The Prince’s First Love Was Me Chapter 17

Only then did I remember Chris’s presence, and I flinched as I turned around.

I suddenly felt sorry for Chris, who must have witnessed my embarrassing antics from beginning to end.

But the key to this plan was shamelessness. I couldn’t let my guilt show, so I deliberately answered even more brazenly.

“You’re still here?”

“I haven’t been here very long.”

Well, in that case, I had nothing to say.

Feeling awkward, I scratched my head.

“Sit down and wait. I’ll finish what I’m doing, then we can go eat.”

Aaron gestured toward the sofa with his chin.

He was buttoning his shirt back up. It was a shame to see that work of art covered up again, but it wasn’t as if I could do anything more right now anyway.

Since I had no more tricks to show off, I obediently followed Aaron’s instructions and headed for the sofa.

I glanced over the spacious seating area, then plopped down right next to Chris.

If I sit here, I’ll have a perfect view of Aaron while he’s hard at work.

Chris flinched when my arm touched his. He brushed back his black hair and glanced sideways at me, looking uncomfortable.

I pretended not to notice and stubbornly kept my eyes fixed straight ahead.

In the end, Chris moved farther away, bringing our little battle for space to an end.

How much time passed after that?

While I was absorbed in Aaron’s face, a maid brought in some refreshments.

I couldn’t give up the sight of Aaron biting his lip as he concentrated, but I also wanted to taste that fragrant tea.

I fumbled around on the tray and picked up a teacup, keeping my eyes glued to Aaron’s face the entire time.

“Ronnie. That’s not your mouth.”

By the time Chris stopped me and brought me back to my senses, the teacup was right under my nose.

My eyes widened at the thought that I’d almost tried to drink the tea through my nose, but I quickly made up an excuse so no one would notice.

“I was smelling the aroma. Hmm, it’s very refined. Just the way I like it.”

I exaggeratedly flared my nostrils, then took a sip of tea.

At that moment, I remembered the sight of tea spraying out of Chris’s mouth.

Worried that I might disturb Aaron, I stifled my giggles and leaned slightly toward Chris.

“I enjoyed the show yesterday. You really sprayed it everywhere, didn’t you? It was so satisfying to watch.”

“……You saw that?”

Chris had been turning the pages of a book, but now he turned his head toward me with the stiff, mechanical movement of someone in a horror movie.

His eyes were darting wildly.

I smiled and waved my hand dismissively.

“Oh, come on. What’s the big deal? No one can look perfect all the time. If anything, I thought it made you seem more human. I liked it!”

“Haaah.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re so precise and proper, Chris? Even the stream of water shot out in a perfectly straight line. I was amazed! Normally, when someone does that, my first thought is how gross it is. But when you sprayed it, it was like a fine mist……”

“P-Please stop! Don’t say another word!”

Chris lowered his head and sighed as he rubbed his face with his hand.

Whether it was because he’d been seen in such an embarrassing state or because I was teasing him, his ears had turned bright red.

“All right. I’ll stop.”

I shrugged and closed my mouth without another word.

When it came to teasing someone, knowing when to stop was important.

There’s nothing to gain from getting on Chris’s bad side.

After that, I turned my attention back to the front. But for some reason, Aaron’s face was now full of smiles as he filled out his documents.

I definitely wasn’t imagining it.

There was a noticeable smile tugging at the corners of his eyes and mouth as his pen moved busily across the page.

He’d been frowning just moments ago, so it probably wasn’t the contents of the documents that had made him smile.

Judging by the timing, the only thing that could have made him laugh was the conversation between Chris and me.

Aha!

So he was working, but still listening to us?

The competitive spirit buried deep inside me sprang back to life.

I wanted to break through Aaron’s composure. He was clearly listening to everything while pretending not to hear a thing, keeping his expression perfectly calm.

“Hmm……”

I thought about how I could tease him, then came up with a good idea. Grinning, I set down my teacup.

“Chris. Did you know something?”

Chris looked at me warily, as if wondering what I was going to say this time.

Since Chris wasn’t my target this time, I went ahead and said what I wanted, whether he played along or not.

“Whenever Aaron really wants to laugh, he covers his mouth with his hand. Did you know that?”

Chris nodded, looking unimpressed.

“I know.”

“What about how he phrases things like requests, but when you think about it, they’re actually orders?”

“Yes. I know that, too.”

“And how he might sound rough, but deep down, he’s the kindest person in the world?”

“I know that as well.”

At first, I’d started asking these questions to shake Aaron’s composure. But Chris kept answering that he already knew everything, and I gradually grew more determined to win.

I was trying to think of something only I would know, something Chris wouldn’t, when—

“You seem to know His Highness inside and out, Ronnie. Almost as if you’ve known him for a very long time.”

