Secrets with Crown Prince 26

Armand stared at me dazedly, but once our eyes met, her face turned bright red.

 

“Well… it’s because of the chambermaid…”

 

“I’m planning to meet the Empress in four days. Would you like to come with me then?”

 

I heard that the chambermaid who had been working until recently became too frail and could no longer work.

 

We were looking for the next chambermaid, but there was no suitable candidate among the noble ladies due to the gossip, and the age range became significantly lower.

 

Because of that, there was a big commotion among the noble ladies.

 

“Does Lady Lubiche have no intention of becoming the chambermaid for the Empress?”

 

“Oh, she did suggest it. But I have a lot of work to do.”

 

I’m overworked to death, so I don’t intend on visiting and tending to the Empress’s room every night.

 

“Are you done talking?”

 

Do-hyuk, who was quietly listening to our conversation and drinking my coffee, asked me.

 

Armand nodded vigorously. It was a hint that she wanted Do-hyuk to leave quickly.

 

“Well then, I’ll write to you, Ena.”

 

And before he finished speaking that sentence, Do-hyuk picked me up and hugged me tightly.

 

Once again, the prince is hugging me. I’m not even sure why anymore. I didn’t feel like saying anything, so I rested my face on Do-hyuk’s shoulder.

 

“Let’s go quickly. I want to be alone with you.”

 

Upon hearing Do-hyuk’s words, Armand blushed again.

 

“If someone sees us, they’ll misunderstand. I have feet too. Please let me down.”

 

I tried to rebel for no reason, but he didn’t let go.

 

“I want to hold you. It’s tiring to walk all the time.”

 

“No. Normal people walk around like that every day!”

 

Ignoring my bewildered outcry, Do-hyuk laughed and left the cafe.

 

I couldn’t even say bye to Armand.

 

                                                  ****

 

With Do-hyuk absent from the Lubiche estate, it was extremely peaceful.

 

Father and Rioel seemed very satisfied with the pleasant living environment.

 

Because of that, my days of being summoned to the imperial palace became more frequent, but it wasn’t that there was nothing to be gained at all, so it was worth the effort.

 

I held a square pen and was solving math problems when I suddenly raised my head and looked at Do-hyuk.

 

“By the way, have you tried using the memory recall potion I gave you last time?”

 

He looked at me with a face that said he remembered only then. You didn’t throw it away, did you?

 

He then asked.

 

“Didn’t we agree to see your memories instead of mine?”

 

I inserted the pen I was holding back into the inkwell.

 

Do-hyuk walked back to me. Then I took the pill with the potion from the desk drawer where I was sitting.

 

Ah, so he kept them?

 

“I kept them here.”

 

I accepted the potion and the pill from him and took a deep breath for a moment. Should I really drink it?

 

It’s the medicine Melissa has brought, Erin vouched for it in the past, so it should be trustworthy.

 

“There’s a memory I want to see.”

 

“What of?”

 

“The world after I died.”

 

His tone seemed nonchalant, but I was unsure if it could truly be considered that.

 

Perhaps the events after his death were the ones he was most curious about after meeting me.

 

I admired his perseverance in refraining from prying until now.

 

If it were me, I would have cried and begged him to tell me.

 

“Okay. But remember that it’s not a very pleasant memory for me.”

 

Upon hearing my words, Do-hyuk grabbed my wrist as I was about to swallow the potion.

 

He stared at my face for a moment before quietly shaking his head.

 

“No, forget it. What’s the point in being curious about the past?”

 

With that, he turned with a face devoid of any regrets.

 

I stood there holding the potion and watched Do-hyuk’s back in confusion.

 

“Are you saying you won’t watch it because it’s a painful memory for me?”

 

Cha Do-hyuk slumped down on the sofa and shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Let’s just say it’s for a similar reason. I don’t have a hobby of prying into other people’s pain.”

 

After saying that, Do-hyuk simply flopped onto the sofa.

 

I sighed and massaged my temples. There was no need to hide these memories.

 

It was difficult, but they weren’t memories that made me want to die if I looked at them again.

 

“Will you watch it if I say it’s okay?”

 

Perhaps it was due to a sense of empathy or sympathy towards him.

 

PD Cha Do-hyuk may have been scary and annoying, but he was definitely not a bad boss.

