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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Is That Such a Surprising Thing?
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Is that such a surprising thing?
Crown Prince Luciano's reaction was more intense than I'd expected.
It was honestly embarrassing to hear.
I glanced at him for a moment before deciding to just keep pushing.
"Let's just be comfortable with each other."
I flashed my signature sunny heroine smile for the first time in ages.
At that, Crown Prince Luciano snapped out of his shock and stared at me.
I smiled even brighter to urge him to decide quickly.
A moment later, he slowly nodded.
"Sure."
"Wow, you're actually going along with it."
I'd suggested it, but I hadn't actually thought he'd agree, so I said it out loud.
Crown Prince Luciano looked at me like I was absurd.
He shook his head as if he couldn't do anything about me and let out a small sigh.
"You're one to talk, Espin. Your attitude has changed a lot too."
"Wow! He said my name!"
I'd changed it in a hurry, but the shift in address was clear.
I clapped my hands to celebrate this historic moment.
Crown Prince Luciano let out a hollow laugh as if it was ridiculous.
"How far are you planning to take this change?"
What was he talking about?
"I'm just getting started."
"!"
He had no idea.
A rational person and a friend were obviously different, weren't they?
'I don't need to pretend to be the sunny heroine in front of you, who's not even a candidate for my man.'
"You've already seen all my ugly sides, so what's the point now?"
"...I never dreamed you had a personality like this."
He let out a sigh that seemed full of regret over deciding to be friends.
That wouldn't do.
Crown Prince Luciano had been weighing me for over a year, so I couldn't just accept him as a friend right away either.
I was just getting started.
* * *
"Espin."
I lifted my head from my focused reading at the sound of my name.
"Did you call me?"
Crown Prince Luciano had called me but just stared at me silently.
His expression suggested he had a lot to say.
"What's wrong?"
"You should read sitting up."
He must have been bothered by me lying on my stomach on the sofa with a book.
"This is more comfortable."
"...."
Crown Prince Luciano just sighed.
* * *
"Checkmate."
Crown Prince Luciano's queen swiftly captured my pathetic king.
This was already our tenth game of chess, and I'd lost all ten in a row.
I couldn't take it anymore!
"Take it back!"
"What?"
"This isn't right! That was a mistake just now. It's not your turn, Your Highness. Take it back quick!"
At my unreasonable demand, Luciano sighed and moved his queen back.
"Two moves ago!"
He sighed again and moved his piece once more.
* * *
"Freeze!"
I grabbed Crown Prince Luciano's hand as he was about to draw a card and shouted.
I glared at him, who looked utterly confused.
"Hey! How dare you try to pull a bottom card during a sacred card game!"
"...You've been pulling bottom cards since earlier."
"Oh, you knew?"
I hadn't realized he'd caught on.
'I thought my hand was faster than lightning since he never said a word.'
At my sheepish attitude, Crown Prince Luciano sighed again.
* * *
"Let's make a bet today."
"A bet?"
"We kids can't wager money, so how about flicking the forehead? What do you think?"
"What's a forehead flick?"
I curled my middle finger with my thumb and demonstrated flicking it.
"Like this. It's hitting the forehead."
"...You sure that's okay?"
Crown Prince Luciano watched my gesture for a moment, then checked if I was really fine with it.
That arrogant attitude!
It was all because he was too good at everything.
His genius talent showed even in games.
We'd tried quite a few kinds, but I almost never beat him.
Even when he didn't know the rules at first, he'd win every time once we started.
Each time, I'd tremble with rage.
He knew full well how much I burned with competitive spirit.
'But he never lets me win even once, so he's pretty ruthless too.'
Anyway, that was why I kept suggesting bets even though I lost every time.
"I'm confident."
This time, I was sure I'd win.
Why?
Because this was a game that didn't exist in this world!
Despite my confident expression, Crown Prince Luciano accepted the bet.
"Fine."
I'd make him regret that agreement!
Today, I'd win for sure!
"Bring the chessboard."
While Crown Prince Luciano fetched the chessboard, I untied the pouch I'd prepared.
Clack.
They were pebbles I'd gathered from the garden behind our house.
Five light-colored stones and ten dark ones, each about the size of a finger joint.
"Pebbles? What are those for?"
'Heh heh heh.'
"Ever heard of Go-Stop?"
I was pretty much a Go-Stop master in my previous life.
They weren't Go stones, but I had no doubt I'd win.
That was just ten minutes ago.
"Want to play another round?"
I couldn't hide my despair at Crown Prince Luciano's suggestion.
This couldn't be happening.
'I lost at Go-Stop too?'
"Yeah, let's stop and do something else."
As I sat there stunned, Crown Prince Luciano started tidying up the pebbles.
"You have to flick my forehead."
It sucked, but a bet was a bet.
I lifted my bangs with my palm, exposing my forehead.
"It's fine."
Crown Prince Luciano said indifferently that it was okay, but I wasn't.
"No. A bet's a bet. Go on, do it."
He stared at me for a moment before moving.
I squeezed my eyes shut as his hand approached my forehead.
