Get to Work, Prince! Chapter 22 - First Time

However, Renata’s next thoughts did not continue smoothly.

 

It was because her head and body were no longer functioning normally.

 

‘I want to… go and sleep…’

 

While she was blinking dazedly from the overwhelming drowsiness, Udet’s words snapped her awake.

 

“Advisor Renata, His Highness is urgently looking for you.”

 

“Yes? Yes!”

 

Whether it was pure professional spirit or an occupational habit, thanks to that, Renata managed to regain some sense and barely made her way outside.

 

“I should have asked where His Highness is before coming out…”

 

Renata pondered for a long time whether she should go to the office or head back to the banquet hall since he might still be there.

 

“Yeah, go ask.”

 

At the familiar voice, she turned around to see Theodore standing there with an irritated expression.

 

“Go ask where I am and come back.”

 

“Yesss.”

 

Renata bowed her head in greeting and opened the door, stepping back into the dining hall.

 

Theodore pinched his brow with his hand and muttered with a frustrated face.

 

“…Wow, what the hell is she doing right now?”

 

Less than a minute later, Renata came back out, looked at Theodore, and smiled brightly.

 

“They said you’ve been here the whole time!”

 

“Do you even know who I am?”

 

“Yesss.”

 

“Who am I?”

 

“Our prince!”

 

Inside, the heavily drunk people had been dividing into factions, constantly fighting while calling out ‘Our Crown Prince’, ‘Our Prince’, ‘Our Chief Advisor’, and ‘Our Advisor’.

 

Having listened to that for hours, Renata unconsciously let the words slip out naturally.

 

“…Good grief.”

 

Theodore had felt sorry for overworking Renata and had pitied her for crying in the carriage, so he had sent her out of the banquet hall first, hoping she would rest for the day at least.

 

But seeing his advisor drunk and mingling with other guys in a corner like this made him furious.

 

He had come with the intention of scolding her properly with a straight face, but with her acting like this, what was he supposed to do…

 

“By the way, what’s going to happen to our chief advisor and me…? Will we both be fired?”

 

“No one’s getting fired. His Majesty said that even though they’re pathetic, they have good fortune with people. He praised them for being loyal subjects who firmly stand by their master’s safety despite external pressure. But our… wait, what?”

 

“What happened to the superior of our Advisor Jaderic?”

 

“The crown prince received a house arrest order. It sounds nice as ‘house arrest,’ but he basically got a month-long vacation.”

 

“Huh? Huhhh? He’s under house arrest, so can he go anywhere? Our Jaderic said the crown prince wasn’t there…”

 

“That guy probably took the chance to go somewhere. I’m tracking him myself, so don’t worry about it.”

 

“Our Jaderic… I’m jealous…”

 

“But what’s with the ‘our’ Jaderic you keep saying? Is that guy yours? Don’t get greedy in weird places and pick just one. There happens to be a perfect specimen right in front of you.”

 

Theodore, whose irritation was rising again, lowered his chin and watched this damn drunkard whose face had turned red all the way to her scalp.

 

He decided to see how far she would go.

 

“I want to rest too…”

 

She dropped her head weakly and let out a deep sigh.

 

“Why?”

 

There was no answer.

 

Wondering if she was crying, he gently stroked her cheek with his finger and urged her to answer.

 

“…because of the dress… it tightens my waist so much I can’t even breathe, and I couldn’t eat what I wanted… I only managed a few pieces of fruit…”

 

“…Let’s just stop talking.”

 

Having decided he needed to put Renata to bed as soon as possible, Theodore walked two steps ahead and gestured for her to follow.

 

She followed, but soon staggered and grabbed his sleeve.

 

“The ground is… waving up and down like waves? Did they mess up the floor construction…”

 

“Who told you to drink that much, huh? You should at least adjust so you can walk back on your own.”

 

“I can walk. So just hold my hand for a bit…”

 

Staggering over to Theodore, Renata proved complete inconsistency between her words and actions by plopping her head against his chest and leaning on him.

