If we spoke about the most popular cafe in the royal capital, anyone would say Archangel without hesitation. 

Started by the immigrants of the neighboring country famous for its gastronomical power, and despite it being located in the small area off the main street, the store had become such a prosperous place that it had been known by everyone, whether they were aristocracy or a commoner. 

The store’s waitress, Melissa, was proud that she had been working there since Archangel’s establishment.

Recently, the most popular place for a city girl to work was serving in the fashionable and popular stores. The once-popular seamstress or maidservant of a wealthy person had become a thing of bygone days, and working in a prim, public place could make you the target of your friend’s envy.

Melissa’s workplace could be one of the most gorgeous in the world. 

As it was a restaurant, different from a store dealing with clothes or miscellaneous goods, it was quite a stamina demanding work. Still, at any rate, Archangel was a famous store where even aristocrats came to visit secretly. Melissa was pleased with the work as it let her peek into the world that was normally impossible for her to mix in.

During the daytime of one such day at Archangel. 

Although it was the peak of lunchtime, the numbers of customers at Archangel, famous for its sweets confectioneries, didn’t dwindle, and I was busy and working diligently.

“Melissa, carry it to table six!”

“OK!”

“We’re out of decorating items for decorating sweets, Melissa!”

“I just put them into the fridge.”

The store, decorated with wood grain and laces, was almost filled with female customers, but we who worked behind the scenes when the place was crowded were far from gorgeous.

I was a young girl, but maybe because of my older sister-like disposition, many relied on me, and I was always busy moving around the restaurant.

When the kitchen part was settled, it was time to move on to the storefront. Precisely at that moment, the doorbell chimes in to inform of new customer entry, and I quickly smiled and rushed to the entrance.

“Welcome…”

The customers who entered were a finely dressed man and woman. They looked like the children of wealthy merchants or farmers.

Customers who visited this store like them weren’t unusual, but what surprised me to the point of opening my mouth was that they were two of the most beautiful men and women I’d ever seen.

The woman had magnificent blonde hair, ice-blue eyes, and a few dignified facial features. She had a delicate yet enviable feminine body; she was the kind of beautiful woman you would want to keep at arm’s length just from one glance. But her gentle gaze and friendly smile when she smiled at me when our eyes met immediately left a favorable impression of her.

Although the person stood out by herself, she stood out even more together with the man with the tall stature walking beside her. He looked around my age, and I wouldn’t be wrong to call him a young man.

He had slightly quirky platinum blonde hair and bright emerald green eyes you didn’t see often. His well-featured appearance, how to say, didn’t look vulgar, unlike the men around here, and was a strange sight to be seen in a town cafe. His tall, slender body was well-toned and well-proportioned and didn’t look weak even to my eyes, as I was used to seeing sturdy laborers.

The pair, too dazzling to be a pair of dolls, entered harmoniously with the man’s flawless escort. I was spellbound for a while and wanted to admire them even more, but I was currently in the midst of the work, so I resisted the urge to stare at them and smiled an amiable customer service smile.

“Welcome, just the two of you?”

“Yes.”

“Right this way, please.”

As I guided them to the window side seat that had just become empty, I noticed that all eyes in the restaurant were glued to the new customers.

I couldn’t say much about the people, but they were looking at them too much. As the majority were female customers, I could understand their rapt gazes to gather at him, but even the customers that had come with their lovers were fascinated by him.

Even their counterparts were fascinated by the blonde-haired female. Strangely, they didn’t look at her for very long, suddenly panicking and looking away… Why?

As they took their seats, I presented them with a lovely menu chart on which the owner had hand-drawn pictures of the dishes.

“Lunchtime has ended, so if you are looking for light snacks, here are drinks and sweets options.”

Receiving the menu I held out to them, he opened it so the girl could also take a look at it. 

“Phi, you wanted to eat souffle cake, right?”

The man, who was just too beautiful to approach, asked her softly and gently. Honestly, the voice was just so beautiful that I felt like I might lose control of my lower body.

His eyes also kept looking at her with an ecstatic gaze, and when I gazed at that expression, I felt blood rushing to my head, feeling giddy. However, the woman’s gaze was nailed on the menu, not noticing it. 

“Yeah, I had really wanted to eat the oven-fresh souffle cake. But this berry cheese tart also looks absolutely delicious…”

“Why don’t we order both?”

“I’m sure I would be scolded by Angie if I ended up eating two… I just had my corset changed because it got too tight again earlier.”

