CH 300

Jjururuk, the black tea poured into the teacup from the teapot exuded a rich aroma.

The maid prepared tea and various cookies on the table and left the room. I lifted a cup of tea while wearing a soft silk poet shirt.

‘I’m going to die of exhaustion.’

By the time the ball was over, it was already past midnight, so I had no choice but to spend the night here.

I had to be careful because I had to go to bed alone in the space created by the Praus Cult. As a result, I couldn’t sleep.

I was so tired that I couldn’t think at all. If this was the case, it might be better to get a good night’s sleep and wake up in case of an unexpected situation.

“You have a bad complexion.”

Woo Seo-hyuk, who came to the bedroom, handed over the documents and frowned. That was the sound I heard as soon as he saw me. Did it show on my face?

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Do you miss that man so much that you can’t even sleep?”

“……”

The answer, “How could that be?” rose to the end of my throat, but I swallowed it and forced a smile.

“What…”

I didn’t want to say strange again like yesterday, so I just pretended and turned over the first page of the document.

Woo Seo-hyuk, who looked down at me with a strange gaze, started explaining accordingly.

“We divided the central city into four parts. We will start the search from Area A.”

“It’s neat.”

“And I would like to borrow an object from Prince for a more accurate distinction.”

“Are you talking about glove?”

“Yes. The man may have been disguised, so I’m trying to measure the size of his hands with the glove.”

I was reminded of the Cinderella fairy tale. Originally, it would have been glass shoes, but it seemed that they turned into a leather glove because Ha Tae-heon was a man.

“Then you’re going to search in the central city with the glove?”

“The other party was wearing clothes that the commoners could never get, so we plan to visit mainly noble families. It won’t take long.”

Wait. If you were going to visit the whole central city, wouldn’t it be beneficial for me to go with you?

It was an opportunity to meet the team members who would be somewhere in this space. With that in mind, I closed the document and said.

“I will go too.”

“You don’t have to do that. If you wait at the castle, I will find the man and bring him back.”

“No. I’ll go with the glove.”

Woo Seo-hyuk, who blinked for a moment as I expressed my opinion to somehow escape the castle, opened his mouth.

“Do you want to meet him that quickly?”

“What?”

What else were you misunderstanding about? No, was it a misunderstanding from Woo Seo-hyuk’s perspective?

Woo Seo-hyuk, who had left me speechless in bewilderment and gathered the documents again, responded politely.

“I understand. I will deliver the news to the guards that the Prince is going out.”

“Good. Let’s go right away.”

As I got up from my seat eagerly thinking about looking for everyone, Woo Seo-hyuk blocked me with his body.

“Please wait, Prince.”

Woo Seo-hyuk looked at me, who puzzled, and touched my collarbone and chest area, which were exposed because I didn’t tie the laces.

“You can’t go out in this outfit.”

“Ah…”

“I will call the maid now, so please change into your outdoor clothes. I will be waiting in the hallway.”

Woo Seo-hyuk, who added softly, left the room with a casual face. I, who had been standing there until then, scratched the back of my head at the discomfort feeling.

It felt like…

‘It’s just his mood?’

It was Woo Seo-hyuk, not anyone else. These days, following Ha Tae-heon and Cheon Sa-yeon, it seemed like even I was getting weird.

I sighed and tightened the laces. Don’t think too much, let’s find them quickly.

* * *

“It’s the Prince’s carriage!”

“Prince!”

“Prince, I love you!”

“Haa…”

Even after closing the curtains on the carriage window, I breathed out a weary breath at the sound of a cry.

Because my role was a prince in a fairy tale, he was very popular wherever he went. My plan to get out of the carriage and look around for a bit failed because I couldn’t stand the crowd that came as if they met a celebrity.

Those people must also be victims of being mental controlled after all. It was only now I understood why the Praus Cult attracted people to the museum.

Woo Seo-hyuk, who was sitting across from me, asked me with a worried expression.

“Are you all right?”

“It’s okay.”

If you think about it, it was a refreshing experience. Where would I be welcomed by so many people? I’m a little tired though.

“Please be patient. The next area is the last.”

We left early in the morning, but it was late afternoon now. As Woo Seo-hyuk said, there were only a few places left as I had looked around the noble houses in the city whenever possible.

‘I think I’ll arrive at Ha Tae-heon’s house soon enough.’

If Ha Tae-heon was really Cinderella, he would be living in an aristocratic house somewhere. I couldn’t imagine Ha Tae-heon being bullied.

According to the fairy tale, after being bullied by her stepmother and step-sisters, she met a fairy and came to the ballroom… Would I meet someone who played the role of stepmother and the stepsisters?

I wish Min Ah-rin would play one of the roles of the stepmother or the step-sisters. Then I could meet not only Ha Tae-heon but also Min Ah-rin.

But even if we meet, what if the space was different like Hansel and Gretel?

‘I have to be prepared.’

