Chapter 32

I reached out a little and added some Prim description m(_ _)m

I helped a kid who was being bullied and, mustering up some courage, invited her to the garden, and she readily agreed.

(Yes! I got a romance flag!!)

I rejoiced inwardly but kept my expression to a slight smile.

However, my cheeks still twitched, so I walked ahead, using my Divine Eye to check on her from behind while searching for the route to the garden.

She was visibly flustered, looking around nervously, touching her face and fixing her hair, and repeatedly glancing at me, blushing and looking away.

(She's so cute!)

Just as I was getting carried away, I suddenly realized.

(No, no, Rain! You always mess up in these situations! Don't show your true self! Stay cheerful and sincere!)

I kept repeating this in my mind.

When we finally reached the garden, I mustered the courage to ask a question.

"Well, now that we're in the garden, would it be okay if I asked you a few questions?"

I gave her a bright smile.

"Y-Yes! P-Please do!"

She stuttered and her face turned red again.

(P-Please?)

I decided to ask about what happened earlier.

"You seemed to be getting bullied just now. Why was that?"

I could see her mood drop sharply.

She grabbed the hem of her dress and looked down.

(Ah, maybe I shouldn't have asked that...

Damn, my social skills are terrible. I don't understand these things.

I should apologize.)

"I-I'm sorry. I was a bit too insensitive. I don't talk to people much, so I really am sorry."

I started to stutter while apologizing.

"N-No, it's m-my fault, sniff."

She started to cry a little.

"I-I'm really sorry. I brought up painful memories. Are you okay?"

I knew it wasn't okay, but I couldn't help asking.

(Huh? To the point of crying? This is bad! I have no idea what to do! Someone, help me!!)

Of course, no one came to my rescue.

I drew on all my knowledge from books and games from my past life to figure out what to do in this situation.

(...That's it!!)

I had an idea, reached out, and patted her head.

Then I said,

"It's okay, it's not your fault. I'm here now, so you can relax."

I tried to reassure her with comforting words.

"Thank you," she said, expressing her gratitude.

(Phew, I'm exhausted.

I used as much mental energy as when I was with the princess.)

I tried not to show any signs of fatigue on the outside but felt drained inside.

"Um, why did you help me?"

(Eh? I don't have any particular reason...

I just noticed you. I can't say that, though...

Maybe I should try a cheesy line?)

"Because you were cute, I guess?"

(Ugh, so embarrassing!!

What kind of lame line is that?!

No one would fall for that!!)

I cautiously looked ahead and saw Prim, her face red, touching her cheeks and hair.

"R-Really?"

(Ah! I said that out loud!

No, it's safe! She's looking down with a red face, so she didn't hear it.)

She was incredibly easy to fluster.

I took the opportunity to observe Prim.

She had big, bright eyes, a small nose, small, red lips, a small face, and chestnut-brown hair that reached her shoulders with a slight wave.

I can clearly state:

(I really like her!!)

I pinched my thigh to keep my face from melting.

If we kept this up, we'd end up in our own little world, so I called out to her.

"Prim, are you okay?"

I called out to her, who seemed to be in her own world.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine!!"

"Are you sure? That's good. If you'd like, you can use this handkerchief to wipe your tears."

I took a handkerchief from my pocket. I didn't usually carry one in my past life, but it was already in the prepared clothes today.

"Y-Yes, thank you!"

"You're welcome. You can keep this handkerchief as a token of our acquaintance."

It was made of high-quality fabric, so I shouldn't have given it away so easily, but I handed it over without a second thought.

"Um, this is a good one..."

"It's fine. Just take good care of it."

"I will! Thank you!"

With that, I decided to ask about the Harbor family.

"Where is the Harbor family's territory? Could you tell me if you don't mind?"

I remembered the territories of families above the rank of count, but not the exact locations of lesser families.

(Does this family even have a territory?)

"Um, well, um..."

She hesitated.

(What? Maybe they don't have one? No, that's not it...

Ah, she doesn't know the south yet.)

"Can you tell me about any large territories or families nearby?"

Then she said,

"Yes! It's below and to the left of the Cordia Duke's territory!!"

She said this with a slight puff of her chest.

(Her eyes are shining so brightly, it's blinding...

So, it's southwest of the Cordia territory, which means it's southeast from here.)

It would take about two to three days to get there if I tried hard.

"Hmm, we should head back soon or the party will end."

We hadn't talked much because I had been comforting her. Using my Divine Eye, I could sense the party was winding down, so I decided to return early.

We successfully made it back to the party venue. It was a bittersweet moment as I had to say goodbye to her.

(When will I see her again?)

Just as I was about to say goodbye, she reached out her hand.

"Um, if you don't mind, can we be friends?!"

Seeing this, I felt a warm feeling inside.

(I never had that kind of courage in my past life.)

I smiled and took her hand.

"Of course."

She returned to her parents with a beaming smile.

When I went to my father, he had a smirking face.

"Hey, Rain, were you aiming for her? You did a good job."

"Um, it was just a coincidence."

He nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you chose her yourself.

Oh, and don't forget to pay attention to the princess!"

"Of course, I understand that...

Is it really okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Um, after meeting the princess, to do something like this right away..."

I had just been engaged to the princess, and now I was hooking up with another girl (or at least that's how it looked to others).

It wasn't exactly a commendable action.

"Don't worry about it!

If anything happens, I'll support you as much as I can!

Besides, it's not really a problem."

"O-Okay, I'm relieved."

The party ended, and I said goodbye to the nobles and left.

On the way back, my father asked me a serious question.

"So, do you like that girl?"

"Huh?"

What's with the sudden question?

"Do you like her? If you do, I can arrange for her to visit our house."

"R-Really?!

Um, well, she was quite cute, so I'd be happy if you could invite her to our house."

I got a bit carried away and then tried to play it cool.

"Got it! If you can properly attend to the princess tomorrow, I'll consider it!"

"..."

(Tomorrow? I'm not mentally prepared for that...)

This is going to be a long road ahead.