Chapter 6 – Part 10

There were no particular signs.

As usual, Archie bounced into the storage room to inform me of the Crown Prince’s schedule.

“Miss Erica! His Highness will have a simple breakfast in his office today.”

“Thank you for letting me know, Archie. I’ll bring the tea to the office.”

Although the tea trolley seemed squeakier than usual, I didn’t think much of it.

“It must be time to oil the wheels. I’ll check it later.”

However, when I reached the office, the wheels caught on the threshold.

As I lifted the handle to push the trolley over the threshold, the wheel joint came loose, and the trolley collapsed.

I tried to steady the trolley, but it only lost balance further.

Before I could react, the trolley toppled over, turning the Crown Prince’s office into chaos.

Broken wood pieces and wheel parts scattered, the teapot shattered, and hot tea spilled everywhere.

I was so shocked, I couldn’t make a sound.

I stumbled backward and bumped into something solid. When I turned around, it was one of His Highness’s guards.

The guard scratched his head as if to ask what all the commotion was about.

Footsteps echoed outside the door. It seemed people were gathering due to the noise.

The thought of becoming a spectacle in this state made my mouth dry.

At that moment, His Highness intervened.

“It’s nothing serious; everyone, please disperse. I just knocked something over.”

After calling out to the hallway, His Highness instructed the guard to close the office door.

I tried to explain.

“Your Highness, the wheel suddenly…”

“I know it wasn’t your fault.”

His Highness nudged the broken parts with his foot, inspecting them.

All around me were shattered pieces and spilled tea, and behind me was the firmly closed door.

I could faintly hear the guard outside explaining to others that it was really nothing.

‘Now’s not the time to leave.’

Moving forward would risk injury, and stepping back would wound my pride.

The thought of rumors spreading about a maid ruining the Crown Prince’s office made me feel faint.

‘This is a dilemma… … .’

His Highness seemed lost in thought, wearing a dark expression.

* * *

Crown Prince Adrian’s heart sank.

The relief that Erica was unharmed lasted only a moment.

Inspecting the suspicious trolley confirmed that the wheel axle and wooden support were unnaturally damaged.

‘A rat has tampered with this.’

The first feeling was guilt.

‘It’s my fault. I’ve been too complacent.’

He should have realized that mere caution was not enough. Small circumstances had aroused suspicion.

Suddenly, a memory of something Erica once said surfaced.

“Love is like a sneeze. No matter how much you try to hide it, you can’t.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off Erica as she proudly quoted this, thinking how strange she was.

He once asked that question honestly and got scolded.

“You’re just as strange, you know? Tiny as a bean.”

He had replied that he was much bigger than a bean and had never heard such nonsense.

Erica had said,

“You’ll understand naturally when you grow up.”

‘In the end, she was right.’

Erica was in trouble because he hadn’t fully concealed his feelings.

Sharp porcelain shards lay scattered at Erica’s feet.

‘Erica could have been seriously hurt.’

That thought alone filled him with rage. A mere punishment didn’t seem enough.

Adrian recalled the advice given by the late emperor years ago.

“Child, remember this. The right action does not always yield the best outcome. Often, it’s quite the opposite.”

“I shall bear it.”

The young Crown Prince’s answer made the emperor click his tongue.

“You can only say that because you don’t know what you’ll have to bear.”

Back then, he didn’t understand what the emperor meant.

‘Now, I think I understand.’

For the first time, Adrian felt a deep agreement with the late emperor’s words.

Adrian continued to reflect on the emperor’s teachings.

“Always choosing the most reasonable actions makes your moves predictable. A ruler must be an unpredictable force of fear. If you receive one blow, return twenty. Occasionally, you need to execute someone publicly…”

Duke Oscar, who had been quietly listening, had covered Adrian’s ears. The image of the Empress Dowager jabbing the Emperor with her fan while scolding him was vivid, as if it had happened yesterday.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Watch your language around the child!”

The Emperor and Empress Dowager left the palace for a trip a few days later, but the lesson stayed with Adrian.

‘If I had followed Grandfather’s teachings more faithfully, no one would have dared to tamper with Erica’s trolley.’

Adrian’s eyes darkened.

Just then, Erica rustled her dress, catching his attention. She was gathering her skirt and stepping forward, her thin leather shoes nearing the sharp shards.

Adrian moved without thinking.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

* * *

I was calculating the angle to jump over.

‘Maybe if I jump forward, I can clear it?’

If I slipped and landed in the tea, I could slide and hurt myself. It was safer to push the debris aside gently, though my shoes would be ruined.

‘No other choice.’

