The Prince’s First Love Was Me Chapter 20

I turned around slowly with a gloomy expression.

Aaron, the corners of his mouth mechanically lifted, silently draped an arm around my shoulders.

Despite the curve of his lips, his eyes were dry and lifeless, making the atmosphere feel even more tense.

“Didn’t you leave earlier?”

Instead of answering, Aaron tightened his grip on my shoulder.

As our bodies suddenly pressed closer together, his scent rushed into my nose.

It was a scent I simply couldn’t get used to, no matter how familiar I became with his face.

My heart pounded every time I smelled it. This was becoming a serious problem.

Through my hazy vision, clouded by his intoxicating scent, I suddenly noticed Paul standing there blankly. Only then did I pull myself together and introduce him to Aaron.

“This is Paul Baker. You saw him in the meeting room last time, remember? There was a guy who sang really well.”

“Ohhh. So that’s why he looked familiar.”

Paul looked back and forth between Aaron and me with a bewildered expression.

As if he were trying to figure out what connected the two of us.

Standing face-to-face with Paul while Aaron casually draped an arm around my shoulders felt incredibly strange.

As someone who had read the original story several times, I felt an uncomfortable sense of guilt, as if I’d stolen the protagonist’s lover.

“Since fate brought the three of us together like this, why don’t we have some tea together? It’s on me!”

Remembering the good old days between the two of them, I wondered when I’d get another chance like this. On impulse, I decided to put my plan into action.

If they could become friends now, who knew how the story might unfold later if they got closer?

Sure, I was occupying the spot beside Aaron for reasons beyond my control at the moment, but if fate really existed, wouldn’t it find a way to work its magic somehow?

I led the two of them into the large café Chris had visited last time.

“Go ahead and sit down. Paul, you go find a seat too.”

After sending them inside first, I placed our order. As I turned around to return to them, one table caught my eye. Its atmosphere was unusually gloomy.

Unfortunately, that was the table I had to go back to.

Aaron was leaning far back against his chair, staring at Paul with a crooked posture.

He looked just like the arrogant prince I’d met on our first encounter.

Good grief. The poor kid is already timid and shy as it is.

I worried that Paul might get scared of Aaron and start avoiding him.

Before long, our desserts and drinks arrived.

Since Paul kept fidgeting under Aaron’s watchful gaze, I took care of his drink first.

“Here, lemon tea. I asked them to make it sweeter than usual.”

“How did you know I liked lemon tea?”

“Heh. I just know these things. I’m really interested in you, after all.”

Aaron let out a hollow laugh and silently watched the two of us from across the table.

A tiny crack appeared in his expression, but the change was so subtle that I didn’t notice it at the time.

“Cheers! And this is bitter coffee! Just like Aar—”

I was about to call Aaron by his name out of habit, but I noticed Paul’s gaze and quickly corrected myself.

“It’s just the way the prince likes it, right? I specifically asked them to leave out the syrup and sugar.”

Aaron merely glanced at the coffee I handed him without making any particular move.

After that, the two of them kept their mouths firmly shut, leaving me to talk and answer my own questions for a while.

Realizing that nothing would change at this rate, I decided to try something. I wanted the two of them to exchange at least a few words, no matter what it took.

“Your Highness, look at this. Aren’t his hands beautiful?”

I suddenly grabbed Paul’s hand and lifted it up.

“He’s handsome, sings well, and honestly, I don’t know how someone can be this perfect. And he’s such a kind person, too. There are so many people in the square who’ve received help from Paul.”

Paul’s face turned red, and he lightly waved his hand as if telling me to stop. But once I’d gotten carried away, I couldn’t seem to shut up.

Still, my plan seemed to be working, because at some point, Aaron began staring intently at the hand I was holding.

What bothered me was that his gaze didn’t seem interested so much as threatening, as if he wanted to snap Paul’s hand in two.

“Oh! And if you look at Paul’s eyes, you’ll see—”

“That’s enough, Ronnie.”

Aaron, who had been listening silently without reacting at all, suddenly cut me off.

“I’ve heard enough to understand just how much you adore Paul.”

His voice was colder than anything I’d ever heard from him, and I instinctively let out a hiccup.

Had I been too obvious in my attempts to bring the two of them together?

Had I hurt his feelings?

If he had only meant to warn me, his expression was far too stiff.

As I sat there in a panic, unable to figure out what to do and hiccupping repeatedly, Aaron irritably ran a hand through his hair and stood up.

“I’m leaving first. Don’t come tomorrow.”

In the end, I couldn’t even part my lips before I had to let Aaron go.

Steam rose from his coffee, which hadn’t even cooled down, let alone lost a single sip.

I bit my lip tightly, unable to bring myself to turn around.

