Chapter 2

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Part 1

Late that night, the Marquis of Urband’s mansion was sent into shock.

However, in the room where the servants were gathered, as soon as Marquis Urband and Albert began to explain that they had something important to say, I was the first one to make a strange, unpleasant sound.

To my surprise, ten-year old Lilina Urband was to receive a visit from the fourth prince, Christopher, as a potential fiancée.

Elena’s fist dropping on my head, 「Don’t be a prude,」 brought me back to myself for a moment. I ruminated on the words said once more in my head, looked back at the Marquis of Urband, to find him rolling his eyes once again.

「No, no, no! Wasn’t that supposed to be a lie?」(Maria)

「Relax, Maria. It’s good news, so I thought I would try to bring the two of them together. His Majesty is also very eager」(Urband)

「Bu-bu-but, sir? Lilina-sama is super cute and is my angel, or rather, at the age of ten, her fiancée is obviously the prince!」(Maria)

The Marquis of Urband smiled gently again, 「Calm down,」 he explained again, patting my head.

In order to find out which nobles to get rid of, as one of the traps, it was made up the other day that the Marquise Lilina was a strong candidate for the engagement of the fourth prince.

However, when things were over, the fourth prince was now ten years old, and Lilina was also ten. It seems that both parents decided that it might not be a bad idea.

His Majesty the King has four sons.

The first prince, a talented swordsman of twenty-two years of age, handed over the right of succession to his younger brother last year and married romantically to an imperial princess from a neighbouring country. The other three remain in the country, and their fiancées have yet to be decided.

The twenty-year-old second prince, who, like his older brother, was aiming to become the strongest knight, became the Second Division Captain of the Royal Court Knights as if to succeed his older brother. The fifteen-year-old third prince graduated from the top institute in the shortest time possible with his brilliant mind.

Beneath him, is the ten-year-old fourth prince.

Unlike his three older brothers, the princes, who showed a talent for swords and study, the youngest, the fourth prince, seems to have grown up with a straightforward personality without any problems. He likes to read and admire flowers, and is especially devoted to painting classes. He is also a bit athletically challenged, but it is said that he is a very cute prince.

Isn’t that, like, him being mistaken for a girl?

Or perhaps the second and third princes from the top have problems with their character… Listening to Marquis Urband and Albert, I had mixed feelings about the current royal palace situation, which I kept far away from.

Even the second prince was born during Albright’s era, but I don’t think there were any problems with the character of the second prince.

He was a shy, whiny prince who was honest and really cute, but when did he become so twisted?

Is it his father after all? His father, the King, was so wild that it interfered with his personality?

「The second prince is one of the three most skilled swordsmen in the country, but he glares at others as if he has a grudge against them and has no mercy for women. The third prince is said to be an intelligent but difficult person to deal with, and the fourth prince is so rare that he grew up without any resemblance to his father or brothers.」(Albert)

Albert smilingly tells the truth about the details.

In my memory, I only had the image of the second prince, who followed behind me adorably whenever he appeared. I thought with deep emotion of the sixteen years that had passed since the second prince had been so timid that he had a special seat behind the first prince and would scream and cry at the slightest insect.

However, I can understand that the gentle fourth prince, who is apparently oblivious to doubt, would certainly be reassured if he had the backing of the [His Majesty King’s sword].

It seems that His Majesty the King has been approached by a number of families asking for a proposal for one of his children, so I have a feeling that he is giving his personal reasons for deciding on a fiancée as soon as possible.

They were the same age, and the proposal was to bring the children together and get engaged if they were a good match.

I guess the fourth prince is such a sweet boy that even the Marquis of Urband and Albert have praised him.

I, who had been shocked by Lilina’s potential fiancée and the talk of an arranged marriage, began to think, 「Hey, that’s pretty good news, isn’t it?」

The fourth prince is said that he looks as lovely as he did alongside Lilina. 「Wouldn’t you like to see the two of them together?」 Albert urged me, and I was unintentionally tempted.

So you’re saying there are two angels?

Throw Sally into the mix, and you’re looking at a composition of three lovely angels, huh?

「…」(Maria)

「Oh, that’s my Albert-bochan. You know how to handle Maria very well.」(Gaspar)

Gaspar grinned as he said what they were all thinking in the suddenly quiet room. Albert smiled softly, not denying it.

Thus, with the approval of all the servants, Lilina’s arranged marriage was able to proceed.

We were told that the messenger would come back later to discuss the details of the date, etc., and that the day would be resolved.

At that time, I had no idea that I would be meeting her acquaintances from my days as Albright because of this one event.

Part 2

The preparatory work for the Fourth Prince’s visit was proceeding at a rapid pace. In order to complete the task with a small number of people, time had to be allocated in small increments in order to make it in time.

The Marquis’ residence was polished to the nth degree, and the roof was repaired by all the male servants, including Maria. During the time that Lilina was visiting a friend’s residence with the Marquis of Urband, everyone was also tidying up the plants and trees in the garden.

