The Prince’s First Love Was Me Chapter 15

“I shoved everything I could get my hands on into the bathroom, all willy-nilly. My heart was beating so hard, I thought I was gonna die right then and there. My hands were shaking like crazy!”

Becky wiped her sweat-soaked hands against her apron.

“They say you can’t live in peace when you’ve got a guilty conscience for a reason. I’ll go get something to treat your back with.”

By the time Becky returned to the room with a thick cloth and some ice, my parents and Lucy had also come upstairs after seeing Aaron off.

I didn’t have the energy to answer all their questions about what had happened.

After exhausting myself and going hungry the whole time, how could I possibly have any strength left?

“Becky, explain it for me.”

Becky placed the compress on my lower back as I lay facedown, then gave them a rough explanation of the situation.

“It was a good attempt, but you went about it the wrong way. Showing off strength you don’t have was bound to end badly. Being a manly man doesn’t necessarily mean being strong, Dahlia.”

“Matthew, don’t put it that way. Dahlia was only trying her best, and this is what happened. If we hadn’t forced Dahlia out into the world in the first place, none of this would have happened…”

Becky’s eyes grew misty as she followed my dejected mother’s lead. She took my tearful mother downstairs with her.

At first, I’d been at a loss whenever these two women burst into tears over the smallest things. But once I accepted that they were twice as tenderhearted as most people, I’d developed a certain immunity.

Whether Mother and Becky cried or not…

Lucy and Father were busy having an intense debate, completely ignoring the exhausted person who would actually have to carry out their plan.

“I think acting impolite would be the most effective approach. His Highness has been thoroughly trained in etiquette since childhood, so wouldn’t he naturally lose interest if he saw someone who didn’t even know the basics?”

“Wouldn’t it be more effective to go for a promiscuous image? You could cheat on the prince with another man. I can’t imagine anything that would hurt His Highness’s pride more.”

I was the one who would have to put their plan into action, yet somehow, they seemed even more invested in it than I was.

Haah. Looks like I won’t be getting an early night tonight, either.

I silently listened to their heated debate for a while before groaning and burying my face deep in my pillow.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

As soon as Aaron returned to his estate, he and Chris began calculating how many bottles of Rivaide wine could be shipped out next month.

Rivaide was a premium wine sold by Jello, the largest wine trading company in the kingdom.

It was also the only product Aaron had been involved in at every stage, from planning and development to promotion and sales, since becoming an investor in Jello.

“They’ve set this month’s sales limit at two hundred bottles.”

“Were there eighty people on the reservation list? A limited quantity should be enough to cover that.”

Since Rivaide was made from high-quality green grapes, it was difficult to produce in large quantities. Except for the bottles supplied to the royal family, all orders were taken by reservation.

When the nobles heard about it, they went wild over the title of “limited-edition wine made by a prince.” They were desperate to get a bottle, even if it meant paying more than they would for most precious jewels.

“I’ll set aside two bottles this time. Take them with you, and give one to the marquis as well.”

After the war ended, Aaron had wanted something to occupy his mind, so he joined forces with Jello’s director and threw himself into the business.

It was also a precaution in case he was ever cast out by the royal family.

In fact, the king had threatened to stop paying Aaron’s allowance for maintaining his status and urged him to return to his royal duties. But Aaron hadn’t been shaken in the slightest. His current income was more than enough to live on.

“I’ll deliver them as instructed.”

After listening to Chris’s report, Aaron finished signing the business proposal submitted by Jello’s director and rubbed the corners of his eyes, looking tired.

At the same time, Chris gathered the documents and stood up.

There was no reason for him to remain in the study any longer, but for some reason, he stood there without moving.

Sensing Chris’s gaze, Aaron rubbed his eyebrow and looked up.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“You could have simply put him in a carriage and sent him home.”

He was talking about Ronnie.

Aaron nodded for him to continue.

“You hate wasting time. Why go out of your way to spend so much time on a performance when you don’t even know when it will end?”

Aaron closed his eyes and leaned back deeply in his chair.

It was a question that required no thought.

“It’s necessary.”

There was no grand reason behind it.

He was simply following the contract clause that required them to be faithful to each other.

“We’ve even signed an official contract. Wouldn’t it be better if we did this perfectly? After all, this is part of a business arrangement.”

Aaron spoke quietly into the still air.

“I intend to build up the story between us, step by step. So that no one can doubt it.”

Aaron remembered Ronnie asking him to smile at him more often.

It wasn’t as if smiling at him was such a big deal.

As long as Ronnie played his part, Aaron could do it as often as he wanted.

Chris sighed as he watched Aaron sink into his thoughts.

He knew that the royal elders were pressuring Aaron to marry, and he also knew that Aaron had absolutely no intention of going through with it.

But did he really have to go this far?

