# Chapter 38
Even in Edmund's own eyes, his appearance at that moment seemed pitiful.
He was curled up in the corner of the restaurant for fear of being discovered, without touching the food in front of him, eavesdropping on Olivia and Gallerhead's conversation.
If someone had asked him if he was the prince, he would have been ashamed to admit it.
“In the temple, there was a librarian named Ruan. He taught me a lot of things.”
Olivia looked happy as she chewed the meat with her small lips.
'So, she likes beef.'
“We should increase beef on the lunch menu.”
"…What?"
Felix asked in surprise, but Edmund did not answer and returned his focus to Olivia.
“Aryan, Nicaean, ancient language, I learned it all in the temple.”
“And statistics too?”
“Yes. Statistics, mathematics, diplomacy, politics, law. I love learning, so I read and learned everything I could.”
No wonder she's so smart.
Edmund nodded calmly.
Olivia talked endlessly about her life at the temple, what was difficult and what was fun.
“The winter was very cold! Mr. Rowan used to boil water in a large kettle every day in the library to keep us warm.”
“Wow, right. It was like that with us too.”
They seemed to get along well.
“…Felix, we should send a donation to the temple.”
“As you wish.”
Felix sighed resignedly as he shoved the swollen pasta into his mouth.
“I heard that Olivia has had a crush on His Highness Edmund for a long time.”
When Gallerhead uttered these words, Edmund felt his heart suddenly sink. How will Olivia respond? Would you say she had a crush? Or was she serious?
Or is she still in love? Between his rapid heartbeats, Olivia's loud voice rang out.
“I was wrong for a while!”
Wrong. One word shook his heart in a different way.
“I will never have a relationship with him!”
This was followed by Galarhyde's laughter.
“Your Highness, be patient. Do not interfere no matter what.”
"…Know."
Felix carefully placed the fork down as he watched his boss. He thought it a miracle in itself that Edmund had not risen now, given his character.
“Let's get up.”
What is he doing here?
Edmund suddenly felt frustrated. What did he expect from someone he didn't love, from a girl who confessed her love to him and was annoying all the time?
'I'm not upset that Olivia doesn't love me.'
If Olivia saw him like this, she would definitely think, as Felix said, that he was acting clingy. Before he became more miserable, before he was discovered, it was best that he leave.
At that moment, clearly directed words reached his ears.
“Eating in the same restaurant with a foreigner.”
“Basically, why does the garbage come here?”
“A prince with Vogelich blood running through his veins, what a shame.”
“How can we pay homage to the son of a foreigner and an imperialist as emperor? No matter what his abilities, this is unacceptable. "He should be grateful to be treated like a prince."
Words he had heard since his birth echoed in his ears. The disgusting looks that followed him, the voices that cursed his red eyes.
Although the emperor legally prohibited discrimination against Voglich, Galerheid said, this ingrained prejudice did not change.
Then a powerful arm rose in an arc into the air. Olivia was in front of him, curled up like a feline facing a predator, her eyes closed tightly.
His body moved before he could think.
“You look like you want to die.”
When he stood in front of them, Olivia opened her eyes wide in surprise and looked up at him, blinking. Her clear blue eyes reflected his image like a lake.
But they quickly cooled down. The eyes that used to shine like a lake under the sunlight when he saw him were now like stagnant water without a breath of air.
anger. Does she love that man so much that she doesn't care about her body? Do you want to protect him?
He didn't understand why he felt angry, but in the end he left the place first.
“Your Highness.”
"…the curse."
annoying.
As soon as he left the restaurant, Edmund hit a wall for no reason.
His clenched fist was visibly shaking.
He looked behind him, but there was no sign of Olivia leaving.
“Didn't she seem to force herself to greet you because of Galerhead?”
“…It seemed so.”
Felix remembered Olivia's attitude. She was the bold girl who expressed her feelings without hesitation, even when her boss scolded her or ignored her.
They say that it is not the cold wind that makes the traveler take off his coat, but the warm sun.
That girl was like the sun in old stories. It seemed like spring had finally come for his seemingly unconcerned boss, but now that she was giving her light to another man, it was no wonder Edmond was upset.
“Hmm, Your Highness.”
"What?"
Edmund replied in a nervous tone as he kicked a small pebble on the ground. But Felix, who had served him for fifteen years, knew that he was anxiously waiting for Olivia to leave, but this would not work.
“May I have a word of advice?”
“Huh? When did you ask for permission to speak?”
correct. Felix shrugged and opened his mouth.
“Did you know? The cold wind does not make a traveler take off his coat.”
“What nonsense is this all of a sudden?”
“It's the warm sun that makes him take it off.”
Edmund looked at Felix with a frown, unable to understand what his guard knight was saying.
“This is a fairy tale I read when I was young. Why do you mention it now?”
“Don't you understand?”
Felix pointed his chin at the entrance to the restaurant. Galerhyde and Olivia were walking out together, laughing happily.
“The cold wind, the warm sun, and the traveler’s coat.”
Felix pointed to Edmund, Gallerhead, and Olivia respectively.
“If you continue to complain like this, you will not make the traveler take off his coat, but will make him wrap it up tightly.”
“What are you talking about?”
As Edmund grumbled incomprehension, he heard Olivia's cheerful voice: “Wow, I love it!”
Do you like? from? Galerhead?
Edmund felt his heart sink. When he followed them in shock, he saw Olivia holding a bagel covered in sugar and laughing.
“Ha, you scared me.”
She was talking about bread.
His heart, which had stopped for a moment, began beating madly again.
“Your Highness, don’t you really understand what I’m saying?”
Felix sighed after Edmund, who followed them in shock.
“Stop denying your feelings.”
“I… I like that little one?”
“From your reaction, it seems that your feelings go deeper than just admiration.”
At Felix's words, Edmund let out a sigh and turned around.
“A girl like a cat, am I?”
“Pussy or something, she's cute, isn't she?”
“Nice!”
Edmund moved, as if he did not want to hear any more, heading toward the palace, away from Olivia and Gallerhead.
“Aren’t you going to follow them more?”
“Why would I?”
“Didn't you follow them because you were curious?”
“I said I was just angry.”
His clenched fist was shaking, but Felix could see that Edmund was still unaware of his feelings, or perhaps refusing to acknowledge them.
“Your Highness, really?”
Edmund's quick steps stopped at Felix's words.
"You'll really regret it. What if Olivia starts a relationship with Gallerhead?"
"Arelationship? Are they dating?"
Edmund's face turned pale in an instant.
“How did you feel when you heard they were dating? Much worse than before, right?”
"You love her, Your Highness. You love Olivia."
Felix shrugged again.
“Well, I like it.”
"Yes."
“Me, that feline… no, the little one?”
“I've served you for fifteen years, haven't I?”
Felix laughed and said: “Sometimes, feelings are clear to others, but the owner does not see them.”
'Love her?' 'I love Olivia?'
Edmund muttered to himself, feeling his body heating up. His heartbeat exceeded the limit.