“From what I saw last night, the size shouldn’t have changed. Ah, but your chest is a bit bi—”

“Lu-Luca! You order a tart, and we’ll split it!”

When she said that impatiently, he tilted his head and nodded.

“As you wish… Souffle cake and berry tart along with black tea for both of us.”

As I was making a nonchalant expression as if I hadn’t heard any odd remarks, he said that to me curtly and succinctly, as opposed to how he talked to her. I thought he must have some high status because the way he said it was so natural that it didn’t give me any discomfort.

“Souffle cake, berry tart, and black tea for two, was it? Coming right up.”

I repeated the order and bowed. Just as I entered the back to pass the order, I was immediately surrounded.

“Who’s that? He’s unbelievably beautiful!”

“I wonder if it’s his girlfriend together with him. She looks a bit tough, but she’s also a beauty.”

“Hmm, she looks older, so maybe not? I mean, she’s not!”

“Even if she’s not his girlfriend, you can’t do it. Do you even have the courage to stand before that face?”

A high-pitched laugh went up as a calm quip was made to the highly excited girl. The person who said that just puckered their lips a bit, and then, they immediately burst into laughter together.

I also laughed along with them and then said in response to everyone’s curious eyes.

“Speaking from the feeling I got from them, she’s definitely his lover. What’s more, he seems to be head over heels for her… And so, there’s not even a one in a million chance for us, so hurry up. Everyone return to what you were doing.”

Everyone returned to their work while mumbling out their grievances. 

Our famous oven-baked soufflé was thrown into the oven to warm up while we prepared the tea and tart. As I was carrying the finished goods, I noticed that the crowded store was unusually quiet.

Of course, it was not deathly silent as chattering sounds could be heard. Normally, in a store full of women, it was so noisy that I had to raise my voice even if I was right next to them. However, today it was more like a calm murmur enough to hear even the sound of dishes touching each other.

I immediately understood that it was because everyone had been somehow looking at the aforementioned two people.

The young man was smiling and listening while the girl looked inside the store with curiosity and chatting happily with him. The sight of the excited boyfriend gently watching over his girlfriend was enough to make a girl fall in love with him.

“I’m sorry for the wait.”

“Thank you. This really looks delicious.”

As I brought their orders, she looked up at me and smiled. She looked sexy with the mole near the outer corner of her eye, but she seemed like a friendly person when she smiled, giving off an amiable feeling. 

She looked like a young lady from a prominent family, but the way she squealed with delight at the delicious soufflé cake and stuck her fork into it as if she couldn’t wait to eat it made her look like a normal girl, just like us.

“It’s fluffy and melting… So delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Hey, Luca, I have been thinking about this for a while, but you keep looking at me while I’m eating. It’s difficult to eat when you stare at me so intently.”

“Because it’s really delicious…”

“That’s… you are talking about the food, right?”

Yes, she and I also had the same doubt.

Because the way he looked at her eating cake wasn’t only pleasant, but it was also somewhat sexy. But there was no way this beautiful man, unlike the surrounding men, should be thinking about the same thing flashing in my mind, who only had a superficial knowledge of sex.

The order processing had just finished, and we, the waitresses, were also curious about those two. Although it was not nice to eavesdrop on customers’ conversations, only for today, I would let them off the hook.

“You should eat some too, Luca. At this rate, I will end up eating both of them.”

“If only you feed me.”

“Oh, but this isn’t the time.”

“You used to feed me all the time, didn’t you?”

“You’re sly to say it like that…”

Everyone stopped eating their food when the lovers’ staple, feeding each other, began. Some people looked away, saying it was too sweet to watch; others looked on with warm eyes, while the young girls watched with an enchanting look. It was unbearable to watch other people flirting sometimes, but it was somehow tolerable when it was a beautiful man and woman.

“Phi, when we get married, shall we give our dining room the same look?”

“My, did you like it here?”

“Yes, I like how the table here are small. I can look at you and even touch you. Our table is just too big.”

“I feel a threatening intent from this distance.”

When he intertwined his fingers with her on the table, she said bashfully.

“Look, they really are so close.”

“Ah, I also want a boyfriend like him!”

A co-worker of mine said so dreamily but thinking about it calmly, I thought she was making some amazing remarks.

Whether he was staring at her as if only she was in his eye or the way he laid his hand on hers as if he was touching an immensely cherished item was something a woman always longed for. 

