Chapter 26
As soon as Cayman took a seat at the luxuriously adorned desk, Walden stood in front, bringing his hands together politely. Silently, he watched Cayman sift through the documents on the desk for a moment before carefully broaching the subject.
“Why are you willing to spend so much money on that old bookstore?”
“Huh, I thought you would be able to endure your curiosity longer,” Cayman said bluntly, smirking.
Walden was the type of person who would not do something he did not understand. However, this time, his hand had been forced due to Cayman’s order.
“Were you cursing me behind my back?”
Walden hesitated before finally replying, “Well, I cannot say that is not true.
With that, Cayman burst into a light chuckle, shrugging again. “Maybe it is a present for you. You never know.”
“Pardon? Is the bookstore a gift for someone? That rundown, shabby bookstore that has next to no business?” Walden asked with a startled look.
Although he had quoted a whopping six hundred thousand durens to the broker, he objectively calculated that the bookstore seemed to be worth less than sixty thousand durens, let alone six hundred thousand durens.
A bookstore without any rare antiques and only a large number of old books could not be that valuable. Furthermore, as printing technology advanced, there was little demand for old books.
From the standpoint of a merchant, it was not worth investing in at all. Additionally, because of its location in a narrow alley, no type of store would draw business.
Still, since it was an order from the crown prince, there had to be a reason. However, to say it was a present was a bit unbelievable.
No one would be happy to receive a gift like that. Was he trying to pick a fight with the empress and her faction? Dumbfounded, Walden’s mind spun wildly, coming up with one absurd idea after another.
Finally pulling himself together, he brought his attention back to the prince. His mischievous dark-brown eyes, not his original dark-blue eyes, were directed at Walden.
“Speaking of which, is it okay to keep changing your hair and eye colors like that, Your Highness?” Walden asked.
“If you are curious, why not try it yourself?” Cayman smirked, taking a small bottle from inside his clothes and shaking it for Walden to see.
Startled, Walden waved his hands wildly. “Oh my. I must decline! It would be strange to see my face change.”
“Coward. To be clear, Walden, this potion does not affect your face. Only the hair and eye colors change temporarily,” Cayman said, tossing the small bottle before deftly catching it.
Walden frowned as if he had been wronged, but he recovered quickly. “In all seriousness, for whom is it? Who would want that kind of present?”
“I have someone I like. Very, very much.”
Cayman leaned back, fiddling with his water bottle. How would she react if he purchased it and then gifted it right back? Judging by how much she loved that store, at the very least, she would not hate it.
When he recalled the face she made back then, he could not help laughing. She was just so adorable, the way she talked to herself without realizing it, revealing everything on her mind.
Ellie and Rosias.
His dark-brown eyes narrowed as he contemplated her two identities. Did she know that he knew?
Just like her, he led a double life. When laying low, he was Cay, the simple apprentice knight who spent time with Ellie in the bookstore; however, his real identity was that of Cayman Rossiantus, the student of the sex education teacher Rosias.
Propping his chin on his hands, he smiled, recalling how they first met. In reality, it was a mere coincidence, and it was not fate.
As he frequently did, Cayman left the palace that day using the alias Cay. Most days, he faced ridicule from the nobles, who mocked him for being nothing more than a temporary crown prince. He never bothered correcting them, and this complacency only encouraged their mockery. However, little did they know, he used his alias to move freely in secret all the time.
That alias was but a mere apprentice in the order of the imperial knights. ‘Cay’ had quite average swordsmanship skills, neither too adept nor falling behind. He fell squarely into mediocrity, blending into the background. Additionally, he was from a low-ranking, countryside family of nobles, located far from the capital.
To that extent, he could move freely without drawing attention. As a result, Cayman could build his power base away from the prying eyes of the nobility.