Episode 16. This Cheeky Braggart Was More Romantic Than I Thought
“Where could my runaway bride have gone?”
Bordeaux smiled as he said that.
It almost looked like he was happy that his bride had run away.
‘This weird, perverted man can’t possibly be a prince.’
He shouldn’t be.
For the sake of the Remji Empire’s future, that was the only answer.
“The wedding got canceled, and your bride ran away. Why are you smiling? Didn’t you like her?”
“I liked her.”
Bordeaux said it again, as if to emphasize.
“I liked her for a long, long time. I don’t think I could ever like anyone else.”
“……”
For the first time, I felt sincerity in his voice.
His words—that he liked her—carried real weight.
“It doesn’t matter if she ran away. I’ll meet her again.”
“Do you even know where she went?”
“If I wanted to, I could find out.”
I asked the obvious.
“Didn’t she run away because she hated you?”
Why else would a bride escape right before the wedding?
She must have hated him that much… tsk.
That’s when Bordeaux suddenly turned his body toward me.
He poked my shoulder, making me look at him.
“Rene, look carefully. I’m handsome, right?”
The question was strange, but… not wrong. So I nodded.
I wasn’t petty enough to deny his good looks.
“And I’m also a successful businessman.”
“If you say so, I’ll try to believe it.”
At my doubtful tone, Bordeaux’s eyes narrowed.
But he didn’t argue—he just kept going.
“Why would anyone dislike someone as perfect as me?”
I hit his weak spot again.
“But you do have a flaw.”
Bordeaux tilted his head, asking what it was.
I answered right away.
“Your personality.”
“……!”
He blinked in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what I’d just said.
Instead of comforting him, I went on.
“If you keep lying, your nose might grow longer, you know.”
“Hey, honey—I mean, Rene—you must be misunderstanding something…”
Bordeaux frowned, looking troubled.
Like he wanted to confess something, but wasn’t sure if he should.
“…Ah, forget it. Anyway, the point is this: Rene, you don’t like me because I lack… personality?”
I didn’t understand why that was the important part.
But his dark eyes stared at me seriously—
like someone desperate to look good in front of me.
“Up until now… you’ve been kind of disappointing.”
“……”
Bordeaux’s face clearly fell.
The smug, joking man was gone.
Feeling generous, I added,
“But who knows. If you serve me well, I might start liking you.”
At once, Bordeaux grinned as if nothing had happened.
His smile was so wide it almost touched his ears.
“Of course, my lady. I am your loyal servant. If you wish for my body, I’ll burn with passion for you tonight!”
I stomped hard on his shoe.
“Ow!” He yelped, hopping on one foot.
“You went too far. Stop it.”
“But I’ve got a great body…”
“I don’t care.”
“I’m confident in everything.”
“Save that line for the bride who ran away.”
I didn’t know where to draw the line with this man.
His words were too much—
but somehow, not entirely hateful.
What a strange man.
Bordeaux pouted, then ignored me.
“The night sea breeze feels nice. I don’t feel like going inside. Should we stay on deck all night?”
“……”
“What about you, Rene?”
“I’m tired. I’ll go in first. Do whatever you want.”
I turned away without waiting for an answer.
Left alone, Bordeaux called after me two seconds later.
“W-wait! Honey, wait for me! Next time, I won’t put carrots in the beef stew!”
People nearby burst out laughing.
They enjoyed our silly play on the deck.
Once again, I could only think:
‘…That crazy man.’
Thankfully, Bordeaux didn’t follow me into my room.
Instead, he stood outside my door and muttered nonsense like,
“Darling, my room is right across from yours. You can sneak over later tonight.”
Of course, I ignored him.
Still, it felt strange that out of all the rooms, his was across from mine.
Was this just bad luck—or a strange kind of fate?
In the tiny cabin, I lay down still wearing my robe.
Since birth, as a princess, I had never slept in such a small bed.
But I didn’t feel like complaining.
In fact, I felt more at peace than ever.
Peaceful enough to fall asleep quickly, even in this unfamiliar place.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t been sleeping well lately.
I had been so full of anxiety and fear—
that out of ten nights, I could only sleep two.
What if I couldn’t have Eddie?
What if Father caught me while I was fleeing to the Remji Empire?
What if I had to live a life I didn’t want again…?
Those fears kept me awake until dawn most nights.
But today was different.
I was certain I had Eddie.
I had safely boarded the ship to the Remji Empire.
My heart was finally light.
I straightened the pillow and closed my eyes.
Sleep came instantly—
a deep sleep without dreams.
I didn’t know how long I had slept.
But loud banging woke me up.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Who the hell was pounding on my door like that?
Then came the voice of the culprit—
“Darling! Are you okay? Nothing’s wrong, right?”
The crazy man. Bordeaux.
I stretched and yawned. I felt great after sleeping so well.
But he kept shouting.
“Please, say something! It’s already five in the afternoon!”
‘What? Five o’clock?’
Had I really slept that long?
“My wife, who always eats three meals right on time, hasn’t come out until five o’clock… I was so worried something happened!”
Even his fake act had ridiculous details.
Worried the noise might disturb other guests, I finally opened the door—
with my hood pulled low, of course.
As soon as the door opened, Bordeaux shouted,
“Darling!”
I pressed a finger to my lips.
“Quiet. You’re being a nuisance.”
“But you weren’t coming out of your room. I was worried.”
Still groggy, I snapped back,
“Why do you even care about me?”
Honestly, we had no real relationship.
Yet Bordeaux always acted like everything about me mattered to him.
Even at my sharp words, he only smiled brightly.
“I’m your servant. You’re my master. Of course I worry.”
“You’re really strange.”
“Better strange than a fraud, right?”
I gave him the answer.
“No. Both are bad.”
His smile fell into a pout.
Not that I cared enough to take it back.
Later, while I ate my first meal of the day in the dining hall, Bordeaux hovered near me.
He didn’t bother me, so I didn’t chase him off.
Better than eating alone—like having a talking puppy around.
When I set down my spoon, he tugged at the hem of my robe.
“Let’s go to the deck.”
His eyes looked desperate, like a puppy begging for a walk.
With a sigh, I agreed.
The moment we stepped outside, the view took my breath away.
The red sunset poured across the blue sea.
The colors were so strange and beautiful I couldn’t look away.
“Wow…”
My heart ached at the sight.
Without thinking, I touched my stomach gently.
I wanted to show Eddie this beautiful scene.
“This is the most beautiful moment,” Bordeaux said softly.
“I wanted to show you the sunset, Rene.”
…This cheeky braggart was more romantic than I thought.
