#47

I went to the front of the Police Headquarters to ask permission to meet with my friend, but the police officers strictly refused to grant it. After I was revealed to be a journalist, they kept their distance with me even more.

“Why can’t I meet him? There’s no evidence that he’s the perpetrator!”

They ignored me nonchalantly and waved their hands, telling me to leave from there.

“If you keep going against the order, we’re going to have you thrown into jail. If you don’t want to spend the night behind bars, it’s best to take your leave now.”

“Ah, I just wanted to take a quick look. At least let me make sure that she’s okay!”

“Huff! My decision is still no!”

One of the policemen pushed my shoulder away harshly, making me fall backwards and hurting my tailbone as it hit the hard stone ground. When my butt hit the hard surface, my view faded for a moment and it felt as if I saw stars.

“Akh….”

The pain was unbearable. While grimacing in pain, a white hand suddenly appeared in front of my face.

“Are you alright? Take my hand and get up.”

The bright light behind the man made my eyes open wide. I took the hand that offered for assistance to get up. I shook off the back of my skirt, which was covered in dust, before finally looking up at the man and was about to express my gratitude

“Thank you. Akh…”

I felt the sudden pain in my palm, and when I glanced at it, I realized that my skin was scratched. As blood began to drip, the white hand suddenly grabbed my hand gently. After wiping the dust from my palm, the man tied his white handkerchief on top of my wound.

However, this handkerchief… seemed very familiar. The initial “E” were embroidered in gold thread on the handkerchief.

“Eh? Are you… From a long time ago?”

That crazy person? I refrained from continuing my words.

Perhaps, he heard the conversation between me and Baron Stephen back then. I remembered I was shocked when there was laughter coming from the next room when I was rejected by the old Baron.

After I went back home and thought about it, I began to suspect that voice might be owned by the man in the train because both voices was somehow similar. However, I had no way to contact him back then, so I couldn’t blame this man for listening in on our conversation. I felt embarrassed of what happened between me and the old Baron back then.

And now, I met the handsome man in the Police Headquarters again.

“Every time we meet, you always take away my handkerchief.”

He smiled again with a picturesque expression. The smile that made my heart beat faster. My body reacted first due to the attraction I felt to his good look. 

“Oh, right. I should return that handkerchief to you.”

Where is it? Did I throw it away?

“You can return it later when we meet again. But, why are you here? This is not a suitable place for a woman to be by herself.”

The handsome blond-haired man blinked his red eyes gently, as if he was interested.

“I just wanted to meet a friend. She’s currently being held here.”

“Friend?”

“Yes, Gloria. Did you read the news about the passing of Baron Stephen? The Baron’s wife was my friend.”

“Oh… I see. So, is what you’re holding in your hand for your friend?”

“Yes…”

I carried sandwiches and sweet snacks in a cloth bag. I was worried about my friend who probably hadn’t eaten the whole day. However, the officers at the Police Headquarters prohibited giving anything to detainees. They were worried that prisoners could use the items from outside to do harm themselves.

“Do you want to leave it with me? I have some connections here.”

“Eh? But, is it not allowed? You can’t bring in food from outside.”

“Let me take care of it. This is all you want to give her, right? Wait here for a minute.”

The blond-haired man took the cloth bag from my hand and went inside the Police Headquarters. A few moments later, he came out empty-handed. I looked at him skeptically, unsure of what he had done.

‘Could he have taken the food for himself?’

He would probably eat it himself later. As the type of person who carelessly listen to other people’s conversations, I couldn’t put my trust on him. The blond-haired man smiled seductively when he saw my expression.

“Why, do you not trust me?”

“It’s impossible to immediately trust someone I’ve just met.”

“Well, when your friend is released later, you’re welcome to ask her about this.”

His words made my heart beat fast.

“When will she be released? Did you hear anything while inside?”

“Hm, it’s quite hard to predict. Since she’s a noble and there’s no solid evidence, she would probably be released in about a day or two. I suspect she might be confined in her residence for the time being.”

In the Morris Empire, a noble, even if involved in a serious crime, would be released within three days if there was no solid evidence. Whereas a commoner, even if later proven innocent, would remain imprisoned throughout the judicial process. Inequality in society based on social class was inevitable.

I felt a bit relieved that Gloria had become a noble through her marriage. The blond-haired man was still standing beside me, perhaps wanting to say something more.

“Have you eaten?”

“Yes.”

