MTST 06

Chapter 6

“Will Betty scold me? I’ll do it myself, obviously.”

As I defiantly talked back, his eyes widened. But a moment later, Noah burst out laughing.

“Pfft!”

“What, you don’t believe me?”

Noah eventually doubled over, chuckling away. He was laughing so hard that tears actually welled up in the corners of his eyes.

“My, what a reliable guard knight.”

At his teasing tone, I shot him a brief, sideways glance and strode ahead. Behind me, Noah called out in a voice still dripping with amusement.

“Knight-lady, you’re supposed to be walking with me.”

“Never mind. I’ll go play with Betty instead.”

“Aren’t I Betty’s master, though?”

I hurried my steps to avoid getting caught by Noah. I thought I was walking pretty fast, but before I knew it, he had easily surged ahead of me.

Just as I snapped my head up at the shadow falling over me, Noah’s low voice rang softly against my ear.

“If you run into that insufferable jerk again next time, call me.”

“I’ll come running right away.”

His voice was entirely devoid of amusement. A blank-faced Noah was surprisingly intimidating.

Is this what Noah’s actually like…………?

I found myself nodding along before I even realized it.

That exact moment.

Woof!

Betty, watching the two of us, let out a sharp bark.

Startled, I snapped my head around to find Betty looking inexplicably grumpy as she stubbornly wedged herself right between the two of us.

I parted my lips and managed to force out a question.

“Did Betty know how to bark to begin with?”

“………………No.”

Noah looked quite thoroughly astonished himself.

This was a truly historic day—the very first time Betty, who had previously only ever managed pathetic little whimpers, had finally opened her vocal cords.

Gazing down at the puppy, Noah spoke with an air of absolute solemnity.

“Days like today really ought to be declared a national holiday.”

“………………No.”

Turns out there actually is someone out there whose dramatic exaggeration beats mine.

[To my reliable guard knight, Lady Laura.

Betty is fast asleep right beside me as I write this.

She wakes up the second I make even the slightest sound, so I hope you’ll understand why my handwriting is a bit cramped today.

It was blistering hot all day long. Naturally, everyone around me is completely on edge. They’re all too busy snapping over every little thing, which just ends up putting me in a foul mood by association.

It makes me wonder every now and then. Could it be that the park where I met you was actually placed under some kind of magic spell?

Don’t you think so? Every single time we’ve met, the weather has been delightfully cool.

Or perhaps it was you who cast a spell all along.

Though I trust you won’t go mocking these foolish musings of mine.

—Noah, a thoroughly serious man.]

I couldn’t help letting out a laugh.

I’m losing my mind.

Imagining Noah sitting down with an utterly grave expression to pen this letter was just too much.

“Lady Lilian.”

Cecilia called out, clearly bewildered by my sudden giggling. Startled out of my thoughts, I hastily rubbed at the corners of my mouth with an awkward smile.

“What kind of relationship do you have with that man?”

Sauntering over with a sly grin, Cecilia lowered her voice.

“I-It’s just, you know, we’re acquaintances.”

Narrowing her eyes at my response, Cecilia let out a soft sigh and reached out to grab my shoulders.

“Lady Lilian, there’s no such thing as ‘just acquaintances’ between a man and a woman in this world. Especially not when they’re exchanging letters back and forth!”

I had nothing to say in my defense.

We really weren’t anything of the sort, after all.

“Besides, Lady Lilian, you’re even using a fake name, aren’t you? It’s pretty obvious something is going on between the two of you.”

“That’s……………”

“Just be honest with me. You’re interested in him, aren’t you?”

That wasn’t it at all.

To be entirely accurate, the one I was actually interested in was Betty.

While I stood there stammering silently, Cecilia crinkled her nose with a playful smile.

“Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been biting my tongue around Noah! I’m terrified I’ll accidentally let slip Lady Laura’s real name. The least you could do is quietly drop a hint about your true feelings to a friend like me!”

“Th-This is…………… it’s really just because of his puppy.”

The moment those words left my mouth, Cecilia’s eyes went completely dead.

Why, why are you looking at me like that?

I swear to the heavens, I wasn’t lying.

Yet, looking at Cecilia’s expression, I felt intensely guilty, as though I had just spun a massive falsehood.

At a complete loss for words, I rolled my eyes around frantically before offering a sheepish, evasive smile.

“Well, I should probably get going now. Please make sure you pass my regards along to Noah.”

Realizing she wasn’t going to pry the truth out of me, Cecilia finally raised both hands in surrender. Even then, she couldn’t completely let go of her lingering anticipation, her mouth twitching into a hopeful smirk as she tossed out one final remark.

“Well, if things work out between you two, you’re definitely buying me a nice meal to celebrate.”

As if that was ever going to happen!

I practically fled the apothecary.

As soon as I stepped outside, a familiar voice called out to me with a hint of confusion.

“Lilian?”

……………Deon?

Blinking as he took in my altered hair and eye color, Deon paused before slowly hooking one corner of his mouth upward.

