Chapter 26: Just The Two of Us
The errand boy grumbled for two days after the last visit of the Lion King, repeatedly complaining about how unfair it all was. Adeline, tired of hearing him, finally scolded him. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Shut up!”
“There’s no way I would let the princess die!” he snapped back.
Her head throbbed. She valued peace and quiet, but ever since she brought the errand boy into the palace, things had become annoyingly noisy.
“I can’t let anything happen to you. I gathered about 50 of the best killers and stationed them in this palace…”
“Are you crazy?! That’ll arouse suspicion!”
“Princess doesn’t trust me!”
It was absurd to Adeline. She began to wonder if the Ordo Master had some grudge against her, appointing this guy as her assistant. Initially, she had planned to appoint him as her personal guard. There might have been some suspicion, but she figured she could tell people he was the knight who protected her in Nova. However, to her shock, this guy arrived at her palace as a chef. When she saw him pushing a tray, wearing a white apron and hat, with a towel around his neck, she was stunned. He settled in the kitchen, dismissing her complaints, insisting the princess’s food might be poisoned. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline rested her chin on her palm as the errand boy set the food on the table. “At least tell me your name. I can’t keep calling you Errand Boy.”
“My name? I didn’t tell you?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Ringo,” he said, setting down a large plate of salad piled high in front of her.
“Ringo,” Adeline repeated, engraving the name in her mind. “Your last name?”
“Ringo. Ah…” he stuttered, clearly unprepared for that question.
He was lying. He was hiding his real name.
Adeline’s lips twitched. “Ringo Ringo? What a strange name.”
“Oh, come on!”
“What’s wrong, Ringo Ringo?” she teased.
Ringo pouted and grumbled, “Our names are confidential in the intelligence association. How could I tell you my real name? Anyway, I abandoned it when I joined Ordo.”
“Ringo.”
“Huh?”
“Are you upset that I don’t trust you?”
“Of course!”
Ringo seemed sincere. He told her he had prepared many things for her, and if he explained them all, they’d have to stay up all night. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“I guess Ordo doesn’t trust me,” Adeline mused.
Ringo’s constant chatter suddenly stopped.
“They’re still probing whether I’m someone worth using, whether what I do will be helpful to Ordo. They don’t trust me, so they keep testing me.”
“Princess…”
“I trust you. At least as much as you trust me.”
It was a subtle way of saying she didn’t trust him much at all.
Ringo narrowed his already squinting eyes as he looked at her.
The guy was also a man whose true feelings were unknown. His ever-present smile was unexpectedly unnerving.
“I like you, Princess. Really. I like Adeline Vita Marma. I don’t think you’re pitiful or scary. I just like you. If I could, I’d want you to be my little sister and cherish you.”
“Thank you for that,” she said dryly.
“Have some faith. I’ll do better from now on.”
She didn’t respond, only watched as he laid out more plates in silence. Even Ringo, who had been so noisy moments before, suddenly seemed lost in thought. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
A sudden curiosity struck her. “Ringo.”
“Huh?”
“How old are you?”
“Me? Twenty-six.”
Adeline’s lips curled into a smile. “You’re a kid.”
At twenty-eight, Adeline was older than him. It seemed Ringo had sneakily wanted to call her his little sister, even though she was older. So, she teased him until he begrudgingly called her “Older Sister.”
Finally satisfied, Adeline picked up her salad, but something was off.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Ah, Princess, what now…”
“The salad smells fishy.”
Ringo looked at her, incredulous, but when he lifted the lid and brought the plate closer, the distinct smell hit him too. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline scooped some salad and held it out in front of Ringo. “Eat.”
“Strange… I definitely put everything in right. Did I mix up the sauce? I mean, their colors are similar—Hey, but I’m sure, even if it smells like that, it’ll still taste good. All sauces taste the same. Right?”
“Eat it, you punk.”
“Should I just make it again?” he suggested, quietly stepping back.
Adeline eyed Ringo’s spotless apron, still clean despite his supposed cooking, and asked earnestly, “Have you ever cooked before?”
“No.”
“Never?”
“Never,” he repeated, his face full of innocent smiles.
Ringo then burst into a cheerful declaration, insisting that he was smart, could learn anything quickly, and would soon cook like a professional.
“Get out,” Adeline muttered, inwardly vowing to destroy the Ordo master who had assigned Ringo to her. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
***
Check out my Patreon to read advanced chapters!