Three days after Lilina was chosen as the fourth prince’s prospective fiancée, the Marquis’ residence was completed to a considerably less inferior state.

I was in front of the fountain set up in front of the main entrance, leaving Sally to take care of Lilina, who had violin and piano lessons in the morning, followed by etiquette lessons. Under the direction of Mark, the gardener, I climbed up on a stepladder with Guise and moved a pair of scissors to trim the two-meter-long decorative trees surrounding the fountain.

I paused and looked up at the beautiful autumn sky.

The maids had been sewing up the loose ends of the curtains and tablecloths in their spare time, so Margaret and the others were probably working as seamstresses right now. She couldn’t help with the details, so I felt a little bad about that.

I can fix the roof, or work in the fields, or carry a bunch of stuff.

I was trained as a servant, and I’m now good at cleaning. However, it seems that I don’t have the slightest talent for sewing or cooking, and although I worked hard for about a year, Elena and Gaspar did everything in their power to prevent me from joining in, and now I don’t join in at all.

「Oi, Maria. Keep your hands busy. The only thing you boast about is your stamina, so work hard! When we’re done here, we’ll go to the front gate. …Haa, do you mean we don’t have time to slack off?」(Mark)

「Why don’t you just go sleep on the grass like you always do? I’m sure Forrest-san’s fist will come dropping down.」(Maria)

Forrest’s fists were quite painful.

Even in my days as Albright, I had never seen a man who could drop a fist with such incredible power. The fist swung down with just the right amount of force to prevent the skull from cracking is something traumatic.

The only person who continues to receive blows without fail is Mark, who has a habit of laziness.

Mark seems to bounce back very quickly. Every time he fails to pick up a girl, he gets depressed for the rest of the night, and it’s such a refreshing feeling of failure that I wish Guise would learn from him.

「I mean, both of you. Don’t you think it’s strange when Maria joins us here? Working in the sun or something, that’s not the kind of work a maid would do, right?」(Guise)

Guise stopped his work and looked at us.

We looked at each other for a while, holding our respective work still. Through the silence that had come over them, we heard the pleasant chirping of the autumn birds.

After thinking about it for a few seconds, I tilted my head to the side and looked at Guise, as I was deeply unsure.

「What’s up with you? I’m not like Karen and Margaret, I’m not afraid of working on high heights, okay?」(Maria)

「Great choice, you’ve got a lot of stamina. Come on, move your hands, Guise.」(Mark)

Mark sighed in exasperation and started moving the shears for trimming again.

Guise furrowed his brow as if to say it was too much to accept, 「Am I wrong? My common sense is right, isn’t it?」

I, too, had lifted the shears, but I suddenly heard the sound of a carriage and turned my head toward it.

「Were we expecting visitors today?」(Maria)

「Well, you know. If it was a last minute rush, I’m sure the message would have gone out by a courier pigeon, and then the head butler would have known about it.」(Mark)

Reaching his head toward the carriage coming toward us, Mark narrowed his eyes to check it out.

At that moment, the front door of the mansion opened, revealing a broad-backed Forrest. At his side stood Elena modestly, along with another ladylike maid in her thirties.

The maid with her frizzy auburn hair tied up tightly and wearing silver-rimmed glasses was Karen. When she noticed us, a slight smile formed on her lips. Her special pair of heavy boots were high on her heels, making her the same height as the taller Elena.

The two maids, both highly respected and educated, were the perfect combination to greet their guests.

Convinced that it was a harbinger of things to come, the others and I held up the shears on the stepladder and followed the movement of the carriage with our eyes. While we were doing so, a black carriage with a familiar coat of arms came to a stop in front of the entrance.

The facial muscles of Guise and I, who saw it up close, twitched and stiffened.

「… Hey, do you remember seeing that coat of arms anywhere?」(Guise)

「… I feel like I’ve seen it before, somewhere a long time ago.」(Maria)

「Come on, don’t you kids know our nation’s flag? That’s a royal palace carriage.」(Mark)

Mark pointed this out to me. 「Is that so?」, I replied, but the instant I saw a bright green grizzled headed man descend out from the carriage, I almost screamed.

The man who stepped out of the magnificent carriage had a large, well-built physique that could be seen even over his dark blue knight’s uniform.

The cloak on his jacket, indicating his rank as captain, was inscribed with the coat of arms of the Royal Kingsguard, depicting two swords and a chalice, and a large old scar appeared on the fearless profile of his thick upper neck.

Sixteen years must have passed, but at first glance, it appeared that he was only about seven or eight years older, and I had a strong impression that he had grown up.

I mean, that guy is Vanlet!

I couldn’t help but turn my head vigorously away. I told myself that I didn’t need to be in a hurry since he looked different than he did back then, but I couldn’t return my gaze quickly enough.