It didn’t need to be a pretty person like him, but even I longed for a lover who looked at me and only me. My afternoon was just like this.

※※※

My plan, which Luca crushed many times, was finally put into action, and we secretly came to the city. We were wearing dresses that blended in the city’s atmosphere and hats.

We held hands instead of being escorted when we walked side by side. In other words, walking while linking each other’s arms. 

“The next is the botanical garden. I have to walk a lot since I have eaten so much.”

“You don’t need to mind the maid’s words. You’re still the most beautiful woman even if you’re too fat to fit in the dress.”

“Although you’re saying that, a woman doesn’t want to be fat or beautiful just for the sake of a gentleman. Everything is for the sake of our self-satisfaction when we look at ourselves in the mirror… Still, it happened because you wouldn’t eat anything.”

Ultimately, most of the souffle cake and the berry tart were offered to my stomach. I glared at Luca, who only ate the portion I fed him.

Even though I knew I had been venting my anger on him, Luca tilted his neck happily when our eyes met. 

“I’m sorry. But you were so cute eating the delicious food that it was more fun to look at you.”

Luca’s sincere words and gaze made my heart bashful even after all this time. 

Because Luca had always showered his affection towards me to a perplexing degree, I just brushed it off, taking it as a matter of course. Still, my appearance was excellent, thanks to both of my parents. Internally, I was a calculative person and not an adult. It was nothing sort of a miracle for me that he loved me so much. 

In contrast to Luca’s words, I couldn’t say anything in return due to embarrassment. Instead, I closed the distance and cuddled with him.

As we usually didn’t visit stores for shopping ourselves, we walked around the stores, curiously looking at the items on display. As we talked and laughed together, I felt that this was the kind of date that would satisfy my maiden’s heart.

As Luca stopped in front of a store with unusual curiosity, I was absorbed in these deep emotions. 

The store was a collection of foreign art and rare crafts, nothing too fancy, but it had some unusual items. The thing that caught Luca’s eye was a beautiful birdcage made of silver. 

“Are you interested in this birdcage?”

“Yes, I have liked these things since childhood.”

Luca tended to look at silver, gold, jewels, or sparkling items. Although he was not much of a game collector like he was in the game, he liked jewels or silverwork. Our house’s collection increased from generation to generation with the items entering in Luca’s hand.

It shouldn’t have been extremely expensive since it was placed in the storefront, but it was certainly a delicate piece of work that the discerning Luca would love. 

However, I swallowed my admiration at his next words.

“I had always wanted to try locking you in a cage like this. It was my childhood dream to… hide you in a place where no one but me could see you, adorned with beautiful jewels.”

No matter how you look at it, his words with gentle expressions were nothing less than a nightmare.

I was almost at the crisis of being abducted and confined. No, it was something in the past; I was still in the middle of this crisis, and as I quietly fell into a panic, Luca continued. 

“But the current situation is better because I can come to many places with you and be able to gaze at your many expressions. Even better than my childhood dream… I’m so happy I haven’t even thought of in my dreams.”

“Luca…”

“But I still don’t want anyone seeing you, though.”

The last remark was Luca-like, but my heart was too full for words. The small, expressionless child, Luca, was telling me that he was happy to be with me.

In one corner of the bustling main street, we both stared at each other. 

Initially, the King created the royal botanical garden for his Queen, who had married in from a foreign country, to resemble the garden of her birthplace. After that, gardens and plants of various styles from different countries were mixed, making it look like a garden expo of each country.

The building used to be the small imperial villa of royalty but was now open for the general public, and it had become a place for the people of the royal capital to relax and a tourist spot.

I was born and raised in the royal capital, but this was my first visit. This was because the surrounding area around the small imperial villa in the botanical garden was a regular walking path of aristocrats and a kind of social gathering place. 

It was the forbidden place for me, who wanted to stay away from the aristocratic society as much as possible.

After hearing the dimension and beauty of the place from a maid, it became one of the places I would love to visit without fail if there was no trouble. Even if you didn’t know much about plants, it looked like a fun place to take a walk.

Luca also unexpectedly loved to be in the greenery, so he calmly pulled my hand. 

As we walked, avoiding the vicinity of the imperial villa, which was the spot for lots of aristocrats, we came to a square lined with food stalls. Luca made an unpleasant face because of the crowd, but my curiosity and the aromatic smell lured me in, and I headed in that direction.

