Chapter 4.3

The streets of Aden offered far more to see than she had expected.  

The first thing that caught their attention was a street stall selling grilled skewers.  

The stall was grilling various seafood such as clams, scallops, and shrimp right on the spot.  

The sizzling sound and rising smoke filled the air.  

The sight of the food, combined with the mouthwatering aroma, had her salivating before she realized it.  

“Oh, welcome! Just pick what you’d like. I’ll skewer it for you so it’s easy to eat.” 

The vendor said.  

With skillful hands, he quickly threaded the freshly grilled seafood onto skewers.  

Diana, standing nearby, seemed utterly fascinated by the sight. Her eyes widened, and she let out small exclamations of “Wow” and “Amazing.”  

“Would you like some?”  

Dean, finding her reaction adorable, asked with a warm smile.  

At his words, both Elena and Adelina turned their heads sharply, like lightning.  

Dean, suddenly catching the weight of their stares, flinched and took a step back.  

“W-Why are you all looking at me like that?”  

Without saying a word, they continued to stare at him with gleaming eyes. Overwhelmed, Dean let out a deep sigh, as if resigning himself to his fate.  

“This isn’t why I came along, you know.”  

“Oh, come on. You’re enjoying it too, Dean.” 

Elena teased.  

“Well, yes, it’s delicious… but something else is missing now. For instance, the money in my wallet.”  

Having unintentionally ended up buying food for everyone, Dean took a large bite of his skewer and replied dryly.  

“It’s just a few skewers. Don’t make such a fuss.”  

“Would you like to give it back, then?”  

“Ten thousand krangs for one skewer? Shouldn’t someone look into the prices at tourist spots? Don’t you think so, Grand Duke?”  

Dean’s gaze was filled with exasperation, but Elena pretended not to notice and turned her head away.  

After all, there was no way she was giving up her skewer.  

At that moment, Diana burst into a childlike giggle.  

“Pfft. Dean, you look like such a miser.”

It seemed amusing to see Dean holding skewers in both hands, his cheeks puffed out as he chewed.  

His face flushed red, and he tried to offer some kind of excuse, but Diana was already busy admiring the nearby stalls with Adelina.  

“This is all because the Duke didn’t eat.” 

Dean grumbled.  

“Who told you to buy mine too? I never said I’d eat it.”  

With a face full of injustice, Dean turned to Elena, his eyes pleading for her to say something on his behalf.  

“Uh… should I eat one more?” 

She offered hesitantly.  

“That’s not the point. Ah, forget it.”  

Dean hung his head, seemingly resigned.  

What did he even want from me?  

It wasn’t like Elena could step in and say, ‘Why are you treating our dear Dean like this, Grand Duke?’  

That was when it started. Dean began trailing behind them with a dejected look, as if staging a silent protest.  

“What’s wrong with you now?”  

Unable to ignore it any longer, Elena quietly fell back and whispered to him.  

“I’m truly disappointed. Weren’t we supposed to be on the same boat?” 

Dean said.  

“Well, of course, we have to be on the same boat to get to Anes Island.”  

Uh… that was just a joke.  

She had meant to lighten his mood, but apparently, now wasn’t the time for jokes.  

Looking as if he’d been betrayed by a trusted lover, Dean opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally launching into a rapid-fire rant.  

“Is this how it’s going to be? I convinced His Grace to come along for your sake, bought you skewers, and yet you can’t even take my side once? Don’t you think Diana now sees me as some greedy glutton?”  

“She was just joking. Diana is too kind to think that way.”  

“I know that too. But this is about my image.”  

“That’s why I said I’d eat it for you earlier, but you refused.”  

“Then I’d look like someone who can’t even finish two skewers. A man with a tiny appetite!”  

So what exactly does he want to be then?  

He didn’t want this, and he didn’t want that.  

“Why do you keep assuming people think that? Wait… could it be… Diana?”  

“…”  

Dean, who had been passionately arguing his case, suddenly froze at her question and clamped his mouth shut.  

Wait a second. Let’s piece this together.  

Dean wasn’t upset because Elena didn’t take his side. He was worried about how Diana would perceive him.  

That pleading glance earlier? He wanted Elena to step in and explain things to Diana on his behalf.  

“Just to clarify, and I mean just in case… Do you like Diana?”

“What! …Such a reckless thing to say.”  

Dean, who had been whispering, suddenly raised his voice and then quickly lowered it again, seemingly conscious of his surroundings.  

