Snow Quen had always hated royalty and nobles ever since her father died, falsely framed as a traitor of the Fyugel Empire.
It had been Lien Van Fyugel, the Prince’s father and the current emperor, along with several high-ranking nobles, who plotted the accusation.
Prince was well aware of that. She’d seen with her own eyes when her father was beheaded for treason years ago.
The crowd hadn’t even flinched a little bit when the blade came down to them.
Unfortunately it was just another traitor meeting the fate traitors deserved.
But Snow remembered every second of it: the way her father had searched in the crowd for her face, and the last smile he had worn right before his end, as if trying to tell her it would be alright, even though nothing about it ever was again.
She was adored by her father so much, and she’d loved him just as fiercely.
When that happened, she was only around seven years old.
Losing someone close to her so early made her hatred of royalty and nobles even stronger.
***
"Because..." Back in his previous life, she helped him way too much; not everyone could be willing to do that.
She did not help him out of love, nor out of friendship, but as life-and-death comrades.
She died before Prince, after killing a few thousand soldiers on that day.
He hadn’t found out until much later, laying in the blood of that final battle, there hadn’t been a second to mourn her death.
A flash of memory the day he died, with her from his previous life hit him instantly.
...
"So it can’t be helped, huh? I will do you a favor this time, but in return, offer me a cup of tea, by your hands, once we clean this mess, okay?" It was what Snow had said to him back then.
"Haha, sure! At least don’t die before killing thousands." He replied.
There is a famous phrase that says ’Your enemy’s enemy is your friend,’ and that phrase was true.
...
He snapped back into reality. "What happened to your father was wrong, and you should remove that traitor’s title from your head. Because I want to return a favor you gave me a while ago."
"I gave you a favor...?" she asked, looking puzzled.
He stood up. "Hey, just wait here for a bit, and please don’t run away. I’ll be back in a few minutes."
He took quick steps to the cafeteria counter and asked. "Let me come inside the kitchen."
Behind the counter was a door connected to the kitchen.
Of course, who would deny him? After all, he was the prince of the Fyugel Kingdom.
But seeing him enter the kitchen directly left everyone speechless.
A junior cook nearly dropped an entire tray of vegetables trying to bow and step out of the way at the same time.
In four years, not a single noble, let alone a prince, had ever set foot past the counter, and the sudden break in daily routine sent the whole kitchen into panic.
"Lord Prince, w-what are you doing here? We will make anything you want." the manager of the cafeteria said.
"I’ll borrow your kitchen for a while; I want to try something," he replied.
Once he was done, he placed two cups of tea on a clean white plate and moved slowly toward her.
Everyone in the cafeteria was dumbfounded upon seeing the youngest prince of the Fyugel Kingdom holding a plate with two cups.
As he reached the table, he quietly placed the two cups on the table, one for her and another one for himself.
"Drink it! And tell me how it is?" He chuckled softly and continued. "Don’t worry, I didn’t add any poison in it."
He sat back down.
"Lord Prince, why did you—"
As she was saying something, he cut in. "Please don’t say anything before finishing the tea I made only for you."
She took a sip and started drinking it slowly. Everyone in the cafeteria was looking at them; they were quietly drinking the tea without questioning or answering anything.
"Umm, it was not bad, I mean the tea." She finished her tea before him and wiped her lips with a napkin on the table.
"Haha, thanks."
"Will you explain now, Lord Prince?"
"Yes, about everything, including ’favor ’, I’ll tell you this some other time," he replied, closing his eyes gently.
"Why not now? And did you do all this to tell me later?"
"It’s not that you wouldn’t believe me. It’s that what I’d have to tell you sounds too unreal to be possible. So when the time comes, I will tell you."
Snow studied his face for a long moment, searching for the joke she was sure had to be hiding somewhere in it.
Though, she didn’t find one.
She stood up and gave him a small bow. "If nothing’s left, then I’ll be taking my leave from your presence, Lord Prince."
She turned and left without looking back.
She’d almost reached the door when Prince called out. ’Ahh, wait.’
"You can call me only Prince. No need to add Lord." He winked at her and gave her a flying kiss.
With flustered all over her face, she left with just a "hmph!"
Prince watched her go, a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his lips.