-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Cheese Muffin Blunder
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“ Hello! Crown Prince Luciano!”
My voice rang out brighter than ever, brimming with confidence.
I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.
My cheerfulness must have been a bit much, because Crown Prince Luciano fixed me with a colder gaze than usual.
“What is it?”
“I brought a gift.”
He just stared indifferently as I beamed back at him.
Not a hint of anticipation showed on his face.
If I waited for a reaction, I’d wear myself out, so I held out the basket I’d brought first.
“Here you go.”
Crown Prince Luciano stood there with his arms crossed, eyeing it without any intention of taking it.
But that was fine.
That blank expression of his would soon melt into bliss!
“Ta-da!”
I whipped off the cloth covering the basket, revealing a pile of fluffy, puffed-up orange-hued cheese muffins.
Crown Prince Luciano stared at the muffins stone-faced, then looked at me and furrowed his brow.
I grinned even wider at his expression, which seemed to ask what this was.
He might look indifferent now, but I had no doubt he’d love this simple gift.
In the story, Crown Prince Luciano wasn’t the type to have any particular likes.
He was always on edge, viewing everything negatively.
The one and only thing he’d ever said he liked was these cheese muffins.
『“Luciano, try this.”
Briana suddenly held out a muffin.
“I’m good.”
He rejected it the moment he saw it.
Luciano didn’t like sweets in general.
Trivial as they were, he avoided anything that made him feel weak.
He’d faced assassination threats since childhood, and to survive, he couldn’t show any softness or vulnerability.
He always had to appear cold and flawless.
That meant steering clear of anything that might relax him even a little.
He lived a life of restraint, careful even with what he ate.
Especially sweet desserts or drinks—he never touched them.
Sweetness was perfect for hiding poison.
One of the lessons he’d learned young was to beware of those offering sweets.
They underestimated the young Luciano, thinking they could manipulate him easily with such things.
So he kept his distance from anyone who offered sweets.
If it had been anyone else holding out that muffin now, he would have dismissed it as pointless nonsense.
“Come on, I made these cheese muffins myself just for you.”
But with Briana, the usual sharp words wouldn’t come.
Strangely, his prickly mood calmed whenever he stood before her.
As he stared at the muffin, Briana’s hand holding it swayed gently.
“I made them not too sweet, so you can eat them too. Don’t you want to?”
He couldn’t refuse her repeated offers.
It had absolutely nothing to do with how cutely she tilted her head.
Luciano took the cheese muffin.
It still held warmth, as if freshly baked.
Warm and fluffy.
Just like Briana.
It was just harmless food, yet he hesitated to put it in his mouth.
He felt an odd reluctance, like fear of something new.
“You just gonna stare? Eat it already.”
When he just clutched it without eating, Briana urged him on.
Unable to ignore her expectant gaze any longer, he slowly brought the muffin to his lips.
The nutty, salty cheese flavor mingled with a touch of sweetness.
The lingering warmth and fluffy texture filled his mouth, then melted smoothly away.
The moment it slid down his throat, Briana’s excited voice rang out.
“How is it?”
It had been so long since he’d had a muffin, and it tingled delightfully on his tongue.
A thrilling taste, different from poison.
A flavor that was hard to describe, one he’d never tasted before.
Unable to ignore Briana’s sparkling, expectant eyes, he answered.
“Delicious.”
“I knew it!”
Her face lit up with a radiant smile.
That pure expression of joy brought a sweetness that melted him inside.
Yes, it was a sweetness he’d never felt before.
A peaceful, happy taste he never wanted to let go of again.』
I remembered that scene perfectly.
After that, cheese muffins became the only dessert Crown Prince Luciano ever ate.
Sure, these weren’t made by the heroine, so they might not taste exactly the same.
But I’d gotten them from a famous baker in the capital.
It was that unforgettable taste, so I was sure Crown Prince Luciano would love them too.
“They’re cheese muffins. I brought them to share.”
Crown Prince Luciano glanced back and forth between the muffins and my face.
Beneath his unnaturally calm demeanor lurked a strange displeasure.
‘Is he mad I brought dessert when he doesn’t eat them?’
I quickly picked one up and offered it.
“Here, try one. They’re delicious.”
