Emily leaned her head back and sighed deeply involuntarily.
The day has finally come for her date with Prince Kite.
She z didn't expect that he would develop a love for Vancent or learn anything about Vancent just because he spent a day touring the capital.
But it was very difficult to break his stubbornness.
Even Killian, who had been refusing to do so, was able to be persuaded. Prince Kite certainly seemed to be an excellent negotiator.
“Where do you plan to start showing us today?”
Kite asked with a bright face.
In fact, Emily hadn't usually worried about where to take him until the night before.
Even though she had been yelling at Kite like that, Emily didn't know Vancent very well either.
Perhaps Kite knew much more about the politics, society, culture, and economy of Vancent than she did.
She can't tell him how depressed she was when she realized that yesterday.
“You don’t look like you’re in a good mood.”
Kite asked worriedly, his expression showing.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Emily quickly fixed her expression as she looked depressed in front of people.
“I had a lot of trouble deciding where to take the Prince.”
“So you can’t make a decision?”
“Well, I’m going to eat first.”
Emily answered with an uncertain look on her face.
She even had to wonder whether she should take Kite to a nice restaurant or a place where common people go.
In the end, they decided to go to a fancy restaurant.
If she goes out with Prince Kite, she'll definitely get a lot of attention, but if she goes to an ordinary restaurant, it's obvious that people in high society will think she's strange.
“Do you like lobster dishes?”
“I like it.”
Because the capital of Vancent is adjacent to the sea, it has many famous seafood restaurants.
As the two got out of the carriage together, as expected, people's eyes gathered.
In particular, the restaurant Emily chose was a high-end restaurant located in the city center, so there were many familiar faces among the nobles there.
They watched the two people with interest, their eyes sparkling as if they had discovered prey.
The restaurant they wanted to go to was fully booked a month in advance, but thanks to Killian, the two were able to sit in a prime window seat without any problems.
"Welcome."
The waiter greeted Emily warmly, as she had visited this place with Killian several times before.
Kite glanced over the menu and then handed the choice over to Emily.
“I will eat whatever you order.”
“Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“Yes, I don’t have any particular preference.”
Emily ordered the food she often ordered with Killian.
“I’d like lobster ravioli and sea bream with clam sauce.”
“How would you like dessert prepared?”
“Um, I’d like to have crème brûlée and yuzu sorbet, please.”
“Yes, I will prepare it for you right away.”
The waiter cleared the menu and left.
“There’s a place I want to go after eating. Would you like to go with me?”
"Is it so?"
Emily secretly sighed in relief, as she was already dissatisfied with the course she had planned.
“Where are you going?”
“Well, is the Kubern market close to here?”
“Yes, it’s close.”
“Then I would like to see the Kubern market.”
Emily looked surprised that he wanted to go to the market and said okay.
“The food is here.”
Soon after, the waiter brought the chestnut soup to the table.
Contrary to her concerns that the food might not suit his taste, Kite began tasting each dish one by one, praising them.
“I guess it suits your taste.”
At Emily's words, Kite shyly wiped the corner of his mouth.
“Did I just eat too much?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
Emily waved her hand and laughed.
“I was worried that the food might not be to your taste, but I’m grateful that you enjoyed it.”
“You’ll know your worries were for nothing when you see how quickly my plate is emptying.”
"Yes."
Emily smiled and nodded.
Kite, like a gentleman, eased the awkward atmosphere by offering an appropriate story when the topic became difficult.
“Would you like some dessert now?”
The waiter visited our table at an appropriate time.
“Yes, thank you.”
After the waiter left, Kite smiled brightly and asked.
“I see you come here often with the Marquis of Starr.”
“He’s so busy... not often, but we've been here a few times.”
"Yes."
Kite paused for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“This may be rude, but I didn’t know that Marquis Starr lived a normal life with his family.”
'We're not living a particularly ordinary life.'
“Everyone was kind to me.”
The day has finally come for her date with Prince Kite.
She z didn't expect that he would develop a love for Vancent or learn anything about Vancent just because he spent a day touring the capital.
But it was very difficult to break his stubbornness.