Vanlet Woska was the youngest person to graduate from knight school at the age of seventeen and join the Black Knight Corps straight away. At that time, Albright was twenty-four years old and was taking care of him as captain.

Although they had only been together for about three years, Vanlet had quickly made a name for himself, fearlessly swinging his greatsword at enemy soldiers in his first battle. Vanlet, who was seven years younger than him, became a reliable junior on the battlefield and one of Albright’s few friends.

When I took another peek at him, I noticed that the childish atmosphere I had felt at the time was gone and he had become more refined. The scar on his cheeks had also become completely familiar and looked like the hallmarks of a fierce soldier who had endured through countless battlefields.

In those days, only his eyes were cute and sparkling like a child’s, but the gaze that firmly catches Forrest’s eyes seems somehow powerful… I feel like I’ve been there.

…Oh, yeah, he’s the third son of an aristocrat, isn’t he? Whoa, did he become a captain or something, seriously?

I was upset because I hadn’t planned to meet him and had no intention of seeing him at all. In addition, unfortunately, the only thing he was good at was his own battle prowess, and was also one of the most problematic individuals in the Black Knight Corps, even on the battlefield he was difficult to keep under control.

Vanlet is a reckless musclehead. He is an idiot who can’t read the mood, and he is an utter idiot who is incapable of discussing his feelings.

The scar on his cheek was inflicted in a fierce duel after he angered a knight of the Kingsguard who had attacked Albright without thinking twice. He charged in unaware of the enemy’s advances and nearly lost his life that one time.

Above all, the biggest problem is that his way of thinking is not normal. It’s way beyond the level of being unable to read the mood.

I stole another look at him, remembering the miserable days of the past. Unlike those days, he appears to be a formidable knight, but I had a small suspicion that his personality had improved as he grew older.

If that is the case, the years that have passed might be considered significant.

「Oi, Maria. What’s wrong?」(Guise)

When Guise asked, I smiled dryly and said, 「It’s nothing.」

The Marquis of Urband said that a messenger would come from the royal palace to decide the details, probably regarding the fourth prince. It seems that Vanlet has become so distinguished that he can carry out the role of messenger by himself.

I am now a girl who bears no close resemblance to Albright.

A mere servant would never get involved with a knight from the royal palace. Thinking of this, My ears suddenly caught a glimpse of Vanlet’s thick, jovial voice as I was beginning to regain my composure.

「You are both beautiful ladies, may I please have one of you as my wife?」(Vanlet)

Mark, who had been watching the scene with little interest, looked up and said,「You’re lying. Did I hear that wrong?」He peeled his eyes back and looked twice at Vanlet. Our expressions also froze at the same time.

While Elena and Karen were smiling like ladies who had lost their temperature, Forrest deepened his old, soft smile to the point of being almost deliberate.

「Woska-sama is a funny man」(Elena)

Forrest made a social call and invited Vanlet into the mansion with a quick, fluid motion.

「This way, please. The master is waiting for you.」(Forrest)

「I wasn’t joking, but I see. Now if you’ll excuse me.」(Vanlet)

Vanlet’s voice, somewhat like a childish boy, was absorbed into the mansion. I couldn’t help but cover my face and droop.

He hasn’t changed at all. He still remains a fool and an idiot. Goddamn it, give me back the time I felt so deeply moved!

Mark, as expected, couldn’t make a mockery of it, and stared stunned at the closed door. Guise asked,「Are all nobles like that…?」 He twitched his cheeks.

Resisting the urge to say that it wasn’t true, I eased my posture on the stepladder and painstakingly rubbed my eyes.

Vanlet has always been a strange man. One of the things he did was to suddenly throw out a proposal of marriage, even though he didn’t care much for women. Most of them were mature women, ranging from their twenties to their late thirties.

No woman would consent to being asked 「Will you marry me?」 as lightly as if he were asking a friend out for a drink, without knowing anything about the person. Women who were asked with his childlike innocence in their eyes, without exception, fled in dismay.

Vanlet’s behavior was always erratic, and sometimes when he spoke it made my head hurt to wonder as if he was using a completely different language.

I’ll never forget the shudder I got when Albright and his friends asked Vanlet if he wanted to get married, and he replied, 「Maybe?」 I’ll never forget the shudder I felt when he replied with a simple question as if he didn’t seem to understand at all. I’ll never forget the shudder I felt when the king’s smile froze at that moment.

「… Ah, seriously?」(Maria)

My true thoughts spilled out in a much worse voice than I had expected.

It was hard to believe, but Vanlet had not changed at all. And the fact that he was still in the position of captain was astonishing. Who is pulling the reins on him? …No, I wonder if there was ever a man who could pull the reins.

Then, Mark, who seemed to have quickly put what had just happened into the depths of his memory, looked at me and said, 「Hey,」 in a voice that sounded truly disgusted.

