WebNovels

Chapter 2 - 2

Still staring at me, Albert nodded. The way he raised his chin and

 moved his fingers was sexy, as if I was watching a photoshoot.

 "Rosé, come here."

 "Yes, Your Highness."

 I walked forward immediately and stood in front of Albert, who was

 sitting on the sofa."

 "Bring your face closer."

 "My face?" I asked warily.

 Albert squinted.

 "What do you think I'm going to do?"

 "Aren't you going to kiss me? I don't think I'm wrong, I'm just saying

 this because I think you'll actually do it."

Albert got up from his seat, then stepped closer to me. He drew his

 face close to my ear, then said.

 "That's right. Don't you like it?"

 Well, it's not like I don't like it. There's no way I'd hate kissing a

 handsome man.

 But the situation was different.

 "I don't hate it, but…"

 "But?"

 "You're only trying to kiss me because you don't trust me. That's why

 I don't want to do it."

 "What does kissing have to do with not trusting you?"

 "You're just trying to see if I'm just blowing hot air, or if I'm actually

 willing to fulfill my contract with Your Highness."

 Albert laughed at my explanation.

 "I don't know what the hell happened to you yesterday, but you

 certainly changed."

 "They say people change overnight."

 "I've never heard of that."

 "Then I believe… it's my own insight?"

 "You must have read my mind. But there's one thing you don't know."

 "What is it?"

 Albert placed his hand on my waist and pulled me close.

"I haven't checked yet."

 The distance between us narrowed in an instant.

 "I'll have to see."

 He was still suspicious even after my persistent persuasion. And

 through skinship!

 Emergency bells rang in my head. Even so, I resented my own lack

 of self-control because I didn't want to push him away. But my life

 depends on this!

 "If you don't like it, just tell me now."

 "Your Highness, I've written in the contract that I'm sure I don't want

 to maintain skinship anymore. If you can't believe that, then isn't

 aren't you being foolish, Prince?"

 I took this opportunity to insult Albert. Unfortunately, he didn't seem

 to care at all.

 Albert widened his eyes with a pitiful look. He raised his fingers and

 began to fold them one by one as he counted.

 "How many times have you tried to deceive me?"

 …I couldn't say anything back.

 That maid!

 That damn Rosé!

 …I didn't have a choice after all.

 "Will it be okay if I don't respond to your kiss?" I asked in a sullen

 voice.

 Albert smirked when he saw my expression.

"No. That's not it."

 Albert, who murmured as if he whispered, stared straight into my

 eyes.

 His gaze was so intense that it left me bashful. I blinked a lot, trying

 not to show my real feelings.

 "You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

 Maybe he knows that he's much scarier if he said he'll do it now.

 A crisis should be turned into an opportunity. I became determined.

 "It's a good chance to get you to trust me more. Then, this will be the

 last time you'll have to be close to me like this, Your Highness."

 I said this with utmost sincerity.

 Then, after gulping, I continued.

 "Let's do it, then. T-That."

 "What do you mean, Rosé?"

 Embarrassed, I was trying to beat around the bush, my words

 trembling like a ghost's whisper.

 I sighed deeply, then shouted.

 "Kiss!"

 As soon as I said so, Albert kissed me.

 The hot breath on my lips took over my mouth. It was such a long

 kiss that I was gasping for air.

 My body was rigid with tension.

I didn't close my eyes. I couldn't even guess what Albert was

 thinking, so I shouldn't be stupid enough to enjoy the kiss.

 And I wasn't the only one who didn't close their eyes. Albert didn't

 either.

 Our interlocked gazes were intense.

 His lips pressed harder. It was a strong kiss, one that was for a lover.

 …Albert was a really good kisser.

 That's all I could think about.

 Then, his lips left mine.

 I finally caught my breath.

 On the other hand, Albert looked as if nothing had happened.

 He was staring at me with an unreadable expression, but one corner

 of his lips soon lifted up.

