How the Sidekick Prince Lives Again Chapter 135

Published at 12th of July 2023 11:48:54 AM

“You worked hard.”

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“It’s not hard work at all, I’m actually ashamed that I couldn’t do anything properly.”

Alia curled her eyes in embarrassment. Together with her roundly curved eyes, the lips as luscious as a ripe peach also curled up.

She’s pretty.

Renato inwardly admired Alia who was smiling bashfully. He suddenly remembered that in his previous life, the nobles frantically praised her appearance. He also recalled how the talkative busybodies chattered about Khalid and Alia.

‘Talking about Dame Alia. Isn’t she a bit mysterious?’

‘I felt so too. Maybe because she is a shaman…… She seems cold at first glance, but she smiles a lot, ugh, I would try to flirt with her if only she weren’t the grand prince’s partner……’

‘Flirt? Please watch what you say. Rumor has it that the two are getting engaged soon.’

‘Oh my, really?’

‘Yes, otherwise why would they be so close to each other like that? And not only one or two people have been disgraced for seducing Dame Alia while avoiding the grand prince’s eyes. For a mere shaman, she is surely high-nosed……’

‘What can she be afraid of if her lover is the grand prince? It’s understandable if she’s arrogant. But she’s getting engaged, tsk, it’s a pity.’

Lover. A dark shadow cast over the violet eyes that recalled fragments of old memories. He couldn’t understand why he heard those talks with one ear and let them out through the other back then but was concerned about what people said now.

Perhaps because he had met Alia. Renato looked at Alia as she collected the paper having the spell formula with complicated eyes. Her first appearance as the grand prince’s partner was at the imperial banquet to welcome Khalid, the Khan Kingdom’s new diplomatic ambassador.

It was the very same banquet where he became the special protocol officer instead of Maximo after returning to the past, and offered an escort to get closer to Khalid.

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Feeling his chest become heavy for a moment, Renato bit his lips. If he hadn’t offered Khalid an escort, the man would most likely have attended with Alia like in his previous life.

Did she really have that kind of relationship with Khalid? If so, did I take the place?

Having that thought made his stomach churn for no reason. Unable to look at Alia any longer, Renato lowered his gaze. It was the first time he felt like this. Seized with indescribable emotions, he bit his blameless lower lip.

Being Khalid’s partner was what he needed to change his future, so he would certainly have done the same even if he went back. So it was useless to feel regret or guilt now. Still, he felt strangely uncomfortable as he seemed to have taken Alia’s place.

No, actually, there was a more important reason. Renato wanted to know exactly what kind of relationship Alia and Khalid used to have in his previous life. But he had no one to ask.

Neither Khalid nor Alia had any memories, and Renato’s actions changed the present, making it no longer exist. Ultimately, it was a question with no answer. Despite knowing that, Renato couldn’t stop thinking about the relationship between them.

Why did she suddenly stop going together with Khalid?

Renato easily recalled the time in his previous life when Khalid stopped going with Alia. It was around half a year after Khalid took office as the diplomatic ambassador that he started attending banquets alone.

Renato was quite certain that he had met Khalid by that time and had a brief conversation when they met at a banquet hall. Was it the wedding reception of a collateral imperial family member? From that day on, Khalid always appeared at banquet halls without a partner.

Although married nobles often attended banquets alone when they couldn’t attend with their companions, Khalid was single back then and was a dominant Alpha of marriageable age. For that reason, the eye-catching man couldn’t help but get noticed as he acted differently from ordinary people.

‘Oh my, the grand prince came alone again today, didn’t he? I heard he would be engaged to Dame Alia…… It must have been a rumor.’

‘In the first place, it wasn’t clear whether they were lovers or not. Everyone was only saying so.’

‘Is that so…… Come to think of it, I heard before that the grand prince had mysophobia. Even when he was in the kingdom, he was famous for brutally chasing away people who approached him out of fondness. Maybe that disease has returned.’

‘Whatever the reason is, it’s still a great opportunity for those having an eye for the grand prince. If they do it right, they can get the seat next to him.’

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‘What do you mean by ‘great opportunity’, haven’t you heard of that news?’

‘Hmm? What news?’

