Joshua’s up first since he was requested first! And twice! o/ I don’t know what name to choose to refer to the heroine by, so for now she’s just “the heroine” //shot. Joshua was just so precious in this route ajekfdnhkjegsd
It is the morning of Valentine’s Day. As they eat breakfast, the heroine is nervous despite not planning on giving Prince Joshua the chocolate right now. Prince Joshua catches her looking at him and asks her what’s wrong. She replies that there’s nothing wrong, and thinks that at this rate, she’ll never be able to give him the chocolate she made for him or ask him out.
As she puts her focus on eating while panicking, Jan comes into the dining room to go over Prince Joshua’s schedule with him. While Jan is reading it out loud, the heroine notes how busy Prince Joshua is and notices that he seems a little annoyed, though he’s probably just exhausted from working all the time. She also notes that if he’s out from the morning, she might not be able to give him chocolate. When Jan says that Prince Joshua would be done by 4:00 P.M., she looks at Prince Joshua and grins, to which he asks why she’s doing it. She doesn’t realize she’s doing it and apologizes, and Prince Joshua calls her “a weird one.” She thinks that while she thought she wouldn’t be able to give him chocolate, there might be a chance that she can.
Jan adds that “today it is February 14th” and stops there to leave the room. He returns holding a large box big enough for the heroine to completely hide behind. Jan informs Prince Joshua that he’s received a fair amount of chocolates again this year, which surprises the heroine. When she asks in shock if that’s all chocolate, Jan happily replies that it is, and that there are more in another room. Not only that, but this is only the first delivery and they are expecting another delivery today. As the heroine begins to wonder just how many chocolates are in the box, Prince Joshua pays no mind to the box and continues eating. He doesn’t seem too happy.
Jan asks Prince Joshua what he should do with them. Prince Joshua tells him to just do what he does every year. Jan goes to leave the room with the box in his hands and the heroine asks where he’s taking it. Jan says that he’s taking it to the basement and that they keep the chocolates there for a while. Every year, they receive a large amount of chocolates from the citizens of DresVan, but Prince Joshua does not eat them. She is surprised that Prince Joshua doesn’t eat the chocolates, and Jan corrects himself to say that Prince Joshua can’t eat them since they don’t know what is in the contents of the chocolate, especially the handmade ones. The heroine thinks that he can’t mean that they’re dangerous and asks if they can’t tell if it’s edible or not just by looking at it. Jan replies that they can’t just by looking, so that’s why they are so careful. It would be too late to do anything after if something were to happen to Prince Joshua. The heroine agrees in thought, but….
Jan adds that it is sad to be suspicious of the citizens. He then reminds Prince Joshua to remember his work schedule for the day, bows, and leaves the room. The heroine believes that every single one of the chocolates Prince Joshua received is made with love and decides that she would also like to do the same.
She thinks back on earlier in the morning how she was in the kitchen alone making Valentine’s Day chocolate. Because Prince Joshua doesn’t seem to have a sweet tooth, she makes the chocolate bitter with whiskey inside. She wonders if he would accept them, putting her heart into making them because just thinking about him brings a smile to her face.
Back to the present, she thinks that store bought chocolate is boring, so she made them herself and believes they came out pretty good. Prince Joshua calls out to her and asks if she’s listening. Brought back to reality, she apologizes and asks him what he said. He notes that she hasn’t taken a bite of her food in a while and was asking if she wasn’t hungry. She notices that he’s already finished with his food and apologizes again, saying she was just staring into space. He says as long as she’s still got her appetite [that it’s fine]. She realizes she made him worry.
She asks him if he’s never eaten any of the chocolates he’s received from the citizens. He tells her he hasn’t. Since he was a child, he was told to never, under any circumstances, eat them. She begins to think that even if she gave him the chocolate she made for him, he might not eat it. He excuses himself to go back to work, but the heroine calls out to him However, she doesn’t know what to do now.
She decides to ask him if he has time tonight after work. He says he doesn’t have any emergencies and asks why. The heroine doesn’t know what to say. She wants to give him chocolate, but reconsiders after hearing his story, so she just tells him to enjoy his evening. After giving her a short reply and staring at her, he leaves. The heroine finishes her breakfast to cover up the little stab in her heart.