 "Rosé. Let me see that contract again."

 I smiled broadly.

 Of course, it was a service smile.

 "Yes, Your Highness."

 Thank you for your patronage, dear customer.

 * * *

After reading the contract, Albert had some questions for me.

 "How can I believe you'll promise to carry out the contract's terms?"

 There's a way, of course.

 "Your Highness, we can use magic to sign the contract."

 "…Do you think I can use magic?"

 It's kind of confidential that he could use magic. It was a secret that

 he never told anyone.

 But this was knowledge that readers of the novel knew about.

 I continued speaking shamelessly.

 "Your Highness knows how quick-witted I am, right? Why else would

 you want to look at the wand? Aren't you trying to absorb the magic

 in the wand?"

 "I didn't think you'd notice."

 It was a roundabout way of saying he thought Rosé was too stupid to

 know about it, but what he was insinuating was true, I kept my mouth

 shut about it. It's true that Rosé acted stupidly in front of him.

 But the inquisition was yet not over.

 "Then why did you allow me to use the wand at first? It wouldn't

 benefit you at all."

 This was going to sound absurd, but I thought of a good enough

 reason for it.

 I smiled brightly then spoke.

 "I'm dazzled by your beauty."

 It would be ridiculous to rationalize in this way if it was any other

 person, but it's Albert we're talking about here.

 He'd be able to understand that there were just some people who

 were weak to that face of his.

 "It's amazing that this turn-around happened in just a day, and you

 were absent for half of that time."

 Albert replied sardonically. This brief moment of hysteria was all for

 the sake of the contract. But it was suspicious for a maid to suddenly

 gain knowledge about contracts after a day.

 And Albert deserved to be angry at the fact that he's being controlled

 by a maid all this time.

With a determined expression, I continued.

 "I'm in my right mind now, please don't worry."

 "In your right mind…"

 What, do you think I've gone crazier now…?

 I laughed nervously, ignoring his stinging gaze. It's always better to

 just smile when you're in trouble.

 Seeming as if he thought he wouldn't be able to get anything else

 out of me even if he asked, Albert sighed and tilted his head to the

 side.

 "It's impossible for me to use magic now. I'll have to take a closer

 look at the wand."

 "Then do you acknowledge the contract's terms?"

 I will, at least.

 "If I could trust you, then I would."

 His eyes were cold. At that, goosebumps ran through my body. It felt

 like I was watching a horror movie unfolding right before my eyes.

 But I can't get scared here. I quickly gathered my wits about me.

 A client.

 Albert, who was in front of me now, was a client I'll have to win over

 so he'll sign the contract.

 This was one more thing I had to keep in mind.

 On the surface, it seemed like we were on even grounds because of

 the contract, but Albert had the upper hand because I needed him to

 sign it first.

I mean, sure, I'll bend over backwards for him, but I won't forget what

 I'm standing up for. This contract would be beneficial to both sides,

 so I needed to do what I had to do first.

 I stared straight into his eyes.

 "Your Highness. I've shown you all the cards I have. I've drafted a

 contract, moved to another room, and even kissed you to clear your

 suspicions."

 If he still didn't believe me, then it's his loss.

 "Did I threaten you or beg you for it? I want you to know that we're

 on equal grounds for this contract."

 "Equal grounds, you say."

 Albert smirked and wrinkled his brows. A slight shadow dawned on

 his features.

 Well, maybe he didn't like the idea of being equals with a maid. But I

 cleared my throat and explained.

 "Of course, this will only be applied while we're inside the tower. I'm

 saying this in the first place because I don't want Your Highness to

 misunderstand that I might be using you."

 "So you're saying all your actions are in accordance with the

 contract?"

 "Yes. I'm willing to fulfill my part in the contract faithfully. That is, if

 Your Highness respects my terms as well."

 There were three clauses that I included for my own sake.

 First, that my life would be guaranteed once we left the tower.

