Chapter 33

Raphael didn’t have much expectations for the restaurant Annette chose. He expected Annette to choose a restaurant with a luxurious and elegant atmosphere just like the restaurants she usually went to. However Raphael’s expectations were brutally shattered.

“Oh, my God, Raphael! Look at that pig. It’s really big!”

Annette chose an open-air restaurant. There, a huge pig was being roasted on the iron skewers with a sizzling sound. It looked really well cooked. Even the apple stuffed in the pig’s open mouth looked very delicious and smooth. Annette, who had only eaten perfectly cooked cut pieces of meat, unexpectedly lit up with excitement on seeing the pig roast.

“It smells really good. Black pepper, basil, cumin… and hmm..what else did you put in? Oh my God, look at that gloss!”

The chef became excited when a pretty looking noble lady looked at him with high hopes. At first, he was worried that the two people with dazzling looks and dressed up in luxurious clothes had come to make trouble. But they were unexpectedly quiet, and also ordered the most expensive dish from the menu! For these distinguished guests, he was willing to give the services that he generally would not be willing to do.

“Look, the pig is cooked very well! I’ll cut it for you in a special way.”

The chef, with a terrifying saw and bone knife in both hands, began to carefully cut the pig. With exaggerated movements, he swung the blade in a large trajectory. Seeing all this along with a wide-eyed look, anyone could tell that the focus was on showmanship rather than practicality. In particular, Raphael, a seasoned swordsman, found all these exaggerated gimmicks absurd.

“Oh, that’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!”

But Annette was very excited and happy on seeing this and she even clapped her hands in her excitement. Then, she flinched a little in pain and looked down at the bandage on her right hand that she had forgotten. Raphael was dumbstruck seeing the always elegant Annette be this excited for the first time. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her eyes sparkled like stars.

“Annette, come here and sit properly.”

Raphael did not want to say something like this to a grown adult. Especially if the said person was a woman like Annette Bavaria who always seemed elegant since childhood. However, it was the first time he had seen Annette look so excited, so he was worried that she would make a mistake.

When she was about to graze her injured right hand against the table, Raphael couldn’t stand it anymore and grabbed her elbow to support her. As a result,the napkin tucked into her neckline fell over.

‘Why the hell am I doing this?’

“Come on, try it! It’s the best masterpiece in our restaurant!”

Finally, the chef, who had finished cutting the roast, came towards them, wiping his sweat. He was kind enough to cut it into small parts on the plate to make it easier to eat. Surprisingly, all the cooking utensils and tableware used in the restaurant were made of iron, which made the whole experience of dining in the common restaurant more realistic.

The new thrilling experience lifted both Annette’s mood and appetite. The steaming pig roast smelled really nice. Annette, who was more excited than ever, eagerly picked up her fork.

“Wait, Annette.”

Raphael frowned and reached out to stop her. If the freshly roasted pig meat was eaten directly, it would have burnt her mouth. Even though the chef took special care of the meat and cut it into pieces, the pieces were still pretty big. Raphael glanced at her right hand wrapped in bandage. Even if he doubted whether he was the cause of her injury, Raphael couldn’t help but be worried about her injured hand.

Raphael raised the knife and while furrowing his eyebrows, cut the meat into very small pieces for Annette. When he saw himself doing what others did to impress their female companions, he felt really ridiculous. He never expected he would do something like this for a woman. Raphael put the knife down and coldly pushed the plate back.

“Here, eat after it cools down.”

“Thank you.”

Annette picked the pig rind with her fork and put it into her mouth in anticipation. And the result… totally exceeded her expectations! The pork rind with spicy sauce was very crunchy. The thick flesh beneath it melted in her mouth, filling it with salty juices. Because of the cool breeze blowing outside, it tasted even more amazing.

“It’s really delicious.”

Annette said, covering her mouth with one hand. She was really moved. Raphael, who was looking at her from the opposite side, smiled. When she saw his handsome face smile without malice for the first time, her heart strangely started beating violently. So Annette, to hide her flustered state, recommended the dish to him.

“Try it, Raphael. Come on.”

Annette’s fork in the air was shaking unstably. The fork, forcibly held between the thickly bandaged fingers, was about to fall off. Seeing this, Raphael shook his head and cut the meat into more smaller pieces. At this point, the pig roast was almost reduced into mashed meat.

After almost crushing the meat, Raphael reached out and took the fork from her. Then, after swallowing the meat hanging at the fork’s end, he placed a spoon in Annette’s hand.

“Just eat with a spoon. It’s not even a formal restaurant anyway, so nobody would say anything.”