‘There are a lot of young ladies and lords who already offered the grand prince an escort when they saw him go alone. But everyone was rejected.’

‘Oh my, really?’

‘Yes, he blew chilly winds so fastly that everyone who just briefly brought up the topic would be refused with a single stroke…… Is it because he’s a dominant Alpha? Even when others decide to spray pheromones, it doesn’t work at all, and no matter what they do, he doesn’t even blink an eye.’

The nobles all chattered over how Khalid went alone without a partner. However, all of those were just rumors or unfounded speculations, while no one knew the truth.

“Then I will be leaving now.”

“……Hmm? Ah, yes.”

Renato snapped out of his thoughts and stood up when Alia said goodbye to him. Then he extended his hand to her.

“It was really nice to meet you today. I hope to see you more often in the future.”

“Me, me too! It was really nice to meet you, Your Imperial Highness. I’ve always wanted to meet you at least once.”

Alia widened her eyes in surprise when Renato asked for a handshake, then respectfully took his hand. Then she spoke in a voice full of excitement.

“Me? Why?”

“Yes, I have so many things to be thankful to you, Your Imperial Highness.”

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“To me?”

Renato tilted his head as he heard the words he couldn’t understand. It might be possible if he needed to apologize to her, but he couldn’t remember doing anything that deserved her thanks no matter how much he recalled. And although he knew Alia, today was the first time he met her in both his previous and present life.

“About that…… Your Imperial Highness has done a lot of things for our Knights Order. Everyone in the Knights Order, including me, is grateful. So I really wanted to say thank you. Thank you very much.”

Alia expressed her and her comrades’ gratitude toward the puzzled Renato. This was actually what she wanted to say the most when she met him.

“I didn’t do anything…….”

Renato muttered in embarrassment at the unexpected thanks. The blue eyes twinkling like a lake soaked in the sunlight were full of goodwill toward him. Maybe that was why he found it difficult to look straight at Alia.

“You did a lot of things! The merchant guild matter, and the relocation support…… Honestly, the treatment of our Knights Order was not good in the kingdom. But it’s completely different these days. All are thanks to you, Your Imperial Highness!”

Explaining all the reasons for her gratitude to Renato one after another, Alia had the brightest smile so far. Then, she noticed Renato staring blankly at her and tilted her head.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I perhaps make a mistake……”

“Hmm? No, not at all.”

As Alia had a worried expression and wondered if she had made a slip of the tongue, Renato came to his senses and hurriedly shook his head.

“I just thought that your smile was so pretty……”

“Pardon? M, me?”

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Alia’s eyes turned round at Renato’s unexpected praise. Her face quickly got flushed.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel bad, I just momentarily thought your smile was lovely.”

Looking at Alia whose face was flushed, Renato said in embarrassment. His words were too absurd even to himself. But he genuinely thought that Alia with a broad smile was pretty.

Although he only spent a short time with her today, Alia was a very attractive person, enough to understand why so many people were interested in her in his previous life. Thanks to both her appearance and personality.

So it troubled him even more. Up until now, Renato had tried his best to avoid being concerned that his actions would change the future and twist others’ fates. It was because he would eventually become unable to do anything if he was always conscious of that.

Still, it was okay for him because there were a lot of people whose futures changed for the better, like Baikal, Arche sisters, and Laila. But Alia was different.

Renato couldn’t decide whether it was good or bad that she didn’t become Khalid’s partner. Then, dread swept over him when he feared that Khalid and Alia’s relationship had changed because of him.

“How can I feel bad? Uhm…… Thank you. I’m ashamed to hear a compliment from someone much more beautiful than me.”

Alia hurriedly waved her hands, then shyly wrapped her palms around her burning cheeks. Her heart pounded when she heard a compliment from a person she secretly admired.

“Beautiful? I think you are more……”

When Renato opened his mouth, thinking he just heard something that didn’t make sense, the hallway became a bit noisy and the door opened without notice.

“Your highness?”

Click, hearing the sound of the doorknob turning, Renato turned his head, his shoulders flinching. Khalid was the only one who could freely enter the bedroom without his permission.

“I’m back, hmm? Alia?”

Having come in and greeted Renato, Khalid saw Alia and paid attention to her.

Chapter end