Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 192

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A café operated by the heir to the Dark Guild.
Side Story 5
Rainwater Pooling in My Palm (2)
“How are things at the Imperial Palace these days?”
“Stable enough now that I can be away for half the day without issue.”
“That’s a relief. And Seniel?”
“Doing excellently. He stands out wherever he goes—in the best way. Apparently marriage proposals have been flooding in from every noble house.”
I laughed at that. Seniel must have stood out from birth.
“How did Seniel react?”
“He seemed appalled. Doesn’t seem to be thinking of marriage yet.”
“I’ll support whatever he decides. Whoever he wants to marry, if that day comes, I’ll be happy for him.”
“What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
Biedler asked quietly, his grip on my hand tightening.
“Marriage.”
“Of course I’ve… thought about it too, but…”
It was a difficult question to answer.
I had my own life, and Biedler, as Crown Prince and future Emperor, had his. It was hard to imagine how our relationship could continue without one of us making a sacrifice.
Without one of us sacrificing, I couldn’t fathom what would come next for us.
Biedler must have read my heart, because he squeezed my hand a little tighter.
“There’s no rush. Just know this—I keep thinking about what comes after us. Our future.”
……
“I can wait until you’re ready. However long it takes.”
At the matter-of-factness in his voice, the worry that had felt so heavy began to lighten.
He was always like this—never giving me room to feel burdened.
“Thank you.”
“Then let’s stay like this a moment longer.”
Biedler finished the massage and held my hand without letting go as he spoke.
Slowly his fingers intertwined with mine, interlacing gently.
Then he lifted our joined hands and pressed a soft kiss to the back of mine.
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Kissing my hand like that.”
“Do you dislike it?”
The direct question left me speechless. The problem was that I didn’t dislike it at all.
Unable to answer, I faltered, and Biedler let out a low laugh. The sound mingled with the rain, beautiful to hear.
The rain outside the window intensified for a moment, then subsided again.
I continued refining the remaining Magical Stones.
I wasn’t sure if this counted as a date, but the time we spent together like this was precious.
After finishing the quota to send to Raiely, we stepped outside, and Cayden waved at us.
“You finally came out. Are you done?”
“Yeah. All finished.”
“I made something simple to eat.”
A sweet, savory aroma hung in the air—Cayden’s cooking.
I leaned toward the bowl, sniffing curiously.
It was pumpkin soup. The golden hue was warming to look at.
“Is that the pumpkin from the garden?”
“That’s the one. It grew just right.”
Cayden filled a bowl for me, took his own portion, and settled into his seat.
Biedler and I sat across from him, each of us picking up a spoon.
Only the faint clink of spoons filled the silence. At first, this quiet had felt strange.
During my time at Raven, quiet was always either a prelude to danger or another word for exhaustion.
I didn’t know how to spend time when nothing was happening.
But now I do.
This is how you spend it.
Like this—seated across from each other, sharing a meal with people you cherish. Nothing was better than this.
…!
As I set down my spoon and relaxed my hand, it brushed against Biedler’s beneath the table.
He didn’t stop at that—he took my hand. Casually, but firmly.
I didn’t pull away. This was already the countless time today he’d held my hand.
Our fingers intertwined, fitting perfectly together, and my heart felt equally full, with no empty spaces left.
We ate and talked throughout the meal, the three of us sharing ordinary stories.
Cayden spoke about the structure of the Temple roof he was repairing; Biedler recounted an absurd report from the Imperial Palace; I told them how Arno had been getting on in the village lately.
Each time my bowl emptied, Biedler naturally spooned more soup into it. I protested at first, but eventually accepted. It felt more natural that way.
“Eat more. You’ve gotten too thin lately.”
“The café has been busy.”
“Then hire more staff.”
“I have Cayden.”
From the kitchen, Cayden protested—even though he’d volunteered, was I working him that hard?—and at his complaint, we laughed again.
After we’d talked for a while longer, Biedler did the dishes.
I worried briefly—surely it was odd for a Crown Prince to wash dishes?—but Cayden waved me off, telling me to let him be.
“His Highness wants to do it. Please don’t stop him.”
