1 | 🥀 - The Lady of the Black Rose

Someone said that the woman born with the black rose would one day bring bloodshed to the royal family, and that if the king fell in love with her, he would be greatly cursed by the god who loved her. Anyone who said such things that would ruin the royal family should be executed immediately, but the king did not take it lightly and kept mulling over it.

"A woman born with a black rose..."

If a god could love her, she must have been incredibly beautiful. The king, unsure of the exact meaning of being born with a black rose, ultimately failed to find her. However, he wasn't worried, as she wouldn't have met the crown prince unless she was the daughter of a nobleman. Perhaps that was the problem. He shouldn't have let his guard down too much.

• • •

The crown prince of this country was curious about the lives of the people. Always confined within the palace, he secretly left the palace. Of course, he did so while keeping his identity hidden.

After leaving the palace, he went to the market. While browsing the market, he smelled a delicious aroma, so he walked over there and saw someone pounding rice cakes, with delicious rice cakes displayed in front of them. The crown prince, who still didn't know the ways of the world, picked up a rice cake that looked delicious and took a bite. The way the rice cake melted in his mouth was much more delicious than the rice cakes he used to eat in the palace. As he was about to leisurely pass by after chewing the rice cake, the owner of the rice cake shop suddenly grabbed the crown prince's wrist. The crown prince, startled, let out a loud scream.

"Whose hand do you dare to hold now!"

"Why are you stealing rice cakes from other people's houses?! Shouldn't you have given them money before you left?"

"Did you just say you were me?! Don't you know who I am?!"

"Haha, who are you~ You look like a motherless child... Hey, tsk tsk."

"How can you say something like that...!"

As the voices grew louder, there was someone who mediated the fight.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry! My younger brother is a bit immature...! I'll double the price of the rice cakes here, so please don't tell the magistrate..."

"Ah, that... that... that... ha... okay... just this once."

"Thank you! Thank you!!"

Somehow, the situation ended well, and the child who had paid the money took the crown prince's hand and led him to a nearby alley. Then, the crown prince looked into the child's eyes. She had deep, dark eyes, and there was a black dot around those attractive eyes. There was something that drew him in. As he was absorbed in admiring her eyes, he felt something hit the back of his hand, bringing him back to his senses.

"...?"

"Are you, by any chance, the Crown Prince?"

"Ah, that's... I think I saw it wrong... How could you mistake me for the Crown Prince... Ahem."

"There's no need to hide it, lower down."

"How did you know my identity? I thought I had completely covered it up..."

"You were right. I apologize for being rude to you from the beginning. I am the girl."

At this point, the Crown Prince should have kicked her out and left. He should have known what kind of influence she would bring to the royal family.

I'll bring it up next time when it's convenient for me‼️