The stall had roasted chestnut, crepe, and a sandwich with roasted meat between slices of bread resembling a hamburger. It was something I was familiar with in my previous life but not in my life in the Duke’s family.

“Look, there’s a food item I have never seen.”

“If you want to eat it, I will buy it for you… Your dress is fine, right?”

“B-But, only if you also eat half of it this time. As long as I lower the quantity of my dinner, it would be all right.”

I was afraid he’d pester me for leaving him hanging last night, so that was why it was a must to build my stamina for tonight… or so I made an excuse that was far from a maiden.

As we were having such a conversation, a scream rose from the space between the congested stalls a bit ahead.

“Ah! T-Thief!”

The voice of a young woman made me stop in my tracks.

“A thief… someone, catch him…”

Just as the surrounding person scurried around to look for the voice owner simultaneously, a man jumped out through the crowd by pushing them aside. When I saw the man holding a woman’s handbag, I immediately tried to approach the man.

“Step back, Phi.”

Luca stopped me by grabbing my hand tightly and stood in front to cover me. It was as if he was blocking the man’s direction of travel.

“Dammit, get out of the way.”

The man shouted, and Luca obediently pulled half of his body backward.

The moment the man was about to rush through in front of him, Luca moved his leg quickly, causing the man to lose his balance. Luca grasped the man’s neck, who was about to fall, and, with all his might, knocked him down.

Luca’s well-polished shoe mercilessly trampled the man’s neck, who was knocked down on his back. The man violently thrashed around, probably because he couldn’t breathe, but Luca’s eyebrow knitted unpleasantly. He put even more strength in his leg.

This lasted only for a few seconds. Luca turned back to look at me anxiously as I was taken back.

“Are you alright? It’s better to move a little further away.”

I should have asked if he was all right. But Luca’s hair didn’t seem to be ruffled. As I wondered what to do after he forbade me from approaching, a young woman with an unsteady gait rushed out from the crowd of onlookers. 

“Did you catch the thief? My handbag is…”

The girl, who was only fifteen or six years old, not only had a trembling voice but also had a slight accent. Most likely, she had just come to the royal capital, and putting it badly, unlike the fashion susceptible city girls, she felt innocent and naive. 

Luca bent downward while trampling on the man, picked up the fallen handbag, and handed it to the young lady. 

The young girl accepted the handbag with both hands gingerly and tightly hugged it to her chest.

“T-Thank you very much… If I didn’t have money, I…”

I hurriedly approached the girl, who was probably relieved. She sat down on the spot, crumbling and bursting into tears.

“Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine…”

Just at that moment, the young girl was startled when the man again struggled slightly. I continued to pat her on her back to calm her down and turned to look at Luca.

“Luca, for now, send that thief to the Fifth Division and let them take care of him. I will be here until she calms down.”

The Fifth Division, which was in charge of maintaining the security in the royal capital, shouldered the role of police officers. They had several offices in the royal capital. They ought to be present in a congested place like this.

But of course, Luca wasn’t someone who would agree so easily.

“I can’t leave you here.”

“But if that person is still here, neither she nor I will be able to calm down. You don’t need to worry about it, and I will not leave this place until you return. “

After much persuasion, Luca finally nodded and looked down at the man detestably, then he tied both of his hands and walked out. A kind passerby accompanied me so that there wouldn’t be any danger. Nevertheless, it was a bit scary to see how Luca seemed familiar with many things since he looked like someone who had never held anything heavier than a fork.

Just as I thought that there were still many things I had yet to learn about my stepbrother and my fiance, the young girl who had calmed down looked up with her flushed face.

“I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.”

She was as cute and simple as I initially thought, with her lightly freckled white skin and wheat-colored hair. I smiled at her so as not to frighten her.

“You don’t need to mind since you’re a victim here. If you’ve calmed down, let’s go to the bench.”

When I asked, reminding her that she can’t just sit down on the roadside forever, the young girl nodded, embarrassed. The curious onlookers had already dispersed, and just as I was about to walk out into the bustle that had already returned to its joyful state, I stopped.

“Are…”

My eye couldn’t help but be attracted when I caught a glimpse of a tall man with reddish-brown hair whose head was jutting out of the crowd of people passing by and a petite girl with honey brown hair right next to him.

I was sure they were Laurenz and Marika, the party of two who, even though they were dressed in commoner clothing as if they wanted to blend in the crowd of people, could never be hidden completely.

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