Chapter 118
“It’s still chilly in the morning. I wouldn’t want you catching a cold.”
“I could just go inside. You should come in too.”
“Huh? Oh, no, no. I couldn’t possibly enter Your Highness’s bedroom this early in the morning…….”
“Isn’t this technically a bedroom too?”
“It’s outside.”
Reno replied with an unusually serious expression. I had to stifle a laugh that almost escaped at the sight of his face. It wouldn’t do to laugh alone when Reno was so grave.
“Anyway, inside is absolutely not an option. If Isaac finds out…… Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine. Even this is already disrespectful.”
I could understand him worrying about catching a cold, but…
“Disrespectful?”
“Well, I haven’t received permission from Your Highness yet. Besides, Your Highness doesn’t look well. Is it because of the cold?”
“No, it’s not that cold. It’s just…….”
I unconsciously clutched and released the jacket Reno had draped over me before admitting.
“I feel like I overstepped. Or maybe I was just arrogant.”
“Your Highness?”
“I mean about trying to figure out that man’s circumstances. I don’t have the faintest clue…… I’m not sure if I can solve this.”
It felt like I’d taken on something I shouldn’t have.
As I mumbled in a self-deprecating tone, I gave a sheepish laugh.
“Sorry. You’ve been doing the hardest part, and here I am, saying this…….”
“I don’t mind. It just means Your Highness trusts me enough to share your thoughts.”
“You always say things I want to hear.”
“It wasn’t intentional, but I’m glad if it pleased you. May I say one more thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“I believe Your Highness will succeed this time too.”
“……You’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not that remarkable.”
Lately, I often forgot, but this world was inside a game. This wasn’t my reality, my real life was elsewhere.
There, I was just an ordinary college student…… and the breadwinner caring for a sick younger sibling.
“To me, Your Highness is already remarkable.”
But looking into Reno’s sparkling light-green eyes, I felt a fleeting illusion that I truly was an extraordinary person.
That gaze was a bit overwhelming, so I turned my head away.
“I’m not remarkable. Not even a little.”
I knew well that Reno didn’t know the real me. He only saw me as Princess Nepheli, so of course, he’d say such things.
“This time…… I really don’t think I can do it.”
Ah, there I went again, letting out a defeated sigh.
I had just resolved to stop moments ago, but I got too caught up in my emotions. Why was I like this when it wasn’t even dawn? Was I still half-asleep?
I was about to apologize to Reno again, but he spoke first.
“In that case, how about we make a bet?”
“A bet……?”
“I’ll bet that Your Highness will succeed. You bet that you won’t, as you just said.”
What kind of bet was this?
When betting on oneself, wasn’t it normal to bet on success? But here I was, being told to bet on failure.
“Isn’t that backward?”
“Your Highness said you’re unsure, right? Meanwhile, I believe in you. That’s what makes the bet valid.”
“Well, that’s true…….”
It felt strange somehow. Like I was at a disadvantage. At the same time, I worried about truly disappointing Reno.
“Since it’s a bet, wouldn’t it be more fun if we added stakes? How about granting the winner’s wish?”
“A wish?”
“Then how about a favor instead? Something reasonable that the other can fulfill.”
“That sounds…… fair. Alright.”
I nodded without much thought, only to realize what I’d just agreed to.
‘What am I even promising?’
I glanced at Reno belatedly, but he smiled brightly and asked, “You promise?”
Faced with that cheerful expression, I couldn’t bring myself to take it back and nodded again.
“Oh, and there’s something I’d like Your Highness to see.”
“What is it?”
At my question, Reno asked me to wait a moment, unfastening a pouch from the belt at his waist.
‘I thought he only carried a sword sheath there.’
So it could store things too.
“This.”
Reno handed me the pouch. At his prompting, I opened it to find an oval-shaped loaf of bread inside. It was about the size of my palm, convenient to hold and eat.
“For me to eat?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t let Your Highness eat something like this. It’s made only of rye and is clearly stale. It’ll taste terrible.”
“Then why……?”
“I got it from that man yesterday. We talked at the tavern and ended up going to his house. He gave it to me as thanks for buying him drinks.”
Unbelievable. Did they get that close?
Given how they interacted yesterday, I thought they might, but this exceeded my expectations. Truly impressive sociability.
But that was one thing, and this was another. Surely Reno wasn’t showing me this just to boast about befriending the man so quickly…
“Is there something wrong with the bread?”
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