At my abrupt question, Prince Luciano merely stared at me blankly.
He seemed to be wondering what on earth I was up to this time, given how unpredictably I behaved.
In any case, this wasn’t a situation that could be resolved with words alone.
“Even if it’s impossible, let’s go out. We should leave right now!”
I grabbed Prince Luciano and pulled him along.
He looked displeased but didn’t resist my touch.
The place I led him to was our family estate.
“A guest has arrived! Make tonight’s dinner extra lavish.”
I hopped down from the carriage and announced to the butler.
“My lady, you’re back early. But a guest, all of a sudden?”
The butler, clearly taken aback that I’d brought someone home after going to the palace, echoed my words in confusion.
Since this had never happened before, his puzzlement deepened as he turned his head, only to freeze upon seeing Prince Luciano step out of the carriage moments later.
Recognizing him instantly, the butler bowed with utmost courtesy.
“Prince Luciano, it is an honor to welcome such an esteemed guest.”
“I’m sorry for the sudden visit.”
He’d been looking uncomfortable ever since realizing our destination was my home, yet in front of others, he maintained a remarkably composed demeanor.
Our capable butler handled the situation with equal poise.
“Not at all. On the contrary, it is our honor to host Your Highness. However, the Count and Countess have prior engagements and won’t be joining us for dinner—will that be acceptable?”
“Yeah, of course it’s fine. We’re not here to see my parents. Enough with the formalities—come this way, Your Highness.”
I quickly interjected and cut him off, sensing that if I let it continue, the conversation would drag on.
Prince Luciano shot me a glance of mild exasperation before turning to the butler.
“I’ll be with Espin and then take my leave, so don’t trouble yourself too much.”
“If you need anything, please call upon me at any time.”
“Would you like a tour of the estate?”
Prince Luciano shook his head, and I led him to my playroom.
“Rest here until dinner is ready.”
I gestured toward the sofa for him to sit comfortably, but Prince Luciano didn’t settle in right away.
Instead, he kept running his hand through his hair in apparent frustration.
Letting out deep sighs of exasperation, he muttered under his breath.
“This is really difficult.”
“What’s difficult?”
“You—you’re so hard to predict. Who drags someone off like this out of nowhere? Now I’m imposing on your household. It’s fortunate the Count and Countess aren’t here; otherwise, this would be an outright nuisance.”
Hmm, his unusually grumpy expression and the way he was rambling on suggested that Prince Luciano was quite startled by all this.
‘The guy who’s always gone along with whatever I suggested, saying this is fine or that’s good—seeing him show his emotions like this finally makes him seem his age.’
“But a surprise like this leaves no room for anyone else to interfere.”
Prince Luciano, who had been pacing the room irritably, came to an abrupt halt.
He turned to look at me with renewed surprise.
“…Did you do all this just to treat me to a meal?”
“Since no one could have anticipated this, no one can tamper with it either. You can eat without worry, right?”
This time, Prince Luciano truly seemed at a loss for words.
For a moment, he fixed me with those red eyes, then went and sat down.
His lips pressed into a stubborn line.
He might be touched by the prospect of a proper meal, or annoyed at being forced into this situation.
Knowing his thoughts must be tangled, I didn’t press him with more conversation.
Until we heard that dinner was ready, Prince Luciano didn’t utter another word.
“We prepared this in haste, so there may be some shortcomings. I ask for your understanding.”
Before serving the meal, the butler addressed Prince Luciano first.
Hosting royalty without warning was clearly a burden for him.
I wanted to tell him not to worry so much, but Prince Luciano responded curtly ahead of me.
“It’s fine.”
“Then, I’ll have the meal brought out.”
At the butler’s signal, a waiting maid wheeled in the tray.
The butler first placed an appetizer plate before Prince Luciano, then one in front of me.
“Wow!”
An exclamation escaped me involuntarily.
The butler’s warning about potential shortcomings must have been mere modesty.
“This is grilled shrimp with tomatoes. We’ve stuffed the inside with ricotta cheese for added richness and drizzled it with orange sauce for a touch of tartness.”
Perhaps because royalty was present, the chef had put in extra effort—it looked even more appetizing than usual.
I was eager to dive in, but Prince Luciano didn’t touch his food right away; he just stared at it.
Intently.
His expression was one of unfamiliarity, as if food itself were something alien.
“Go ahead, try it.”