After finishing breakfast, the heroine carries a box full of fabrics to the studio. She wonders what she should do with the chocolate and adds that it’s kind of sad to eat something she made for Prince Joshua on her own. Because she was lost in thought, she ends up tripping over nothing. As she closes her eyes, a pair of strong arms catches her. A voice asks her what she’s doing.
She thanks Prince Joshua. He says he doesn’t need to be thanked for something like this, and the heroine realizes she’s still close to him. She tries to pull away from him in embarrassment, but he brings his face close to her as if noticing something. He smells chocolate on her and she’s surprised the smell from the morning is still on her. As she tries to give him as excuse, he asks her if she received chocolate from someone. She says she hasn’t and tries to laugh it off. She didn’t expect him to ask that. She thinks, at least he didn’t figure out that she made some, maybe?
Prince Joshua takes the box from her, saying that it’s heavy, and asks where she’s taking it. She tells him she’s taking it to the studio and that she can carry it herself. He tells her that he’ll carry it for her since she’s been in a daze since the morning, and that’s why she trips over nothing. He says she’s an accident waiting to happen. She apologizes and they make their way to the studio. She thinks about how he saw her looking really stupid, so she’s not completely happy. But, she adds, Prince Joshua’s pretty nice.
When they arrive at the studio, he puts down the box and stares at her. She questions him and he says he asked her to tailor some things for him a few days ago and that he wants to check on them. He then asks her to bring it to his room later. She asks him if he doesn’t have to go out later, but he tells her that he has time and if she’s that worried about it to be quick then. She tells him she’ll take it right away. He nods and leaves, but she notices that he looks like he wanted to say something. Worried, she brings his clothes to his room.
When she gets to his room, she finds him holding documents and asks if he’s busy. He tells her not to worry about it, he was just looking over letters from the citizens that were sent with the chocolates since he can’t eat the chocolates. The heroine thinks about how he’s so nice to read all the letters. Prince Joshua tells her that the citizens have a lot of thoughts and opinions. One person wrote how he was truly moved by Prince Joshua’s New Year’s Greeting and no matter what, he will be sure to see the Prince next year. Another person talks about the same day, but she is focused on Prince Joshua’s clothing instead of the greetings, saying he looked wonderful.
The heroine thinks that it’s not really an opinion, and tells Prince Joshua that it sounds more like a love letter. A bit surprised, he asks her why she thinks that since none of them are anything like love letters. She wonders if he doesn’t know much about Valentine’s Day. She explains to him that Valentine’s Day chocolates are things that you give to your friends, family, and people you are grateful for, but most people give them to people they love or who are important to them. She adds that she would think that the letters that come with them would include the feelings they have for the people they are giving the chocolate to.
He looks down at the letter in his hand before looking back at her. He asks her if she’s giving a letter and chocolate to someone, too. She wonders why he’s asking that, but decides to answer him properly. She tells him that she hopes to give chocolates to someone, but isn’t sure if he will take it. Prince Joshua is silent for a while before beginning to say something, but is cut off by a knock at the door.
Jan calls to Prince Joshua from the other side of the door and tells him it’s time to go. Prince Joshua apologizes and excuses himself, and the heroine says it’s fine. She asks about the tailoring, and Prince Joshua remembers why he called her there in the first place. She wonders if he forgot. He tells her to leave it there and he’ll look over it when he gets back. She complies and they say their goodbyes. After he’s gone, their interaction loops in her heart, wondering why he asked her if she was going to give a letter and chocolates to someone, too.
A while after Prince Joshua leaves, the heroine waits for his return outside in the garden as the sun sets and it gets darker. Even after he left, she couldn’t stop thinking about what he meant by his words. She wonders that maybe he didn’t mean anything by it, but if he likes her even a little bit…. She looks into the paper bag that holds the chocolates and wine she wants to give to him, full of hesitation and hope. She wonders what’s wrong with her, since she’s waiting for him to come home without even knowing if she’ll be able to give these to him.