「What are you, some kind of old man? Ladies don’t sag with their legs open, and by the way, ladies don’t use the word ‘seriously’, so get your posture back on track!」(Mark)

「I don’t need an old man to tell me what to do. Give me a break, I’m too shocked by all the things that are going on…」(Maria)

Mark, who caught sight of me, asked, 「Did you ever have enough feminine imagination to dream of knighthood?」 However, it doesn’t matter.

Rather, I was a man until 16 years ago. I know first hand what it’s like to be in a company of men, let alone knights. I’d like to kick the crap out of myself for thinking in my previous life that I’d be a little better off when I grew up, or that I was a little senpai minded about Vanlet.

No worries, I won’t get involved anyway.

In the first place, the other party is Vanlet, so there is absolutely no way that “Maria” will look suspicious.

I corrected my posture, took a breath, and straightened my back like a young lady. 「I’m fine, I’m perfectly fine」 I said in my familiar girlish voice, and I felt like I could manage.

Part 3

The appearance of my friend, a junior colleague and subordinate from my days as Albright, was unexpected, but I decided to revert to my usual motto of “not thinking too much.”

We don’t plan to be inside the mansion for a while. In the meantime, Vanlet will probably leave.

I continued to work with Mark and Guise to trim the trees at the front gate of the property. When we had finished the front gate, we remembered that it was time to trim the maze garden as well, so they moved on to that.

Within a few minutes, however, Mark, the originator of the idea, collapsed from lack of stamina.

The lazy adult began to ramble on about how he 「didn’t want to move anymore」 and that he wanted to 「replenish his stamina with alcohol」. We had already done the work that Forrest had instructed us to do, so there was no problem if we finished here.

However, it was more than an hour before Lilina finished her class, so I wanted to at least get the front of the maze garden in order.

Since we are working with a small number of people, if we don’t proceed efficiently, we may not make it in time.

As a result of the discussion, it was decided that Guise and I would do the rest of the work. As for Mark, it was decided that he would be dragged to the mansion and thrown into the lounge for a nap.

「I’m gonna go get some snacks since you guys look hungry.」(Guise)

「If you would please!」(Maria)

「Just don’t expect a lot, okay?」(Guise)

After watching Guise drag Mark away, I began to work at my own pace from a spot just inside the maze garden.

Mark instructed me to do a simple job of trimming the protruding parts of the grass on the two meter high pathway. Looking forward to the arrival of the sweets, I proceeded with my work in a good mood.

※※※

As the hands of my internal clock moved forward a little, I heard a single footstep.

Realizing that it was about time for the Guise to return, I stopped my work and turned my head in the direction of the footsteps. However, an unexpected person jumped into my view and I let out a strange 「oof」.

Instead, more than twice the bulkiness of Guise, there was Vanlet.

I stood motionless for a few seconds as I stared straight up at Vanlet, who was looking straight down at me. I wondered why this guy was here, and then I remembered the biggest problem this man with his robust body had.

Speaking of which, this guy is an extremely annoying lost cause!

Vanlet is also a problematic child who, perhaps because of his lack of concentration and memory, disappears at a moment’s notice and gets lost on his own. He was like a young child who couldn’t sit still, and when he was in an unfamiliar place, he would always get lost in the name of exploration.

「…Um, you are the visitor who was talking with the master, aren’t you? Is there something I can do for you?」(Maria)

Unable to bear to look directly at the puzzled Vanlet, I gave a small cough and called out to him to ease his tension. I was relieved that my voice came out more smoothly than I had expected.

He was clearly confused, but Vanlet, who has no sense of delicacy, would not be able to guess what was going on.

From the front, Vanlet looked younger than his actual age of thirty-six. He looked like he was in his early thirties and had a fearless face.

His bright black eyes, without a hint of doubt, were looking straight at me. The fact that he looked so much bigger than he had in the past was probably due to the fact that my height was much smaller than it had been in the past.

After a while, Vanlet finally affirmed, 「Mm-hmm.」

「I guess I had nothing special to do, but I wonder where I’m at.」(Vanlet)

That’s what I want to hear! Where’s the master?

I tightened my facial muscles to suppress the voice in my mind. I wondered who had chosen him to be their messenger, and I even felt a small twinge of murderous intent.

「Oh, oho ho ho ho …Did you carelessly explore and got lost?」(Maria)

「I don’t explore people’s houses, do I? Wouldn’t it be rude to do that?」(Vanlet)

「…So, why are you here? Were you separated from your guide?」(Maria)

「No one was guiding me, I just walked here」(Vanlet)

「May I ask where you were before you walked in?」(Maria)

「Before I walked, I met with the Marquis of Urband, didn’t I? Then the butler who had welcomed me came again. –Hmm, what happened next?」(Vanlet)

Vanlet stroked his chin with a martial hand and hesitated curiously at his own memories.

Damn it, I’m getting tired of talking to this guy!