I sighed softly and lifted my skirt when His Highness suddenly approached.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He lifted me in his arms.

“Ah!”

I was suddenly in a princess carry, my view elevating. Startled, I grabbed onto His Highness’s front.

As he walked, the solid soles of his shoes crushed the porcelain shards.

We soon reached the sofa in the office. His Highness seemed about to put me down. As I prepared for the light drop, I closed my eyes.

Unexpectedly, he set me down slowly and respectfully, like a snail’s pace.

‘Right, this is how he is.’

After carefully placing me on the sofa, His Highness knelt on one knee and examined my foot, still in its shoe.

“I’m fine, Your Highness. I’m not hurt.”

“There could be sharp fragments.”

He meticulously checked for any cuts or injuries.

Only after confirming there were none did he look up at me.

“I’m really okay, thanks to you.”

“That’s a relief.”

A faint smile spread across his face, his blue eyes shining with relief, reminiscent of the sky from our recent vacation.

He briefly examined my expression before apologizing from his kneeling position.

“This incident is practically my fault. I apologize.”

“What do you mean, Your Highness?”

I couldn’t understand why royalty would apologize for a trolley toppling over.

Seeing my confusion, he began to explain.

“No one has served tea here as long as you. Typically, the task rotates among many servants.”

Did that mean I had attracted jealousy from others?

He continued.

“And I foolishly treated you only as a maid.”

“What…?”

How else should a maid be treated?

“I wanted to see you every day but didn’t want my feelings to burden you.”

I started to grasp his point.

You tried to catch two rabbits at once.

After a pause, he resumed.

“That left a gap. Even though I kept you close, treating you only as a tea-serving maid, they believed I wouldn’t protect you beyond that of a maid.”

“You mean some people hope I’ll make a mistake or get injured and leave this position.”

“And some may test my feelings for you. Whether your long service means exceptional work or something more…”

He closed his eyes briefly in distress before looking back at me with intense, pleading eyes.

“The more openly I show my feelings for you, the safer you’ll be. No one would dare touch someone cherished by the Crown Prince.”

His blue eyes flickered like fire as he spoke.

“Conversely, my ambiguous stance puts you in harm’s way. This time they framed it as your mistake to gauge my reaction, but who knows what they’ll try next.”

Well, this is troublesome.

His Highness continued.

“I deeply regret contradicting myself. My feelings have intruded into your life.”

“…”

“I was arrogant and careless to think no one would dare such a thing within my palace.”

He was eloquent. The more he spoke, the more I felt it truly was his fault.

“I, such a fool, have realized that I cannot approach you as Adrian the man, shedding my title and status.”

The Crown Prince’s idealistic stubbornness seemed to have finally broken, all because of me.

Still kneeling at my feet, he pleaded.

“Would you give me another chance? A chance to approach you as Adrian, the Crown Prince?”

I was taken aback. This was the most straightforward and sincere confession I had ever heard in both this life and my past one.

Isn’t it human nature to hide flaws and vulnerabilities?

‘I’m no different.’

Yet he was defenseless, exposing his softest heart before me.

His eyes, dripping with sincerity, made me ‘nod’ slightly.

Even that small gesture brought a joyous smile to his face.

Our conversation concluded there.

Then I became conscious of my posture. One foot was still resting on his leg, with his hand cradling my shoe.

Were we talking like this the whole time?

Startled, I moved my foot away. Only then did His Highness rise and sit on the opposite sofa.

I wiggled my foot, feeling awkward with one shoe still warm.

The office was suddenly silent.

Feeling uneasy, I glanced around, finally looking back at the door.

The only entrance to the office was a mess, covered in sharp ceramic shards soaked in tea.

If nothing had happened, His Highness’s tea time would be over by now.

“Should I leave now to make it seem natural?”

How would I get out? Would His Highness carry me again?

No, there was no need for that. If the guard outside opened the door, I could hop out.

But what about the broken trolley? Wasn’t it my duty to clean up, as it belonged to the tea room?

As I pondered, I got up and approached the door.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of fabric tearing behind me. Turning around, I saw His Highness ripping down the curtains.

“Your Highness?”

“Wait a moment.”

He approached the door and used the curtain to cover and sweep away the shards.

The intricately embroidered curtain, with gold and silver threads, quickly turned into a rag.

“…”

I barely kept my mouth from gaping.

He reassured me.

“I’ll have a discreet servant clean up. Don’t worry.”

It’s not the cleanup I’m worried about, but the price of that makeshift rag.

After neatly wiping the floor, he opened the office door wide.

“I’ll be away from the palace around lunchtime. So, rest comfortably.”

The Crown Prince smiled faintly.

* * *