She hears the sound of footsteps ahead and looks up to see Prince Joshua. When he sees her, he asks her what’s wrong and what she’s doing out here. He quickly walks over and sees the paper bag in her hand. He begins to question her about it, but she stutters. He asks her if she’s going to meet the man she’ll be giving it to. She says she’s not exactly going to meet him, and adds in her mind that he’s already right in front of her. As she wonders how to tell him, he takes her hand and says that he’ll take her to the man she’s going to meet. She exclaims in her mind that she wants to give it to Prince Joshua, but he doesn’t pay attention to her outward, confused cries and leads them to the garage.
The car drives quietly through the streets of DresVan. The heroine wonders where they’re going since she hasn’t given him a destination. She stays quiet, but Prince Joshua quietly asks her as he drives who the man is to her. When she questions him in confusion, he tells her that she had said that you don’t just give Valentine’s Day presents to friends, family, and people you’re grateful to, but also to people you love, who are important to you. He asks her again who this man is to her. She wonders if this is her chance to tell him how she feels about him.
She takes a deep breath, looks straight at Prince Joshua, and says, “Someone I really love.” Prince Joshua slowly repeats her words, and says, “……I see. So you’ve got someone like that in your life.” Thinking he misunderstood her, she then says timidly that the man is sitting right in front of her right now, but….
Prince Joshua suddenly slams on the brakes, and the car comes to a sudden stop by the side of the road in silence. She asks him what’s wrong, and Prince Joshua replies with a red face, “What’s wrong!? You’re the one that suddenly said something outrageous……!” She apologizes, and he awkwardly brushes his bangs out of his face.
…Don’t you understand what I’m trying to say?
He tells her that she doesn’t need to apologize, and that he should be the one apologizing instead. He takes his hands off the steering wheel, leans against it, and looks at her. He tells her that it’s his fault for letting her words get to him, but that she should be more aware of how her words affect and influence him. She repeats the word, and he asks her if she doesn’t understand what he’s saying. He smiles slightly and reaches out to her, says that this is what he means, and holds her tightly in his arms. Her heart jumps at the sudden turn of events, and can feel his heart pounding just as hard.
He asks her if what she said just now was the truth. That the man she’s giving her present to is a person she can’t do without, and that that person is him. She replies in the positive, and he then asks her if he can really take her present and her love. She tells him he can, and he asks her again, “……Really?” She hears a sigh of relief in her ear, and he softly pulls away from her. He looks at her with a kind smile on his face and thanks her.
He asks if he can open the present right now. She exclaims that he can and hands over the paper bag, and he looks incredibly happy while taking out the wrapped box of chocolate. They find that the chocolate inside is a little melted, possibly from the heat inside the car. However, this doesn’t seem to bother Prince Joshua and he takes a piece of chocolate. When he brings it up to his mouth, the heroine remembers something.
She says she thought he wasn’t allowed to eat Valentine’s Day chocolates. Prince Joshua remembers as well, and says that that’s true. He momentarily goes quiet before suggesting that the heroine close her eyes for a few seconds. Confused, she asks why. He tells her to just do it. She obeys and hears a rustling sound next to her. She counts to five in her head and then opens her eyes to find the chocolate gone. She realizes he ate it all and wonders if he’s allowed to. Paying no mind to her worrying, he clears his throat and says that it was sweet. She tells him that she tried to keep it from being overly sweet, and he comments that there were some nice bitter tones. He whispers in thought that it’s not that, and he doesn’t know how to say it.
He then licks the leftover chocolate from his fingers, which causes the heroine’s heart to skip a beat for seeing him do something so unlike him. He notes that her eyes are darting around and asks what’s wrong. She lets out that it’s just that she’s never seen him do anything like that. He agrees, saying he would normally never lick his fingers, but that the chocolate aroma has really whet his appetite. He whispers “……See?” and kisses her. He then moves away, his slightly welled up eyes growing thin. He asks her if she feels the sweetness, and she said she does. He says “Good”, and comments that it’s true what they say, that chocolate is a stimulant. The heroine asks to repeat himself, but he just says it’s nothing, just his business. He apologizes for suddenly acting this way, but then says for one more time. He kisses her again, telling her he loves her in between kisses. She doesn’t know whether or not she actually said that she does, too, in response. But she can feel the sweetness of the chocolate, the scent of whiskey, and the heat from his lips.