I wanted to yell at him, confronting him with the fact that he was wandering around on his own and getting lost, but I held back. In any case, I hid the shears behind my back and held on to them as long as I could, trying not to break into an amiable smile.

After tilting his head from side to side two or three times, each for a good few tens of seconds, Vanlet finally took his hand off his chin and looked down at me.

「Yes, I remember. The butler said, ‘I’ll have him show you around.’ and then there was no one else around, so I walked over here like this.」(Vanlet)

「I don’t know what that means. Perhaps it was an instruction to wait in your room. No one has forgotten you, and you are now lost on your own. Yes, you are in the middle of being lost. I’m sure the people at the mansion are looking for you right now and you’re causing them a lot of trouble!」(Maria)

The exasperation I had been holding back exploded, and I went on at length in a strong tone of voice, giving Vanlet no room to argue. In other words, I’ll give you a firm glare at the end with the thought that you’re wrong.

Vanlet rolled his eyes, but after a moment, he apologized in a tone of voice that said he didn’t exactly know what he was doing, 「I’m sorry?」

It was as if I was talking to a person from another world. It was very tiring and I felt as if my mental strength had been drained.

It would be rude to go any further. I thought, letting out a small groan in the back of my throat as I painstakingly rubbed my eyes. At any rate, let’s take him to the mansion. I don’t want the Marquis of Urband to be inconvenienced by him walking around for no reason.

I took my hands away from my eyes when I finally got my head straight.

I was about to turn to Vanlet and tell him that I would show him around with my signature smile, when I noticed him gazing at me curiously, and I couldn’t help but gently frown.

「…Yes?」(Maria)

「No, I recalled that there was a man who did something similar」(Vanlet)

「Huh?」(Maria)

I couldn’t help but raise a question in my mind, but I quickly made up for it with a girlish smile and rephrase my words, 「I’ll escort you to the mansion.」

I turned on my heel and walked away just before I finished, so as not to leave any room for more questions, and Vanlet followed along as obediently as a greenhorn who mirrors the leader.

He has always been that way. He never doubts the people who lead him.

Recalling the day sixteen years ago, I walked along the well-groomed lawn, listening to the sound of crunching footsteps. While checking the distance between them by the sound of his footsteps, they walked straight towards the mansion.

Suddenly, the distance between me and the man behind me widened, and I stopped to look back.

「There’s nothing particularly interesting here. Here, quickly, this way please.」(Maria)

When I turned around and said this, Vanlet blinked, as if a little surprised. I knew that if I took my eyes off him for a moment, his attention would be elsewhere, so I emphasized the word 「quickly」 and told him so.

The only thing here is a good view of the lawn leading up to the mansion, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble for you to just wander in and change your destination… But, I can’t let myself get distracted because of Vanlet.

I waited for him to move, however, Vanlet’s legs showed no sign of movement. I tilted my head, a little curious about the situation.

「What is the matter? If there’s something that’s bothering you, please let me know. It’s better than letting someone wander around without permission.」(Maria)

「…No, well, it’s kind of weird, isn’t it?」(Vanlet)

「I’m not sure I understand you, sir」(Maria)

I felt as if I often had this kind of exchange before, but after looking around, the familiar view I saw almost made me forget the question.

「Oh, you mean that building, perhaps? Those are the apartments that the master gives to his servants.」(Maria)

「Really? I’m a little surprised at how magnificent it is.」(Vanlet)

You are already a respectable adult in your thirties, and yet you are curious like a child about a building that looks like nothing at all. You’re a strange man… I smirked at the thought.

I can’t stand it when he starts asking questions, like playing with words, again and again, as he did before. I remembered when I went to see my friend, the king, and it took twice as long because of Vanlet’s curiosity about exploring a completely different route.

Since I have no choice, I decided to take Vanlet’s hand and pull, as I always used to do.

His hands were so big that I had to pinch his large palms, but when I lightly pulled back and called out to him, 「This way,」 to encourage him to go on, he rolled his eyes as he followed without resistance.

Even though he is older, sixteen years older, he is still very childish, I thought. His second-in-command must be having a hard time.

「May I ask your name?」(Vanlet)

He suddenly called out to me, and I looked over my shoulder and locked eyes with him.

While I blinked slowly, I nodded in return, deciding that at the very least my name should be fine.

「That is fine. My name is Maria, Lilina-sama’s maid.」(Maria)

「I’m Vanlet Woska, Captain of the First Court Kingsguard. I’ve also been assigned as the Fourth Prince’s personal guard.」(Vanlet)

「Well, that’s very magnificent.」(Maria)

Why is a personal guard knight serving as a messenger, that’s strange.

Even though I thought so, I didn’t show it on my face and smiled like a little girl. There are so many things I want to get into that I feel like my smile will twitch if I’m not careful.

