The Youngest Prince's Preferences
Q. What food does the youngest prince like?
A. He mainly likes sweet foods. Among them, he prefers butter cookies, tea with honey, and candied fruits. Rather than overly stimulating sweetness, he seems to favor flavors that leave a soft aftertaste in the mouth.
Q. What foods does he dislike?
A. He hates bitter foods, heavily spiced dishes, and tough meats. It's best to avoid fishy-tasting fish as well. He also dislikes vegetables.
Q. His picky eating seems quite severe. Is there no way to correct it?
A. It's best not to force him. (laughs) There was a time the second prince tried to make him eat and they didn't speak for nearly a month.
Q. Does he get upset easily? Does he hold grudges?
A. He doesn't seem to get upset easily. But once his feelings are hurt, it tends to last quite a while.
Q. What is his favorite color?
A. He likes white, light yellow, and pale sky blue tones. It's better to avoid deep reds or dark purples.
Q. Do you know why he avoids those colors?
A. Because the Empress often wears clothes in those shades.
Adelaine's hand, which had been scribbling diligently in her notebook, stopped. She lifted her head and looked at me. Her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to ask something. She bit her lip. A brief silence passed between us. Then she asked a different question.
“I was thinking of giving His Highness a gift… What sort of present would be good?”
I could tell that wasn't the question she'd really wanted to ask. What on earth had she been about to say? What was she hiding inside? What was she thinking? I had no way of knowing.
Anyway, a gift I would want to receive. For a split second, the link to my shadow informant stationed in the Northwestern Alley of the Imperial Capital grew faint. The black-robed figure wearing a white mask paused quietly inside the alley, as if carefully choosing its answer.
A gift. Something I would want to receive. What a strange question. Had I ever thought about that before?
“Is there anything like that?” I muttered, staring up at the ceiling. A faint lantern light swayed in the darkness. I closed my eyes. A moment of silence. Adelaine didn't rush me. She simply waited quietly, notebook in hand. The tip of her pen rested on the paper, ready to jot down my response the instant it came. She really was diligent.
I tightened my hold on the shadow link again. The black robe lifted its head.
“Wouldn't it be better to ask the person himself directly?”
I don't know. I'll leave it to future me. I didn't want to waste precious time on pointless worries.
“Still, if I have to give advice, the process matters more than the object itself.”
“The process?”
“Choosing the gift together.”
“Would he like that?”
“He won't dislike it.”
But would he really go through the trouble? An outing for the prince came with annoying responsibilities. If he got hurt outside, she'd have to bear the full blame. A prince with the mind of a five- or six-year-old. It would be a relief if he didn't get lost.
“Isn't not disliking something different from actually liking it?”
“...He'll probably like it.”
“Probably?”
“He seems weak to the fact that someone spent time for his sake. It looked like he hasn't had many experiences like that.”
“Few experiences like that…”
She smiled softly. “In the future, he'll have plenty. I'll fill that time with my own.”
Our eyes met. What stood before her was clearly just a shadow… yet somehow it felt like our gazes had locked.
“Then I'll take my leave. It was a very satisfying transaction.”
Adelaine pulled a small pouch from her robes. A heavy clink of metal echoed quietly through the alley.
“Haa, one piece of advice.”
“Yes, please.”
“Next time, hide your identity more thoroughly. Unnecessary rumors could start.”
“...Are you worried about me?”
“It's concern for my own safety.”
“Do you think there are people who could harm me?”
“People aren't only killed with swords. Words can kill too.”
“...Is that why you're hiding like this?”
It sounded like Adelaine muttered something, but I couldn't catch it. I almost asked her to repeat herself, then stopped.
“Then farewell.”
I sent her away quickly. There were plenty of other clients waiting.
“Your Highness Noel.”
The maid opened the door with careful deference.
“Uh?”
Still half-asleep, I could only respond with a dumb, groggy question. Rubbing my eyes, I checked the clock and saw it was earlier than my usual wake-up time.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess Ehrenhart has come to visit.”
