Secrets with Crown Prince 20

While returning from my meeting with the Empress, I ran into my father.

 

The cabinet meeting had just ended, and many noblemen were present alongside my father. 

 

“Ena!” My foster father greeted me warmly with open arms, but it only made me flustered because I realized what it meant.

 

“Here?” I looked at my foster father questioningly if it was appropriate for him to greet me so intimately. Still, he was unfazed, his sparkling eyes showing no hesitation. 

 

I have no choice but to run to him in small steps.

 

This scene was just like those in a drama, but my adoptive father loved his adoptive daughter just as much as Rioel. 

 

“My dear daughter!” My adoptive father hugged me and spun around.

 

It was embarrassing. Was I being held like a baby when I was already 32 years old?

 

Even more impressive, my 170-cm tall foster father carried me with tremendous strength. As expected, Rioel’s power was reminiscent of my foster father!

 

I escaped his embrace and looked at the other nobleman, somewhat embarrassed.

 

But my foster father did not seem to notice them. 

 

He looked at me with affectionate eyes to check on my complexion, worried about my well-being.

“Right, were you on your way back after meeting the Empress?”

 

At his question, the people standing behind him had turned to look at me with eyes full of interest. 

“Isn’t she the famous young lady of Lubiche?”

“My wife loved the book <Man of Frederica>.”

“How about getting an autograph?”

 

I could hear the muttering of the noblemen. 

 

I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even look in that direction and just nodded calmly, looking at my foster father.

 

And then, I spoke unnecessary words that fed the curious gazes of the aristocrats.

 

“I think we’ll be meeting more frequently. She seems very interested in my stories.”

 

Upon hearing this, the gentlemen all burst into a chorus of exclamations.

 

Even though I wasn’t a child, their reaction made me proud.

 

“Oh, with Her Majesty the Empress?”

 

“Isn’t she someone who doesn’t mix well with the younger generation?”

 

As I listened to their murmurs, I looked at my foster father.

 

He was looking back at me with a very impressed expression. Then he gently stroked my head.

 

I am twenty-eight years old. No, I’m thirty-two now that five more years have passed, but my foster father and everyone else seem to think I’m twenty-two.

 

Although it started with a misunderstanding, and I’ve lived as a younger person for so long, it’s strange that no one ever doubted that fact.

 

Come to think of it, even in Korea, some students looked thirty years old when they were only eighteen. Is it really too hard to believe?

 

As I tilted my head, the gazes behind my foster father suddenly became very cold, and I realized that the other gentlemen were staring at me.

 

“Richard, introduce us to your daughter too.”

 

“Yeah, that’s right. How could you not introduce her and just stand there?”

 

I could have ignored them and walked away, but they insisted on being introduced.

 

From their reactions, most of them seemed to be nobles with close ties to Count Lubiche.

 

And just as my foster Father was about to proudly introduce me, Duke Roadwald greeted me.

 

“Young lady Lubiche?”

 

His black hair, much like Argan’s, stood out.

 

While my light brown hair turns dark brown in the sun, unlike my father’s fiery brown hair, this man’s is an intense black.

 

No, how come Duke Rodwald and Argan keep crossing paths with me? So why is it so difficult to meet Duchess Roadwald?

 

I heard that she doesn’t engage in social activities these days.

 

Could it be due to poor health?

 

“It’s been a while, Lord Roadwald.”

 

I curtsied, lifting the hem of my dress.

 

The noblemen looked at me, amused, as if looking at a cute puppy.

 

“Oh my, Richard. Where did you find such a lovely daughter?”

 

“Although I just heard about her, if you told me she was Fairy Niaru in a modern form, I would believe it.”

 

“Now that you mention it, she really does look like a fairy. Could it be that she’s not human?”

 

I looked at my father’s face perplexedly as the gentlemen questioned me.

 

This world had more than magic and divine power. There were monsters and demons, as well as creatures like elves.

 

I thought of a fantasy trilogy where men traveled to retrieve a special ring. 

 

How different was this world to that one? 

 

“She looks so special because she’s Richard’s child.”

 

“I heard that Lord Rioel also especially dotes on her. Is it because of her striking appearance?”

 

Two noble gentlemen answered so. If you listen to their conversation, it might sound a little racist.

 

However, I understand their reaction.

 

I learned world history at the academy, but I have never seen anyone with such a foreign appearance as mine, even after researching all neighboring countries.

 

A world without Asians? Then there must be gods. 

 

But the man who said that didn’t mean anything, just looking at me curiously as if my appearance was fascinating.

 

Then Lord Roadwald stood in front of me with an indifferent expression.

 

His large back blocked my view.

 

Even my foster father was startled and took a step back.

 

“You seem to be too interested in the lady who will become my son’s wife.”

 

I’m not even engaged to Argan yet. Can’t you just let me meet the Duchess?

 

I tried to swallow the words I wanted to say. The tense atmosphere subsided with Lord Roadwald’s charisma. It was tremendous.

 

Argan undoubtedly resembles Lord Roadwald. How uncanny.

 

But my adoptive father patted my head with an indifferent attitude.

 

I felt like a real child.

 

And for some reason, as I received such affection, I wanted to act spoiled.

