Chapter 40

The next morning, our photo was printed large across the front page of the daily paper again.

Needless to say, it was the scene of Hid and me kissing in the middle of the ballroom.

[“I Just Couldn’t Help Myself” Lady Datinggale and Crown Prince of Shtandes Share Passionate Kiss in the Middle of the Ballroom]

I pressed my hand to my forehead. This was unbelievable. Who on earth wrote that headline.

Of course, the journalist who wrote the piece had not reported a single false word.

That evening, anyone looking from any angle could see that the one who kissed first was me.

So the headline was exactly right. Hid had looked so unbearably adorable, frozen in place after hearing my proposal, and I simply couldn’t help myself.

The problem was that I hadn’t thought about the consequences before doing it, which led to my very belated cry of despair.

“Aaah, what do I do!”

But unlike me, Hid was all smiles again.

“Our Rafi is in trouble now. The whole country saw you kiss me, so there’s no running away.”

“I should have waited and done it at home!”

Why, why did I do that, I clutched my head. Hid gently caught my arms and lowered them, then pulled me into a hug.

“You did well. I loved it.”

He looked down at me with a gaze that could melt anything. By now, one look at his eyes was enough to know exactly what he was longing for.

Ugh, I shouldn’t. Not again right now…… I did anyway.

I ended up kissing Hid again.

Fine, let’s just be two completely reckless people. What else could I do when I was this gone over him.

And it wasn’t just me who had lost all sense. Ever since I accepted his proposal the night before, Hid’s brakes had stopped working entirely.

On the carriage ride home that evening, I had lost count of how many times I had to hold him back.

“When should we set the wedding date. Tomorrow sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Tomorrow…… was he joking. I shot him a look, but Hid was not joking.

“I can prepare whatever you want. Even tomorrow.”

“I have no intention of rushing through the one wedding I’ll ever have in my life.”

“No, I really can make it a perfect day……?”

Of course, no matter how he tried to persuade me, I had no intention of giving in this time.

And there was still one very large problem that I hadn’t yet told Hid about.

I looked at him quietly. He was already sitting at his desk, grinning as he cut out the newspaper.

Something about framing this historic moment and putting it on his desk, apparently.

It felt terrible to say this to Hid when he was this happy, but there was no avoiding it. I wrapped my arms around him from behind.

“Hid……”

The scissors in Hid’s hand stopped mid-air. He turned to look at me slowly, unease crossing his face.

“……Every time you say my name like that, something bad follows.”

Sharp as ever. I gave him a small smile. Hid’s expression darkened further.

“You’re not saying you want to call off the marriage, are you.”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then it’s fine……”

“How about we live apart on weekdays?”

The scissors finally slipped from Hid’s hand. The sound of metal hitting marble rang through the entire room.

“You want to…… what?”

“Live apart on weekdays.”

“Why on earth.”

“Because I need to stay here and run the Dibs trading house……?”

I added quickly. It would still be a long time before Hid took the throne anyway. Until then, did I really need to go live in the Kingdom of Shtandes?

And Hid couldn’t stay in Alastair forever either.

“I’m not saying we do this forever. Just until each of us gets our situation sorted out!”

The wedding was coming sooner than expected, so it couldn’t be helped, I added.

Hid said nothing. He simply picked up the scissors from the floor and set them safely on the desk.

Feeling awkward, I quietly tried to read his expression. But Hid just smiled at me warmly, the same as always.

“All right, if that’s what you want, Rafi.”

“……Really?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, Hid agreed to my request this time as well.

Only, even days later, the newspaper clipping he had been cutting never made it onto the desk.

❀❀❀

I made my way to the Dibs trading house with a heavy heart. Hid seemed genuinely hurt, no matter how I looked at it.

But there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t just close up the Dibs business and emigrate on the spot.

What would happen to my staff then? No matter how blinded by love I was, I couldn’t do something that irresponsible.

The moment I stepped through the Dibs trading house entrance, though, a chill ran down my spine. I had been so preoccupied with Hid that I had completely forgotten.

‘Miel would have seen the front-page article!’

I tried to back away, but it was already too late. The trading house door swung wide open.

And the voice of doom rang out.

“Master, I had a very good look at that enormous photo of you in the paper!”

Aaah, I knew it!

Miel appeared before I could blink, eyes wide, and grabbed me by the shoulders and began shaking me back and forth.

“Why would you go and do that at someone else’s house, why! You could have done it right here!”

“What kind of nonsense is that!”

Miel lamented having missed the spectacle of a lifetime. She said if it had happened in front of her, she would have clapped and thrown confetti.

Why would you throw confetti at someone else’s kiss!

“At least there’s a photo, I suppose. Though it’s not quite the same as seeing it with my own eyes……. Ow!”

Miel finally earned herself a smack on the back. Then, of all the bad timing, my eyes met Asid’s as he came out to greet me.

‘Right, Asid would have seen that photo too!’

What a sight to have shown my innocent boy. My face burned and I wanted to disappear somewhere.

“M, Miss.”

Asid shuffled toward me. But today I was just as awkward as he was.

“Oh, A, Asid. H, hello. The weather is really nice today, isn’t it.”

“Y, yes.”

A dreadful silence followed. Mercifully, Asid was the first to speak.

“I, I’ve fixed all the DibsTalk errors……”

Even so, Asid couldn’t quite meet my eyes. He still made sure to report everything work-related without missing a thing.

I’m sorry. I’ll try to hold back better from now on. No more ending up in the newspaper like this.

Deeply chastened, I pulled myself together and threw myself into work.

The first thing to handle was reviewing the investors who had come forward after the charity party.

Most of the investors who actually visited the trading house afterward were dealt with by Miel. But even that had its limits.

A few days later, I was going through documents in the office when someone knocked.

“Yes, come in.”

The door opened, and in walked none other than Miel. The sun must be rising in the west. Miel, actually knocking before entering.

But one look at her expression and I pressed my lips together.

With a seriousness unlike her usual self, and in a tone far more formal than I had ever heard from her, she reported.

“Master. I believe you should meet this investor in person.”

“……!”

When Miel behaved like that, there was only one explanation.

An enormously significant investor had arrived. Someone too important to be handled by a stand-in CEO. Someone I could safely reveal my identity to, no less.

I was on my feet immediately.

“Where are they now?”

“Waiting for you in the reception room, Master.”

“Tell them I’ll be right there.”

“Yes, understood.”

Miel gave a proper bow and left the office.

I quickly checked my reflection. Practical trousers and a blouse. My pink hair was pulled up high in a ponytail.

The face was Raphindel Datinggale’s, but in this outfit, I was the head of the Dibs trading house.

And right now, a great opportunity had come knocking at our door.

Following Miel’s lead, I stepped into the reception room. I was genuinely curious about who this investor would be, though I kept it off my face.

The unknown investor was draped in a jet-black silk cloak, face completely hidden.

I swallowed. An investor who needed to conceal their visit from the outside world. This person had to be far more significant than I had imagined.

I gave a respectful bow and introduced myself for the first time.

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Raphindel Datinggale, CEO of the Dibs trading house.”

At the sound of my name, the investor gave a visible start.

Well, naturally. No one in this kingdom would have guessed that the youngest daughter of the Datinggale family was the true head of the Dibs trading house.

The investor slowly removed the cloak. And this time, I was the one who nearly collapsed on the spot.

Because the identity of that investor was……

“L, Lady Datinggale?”

“Y, Your Highness?!”

The major investor who had come to find me.

It was none other than Crown Prince Diestran Evel Alastaire.