 

“Now you’re openly lying and even acting it out.”

 

Pointing it out would clearly be a waste of time since proper communication was impossible. He slipped one arm around her back and the other under her knees, lifting her up.

 

“Waa, so comfortable…”

 

While he was inwardly fuming, Renata’s carefree comment was quite infuriating, but Theodore only let out a small chuckle and walked slowly.

 

“You, submit a written apology by tomorrow.”

 

“What did I do so wrong?”

 

Held in his arms, she buried her face in his shoulder as if growing more upset the more she thought about it, and mumbled.

 

“I really work diligently, truly…. Please stop hating me so much…”

 

“Why would I hate you?”

 

“I’m always the only one who doesn’t know anything… getting tossed around… Giving me the illness and then the medicine…”

 

Her words grew slower and slower until she finally fell silent, breathing evenly with soft, steady breaths.

 

After walking quietly for a few more minutes, he reached their destination and shook her gently with the arm supporting her back to wake her.

 

“Where’s the room key? Go inside and finish sleeping.”

 

“…”

 

“Renata, wake up for a second.”

 

“Just five minutes…”

 

“At least tell me where the key is. I’ll get it for you.”

 

“Inside my skirt… pocket…”

 

Theodore set Renata down so her feet touched the ground, then held her waist to keep her standing straight.

 

“You find it.”

 

With half-lidded eyes, she fumbled in her sleep, lifting her skirt and groping for the small pouch tied to her thigh.

 

As a gentleman should naturally avert his gaze during such a process, Theodore turned his head to the side and tried to consciously look away.

 

However, whether because of the alcohol he drank at the banquet or the sweet scent of liquor coming from Renata, he ended up faithfully following his instincts rather than reason.

 

Her snow-white instep, usually hidden by shoes and skirt, the soft straight line of her calf, and the curve flowing from knee to thigh.

 

It was only a fleeting moment, but every detail was seared into his eyes and mind.

 

Theodore had faced countless women who threw themselves at him, blinded by his royal status, and had seen many half-naked female bodies before him.

 

So these legs should not have felt special at all.

 

They should not have drawn his gaze like this—those legs that looked just a little softer than others.

 

He shouldn’t have thought they were more voluptuous than he had imagined, but he was surprisingly experiencing firsthand the dictionary definition of ‘lust.’

 

“Thank you for bringing me here…”

 

While he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to compose himself, Renata opened the door, stepped inside, and gave a clear smile.

 

“Buuut… you said you were urgently looking for me…”

 

Watching the advisor who had become remarkably incompetent after drinking, now finally asking about the matter, Theodore moved his lips and squeezed out his voice.

 

“Renata, I don’t hate you.”

 

“Yesss, thank you.”

 

And once again, the conversation came to a halt.

 

Even though she was heavily drunk and dazed, her habit of drawing a clear line seemed unchanged. Feeling the distinct sense of distance, Theodore muttered bitterly to himself.

 

“…I don’t know what to do.”

 

He laughed self-mockingly, thinking, “Well, I can’t even clearly define my own feelings, so what can I do?”

 

“Did I… submit an insufficient report?”

 

He grew endlessly resentful of her diligent nature, which caught even his small mutter and naturally interpreted it as work-related.

 

Just thinking about her made his insides burn with frustration, yet if he tried not to see her, his eyes kept seeking her out. When she wasn’t in front of him, he felt curious.

 

The other party had zero interest in him, yet here he was making a fool of himself alone.

 

“Let’s just hate each other. That would be better. You hate me anyway, don’t you?”

 

Theodore prescribed himself a strong remedy to escape this endless self-loathing.

 

Come to think of it, there was no need to agonize for months over a relationship with no prospects.

 

“Me? No… I don’t.”

 

“Don’t flatter me.”

 

“I’m serious.”

 

As if waking up little by little, Renata’s speech gradually began returning to its normal pace.