Ch.1615. Elizabeth Michael (2)

# 15. Elizabeth Michael (2)

I was momentarily speechless with surprise when she asked if she could come along.

Seeing my reaction, she spoke with an anxious voice.

“Is that not okay?”

“Is this perhaps a date invitation?”

“What!? Th-that’s not… not what I meant at all!”

Her stammering was incredibly cute.

“You can come along. I was feeling a bit bored by myself anyway.”

Two is much better than one.

Especially if that person is her.

We headed to the nearest supermarket from the tteokbokki restaurant.

On the way to the supermarket, she looked at my empty hands.

“You didn’t bring a bag or anything?”

“I’ll just carry everything.”

“Use this.”

She handed me the bag she had been carrying.

“Oh, thank you. I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”

“I’d appreciate that. But what are you planning to buy?”

“Rice, vegetables, fruit, and some snacks?”

It was fortunate that the dormitory was well-equipped with cooking tools like rice cookers and frying pans.

“So you cook for yourself?”

“Of course. I hate to brag, but I’m actually a good cook.”

“I’d like to try your cooking sometime.”

“We’re here.”

We entered the supermarket.

Once inside, I opened my wallet to get a coin for the shopping cart.

‘I don’t have a 100 won coin.’

“Do you happen to have 100 won?”

“Here you go.”

She took a 100 won coin from her wallet and handed it to me.

I was a bit surprised that the princess had such a small denomination in her wallet.

“Let’s go.”

“But if you cook, does that mean you don’t eat the cafeteria food?”

“I don’t.”

“That’s unusual.”

We walked around the supermarket, putting various items in the cart.

Before we knew it, an hour had passed while we were engrossed in shopping.

“Let’s go now.”

“Wow, we got quite a lot.”

She was looking at the cart filled with items.

“We sure did.”

We placed all these items at the checkout counter.

I put the purchased items one by one into the bag she had given me.

After finishing the checkout, as we were heading back to the academy, I made eye contact with someone.

That person looked back and forth between me and her, while she stared at him expressionlessly.

‘Leo Michael.’

He, like her, was a child of the emperor.

However, unlike her, he wasn’t a child of the emperor and empress.

Yes, he was her half-brother.

He probably disapproved of her enjoying a commoner’s lifestyle, unlike himself.

Of course, what bothered him more was that she was the closest person to the next imperial throne.

“Hey.”

Leo suddenly addressed me, who was standing next to her.

“What?”

“What’s your relationship with her?”

Leo glared at both of us alternately.

“We’re not in any kind of relationship yet.”

“Yet?”

“Yeah, not yet.”

Leo seemed a bit taken aback by my use of the word “yet,” and she, who was listening beside me, had the same reaction.

“Well, I’ll be going now. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

After saying goodbye to her, I headed to the dormitory.

After I left, they seemed to be having a conversation with each other.

I was very curious about the content of that conversation, but I had no right to hear it.

‘That’s a shame.’

***

After he left, Leo spoke to her.

“What’s your relationship with that guy?”

“Well, I’m not really sure myself?”

“Should I tell Father about this?”

“Of course.”

He was a bit taken aback by her confidence.

“But that friend isn’t exactly a commoner, you know?”

“He’s not?”

“You didn’t know that? We’re in the same class, so you should ask him.”

He was also in Class A.

Though he barely made it as 49th out of 50 students.

“There must be quite a difference in your levels though.”

“You two seem quite close?”

“We get along well. He has a good personality. Unlike some people.”

“He doesn’t seem any different from the others to me. Haven’t you seen people who just pretend to be nice?”

She smiled wryly at him.

“You still have no eye for people.”

Although she hadn’t known him for long, she felt that he was somewhat different from other nobles.

“You don’t seem to have known him for long, but have you already fallen for him?”

“Not… exactly.”

While she did have feelings for him, it wasn’t quite “falling for him” yet.

‘But why is this guy so interested in my love life?’

“If you date someone like him…”

She cut off Leo’s words.

“Mind your own business.”

“What did you say?”

“I said mind your own business. Father seems to be quite worried about your issues too.”

“That’s none of your business!”

“By that logic, what kind of relationship I have with him is none of your business either.”

He seemed angry, hissing as he left.

‘What a nuisance.’

She also realized it was getting late and hurried back to the dormitory.

However, she stopped in front of the men’s dormitory.

The man she had just parted with was waiting for her in front of the dormitory, eating ice cream.

And he handed her a new ice cream he was holding.

“Would you like this?”

The ice cream he offered was her favorite.

She took it and started eating it little by little.

“So you do like it.”

In his eyes, visible under the dim night sky with the lights, there was some inexplicable nostalgia.

“You knew?”

“When we were shopping earlier, you kept looking at it.”

“I did!?”

“Yes.”

She hadn’t realized she had done that.

She felt embarrassed by her behavior.

He was still looking at her with those eyes.

She had always wondered why he gave her such looks.

But she hadn’t found the right timing to ask. She had been waiting for that timing to come.

And finally, that timing came to her.

“Um… I’ve been wondering…”

He answered calmly.

“What is it?”

“Have we met before, by any chance?”

She was curious about the reason for his gaze, but also about the inexplicable familiarity she felt from him.

She still felt it, and had felt it when she first saw him.

She wondered why.

“Before… I don’t think so?”

“Right?”

Certainly, in her memory, the first time she met him was during the ranking determination test.

“Then why do you always look at me with those eyes?”

That was the first time, but from that very first moment, he had those eyes.

He even cried that day.

Despite the distance between them, she could see his intense tears.

“That’s a secret.”

“A secret?”

“Yes.”

Seeing his resolute attitude, she felt he wouldn’t tell her even if she asked again, so she asked something else.

“Then what did you mean by ‘not in any relationship yet’?”

“I thought you would know.”

She did have some idea.

But she asked because she couldn’t believe it.

“The meaning you’re thinking of is correct.”

“Really?”

Instead of answering, he nodded.

“Look forward to it.”

At those words, her face turned bright red.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“O-okay… see you tomorrow.”

Seeing her blushing face, he smiled.

It was a smile quite different from his usual ones.

Then he immediately entered the dormitory building.

After watching him enter, she also headed to the women’s dormitory.

When she returned to her room, Riel was waiting for her.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m curious! Come in quickly!”

Riel urged her.

She went into her room with Riel and began to tell her about what happened today.

“Starting from the library today…”

Riel listened attentively to her story with sparkling eyes.

***

After hearing her story, Riel said with a confident expression:

“So it was a date after all.”

“I told you it wasn’t a date!”

“When a man and woman go to a restaurant together and go shopping, that’s a date. And that friend likes you! Does this mean the princess will finally have a boyfriend?”

She didn’t deny it.

And Riel noticed that fact.

“I’ll take your silence as confirmation.”

“No… wait!”

“What now?”

“But I’m curious, why does he like me? We haven’t known each other for long.”

“He said it’s a secret, right? Then you need to think about it yourself. And does it matter if he doesn’t like you yet? You get to know each other while dating and come to like each other.”

She was somewhat convinced by Riel’s words.

“Is that how it works?”

“Yes, and there might be something you don’t know. No, there definitely is something.”

She thought about those words.

‘Something I don’t know?’

Seeing her expression, Riel said:

“What’s wrong with not knowing everything! From the way he acts, it seems like a good memory.”

“Then that’s good.”

“I’m just glad you’re finally showing interest in romance.”

Riel was as happy as if it were her own affair.

“I’ve always been interested!”

“You just say that.”

“No, really!”

“If you say so.”

They spent the otherwise boring night engaged in lively conversation.