The Prince's Taste - Chapter 3.7
Judy Esther sometimes made self-deprecating remarks like that. Whenever she ran away from him, she would complain about how hard it was being a supporting character. There was something he had always wanted to say to her when he finally met her face-to-face..
“Judy Esther, you have never once been a supporting character in my life. You have always been the heroine.”
“Your Highness can’t just change the story at will since you’re not the author.”
“You’re the leading lady of my life. That’s what I’ve decided.”
“…That’s cool. Male protagonists are different, after all.”
Judy Esther’s eyes were brimming with tears, seemingly weighed down by the sadness of being labeled a villainess. It was baffling to Richard how this lovely woman, who had stolen the hearts of Adrian’s young men and made them infatuated, could call herself a villain.
On the one hand, perhaps she thought that since she couldn’t accept every man’s heart, maybe she could be considered a villain.
“That’s why I need to run far away from you, Your Highness. If I fall in, it’s a death flag.”
“But didn’t we agree to date? Is it because I’m royalty?”
He knew about her aversion to royalty. But it was frustrating because it wasn’t something he could change, even if he wanted to.
“I don’t want to share my man with other women.”
“If that’s the issue, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Richard’s expression brightened immediately. It wasn’t that she disliked royal blood; it was a marriage issue which was surprisingly simple to resolve. From the start, he had never intended to have multiple wives. Just as he was about to say this, Judy Esther spoke first, uttering something unbelievable.
“If you change your mind, you’ll kill me.”
“…Me? Kill you?”
Richard asked in disbelief.
“You won’t kill me?”
“What do you take me for? Hah.”
Richard’s excitement quickly turned cold. He wanted to peek into her small mind and see just what she thought of him.
“In this story, your position is like that of a trashy ex-boyfriend—unrecyclable garbage.”
“Who would say such a thing about me?”
Richard couldn’t understand it at all. If there were scandals with women, then bad rumors might spread. But there was no reason for him to have a bad reputation given his dedication to studies and royal duties. The rumors even suggested he might be impotent due to his lack of relationships with women.
Judy Esther was the first person in Adrian to call him trash.
If he found the traitor who had poisoned her mind against him like this, they would not go unpunished.
“You’re so lovely. Just looking at you drives me crazy. How could I ever harm you?”
It’s easy to take a woman into one’s arms and make her yours, but to win her heart requires understanding.
“Are you sure you won’t change even if a prettier woman appears?”
“I’m most curious about why you think I would change my heart.”
“Because that’s how it’s meant to be.”
Richard struggled to understand the woman’s drunken ramblings. How difficult it was to turn around the heart of someone who, for no reason, fled at the mere sight of his face. If he had done something wrong, he would have apologized. This was a battle that required patience.
Meanwhile, Judy Esther was diligently removing his clothes. Although her words and actions were at odds, to Richard, who was completely smitten by her, he found everything about her endearing and lovely.
“Judy Esther, why are you undressing me when you don’t even trust me?”
“…Maybe I thought that if I turned a trashy car into an old car, it might be less regrettable if I lost it later?”
How could he show her how he felt? His usual eloquence was of no use here. Besides, while he understood that it had a negative connotation, he couldn’t help but wonder what she meant by “trashy car” and “old car.” Was she referring to bitter and tasteless tea?
“Judy, I’m yours. What do I have to do to make you believe it?”
“By your actions?”
“How?”
“Prove to me what a passionate male lead can do at night.”
At her sudden remark, something in Richard’s mind snapped.
“Judy Esther, you might not believe me… but I’ve loved you for a long time.”
“It’s nice to be confessed to.”
“I’ll confess my love only to you for the rest of my life, so stop doubting me.”
He never expected he would utter such a strange confession of love. Even her drunkenness was charming. Richard began to undo her dress.
“How do I take this off?”
He encountered the challenge of a corset. The complex knots were intricately intertwined and wouldn’t come undone. If he had known this would happen, he would have practiced or at least learned how to take it off beforehand. He didn’t want the stigma of someone who couldn’t undress Judy Esther because he failed with the corset.
“Just cut it off… throw it away. That torture device is crushing my waist.”
“Is that okay?”
Before she could change her mind, he found a dagger and cut the laces. He never could have imagined he would use the hidden weapons, stashed around the room to counter assassination attempts, for such a purpose.
As the corset came off, she inhaled deeply, saying she felt like she could breathe again. He carefully laid her down on the bed. Though she was the one who had been drinking, he felt himself flush with heat.
“From now on, never turn your back on me again.”
Seeing her back reminded him of the times she would turn away and flee at the sight of him.
“Is that an order?”
“No, a request.”
It was a request that couldn’t be refused, but he emphasized that it wasn’t an order.
