I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

140 – Ellis (1)

After Sirien reclaimed the Duchy of Illencia.

One thing that has noticeably improved is Sirien’s culinary delights.

Not to mention the times when we were roaming the battlefield, we ate a ‘normal’ diet during our time at the gate.

The standard for that ordinariness was rough and rustic mercenary food. In many ways, it was food that was far from gourmet.

So whenever I had the chance, I would take her to a good restaurant.

There was no need for that anymore.

Like it or not, the nobility had to maintain their dignity, and Sirien was a noble among nobles.

It’s money that has to be spent anyway. Even while suffering from hard work, you can afford to eat food to your own taste.

Nowadays, not only Reheim but also Edelmarion’s villa employs high-level chefs.

So, the reason Sirien went out to eat was purely her own preference.

You could say it’s one of my few hobbies.

“This is a place recommended by Isabelle. She said that no one in the capital with money has not been here. She said it was a secret restaurant, so I wanted to come here with her.”

The place Sirien brought me to was a restaurant called ‘Anameline’s Wings’.

As I just heard, it was a well-known place in the capital.

Even though it is located in the heart of the capital, it only has a sign with its name on it.

Nevertheless, it was a restaurant with a long history and popularity.

To borrow a description from the original work, it was said, ‘A flavor that cannot be compared to anything I’ve tasted in modern times!’

Ellis came here with the Crown Prince, and it was this that truly began to make her enjoy life in this world.

However, there seemed to be a bit of a commotion in front of the restaurant today.

“Can we at least talk about it? I’m the one who didn’t make the reservation, so I won’t be unreasonable. But please at least send me a message. I’m willing to pay any amount.”

“I’m sorry. We are already fully booked for today and there are no seats available. We will have a hard time accommodating customers who have already entered the store.”

“I see. … … I’m sorry, Ellis. If you walk a little further, there’s a place I know. Would you like to go there?”

“Okay. It’s been a while since I’ve been outside. When will I ever get to come to a place like this again?”

A voice and name I’ve heard somewhere.

Crown Prince. Karzan Edelmar and Ellis.

It seems that he brought her here to do something for Ellis, but suffered a setback.

Instead of the royal uniform he always wore, the Crown Prince wore a somewhat plain-looking formal attire, while Alice wore a neat-looking going-out outfit.

No matter how you look at it, it feels like his private life has been exposed. It didn’t seem like he had any intention of going around bragging that he was the crown prince.

Still, not enough time had passed for me to forget that familiar face.

As we got to know each other, the atmosphere became very awkward.

Should I at least say hello?

Just as I was about to bow my head first, the crown prince raised his hand urgently.

It meant not to do it. Soon a very embarrassed and trembling voice came out.

“I didn’t expect to see you here. Are you on your way in? If it’s just a greeting, don’t worry about it and go.”

“Yes, then. Then what about today… …”

“I know it’s shameless, but I’d appreciate it if you would just leave it at that. I’ll make a separate seat for you later.”

Although the situation was amusing, I had no intention of teasing the crown prince.

So I was thinking of just letting her go and having a meal alone with Sirien.

It was one word from Ellis that changed the situation.

“Huh? I’ve heard that voice before. Is this the person we met last time? I even remember the name. I’m sure… … Rajen Bertus. I think it was that name.”

Sirien’s gaze was fixed on me.

* * *

The place Sirien had reserved was a private room inside ‘Anameline’s Wings’.

At first glance, it seemed like a quiet and cozy room where you could spend time.

I would say it’s a good atmosphere to share a glass or two of simple wine.

But I couldn’t feel even a hint of that good atmosphere, and there were already two more guests in the space that was supposed to be just for two.

‘I’m so uncomfortable… … .’

The weight of the air seemed to press down on my shoulders.

It was heavy. My full plate armor, which was currently undergoing repairs, and the greatsword I had practiced with to become familiar with were not this heavy.

Sirien had the most beautiful, yet artificial smile in the world, and the Crown Prince also had a mask-like expression on his face.

