On the way back from the date, the carriage was quiet for a moment.
It was a day that was neither short nor particularly special, but Cedric felt a pang of regret at its end.
As the carriage stopped, Odelia stood up first. Just as she was about to grab the doorknob with a familiar gesture.
"For a moment."
Cedric's hand covered the back of her hand.
When she turned her head, Cedric was looking at her with a different gaze than usual. Without any humor or playfulness, something sparkled clearly in his eyes.
"How was your date... today?"
"Thanks to you, it was comfortable. It was just... not bad."
Cedric blinked, perhaps relieved, perhaps disillusioned. He slowly released her hand and nodded.
“Yes, I’m glad.”
"What is this? It's bland."
Odelia poked Cedric's chest with a fan. Only after Cedric returned to his usual, smiling face did Odelia finally open the door.
"Cedric? Aren't you coming in?"
Odelia, still holding the door, turned around to look at Cedric, who had no intention of getting out of the carriage. Cedric stared at her for a while, his face quite pensive.
"I'm going back to my mansion today."
"Why? You didn't even eat dinner."
"Is your house a restaurant? I go there to eat every day."
"I thought you thought of it as at least a cafe. You come here every day for coffee."
At those words, Cedric looks at Otelia silently, as if lost in thought again.
"Hey, Cedric, what's bothering you?
Just as Odelia turned to approach Cedric and was about to cross the yard again, someone grabbed her wrist and chin, making her body jerk.
Odelia's eyes widened slightly as she looked back without thinking.
“Your Highness Calix?”
"How can you leave the door so wide open and not let anyone in?"
"That's it, Cedric..."
"Then I'll go first! See you later!"
The moment she trailed off, a voice, almost like a shout, came from Cedric. Before she could even say anything, the carriage door closed tightly, and he was gone. Odelia watched Cedric's carriage departing with a stern expression.
"...Why is he like that?”
Calix, who had been guessing why Cedric was acting like that, quietly raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"I guess he needs some time. Let's go in, Odelia."
Calix gently guided Odelia's still-confused wrist. Only then did Odelia realize that her wrist, no, her hand, was in his grasp. The tugging motion had naturally transformed into a clasped hand.
In an instant, Odelia's face flushed bright red. This was the first time she'd held hands with a man like this. It was a gesture far different from a simple greeting or touch, a wave of emotion.
"I, Your Highness, the hand is..."
Calix tilted his head slightly at Odelia's flustered voice.
"Huh? Why?"
Although his tone was casual, he smiled subtly as if he understood right away.
"Oh, really? Is this your first time holding hands with a man?"
"...Don't tease me. You're being mean."
Calix couldn't have been unaware of what Odelia, her face flushed with shame, was thinking. Her expression, so innocent and honest, made him chuckle inwardly. Still holding her hand, he continued speaking softly.
"How many times have I practiced dancing with you, and all those times we held hands, wasn't it just my hand? Now you're embarrassed again."
“At that time, I was so out of it...!"
Calix gave Odelia a smile and kissed her hand, as if it were a ritual at the end of a dance.
"I'm sorry for teasing you. Go inside and rest."
Odelia spoke, stammering as if she were completely broken.
"Oh. Why do you keep teasing me?"
Calix chuckled and then quickly put down his hand.
Odelia stomped up the stairs, quickly opened the door, and went in. As soon as she closed the door, she leaned back and exhaled slowly.
"Both Cedric and His Highness Calix are acting strangely today."
She muttered to herself, touching her forehead. It was the first time since the war that Cedric had suddenly become so serious. He would normally have smiled leisurely and trailed off, but today he wasn't like that... It felt unfamiliar.
But why, and since when, has Prince Calix been such a teasing person? He holds hands at the end of every sentence, and even kisses the back of the hand.
And the problem is...
"...Why do I keep reacting like "Wow! Wang!" whenever he pokes me...?"
Odelia slumped onto the sofa, clutching the back of her hand. She reacted too quickly, panicked too easily, and felt all those emotions rushing in unfamiliarly.
She walked up to the mirror, looked at her face, and unconsciously opened her eyes wide in shock.
"The thing that needs to be removed is a tomato, this is..."
When she touched her face in the bowl, it was so hot that it wouldn't be strange if it became the ingredient for tomato soup.
"Seriously, at this rate, I'm going to be the only one who's got a face like this."
Odelia, who had been self-deprecating, pulled the blanket up to her face and turned over to lie down. Her mind was becoming increasingly complicated.
After rolling around like that for a while, Odelia got up and opened the closet. She felt like she needed to change clothes, even if it was just because she was feeling stuffy.
After changing clothes and leaving her room, she walked down the hallway when she encountered an unexpected sight in the first-floor hall. Behind His Highness Calix stood a butler, cautiously listening in. He seemed to be preparing to go out.
Odelia's mouth naturally opened first.
"Where are you going?"
"I think I should go and comfort Cedric a little."
Calix tidied up the outer fringe and gave a curt reply. His tone was casual, but a meaningful glint flashed through his eyes.
“Comfort?”
Odelia tilted her head. There seemed to be some underlying context, but she couldn't quite grasp its meaning.
Calix chuckled.
"I guess this is the most realistic consideration you can give to a friend who has just been dumped."
"...dumped?”
"Well, I don't know if the other person was aware of that."
He smiled meaningfully, accepted the butler's hand, and slung it over his shoulder. Just before turning away, he paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on Odelia.
"I'm sorry I can't eat with you, Odelia."
After saying that, Calix left the mansion with a light wave.
Odelia, left in the hall, looked toward the entrance with a sickly expression, then muttered softly.
"...What a heartbreak, Cedric... That bastard."
Are you saying that you were secretly running a dating business?
Ah! So that's why His Highness told me to date Cedric. People forget each other! As the saying goes, that face that seemed so worried earlier was actually troubled, unable to read a woman's mind.
I'm sorry, I didn't realize this.
Only then did Odelia's expression lighten significantly.
"Next time we meet, I'll say something nice to him."
With a relieved heart, Onelia nodded and went inside, placing both hands on her hips.
***
Meanwhile, Cedric was headed not to his own mansion, but to a social club frequented only by noblemen. He sank into a leather sofa, already downing several glasses.
Among those who were leisurely chatting, each holding a glass in one hand, Cedric just drank his drink in silence.
The soft leather sofa seemed to crack deeply and swallow him. Cedric stared blankly at the ceiling.
"...It's ruined."
He hadn't intended to give her that look in the first place. He just wanted to say it playfully, like he usually does, as a joke. But maybe "How was your day?" sounded like "Do I have a chance?" No, it probably did.
Cedric covered his face with his hands and laughed. It was a forced laugh.
"I was just... trying to do my best."
When he said, "I'll try to do my best," he wasn't just talking about becoming friends.
Before he knew it, he had been drawn to that person, whose voice lingered in his ears, whose smile always came to mind. So, he was disappointed that today's date ended up being just "not bad." No, Cedric felt regretful.
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