 

The men stood in front of me with regretful faces. Then, they moved their feet one by one after seeing Lord Roadwald’s gaze.

 

Even as they left, they didn’t forget to say goodbye to me.

 

“Young lady, visit Wipre Street next time. You’ll get along well with my daughter.”

 

“I’ll send you an invitation. You should also visit GreenHouse. Our youngest daughter will get along well with the young lady.”

 

Most of the men with daughters said this to me.

 

Thanks to “Man of Frederica,” my social standing has dramatically improved.

 

Of course, some still do not like me, but public opinion was already in my favor.

 

In addition to my close relationship with the Empress and my being the daughter cherished by Count Lubiche, many thought it was essential to establish connections with me.

 

Ultimately, the man who introduced himself as Tobback left me with a wink.

 

They were very different from the aristocrats I had imagined.

 

They didn’t seem arrogant, and it felt like meeting just some of my dad’s friends.

 

“Young lady. I heard you haven’t been visiting Roadwald’s estate lately.”

 

The Duke of Roadwald spoke to me in a dry, extremely blunt way.

 

Even my father, kneeling down and straightening my dress, raised his head and stared at the Duke of Rodwald when he said that.

 

“If I knew your Excellency was waiting for me, I would have visited earlier.”

 

When I said this with a bright smile, the Duke of Roadwald awkwardly cleared his throat and lowered his head.

 

“I met Argan at a cafe in the capital to get some fresh air. I’ll stop by Roadwald’s mansion next time.”

 

The Duke of Roadwald looked at me with a calm face and nodded slowly.

 

Come to think of it, the eldest daughter of the Roadwald family married into the Nathan Kingdom a long time ago, and now there is only Argan left.

 

Do they want to think of me as a replacement for their daughter?

 

As I was looking up at him, my father suddenly hugged me and glared at the Duke of Roadwald.

 

“If he wants to see her, tell Argan to visit the Lubiche Mansion! Who are you to tell someone else’s precious daughter where to come and go? You’re not trying to marry my daughter off, are you!”

 

When my father shouted, even the Duke of Roadwald fell silent.

 

Father. That’s not what’s happening.

 

It seemed that my adoptive father was the kind of man who would live with his daughter even if she got married. But even he wasn’t aware of that.

 

 

                                                          *****

 

Cha Do-hyuk is a different producer than before.

 

There are still parts that are no different from the Cha Do-hyuk that I knew, but he felt like a different person most of the time.

 

For starters, he looked completely different than before.

 

He looked like a perfect person in this world, at least appearance-wise.

 

Now I’m glad I can call him Do-hyuk, but later I will have to call him Claude.

 

Whenever I think of that fact, my heart feels empty.

 

For a while, it wasn’t easy to take even a proper look at his face as he was too busy attending the trial of the Alpine Newspaper Director.

 

So it’s been almost a month since we met face to face like this.

 

Perhaps that’s why Do-hyuk, which I hadn’t seen for a long time, looked very drained.

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him with someone else.

 

It was challenging to spend time alone.

 

Because of this, he seemed to be as upset as a seven-year-old child.

 

“Tell me a story about Korea.”

 

This was the first time he mentioned Korea directly.

 

He waited patiently for my answer; the thirsty look in his shining eyes truly surprised me.

 

In fact, wasn’t this what he wanted to hear from me the first time we met?

 

Stories about Korea and the events after his death.

 

No one would be able to know what the world was like after they disappeared from it.

 

It might have become a mess; I don’t know what’s happening in Korea since I came here.

 

“It’s been five years, so my memories are a bit hazy.”

 

I answered calmly, but that’s the truth.

 

I was too busy trying to eat and live, so I had no chance to reminisce about the past except for the first year.

 

Do-hyuk grabbed my hand and replied with a reassuring smile.

 

“Just tell me anything, it’s been more than 20 years old for me.”

 

It’s only been five years since I suddenly fell into this world, but Cha Do-Hyuk has been here for 26 years.

 

As I looked up, I was surprised to see another expression; I saw him staring at me with red, teary eyes.

 

He looked so emotional that I was a little taken aback.

 

Was Producer Cha Do-hyuk like this? I recalled the whining of assistant producer Cho Yeon-Chul, who said that he had no blood or tears in his body and that even a robot would at least give words of consolation if a human looked tired or distressed.

 

Yeah, Cha Do-hyuk is definitely not that kind of person.

 

Anyway, since he granted my request to meet the Empress, I also had to grant his request.

 

But do I really have to do it now? Really?

 

“Say anything, any story that will prove to me that I’m not crazy.”

 

He said it with a vulnerable expression; it seemed like all his bottled-up emotions would pour out when I touched the lid covering them.

 

Somehow I feel like I can’t turn a blind eye to it.

 

He was the only person I could share my loneliness with for the past five years.

 

My pent-up emotions from just five years were difficult to control, so I sympathized. Being here for 26 years with those feelings must have been difficult.

 

Then, suddenly, it became hard for me to breathe, as if something was stuck in my throat.

 

“I really missed you. I really did.”

 

Cho Do-hyun sighed contentedly, leaning his cheek against my palm.

 

However, given the current situation, I was beyond embarrassed.

 

We were in the middle of a meal, the Empress and Emperor staring at us. They looked done with their food.