「There is someone else in the guard, a knight of the same Kingsguard, an excellent man who has also been appointed as an instructor.」(Vanlet)

「Well, actually…」(Maria)

「Actually?」(Vanlet)

「Excuse me. I misspoke.」(Maria)

I let out a modestly cute laugh, 「Oh-ho-ho-ho」. Even though I mobilized all of my facial expression muscles, I couldn’t make a good smile, so I pulled his hand a little harder and walked with my big toe.

I already hate this. Anyhow, I can’t wait to push this guy to someone else.

In a way, the pure and innocent Vanlet had many people he respected and men he could call excellent. I could not help but wonder if this escort was someone I knew, and in my mind, I tried to put my finger on the elements of respect he had.

He has strong arms, great memory, and speaks foreign languages. He can mend his own knots, and is good with numbers. And has swordsmanship that is second to none in a match with Albright…

Remembering that there was a specific person at the end, I let out a thin smile. Slowly shaking my head, I sealed away the nightmarish past two years.

That had been the roughest time in Albright’s life. It was the youngest boy to become a Division Commander, but anyway, he was an incredibly destructive, malicious bastard.

「Did your talk go well?」(Maria)

I asked this question to get rid of the old abominable past from my mind. As I pulled my hand away, I looked at Vanlet, who was only big in stature, and he affirmed, 「Yes.」

「I couldn’t remember much, so I wrote it down on a piece of paper. However, where did I put the paper? Umm, the contents are…」(Vanlet)

「…」(Maria)

「Oh, that’s right. The fourth prince is shy, so I think we were talking about going on a visit to a friend’s household.」(Vanlet)

Lightweight. And a ridiculously sketchy explanation. I’d like to ask someone to send us a messenger other than this guy. I have no choice but to be concerned.

Well, I guess it’s informal, I speculated briefly.

In the past, when we invited a countess of the same age to be a friend of Lilina’s, we did not greet her with a line of servants. I remember she was an extremely shy angel, so I took care of her with only servants who looked as familiar as possible, and who didn’t have harsh faces.

The Marquis of Urband is a man who can do things with frightening perfection. No matter how stupid the messenger is, he will be able to guide him and get things done.

As I was thinking about the mistake that Vanlet had made this time, my fingertips, now in my grasp, were clenched discreetly.

I stopped my thoughts and looked back over my shoulder. As if by conditional reflex, I smiled back with a confident smile of affection, and Vanlet looked somewhat disappointed.

I don’t get it. You’re rude, you know that? This smile, it’s pretty well received.

I remembered that the last time I pulled his hand, he was still pouting like an idiot, so I couldn’t look at him anymore and returned my gaze to the front.

At that time, Albright said 「goodbye」 to Vanlet in a roundabout way.

I was a terrible liar, but even so, he never suspected me of anything, and I’ve never felt more grateful that Vanlet was an idiot than at that moment.

By the way, did the letter that I sent to His Majesty the King reach him properly?

That was the first letter Albright wrote in his life, a poorly written “I’m sorry” and “thank you” letter

I laughed at myself for suddenly remembering such a thing. I pushed the memory to the back of my mind, thinking that it was over and there was no point in thinking about it.

Albright’s promise to risk his life to become his friend’s sword was consequently broken by himself.

On his last day, he gave up his life, which he was supposed to give to a friend, for the sake of a woman.

Part 4

Lilina’s dress was redesigned for the visit of the fourth prince.

When Lilina tried on a peach-colored dress with plenty of fabric, everyone who saw her was moved and shaken, saying, 「She’s an angel.」

When Albert saw his sister’s adorable figure, he was so moved that he picked her up and kissed her on her cheek. The Marquis of Urband, who was by his side, addressed him calmly with a smile and told him, 「It’s time for you to grow up.」 His words were unusually without warmth.

On the day before the fourth prince’s visit the next day, Lilina seemed restless.

The dress and other preparations were all in order, and the house was suddenly more lively than usual. Lilina was anxiously attached to me and did not leave my side.

She’s cute, too cute. I want a little sister like her.

I inwardly fainted at the sight of my little master on my lap.

Next to me, who was sitting on a sofa for three, was Sally, Lilina’s chamberlain, and on the table were cookies made by the chef and tea for the three of them.

「Al nii-sama won’t be around, will he?」(Lilina)

「He has a lot of work to do. But don’t worry, the master will do everything he can for you.」(Maria)

Along the way, I’m supposed to leave you alone with the fourth prince, but I’m not going to say anything right now.

I pondered this under my signature smile.

Some of the vassals who are trusted by His Majesty the King seem to be aware of the situation of the Marquise of Urband, and the number of the fourth prince’s attendants for the day seems to be smaller than usual. Albert told the servants last night that this was done for the ostensible reason that since it was unofficial, it would be safer.

When I think about it again, there is no other safer place than the Marquis of Urband. No one has ever been allowed to enter the house, and no one has ever returned alive from an assassination attempt on a valued guest.

