The Prince’s First Love Was Me – Chapter 3

Author: Asternkm

A man was waving his cane around to announce his presence. Judging by the circumstances, he was probably the father who had injured his ankle.

Having someone welcome me home like this, or worry about me because I’d come home late, was a completely new experience. I felt bewildered and didn’t even know how I was supposed to react.

Still, it would be rude to just stand there doing nothing. I should at least respond to their enthusiastic welcome, right?

“Wahahaha! I’m sorry I came home late, even though it wasn’t intentional! As you can see, I’m perfectly fine, so everyone can relax!”

I threw both arms into the air and laughed heartily, making sure to use my diaphragm to prove just how healthy I was.

Lucy, who had witnessed this sudden outburst, was horrified. She grabbed both my arms and forced them down.

“I told you that you need complete rest! Come on, let’s get inside.”

I was escorted into the mansion by Lucy.

Mother and Becky followed closely behind, continuing to fuss over me, but Lucy firmly sent them away.

After being shown to my room, I headed straight for the bathroom.

Finally, freedom from these suffocating scraps of cloth!

I kept unwinding the endless layers of tightly bound fabric. But after enduring what felt like an eternity, I finally saw my naked body—and let out a deafening scream.

“AAAHHH!”

“What is it?! What happened?!”

Lucy, who had been waiting outside, hurried into the bathroom.

Grinning broadly, I wrapped my arms around myself and leaned forward.

“Look! I have them too! And they’re pretty big!”

Lucy stared at my chest with a completely blank expression before letting out a sigh and closing the door.

After enjoying a satisfying bath, I sat down in front of the dressing table.

Several long-haired wigs were laid out on the side table beside me.

Apparently, since I spent more time living as a man, I’d chosen to keep my real hair short for convenience and wear a wig only when necessary.

I put on one of the glossy, straight-haired wigs and struck an innocent expression in front of the mirror, just like the heroine in a commercial.

“As expected, when you have a face like mine, anything looks good on you.”

I tried on every wig I could find, admiring myself the whole time. Eventually, my energy suddenly ran out, so I gave up and flopped onto the bed.

I still had no idea where I was, but I didn’t really care anymore.

At least it seemed like there were people here who loved and cherished me.

Cross-dressing as a man? Bring it on!

My second life starts now!

****

A week passed.

My daily life was still more or less the same as when I’d first arrived here.

I woke up in the morning, wrapped cloth tightly around my chest, and headed to the café for work. Once my shift was over, I returned to the viscount’s estate.

It was a simple, repetitive routine.

Still, there had been one small change: the number of hot chocolate delivery reservations had increased dramatically.

It wasn’t exactly unexpected.

With a face as pretty as mine and a smooth, charming way with words, how could anyone resist placing an order?

“Shopkeeper, I was thinking of ordering a delivery this afternoon. Would that be possible?”

“I’m afraid we’re fully booked today.”

“……Really? What about tomorrow?”

“Madam, I’m sorry, but our hot chocolate deliveries are fully booked for the entire week.”

Toby flipped through the reservation book with an awkward expression.

Perhaps word had spread among the ladies, because even when I stopped by the café for a short break after finishing my deliveries, I often saw customers coming in to make reservations.

The woman who couldn’t secure a booking seemed to have some important gathering that absolutely required a delivery person this week. She couldn’t bring herself to leave and kept rubbing her gloved hands together.

I quietly watched her for a moment, finished the drink Toby had given me, and approached the woman.

Then, showing off the delicate, charming eye smile I’d spent the past week practicing in front of the mirror, I bowed politely.

“Madam, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ronnie, the chocolate delivery boy. It’s a shame I won’t be able to see you this week. If it isn’t too urgent, would you mind postponing our meeting until next week? I’ll make sure to add plenty of extra-sweet marshmallows just for you.”

When I curved the corners of my eyes into a pretty smile, the woman let out a small gasp and blushed.

She then booked the earliest available delivery slot for the following week with Toby and left the café.

“Did you spend the entire week eating nothing but butter?”

I gave Toby, who looked utterly disgusted, a playful wink.

But our peaceful days didn’t last long.

Trouble struck the very next day.

“Ronnie!”

The moment I returned from a delivery, Toby dropped everything and came rushing toward me.

“Looks like you’ve been busy all by yourself again, big bro.”

I casually set down the teapot and rolled up my sleeves.

“Got it. What do you need me to do?”

“You idiot! That’s not it!”

Toby, who looked unusually pale, urgently grabbed my shoulders.

“The royal family is looking for you!”

Huh? The royal family? So this world has a royal family, too?

‘No, more importantly, why are they looking for me? Wasn’t I supposed to live a quiet, ordinary life as a commoner?’

