I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 807

Chapter 20: Taiyaki

Just then, a black-haired cat maid in the corner suddenly raised her cat ears and smiled.

“Ah! I know!”

“Princess Charlotte is taking advantage of her birthday to play around with the young master!”

As soon as she said this, everyone turned to look at the red-haired princess and her black-haired knight, and they all seemed to have a lightbulb moment.

Meanwhile, the dignified princess revealed her first crack, trembling like a wave, letting out a low growl as if someone had grabbed her by the tail.

Roy couldn’t hold back any longer: “Pff…”

Unfortunately, he wasn’t professionally trained and had seen way too many amusing things.

Until Charlotte shot him a fierce glare, squeezing out a chilly laugh through clenched teeth: “What? You find it funny?”

Roy quickly shut his mouth: “N-no.”

The princess’s irritated gaze swept back to the crowd, and the lionhearted youths who had just been grinning like a bunch of aunts now showed deadpan faces, afraid of annoying her.

Even the oath knights didn’t dare act recklessly, so they clearly didn’t have the guts to.

But there’s always that one clueless person who doesn’t realize the princess is upset.

The black-haired cat girl, completely oblivious to the impending disaster, continued grinning, becoming the target for the princess’s frustration.

Charlotte maintained her usual elegance, looking at Roy: “Roy, actually your maid is quite capable. It’s such a waste to let her stay as a mere servant. Why not have Choc take on the temporary role of regional supervisor, responsible for collecting the outstanding payments from the Southern Sea faction?”

“What do you think?”

Regional supervisor was a mid-level position in the faction, usually led by Sequence 7 Extraordinary Beings.

Normally it would be seen as a promotion, but to assign such a task during a holiday, plus the responsibility of recovering debts, was clearly a tough job!

Don’t bully my maid! — Roy wanted to refuse, but looking into those calm crimson eyes, assessing him like a lion assessing a lamb, he ultimately changed his tune: “I think that’s a great idea.”

“It’s time for Choc to gain some experience.”

Working during the holidays, plus taking on an annoying responsibility that everyone was dreading.

Everyone present couldn’t help but cast sympathetic glances at the black-haired cat girl.

Except for Choc, who was still clueless about what this meant, still grinning happily, full of energy: “Don’t worry, Your Highness! I’ll make sure to beat those Southern folks until they can’t find their way home!”

Let’s just say ignorance is sometimes a kind of bliss.

After finishing the routine meeting, it was still early.

With the weak evening sun shining, Roy and Charlotte set off on their way home.

After saying goodbye to the people of the kingdom one by one, Charlotte immediately started explaining.

“Don’t mind what your maid said, okay?”

“I’ve always disliked such grand occasions. It was one thing when I was back home, but abroad, there’s no need to be too flashy, and it just wastes everyone’s holiday time preparing banquets for me… Hey, are you listening?”

Charlotte suddenly turned around, looking anxious.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m listening.”

Not just listening?

Roy, with a cheerful smile, who could talk circles around her, had already picked up on the hidden meaning behind her words.

Disliking large gatherings didn’t mean she didn’t want some alone time during the holidays.

Saving everyone’s precious holiday time just meant that Charlotte also didn’t want to commit to excessive dinner parties, leaving more time for the two of them, right?

The way the boy seemed to see through everything left Charlotte feeling inexplicably guilty.

She pouted and raised her finger for a serious talk: “Don’t get me wrong, okay!”

“I don’t mean anything else…”

“Got it, let’s hurry back.”

As Roy said this and just leaped past Charlotte, a soft little hand slipped into his.

The faint warm scent of gardenias wafted through the air as the crimson hue surrounded them.

“The dinner hour isn’t that close; we don’t have to rush back, do we?”

Looking at the girl, her eye no longer patriarchal but rather soft and delicate, looking as if she had something to say yet held back, Roy got momentarily lost in thought.

“Yeah, let’s stroll a bit more, then.”

Holding her delicate hand back, Roy changed direction, leading Charlotte to the academy’s shopping street.

At this time, stalls selling snacks lined the streets.

With either spicy or sweet flavors intertwining, the tempting aromas created a visible lure, halting passersby in their tracks.

Every time Nia entered this street, she’d drool uncontrollably; as for Alice, she would maintain her reserved demeanor but scan around with her plain yet sparkling eyes.

Charlotte’s reaction was somewhere in between.

Clearly struggling to keep her composure, her nose twitched and her throat trembled, but she forced herself to remain poised, refusing to let those tempting delicacies sway her attention.

Unfortunately, humans do have their limits.

She resisted the temptations of grilled sausages, egg tarts, and ice cream, but ultimately, she revealed a crack in front of a vendor from the Southern Sea faction.

Not too thick nor too thin, the sauce mixed with a sweet, non-greasy red bean paste was molded and baked into golden, crispy little fish.

Taiyaki.

This snack from the Southern Sea country wasn’t particularly special, but it became a favorite among many academy girls for its simple yet delicious taste and its cute appearance.

Even if they used to be rivals, it didn’t keep the lionhearted maidens from gathering here after meetings to get a taiyaki for themselves.

To Roy’s surprise, he could hardly move a step forward.

Seeing Charlotte standing still, staring blankly at the taiyaki vendor like a cat entranced by a fish, Roy immediately understood.

“Want to get one?”

“Huh? What?”

“Taiyaki, it looks really good.”

“Hmph, it’s just a regular sweet red bean pastry.”

Charlotte turned her head, looking unfazed.

But her feet were practically glued to the ground; despite Roy being of a higher bloodline degree, he couldn’t budge her.

Roy, feeling self-motivated, suggested: “It’s clearly popular for a reason. How about buying one to try?”

Charlotte’s eyes lit up, and a hint of a smile tugged at her lips, only to be forcibly suppressed: “Forget it; if I eat that, I won’t have space for dinner.”

“Then we can just share one.”

“Uh… fine.”

The knight received the order and hurriedly went off to fetch food for his princess.

When Roy returned with the taiyaki, the princess’s expression instantly brightened.

She instinctively opened her mouth, but there were too many pedestrians around, and even some girls from the lion’s heart faction were throwing teasing glances.

Charlotte was forced to shut her mouth and, after leaving the shopping street and the crowds behind, finally found a bench to sit down and enjoy the southern dessert.

As her cherry lips parted slightly, she took a bite; the crunchy sound echoed as the pastry crunched, and the red bean paste was sweet and smooth. Happiness lit up Charlotte’s face.

The girl still maintained the posture of a noble lady, but that usually serious, commanding expression softened completely, with a beautiful curve drawn at the corner of her mouth, now smeared with red bean paste.

Roy suddenly thought of his two cat maids.

If Charlotte had cat ears too, she would probably be shaking with cuteness right now.

In just a few bites, she devoured half the taiyaki before she pretended to be serious: “I suppose it’s not bad…”

Not bad — that was a pretty high compliment coming from the princess.

Roy immediately became interested: “Let me try, too.”

Charlotte forced herself to swallow, passing the taiyaki over.

But instead of taking it, Roy reached out, brushed against the girl’s rosy lips, wiping away the bean paste, and under her blank stare, popped it into his own mouth.

“Mmm, definitely not bad.”

“Not bad your head, you creep!”

Accompanied by the girl’s flustered shout, her little black silk-clad foot repeatedly stomped down, sending a mix of pain and joy to Roy.