Letter:
From: Prince Joshua
Subject: “Influence”
At some point I realized…
that whenever you speak,
I hang on your every word.
I guess this is just how it’s going to be for me
from now on.
From Joshua
It is Valentine’s Day night, and the car Prince Joshua and the heroine are in is filled with the scent of chocolate. Wrapped in the sweet scent, they gently pull apart. Red in the face, Prince Joshua says her name. She mentally states that she’s a little shy. Prince Joshua tells her that her cheeks are red, and she tells him that so are his. He tries to come up with an excuse, finally deciding that it’s because of he ate her chocolates. Because they had whiskey in them, the alcohol got him drunk. She thinks that she didn’t put enough to make him drunk, though. They gaze at each other, then both laugh shyly at the same time. She thinks about how happy she is to just spend time with him, but to have him eat the chocolates she made for him…… she wonders if he’s alright, though, since he’s not allowed to eat chocolates he receives for Valentine’s Day. He notices that it’s almost 9:00 P.M. and sighs and comments that they left the castle in the evening. He says that time flies, and the heroine mentally agrees, wondering when it got so late. Times really does fly when you’re having fun, she thinks, but she wants to spend more time with him. She sighs subconsciously, and Prince Joshua glances at her.
He asks her what her work schedule for tonight is. She tells him she doesn’t really have anything, and he asks if she has time after this. She says she does, but if the tailoring needs to be adjusted in the clothes that he gave her before they left, then she’ll have to do that. He then says that that’s work that she can’t do without him checking over it, right? She answers in the positive, and he comments that she’s a little spaced out sometimes. He then says that she doesn’t have to worry about the time right now. She agrees, and he says, “In that case…… let’s go,” and gets out of the car.
She says his name questioningly and wonders if he meant for her to get out, too. She quickly follows him and gets out of the car. She calls out to him and asks where they’re going. He says that the alcohol in the chocolate got him a little drunk and he doesn’t want to drink and drive. She wonders if he’s really drunk since she thought he had a higher tolerance than that. He mumbles a bit and takes her hand, saying that he’s sleeping here. She wonders what he means by that, and he tells her that she doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to, but…… She replies “No!” and shakes her head, and he takes her hand and walks as if relieved. She did not think that she would be able to spend more time with him, and follows him while being too embarrassed to look up. Though she couldn’t see his face, his hand that held her surprised her in his warmth.
Prince Joshua leads the heroine to an expensive-looking hotel in the city. He checks in as if he’s used to it and brings her to a room. The only bed in the big room jumps into her field of vision, and she realizes that this means she’ll have to sleep in the same bed as him. She stops and Prince Joshua takes his shirt off (he’s still wearing his shirt here, so I think they meant to put “coat”.) He informs her that it was a last minute check-in, so they could only get this small room. He apologizes, though the heroine says that it’s fine while thinking it’s a really big room.
He tells her to relax. Thinking it’s weird to keep wearing her coat, she takes it off with stiff fingers as Prince Joshua sits down on a sofa in the back of the room. She begins to wonder whether she should sit with him or sit in a one seat sofa. She decides to sit next to him since it’s kind of weird to sit apart from him. She puts her coat away and takes a seat next to him. He blushes and tells her that she might as well sit closer, as he takes her arm and pulls her over to him. Her hearts starts to beat loudly at their sudden proximity.
She can tell herself not to be nervous, but that’s impossible. She looks down, unable to say anything, and Prince Joshua let’s out a quiet sigh. He asks if there wasn’t a bottle of wine in the paper bag and if she wants to open it. Confused, she wonders what’s gotten into him. He takes a wine opener from a shelf in the room and uncorks the wine. After he pours two glasses, he returns to the sofa and hands her a glass before sitting down next to her and taking a drink. The heroine follows him and sips her own glass. As she drinks, she begins to get lightheaded and feels herself relax. Prince Joshua comments that the wine is good and she agrees, and they both smile at each other. She wonders if he opened the bottle to help her relax.
After a while of drinking, Prince Joshua has finished his glass and stands up. He tells her to relax here and he’ll take a bath while she does. She tells him that it’s not good to take a bath right after drinking, to which he responds that he’s not that weak. Unlike her. She questions him in confusion, and he points out that her face is red. Surprised by this, she touches her cheek and finds that it is hot.