Chris still wasn’t happy about it. However, now that Aaron had put this performance on the same level as his business, it was obvious he wouldn’t stop until it was successfully completed.

“I’ll take my leave.”

“Good work.”

After Chris reluctantly withdrew, Aaron stood up and headed straight for the bathroom.

Steam rose from the bathwater, which hadn’t yet cooled.

Aaron stepped inside without hesitation and soon submerged himself up to his head.

The muscles that had been stiff with tension gradually relaxed, and a wave of drowsiness quickly washed over him.

Eventually, Aaron lifted his face out of the water, swept his wet hair back, and gazed at the ceiling.

As he leaned back and stared at the plain ceiling, he found himself thinking about Ronnie’s strange behavior from just a few hours earlier.

First of all, that bizarre way of walking that seemed more uncomfortable for him than anyone else.

When Aaron had first met Ronnie, his walk hadn’t been particularly awkward. The same had been true afterward.

Perhaps he’s deliberately giving me reasons to find fault with him.

If that was the case, it made sense.

But he couldn’t be certain, because the things Ronnie had done afterward still bothered him.

For example, suddenly showing kindness by carrying an old woman’s luggage for her, or trying to show off his strength in front of a muscular man.

These vague actions, whose intentions were impossible to guess, left Aaron confused.

“…He’s definitely not normal.”

Aaron smiled faintly as he quietly rolled Ronnie’s name around in his mouth.

Ronnie Lopez.

His clumsy, swaggering way of speaking, somewhere between a nobleman and a commoner, his pretty face that didn’t look very masculine, and his slender frame all made him an interesting plaything for Aaron.

Someone worth observing closely, at least for as long as he remained interesting.

Aaron quietly stared at his hand beneath the water and recalled the moment he had lifted Ronnie into his arms.

The small of his back, which Aaron could easily encircle with one hand.

His pale face, covered in fine downy hairs.

The sweet fragrance that seemed to radiate from his body.

In many ways, he felt different from ordinary men.

I thought it would be uncomfortable.

But holding him had been less unpleasant than holding a young noblewoman he had no feelings for.

Not only that, but he’d felt no discomfort when holding Ronnie’s hand or exchanging embarrassingly sweet words while looking into his face.

If anything, he’d only wanted to tease him more.

Considering all of this, Ronnie was the perfect card for Aaron to play if he wanted to carry out his plan.

A saving grace that could help him escape the royal family’s constant pressure and bring about a natural end to his engagement.

So please, don’t get any foolish ideas. Play your part until the very end, Ronnie.

Aaron murmured as he scooped up a handful of rippling water.

He would do his best to play along, too.

“My lady! It’s time to eat!”

“Okay! I’ll be right there!”

I picked out the neatest and most stylish outfit among the men’s clothes in my wardrobe and tied the belt around my waist tightly.

Why was I making such a fuss in front of the mirror today?

Because I’m about to storm Aaron’s private residence.

That was the decision Father and Lucy had reached after holding a family meeting until the early hours of the morning.

Fortunately, after treating my back with warm compresses all night, it had mostly recovered. Unless I bent over too far, it didn’t cause much trouble.

“Hup!”

Once I’d fastened all the buttons on my vest, my slim waist was clearly visible.

“What a shame. With a figure like this, I could’ve looked good in any dress.”

It felt like such a waste to hide this body under nothing but loose trousers.

I smacked my lips as I looked in the mirror, then shook off my idle thoughts and slung a sturdy bag over my shoulder.

Lucy and Father finished their battle-ready breakfast and personally saw me off as I climbed into the carriage.

“Big sis! See it through to the end!”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Just make sure you don’t get hurt again!”

Mother seemed too choked up to speak. She simply nodded while leaning against Becky.

I smiled at them in response, then closed the carriage door.

The carriage traveled quickly and soon brought me to Aaron’s private residence.

Since I’d been here once before, the familiar scenery was reassuring.

“Well, I’ve made it, but…”

I noticed the guards stationed at every entrance.

How was I supposed to introduce myself?

Aaron’s new lover?

If I said that, they’d probably shove a gun in my face and tell me to stop talking nonsense.

“Ahem. Thank you for your hard work.”

I couldn’t afford to waste time here, so I approached with a friendly greeting.

If they refused to let me in, I planned to make enough noise to ensure Aaron knew I was there.

But strangely enough, the two guards standing at the entrance looked me up and down, exchanged glances, and gave a slight nod.

That was it.

“Can I go inside?”

I couldn’t believe how lax their security was, so I asked again.

“Seriously? I can really go in?”

They remained as still as mannequins, staring straight ahead without moving a muscle. Even when I cautiously took a step toward them, they simply stood aside and left the doorway clear.

“So it was that easy? I was worried for nothing.”

Growing more confident, I strode straight through the entrance and into the central hall.

“Gasp!”

But the moment I looked ahead, I stopped short.