 Second, that I'd be given enough money to live in comfort so I won't

 need to rely on other people.

And lastly…

 As long as I didn't touch him, then Albert shouldn't touch me without

 my consent either.

 "I believe that Your Highness can fulfill all these conditions."

 "I agree, I believe I will."

 Albert paused, then he stared at me with one eyebrow slightly

 raised.

 "But you, Rosé. I don't believe in you. What would happen if you fail

 to uphold the conditions?"

 I didn't think either that he'd believe me right away, so I prepared a

 countermeasure.

 I was confident that I wouldn't break the terms. That's why my

 answer was simple.

 "I will pay with my life."

 "Your life?"

 "Yes, my life. If we'll be walking this path together, shouldn't we do it

 right?"

 "Do you mean it, Rosé?"

 "Yes, Your Highness. I've been sincere this whole time."

 Albert smiled as if he was having fun.

 "Rosé, get me a pen."

 "Yes, sir."

He ordered me around so naturally. I handed over a pen with the

 sincere heart of a subordinate towards her boss.

 Why make a fuss when he's about to sign the contract?

 He stared at me while holding the pen in one hand.

 "You won't regret this?"

 "Why do you think I'll regret it?"

 "Because you like me a lot."

 "Ahaha. In the face of death, all worldly desires are lost."

 I spoke seriously.

 He signed his name on the document.

 Then, I signed my own next to his name.

 The signing went by so fast, I don't think LTE networks would be

 able to keep up.

 With both names side by side, the contract looked so lovely.

 I gave him the other copy and looked at my own copy with a happy

 face.

 Now, I was on track towards a full life until I grew old and wrinkly.

 Wherever I am, I just take from the bowl assigned to me.

 Holding the contract with both hands, I bowed to Albert and spoke

 with a loud voice.

 "Then, I'll be in your care for the rest of our time here in the tower,

 Your Highness. I'll make sure you won't regret signing this."

 "I look forward to your cooperation, Rosé."

Albert bowed as well, gracefully. Ah, it was like CG effects were

 added all of a sudden. I could see a halo forming over his head.

 So blinding! I gaped at him for a moment, then I came to my senses

 and solemnly said—

 "I'll bring this up to my room then."

 "I'll keep mine as well."

 I climbed the ladder to enter the attic and placed the contract inside

 a desk drawer.

 Life Lotto— secured successfully.

 Albert was no longer a person who's a threat to my life. He was now

 a client I'll have to be nice to from now on.

 And with this, Albert can try getting out of this tower faster.

 However, no matter how much of a genius he was, it might take

 some time to escape from the tower because he couldn't use his

 magic properly here.

 Now, it's just like we're roommates.

 I remember living with a roommate before I found my own place. We

 had quite a difficult time living together because our lifestyles were

 so different from each other.

 That's why I'll need to know Albert's preferences first.

 People who didn't get along with each other would make terrible

 roommates.

 Even if I couldn't match him perfectly, it's better if I lessened the

 possibility of tension rising. As long as I wouldn't step on his toes,

 then he wouldn't step on mine.

And the most important thing to consider when it comes to having a

 roommate is…

 Going back downstairs, I stood in front of Albert with a grim face.

 Albert, who was currently reading a book, raised his head and

 narrowed his eyes, expressing that he didn't want to be disturbed at

 the moment.

 "What is it?"

 I put my hands together and smiled politely.

 "Your Highness. There's something we need to talk about right now."

 "And that is?"

 "What do you like?"

 "Pardon?"

 "Food."

 The only right motto in life is 'live to eat.'

 "I would like to know if you like spicy, sweet or salty food, Your

 Highness."

 As for me, it's spicy and salty all the way

 The reason I could talk about spicy and salty food here was because

 the worldbuilding in the novel wasn't a perfect medieval world, but a

 fantasy-fusion that existed in the author's mind.

 Albert Grey, the lonely and prideful king who was once locked up in a

 tower as ordered by the previous king.