He tells her that she doesn’t need to drink it all and that she should sober up before getting in the bath. She feels like he’s making fun of her. She points out that he said earlier that he got drunk from eating the chocolate she made. He tells her that he lied. He then corrects himself saying that it wasn’t, but he’s sobered up now. He then declares that he’s going into the bath and rushes off straight into the bathroom. She giggles in her head. She’s kind of having fun thanks to him. Her cheeks flush, she slowly enjoys the rest of the wine.
After Prince Joshua comes out, when the heroine gets into the bath, he lets out the breath he’s been holding. He whispers to nobody in particular, “……Don’t think you’re the only one that’s nervous,” and falls on the bed.
He slowly stands up after staring into space for a while and makes his way to the table. With a smile, he takes out the box of chocolates from the paper bag and looks at it lovingly. As he starts to put the box back into the paper bag, he finds a small envelope at the bottom of the bag. The front says for him to read it when he’s back in his room alone. After a little thought, he opens it without hesitation
The card inside, in careful writing, reads: “Thank you for all your hard work. I love you, and how warm and kind you always are.” Next to the message is a sketch drawing of Prince Joshua. His eyes widen for a moment before he smiles. As he re-reads the message, the heroine returns from the bathroom.
The heroine mentally notes that it was a shorter bath than usual, but taking a shower just made her even more nervous. As she returns to the room, she spots Prince Joshua. He notes that her bath was quick, to which she nervously agrees. She then stops in her tracks when she realizes that he’s holding the card in his hands. She panics, thinking he read it, and tells him that she wrote on there to read it only when he’s alone! He tells her that’s why he read it when she was in the bath. She’s at a loss for words and mentally adds that that’s not what she meant by “alone”.
She demands that he put it away right now with a stutter, and attempts to take it out of his hand. Before she can, however, he grabs her hand and tells her that her hair is still wet. He puts the card back in the bag and sits her down on the bed before bringing the hair dryer from the bathroom and softly dries her hair.
The heroine realizes that he’s close to her and can smell the vague scent of soap on him, making her heart beat even faster. Prince Joshua then whispers, “So you thought that way about me this whole time. But I didn’t even notice……” She can’t hear him clearly, however, through the sound of the hair dryer. He then tells her it was nothing.
When he finishes, he turns the hair dryer off and puts it on the side table before sitting down next to her. He tells her that he’s ashamed of himself. When she asks why, he tells her that he didn’t notice how she felt about him. Not only that, but he assumed that she liked someone else. He looks at her and softly takes her hand, adding, “When I thought about you giving chocolate to another man, it made me crazy……. I didn’t want to see myself like that, so for a while, I tried to put a lid on my emotions. I love you so much, even just touching you like this right now…… makes my heart pound.”
She tells him that there is nothing to be ashamed of. She adds, “And you accepted both my chocolate and my feelings, and even broke the rules to eat the chocolate. I love you, and how kind you are, Prince Joshua.” He says her name and she feels like the hand holding her gets tighter, then he pulls her over to him and holds her tightly.
“You expressed in words the feelings you put into the chocolate,” he says, “…… So I’ll answer that. To not eat any of the chocolates given to me on February 14, that was a rule followed by every person who reigned over this land. But, you’re different. If I were to ever eat chocolate again, it will always be…… Chocolate that I get from you. So next year, make some for me again…… For only me. Alright?”
The heroine agrees, and Prince Joshua looks at her nodding deeply, and he smiles happily. He kisses her on the forehead and slowly stands up, saying they should go to bed. He turns his back to her and turns off the light switch. In the darkness, the heroine follows him with her eyes. He takes out a blanket from the closet and heads for the sofa. She asks him if he isn’t going to sleep on the bed, and he responds, a bit surprised, that he’ll just sleep on the sofa. She tells him that she can’t let him sleep on the sofa and offers to switch places. He tries to reassure her that it’s fine and that she should sleep on the bed. She still protests and he gives up with a smile, saying that she sure is stubborn. He wants to let her use the bed, but she won’t change her mind, which means that he’ll have to sleep with her on the bed, so…… He asks her if that’s what she wants. She thinks about this happening on the day that she tells him how she feels, but if it’s with Prince Joshua……
She says yes, and Prince Joshua obeys, sighing a little and quietly going over to the bed. When he gets there, he calls her and touches her shoulder, and she finds herself tightly shutting her eyes. But he only lays her down and puts the covers over her, whispering to her to calm down because he won’t do anything, and drops kisses on her cheek. He tells her to sleep well before turning his back to her. She mentally notes that he can tell that she’s nervous, so he’s trying to make her feel better. “(……He’s so nice.)” She tells him good night and, after hearing him respond, also turns her back to him and closes her eyes.
