Chapter 51

The princess’s eyes squinted shut, and behind her, a man resembling her was walking slowly towards us. To be honest, if the princess had her hair cut short, he’d look just like that. Considering the princess was quite the beauty, the man before me was certainly suitable to be called a pretty boy. I slowly stood up and politely greeted him.

“Your Highness, the First Prince.”

Meyer Selvius looked slightly taken aback by my greeting but soon returned it.

“Hmm, nice to meet you. Young lady… no, wait. What is your name?”

“My name is Catherine. As your Highness said, since I am not a young lady, I do not have a surname.”

At my answer, Prince Meyer let out a “hm,” pausing for a moment before slowly scanning me up and down.

“I see. Nice to meet you, Miss Catherine. Hmm, so you are Chloe’s maid, then?”

“No, I serve the young lady of the House of Portus.”

“Oh. Is that so?”

I could tell a hundred thoughts were swirling around in the prince’s mind. Did Princess Chloe join forces with the House of Portus? What did he think of my existence? If the former was a political thought, the latter was likely just a consideration of how he should treat me during his conversation with Princess Chloe.

If he treated me as a maid, he could simply ignore me. However, since he was interrupting a conversation with Princess Chloe, it was likely that Prince Meyer would be the real outsider here. After much hesitation, the indecisive prince ultimately chose to ignore me and approached Princess Chloe. Typical.

“Chloe.”

“…sigh. Brother. I was talking with Catherine, so could you please step back? If you want to talk to your sister, do it after we’re finished.”

Princess Chloe’s sharp response seemed to leave Prince Meyer slightly bewildered as he looked at her.

“…I haven’t spoken a word yet. And were you in conversation with a maid?”

“Brother, you’re quite slow on the uptake, aren’t you?”

“…um.”

It appeared Prince Meyer really hadn’t heard about the recent ‘demonstration’ as he looked back and forth between me and Princess Chloe, completely clueless. I mean, regardless of our different school years, how could he be so out of the loop? Especially being the First Prince of the Empire?

“I was merely glad to see you. I had no intention of interrupting a conversation with a friend, so I shall take my leave.”

“Very well then.”

Seeing Chloe nod amicably, Meyer left, his face slightly disappointed. Before departing, he didn’t forget to shoot me a glance filled with annoyance, which I returned with a flat expression. This prince was definitely not what I expected.

After Meyer left, Chloe sighed softly, looking somewhat uncomfortable since he arrived.

“I apologize. He’s like that.”

“Um, it won’t lead to any disadvantages, right?”

“Despite his demeanor, my brother is a man of goodwill. Even if he gathers a little resentment towards you, he won’t take any action.”

The princess, ruffling her forehead, smiled gently at me.

“It’s been a while since our date, and an uninvited guest showed up.”

“More like it’s our first time, isn’t it?”

“Come on, don’t get too detailed with it.”

As the waitress brought our coffee, the princess stirred her cream and took a sip, smiling brightly; she looked rather cute enjoying it. I also brought my Americano to my lips. As someone who primarily enjoyed iced drinks, I felt a tinge of regret over the absence of iced Americano, but the flavor was satisfactory enough to make up for it.

Especially, the desserts the princess ordered were extraordinarily delicious. After becoming this way, I had developed a love for sugary treats, making them even more alluring.

At first, I wondered what was happening to me. Why was a rugged guy like me—who thrived on spicy pork, pork cutlets, and soup—suddenly falling for cakes, cookies, and all sorts of sugary desserts? It felt like a real jab to my pride.

But hormonal changes seem to alter even my taste. To begin with, this world lacks spicy pork, pork cutlets, and soup altogether. Of course, there are plenty of oily and salty foods, but the hardest part of adjusting was the absence of those meals. Even having some spicy food would suffice.

As we engaged in small talk and finished off all the desserts, Chloe and I quietly watched the shy sun setting. The street was quiet, and so was the cafe. It had been a while since I enjoyed such a leisurely day. Of course, things were about to get hectic from here on out.

“I guess I should start heading out.”