 In other words—and in my own interpretation of the author's intent—

 Albert was like a wounded beast. There was no one in the world who

 could soothe his mental scars and heal his trauma. Everyone just

 focused on his outward appearance.

 And his dazzling appearance became like poison to him.

'There's no woman who can understand me…!'

 Such was the fate of Albert Grey, who was likely to die a celibate due

 to this chuunibyou mindset.

 But enter the stage, interdimensional traveler, Seo Ina!

 After coming from modern day South Korea and traveling to another

 dimension, Seo Ina realized at once that, despite the setting being

 like the Middle Ages, strangely enough, Eastern ingredients existed

 in this world.

 The original story's goal was catharsis! No need to think about it so

 hard! Therefore, the author intentionally messed with the

 worldbuilding and put in a mishmash of things.

 Thanks to this, Korean ingredients such as red pepper powder, red

 pepper paste and soybean paste were abundant here.

 One thing to note though, the ingredients weren't popular. In fact,

 there were many people who didn't even know how to use these

 ingredients.

 No one knew the difference between red pepper paste and red

 pepper powder.

 I didn't understand what was happening in the novel when this part

 was mentioned, but the plot was interesting enough so I just didn't

 think about it and kept reading.

 Seo Ina took full advantage of being a Korean through and through.

 She captivated people through their stomachs by making delicious

 food like fried chicken, tteokbokki, samgyupsal and so on.

 And all the people who got to taste her food fell in love with her

 charms. She came here to conquer the world with Korean food!

Eventually, Albert came to meet Seo Ina… and that was the gist of

 the webnovel I read back then.

 I didn't know what happened after that, but I'm sure those two hit it

 off.

 I wish I had read it all. But then again, sleep was more important

 because I needed to go to work the next day.

 If I knew I'd die in vain the next day and get transmigrated inside the

 novel, then I would have read more. But I had no way of knowing

 that.

 In any case, the novel strangely overlapped with the time I lived as a

 new hire in the marketing team.

 This was because I had two bosses.

 The boss who I regularly report to, King Impotent, and Prince Albert.

 I opened the lone window of the tower and looked outside. I made

 eye contact with the soldiers standing guard outside, then I waved

 hello.

 The tower was surrounded by soldiers. They were guarding the

 tower in shifts, and they also hand over supplies to me once a week.

 The usual routine was that I receive the supplies, then send in my

 report of all the torturing I've done to Albert.

 This week's report had already been written by Rosé, so I didn't

 have to make something up. It was a relief.

 Holding the report in my hand, I opened the tower's entrance. The

 door could only be opened every Monday at 8 A.M. on the dot.

 I schooled my features into a serious expression as I faced the

 soldiers. A serious face was necessary so they'd believe me.

These were men who worked for that impotent guy, but they weren't

 considered lackeys because they were only following orders.

 And currently, I was trying to persuade them.

 "I want to torture His Highness more. I need everything that's written

 down here."

 "…Why do you need food to torture him?"

 "Surely, it's not enough to just torture him through the wand, hm?

 Food, clothing and shelter are the very basic elements of a human

 being's life after all."

 The soldiers nodded in agreement.

 Then, I put on a ferocious look. After reading dozens of romance

 fantasy books where villainesses appeared, I tried to do my best to

 impersonate one.

 "I'm going to starve the Prince and give him spicy food to mess up

 his stomach. Just leave it to me…!"

 I have to look as evil as I can! I glared at them and cackled.

 "So, get me everything on the list."

 "W-We will try."

 The soldiers were fortunately weak-minded.

 Well, ingredients weren't significant enough to write a report about

 and let the king know, so the soldiers will listen to me.

 The soldiers rushed back with my report with them, and I licked my

 lips.

 What I wrote down were ingredients for tteokbokki.

Ah, how am I supposed to wait one entire week?

 Well, at least for now I've convinced the soldiers enough. I hurried

 back to get ready for breakfast.

