Chapter 14
When Elenon finally saw her face up close, even while panting from his sudden sprint, relief and excitement filled him. He hadn’t been mistaken.
“Oh? You’re…”
The girl—Noxia Decan—stared at him wide-eyed.
It was shocking enough to suddenly meet a prince of the realm in the middle of the street. But to see him running toward her, out of breath, with a royal bodyguard looming behind him—it was overwhelming. She instinctively shrank back. Just an ordinary civilian’s natural reaction.
‘Why is the prince chasing me? In the middle of the street, no less! Did I do something wrong?’
She only wanted to walk around and explore more of the capital. Karnen had already shown her the sights, but it was her first time here, and she still felt curious.
Besides, she was about to start work the following week. Karnen had not only found her an apartment but also secured her a job. Before her new busy life began, Noxia wanted one last day to enjoy freely.
Yet here she was, running into a prince.
‘Twice in one week. Of all people. Why do I keep bumping into someone most people never meet in their entire lives?’
It was too much of a coincidence. Last week in the palace garden. Today, here in the city. If it weren’t happening to her, she’d find it amusing.
Meanwhile, Elenon caught up but was too out of breath to speak right away. He bent over, hands on his knees, trying to steady himself. His guard, used to this, simply looked on with quiet pity for his unathletic prince.
Noxia stood there nervously. If he weren’t royalty, she might have turned and run.
At last, Elenon straightened, gave a polite bow, and greeted her.
“Hello. It’s been a while. Sorry to startle you.”
“Ah… no, Your Highness. But, why are you looking for me?”
“This isn’t a good place to talk. People may recognize me. If you don’t mind, may we go somewhere private and speak more comfortably?”
No. Absolutely not. I want to go home. I don’t want to sit across from you and have some serious conversation. This is stressful.
Many protests swelled in Noxia’s throat, but she couldn’t voice them. Unfortunately for her, the person in front of her was a prince.
Modern times or not, equality or not—none of it mattered in this moment. To a girl who grew up in an orphanage in the countryside, a prince was still impossibly high above. His request was not something she could refuse.
“…Yes, Your Highness. Of course.”
Her sulky tone carried her reluctance loud and clear. It was the only form of resistance she dared.
Elenon caught it and forced a small smile.
‘Of course she wouldn’t be happy to see me.’
He knew he was pressuring her. He knew he was pushing. But he couldn’t let go of his purpose. She couldn’t stop him even if she wanted to.
‘Still… her honesty is refreshing.’
Everyone else flattered him, begged for his attention, or at least showed proper reverence. But this girl? She made it obvious she found his presence suffocating.
For some reason, he almost laughed. He pressed his lips together to hold it back and kept his expression serious.
“Then… may I buy you some tea? There’s a nice tea house nearby.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Her curt reply practically said “Do whatever you want.” It only made him fight harder not to chuckle. The whole situation was absurd.
‘What am I even doing?’
Crying in the garden, storming out on his classmates, chasing down a stranger, and insisting on tea with her—it was all so unlike him.
But he reminded himself: this was for a reason. He needed to secure her silence about last week. He couldn’t forget that.
So he led her, not back to the tea house he’d left, but to another one nearby.
Noxia wished this were a dream. If it were, surely it would be a nightmare.
‘All I wanted was to look around the city… and now I’m trapped in some fancy tea house, sitting across from a prince.’
She glared at him resentfully.
Was it rude, glaring at royalty? Probably. But by now she was too frustrated to care.
‘So what? Do I have to be obedient even now? It’s not like I’ll get arrested just for frowning at him.’
The prince only smiled gently back, as if trying to win her over rather than intimidate her.
“Would you like something to drink? Doesn’t have to be tea. Take your time.”
“…Since you’re offering, I’ll accept.”
Her tone was flat, but he handed her the menu kindly. She skimmed the names and prices—and her face stiffened.
‘Why is everything so expensive?’
Tea was tea, coffee was coffee. What made these drinks cost so much? Did they sprinkle gold dust in them?
‘For this price I could buy a whole tin of tea leaves and drink for weeks…’
She thought of the cheap tea leaves she bought at local shops. This prince probably never tasted anything like that.
“…I’m sorry, Your Highness. This is my first time here. Could you recommend something?”
In truth, she was afraid of ordering wrong and embarrassing herself. Normally she wasn’t timid—quite the opposite—but before a prince, even she grew cautious.
That annoyed her even more, and she glared at him again. Elenon, already used to it, just smiled.
“How about the peach tea? They make it with fresh fruit preserved in honey. It’s delicious.”
“Yes, peach tea sounds fine. Thank you.”
“Then I’ll order.”
He rang the bell, and a servant appeared. Elenon ordered one peach tea and one milk tea. After the servant left, the room was quiet again, just the two of them.
Elenon fixed his smile on her and spoke gently.
“Please forgive my rudeness, my lady.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I still don’t know your name. Would you tell me?”
“My… my name?”
Noxia blinked in surprise. First he apologized, then explained it was because he hadn’t asked her name yet.
“You’re right. I never did introduce myself.”
She had assumed he knew already. After all, she knew his name. How strange.
“It was my mistake. When we first met at the ball, I should have asked right away…”
He trailed off. Both of them remembered that night—the night he cried in the garden. Silence hung awkwardly.
“At any rate, please, your name. We can’t go on speaking without introductions.”
Or we could just not speak at all… she grumbled inwardly, but aloud she replied politely:
“My name is Noxia Decan. It’s an honor, Your Highness.”
“Nice to finally meet you, Lady Decan. I’m Elenon Hermeon. But I suppose you already knew that.”
He followed etiquette, giving his name in return, then chuckled at himself. Noxia couldn’t help a small smile.
“Yes, I knew.”
Of course she did. Everyone knew the prince’s name.
“But I imagine you’re curious—why I stopped you and insisted on tea like this.”
“Haha… yes, I am, a little…”
She laughed awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a nervous habit.