 

Upon hearing my words, Do-hyuk’s eyes sparkled. It seemed like he was still curious after all.

 

“Don’t expect too much. It won’t be anything extraordinary.”

 

Do-hyuk looked puzzled at my question.

 

Before he could say anything, I quickly swallowed the potion and the pill together.

 

                                                     ****

 

That day, chaos ensued because the main producer didn’t show up on the day of the shoot.

 

PD Cha Do-hyuk didn’t appear on the set and, eventually, the second PD took charge of directing that day.

 

It wasn’t until the end of the shoot that we received a call informing us that PD Cha Do-hyuk was in the intensive care unit of the hospital.

 

Before the company staff arrived, the journalists who had come early bombarded us with questions.

 

But we had no explanation. We all spent the night at the hospital.

 

Shortly after, we received the news from the doctor that Cha Do-hyuk had passed away. Until then, Cha Do-hyuk’s parents had not come to the hospital.

 

According to another assistant director, there were too many journalists, so they couldn’t come.

 

Cha Do-hyuk was the youngest son of a prominent conglomerate chairman.

 

I wonder if people’s opinions mattered more to them as owners of a large company than their son dying?

 

I couldn’t understand how parents could be like that, but Cha Do-hyuk’s parents didn’t shed a single tear at the funeral.

 

In contrast, I stood in front of his portrait, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

 

I couldn’t make a sound because I didn’t want to disturb anyone, but the flowing tears wouldn’t stop.

 

Various emotions overwhelmed and confused my heart.

 

He wasn’t such a terrible boss. I should have said it was okay and forgiven him when he apologized.

 

And I realized that I liked Cha Do-hyuk more as a person than I had thought.

 

It was Cha Do-hyuk’s mother who tried to stop my crying.

 

“How about we go to the inner room instead of crying here?”

 

I followed her into the inner room prepared for the immediate family.

 

“Did you say you’re a writer?”

 

As Cha Do-hyuk’s mother asked me, I wiped away tears with the handkerchief she gave me and just nodded my head.

 

“Did you like Do-hyuk?”

 

Her question seemed to have puzzled me for a moment.

 

Seeing my expression, she sighed and made an annoyed expression before continuing.

 

“There are many journalists outside, so don’t cry so much and calm down. If someone sees this, they might think there’s a story.”

 

I couldn’t understand her words, so I just pursed my lips, but she kindly added more to her statement.

 

“You know there are many journalists outside, right? If you keep acting like this, it would seem as if Do-hyuk had a girlfriend and I separated you two. Be careful, okay?”

 

Shocked by her words, I couldn’t find an appropriate response and stared at her blankly.

 

Upon seeing that, she couldn’t help but repeat her words for me to calm down a couple more times and then left.

 

Even now, thinking back, it didn’t seem like something a mother who had just lost her son would say.

 

After the main producer changed, the ratings of “Eraser Road” plummeted. And overall, the atmosphere among the staff remained gloomy throughout the production.

 

It went without saying that his absence was too much for the show to handle.

 

“Writer Bell, are you okay? It must be tough without PD Cha Do-hyuk, right?”

 

I heard that question at least once a day. Useless questions filled with shallow concern.

 

But such trivial questions became sharp thorns that stabbed my wound.

 

The presence of Cha Do-hyuk within me was greater than I had thought.

 

“I’m okay. But I still can’t believe PD Do-hyuk is gone.”

 

I would reply in a somewhat nervous manner. But it would be strange to assume that I was heartbroken.

 

However, it seemed I was the only one who didn’t know that Do-hyuk PD and I had a special bond.

 

“No, those two were quite exceptional.”

 

Senior Young-hoon questioned my response with a puzzled expression.

 

“Where would you find a main PD who would scrutinize the sub-writer’s composition in such detail?”

 

The youngest, Jiwoo, nodded in response to Senior Young-hoon’s words.

 

“P.D. Do-hyuk did pay a lot of attention to Mouse Bell-unnie.”

 

“He paid a lot of attention so he could use it against me.”

 

Jiwoo seemed to have nothing to say as an answer, so I smiled awkwardly and looked around.

 

“One thing is certain, PD Do-hyuk really liked Mouse Bell.”