Annette had been subjected to rigorous training to become the Crown Princess. Of course, table manners were also included in it. But eating mashed meat with a spoon… it was something that she could never imagine to do.

‘But….there’s no reason not to, right?’

Someone whispered from inside the newly born Annette. Annette looked at the spoon for a moment, and then scooped up a lot of mashed meat and pushed it straight into her mouth. The meat that Raphael chopped up was still delicious and fragrant, but it was now much easier to chew than before. Annette was enchanted by the greasy and salty taste that filled her mouth.

“Try this, too. It doesn’t taste bad.”

Raphael lifted the glass that he was sipping and pushed it towards Annette. It was a sweet and sour liquor with lemon and apple added to white wine. When she took a sip, the refreshing taste washed away the salty and greasy aftertaste of the meat. The cool night breeze blowing near the river was also very pleasant. In a word, it was a night that made people get drunk.

Most of all, what pleased Annette was Raphael’s face looking at her from across. His beautiful face, under the warm lighting, was much warmer than usual. In her previous short life, Annette had barely seen him like this.

‘Seeing you like this, it feels like we’ve become a little familiar.’

Perhaps because of seeing him cut the meat up for her, Annette somehow forgot her earlier sadness. Everything would be solved when she would leave anyway, so there was no need to make an impression on him. But before saying goodbye to Raphael, she was satisfied to share a memory with him, that she could look back at, with a smile.

Annette smiled and tilted her glass. Unlike her appearance, she could hold her alcohol very well. Thanks to this, she was able to walk pretty well even after drinking three glasses of wine in a row. Raphael, who looked more relaxed than before, said in a jovial voice.

“It turned out to be real drinks. If you had drunk more there, by now your blood vessels would have been filled with wine instead of blood.”

“I can still have one or more drinks. It’s a pity that the restaurant closed earlier than I expected.”

On the way back to the carriage, Annette regretted not being able to drink more. She didn’t usually enjoy alcohol very much, but she wasn’t a weak drinker. She wanted to drink as much as she could because of its sweet and sour taste. Raphael, who was listening to her boisterous remarks, eventually laughed out loud. But he didn’t notice his own strange behavior, and even teased Annette.

“No way, no more after this. Would it be good for a Lady’s honor to be carried piggyback? Now you wouldn’t want to go back home like that, would you?”

Raphael’s eyes, which always looked at her sharply, were curved, and his blue eyes sparkled under his long eyelashes. Annette smiled and looked at him warmly. It was a very pleasant but short night. As their carriage got closer, Annette became a little sad. Now, they would go back to their usual selves after this short ride.

“Oh, by any chance,….is it Lady Annette?”

At this time, someone walking from the other side came towards them. Annette, who was smiling at RafaeI, turned her head. Just as she saw who the person was, the pleasant smile completely disappeared from her face. It was someone very familiar to Annette.

“Miss Diana. It’s quite an unexpected meeting.”

The name of the woman with black curly hair was Diana McClaire. Diana, the second daughter of Count McClaire, famous for his multifaceted business, was once Annette’s childhood friend. Even though there has been no exchange between them since childhood, one’s childhood friends always remained in their memories. Thanks to this, Annette could quickly recall Diana’s name even after five years.

“You know it’s dangerous to roam outside at this late hour!.. Ah! You were with your husband. Hello, Your Excellency, Marquis of Carnesis? I’m Diana McClaire, daughter of Count McClaire.”

Diana slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and greeted Raphael. It was a rather natural polite greeting, but her cheeks, as she glanced sideways at Raphael, were slightly red. Raphael, who had a bigger and sturdier physique than others, was a very attractive man. He not only looked handsome, but his violent and arrogant temperament also added to his charm.

Annette looked at Diana with a subtle frown. She wasn’t a bad person, but she had two problems. The first problem was that Diana was the type that fell in love too quickly. Even now, Diana’s face, looking at her husband, seemed to be full of admiration.

Well, actually that was okay. Diana just would fall in love quickly, but she would never lose her common sense. Even if she fell in love with a man who was already taken, she would never do anything more. That’s why Annette could ignore the slight blush on Diana’s cheek.

However, she couldn’t ignore Diana’s other problem. It was not really much of a problem, but at least for Annette, it was  quite a big problem. Because Diana McClaire….

“Oh, come to think of it, Lady Annette. No, you are Marchioness of Carnesis now! Did you hear that? Well my friend Celestine has received two boxes of wedding gifts from the royal family! After all, being a Crown Princess must be amazing, isn’t it?”

It was because Diana McClaire was one of Celestine Keers’ best friends.