 After placing the soup I've already prepared on the tray beside some

 bread, I closed the kitchen door behind me and went up the spiral

 stairs.

 At the top of the steps was the door to the bedroom. When I opened

 it, I saw Albert sitting at the desk right next to the door.

 He was looking at the wand with a monocle on one eye. His long

 eyelashes fluttered as he narrowed his eyes.

 When he lifted his gaze to look at the top of the wand, his sharp

 jawline was revealed. But not only that—also his perfectly angled

 nose bridge and beautifully curved lips.

 The sight of a handsome man once per day was very, very good. As

 long as it was on the level of Albert's face.

 Hehe.

 Ah, I giggled without realizing it. Then, Albert, who finally noticed me,

 tilted his head and turned to me.

 "Rosé, why are you laughing?"

 "People live to eat. Isn't it natural to be happy when you can eat your

 favorite food?"

 It's a shame that the joke flew over Albert's head, but it's

 understandable that he was left dumbfounded. So, I changed my

 approach.

 "It was a joke to change the mood. It's a kind of compensation, Your

 Highness, because you'll guarantee my retirement."

 My arm was stiff now because I was still holding the tray up, so I

 stopped talking and put down the meal on his desk.

 "Please don't get me wrong, Your Highness."

 The phrase 'I think you're great' was still something that he

 interpreted as having many hidden meanings.

 If misunderstandings pile up like that, they'll become sweet potatoes.

 [1] I needed to explain myself right away.

 "Your Highness, I just look up to you and admire you. Compliments

 make anyone feel good. So if the Prince is in a great mood, then I'll

be as well."

 Praise made even whales dance. And I'm sure Albert wouldn't help

 but love hearing compliments. I'm just being honest anyhow.

 Everytime I fangirl over him, he mustn't mistake my actions for love.

 Fangirling and love were two different things—just as the ideal is

 different from the real deal.

 This had to be clarified.

 "Please don't misunderstand all the actions I take as a sign of

 twisted love for Your Highness. I'm sure you already knew this after

 you kissed me."

 "..."

 "That I don't love Your Highness."

 A kiss where neither closed their eyes.

 I'm sure he was aware of it, too, because that should be the main

 reason why he signed a contract with me. Even so, Albert remained

 silent instead of answering me.

 Well, my actions were consistent with what I'd declared in our

 agreement, so there's nothing he should say.

 "And before you refute me, there's something I must tell you first."

 "What?"

 I wasn't going to say this because Albert's definitely going to think

 I'm being narcissistic and vain, but I needed to point it out.

 "I'm saying this just in case."

 Albert raised his eyebrows.

"What is it?"

 After transmigrating here, I had all the clichés. Especially a person

 like me who transmigrated into a novel.

 Originally, if you change the flow of the narrative, you get involved

 with the male protagonist and fall in love with each other. It's a cliché

 that's so obvious and overdone, but people can't get enough of it.

 But I don't want to fall in love with Albert.

 Apart from the time he suffered at this tower, he had an unusual

 childhood.

 The count family he was born in had noble royal blood mixed in, but

 there was only superficial honor left.

 He had no other relatives and he grew up with two older brothers.

 While those brothers were fighting over their household's succession

 —poisoning each other, even—Albert was neglected and left alone.

 He even survived a poisoning attempt that his brothers orchestrated.

 It was when he was eight years old that he had to endure the

 assassination attempt by his brothers.

 Their parents were only interested in making the countdom

 successful, but they would dabble in business with the black market

 just to gain more. However, they died from the epidemic that swept

 the back alleys.

 Albert spent his twisted childhood there, then was adopted by

 Rosteratu. Of course, Rosteratu never cared for Albert, so his

 unhappy childhood continued, which influenced his values and

 personality.

 I don't know what kind of love he'd eventually have for Seo Ina, but I

 knew that the road to him realizing this love wouldn't be smooth. And

 I lived a life similar to his.

