# Chapter 45
Chapter 45
“This way, please.
Olivia opened the door to the room and welcomed Raphael.
She prepared the tea herself.
She took some black tea leaves from a silver container with a beautiful ruby handle.
Cayena instructed her to serve Raphael, a strong drink.
“I hope this suits your taste.
The fact that the princess's lady-in-waiting made her tea meant that he was a valued guest.
Raphael received the cup of tea.
The black tea inside the cup was very dark.
Its scent was strong but not irritating.
He realized that it was the tea he gave Cayena last time.
“Heavily brewed black tea.”
Olivia couldn't know his preferences since this was their first date.
This meant that Princess Cayena must have informed her beforehand.
Raphael felt that Cayena was becoming more difficult to understand.
She acted like she wanted to appeal to his good side, but at the same time, she wasn't really interested in him.
When Olivia noticed his subtle expression, she asked, “Would you like me to make you a different kind of tea?”
Raphael's gaze briefly moved away from the cup.
He looked at Olivia and said calmly, “No.
I like this one.”
Baston responded briskly as if to make up for his earlier rudeness.
“The flavor of this tea is top quality!
— Olivia laughed at the overly passionate words.
“I am happy.
Olivia chose a suitable topic to talk about before Cayena arrived.
“I heard that you are donating a building for the imperial academy.
This place means a lot to me.
When she was a student, the Kedrey Duchy decided to sponsor her.
Baston asked with an interested expression, “Did you attend the imperial academy?”
“For a very short time.
That's when the duchy decided to sponsor me.
“Ha!
Your paths have been intertwined for a long time, huh?
Isn't it wonderful, Master?
“Of course, — Raphael replied, not feeling any surprise.
Olivia was confused when she saw Raphael's cold look.
What part of this man was supposed to be a gentleman?
"It would only make sense if you called him that because he doesn't flirt with women.
But if so, aren't the standards for being a gentleman too low?"
“Do you have any requests?
Would you like a tour of the palace?
Raphael firmly refused.
“I'll wait here.
Olivia wondered if it was uncomfortable for him to be around the woman he was almost engaged to.
“If you feel uncomfortable, I will call another lady-in-waiting.
Raphael replied mechanically: — No.
Forgive me, I was being rude.
Olivia knew from the beginning that he didn't favor her.
He wasn't particularly arrogant, but his attitude wasn't pleasant either.
“When will His Highness come?”
At that moment, the door opened and a servant entered.
“His Highness has arrived.
Everyone stood up from their seats as if they were waiting for the servant's notification.
When Cayena entered the room, the uncomfortable and strange air that filled the room disappeared as if it had never been there.
Olivia greeted her with a sigh of relief.
“Welcome, Your Highness.
“Good job, Olivia.
I'm a little late, aren't I?
Cayena looked around the inside of the room and patted Olivia on the shoulder encouragingly.
“As expected, you did well.
Olivia was a little embarrassed.
Even the teachers at the academy did not praise her.
In her house, everyone considered her abilities to be normal, so she was never praised for such trifles.
She hurriedly thanked the princess as her ears felt a little warm.
“Thank you, Your Highness.
At that time, Raphael quickly glanced at Olivia and then greeted Cayena politely.
“Raphael Kedrey respectfully greets His Highness.
He bowed so deeply that Cayena rushed to help him up.
“It's good to see you, Sir Raphael.
Raphael courteously kissed the back of Cayena's hand.
Baston, who was watching, covered his mouth with both hands.
“Eep, our master and…!”
It was the first time he saw Raphael paying respect by kissing the back of a lady's hand.
Baston looked at the scene with his heart racing.
But, at that moment, Cayena was not deluded.
"...he was like this last time too.
Why is he suddenly acting so strange?"
She even heard others speculate that she had some dirt on Raphael.
“I molested Raphael without knowing it?”
However, I don'tNo matter how much she thought about it, she didn't remember planning anything against him.
Olivia, reading the mood in the room, lowered her head.
“I'll be waiting outside, Your Highness.
“Oh?
You don't need…
But before Cayena finished speaking, Raphael followed Olivia.
“Until next time, Miss.
Grace.
As if she had been expecting it, Olivia replied politely, “Yes.
Then, I'll leave now.”
Cayena looked back and forth between the two.
“The atmosphere is a little strange.”
She thought that as long as the two knew each other, their relationship would remain normal.
However, they didn't seem to enjoy their time together as much as she had hoped.
“Your Highness.
Cayena was looking at the door Olivia came out of.
She turned her head when she heard herself being called.
Raphael held her hand and led her to the sofa.
Cayena suddenly felt an unusual gaze on her.
Baston was looking at her wickedly with the corner of his mouth slightly raised.
“You brought someone besides Jeremy today.
He looks a little familiar.
“I am Baston Debora, Your Highness!
"So this is Baston.
A fun person has arrived."
Considering she had only read about him in the novel, it was interesting to see him in real life.
“Pleasure to meet you.
“Thank you for this honor!
— Baston shouted when he saw the two extremely beautiful people sitting close to each other.
“No painting could match the scene in front of me.”
Cayena had her hair tied up and was wearing a cream-colored dress, exposing her collarbones.
The skirt of the dress looked elegant as it had a relaxed shape rather than being fluffy.
Even Raphael was wearing brighter colored clothes than usual.
As if the two had planned, their clothes matched well.
Baston patted himself on the back for recommending the cream shirt to Raphael.
“They keep pretending there’s nothing there, but what is that if not a romantic interest?”
Baston could practically see a pink aura between the two.
“Please don't worry about me doing something senseless.
I'm aware you're busy,” Raphael assured.
Cayena waved her hand.
— Sir, you are my most important guest.
With those words, Baston closed his mouth.
It was because he felt like he was going to make a fool of himself by speaking lightly.
Raphael knew that her words didn't have a sweet, secret meaning.
Still, it was good to hear them.
Cayena checked the items on the table and said:
“It seems there aren't enough refreshments.
Are you hungry?
He'd felt it before, but sometimes—often—it seemed like Cayena looked out for others as if they were much younger than her.
This was the case even though most of the people around her were older than her.
“I am fine.
“Was there a lack of hospitality on the part of my lady-in-waiting?
I hoped you two would get along.
She will be the one who represents me in the future.
Raphael noticed that Cayena cared considerably for her lady-in-waiting.
“You esteem her.
“I’m just trying to feel better, though.”
Cayena thought that perhaps this would allow her to repent of her past sins.
She thought she was being selfish.
But if she didn't take care of Olivia, her heart would be very heavy.
Now, it was time to begin today's meeting in earnest.
“I was surprised to find out that the academy suddenly decided to build a new building in my name.
When she found out, she was genuinely surprised.
It was enough to make her forget herself and speak vulgarly.
Raphael, on the other hand, had wondered how to meet the princess casually.
Jeremy advised him to buy her an early birthday present.
It was pretty decent advice.
“I wasn't sure what kind of gift would be appropriate for your coming of age, so perhaps my choice was inappropriate.
I would be happy if you liked it.
Raphael was the first man to give her a gift that honored her instead of a dress or jewelry.
If she had been the same villain as before, she would never have received such an honorable gift.
Since Raphael gave her a gift, it must have meant that Cayena was behaving correctly.
“I was a little surprised by the unexpected gift, but I appreciate it.
His words and his smile were sincere.
Raphael finally admitted it to himself.
He liked seeing Cayena's smile.
To be precise, he liked to see the smileher, when it was addressed to him.
The smile for Olivia was…
On impulse, he spoke again.
“Should I build another one?
“… excuse me?
“A theater.
Or a store, in the name of Your Highness…