Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
“It’s something I’ve never even heard from Her Majesty, who gave me life.”
Reinhart laughed for a long while before saying that. He wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes with his index finger. Etienne found it increasingly difficult to keep her expression under control.
If only the Crown Prince had just laughed it off politely—but apparently something was so amusing that he kept laughing right there on the spot. Because of that, Etienne had no choice but to stand perfectly still for just as long.
Had the Crown Prince’s knight not appeared to suggest they move elsewhere, she might have had to stand there even longer.
Seated at a garden table nearby, Etienne took a small sip of water and glanced sidelong at the Crown Prince.
Though he had laughed quite heartily, their first meeting seemed to be going rather well. Still, separately from that, she wondered whether he had always been this fond of laughter.
Circumstances had changed, but in Etienne’s memory, the Crown Prince was not a man given to laughter.
‘Though we’ve rarely been alone together like this…’
In her previous life, their meetings had mostly been due to family matters. More often than not, when Etienne saw the Crown Prince, Fernando was with her. Even then, it wasn’t she who joined their conversations.
‘I usually just listened to Fernando and the Crown Prince talking.’
Back then, Etienne had been too busy admiring Fernando’s face to pay the Crown Prince much attention. Besides, the Crown Prince always wore such a serious expression that it was hard to even approach him.
‘Is this the Crown Prince’s true self?’
Etienne quietly pondered as she watched him, still chuckling.
Eventually, worried he might laugh himself into collapsing, she stopped him.
“It was just meant as a compliment, saying you were cute.”
“I sometimes think babies with plump cheeks are unbearably adorable. Probably something like that, right?”
“Something like that.”
“Hmm… Did I have chubby cheeks back then?”
Reinhart propped his chin on his hand and gazed blankly into the air, as if recalling the past. Watching him tap his own cheeks lightly, Etienne hesitated, wondering whether to voice the words she’d kept inside.
“You seem to have something to say?”
Quick-witted Reinhart noticed immediately. He looked at her with eyes full of anticipation, curious about what she would say next.
“Back then, Your Highness wasn’t so much chubby-cheeked as…”
Cute, yes, but…
“You resembled the angel statue atop that fountain.”
“Hmm? The angel statue?”
Confused at first, Reinhart tilted his head—then suddenly froze as he remembered what she meant.
“That one… the one relieving himself? That statue?”
“Yes. Your face looked just like it.”
“…”
The statue’s pose was admittedly a bit embarrassing, but that was only because it had to spout water into the fountain.
Awkwardly, Etienne stretched both arms out to the sides and fluttered her hands.
“It’s an angel, after all. With wings…”
She was merely trying to say his face resembled that angel statue, yet the Crown Prince’s expression remained oddly twisted and refused to return to normal.
“So you’re saying I look like that…”
Reinhart muttered, his laughter completely gone. Seeing the shocked look in his eyes, Etienne silently shook her head inwardly.
‘Better not say anything more.’
She decided to let the Crown Prince think or say whatever he liked—she was too tired to react to everything. Instead of looking at him, she lowered her gaze slightly to stare into her teacup.
It had been too warm for hot tea, so she hadn’t poured any yet, merely sipping water to quench her thirst. But as the sun began to set, a cool breeze started to blow.
The shade where the table sat also helped make the air feel pleasantly cool, and suddenly she found herself craving warm tea.
Noticing Etienne’s gaze kept drifting toward the teapot, Zen moved to approach—but someone else reached for it first.
Reinhart tilted the pot toward her cup, apparently intending to pour tea for her himself.
“Sometimes I steep flower petals—when I prefer sweetness over bitterness, or when I’d rather see a pretty color like this than plain green.”
The tea flowing from the pot bore a golden hue. Etienne looked up at Reinhart.
Had he already instructed someone about this particular tea? But he’d done nothing but laugh until now. That meant either he regularly enjoyed this tea or someone had prepared it to match his mood…
“Poison is often green, you know. This is a lovely yellow—I steeped marigolds.”
Reinhart winked as he offered her the tea, then poured some into his own cup and took a sip.
“I drink flower tea even more when I’m alone.”
Watching Reinhart lift his cup to savor the flavor, Etienne slowly picked up her own.
Unlike ordinary tea, a subtle floral fragrance tickled her nose first. The moment she brought the cup to her lips, her eyes widened.
‘The Crown Prince’s death.’
It suddenly came back to her. Just as always, after finishing lunch and drinking tea, he had mounted his horse—and then fallen, losing his life.
‘The tea…’
The Crown Prince was an excellent rider. Yet he had fallen abruptly. The Imperial Household refused to believe it was possible and searched desperately for a reason behind his fall.