I could only open and close my mouth in confusion as Toby vigorously scratched the back of his head.

“I don’t know the exact reason, either. They just came by and asked if there was a good-looking chocolate delivery boy working here. What do you think that means? They already know about you! Sigh. I knew you’d get yourself into trouble with that face of yours someday.”

“Wow. Big bro, that hurts. Are you trying to distance yourself from me now? I’ve been running myself ragged these past few days, boosting sales! Huh? I’ve been promoting the café to well-respected ladies everywhere I go! I even spend every night practicing my smiles in front of the mirror until my cheek muscles practically cramp up!”

“You idiot, that’s not what I meant.”

“So you’ve enjoyed all the benefits, but now that trouble has arrived, you’re blaming it entirely on the fact that I’m handsome and sexy?”

“I never said sexy……”

“Forget it. I never thought you’d be like this. That’s just cruel. Absolutely cruel.”

It was true that I’d been flaunting my good looks and shamelessly flirting with people lately.

I’d been telling women the things I’d always wanted to hear myself, paying attention to what they wanted and taking care of it before they even had to ask, and giving them sweet smiles instead of acting like the domineering, indifferent husbands they had at home.

Could all this indiscriminate flirting have offended the royal family?

Maybe they thought I was too debauched or promiscuous.

But there were plenty of people who did far worse than I did.

I frowned deeply, unable to make sense of the situation. Toby watched me nervously.

“What I’m trying to say is…… you should tone down the charm a little so you don’t attract unnecessary misunderstandings. Getting involved with important people can only cause trouble for us.”

I wholeheartedly agreed with that.

After all, every protagonist I’d ever read about ended up getting entangled with powerful people and having their lives turned upside down.

“But you’ve been casually speaking to me informally lately, haven’t you? Didn’t you say you preferred using polite speech?”

“Well, that’s because you’re so approachable—no, I mean, so friendly—that my heart has opened up to you! Hahaha!”

Toby chuckled along with me before turning toward the entrance at the sound of the little bell jingling.

“They’re here.”

After checking who was at the door, he hurriedly bowed his head and nudged me with his elbow.

Thinking he meant a customer had arrived, I spun around and greeted them in a booming voice.

“Welcome!”

But the moment I saw the person standing before me, I froze.

Someone from the royal family.

I could tell the instant I laid eyes on him.

During the week since my possession, which had felt both incredibly short and strangely long, I hadn’t encountered anyone who radiated as much dignity and elegance as the man standing in front of me.

As soon as he entered the shop, he didn’t even glance around. He strode straight toward me.

Overwhelmed by his presence, Toby and I both instinctively shuffled backward.

“Are you the delivery boy?”

The slender man with jet-black hair and blue eyes gently pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses.

The intimidating pressure in his direct gaze was extraordinary.

I swallowed nervously and looked up at him.

“……Yes. Why?”

“You’ll have to come with me.”

Huh? Wasn’t that a line I’d heard countless times in movies?

Wasn’t that what the police said when taking a criminal into custody?

People often told me I had no sense of fear, but even I wasn’t reckless enough to follow a stranger without question in an era when killing someone could be as easy as chopping up a radish.

“Where to?”

“I’ll explain the details on the way.”

Judging by the man’s firm tone, I wasn’t going to get any more information out of him.

I glanced at Toby.

He seemed to understand my hesitation and nodded. That meant it was okay, right? I wasn’t going to follow this guy only to have my head chopped off, was I?

“I’ll go.”

Trusting Toby with all my heart, I followed the man out of the café.

We hadn’t walked far when I spotted a dazzling white carriage standing alone beside a fountain.

The luxurious carriage was made up of elegant curves and covered in elaborate patterns on every side. Gold trim adorned its surface, making it practically glow on its own. It was so dazzling that it almost hurt my eyes.

Looks like someone else is inside, too.

Through the carriage’s transparent window, I could see a head of pink hair belonging to someone sitting quietly inside.

Knowing I wouldn’t be alone made me feel a little more at ease.

“Please, have a seat.”

Following the man’s instructions, I sat across from a young man with pink hair.

He slowly raised his eyes to look at me. I returned his gaze with a curious expression.

His bright, sparkling eyes resembled a rabbit’s so much that I couldn’t look away. They were incredibly clear and beautiful.

His unusual violet eyes also played a part in drawing my attention.

Both the man who’d come to fetch me and the person sitting across from me looked like they belonged to someone who played a major role in the story.

At that thought, the corners of my mouth suddenly began twitching uncontrollably.

‘It’s coming. I can feel it.’

I had a powerful feeling that I was about to figure out which story I’d ended up in and what kind of plot was about to unfold!