When I had just graduated from college, my parents died in a car

 crash.

 I lived without any time to grieve. I cried a lot by myself when I was

 alone, even though I had to push through and survive in society.

 I got used to looking cheerful whenever I was out, as though I could

 breathe easily.

 Getting used to the sad reality I had might be the reason why I

 accepted this ridiculous incident right away, no matter how absurd it

 was to find yourself suddenly transmigrated into a novel.

 The reason I liked reading books was because I could forget my own

 reality for a while. I felt comforted by seeing people live their own

 lives that were so different to mine, and in a sense, I felt their love for

 life as well. Unlike me, those characters didn't have such misfortunes

 in their lives.

 Once I leave this tower, I'll find the right man for myself.

 I'll feed you, so all you have to do is bring yourself. Oh, but your

 face, body and personality should all be good.

 In short, my ideal type isn't Albert.

 I smiled broadly at him.

 "Prince. Don't fall in love with me."

 "…Me?"

 As if he heard something ludicrous, Albert burst into laughter. Ha. It

 kind of reassured me anyway.

 "This is an enclosed space and we're alone. That's very possible.

 People tend to rely on each other in such cases."

 "You'd better be careful, then."

Dear Beloved Prince, I've seen quite a few handsome guys in

 modern times. I've never fallen in love with them even after seeing

 them all the time on television and books, so with you…

 "Yes, I'll be careful as well. Then I understand that you agree? You

 won't fall for me?"

 Albert, looking at me sideways, touched his lips.

 "I don't need to state the obvious, Rosé."

 "These things shouldn't just be implied. Please say it out loud."

 If you say it out loud, you won't forget it later.

 He pressed his forefinger and thumb over his eyelids as though he

 was already tired of this conversation, then said curtly—

 "Alright."

 Albert made eye contact with me, his intense gaze entirely on mine.

 "I will not love you, Rosé."

 His low voice resonated pleasantly in my ears.

 How satisfying

 "You must be tired after examining the wand. Please eat this, I

 prepared it."

 Albert leaned back on his chair as he heard that I prepared a meal. I

 wiped the desk neatly and stuck out the spoon to him.

 He blinked, then alternately looked at the soup bowl and spoon.

 Surely, it's because the dish was unfamiliar to him.

 "…What's this?"

 "Egg drop soup. It's my favorite kind of soup, so I prepared it. It's

 very popular where I used to live. Please remember that this is how I

 feel about your health!"

 After that grand explanation… I coughed in embarrassment.

 With bread at the side, the egg drop soup was made by stirring the

 eggs while boiling. I had memories of a lot of other recipes that the

 original Rosé knew, but I preferred Korean food more.

But in fact, I prepared this for a bigger reason.

 I was too lazy to make breakfast this morning.

 Didn't this happen to everyone? That moment when you just really

 don't want to do anything.

 I couldn't overcome modern laziness.

 I was a slave to inevitable laziness.

 Albert stirred the egg drop soup and took a spoonful.

 I sat in front of him and ate my own serving of soup as if it was the

 most delicious food in the world.

 It was definitely not because I had a guilty conscience. The egg drop

 soup was really that delicious.

 * * *

 Albert's day began at 5 AM.

 He woke up in the morning and practiced his swordsmanship and

 spellcasting for three hours.

 Well, he didn't have a sword, so it was more like image training. But

 he didn't neglect it nonetheless.

 Like an action star in a movie, he did fingertip push-ups and even

 handstands. Somehow, it was great to see his body glistening with

 sweat.

 I usually fell asleep at midnight and woke up at around 8 o'clock. I

 was used to sleeping around that time.

If I had a computer or a smartphone here, I would have slept later in

 the night, but sadly, this was the tower.

 In my spare time, I wrote my reports or drew pictures. I also thought

 of what to eat the next day, or have some small talk with Albert.

 Albert and I had completely different lifestyles. Except when I

 needed to go to work, I never got up early. Sleep is really important,

 okay.

