The Story of How I Pretended To Be A Boy and Ended Up Being Loved By A Mafia Boss - Chapter 14

I messed up.

As I sat in the carriage on the way back, I regretted what I had done to Anis.

When she looked at me with those teary eyes, something inside me suddenly snapped.

She tried to escape from my arms, and that only made me want to hold her tighter. I couldn’t stop myself—I ended up kissing her.

Do I really see Anis in that way?

No… I thought of her as a cute little pet, like a puppy or kitten.

Yeah, I was just acting strange today… that’s all.

But still… her lips were really soft… Wait, what the hell am I thinking!?

Damn it!

While I held my head in my hands, one of my men sitting across from me looked over with concern.

“B-Boss, are you alright?”

“Huh?”

“Your face is all red… did you get motion sickness from the carriage?”

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“O-Okay…”

When we arrived at the mansion, the servants were waiting for me at the entrance.

“Welcome home, Master!”

“What’s going on?”

“The Duke is here to see you.”

“What?”

The Duke? At my place?

I rushed to the parlor and found the Duke sitting on the sofa with a teacup in his hand.

****

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said, feeling uncomfortable.

“Sorry for coming so suddenly.”

“Not at all. Is something urgent?”

“Yes. There’s something I wanted to tell you in person.”

Something so important that he had to come himself? I thought.

“My right to inherit the throne has been restored.”

“What?”

“I’m now first in line again.”

No way… Is that even possible after giving it up?

“So, I’ll be returning to the castle, and I’m thinking of bringing Roanne and Anis with me to the capital.”

What?

Why go that far?

“Are they really that important to you?”

“Yes, more than my own life.”

“Haha… You’re joking, right?”

“I’m not.”

His eyes weren’t joking at all.

“If you care about Anis’s mother, that’s your business, but please leave Anis at the villa.”

“You’ve misunderstood. To me, Anis is even more important than Roanne.”

“What…? What do you mean?

Could it be… he’s into younger girls or something?

“The truth is… Anis is the child of the former queen.”

Huh!?

“The queen died right after giving birth to Anis. Everyone thought the baby died too, but Roanne secretly took Anis away from the castle.”

“What? Are you saying she kidnapped him?” 

(Referring to Anis as a man, I will just pretend I don’t know anything. Duke Roy doesn’t know that Anis is a woman.)

“No, she saved him. Anis’s life was in danger.”

Wait a second…

Anis… is a prince—no, a princess?

“Roanne and Anis lived in hiding in the western district of Nailden for 18 years.”

“Does… Anis know about this?”

“No. Only Roanne and I know.”

“Why are you telling me?”

“Because you’re the only one Anis trusts, I want your help.”

“My help?”

“Anis won’t want to leave you.”

“That’s probably true…”

“That’s why I want you to be the one to say goodbye so he can go to the capital without any regrets.”

“Hah…”

So that’s what he wants.

“Someday, I hope to give Anis back his place as royalty.”

“But what if Anis doesn’t want that?”

“That may be true… But it has to be better than the life he has now.”

“Honestly, I think he’s already happy.”

“Roanne is still a wanted criminal, accused of killing the queen. If they want to live in peace, they need to clear their names and restore their status.”

*****

Damn it…

The Duke knows that Anis would go to the capital for her mother’s sake…

“Fine… If Anis decides to go, I won’t stop him.”

“I see. Then it’s up to him. Sorry for showing up so suddenly.”

The Duke looked relieved as he left.

Haha… what a twist.

To think the girl I thought was a stray kitten is actually this country’s princess…

When I first saw Anis, I thought she just stood out in this city—and that’s why I kept looking at her.

But maybe it was the opposite.

Maybe it was this dirty city and all the nobles that didn’t match her.

She was like a single beautiful flower blooming in a world full of grime.

This world was never the place she was meant to be…

And someone like me… I’ll only get in the way of her future now.

A princess shouldn’t have anything to do with someone like me—a mafia boss.

Too bad… Looks like the fun is over.