If the space changed, we would scatter again. Before that happened, we needed to figure out how to fix it.

The carriage that moved steadily leaving me in trouble soon stopped in front of the red roof building.

“This house is a baron. It’s the family where the invitation to the prom was blown away, so it’s a good idea to check it out. However…”

Woo Seo-hyuk, who paused for a moment after stopping the explanation, continued.

“There are a lot of troublesome personalities in this family, so I recommend the Prince to not go out of the carriage.”

Troublesome personalities? (피곤한 성격들이라고?, it seems weird to use ‘tired personalities)

After seven hours of wasting time, I lifted the curtains slightly and looked outside without much expectation. Black hair was visible among the knights who were escorting closely around the carriage.

If it was black hair, was it Ha Tae-heon? Even if I looked around, the other person’s face was just covered, so I couldn’t see the opponent.

Unable to overcome the frustration, I opened the curtains and windows and put my head out, and then I could see Ha Tae-heon talking with the knight commander with a sullen expression.

“Ha Tae-heon-ssi!”

“Prince?”

Finally found him! I was so happy that I hurriedly opened the carriage door and ran out to Ha Tae-heon, who I barely reunited after six hours. Woo Seo-hyuk, who was bewildered from behind, called after me and followed me.

“Han Yi-gyeol.”

“I finally meet you.”

Ha Tae-heon wasn’t surprised as if he expected me to come. Like me, he noticed that it was Cinderella.

“Did nothing happen?”

“Yeah. And you?”

“I was fine, too. It was safer being with Woo Seo-hyuk-ssi.”

Unlike at the ballroom, Ha Tae-heon, wearing old clothes, was fortunately not injured or inconvenient. I lowered my voice slightly, conscious of Woo Seo-hyuk and the knights standing behind me.

“Have you ever met any other team members? The Requiem members.”

Ha Tae-heon, who heard my question, made a strange expression that couldn’t be explained.

He looked awkward and complicated… what kind of expression was this?

“We met.”

“Yes? Who is it? Where?”

That was when Ha Tae-heon, who was hesitating looking at me, was just about to answer. The sound of footsteps rang out and the door of the house flew open at the same time.

“The Prince has come, is our maknae welcoming you?”

“I can’t believe the Prince has come to such a shabby place and is standing outside. It’s very frustrating.” (참 답답하군)

“It’s a bit embarrassing because the area around the house is not cleaned at all.”

“……!”

When I saw the three men who crossed the threshold over Ha Tae-heon’s back and appeared proudly, I was shocked and instinctively took a step back.

‘This crazy…’

Seeing them approaching me with similar smiles on their faces gave me goosebumps. Not wanting to go near them, I reflexively grabbed Ha Tae-heon’s arm, hid my body, and stuttered.

“Are, are those three perhaps your step-sisters…?”

Ha Tae-heon quietly nodded his head without saying a word. Oh my gosh, it was really terrible.

“If you hide like that as soon as our eyes meet, it hurts me no matter how much your try to hide.”

Cheon Sa-yeon, who saw me hiding behind Ha Tae-heon’s arms in tense, pouted his lips. After that, Park Geon-ho and Kwon Jeong-han also skillfully added one word at a time.

“I think maknae and the Prince have a very special relationship?”

“Last night, he didn’t do any work and secretly went somewhere, so he must have been at the ball.”

“Haa…”

Ha Tae-heon took a deep breath and touched his forehead. He looked particularly tired today.

I sincerely apologized to Ha Tae-heon.

“I’m sorry, Ha Tae-heon-ssi. Had I known this would be the case, I would have looked for you sooner…”

“It’s my fault for not telling you beforehand, so there’s no need to apologize.”

“You two are so into your own world.”

Cheon Sa-yeon, who was listening to our conversation, clicked his tongue.

It was so annoying that I ran to Cheon Sa-yeon this time but I grabbed his clothes as if I was grabbing his collar with both hands. Then the knights who were watching us from behind gasped and breathed in.

“Since when have you been here?”

As I rushed in, Cheon Sa-yeon, who gave up his clothes, opened his mouth.

“This is the second day I think. Just like last time, when I opened my eyes, I was here.”

“Did all four of you wake up in this house together?”

“Not four.”

“Not four? Maybe five?”

“Yes.”

“Who is the other one…”

“A precious guest has arrived.”

A bright and soft voice was heard. It was a very familiar voice.

Clack, clack, the other person who leisurely walked out of the door wearing shoes and smiled brightly at me.

“It is an honour to meet you like this, Prince.”

“……”

That greeting made me want to cry. I could guess Min Ah-rin’s from her gorgeous dress, elegant, and noble behaviour.

‘Min Ah-rin-ssi is the stepmother…’

The stepmother Min Ah-rin and the half-brothers Cheon Sa-yeon, Park Geon-ho, and Kwon Jeong-han. And the youngest, Ha Tae-heon, was being bullied.

I was at a loss as to how to deal with this situation.