It truly is an ironclad fortress.

Strangely enough, there was no sense of awe in the air, probably because I had become accustomed to it after being taken in as a child. The Marquis of Urband’s combat servants are so good that one person can work as hard as a platoon, according to Albright’s knowledge.

Only when the need arises, the Marquises will send their servants to ‘work’ to attend to them, in addition to the chamberlain and butler.

The purpose of this is to protect and strengthen our forces, but objectively speaking, it creates the strongest possible defense without attracting suspicion or vigilance, which Maria finds a bit intriguing.

Outsiders do not doubt that Lilina is able to go out freely is because the Marquises of Urband, her family, are beloved by their fiefdom’s people. They don’t think that the weak, almost young girl like chamberlain and the friendly maid who accompany her are her bodyguards.

Lilina is an innocent and pure girl, an ordinary young lady who cannot bear the “karma” of the Marquis of Urband.

This was not an uncommon occurrence, and I had heard that even when the prospective spouse isn’t suitable, the situation remains a secret. In fact, Lilina’s mother died without knowing the true nature of the Marquis family of Urband.

No matter how many more years and experiences she grows, Lilina will never be told the truth about her family.

「I wonder if I can make friends with the prince. Sally will be there with me, won’t she?」(Lilina)

「Yes. I, I’m your personal knight, so I’ll stay by your side.」(Sally)

Sally replied, turning red in the cheeks and fidgeting with both hands in his lap. This scene, no matter where and how, is him looking like a young girl.

In spite of her thin clothes, the cliffs around my chest were clearly visible, but I couldn’t help but wonder why he had thinner arms than me, a woman.

Sally was not much taller than Maria, so her maid friend Karen sometimes dressed Sally up in maid’s clothes and dresses for fun. All the maids said, 「Sally is definitely more decorative than Maria,」 and the dress-up is always a big hit.

Yeah… This is frustrating, but I can’t find the words to reciprocate.

As for me, I couldn’t deny that I was on the side of being soothed by Sally’s cross-dressing.

「Can’t Maria stay with me? Why can’t she?」(Lilina)

Lilina pulled on her sleeve and I looked down at her.

As soon as she felt that my reason was about to be shaken by the large, moist, deep indigo eyes looking up at me, I immediately looked up at the ceiling. I mobilize my mental strength, which has been strengthened to the point of almost steel, and suppress the 「I want to hug her pretty, and rub her cheek」 that is penetrating my brain.

Damn, how cute, that upturned eye is unfair!

Sally, who seemed to have sensitively noticed this, somehow managed to hide his disappointed gaze with a weak, affectionate smile and muttered confusedly, 「…Maria has other work to do.」

I calmed myself in the meantime and faced Lilina again.

「I’m sorry, Lillina-sama. The other party is a member of the royal family, so it is polite to refrain from being a personal maid.」(Maria)

「Is it?」(Lilina)

…Yeah, I think that was probably it.

She wasn’t sure at all, but I fooled her with a smile. We had been taught about etiquette, but I’m not very good at it, so it slips from my memory.

Unmarried women are not supposed to be left alone with the opposite sex, so it is normal for them to have a personal attendant, but in this case, the Marquis of Urband had directly instructed Sally to stay by her side while he left Lilina alone with His Highness.

I smiled back at her in a girlish way, and Lilina turned to Sally for confirmation.

Sally had a fragile smile on his beautiful face. His long honey-colored eyelashes slowly moved up and down, and his gaze shifted a bit as if he was thinking, then returned to Lilina quite naturally.

「On the day of the event, the chef said he would prepare the apple pie that the young lady had been raving about.」(Sally)

「Oh, really!」(Lilina)

「Yes. His Highness seems to be a shy person, so I thought it would be a good idea for him to eat so that he can relax a little…」(Sally)

「Does the prince get nervous, too?」(Lilina)

Lilina tilted her head curiously.

I inwardly praised Sally for the nice follow-up, and countered, 「Of course he’s nervous, the prince is also young.」

「The prince is ten years old, just like you, Lilina-sama. I’m sure he has a lot of concerns. I think His Majesty is hoping that the shy prince can make friends, just like the master did for Lilina-sama.」(Sally)

「Since you’re children, I don’t think we should think too much about your status for now. I’m happy for you to have a new friend, too.」(Maria)

The fact that she was a potential fiancée was kept from Lilina because the two families wanted her to see the prince himself honestly.

The fourth prince, who usually invites young ladies of the same age to the royal palace and is brought together with them, is probably nervous in his own way since this is the first time he is actually going on an arranged marriage outside the royal castle. I’ve heard that the decision to reduce the number of attendants was partly in consideration of his young age.

「Well, if the prince is nervous, why don’t you take him somewhere to relieve his tension? You know, a stroll would relieve his tension.」(Maria)

「Maria, great idea. Let’s do that.」(Sally)

※※※

Feeling sorry for the prince if he got nervous, Lilina began to stroll around the outside of the mansion with Sally and I as her companions.