“She’s a candidate for the position of Grand Duchess. How could I dare?”  

“Lady Diana said she has no intention of becoming the Grand Duchess.”  

“Regardless, it’s an absurd idea. Please don’t ever say such a thing again.”  

Hmm. If he liked her, it wouldn’t hurt to express it a bit more.  

Elena wanted to advise him to muster up some courage rather than regret it later, but she held her tongue, thinking it might be meddling.  

After all, this wasn’t something that could be solved just because someone told him to do it.  

“Pretty ladies, take a look at these too!”  

At that moment, someone stopped them as they were about to walk past without much thought.  

“We have earrings, necklaces, and even pretty hairpins.”  

The voice belonged to a woman who appeared to be in her forties. She was a merchant displaying various accessories on a stall covered with a white cloth.  

“Wow, how pretty.”  

“Eh, but these aren’t even real jewels.”  

Adelina, who had stopped out of curiosity, glanced over the items but quickly showed her disappointment.  

The accessories were handmade, crafted from seashells and beads strung together.  

“They’re still pretty. Oh, look, this one has pearls too. Isn’t it cute?”  

The earrings Elena picked up had small pearls dangling alongside seashells, swaying gently with each movement.  

“Oh my, they’re really cute. I think they’d suit you well, Lady Elena.”  

Diana’s compliment swayed her even more. Though, knowing Diana, she would’ve said anything Elena chose would suit her.  

“Young lady, you’ve got a good eye. These are top-quality pearls from Anes Island. The price is a bit higher than the others, but anyone can recognize their value if they’re from Anes.”  

As the merchant proudly explained, the Grand Duke, who had been silently observing, stepped closer to Elena.  

“Don’t be fooled. That was true a few years ago. Nowadays, all the pearls from Anes Island are low-grade.”  

“What nonsense are you spouting? My brother, who lives on Anes Island, personally harvested these top-quality pearls. You clearly don’t know how to judge quality. How can you say that after seeing this radiant luster?”  

The merchant immediately bristled, arguing back.  

The Grand Duke, honestly… If he wanted to say something like that, he should’ve done so quietly, out of earshot of the seller.  

“How much are they?”  

Interrupting the increasingly tense atmosphere, Elena stepped in and asked.  

“As expected, the pretty young lady has a good eye. Normally, they’re forty thousand krangs, but I’ll give them to you for thirty thousand. I’m giving you a discount because you’re so lovely.”

The merchant, as if her earlier annoyance had never happened, softened and laughed warmly.  

Who doesn’t like being called pretty? Even if she knew it was flattery, being repeatedly told she was pretty brought a smile to her face.  

Seeing this, the Grand Duke added another comment.  

“Don’t get too pleased. Merchants are known for lying without batting an eye. You’re not going to fall for such shallow words, are you?”  

“Well, your boyfriend has quite the personality…”  

The merchant muttered softly, just enough for Elena to hear. Her words carried various implications, but only one word stuck in Elena’s mind—‘boyfriend.’  

“I’ll buy it.”  

“Oh my, a splendid choice! Hohoho.”  

The Grand Duke, who had been watching with his arms crossed, shook his head and muttered, ‘Of course.’  

But Elena had her own reasoning. The merchant had called him her ‘boyfriend.’ Someone with such a discerning eye wouldn’t sell fake goods, would they?  

Now, the problem was…  

While the merchant wrapped up the earrings, Elena discreetly glanced at Dean, who was standing idly behind her.  

“Why… Why are you looking at me again?”  

“Lend me some money.”  

“I don’t have any money either. I’m just a salaried worker living paycheck to paycheck. Didn’t I already buy you those skewers earlier?”  

“Come on, this time I’m just borrowing. I’ll pay it all back.”  

“Even between parents and children, they say you shouldn’t lend money. Didn’t you bring any emergency funds? Why are you always after my meager savings?”  

Dean, still holding a grudge from earlier, wasn’t giving in this time.  

“I did bring enough with me.”  

Dean’s expression seemed to ask, “And?” Elena pulled him aside for a moment and whispered quietly.  

“But I already spent it all before we got here.”  

“What on earth did you buy to spend all the money you brought at once? If you’re that careless with your spending, I might have to reconsider.”  

Dean’s voice lowered as he muttered, almost to himself.  

Reconsider? He was probably referring to his promise to support me as the Grand Duchess.  

“Why are you saying such hurtful things? I didn’t waste it; it was all an investment. An investment!”  

An investment to fulfill her one-sided love, that is.