Chapter 126

“I made a request to Theon. I’m asking you to decide whether you will go back to working as my maid again, or if you will stay with him like now.”

“What?”

“Ayla, don’t feel burdened and tell me. Who will you stay with…”

“Ah… I… That…”

Ayla, who was hesitant to give an answer at Owen’s serious attitude, looked at Theon cautiously.

He only shrugged his shoulders and looked away, giving no particular reaction.

If she were to serve Owen right away, she would be at ease both physically and mentally; but everything they did until now would have gone to waste.

Since Rose stepped in, the rumor with Theon was expected to calm down, so she had no reason to attend Owen.

What would be the most ideal and unsuspecting excuse?

After thinking for a while, Ayla looked at Owen with an apologetic expression and spoke.

“I am extremely grateful that Grand Duke Arrot cares about me… But unfortunately, His Highness can’t drink the tea unless I’m the one who brews it. The Grand Duke has no problem drinking what the other maids bring you. His Highness needs me.”

When she finished speaking, Ayla looked at Theon with a ‘Isn’t that so?’ look on her face.

After a moment’s hesitation, Theon quickly nodded his head.

“That’s right. Ayla is r-right. I can’t send her to you because the tea is not to my taste unless it’s her tea. While we are at it, can you give me some tea?”

At Theon’s words, Ayla let out a ‘Haha.’ and smiled awkwardly. Then, with a familiar hand, she added the tea leaves and brewed the tea.

As the red tea leaves were ready, Ayla smoothly pushed the teacup in front of Theon and put down the new teacup.

Theon, who lifted the teacup and drank the tea right after she put it down, frowned.

Although, of course, he immediately put a bright smile on his face as if that had never happened.

“It tastes… Very good.”

Owen sighed as he saw Theon smiling at Ayla.

Owen looked at the two of them alternately with his beautifully placed olive-colored eyes and opened his mouth.

“… I will go now. Theon.”

“Yes, you can go.”

Seemingly sulking at Ayla, Owen left the office without giving her a single glance.

After confirming that Owen had left, Ayla took a deep breath as if she were relieved, and then turned her gaze to Theon.

Theon, who kept a firm expression under Ayla’s gaze, slowly opened his mouth while looking at her.

“What kind of tea leaves did you brew?”

“Ah, that’s the new Marco Polo black tea from the Libert Kingdom. Is it to your taste? Should I give you some more?”

“No. Don’t brew it ever again. I can’t figure out at all what it tastes like. I was struggling because I wanted to spit it out right away.”

Ayla’s expression, who had been smiling broadly at Theon, hardened in an instant.

But why was that? Without knowing why, Ayla thought that him, frowning as if the tea really wasn’t good, was cute.

***

“Are you going… Like this?”

“What is the problem?”

Ayla, who went to the detached palace with the night tea in order to go to the mansion, had her mouth wide open.

She wondered where on earth did he pick that up; Theon, who was always wearing a suit, was wearing an outfit different than usual.

Theon’s appearance, dressed up as a warrior ready to jump into the battlefield at any moment, was strange, but Theon was making an expression as if he were wondering what the problem was.

“But… You’re the Crown Prince of the Stellen Kingdom…”

“You don’t seem to know, but right now, I’m going to be Princess Zenia’s warrior guard. As you said, it doesn’t make sense that the Crown Prince of the Stellen Kingdom goes after the princess from another country, right?”

“Ah, so that’s it. Hahaha…”

“And thanks to someone who doesn’t know how to ride horses, I will have to ride it all night long… It would be extremely uncomfortable if I dressed as usual.”

Ayla nodded quietly at Theon’s words and took out the clothes she had put in one of the drawers.

She couldn’t carry clothes with her every time so she brought them to Theon’s residence, but somehow, she couldn’t shake off the strange feeling she had.

***

There was an awkward atmosphere between the two of them while riding the horse.

As Ayla’s hair fluttered in the wind, the sweet scent coming from her reached the tip of Theon’s nose.

Theon cleared his throat a couple of times in the awkward atmosphere and pulled the reins.

Right away, Ayla lost her balance and came into Theon’s arms.

At the same time, the awkwardness surrounding the two reached its climax.

Ayla was startled by the sudden warmth she felt from Theon and straightened her back.

Theon snorted, as if Ayla’s flinching every time his arms holding the reins moved a little was cute.

“It will be uncomfortable if you stay like that.”

“N-No! I’m fine.”

Theon smiled without saying a word at Ayla’s quick reply, as if it were an instinctive response to his words.

He soon became aware that he was smiling without realizing it and corrected his expression.