Chapter 52

"Krossi is a guy, you know."

I made a slight correction to the information from Rail.

The story about not returning is concerning, but let's start from there.

"No, she's a girl. She's a princess, after all."

"Huh?"

What is this person talking about?

"Princess?"

"Yeah. It's a small country, but she's a proper princess. The internal situation was unstable, so she temporarily sought asylum in Kudan. What? You didn't know?"

"A, ah."

I don't know what to say; my mouth is wide open.

"Really?"

"Really."

When I looked at Vain, he was holding his head.

He seems to want to say something but can't find the words. I'll speak for him.

"What a surprise!" That's it.

In this room, we did all sorts of things, and Krossi was a girl.

I touched her body a lot, but is that okay?

No, wait, she's a princess.

She was indeed refined, and her gestures were graceful.

Yeah, I'm genuinely surprised!

"What do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

I didn't understand Rail's question and asked back.

"She's returned to her country and won't come to this academy anymore. If we don't go to see her, we might never see her again."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Her position is difficult, and she can't just travel to other countries."

"Even if we go to see her, we have the academy."

"Just take a break."

"Oh, right."

When did I become such a stick-in-the-mud?

I didn't even consider skipping the academy.

"What do you think, Vain?"

I asked just in case.

"…Let's go."

Yeah, that's what I thought!

We left the academy soon after returning.

Vain and I will be riding in a carriage again.

For some reason, Rail came along too.

"Fine," he insisted, and now the three of us are crowded in the small carriage, feeling uncomfortable.

What was Krossi thinking when she was with us?

I had no way of knowing her feelings back then, and it seems futile to think about them now, but in the carriage, I couldn't stop thinking about her.

I had fun, but was Krossi having fun too?

Vain might be thinking the same thing; he didn't talk much in the carriage.

"Kururi, what will you say when we get there?"

"Um, I don't know."

We used to talk so freely, but now that I know her position, I don't know what to say.

The journey, which took about two weeks, passed quickly, and we finally arrived at Krossi's country.

It's very rural, but the area near the castle is somewhat prosperous.

I heard that fishing is a major industry here.

They probably don't need large facilities.

The people's lives seem simple but rich.

When we arrived at the castle, we were allowed to enter immediately.

It seems Rail had sent a letter in advance.

I thought we were coming unannounced, but now I realize how reckless that was!

Rail is always moving behind the scenes, for better or worse.

We waited in what seemed to be a guest room for about an hour.

There was food and books, so we weren't bored, but my mind was never at ease.

The door to the guest room opened, and Krossi finally appeared.

She was wearing a beautiful dress, and her face was beautifully made up.

"Krossi!"

"Master! And Vain! And, who is this person?"

She doesn't seem to know Rail.

Krossi doesn't know him, but Rail knows her.

Scary! This person is scary!

"Oh, don't worry about him. I'm more surprised. I didn't know you were a princess."

"I'm sorry. The situation was what it was, so I couldn't tell you."

"It's okay. I heard the situation has stabilized, and it's good to know you're safe."

"Yes, the situation changed dramatically, and I had to leave the academy suddenly. I regret not being able to say goodbye to you all. I'm grateful that you came to see me."

Krossi lifted her dress slightly and bowed gracefully.

Ah, she's a princess.

At this moment, I felt a great sense of understanding and a great distance.

"Um, Master, is Vain angry?"

Krossi whispered, worried that Vain wasn't coming closer.

When I turned around, Vain was indeed not coming closer and was looking out the window.

Despite wanting to see Krossi the most, why isn't he coming?

"Vain"

I called out, but there was no response.

"I'm fine."

Vain seems to be in his stranger mode.

He's taciturn and unapproachable.

"But Krossi is here, and you won't see her at the academy anymore."

"…"

"Is that okay, Vain?"

"…"

Vain just looked down and said nothing.

I can feel his desire to talk, but something is holding him back.

"Master, I don't have much time. If you have nothing to say, I'll be on my way."

"Are you leaving already?"

"I'm sorry, I have a lot of political work to catch up on, and I have dinner plans afterward. You don't have to rush. Feel free to tour the country. I probably won't be able to join you, but I'll come to see you off when you leave."

"That's right. Krossi, you have a lot on your plate. I wanted to talk more."

"Me too…"

Krossi's words carried a heavy, dark atmosphere.

Vain, who should be the one most eager to talk, remained silent.

In the end, the two of them parted without exchanging a word.

Left behind, we couldn't muster the energy to do anything and spent the day at the castle.

We decided to stay overnight and return home the next day.

I thought about a lot of things in bed that night.

The thought that I might never see Krossi again made me very sad.

Vain must feel the same way, so why isn't he saying anything?

These thoughts kept me awake.

"Can't sleep?"

It seems Rail, lying in the bed next to me, is also awake.

Vain had already left the room and gone somewhere.

None of us could sleep that night.

"Can't sleep."

"Want me to sing a lullaby?"

"No."

"Want to cuddle?"

"No."

"Want a pillow on my arm?"

"Goodnight."

"Ah!"

I gracefully ignored Rail's pointless chatter and tried to close my eyes, trying not to think.

"Hey, do you have a crush on someone?"

Rail butted in.

I threw a pillow at him to shut him up.

The long, heavy, damp night finally passed.