Even Killian, who had been refusing to do so, was able to be persuaded. Prince Kite certainly seemed to be an excellent negotiator.
“Where do you plan to start showing us today?”
Kite asked with a bright face.
In fact, Emily hadn't usually worried about where to take him until the night before.
Even though she had been yelling at Kite like that, Emily didn't know Vancent very well either.
Perhaps Kite knew much more about the politics, society, culture, and economy of Vancent than she did.
She can't tell him how depressed she was when she realized that yesterday.
“You don’t look like you’re in a good mood.”
Kite asked worriedly, his expression showing.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Emily quickly fixed her expression as she looked depressed in front of people.
“I had a lot of trouble deciding where to take the Prince.”
“So you can’t make a decision?”
“Well, I’m going to eat first.”
Emily answered with an uncertain look on her face.
She even had to wonder whether she should take Kite to a nice restaurant or a place where common people go.
In the end, they decided to go to a fancy restaurant.
If she goes out with Prince Kite, she'll definitely get a lot of attention, but if she goes to an ordinary restaurant, it's obvious that people in high society will think she's strange.
“Do you like lobster dishes?”
“I like it.”
Because the capital of Vancent is adjacent to the sea, it has many famous seafood restaurants.
As the two got out of the carriage together, as expected, people's eyes gathered.
In particular, the restaurant Emily chose was a high-end restaurant located in the city center, so there were many familiar faces among the nobles there.
They watched the two people with interest, their eyes sparkling as if they had discovered prey.
The restaurant they wanted to go to was fully booked a month in advance, but thanks to Killian, the two were able to sit in a prime window seat without any problems.
"Welcome."
The waiter greeted Emily warmly, as she had visited this place with Killian several times before.
Kite glanced over the menu and then handed the choice over to Emily.
“I will eat whatever you order.”
“Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“Yes, I don’t have any particular preference.”
Emily ordered the food she often ordered with Killian.
“I’d like lobster ravioli and sea bream with clam sauce.”
“How would you like dessert prepared?”
“Um, I’d like to have crème brûlée and yuzu sorbet, please.”
“Yes, I will prepare it for you right away.”
The waiter cleared the menu and left.
“There’s a place I want to go after eating. Would you like to go with me?”
"Is it so?"
Emily secretly sighed in relief, as she was already dissatisfied with the course she had planned.
“Where are you going?”
“Well, is the Kubern market close to here?”
“Yes, it’s close.”
“Then I would like to see the Kubern market.”
Emily looked surprised that he wanted to go to the market and said okay.
“The food is here.”
Soon after, the waiter brought the chestnut soup to the table.
Contrary to her concerns that the food might not suit his taste, Kite began tasting each dish one by one, praising them.
“I guess it suits your taste.”
At Emily's words, Kite shyly wiped the corner of his mouth.
“Did I just eat too much?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
Emily waved her hand and laughed.
“I was worried that the food might not be to your taste, but I’m grateful that you enjoyed it.”
“You’ll know your worries were for nothing when you see how quickly my plate is emptying.”
"Yes."
Emily smiled and nodded.
Kite, like a gentleman, eased the awkward atmosphere by offering an appropriate story when the topic became difficult.
“Would you like some dessert now?”
The waiter visited our table at an appropriate time.
“Yes, thank you.”
After the waiter left, Kite smiled brightly and asked.
“I see you come here often with the Marquis of Starr.”
“He’s so busy... not often, but we've been here a few times.”
"Yes."
Kite paused for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“This may be rude, but I didn’t know that Marquis Starr lived a normal life with his family.”
'We're not living a particularly ordinary life.'
“Everyone was kind to me.”
Emily nodded vaguely, though she internally denied his words.
“I didn’t even know the Marquis was getting married, so I only found out late.”
"Actually, we didn't invite many people to the wedding. That's probably why the news reached the Prince so late."
“Is that so?”
While the two were talking, dessert was brought to the table.
“Then enjoy your meal.”
As the waiter moved away from the table, Kite asked the question again.
“Did you marry Marquis Starr knowing he was a mafia man?”