So I encouraged him.
Those red eyes, fixed on the plate, now turned to me.
I could sense his peculiar hesitation.
“Our chef is quite skilled. Come on, give it a taste.”
Prince Luciano’s hand reached for the fork.
With deliberate slowness, he speared a shrimp and tomato together and brought them to his mouth.
His eyes widened gradually.
His jaw moved unhurriedly.
Prince Luciano chewed the food thoroughly, savoring it for a long time before swallowing.
I deliberately waited until he did.
“How is it?”
I’d guessed his reaction, but I still wanted to hear it from him.
Prince Luciano’s gaze met mine.
His eyes shimmered faintly, swirling with indescribable emotions.
I’d only been curious about his impressions after eating something substantial for the first time in ages.
But seeing his profoundly moved expression, I realized belatedly—oh no.
Though my muffin attempt had failed, this reaction mirrored the one when Prince Luciano became aware of his feelings for the female protagonist in the story.
His steady, intense gaze held an overwhelming depth of emotion.
‘Ah, this wasn’t what I intended.’
Prince Luciano’s flushed cheeks betrayed his feelings without restraint.
His lips parted slightly, as if he had much to say.
Was this making up for my past mistake?
With the perfect protagonist buff in play, his favor toward me was building properly.
‘But if he really falls for me now, that would be awkward.’
I felt a sensation akin to unease.
Without meaning to, I found myself pondering what to do next.
Prince Luciano, who had been staring at me, swallowed slowly—as if his throat were tight—and finally spoke.
“It’s different.”
“……”
…Huh?
Uh-huh?
Thrown off by his novel choice of words, I faltered.
“Not ‘delicious’?”
Just in case, I asked again.
“……Just, different.”
He muttered with a slightly surly face and continued eating.
His blunt response brought a wave of deflation a beat later.
Well, of course. What romance could there be between us?
‘I was a fool for worrying.’
Maybe because I wasn’t his type, but even in a similar situation, his reaction to me was worlds apart from how he’d treat the female lead.
The absurdity of it all struck me, yet…
‘Seeing Luciano eat so heartily makes it all worthwhile, anyway.’
That thought came naturally.
He seemed to enjoy the food, as his eating pace quickened steadily.
He was clearly trying not to gobble it down.
But his accelerating movements suggested he’d soon lick the appetizer plate clean, so I turned to the butler.
“Bring out the rest of our food quickly. Actually, bring it all at once? We’ll eat casually among ourselves.”
“Understood.”
After that, the butler served the dishes promptly.
Once the table was filled, he excused himself.
With fewer eyes on him, Prince Luciano ate even faster.
‘He must feel comfortable around me after all.’
He was less formal than in front of the butler.
Watching him focus entirely on the food, oblivious to me, I thought a hundred times over that bringing him here was the right choice.
Before long, he’d finished even the main course steak and finally slowed down, as if sated.
His relaxed expression openly displayed his satisfaction.
It made me wonder if his earlier irritability had stemmed from hunger all along—Prince Luciano’s face had softened so much.
“Delicious, right?”
Half teasing, half genuinely curious about his thoughts, I asked.
Only then did he notice my grinning face, and his expression turned sullen.
Reverting to his stoic demeanor, he tossed out bluntly.
“I said it’s different.”
Tch, so stubborn.
Whatever—his reaction was different from how he’d be with the female lead, but so what?
‘He enjoyed it that much.’
“Let’s go out more often from now on and eat together.”
Since he’d eaten so well, I suggested planning ahead, but Prince Luciano’s face hardened instantly.
“It’s dangerous. We can’t.”
I understood his need for caution, but it bothered me that he couldn’t keep having proper meals.
At his age, when he should be eating heartily, subsisting on raw food alone wasn’t right.
“We don’t have to eat at home. We can go out somewhere.”
Prince Luciano pressed his lips together, as if holding back words.
“If we decide the place on the spur of the moment, there shouldn’t be any risk, right?”
Whether my persuasion worked or the rare cooked meal had won him over, I couldn’t say.
“……Occasionally.”
Though he’d seemed ready to argue more, Prince Luciano hesitated but agreed to future outings, filling me with quiet contentment.
It felt like successfully feeding a starving stray cat.
‘I’ll have to pay more attention to his meals from now on.’
As a friend, that much I could do.
And so, we took another step deeper into friendship.
