Chapter 50

“Lina Orphanage. Fifteen years ago. You remember the boy you met back then, right? You think that was my brother.”

“How do you know about that, President…?”

Diane’s voice was trembling.

“Diane Lina, the girl whose whole body turned red when she ate strawberries. The girl who said she had to let her hair down when she cried. How do you think I know all that? Think about it. I trust you’re not that slow.”

Diane shook her head in disbelief.

The body that turned red after eating strawberries, the childhood memory of letting her hair down when crying, the prince she met at Lina Orphanage fifteen years ago—this man was talking about all of it.

Her hands, shocked and speechless, covered her gaping mouth.

“See? I figured you weren’t that slow. Your memory or powers of observation are terrible, though.”

“That’s impossible.”

Words close to a mumble leaked out between her covered lips.

This was truly impossible.

How could that angelic, beautiful prince be this arrogant and ruthless President Edward Wale!

“What’s impossible? That I remembered you, but you didn’t remember me? Or that, with me right in front of you, you were lost in memories about someone else? You did all that, so even you think it’s impossible, right?”

“No! The prince… wasn’t like you! You, President, are just…”

She had to swallow the words ‘…trash.’

“Prince. Hmm.”

He laughed, as if something was funny.

Seeing his laughter, Diane bit her lower lip, feeling as if the existence of ‘prince’ in her heart had been exposed.

“I am that boy you call ‘prince.’ That boy grew up and became me. The prince you remember isn’t Adrian Wale, it’s Edward Wale. Don’t be mistaken.”

“……”

Diane absolutely did not want to admit it.

That a man like him could be the prince in her precious memories.

That would desecrate her memories.

“What are you thinking?”

The President pressed her, as she said nothing.

What was she thinking?

She was searching for proof that he wasn’t the prince!

Yes, that’s it!

“The prince’s name was ‘Aed’!”

“No, it was ‘Ed.’ Maybe your hearing wasn’t so good?”

Not good hearing, he said.

How could someone who spoke like that be the prince!

But…

She remembered a conversation she had with Gardener Bill a few days ago.

<Their nicknames are really similar.>

<Oh, their names? Yes, very similar. I always get confused. Same hair color, same eye color, both so pretty like dolls. It was even more so when they were kids, yes indeed.>

As Diane looked into the President’s eyes, she finally realized something she’d never noticed before, even though she’d seen those eyes countless times.

They were really the same green as the Duke’s.

And the hair?

Ah…!

She barely suppressed a sigh.

It was blond.

Not the platinum blond of the Duke, but a smooth, warm golden color like sunlight.

Why had she never noticed the President’s hair color?

A wave of frustration hit her.

This couldn’t be. How could her precious prince be the President?

She felt like she might burst into tears.

She was sad, but it was more that she felt wronged.

Her beautiful, kind, lovable, precious memory felt like it had been covered in filth.

“Ah!”

A faint hope appeared, and she couldn’t help but let out an exclamation.

“What? Are you finally recognizing me?”

“No! I can’t recognize you at all. I can’t believe it. President, I know you’re twenty-six. I’m twenty-three. But the ‘Brother’ I met that day was five years older than me. So he should be twenty-eight now, not twenty-six. He should be the same age as the Duke, not you.”

She knew the President’s personal details from all the newspaper articles over the years.

He was often described as the ‘young Midas’ who built and grew Wale Corporation at a young age.

“Ha! You say all kinds of nonsense. Is it that hard to accept that I’m the prince from your memories? Was he that great? But, sorry to disappoint you, the great prince was me. The boy you treasured so much was me. Should I be happy that you liked me so much, or offended that you keep insisting it wasn’t me?”

“No. The ages don’t match!”

Diane spoke firmly, not just because she didn’t want to admit it, but because she was sure her memory wasn’t wrong.

Even if she’d mistaken the appearance or name, the age was definitely not the same as the President.

“So, you think it’s my brother?”

The President’s face turned grim.

He looked less and less like the prince.