It was endearing to see the fourth prince trying so hard to think of a suitable place that would make him feel a little better. Sally, the chamberlain, casually took her hand and escorted her so that he would not fall as he strolled thoughtfully.

The sight of the two of them walking side by side and the expression on Lilina’s face as she wondered where to guide them within the limited time they had scheduled was a feast for the eyes, and I couldn’t help my jaw from dropping.

As I was watching over Lilina and Sally with a grin, I got a blatantly suspicious look from Guise, who was just in the herb garden picking the seasonings he needed for our dinner.

I asked, 「Yes?」 with my eyes, and Guise responded with a mouth and hand motion, 「It’s a bit perverted, so restrain yourself.」

You’re a rude guy. I’ll get rid of him later.

As a reminder, I smiled back at him with an enormous smile on my face. But for some reason, Guise froze with a slight tint in his cheeks. He held his mouth, turned his face away mumbling in his mouth and said, 「Oh, what should I do? I’m not sure what to make of it, but I’m sure it’s a good idea… But I don’t have that kind of taste,」.

Next to Lillina, who was walking thoughtfully, Sally was giving Guise a bug-eyed look.

Although I didn’t know exactly what was going on, I guessed that I hadn’t conveyed my thoughts correctly, and made up my mind to tell him with words and fists later.

After thinking hard, Lilina chose the Blue Rose Garden as a potential place to introduce to the fourth prince.

There was Mark, leaning his body against a large shovel, standing and talking with Nick, the guard who was about to start his shift.

Nick, a young man in his mid-twenties with a kind face, noticed us and bowed to Lilina with a light nudge of his hat.

「It’s been a long time, young lady. It’s not often that I get the chance to meet you, so today I’ve had a chance to be of service.」(Nick)

「It’s good to see you too, Nick. Hey, what have you two been talking about?」(Lilina)

「Mark put me in charge of some chores.」(Nick)

As Nick mouthed the words as he adjusted the position of his hat, Mark interrupted them with an excuse, 「Listen to me, young lady.」

「I’m going to be serving rose tea tomorrow, so I thought I’d give Nick the job. As you know, I’m not very good at getting up early, so this is not an attempt to force me to skimp.」(Mark)

「So that’s why you were talking to Nick.」(Lilina)

「Young lady, Mark is too spoiled. He’s a horrible senpai who always takes me under his wing. Even the other day…」(Nick)

「Come on, it’s just ‘for the heck of it’.」(Mark)

「Are you a demon, making me carry fertilizer after a night shift just for the heck of it?」(Nick)

Lilina put her hand over her mouth and smiled, as she had always heard that Mark was not good at getting up early.

Mark is actually not a big fan of waking up early; he stays up until the wee hours of the morning because he is a guard dog and patrols the premises at night. A few hours of sleep in the early morning was his normal routine.

Sally and I had vaguely checked the dirt on Nick’s shoes, so they guessed that he was dealing with another ‘rat’ outbreak.

The soil in the rose garden is soft today.

The soil in the blue rose garden at the Marquis of Urband’s residence, one of the few in the country, is special, and the soil at the end of the digging is a special earth and sand that magically breaks down the nutrients and makes the roses bloom beautifully.

To put it simply, it was one of the many “processing areas” in the Marquis’ mansion.

「Well, I’ll be going now, young lady. If I’m even a little late, Garnet-senpai will be very angry with me.」(Nick)

Nick shrugged his shoulders in a mischievous manner and bowed his head, folding his hips politely to Lilina. He then turned his head and waved his hand behind his back to me and the others, saying, 「I’ll see you later.」

Lilina breathed in the rich fragrance of the roses that filled the area and was entranced.

「It smells so good. Other roses are too strong and intoxicating, but I like the scent of this rose.」(Lilina)

「Haha, that’s the best compliment a gardener can receive. Our blue roses are special, and they have a more elegant fragrance than the blue roses in any mansion. I’ll give you a rose, so please ask Maria to decorate your bedroom with it. I’m sure you’ll sleep well.」(Mark)

「Wow, are you sure? Thanks, Mark!」(Lilina)

Lilina jumped to her feet, and Mark, embarrassed, held the young girl in his arms.

Blue roses are difficult to grow and expensive. Lilina was an intelligent young lady who understood that just one rose was a luxury, and she began to put up with it instead of begging for it ignorantly.

The blue roses will be displayed in the bedroom tonight, and tomorrow they will be moved to the table where they will meet the fourth prince.

When the owners of the mansion had quieted down, Forrest gathered all the servants together and reconfirmed their roles and positions regarding tomorrow’s arranged marriage.

I was inwardly relieved that I would not have to meet any visitors along with the fourth prince, and was able to sleep well that day.

Haven’t started the translating process of chapter 3 as of releasing this. Might take a break.