“Of course. He’s the most famous mafia in Vancent.”
“Weren’t you scared?”
That question left her speechless for a moment.
How can she elegantly say that she would rather marry a handsome mafia man than become the stepmother of a greedy old man?
Emily rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, as she struggled to figure out how to answer his question.
Looking at the round forehead and soft bridge of the nose exposed by the sunlight, and the red lips beneath them, Kite unconsciously moved the back of his neck.
Emily, who had finally gathered her thoughts, met Kite's eyes again.
“It wasn’t that scary because he took great care of me in many ways.”
It was something she said to cover up for Kite, but it wasn't entirely a lie.
Now that she thinks about it, Killian had put in a lot of effort to make sure Emily was comfortable at Starr Mansion.
A faint smile appeared on Emily's lips as she recalled her memories with him.
“It’s surprising that Marquis Starr did that.”
“If you’ve known him for a long time, wouldn’t you know, Your Highness? Contrary to his appearance, he’s actually a warm-hearted person.”
Kite nodded with a trembling face.
'No. I can't tell even if I look at it for a long time.'
But it was impossible to badmouth her husband in front of the person involved.
The two people who somehow finished their meal got up from their seats.
“Then shall we go to the Kubern Market?”
Since it was close and the market street was narrow, the two decided to walk instead of taking the carriage.
Emily, full of enthusiasm, walked ahead.
“Just a moment, ma’am.”
Kite followed her, letting out a low laugh.
“Please allow me to escort you.”
As Kite held out his arm, Emily looked around and whispered to him.
“Do I need an escort to go to the market?”
“Didn’t you agree to have a scandal with me?”
"Still..."
“You definitely have to act.”
At Kite's firm words, Emily had no choice but to put her hand on his arm.
She felt people's gazes getting more and harsher.
Since it was rare for nobles to go to the market, the number of people observing them gradually decreased as they entered the market area.
“Is there a particular reason you wanted to come to this market?”
The area around the Kubern market was full of shabby inns and taverns, and the market itself was a place where poor commoners came to buy cheap, low-quality goods.
“I wanted to come back again because I remembered visiting a few years ago.”
“I see you have some impressive memories.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kite thought it would be better to show it to her directly, so he went into a store without hesitation.
“You come again whenever I forget.”
A middle-aged man with a slightly hunched back greeted him warmly.
“Is business going well?”
“As you can see, only flies are flying around.”
The store that Kite entered was a bakery.
The man said business was bad, but the bread looked and smelled incredibly delicious. Perhaps the economy was simply struggling, leading to a drop in income.
“You’re not even doing business, yet you’re still stockpiling bread for the kids to eat.”
As Kite said, in one corner of the store, there was a pile of bread under a sign that read, "Today's Leftover Bread."
“Because it’s bread that I’m going to have to throw away after today anyway.”
The man appeared to be distributing the remaining bread to the children.
Kite took a gold coin out of his pocket.
“I will buy all the bread left today, so please share those too.”
“Thank you always.”
Judging by the fact that he says "always," I guess this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
Emily looked at Kite with wonder as she chatted so naturally with the man.
After leaving the bakery, Kite introduced her to another place in the market.
“How often did you come here?”
“I often stopped by when I came to Vancent.”
In fact, Kite had visited Vancent several times unofficially to discuss 'that matter' with Killian.
Perhaps Kite has explored more of Vancent than the current Crown Prince, Lucius.
Emily followed Kite with a strange feeling.
This time, the place he took Emily was a place with a flower shop and a newsstand.
In between, there were old books.
“The books were collected by the local people for children who could not attend the academy.”
Just then, children who were chattering away came out of the flower shop and took books with them, started teaching each other the words, and read to each other.
"That's one of the many reasons I fell in love with Vancent. It's hard to find scenes like this in Robert."
The people of the Robert Empire do not meddle in others.
That meant that they were not interested in others and were only true to their own life.
While that aspect can sometimes be an advantage, Kite found Robert's atmosphere quite bleak.
Emily asked bluntly.
“Then can the Prince love Vancent more than the Robert Empire?”
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