“Well, do you want to go for tea?”

“No, I don’t feel thirsty.”

I kept trying to keep my distance from this man, but he seemed not to get it. He pointed with a finger towards the shop that was beautifully decorated, which wall was painted sky-blue, located opposite the Police Headquarters. ‘Royal Sweet’ were written on it indicating a cake shop.

“It’s a famous cake shop with dessert that the Prince likes and he even bought directly from there once. How about we drop by and enjoy something sweet together in there? I’m embarrassed to go in on my own, so I’m asking you to join me. How about it?”

The blond-haired man nodded with a smile in his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. The smile was quite adorable and very pretty. I had to cover my mouth, which was opened widely without me realizing it, with my own hand. This body was really annoying with this overreaction. It was really too much.

“Alright, let’s go then.”

This was entirely for the sake of investigation to find out which desserts the nobles liked, of course. If this food was really good, maybe it would be a good idea to write an article with the recipe in the newspaper… No, this could be a good subject. And the ‘Royal Sweet’ seemed to be difficult to access for commoners without a reservation, so I also wanted to know more about it. I didn’t have the patience to spend time standing outside all day just for cakes or tarts. Therefore, I canceled the plan to do an investigation report in here.

Looking like a nobleman from the way he dressed and his elegant steps. High-class manners that she must have been unconsciously doing it. He must be a member of the wealthy aristocracy and a bit naive. 

Perhaps, it was because I was beside him. The cake shop owner, who recognized the man immediately, reserved the entire second floor just us. We sat on chairs by the window on the second floor and enjoyed the shopkeeper’s greeting. After sitting down, the blond-haired man ordered without even skimming through the menu in advance.

“Please bring Morris Flower Tea and Soufflé Cake for us.”

He only ordered that? After a long journey to here?

This situation didn’t really make me happy, so I glared at him. The blond-haired man suddenly flashed a smile at me.

“This is the most famous dish here. Try this first, then you can order what you want,” he said.

It wasn’t long before the cakes arrived with a very appealing look. The thick white cake that puffed up, which looked like a cloud, was covered with sweet yellow cream and pieces of strawberries that glittered like jewels on top. With the skills I used to use on SNS in my previous life, I took out the camera from my bag and started taking various angles of photos of the soufflé cake. Yes, although a little less graceful, the quality of these photos was quite satisfactory.

The man, who came in with me, snickered.

“You really have a lot of talent. It’s fun and interesting.”

What did he say? I stared at the man, then suddenly came up with an idea. Wouldn’t he might be close to the owner of the cake shop? I happily decided to take advantage of it.

“Uh, can you ask the chef here for the cake recipe? I want to publish it in the newspaper. Is that possible?” 

Just like I did with Baron Stephen. I flashed a charming smile while asking him with a bright smile.

Usually, when I smile like this, men tend to grant my requests happily. Although my charm does not apply to the dead Baron. But will it work with this man?

The crazy blond-haired man just gave me a ridiculous look.

‘What’s wrong? Will he not do it?’

I couldn’t take it anymore after a brief silence and controlled my expression.

“Alright, then, there’s no need.”

Oh my God. I met someone who didn’t falter under my charm other than the Baron. A sense of disappointment began to creep into my heart.

‘Damn it. Such a crap.’

From today on, I decided to call him not ‘crazy’ anymore, but ‘stupid’.

It seemed that if I wasn’t the main character inside the world in this book, it would be difficult to obtain the protagonist’s buff effect. Can the author just give me a bit of buff? 

I finally gave up on the idea of getting a recipe and picked up a silver fork. I cut open the soufflé cake and the sweet cream came out right away. I swallowed one piece of cake happily. The sweetness that hit my tongue created a delightful sensation on my palate.

“Wow, this is really delicious!”

The soft cake and delicious cream blended perfectly together. The strawberry pieces drizzled with syrup also gave the perfectly fresh flavor. While enjoying my meal greedily, I suddenly asked the man next to me an unimportant question.

“Hey, what do you really do?”

“…What do you think I do?”

He answered my question with a question of his own. Did he not want to tell me?

I gave him a sharp glare. 

“Fine, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

The power of my charm seemed to have no effect on him. 

“What… Are you the Crown Prince?”

“Uhuk!”

He immediately stopped eating.

He gave such an exaggerated reaction to my words.

I observed the blond hair, red eyes, which led me to think about places I’d possibly met this man before.