“I didn’t say it was the Duke. I’m just saying it’s not you.”

“You want to believe that so badly? Even if you have to force it?”

“It’s not forcing it. I’m just telling the truth.”

“Hmph.”

Suddenly, the President folded his arms and sneered.

Seeing his cynical attitude, Diane’s face hardened.

“The Strawberry girl I remember wasn’t so stubborn. You’re very stubborn. But you know, if your memory is really that bad, there could be another possibility.”

“……?”

“Maybe I lied to you.”

“What?”

Diane frowned.

“The prince you knew, he was always good at lying. He was always like that. Just like me.”

“Ha! The prince wasn’t like that!”

Diane was so dumbfounded that she sighed.

“What do you mean, I’m great at lying.”

“That’s why you can’t be the prince!”

“Hmph, looks like you’re not mistaken, you just believe whatever you want.”

Diane’s glare grew sharper, and she gripped the handkerchief so tightly it crumpled.

Believe whatever she wanted?

She had only believed what she saw.

Was she just dreaming while looking at the Duke?

“Diane Lina, listen carefully. The boy you met was eleven at the time, and now he’s twenty-six—me, Edward Wale. So stop getting confused and growing feelings for my brother, Adrian Wale, who’s looking for someone to marry. If you’re not a complete fool, you’ll understand, right? My brother doesn’t have those feelings for you.”

The President’s words trampled Diane’s heart.

If you’re not a complete fool, you’ll understand.

The Duke doesn’t have those feelings for you.

She knew! She knew that.

She knew he didn’t feel that way, and she knew how foolish and naive it was for her heart to flutter and race for the Duke.

But did he have to say it so bluntly?

What a cruel man.

Diane felt so foolish she thought she might cry.

She felt tears welling up inside her eyes.

She absolutely didn’t want to cry in front of this cruel President.

She didn’t want to shed tears in front of this ruthless man!

She tried to hold back, but a single tear slipped down her cheek.

Why was she crying again!

She tried to wipe her tears with the handkerchief, but the President grabbed her wrist.

In that moment, his foot crossed the threshold into her room.

“Why are you crying!”

Diane shook off his grip.

His hand let go surprisingly easily.

“Did you really have feelings for my brother? Enough to cry over?”

Diane glared at him.

“Are you really that foolish? Not only did you get confused, but you even had feelings for my brother, the Duke? Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind?”

“Get out!”

Diane didn’t care anymore that she was talking to the President.

She didn’t want to spend another second with such a cruel man.

“Don’t cry!”

“Get out! Get out! Get out!”

She tried to push him, but unlike with her wrist, he didn’t move easily.

Instead, he stepped further into her room, and Diane, overwhelmed by his force, stepped back.

“Don’t cling to my brother’s handkerchief and cry so pathetically. Give it to me.”

“It’s none of your business whether I’m pathetic or foolish.”

“I’ll give you mine.”

“Ha!”

Diane was so dumbfounded she glared at the President as if she could bore a hole through him.

He wanted to give her his own handkerchief?

Was he out of his mind?

“I don’t need your handkerchief, President.”

“Even if you don’t need mine, give me my brother’s handkerchief. I really hate seeing you use it to wipe your tears.”

“No!”

Diane hid the handkerchief behind her back.

It wasn’t that she wanted to keep the Duke’s handkerchief or that it was precious.

She just hated everything the President told her to do and didn’t want to obey him.

“No?”

The President repeated her words and snorted.

“I said no! Please leave now. Even if you’re the employer, do you think you can just barge into an employee’s room? This is violating my rights, it’s rude, immoral, and ignorant. Even a complete fool wouldn’t do this.”

“Ha! If I’m the rude, immoral, ignorant fool, then you must have cherished such a fool as your ‘prince’ all this time.”

Diane glared at the President as if she could kill him with her eyes.

He called himself her prince, while at the same time mocking the precious memories she had cherished of her prince.

If someone like him was the prince she had remembered so beautifully…

If it were really true…