking I have romantic feelings for His Highness Friedrich.'

Surely, meeting a new man would make both this false flutter I felt around the Crown Prince and the memory of that day dissolve like sugar in water.

***

The next day, all assistants were mobilized to organize the chaos in the library.

We sorted through the jumbled materials by topic and set aside damaged books for repair. Investigators from the investigation office came to examine why the bookshelf had collapsed.

Their conclusion: the aged, rotting wood had barely been supporting the weight of the books and documents when sudden additional pressure caused it to give way.

'In other words, it's all my fault!'

Though they said the wooden shelves were already deteriorating and about to collapse anyway, it did little to ease my guilt.

We were already overwhelmed with our regular duties, and now having to organize the reference room was exhausting. But since I was the cause, I had no choice but to work quietly without complaint.

I turned to Brahe, who was organizing materials beside me.

"Brahe, about that well-built knight you mentioned before - is that offer still valid?"

"Of course!"

Brahe answered promptly but then hesitated before continuing.

"But will His Highness Friedrich allow it? After all, you and His Highness recently ki—"

I couldn't let Brahe finish that word.

Just hearing it started making my lips burn hot again, just like when the Crown Prince had kissed me.

My heart began pumping rapidly.

'No, no, NO! Get yourself together Violetta! Why are you getting excited? Why is your heart acting up?!'

I burst out angrily, "Are you crazy?! Never mention that again!!! It never happened in my life!"

General Chief Aide Kuan who was organizing documents on the other side of the bookshelf, peeked his head around.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing at all, sir."

Kuan tilted his head questioningly before returning to his work.

I lowered my voice and spoke to Brahe.

"Never bring that up again. Understood?"

"Ah, yes! Understood!"

I drove the point home with repeated emphasis.

"His Highness Friedrich and I are superior and subordinate, nothing more, nothing less. Got it?"

"Yes."

"And that day was just an... accident! Yes, an accident that had to happen to neutralize the Fairy's Tears that His Highness consumed."

"Yes!"

"Like two carriages crashing - that kind of unavoidable accident!"

Brahe mumbled with a puzzled expression.

"Well, isn't love supposed to come suddenly like an accident—"

"Stop talking and arrange that blind date with the knight immediately."

"Yes, ma'am!"

While love might come like an accident for ordinary people, it was absolutely impossible between the Crown Prince and me.

"And this is absolutely secret from His Highness Friedrich."

Brahe lowered her voice and asked, "Why? You said you're just superior and subordinate. Shouldn't it not matter if His Highness knows?"

"Have you forgotten how His Highness interfered when I had that date with Lord Dale?"

"Ah, but that was because His Highness was worried about you—"

I shot him a sharp glare, and he immediately backed down.

Brahe clenched his fist and made a pledge, "Right. Then I'll arrange this matchmaking so secretly that not even a mouse or bird will know."

"As discreetly as possible. Understood?"

"Yes!"

Brahe answered energetically.

This time, I couldn't let the Crown Prince ruin my matchmaking.

I, Violetta Estrisen, will absolutely succeed in getting married this time, no matter what!

And then I'll completely erase these feelings I have for the Crown Prince from my mind.

That day's incident too.

***

Alex Brooke, Knight of the Imperial Palace.

According to Brahe, Lord Brooke was the epitome of a self-made man.

Without any family background or connections, he had risen to become the Captain of the Imperial Knights through his sword skills alone - truly an outstanding individual.

The place Alex Brooke chose for our first meeting was a tavern similar in atmosphere to the inn where I had stopped with the Crown Prince before reaching the Epola Mountains.

Since Lord Brooke finished his duties in the evening, we agreed to meet late at night when the sun had long set.

Late that night, I headed to the tavern he had specified.

Inside, various people were drinking and conversing together.

Though it was somewhat noisy and distracting for a matchmaking meeting, I didn't mind meeting someone in an unusual place.

Besides, I had experience with a similar place in the Epola Mountains.

Since my impression from that time had been quite good, I felt this experience might be enjoyable too.

Drawing from my previous experience, I naturally ordered some food and light drinks.

The orders appeared before me in the blink of an eye.

I tried the food first.

It was a dish of small pieces of fried meat stir-fried with various vegetables.

The moment I put a chopstick-full in my mouth, bells rang in my head.

'What? This is actually delicious!'

How dare these people keep such a great restaurant to themselves without telling me.

Bad people. Everyone here was bad people.

The food made me crave a drink. I tasted the alcohol I had ordered with the meal.

The moment I took a sip, I nearly spat it out.

'Ugh. The drink is terrible.'

It wasn't my style at all.

Too bitter and too strong.

I pushed the drink I had barely sipped far away.

Just then, a man with a flushed face sat down in the empty seat and spoke to me.

"Miss, are you alone?"

"For now. Yes."

"Well, seeing you drink alone, did someone stand you up?"

"That's not it."

Brahe wouldn't introduce someone so rude as to stand someone up without even contacting them.

"Come on, I can tell just by looking that you got stood up."

The man continued after making his own assumptions about my situation.

"Then what's a lady like you doing alone in a tavern like this? This place doesn't suit you at all."

Is there some specific type of person who belongs in a place like this?

But I decided not to think negatively about it.

It reminded me of the bandit who had helped us in the Epola Mountains.

Since I didn't know when Lord Brooke would arrive, perhaps I could engage in some light conversation until then?

"Hello, then what brings a gentleman like yourself, who looks like a regular, here alone?"

The man, who had been wearing a surly expression, nodded at my words.

"Obviously, I came to drink. This place is perfect for drinking alone."

"Ah, I see. This is my first time here."

The man glanced at my pushed-aside drink and said,

"But you're not drinking?"

Remembering the taste of the drink I'd just had, my face automatically scrunched up.

"This drink tastes really bad."

"It's actually the most popular drink here, but it might be too challenging for someone with refined tastes like yourself. I'll have you know I'm something of an expert when it comes to the drinks they serve here. There's nothing I don't know about their selection. Let me recommend something sweeter that you might like."

The man spoke with an air of superiority. But since the drink truly was awful, I decided not to reject his kindness.