It'll hurt, right?
No, he doesn't know what a flick is, so maybe it won't.
But it's Crown Prince Luciano.
A genius who excels at everything.
'Even his flick will be genius-level painful, won't it?'
I trembled and prayed he'd just get it over with quickly.
But no matter how long I waited, no sharp pain struck my forehead.
I cracked one eye open to peek at him.
"I'm not doing it."
"You can't just not. Do it."
When I insisted strongly, Crown Prince Luciano gave me a strange look.
"You really want to get hit that bad?"
No, why did it come out like that?
"That's not it!"
"I said it's fine, so why do you keep insisting I hit you?"
"Because obviously I want to hit you too!"
He had no idea about my grand plan for my turn.
Crown Prince Luciano stared at me like it was ridiculous.
"Fine. Here."
I lifted my bangs again, closed my eyes, and waited.
When's he gonna do it?
Ugh, if you're gonna hit, just do it already.
Why keep dragging it out?
You're scaring me.
My body trembled with tension.
Then.
Tap.
An unexpectedly gentle touch landed on my forehead.
I opened my eyes wide.
Crown Prince Luciano's blank face came into view.
"Why?"
"Did you just flick me?"
"Yeah."
He was totally nonchalant.
"You really, really flicked me?"
"I told you."
So even Crown Prince Luciano had something he couldn't do?
"Great! One more round!"
I shouted excitedly.
* * *
As we met a few more times, I tested how far Crown Prince Luciano would tolerate my behavior.
I spoke arrogantly, made unreasonable demands a few times.
I even did things that I thought were too much myself.
'But surprisingly, his threshold for generosity seems pretty high.'
He sighed at most of what I did but had an attitude of 'do whatever you want.'
Like compensating for the past year, Crown Prince Luciano accommodated me completely.
He seemed extremely cautious about letting people into his inner circle, but once they were in, he was endlessly lenient.
Objectively, he wasn't great friend material—indifferent, doesn't explain properly, and gruff as can be.
Not easygoing in many ways.
'But if he's matching my behavior this much, being friends might not be so bad.'
Having reached that conclusion, I declared to Crown Prince Luciano.
"Alright. I'll accept you as a friend."
Crown Prince Luciano froze as if he'd heard something outrageous.
When I looked at him expectantly for a response, he finally spoke.
"That felt pretty shocking... Accept me as a friend? What have we been doing all this time?"
Well, we'd played a lot together for months, and he'd put up with a ton of my nonsense.
I could understand his bewilderment a little.
"The time until now was your probation period to see if you're friend material."
"I had no idea I was under review. So I've passed now?"
"That's why I'm telling you."
At my response, Crown Prince Luciano let out a hollow laugh like it was unbelievable.
"You're really impossible."
"Now, let's get along great."
I declared with a bright smile, and he just shook his head.
Whatever, I felt justified.
I'd judged him for about three months, after all.
He'd watched me for a whole year.
'This is pretty fair!'
And so, I accepted Crown Prince Luciano as a friend, and we grew close at an alarming speed.
* * *
I was starving more than usual today.
"I'm hungry. Got anything to eat?"
Clutching my growling stomach, I boldly demanded food from Crown Prince Luciano.
"Wait."
He looked at me for a moment before leaving the room.
It suddenly hit me—we'd always received cold treatment, but we'd never eaten together.
I'd visited the palace often, but my stays were short, so we'd never needed separate meals.
Crown Prince Luciano returned soon with two apples in hand.
"Here, eat."
He held out whole, unpeeled apples.
"...."
"You're hungry, aren't you?"
When I hesitated to take them, he shook his hand as if to say take them already.
"I didn't expect raw ones."
Don't they usually eat fancy stuff in the palace?
'This is too raw as is.'
"I always eat them like this."
When I didn't take them readily, Crown Prince Luciano said curtly.
His face showed a hint of annoyance, and I belatedly realized my mistake.
'He's sensitive about food because of the poison.'
"You're not even gonna peel them, huh?"
I quickly took the apple.
Truth be told, I wasn't that picky either.
I rubbed it on my clothes and crunched into it.
Sweet and crisp—tasted good.
As I chewed and glanced at Crown Prince Luciano, he started eating one too.
But a question lingered even as I ate.
Did "I always eat them like this" mean just snacks?
Or all food?
Logically, the former, but a bad feeling kept pointing to the latter.
Considering how he'd reacted sensitively even to a muffin.
"No way... you eat all your meals like this?"
Crown Prince Luciano's chewing jaw stopped.
He stared at me silently.
His red eyes turned cold.
Just from his expression, I could guess the answer, and my breath caught.
As my anxiety peaked, Crown Prince Luciano spoke.
"Cooks are easy to bribe."
It had been a long time since he'd had proper cooked food.
Not for health reasons, but for survival, he ate everything raw.
My heart ached fiercely.
I'd been so foolish.
I knew he had worries like this, but I should've paid more attention.
I never imagined it was this bad.
And he was my friend now!
I shot to my feet.
"You can go out, right?"