It was horrible. There was no emotion in those two smiles.

The atmosphere created by the strategists who have been waging psychological warfare and secret struggles throughout the original work. I felt as if I had entered a snake pit full of poisonous snakes.

Both Sirien and the Crown Prince seemed to be extremely interested in what was going on between me and Ellis.

In this atmosphere, the only one who was free was Ellis.

At this very moment, I wanted to assert that I too was blind.

“I’ve heard the story. She’s the granddaughter of the palace gardener. I asked my knight about it because I thought I smelled a faint scent of flowers.”

“I guess it was because I had just finished trimming the flowers. I don’t get to go out that often, so I remember all the special days.”

“Did my article commit any indiscretions?”

“Not at all. He even caught me when I was about to fall. If I had done something wrong, I would have been seriously hurt.”

“I see. You held my body… … .”

Sirien’s gaze briefly passes over me.

Today, for some reason, her expression was particularly unreadable.

When something is easy to understand, no matter how hard you try to hide it, it can all be read.

And there were times when I couldn’t even read a single emotion like this.

A woman’s heart is something that cannot be understood.

However, I had a feeling that something bad would happen to me as soon as I returned to the villa.

Sirien was quite obsessed with me, and was quite jealous, especially when I was involved with other women.

It’s okay because that kind of appearance also looks pretty.

Well, wouldn’t it be okay if I just gave it a good massage?

Surprisingly, it was the crown prince who saved me in that moment of crisis.

Karzan changed the subject with a simple cough.

“First of all, I’m grateful that you both were invited here, as this must have been a precious time for you both.”

Is it because you said you saved Ellis from getting hurt?

His gaze had become quite friendly towards me.

It’s hard to be misunderstood by Sirien, but it’s equally terrible to be misunderstood by the Crown Prince.

I absolutely did not want to get involved in the reverse harem scene shown in the original.

Anyway, I don’t feel anything special when I see Ellis. With Sirien being so beautiful, why would I look at another woman?

“I said it was okay, but I was in a pretty awkward position. If you two weren’t here, my day would have been pretty tough. I would have had a lot of regrets.”

“It’s nothing special. Since you said you already know my precious knight, it doesn’t feel like someone else’s business. I wanted to hear your story.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. I was just in a hurry.”

After hearing the circumstances, it seems that Ellis’s physical condition was particularly good today.

It wasn’t a particularly sunny day, so I brought it with me because I thought I could go outside the palace.

But the result of going forward without thinking was the same scene I saw earlier.

How to want to give a happy experience to someone you love.

But that kind of feeling was something that all lovers had, and there were many places they couldn’t go whenever they wanted.

For example, a restaurant where you can’t enter without making a reservation in advance, like today.

In that respect, Karzan and Ellas were lucky to have met us.

“I always wanted to come here with you someday. But time didn’t cooperate, so I didn’t want to let this opportunity slip away.”

His words made me look at the crown prince without thinking.

Sure enough, he came back to this restaurant with Ellis years later.

Ellis at that time would have been a different person with the same face.

What’s concerning is that now Sirien has found out that it’s not the heroine, but Ellis.

Besides, judging from the Crown Prince’s attitude, it didn’t seem like he was keeping Ellis’s existence a secret.

If I had to say, it was more like he was trying to hide himself than Ellis.

“As I said before, can you keep today’s events a secret between us? I don’t want to waste this time on imperial politics.”

“Let’s do that. I have a debt that I recently incurred.”

“Ah… … I see. I didn’t really mean to pay off the debt, but I appreciate your consideration.”

The reason is, of course, politics.

The name ‘Crown Prince’s Woman’ attracts a lot of attention.

I guess he’s wary of too much attention being focused on Ellis.

If you were after the position of Crown Princess, assassinating Ellis could have been a way to do it.

Moreover, it was clear how far Karzan thought about that relationship.

Because in the original, it was Karzan who connected with Ellis.

After a while, a waiter came in with the food.

The corners of the two women’s lips slightly rose at the meaty scent that filled the room.

“Shall we eat first?”