Chris spoke with genuine curiosity.

Of course I do. I’m someone who knows both Aaron’s past and his future.

I knew how he’d lived, and what kind of pain he’d endured to get where he was. That was why I couldn’t help caring about him and paying so much attention to him.

But I couldn’t tell him the truth, so I gave him an indirect answer.

“I’ve admired His Highness for a long time. It would be strange if I didn’t know much about him, considering how interested I am.”

Even as I spoke, I continued searching my mind for Aaron’s traits and habits that only I might know.

Ah! I’ve got one! Something Aaron told me himself recently!

“Chris. Then do you know this, too? Aaron might be fierce when he’s working, but he’s gentler than anyone when he’s in bed?”

I lifted my chin proudly.

This was definitely my victory.

No, it had to be my victory.

If Chris said he knew about this, things would get really weird.

“……No.”

Chris hesitated, then frowned deeply and shook his head.

His expression clearly said he had no desire to know that sort of thing.

“How do you know that, Ronnie?”

“There are some things a person just knows.”

I smiled mysteriously and stole a glance at Aaron.

Aaron kept his eyes fixed on the documents, tapping an innocent-looking pen against his fingers.

Since I’d started talking to Chris, I hadn’t seen Aaron’s pen touch the paper even once.

What did that mean?

It meant he couldn’t concentrate on his work at all!

Satisfied, I decided it was time to wrap up my teasing.

Watching Aaron get flustered was fun, but if I kept interrupting him, I might never get out of here.

“Then I guess Chris doesn’t know that Aaron’s been eavesdropping on our conversation this whole time, either.”

“What?”

Chris’s eyes widened. With a look of disbelief, he cautiously glanced toward the front.

At that very moment, Aaron sharply set down his pen with a loud tap.

“Both of you, get out.”

And just like that, we were dismissed.

 

 

 

****

 

After the two of them hurried out of his office, Aaron picked up his pen again.

He’d told Ronnie to come see him whenever he wanted, but he hadn’t expected him to show up so soon.

A smile crept into Aaron’s eyes as he thought of Ronnie.

Is it because he’s a man?

His behavior was quite different from that of the noble ladies, whose pride made them reluctant to take the first step.

“Brown hair, green eyes, crossbody bag. Remember his appearance, and let him in whenever he comes by. He’s an important guest.”

It seemed his instructions to the head maid and the guards the previous day had worked. Ronnie had managed to get inside without causing a fuss.

That aside……

“Admired me, huh……”

Ronnie’s voice, saying he’d admired him for a long time, echoed in Aaron’s ears.

It was a very unfamiliar word.

He couldn’t even remember the last time someone had said they respected or admired him.

Ever since the war with Merzio five years ago, Aaron had stopped trying to live a life worthy of admiration. Instead, he’d focused on living a life that wouldn’t earn him anyone’s pity.

Because he couldn’t tell anyone.

He couldn’t admit that he was suffering from the aftereffects of the war.

The war had broken out because of an argument between Aaron, who hadn’t known how to back down at the time, and a prince from another country. That made it even harder for him to reveal what he was going through.

He was afraid he might make the same mistake again, so he didn’t want to take part in governing the country. The weight of responsibility crushing his shoulders was too much, and he wanted to give everything up.

He hadn’t had the courage to say any of that out loud.

So instead of confessing the truth, he began walking a path opposite to the one everyone expected him to follow.

He worked tirelessly to prove that he was unfit to sit on the throne.

“And yet, he admires me.”

Even knowing all the terrible things he’d done.

A bitter smile spread across Aaron’s lips.

The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became. He couldn’t get his mind back on track.

Just then—

“……I’m telling you!”

A lively voice suddenly broke the silence, drifting in from outside the window.

It was bright and bouncy, somewhat androgynous, but not particularly deep.

Ronnie.

Aaron immediately stood up and looked out the window.

Ronnie and Chris had been walking through the estate’s courtyard, apparently arguing about something, when they spotted a group of royal guards passing by and stopped in their tracks.

Ronnie gazed at them for a moment, then covered his mouth and whispered something. Chris dutifully answered him.

“How unusual.”

Chris had never been much of a talker.

He disliked being rude, so he couldn’t ignore someone who spoke to him. But his habit of giving only short answers made it difficult to hold a prolonged conversation with him.

Yet now, the conversation between the two of them showed no signs of stopping.

Chris tilted his head to listen to Ronnie, and he didn’t seem at all bothered by it.

If anything, they looked comfortable talking to each other.

Aaron watched them quietly with his arms crossed. Then his gaze shifted to another group of guards who had just come around the corner.

Some of them had not only taken off their shirts but had even loosened the ties on their trousers.

Aaron’s expression darkened as he muttered ominously.

“I believe I told them to be careful.”