See You at the Market
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Octavian only realized it after the Imperial Festival had ended.
Everything had seemed perfect.
He had left a hidden gap that no one knew about, and something was bound to slip through it.
The festival should have descended into chaos, and the blame should have fallen squarely on Kyle.
…Yet for some reason, the festival had concluded peacefully from start to finish without a single disturbance.
‘…This is strange. Something should have gotten in.’
Octavian furrowed his brow deeply.
The gap he had created was certainly wide enough for someone to exploit.
So why had nothing happened?
It was as if whatever had slipped through had been erased without a sound or trace.
What drove him even more insane was the next piece of news.
“Have you heard, Your Highness? They say the Lowenheim Commander received a title.”
“…A title? What nonsense is that?”
“His Majesty personally bestowed it. Something about great merit during the festival. They even granted him a residence inside the Imperial Palace.”
…Crash!
The wine glass in Octavian’s hand fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
“…What did you say?”
…Merit? That lowborn man had earned merit?
What merit? Nothing had happened at the festival. So how could that man receive a title and even a residence?
‘…This is absurd.’
Octavian’s hands trembled violently.
He had tried to bring him down.
He had wanted to drag that petty reputation through the mud in front of the entire world.
Yet the result was the complete opposite.
The man had climbed even higher instead.
…He had even obtained a residence inside the Imperial Palace, burrowing deeper into the imperial family’s inner circle.
This wasn’t bringing him down—it was practically pushing him upward with his own hands!
‘…How? How could this happen!’
Unable to contain his boiling rage, Octavian slammed his fist against the innocent table.
= = = = =
The moment Victoria heard that Kyle had been granted a title and residence, her mind filled with a single thought.
‘…A residence. A residence, of all things.’
Victoria paced her room, desperately trying to suppress the corners of her mouth that kept twitching upward.
That man now had his own residence inside the Imperial Palace.
That meant she could see him up close whenever she wanted from now on.
She wouldn’t even need to go all the way to the market.
If she felt like it, she could simply run straight to his residence.
And more than anything—
‘…If that residence comes with a proper kitchen.’
Victoria’s eyes sparkled brightly.
A spacious, well-equipped kitchen.
Kyle would cook his delicious dishes there, and she would stand beside him, chopping vegetables and stirring pots.
Then they would sit together and share the meal they had made.
Just imagining it made her chest feel warm and fluffy.
‘…Yes. We can’t just give him any old residence. Absolutely not.’
Victoria nodded with a determined expression.
She couldn’t let that man’s residence be chosen carelessly.
She had to personally select the very best one for him—especially one with the finest kitchen.
…The problem was the justification.
Why would a mere princess take such interest in a subordinate’s residence?
If someone asked, what would she say?
‘…Hmm. Yes, that would work.’
A sly smile spread across Victoria’s lips.
…She had the perfect excuse ready.
Victoria immediately swept her skirts and headed straight for the Emperor.
“…Father!”
“…Oh, my Victoria. What brings you here in such a hurry?”
Victoria approached the Emperor’s side with light steps and smiled sweetly with the face of a beloved youngest daughter.
“…Father, I have a request.”
“…Hoho. What request is it this time? Go on, tell me.”
“It’s about Commander Lowenheim receiving a residence.”
Victoria put on a deliberately serious expression.
“…Now that I think about it, the Commander is the one who saved my life. So I wish to repay that kindness, even just a little.”
“…Repay him?”
“Yes. Therefore, if it is not too presumptuous, I would like to personally choose the residence where he will stay. It would not do to give my savior a shabby place.”
Victoria laid out her plausible justification while smiling inwardly in triumph.
…Yes. This was simply proper courtesy toward the one who had saved her life.
A reason no one could possibly object to.
“…Hohoho. How admirable of you.”
The Emperor burst into hearty laughter with a pleased face.
“To think you know how to repay kindness. Very well, very well. Do as you wish. You may personally inspect and decide on the Commander’s residence.”
“…I am deeply grateful, Father!!”
Victoria cheered inwardly.
…It was done.
Now she had a legitimate reason to choose that man’s residence with her own hands.