“It suits you.”

“Brother, what brings you all the way out here?”

“Ah, I was actually on my way to the imperial palace.”

Brother Deon worked as an aide to the Crown Prince, Killian.

He had been swamped with work lately and hadn’t been able to visit the mansion much, making this a rare sighting.

He didn’t bother hiding his own delight, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“I just stopped by the house for a moment. But Edwin mentioned you’d headed to the apothecary, so I thought I’d drop by on my way back to the palace just to check in and see your face.”

“Have things been going alright with work lately?”

I glanced over Deon’s face, taking in the heavy dark circles bruised beneath his eyes.

“Well.”

“Everyone’s just acting like a bunch of barking dogs, honestly.”

“B-Brother!”

As I gasped in shock, Deon chuckled and draped a heavy arm casually over my shoulders.

“It’s just the two of us here, what does it matter?”

“Ev-Even so………”

“Lilian, if you’re bored, want to come along to the imperial palace with me?”

My eyes widened at his suggestion.

“There are tons of sunflowers blooming in the imperial gardens right now, exactly the kind you love. Come have lunch and look around with me.”

I’d love to, of course, but…………

“Aren’t you busy?”

“I can just use the excuse that my little sister came to visit for once, and take a well-deserved break while I’m at it.”

I couldn’t possibly bring myself to turn down Deon’s plea, written as it was all over his exhausted features.

When he was clearly looking for a tiny sliver of rest by spending time with me, how could I say no?

“Um, well, alright then. Shall we?”

At my answer, Deon flashed a refreshing, bright smile, telling me I’d made the right choice.

The imperial palace was as grand and unchanged as ever.

As I strolled through the gardens all by my lonesome, I suddenly looked up at the sky.

Ah, you’re wondering where Brother Deon went and why I’m by myself?

“Sir Carpena! His Highness the Crown Prince demands………!”

Blame the Crown Prince’s sudden, urgent summons.

In short: the eternal tragedy of an overworked corporate employee.

I sure hope Brother comes back soon. I could only pray it wasn’t anything disastrous. Right at that moment—

“Waaaah, I’m not doing this princess gig anymore!”

—a wailing voice echoed from somewhere nearby.

Simultaneously, a woman clad in a dazzling, ornate dress came barrelling past, desperately fleeing a trail of frantic maids hot on her heels.

“Y-Your Highness! You must maintain your decorum………!”

“I said I’m done! You can be the princess instead!”

The runaway woman rapidly closed the distance between us.

She seemed to spot me standing right in her path and her eyes went wide, but unable to halt her explosive momentum, she could only flail her arms wildly in my direction.

“M-Move! Get out of the way!”

Honestly, how am I supposed to just dodge this……!

I tried my absolute best to sidestep out of range, but the woman was already upon me, and we collided with full force.

Crash!

The impact sent both of us sprawling backward onto the ground.

“Your Highness! Are you alright?”

Putting aside my own stinging aches for a moment, I rushed to check on the woman clutching her forehead.

Fioren, the youngest princess of the Peschier Empire.

……………Was today marked down as my death anniversary?

Fioren glared up from the ground, her eyes flashing as she barked straight at me.

“I told you to get out of the way!”

For a brief second, my mind went completely blank, but she was, after all, the fiercely pampered youngest princess of the imperial family.

When royalty speaks, you just nod and take it.

I hastily offered an apology.

“I’m terribly sorry. I suppose I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“Watch yourself next time!”

Leaping back to her feet, Fioren irritably brushed the dirt off her heavy skirts.

Meanwhile, a few of the maids rushed over to help me up while others wrung their hands in absolute panic over the princess’s erratic behavior.

“Your Highness, you must return at once! The masquerade ball is just around the corner, and there is still so much left to prepare………!”

“And why on earth do I have to prepare any of it? Mother can just do it!”

“Her Majesty the Empress specifically entrusted the entire planning of this ball to Your Highness. Her expectations for you are exceptionally high, you see.”

That immediately clarified the situation.

The upcoming masquerade ball.

Originating centuries ago during a severe plague outbreak, it had long since transformed into a core seasonal tradition of high society.

In other words, a gathering where every single noble and royal in the empire converges.

The Empress was likely handing this massive responsibility to the perpetually pampered princess as a way to force her to grow up and learn a sense of duty.

After all, she was of age now.

Just as the atmosphere was growing awkwardly tense and I decided I should quietly slip away with a polite bow, Fioren—who had been staring intently down at me—narrowly narrowed her eyes.

“Wait, are you………?”

“Ah, please forgive my delayed introduction. I am Lilian Carpena.”

As I dipped into a formal curtsey, holding the edge of my dress, Fioren’s eyes rounded in shock.

“Lilian?”

“Yes, indeed………”

“The woman marrying Theodore-oppa?”

Unfortunately, yes.

Fioren swept her gaze up and down my form, her expression turning deeply complicated.

What, what is that look?

Was she genuinely dumbfounded to find out I looked so thoroughly unremarkable in person?