 Of course, it's definitely a divine healing experience to see a

 handsome man exercise, so sometimes I wake up early just to watch

 him.

 I would get permission from Albert before watching him.

 "Prince, watching you exercise and appreciating your absolutely

 perfect body just burns my will to exercise. May I?"

 Then he would just smile and nod.

 I think he actually laughed that one time. But anyway, the only

 exercise I did in the tower was breathing.

 After waking up, I would fold my bedsheets in the attic. There's a

 small window there, so there's thankfully still sunlight streaming in.

 If I went to the second floor, I'd eventually run into Albert after he'd

 washed his face. After I handed over the wand to him, he was free to

 use the bathroom anytime he wanted. However, the kitchen was still

 impossible for him to enter.

 Whenever I ran into him, I would greet him warmly, hoping that his

 vigilance would soften.

 "Did you sleep well, handsome Prince?"

 After saying goodbye, I would go to the kitchen and prepare

 breakfast.

The Korean food ingredients finally arrived—the ones that I told the

 guards about that I'll use as a torture device for the prince.

 It seemed like the reports I wrote about Albert suffering through the

 spicy food was effective. But of course, the Albert in my reports was

 fictional.

 Since I ordered the ingredients diligently, I changed the main menu

 of the tower to Korean food. Even while living in captivity, I should

 still eat whatever food I wanted.

 When I served rice, I didn't hear any complaints from Albert. Actually,

 I never heard him complain about anything.

 Haaaahm. While yawning, I stirred the soup one more time.

 Today, I was cooking spicy potato soup with potatoes, rice, fried

 eggs and cabbage.

 The potato soup was steaming now, and when I tasted it, it was just

 right.

 After opening the lip of the pot, I transferred the white rice to a bowl.

 A lot of rice for Albert, and just enough for me.

 Then, I took out another bowl and put the fried eggs there. Two for

 Albert, one for me.

 Oh, I almost forgot.

 I opened the simmering pot and took the boiled eggs and transferred

 them to a bowl.

 Albert exercised a lot, so it's good for him to eat more protein.

 I don't know anything about the right diet, but when it came to

 protein, boiled eggs were the best.

 I placed six boiled eggs in one bowl.

Breakfast is ready~

 "Your Highness, here's our breakfast!"

 As I held the tray, I spoke in a loud voice while climbing the steps.

 When I got closer to the room, my hands suddenly felt lighter.

 "Rosé, that looks too heavy for you to lift. I'm sure you called me on

 purpose."

 "I've been caught, dear Prince. I believed that the kind Prince would

 help me."

 Hehe. I followed Albert in, who took the tray from my hands. He

 placed the tray on the table, then I pushed over one bowl to him.

 This desk right next to the door was something he used for work, but

 when it was mealtime, he would use it as a table for eating.

 Looking at the bowl in front of him, he raised his chin.

 "You said that this was a new type of torture method, but I'm not sure

 if it was the right decision to let you get ahold of these ingredients."

 "…Isn't Your Highness eating too well for it to be considered a new

 type of torture?"

 Albert stayed silent.

 "I'll ask you seriously, Rosé. Just how many eggs do you have in

 front of you?"

 "Eight, sir."

 "Do you think I'm a chicken?"

 "Two eggs for rice and six boiled eggs for the muscles that the

 Prince exercises every morning. Obviously it's not enough."

I spoke with confidence, but his gaze was still stabbing at me.

 I quickly scooped up a spoon of rice. Mmm, so yummy! After eating

 spicy potato soup with lots of red pepper powder, it felt like I could

 live. As expected, Koreans should eat spicy food.

 "Eat up, Your Highness. I heard that spicy food is great, so I

 prepared some today."

 "It's unusual that you like spicy food."

 "Everyone has different tastes. Still, today's potato soup is the best.

 It's really delicious."

 Albert took one spoon of potato soup

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