Chapter 120
My long hair, still unkempt from waking up, fluttered wildly in the breeze. As I reached up to grab the strands obscuring my vision.
Reno gathered my hair in his hands and began tying it up for me.
“It’s okay now. You can let go.”
I wondered how he was tying my hair without a ribbon, only to realize his own hair had come undone.
His golden locks, which curled slightly at the ends and brushed against his trapezius, didn’t look messy but somehow more rugged and mature.
It was undoubtedly the Reno I knew, yet he seemed unfamiliar in a way.
For a brief moment, a flicker of emotion stirred within me. I knew it was simply because I was seeing a new side of him—an emotion that would subside quickly.
Even so, not wanting to reveal my unease, I instinctively put up a guarded front.
“You didn’t have to. The wind would’ve stopped soon enough.”
“I have plenty of hair ties, so it’s no trouble. More importantly…….”
Reno released my hair and spoke.
“About our bet. I won, didn’t I?”
Bet? What……?
“Oh.”
Right, we did make that bet earlier.
If I solved the issue, Reno would win, if I didn’t, I’d win. And the winner would get to do a favor.
“It’s not certain yet…….”
“But you’re confident, aren’t you? That I’ve won.”
Reno was right. I had identified the cause, so it would be resolved one way or another. No, it *had* to be resolved.
In that case, this bet would inevitably go in Reno’s favor.
“……What do you plan to ask for?”
I couldn’t even guess what Reno might request. He never seemed to lack anything or desire anything specific from me.
“I’ll tell you later.”
Of course. His reply was as underwhelming as expected.
“You proposed the bet without even having a favor in mind?”
“No, I do have something I’d like to ask.”
“……?”
“And what about you, Your Highness? If you had won, what would you have asked of me?”
I couldn’t answer immediately.
I had agreed to the bet in the heat of the moment and hadn’t given any thought to what I might request if I won.
‘But I wasn’t the one who suggested the bet in the first place.’
It was a weak excuse, but it was still an excuse.
“That’s different. You were the one who suggested the bet.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
“So, do you really have something you want to ask of me?”
“Yes.”
Then why not just say it?
His reluctance to reveal it only made me feel more uneasy and curious. If he’d just tell me outright, I wouldn’t be this bothered.
“If you don’t tell me now, I won’t grant it.”
“Did we set a deadline for the favor?”
“……No, we didn’t.”
“Exactly. And as Your Highness mentioned earlier, the issue hasn’t been fully resolved yet. Let’s leave it on hold for now.”
Using logic and truth to win the argument—how sly.
“Ugh, you’re so mean…….”
A grumble of resentment escaped my lips.
“Your Highness didn’t tell me either, no matter how curious I was.”
“When did I—? About what?”
“The iron supplements. And the reaction from the Duke of Futurum.”
“Well, that’s…….”
I had my reasons, but they were only my own. Reno must have felt uneasy and curious, just as I did now.
Yet he hadn’t pressed me further and had trusted me until the end. Perhaps he was holding back now for similar reasons.
“……Fine. I won’t ask anymore. But you have to tell me eventually.”
“Of course.”
Reno added with a faint smile.
“When the time comes, I’ll definitely tell you.”
Was it just my imagination, or did his voice sound deeper than usual? Deep enough to gently tickle my heart.
But that fleeting sensation was quickly swept away by the news Reno shared next.
“By the way, I have something else to tell you about the man from yesterday.”
“Hm?”
“He said he’d visit the distribution center this afternoon. He wants to apologize if Your Highness will be there.”
(t/n)
ACKK!! Reno is such a smooth cutie 😍😍 he got that rizz omfg im jealous girl 😭
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!! <33
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