“Hmm, it’s unfortunate, but if you must leave, I can’t stop you.”

“Besides, we will see each other again tonight.”

“Hehe, that’s true. Take care, then. Hopefully, the situation will resolve smoothly.”

After parting ways with the princess, I quickly changed my clothes. Dressed in my usual maid outfit, I stepped out onto the bustling streets. To reassure the watchmen tailing me, I gripped my twin swords and continued my stroll, glancing at the time—about 10 minutes until my rendezvous with Lilian. Could I wrap up my plan within that timeframe? I couldn’t be certain.

“There she is! The maid with red eyes!”

“…The gear matches. Capture her!”

After anxiously waiting for three minutes, the watchmen started to surround me. The public nature of the arrest caught the attention of passersby, who stepped back, clearly startled. The watchmen began to slowly close in on me.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey, maid. You’ve got the charge of an aristocrat’s murder hanging over you. Come with us.”

A middle-aged man, likely the Captain of the Watch, approached me with a tense stance, ready for anything. Did such an intimidating figure exist within the watchmen? He seemed willing to engage in a conflict, but since I had no intention of launching an assault either, I reluctantly raised my hands.

“Hmm, murder of an aristocrat? Me?”

“Yeah, you. Just come quietly. If you want to walk back on your own legs.”

“Are you actually going to let me go?”

At my question, one of the watchmen next to the captain smirked.

“Yeah, right. Murdering an aristocrat is a serious crime, you know? Hahaha!”

“…Dumbass. Got a death wish?”

“Oh, why’s that? You’re the criminal here.”

“Tsk… You’ll have to start your training all over when we get back.”

“…Damn.”

What were they even doing? Under the piercing gaze of the captain, the mockingly grinning watchman shrank back against the wall like a scared puppy. Time had progressed surprisingly well for me; now, Lilian should be…

“Catherine? What are you doing here?”

“…Young Lady.”

At my answer, the watchmen’s gazes shifted to Lilian. Even though the large men might have quaked under her scrutiny, Lilian held her head high and approached me with noble grace. The captain looked visibly tense, casting a worried glance at Lilian.

“Your lady? …Who might you be?”

“I am Lilian Beon Portus. Why are you persecuting a maid belonging to the House of Portus?”

“…The House of Portus, huh.”

At Lilian’s response, the captain bit his lip in dismay. At that point, he should’ve bowed out, but after deliberating, the captain threw out a question.

“W-well, this maid is charged with the murder of an aristocrat. Do you know what she was doing yesterday afternoon?”

“Of course, I know. She followed me around all day long.”

“…Did she leave at any point?”

“Not at all. But more importantly, what’s your name? How dare you interrogate a young lady of the House of Portus?”

Expressing her displeasure quite clearly, Lilian furrowed her brow, causing the captain to take a step back and lower his head.

“I apologize. It was just that the maid had a murder charge against an aristocrat.”

“Just because my maid is charged doesn’t grant you the right to interrogate me. Or is it acceptable for the Tarakan Free City to disregard the nobles of the Empire?”

“…Surely not. For now, since you confirm the maid has a solid alibi, I won’t detain her any longer.”

“Hmm.”

With the watchmen finally retreating, Lilian let out a small sigh. The operation seemed successful. The plan was simple. If Charles Garington could use his power to manipulate the watchmen, Catherine could use her power to halt them in their tracks. It was downright silly of me to forget such a straightforward logic.

“Catherine.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s head back for now. Yulia is waiting too.”

“…No, it’s better if I don’t show myself to Charles Garington. I’ll find a way to sneak back later.”

“Alright, if that’s your thought.”

Nodding in understanding, Lilian gave me a slight nod before she slowly walked away. Watching her retreating figure, I let out a small sigh. Just a moment ago, Lilian truly embodied ‘young lady’ status—aware of her position and wielding her power adeptly, she resembled an old-fashioned young lady in many ways.

Despite appearing the same outwardly, I knew deep down things were vastly different. Rubbing my slightly weary forehead, I began to turn my steps slowly back. I intended to return to the lodging where the princess was staying.