In the quiet room, the only sound is the ticking of the clock, and she finds that she can’t sleep. She hasn’t heard Prince Joshua move for a while and wonders if he’s already asleep. She decides to ask how he’s doing and turns around to face him. At the same time, he also turns around to face her, and their eyes meet. He says out loud that she’s not asleep yet, and the heroine says that neither is he. He tells her that he was just checking to see if she was sleeping yet or not, that’s all. She replies that she was doing that, too, and they both look at each other and start to giggle. They then change their positions to face each other.
He asks her if she can’t sleep and she nods in reply. His hand reaches out to her and his arm goes around her back, and he gently embraces her. His warm body comes through from his touch, and the heroine thinks that it feels good. She unconsciously closes her eyes, and his hand starts patting her on the shoulders. He tells her that he’ll do this until she falls asleep and wishes her another good night. The rhythm from his hands take her breath away as much as her pounding heart. Feeling so comforted, she eventually falls asleep.
The morning sun wakes the heroine up. Wondering if it’s morning already, she rubs her eyes and stretches. Something touches her hand as she does so. Wondering what it was, her eyes snap open and she sees Prince Joshua’s face. She then mentally asks herself, “(Did I just…… smack Prince Joshua in the face?)” His face scrunches up a little and his eyelids slowly open. She realizes that he’s waking up and quickly closes her eyes as she feels him yawning. She wonders if he saw that she’s awake. She’s nervous, and just as she feels him sigh, he lightly flicks her on her forehead.
She cries out and reflexively opens her eyes to find Prince Joshua’s eyes in front of her. He tells her that she’s not fooling anyone by feigning sleep. She apologizes, realizing that he knew she was awake. He brushes off his bangs and uses the same hand to caress her hair. Smiling, he tells her good morning and asks if she slept well. She says she did, and he says that that’s good.
Nodding and smiling, he slowly looks out the window and notices that it’s already morning. He says that time went by so fast last night, and it feels the same this morning, too. He says it’s so true that time flies when you’re having fun. The heroine mentally notes that he’s thinking the same thing she thought yesterday, and gazes at his profile, lit by the morning sun.
He looks back at her and says her name before kissing her. He immediately pulls away and smiles peacefully. He tells her, “That was the best Valentine’s Day…… thank you. Even though the wake up punch was far more impactful.” She realizes that he noticed and apologizes. He tells her that she doesn’t need to apologize, and that it was pretty good for what it was. He says he really felt like he saw in the morning with her. She hugs him out of shyness and kindness, and his strong arms embrace her back.
She remembers that he said that this was the best Valentine’s Day he’s ever had, but it’s true for her, too. This was the best Valentine’s Day ever. She decides to make chocolates for him again next year, and if they could spend time together like this again……
Warm light shines in through the window, and, feeling the warmth, they soaked in the happy vibrations.
Letter:
From: Prince Joshua
Subject: “Drunk?!”
I think I finally get what this whole
Valentine’s Day thing is about.
You show the person you love the way you
feel.
It’s a day where I can show you how much I
care.
……Thanks.
From Joshua
White Day Event Preview
Heroine
“Is this where we’re going…… On our date?”
Prince Joshua
“Yes. ……Is there a problem?”
A White Day date…… On the ocean!?
Heroine
“Did you…… actually make this yourself, Prince Joshua?”
Prince Joshua
“…… H, how could you tell?”
And…… A beautiful White Day
present from the Prince……!?
Prince Joshua
“You…… just laugh like that.”
My sweet White Day with
Prince Joshua comes out in the
beginning of March ♪ See you then!