They scrutinized everything—the food and tea he’d consumed, every detail of that morning, even the day before.
But nothing suspicious was ever found, and thus the Crown Prince’s death was quickly settled.
People deemed him simply unlucky—that his neck had broken from the fall—and no one dared mention it again.
At the time, the Second Prince swiftly filled the Crown Prince’s empty seat, wrapping everything up before anyone else could raise suspicions.
Etienne set down her cup and stared into the tea inside.
“Did you always drink flower tea?”
“Hmm… Yes, I think I’ve done so consistently since I was ten.”
“I had no idea you had such a taste.”
“It’s a secret I rarely reveal to others. There’s no benefit in rumors spreading that the Crown Prince enjoys flower tea.”
Reinhart winked one eye and smiled. The surrounding floral scent suited him well.
The Crown Prince, as if released into the world by nature itself. His frozen, lifeless face from that final moment contrasted sharply with his current smiling one.
Etienne shook her head firmly, dispelling the image of his dead face from her mind, and absentmindedly stroked her teacup.
“But why tell me this secret?”
“I didn’t tell you a secret. You caught me.”
Reinhart tilted his cup again and took another sip.
“I planned from the start to drink this tea after our walk. It just so happened I found someone to share it with.”
Etienne’s earlier doubt was now resolved. Indeed, the Crown Prince had given no special instructions about the tea.
She finally followed his lead and took a sip. The floral aroma lingering in her mouth drew a natural smile to her lips.
“It’s nice.”
“Isn’t it?”
As Etienne lifted her cup again, Reinhart drank as well. For a moment, they quietly enjoyed their tea together.
Etienne found this moment with the Crown Prince quite pleasant, and Reinhart, too, wore a faint smile.
After finishing his tea, Reinhart set down his empty cup and gazed at Etienne. After a brief pause, he picked up the teapot and said casually,
“If you like this tea, perhaps another time we could…”
“Etienne!”
As Etienne leaned in to listen to Reinhart’s words, a voice calling her name cut him off. She turned toward the sound and saw a familiar face approaching from afar.
“…Fernando?”
‘What’s he doing here…?’
“That guy…”
Reinhart groaned, as if spotting an unwelcome guest.
“So he’s the son of House Schupraher.”
“Yes.”
Etienne answered calmly, and Reinhart looked between Fernando and her.
“And you two seem well acquainted.”
Etienne gave a small nod. Before she could explain that their parents knew each other, Fernando had already stepped right beside her. He stared solely at Etienne, as if Reinhart weren’t even there.
“What are you doing here?”
“Drinking tea, obviously.”
Etienne tapped her cup lightly as she replied. Fernando’s gaze dropped briefly to the teacup, then lifted again.
“Why drink here when you could drink with me?”
“I was just strolling nearby…”
With her eyes, Etienne gestured toward Reinhart—clearly signaling she wasn’t alone.
‘Fernando, the Crown Prince is right here.’
She kept glancing pointedly at him, urging him to show some awareness, yet Fernando’s eyes remained fixed entirely on Etienne.
“Let’s go once you’re done. Come with me…”
“I’m not alone right now.”
“I was looking for you. I walked all the way from the inner palace the moment I heard you’d come to the Imperial City.”
Fernando insisted they leave together, emphasizing just how diligently he’d searched for her.
“Fernando.”
Etienne called his name softly, noting he still refused to look at the Crown Prince. At that, Fernando fell silent.
Etienne reached out with the hand that had been stroking her cup and gestured to the side.
“Would you mind greeting His Highness the Crown Prince first?”
Only after she mentioned it directly did Fernando finally turn his head. He gave a brief bow in greeting, and at that, Reinhart’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The son of Duke Schupraher had clearly seen him. He knew exactly who he was facing—yet he’d pretended not to notice and spoken only to Etienne.
‘It’s not just that he’s feigning ignorance—his dissatisfaction toward me is barely concealed.’
The reason was immediately obvious.
“Next time, check properly whether someone else is present.”
At Etienne’s scolding, Fernando obediently nodded. He wasn’t even a dog fixated solely on his master—yet how devoted he was.
“How amusing.”
At Reinhart’s muttered words, Fernando turned to look at him.
His expression wasn’t one of curiosity about Reinhart’s meaning—it plainly wished Reinhart would just leave. But the Crown Prince had no intention of doing so.
‘I don’t want to pretend I didn’t witness such an entertaining moment.’
Besides, he’d just started feeling rather curious about the person sharing tea with him.
“Have a seat.”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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