To recreate the original scene as closely as possible, I’d baked the cheese muffins right before coming.
Thanks to that, they were still warm to the touch.
The nutty, salty cheese aroma filled the drawing room.
No matter how I thought about it, this was a situation he couldn’t help but like.
He just had to take one bite.
Then everything would turn around!
I consciously flashed a bright smile at the crown prince’s icy gaze as I held out the cheese muffin.
“It’s not that sweet. You can eat it too, Your Highness.”
I borrowed the heroine’s lines to persuade him any way I could.
I kept smiling, even shaking my hand gently to urge him to try it.
‘I might not imitate her perfectly, but the situation’s similar enough—he’ll pretend he can’t resist and eat it, right?’
But as if shattering my hopes, Crown Prince Luciano’s expression grew icier.
His gaze shifted from cold to something bordering on contempt, and I sensed something had gone wrong.
“Um, if you don’t want it, you don’t have to.”
Sunshine tactics require thick skin, so I tactfully stepped back.
“What makes you think I’d trust you enough to eat your food?”
But it was too late.
His chilling question dripped with hostility.
He’d always been cold whenever I’d boldly shown up before.
But never like this.
‘He used to just look at me like an annoyance, so why today...’
His piercing glare was so intense I felt I had to say something.
“W-well, I just thought it’d be fun to share...”
I stammered, my voice—and even my body—trembling.
His glare was so scary I couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Who told you to bring this crap?”
I felt wronged; I had no idea why Crown Prince Luciano was reacting so sharply.
“It’s just a gift.”
“How do you know there’s no poison in it?”
His icy voice cut sharply.
I was stunned by the shocking words.
Poison?
‘Does he seriously suspect I put poison in the muffins?’
Of course, we had no foundation of trust between us.
But after all my fervent sunshine efforts!
To interpret my goodwill like that!
“There’s no poison!”
I cried out in indignation. But his attitude didn’t soften a bit.
If anything, it grew even colder.
“I never eat food from others. Everyone who’s ever given me food has been untrustworthy.”
Crown Prince Luciano said coldly.
Only now did I understand why he’d never offered me so much as a cup of tea during my visits over the past year.
He distrusted the very act of sharing food.
You never knew when the other person might slip in poison.
Even though I was just a child, he didn’t let his guard down.
Come to think of it, I’d forgotten—or rather, glossed over—the fact that in the original story, Crown Prince Luciano had faced poisoning attempts as a child.
It was vaguely mentioned as assassination threats, so I’d taken it lightly.
But this was exactly that childhood period.
What if he was constantly under threat of poisoning right now?
What if he couldn’t trust anyone?
I’d poked the hornet’s nest at the height of his wariness.
I finally realized my mistake.
“N-no, really, there’s no poison at all.”
Even as I protested, Crown Prince Luciano just shot me a frosty glare.
The chill raced down my spine.
I’d thought becoming the protagonist meant things would go smoothly.
Novels had trials, sure, but they always ended happily.
Especially romance fantasy possession stories—things just fell into place, logic be damned.
I’d treated Crown Prince Luciano’s reality too lightly because I saw it as a novel.
“Don’t ever come here again.”
He stood as if he couldn’t even be bothered with me anymore.
My heart sank at his cold, turning back.
This wouldn’t do.
If he left like this, there’d be no second chance.
It wasn’t some calculated plan to get close to Crown Prince Luciano.
I felt sorry for him and didn’t want to leave things with him hurt because of my selfishness.
I had to clear up this misunderstanding somehow.
“I’ll prove it!”
I shouted desperately, making him pause.
“What?”
“If I eat it all and I’m fine, that means no poison, right? Then believe me.”
Crown Prince Luciano stared at me as if my claim wasn’t worth responding to.
I knew it too. This wasn’t a smart move.
But it was the only thing I could think of right now.
I shoved the muffin into my mouth in a frenzy.
The muffin, which should have been delicious from a famous baker, tasted dry and tough.
Still, I kept eating without stopping. This felt like my last shot.
While I finished the first one, Crown Prince Luciano just watched silently.
As I barely swallowed it and reached for another, he finally spoke.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
His skeptical gaze made it clear he didn’t think much of my actions.
I gulped down the mouthful of dry muffin and managed to reply.
“I’m proving it.”
