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 ti 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 ca to the bedroom, handed over the docunts and frowned. That was the sound I heard as soon as he saw . 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 docunt.
Woo Seo-hyuk, who looked down at 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 asure 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 seed 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 to go with you?
It was an opportunity to et the team mbers who would be sowhere in this space. With that in mind, I closed the docunt 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 mont as I expressed my opinion to sohow escape the castle, opened his mouth.
“Do you want to et 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 speechless in bewildernt and gathered the docunts 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 with his body.
“Please wait, Prince.”
Woo Seo-hyuk looked at , 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 seed 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 ca as if they t a celebrity.
Those people must also be victims of being ntal 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 , asked 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 welcod 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 sowhere. I couldn’t imagine Ha Tae-heon being bullied.
According to the fairy tale, after being bullied by her stepmother and step-sisters, she t a fairy and ca to the ballroom… Would I et soone 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 et not only Ha Tae-heon but also Min Ah-rin.
But even if we et, 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 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 mont after stopping the explanation, continued.
“There are a lot of troubleso personalities in this family, so I recomnd the Prince to not go out of the carriage.”
Troubleso personalities? (피곤한 성격들이라고?, it seems weird to use ‘tired personalities)
After seven hours of wasting ti, 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 overco 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 and followed .
“Han Yi-gyeol.”
“I finally et you.”
Ha Tae-heon wasn’t surprised as if he expected to co. Like , 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 .
“Have you ever t any other team mbers? The Requiem mbers.”
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 t.”
“Yes? Who is it? Where?”
That was when Ha Tae-heon, who was hesitating looking at , was just about to answer. The sound of footsteps rang out and the door of the house flew open at the sa ti.
“The Prince has co, is our maknae welcoming you?”
“I can’t believe the Prince has co 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 n 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 with similar smiles on their faces gave 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 et, it hurts no matter how much your try to hide.”
Cheon Sa-yeon, who saw 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 ti.
“I think maknae and the Prince have a very special relationship?”
“Last night, he didn’t do any work and secretly went sowhere, 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 ti 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 ti, 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 .
“It is an honour to et you like this, Prince.”
“……”
That greeting made 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.
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