Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Since I accidentally wrote it, this is the third update today.

The sign that said "Closed" was hanging, when someone knocked on the door.

"...Yes?"

"Good evening! Your very own prince, Ruifeng, here!"

I silently closed the door.

Of course, I locked it, but he naturally climbed in through the adjacent waist-high window.

"Long time no see, Anastasia. The moon is beautiful tonight."

He strode through the room as if it were normal and sat at the dining table. I was too annoyed to argue and glared at him with half-closed eyes.

"What do you mean 'long time no see,' foolish prince? You were just here three days ago."

"Three days is a long time. I actually want to see you every day."

"I'm fine seeing you once every five years. What business do you have here so late at night?"

When I pressed him, he smiled as usual and said nonchalantly,

"The royal palace is noisy and I can’t sleep, so I escaped here. Let me stay the night, please. I’ll share the same bed as you."

"Absolutely not!"

I smacked his silver hair. He laughed weakly.

"Just kidding. I don’t really have any business, I just really wanted to see your face tonight."

...With that silly, carefree, elusive smile and flippant tone. He always says irresponsible things. I sighed in exasperation.

"...Well, fine. I was just about to take a break anyway. Want some coffee?"

"Thanks, no need."

"It’s just the leftover brew I made for myself."

Saying that, he quietly narrowed his eyes again.

It had been a month since the foolish prince, Ruifeng Sandalqia Dilz, started coming to the workshop daily like this. I had gotten used to serving him coffee every time.

I poured the boiling water from the kettle into the dripper, letting the coffee drip into the server that had cooled to room temperature. Then, into a cup that was even colder. I let it cool a little since he had a sensitive tongue.

The sugar was brown sugar meant for commoners. I asked if he didn’t prefer the refined white sugar favored by nobles, and he said he liked this better. The natural sweetness of the plant goes well with coffee. Though I thought he was eccentric, I actually agreed.

I took a hardened lump of sugar, stirred it once without dissolving it completely, and brought it over. That way, the sugar would slowly dissolve as he drank, and the last sip would be a sweet reward.

As I placed the two cups of coffee on the table, I noticed sandwiches already there—apparently brought out from Ruifeng’s bag.

“Dinner?”

“Yeah, I missed my meal, so I bought it on the way.”

“You should have eaten before coming… You have some for me too, right?”

“Of course.”

There were three ham and cheese hot sandwiches and three dessert sandwiches mixed with cream butter and fruit. After lining them up, Ruifeng looked around curiously.

"Huh? Is Norman Smith out?"

"Norman won’t be around for a while. He’s hospitalized in the West District hospital."

“Eh!”

Ruifeng stood up with a bigger voice than expected. I wondered why he was so flustered and munched on a sandwich while explaining,

"He might be able to get treatment for his eyes. Count Granado introduced him to it. There aren’t many successful cases yet, but it shouldn’t get worse, so we might as well try."

"So, he won’t be back tonight?"

“Not tonight, or anytime soon. He’s been gone since last week and will be away for two or three months. Thanks to that, I’ve gotten really good at making coffee.”

Before I finished speaking, Ruifeng threw on his cloak. Watching him, I suddenly realized something and burst out laughing.

“What, are you being polite? Now? Ahahaha!”

“Of course. If I knew you lived alone, even I wouldn’t visit at this hour.”

“I don’t remember ever being welcoming during the day either. And now? Hahaha, you’re surprisingly a proper gentleman in that regard, huh?”

Ruifeng scratched his cheek awkwardly as I laughed at him.

He had just asked to sleep in my bed a moment ago. But it was all a joke; he just wanted to see if I’d blush.

――It’s been four months since I left the Baron Chadelan family. I’ve been living in this Artisan District dressed as a boy.