Chapter 45

#045 Living Twice (3)

Life is unpredictable.

Until yesterday, I thought it was nice to be able to have meals with Kanael, Béngemang, and Demy, but this morning, I came down for breakfast of my own accord.

Of course, it wasn’t a buffet, which is common in modern times.

I was sitting around a round table with Kristel, Sir Elizaveta, Prince Sedric, and myself.

The meal was generally conducted in a calm manner.

It would have been quite noisy under other circumstances, but the four of us had some kind of agreement before returning to the inn last night.

When the plates on the table were almost empty, the prince put down his utensils.

I took a large bite of a freshly baked croissant with whipped cream and blackcurrant jam for a palate cleanser.

“It’s really delicious.”

I said it softly, but Kristel smiled at me.

At that moment, someone knocked on the restaurant door.

-Knock knock

“Come in.”

In response to Sir Elizaveta’s words, a woman appeared.

Behind her were five guards. The prince had called for the innkeeper.

“Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Penethian, Viscount Mute, and Lady Sarnez.”

Clothine Green, the innkeeper, who had entered the restaurant, bowed deeply.

I carefully examined her face.

She seemed to be in her mid-thirties and had guided the prince to his room herself yesterday. Indeed, she had a gentle appearance like the inn employee Maurice.

It was hard to imagine that she would do 'such a thing.'

“I want to express my gratitude for the hospitality of Luka Village and the Chiffre Inn.”

“I am honored, Your Highness. Our efforts were nothing compared to the grace we receive from you.”

In response to the prince’s praise, Clothine bowed her head even lower, humbly.

I had heard she was a commoner, but perhaps because she had experience dealing with nobles and royalty, her attitude and tone were elegant.

The prince, narrowing his orange eyes slightly, delivered his prepared line.

“So, I’m thinking of staying one more day.”

“...Pardon?”

Clothine raised her head in a slightly flustered voice, then quickly lowered her eyes again upon realizing who she was speaking to.

“Lady Sarnez has only recently recovered from her illness and is feeling tired, so it would be good to rest a bit more.”

His deep voice, which was not just cold but chilling, seemed to make sense to Clothine, as she nodded repeatedly.

It was a well-known story in the empire that Kristel had been asleep for three years.

Our outing last night was a secret known only to Béngemang and David.

“I will do my best to repay Your Highness’s trust!”

Clothine said in a higher and brighter voice. The prince silently turned his gaze away from her.

Taking that as a signal, the guards led her out of the restaurant.

Next, the inn staff lined up to enter, to clear the dishes and serve dessert.

While Kristel was pretending to have anemia, saying “Ah, this iron deficiency anemia,” I carefully scrutinized the faces of the staff.

I found him.

“Hello, Maurice.”

“Yes, Prince, did you sleep well?”

Maurice, startled by my call, hunched his shoulders.

I smiled and watched as he placed a tulip-shaped cookie with sherbet on it.

As the staff bowed and were about to leave the restaurant,

“I have something to discuss about what happened yesterday.”

I stopped him, not forgetting to wave my right palm.

He nodded vigorously and approached me.

The departing staff, thinking I was scolding Maurice, quickly averted their eyes and closed the restaurant door.

-Click

Kanael, who had been standing quietly, quickly locked the door handle.

Maurice blinked his deer-like eyes in fear.

“Is your hand okay?”

“Pardon? Yes, yes. All thanks to you, Prince. I am grateful for your kindness.”

“It’s fortunate. Then I have another question.”

“Yes, ask anything, Viscount.”

He politely clasped his hands together. I looked him straight in the eye and spoke.

“About the incident last night where a man named Felix intimidated a tavern owner. I want to hear an explanation.”

The young man took a sharp breath.

He cautiously raised his eyes, then instantly turned pale upon realizing we were all looking at him.

*

“So, Clothine Green is Maurice’s aunt.”

“Yes. There isn’t much of an age difference... My grandfather and aunt took me in when I became an orphan.”

Maurice explained.

He was sitting awkwardly in a small chair, being interrogated by us.

The ‘aunt’ he spoke of was the person who ran the inn before Clothine inherited it.

According to Béngemang, this person had been caught by Cardinal Boutier, who was staying here, for extorting money from the villagers through nefarious means.

Frederick, the emperor, who was with him, immediately sent him to the castle prison, which was over a decade ago.

After that, Clothine, the criminal’s daughter, took charge of the inn.

“The ‘commission’ is... the money the Chiffre Inn collects from the villagers. Whenever royalty or high nobles visit, my aunt sends people to the night market and shops to collect it.”

Sir Elizaveta’s face showed shock.

“Surely, you’re not taking a portion of the gifts the prince has bestowed upon the villagers?”

“Yes, Viscount.”

Maurice answered with a sad expression. His voice, filled with guilt, grew heavier.

“The esteemed guests always give valuable items to the villagers as a token of appreciation for their welcome. My aunt believes this is a stroke of luck made possible by the Chiffre Inn. Without the inn, these guests wouldn’t come here, and the villagers wouldn’t receive the gifts.”

We four people frowned simultaneously upon hearing his explanation.