 

Senior Young-hoon’s words made my heart uneasy, so I stopped talking.

 

Even while on a blind date with the man introduced by Yeonseo Unnie, I felt like something was missing.

 

So, out of the blue, the guy said something to me.

 

“Is it because of PD Cha Do-hyuk?”

 

“Huh, what?”

 

I stopped rolling up the pasta with my fork and looked up in surprise.

 

The name Cha Do-hyuk sounded so unfamiliar coming out of his mouth.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Well, there was a rumor on the internet. They said you and PD Cha Do-hyuk were dating.”

 

“What? That’s absurd. What are you talking about?”

 

I wasn’t even a celebrity, so why would there be such a dating rumor about me?

 

“Bell and PD Cha Do-hyuk are almost like celebrities. You’re pretty and he’s better-looking than most celebrities. Even if you appear briefly on TV, people would still be curious.”

 

I sighed at the words of the blind date guy, whose name I couldn’t even remember now.

 

I only saw the disbelief in his eyes regarding the relationship between me and Cha Do-hyuk.

 

“Is it really true that you two were dating?”

 

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t be here to meet you.”

 

I was annoyed, so I wiped my mouth with a napkin and stood up from my seat.

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well. I should go home now.”

 

He hastily grabbed my wrist as I was about to leave.

 

“I’m sorry, Bang-wol. I was just upset after reading that article.”

 

“I’m extremely disturbed right now. Let’s just leave it for today and get in touch later.”

 

After that, on my way back home, I looked up and read numerous articles talking about Cha Do-hyuk and me being in a relationship.

 

The majority of messages were supportive, cheering me on.

 

They said I had to overcome the pain and heal. Some even said they would support me if I met another man.

 

But I wasn’t even dating that arrogant jerk in the first place!

 

“Are you really not dating him?”

 

“What?”

 

“Did you really not date PD Cha Do-hyuk?”

 

Even my mom asked me such a question.

 

“Mom, I know you really liked Cha Do-hyuk PD. But didn’t you always say it’s better to meet someone with similar values? Otherwise, it would be difficult.”

 

Or was she only referring to the dad I never met? Anyway, thanks to her, I became even more disturbed.

 

In the end, I received a message from the blind date guy saying that we couldn’t meet anymore because he kept thinking of my relationship with Cha Do-hyuk whenever he saw me. But out of courtesy, he suggested meeting once and having a meal before saying goodbye. So, I boarded the bus late at night to meet him.

 

I don’t know why I felt so unsettled the moment I got on the bus.

 

I felt like an unfortunate woman longing for her deceased boyfriend.

 

At that time, I couldn’t even stay awake and fell asleep as soon as I sat on the bus. When I woke up, I found myself lying in a secluded mountain valley.

 

That was the last memory I had of Cha Do-hyuk’s death, right before I crossed over to this world.

 

                                               ***

 

When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on the sofa.

 

Cha Do-hyuk was clutching my hand with tears in his eyes.

 

I don’t know if this was even intended, but I was confused by why a man who never shed a tear in his past life would have so many tears in this life.

 

He was so indifferent and cold that people would joke by saying he must be a cold city guy, leaving me and Jiwoo behind. They would even say that a robotic cat would be more emotional than Cha Do-hyuk.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Cha Do-hyuk leaned his cheek against the back of my hand and shed more tears. His face, messed up with tears, was enough to drive people crazy.

 

“You had a hard time because of me.”

 

Cha Do-hyuk managed to speak with a choked voice.

 

And for some reason, my throat felt tight.

 

It’s all because of Cha Do-hyuk. It’s because he’s crying like this in front of me.

 

“P.D- No, Cha Do-hyuk, you don’t have to apologize.”

 

My eyes welled up with hot tears.

 

I pressed my eyelids tightly with the hand that Cha Do-hyuk wasn’t holding.

 

I was worried that I might cry.

 

Did he see what his mother told me at the funeral?

 

I have no idea how he must be feeling right now.

 

It’s undeniable that he was my boss at work, but what’s clear is that I didn’t dislike him.

 

And I realized that by looking back at the past.

 

I didn’t expect to see such detailed memories.

 

The effect of the potion is too strong.

 

This was a mistake in my judgment.