I couldn’t bear to look at Aaron’s retreating figure.

“Ronnie.”

Paul gently took my arm as I sat there in a daze, calling my name with concern.

Keeping my eyes fixed on my teacup, I muttered,

“I think I messed up.”

“…He must have felt uncomfortable. The prince isn’t interested in me at all, but he might have felt like you were trying to force your own ideas on him.”

“Were you uncomfortable here, too?”

When I asked cautiously, Paul gave me an awkward smile.

“It’s okay. Just be honest with me.”

“I was uncomfortable. But I think anyone would have been. Who could feel at ease with the prince sitting right in front of them?”

In the end, I let out a groan and flopped forward onto the table.

Not only had I made Aaron angry, but Paul had also been uncomfortable the whole time. A wave of self-loathing washed over me.

“Um, Ronnie. I need to head home now… The man next door promised to repair my fence.”

“Oh, right. Sorry! Go ahead!”

I hurriedly stood up and pushed my chair in to clear a path for him. At that moment, Paul made an unexpected suggestion.

“If you don’t mind, do you want to come with me?”

I paused and turned around.

Had I heard him correctly?

Paul nodded as if he’d read my mind. Out of nowhere? Why? Was it because I looked upset?

When I stared at him in confusion, Paul slowly blinked, wearing a gentle smile. It was as if he were telling me that my guess was right.

Ah, Paul really is an angel.

Thanks to him, some of the turmoil in my heart settled down. I answered in my usual cheerful voice.

“I’d love to!”

There was no way I was going to pass up the chance to see Paul’s house.

I eagerly followed him out.

My heart still felt heavy whenever I thought about Aaron, but I’d also wronged Paul, so I decided to focus on him for now.

Paul handed a few coins to a man who appeared to be the manager at the public carriage station across the bridge.

Then he walked toward his own carriage, which he would have to drive himself from the driver’s seat.

“Pokey. Have you been a good boy?”

The brown horse tied to the carriage spotted Paul and rubbed its large head against his hand.

Who knew horses could be so affectionate?

My mouth fell open at the sight, and Paul slowly led the horse toward me.

“Say hello. This is Pokey. We’ve been together for about three years.”

“Are you his owner?”

“Yeah. I always leave him here when I’m working. The manager feeds him, too.”

Paul had his own horse?

That was another new thing I’d learned about him.

After greeting Pokey briefly, I followed Paul onto the carriage.

Paul skillfully took the reins and drove us forward.

In the original story, Paul’s house was described as a yellow house standing tall in the middle of a vast, open plain.

When we arrived and looked around, the description matched perfectly, down to the smallest detail.

Beside the yellow-roofed house stood a stable, a chicken coop, and several small huts that looked like they could only be reached by climbing ladders.

“Can I climb up to the hut?”

“Sure. Just be careful. The footing is slippery.”

As soon as I got permission, I approached it as if under a spell and climbed the ladder one step at a time.

The breeze made my hair flutter gently.

Paul climbed up after me and sat beside me to enjoy the view.

He smiled brightly, like someone in a movie scene, as he enjoyed the cool breeze.

Good grief! This view is too beautiful to keep to myself. Someone this gorgeous deserves to be shown to the whole world.

Just as I was admiring Paul’s figure, which blended into the scenery like a painting beneath the orange-tinted sky, a middle-aged man with a stylish mustache approached the front gate carrying all sorts of tools.

“Paul!”

The man spotted Paul in the hut and waved from side to side.

Paul waved back, and I awkwardly bowed my head beside him.

“That’s Uncle Carl. He repairs the house for a small fee once a month. He was a close friend of my father’s.”

I’d learned so many new things about Paul today. I carefully filed this information away in my mind, too.

Since none of these details had appeared in the original story, discovering them one by one was fun.

Paul swung his legs back and forth, with half of them dangling over the edge, and gazed up at the sky.

His cheerful smile made his cheeks as red as ripe plums.

“Feeling a little better?”

Paul suddenly turned his head, and our eyes met directly.

I shrugged and told him I was.

“That’s a relief. You looked depressed, and I didn’t think I should leave you alone.”

I’d more or less guessed that was the reason, but…

“When you look at a wide-open place, it feels like all the weight in your chest disappears, right? It’s hard to find places like that in the capital, so I thought it would be nice to bring you here.”

Paul’s warm heart made the tip of my nose sting for a moment.

How can someone look so harmless and have such a perfect personality, too?

As I repeatedly rubbed the tip of my nose and tried to contain my emotions, Paul called my name.

“Ronnie.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask why you suddenly started praising me in front of the prince earlier?”

That seemed to be what had bothered Paul the most.

Remembering that moment made me sigh again. I decided to be honest with him.