Clothine’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

Given that the inn had occasionally hosted royalty and high nobles over the years, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that the gifts were a result of the inn’s presence.

However, that didn’t justify taking the villagers’ money.

Moreover, the villagers weren’t just sitting around.

I had heard that from the moment our schedule was announced, they had been cleaning the streets at dawn and decorating the village beautifully.

No one had paid them to do this; they had even baked bread for the guards.

Even the bouquet the prince received yesterday was made from flowers the villagers had grown and carefully selected.

“I have committed a grave sin, Your Highness. I tried to persuade my aunt many times, but... it was in vain. Please, punish me first, punish me first.”

Maurice bowed deeply, his whole body trembling.

He was 13 when his grandfather was sent to prison.

With no family left except his aunt and being a minor, it would have been difficult to change the situation.

If he had to pay for the inn’s medicine, I could guess how he was treated by Clothine.

“Just from your story, I can’t be sure.”

The prince, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. Maurice’s back stiffened.

I noticed his sunset-colored irises burning with quiet anger.

“I will host a luncheon. Summon the village representatives.”

He declared. This marked the start of phase two of the operation.

*

Following Prince Sedric’s praise of Clothine Green and his announcement of an additional night’s stay, he invited two village representatives to a luncheon.

Anyone could see that the prince was extremely satisfied with the village and the inn’s service.

Thanks to this, the palace chef who accompanied the prince was busy all day.

Everything was going well until...

“...”

“...”

The problem was that the two middle-aged village representatives, seated in the inn’s restaurant, were too terrified to say a word.

I smiled bitterly as I looked at them.

Kristel, sitting opposite me, was deep in thought.

If the only person they were wary of was the prince, the situation would have been different.

I would have suggested the prince ease up a bit.

However, what they were clearly aware of was...

“The main dish, Coquembains. Enjoy your meal.”

...her. Clothine Green was serving us with a warm smile.

Given the special occasion, I initially thought she was just personally serving us as the innkeeper.

But within five minutes of the appetizer being served, I realized her purpose was different.

The middle-aged men would bury their noses in their plates whenever they accidentally met her eyes, and Clothine would linger her gaze on them each time.

With a face full of kindness, she was silently intimidating the village representatives.

It was a warning not to say anything out of turn.

The prince quietly observed the table.

To hear the village representatives’ stories, we needed to get Clothine out of the room first.

As I was thinking, I saw Kristel whisper something to Sir Elizaveta, who was sitting next to her.

‘Pretend to be sick.’

It was a simple and clear mouth movement.

Sir Elizaveta’s gray eyes widened in surprise.

She pointed to herself with her index finger and moved her lips.

‘Me?’

‘Yes, pretend to be sick.’

Kristel winked alternately with her left and right eyes. Impressive. I can’t do that with both eyes.

“Hmm.”

Sir Elizaveta gave a low, fake cough.

She bit her lip slightly, looking embarrassed and silly at the sudden need to act.

I watched her, feeling tense.

“Oh... sudden... stomachache...”

I quickly pretended to wipe my mouth with a napkin to avoid laughing.

I saw the prince adjust his knife at the sudden performance.

Are you okay? You were quite surprised too, right?

“Oh, Viscount. Are you alright?”

Clothine, who had been explaining the food, stopped mid-sentence and asked Sir Elizaveta.

At that moment, our protagonist, MC Kristel, took over.

She stroked the viscount’s hair and cheeks repeatedly, then began her dramatic performance with a sorrowful face.

“As the head of the palace guard, Viscount Mute has not only assisted Your Highness but also helped me, who is weak, in every way. I’ve been inconsiderate. I should send the viscount back to her room and arrange for someone to attend to her, so she can rest comfortably, Your Highness.”

Wow... did that come out as an ad-lib? As I gaped, the prince nodded at Clothine.

“The viscount is my friend, so you should look after her personally.”

“Yes? Yes, Your Highness. I will do my best.”

She seemed momentarily flustered but dared not argue with the prince’s command.

To an outsider, Sir Elizaveta’s red face, with her lips tightly pressed, might have seemed quite alarming.

Clothine immediately supported her and left the restaurant.

Soon, only Kristel, the prince, Béngemang, Kanael, David, and the two village representatives remained in the room.

Kanael, standing behind us, whispered urgently to me.

“Prince, just now, George was really in pain...”

The boy’s face had turned unusually pale.

George? Talking about Sir Elizaveta?

“Sir Elizaveta is fine. It’s just a feigned illness, so don’t worry, Kanael.”

I hurriedly reassured Kanael.

His golden eyes blinked slowly and then calmed down.

A clear, sky-like smile appeared. Someone still believes that act.

I smiled back and turned my gaze to Kristel.

“...Thank you for the summary, Lady Sarnez.”

“You’re welcome. Please treat Sir Elizaveta to a big meal later. It will be tiring for her to keep up the act.”

Her slate-gray eyes sparkled brilliantly.

I smiled and looked at today’s guests.

The two middle-aged men were staring at us with almost dazed expressions. Well, they must have been quite surprised.

“I know the general situation from Maurice.”

I spoke without hesitation. From now on, it was a speed game.