The door opened wider and Adelaine stepped inside. She held a single folded document in her hand. The moment I saw the imperial seal stamped on it, I swallowed hard.
“Good morning, Your Highness Noel.”
“Adel?”
“You remembered. You even gave me a cute nickname.”
She smiled, clearly pleased.
“It's an honor.”
With that, Adelaine unfolded the document.
“It's an outing permit.”
“An outing?”
“Yes.”
Adelaine spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I wanted to choose a gift for Your Highness together.”
I stared blankly at the paper. Wow. Her follow-through is insane.
“Great!” I shouted with a bright, innocent smile.
“Then you should get ready.”
The maids came in carrying my outdoor clothes.
“Shall I dress you?”
Adelaine casually took the garments from the maid's hands.
My brain completely froze. Sleep fled so fast I felt dizzy.
Wait, what? You're going to dress me?
I was already screaming inside. No matter how well I played the idiot, the person inside this body was a perfectly normal adult man.
When she glanced at the surrounding maids, that single cold, northern gaze was enough. The quick-witted maids bowed and silently slipped out of the room.
Click. The sound of the door closing rang in my ears like a guillotine blade falling.
Wait, why are you sending the maids away?! Why are you all just leaving?!
I screamed internally, practically coughing up blood, but now only Adelaine and I remained in the room.
The biggest problem was my current state. I'd just rolled out of bed, so I was wearing nothing but a thin silk pajama. To change into the outdoor clothes, I'd have to take it off and basically stand there in my underwear.
“N-Noel wants to do it alone! Adel, go outside!”
I clutched the pajama collar dramatically and backed into the corner of the bed. I widened my eyes like a frightened child and shook my head.
But Adelaine didn't waver in the slightest. Instead, she approached the head of the bed as if this were the most obvious step and neatly unfolded the clothes.
“Your Highness, there's no need to feel embarrassed. Once we're married, this is a sight I'll see every day. I don't want anyone but me looking at Your Highness's body.”
“Uh? Married?”
“Yes. So stop being stubborn and come here. There are so many buttons you'd never finish dressing before sunset if you did it alone.”
She was resolute. The unyielding spirit of the northern grand duchess filled the bedroom.
In the end, I was pulled forward like a reluctant child until I stood at the edge of the bed.
Swish. Adelaine's slender fingers began undoing my pajama buttons one by one from the top. Each time a button slipped free, the cool dawn air brushed my bare skin, raising goosebumps.
But what bothered me far more was the feeling of her breath and body heat right in front of my face.
“......”
For a brief moment, Adelaine's fingertips paused. I felt her gaze slide lightly across my chest and shoulders.
This is humiliating. I won't forget this shame.
While her attention was elsewhere, I secretly glared at her with everything I had. When she suddenly looked up, I flinched and quickly widened my eyes in the most innocent expression I could manage. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice.
Did she catch me?!
My heart began pounding wildly. If I was found out, it was over. I quickly dropped my head, fidgeted with my fingers, and layered on the act of being completely intimidated.
“Noel… cold.”
“...I'll dress you right away.”
Adelaine's voice trembled faintly. Maybe it was my imagination, but the tips of her ears looked a little red.
Every time her white fingers brushed my chest, the nape of my neck, or my collarbone while dressing me, every nerve in my body focused on that spot. I thought I might lose my mind.
This was torture. Brutal, cruel torture.
Meanwhile, the woman actually dressing me didn't change her expression at all. She continued tying the ribbons with perfect, earnest focus.
For some reason, that annoyed me even more. Why?
“All done.”
After perfectly adjusting the final knot at my waist, Adelaine stepped back. Only then did I feel like I could breathe again.
She looked at my flushed face and seemed to assume it was just from the effort of getting dressed. Smiling gently, she reached out and stroked my hair.
“You've worked hard, Your Highness.”
“......”
Instead of answering, I simply gave her my brightest, most innocent smile.