At Cayden’s words, Biedler shot him a sidelong look, though he didn’t deny it. Watching the Crown Prince roll up his sleeves and scrub the dishes, his back somehow familiar, I found myself laughing again.
Once Biedler finished the dishes, he shook the water from his hands and came over.
“Why are you so amused?”
“That Your Highness was washing dishes. The people at the Imperial Palace would be shocked.”
“That’s exactly what Seniel said.”
“We’re family, so maybe we’re alike.”
“Perhaps. Want to take a walk outside?”
“I’d like that.”
Biedler and I stepped outside the café.
The rain had cleared, and the air was cold and crisp. Sunlight began breaking through the hazy sky.
The cleared sky was luminously bright.
I stood beside Biedler, both of us looking up at it.
“The afternoon will be nice.”
It was nothing, really, yet I suddenly burst into laughter.
My throat had been tight all morning, and now, unbidden, the laughter spilled out and wouldn’t stop.
Biedler turned to look at me. His eyes were softer than at any other moment that day.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just…”
“Tell me.”
“I won’t.”
“Rosia.”
The way he said my name was irresistibly tender.
I managed to suppress the laughter and looked at him. His hair, now dry, stirred gently in the breeze.
“It’s not that it’s funny. I’m just happy.”
The corners of his mouth curved up in a broad smile, visible even from a distance.
Listening to his low laugh, I thought quietly to myself:
I want to hear more of this sound from him. For a long time.
Biedler stepped closer and cupped my cheek in his hand.
“Your face is cold.”
“The wind is still chilly, I think.”
Biedler stroked my cheek slowly, his thumb brushing gently across my cheekbone. His touch was so careful, as though he feared I might disappear.
“Your Highness.”
“Biedler.”
“Yes?”
“Not Your Highness—call me by my name. Right now.”
I hesitated. He didn’t know how long it took for that name to feel natural on my lips.
“Biedler.”
Saying his name, I watched his eyes deepen. The hand cradling my cheek tightened slightly.
And then he lowered his head slowly.
Our lips met. Softly, like rain-wet petals brushing against each other.
It was a brief kiss. As he drew back, he looked into my eyes, as though searching for any sign of rejection.
There was none. Not a trace of hesitation in me.
Satisfied, Biedler kissed me again. This time longer. One hand remained on my cheek while the other wrapped around my waist.
Every sound in the world fell away—the rain dripping from the eaves, even Armstrong’s distant cry in the distance. Only the press of our lips and the pounding of my heart remained clear.
After a long moment, Biedler finally drew back.
I caught my breath and looked up at him. My face was burning. My ears were surely red too.
“That was so sudden…”
“It wasn’t sudden. I’ve wanted to for a while.”
“Since when?”
“Maybe since the day you first opened this café.”
His shameless words made me laugh again. Biedler rested his forehead against mine. We were so close our noses nearly touched.
“I’m happy.”
I spoke first. Biedler went still. It was usually he who said it first.
“Right now. I’m so happy.”
Biedler was silent for a while.
Then, once more, he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.
“Me too.”
The stars hadn’t risen yet, but my heart already held a sky full of them.
An ordinary day, unremarkable in every way. And yet I felt certain I would remember it for a long time.
I glanced down at our joined hands. The warmth from Biedler’s hand traveled through mine.
When I was young, on rainy days, I used to stand with my palms open to the sky. I loved how the rainwater pooled in my hands. It would slip away if I tried to grasp it, but if I simply held my hand open and still, it would gather there.
I wonder if happiness is the same.
Clench your fist and it escapes. But relax your grip, open your palm, and keep living—and somehow, it’s already pooled there.
Someone who seeks me out even through endless rain. A touch careful of my hand breaking. The warmth that cradled my cheek. And lips that brushed so gently against mine.
Biedler squeezed our interlaced fingers a little tighter.
“I hope days like this keep coming.”
“Me too. Really.”
The sun broke through the dimming clouds and appeared completely.
For a long while, we stood side by side, watching that light.
The wet yard sparkled in the sunlight. Droplets clinging to the eaves glittered like jewels before—tap—falling.
It was an ordinary day, and yet it felt full.
I felt certain that days like this would continue.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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