Victoria’s steps as she left the Emperor’s presence felt as light as walking on clouds.
‘…Now then. Let’s see what we can find.’
All sorts of images were already forming in Victoria’s mind.
A place with plenty of sunlight and a lovely garden.
Above all, a place with a large, splendid kitchen.
So that man could cook to his heart’s content, and she could be there beside him.
‘…Hehe, yes. The kitchen must be the very best.’
Victoria smiled to herself, completely absorbed in her imagination.
…She had claimed it was repayment for saving her life, but the one who would benefit most from that residence was none other than Victoria herself.
There was no need to say that out loud.
= = = = =
The day to move into the new residence had finally arrived.
Honestly, my heart felt strangely unsettled.
A title and a residence inside the Imperial Palace.
It was far more than I deserved.
Yet it didn’t make me purely happy, because it also meant the distance between me and escape had grown even greater.
‘…Sigh. What can I do? I’ll just have to go see it.’
With a single bundle of belongings slung over my shoulder, I stepped out of my quarters with heavy steps.
Just as I was trudging toward the new residence—
“…Huhu. What’s with that face? Why do you look so tense?”
…Gasp.
This voice—
I looked up in surprise.
As expected, leaning against a corridor pillar in the distance, Victoria was smiling at me.
“…Your Highness. What brings you here?”
“…Huhu. I was waiting for you.”
…Waiting? What scheme was this now?
I instinctively took a step back.
Whenever this princess smiled with that meaningful expression, something always happened.
“…W-what is it? Do you have another order?”
“An order? There’s no need to be so wary.”
Victoria approached with light steps, looking oddly excited.
“…I happen to have something to introduce you to. Come along.”
“…Huh? Introduce? What are you—”
“…No more questions. Hurry.”
Without waiting for an answer, Victoria began walking ahead.
With no choice, I followed behind her in a daze.
After walking for quite some time, we arrived at—
“…Here.”
…It was a cozy, charming residence.
Sunlight streamed in warmly, and beautiful flowers bloomed in the small garden.
At a glance, it looked incredibly neat and pleasant to live in.
“…W-where is this?”
“…Huhu. Where else? This is the residence you will be staying in from now on.”
…What?
…My residence?
“…Well? Go on inside. I wonder if you’ll like it.”
In a daze, I followed Victoria inside.
As I looked around, my eyes stopped at one particular spot.
…The kitchen.
And what a magnificent kitchen it was.
Spacious, filled with sunlight, and equipped with every cooking utensil imaginable.
The stove was large, the workspace ample.
It was on par with any kitchen I had worked in during my previous life.
“…T-this is—”
Without realizing it, I walked toward the kitchen as if entranced.
…This was perfect.
With a kitchen like this, I could cook anything I wanted.
“…Do you like it?”
Suddenly, Victoria’s voice came from behind me.
When I turned around, she was looking up at me with a slightly flushed face.
“…Ah, yes. It’s… just so wonderful. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised.”
“…I-is that so.”
A bright smile tried to form on Victoria’s lips.
“…Y-yes. I’m glad you like it.”
As she spoke, her cheeks had turned noticeably red.
…Come to think of it, we were standing quite close now.
In the narrow kitchen, standing side by side, our shoulders were almost touching.
An awkward silence suddenly fell.
Victoria seemed about to say something, her lips parting slightly.
But when our eyes met, her face grew even redder.
“…Ahem. Ahem!”
Victoria suddenly cleared her throat and quickly turned away.
“…A-anyway! If you like the residence, then that’s that!”
“…Huh? Ah, yes.”
“…A-and also.”
Still facing away, she hesitated for a moment before carefully speaking.
“…T-tonight. Let’s meet at the market.”
“…What?”
“…N-no more questions! Just remember that!”
Victoria snapped and quickly scurried out of the residence.
I stared blankly at her retreating figure before letting out a small chuckle.
She really was a mystery sometimes.
Still, it wasn’t unpleasant.
“…Sure. Let’s do that. See you at the market tonight.”
Left alone in the empty residence, I muttered quietly to myself.
Then I turned my gaze back to the magnificent kitchen and began to think.
What should I cook tonight?