The excited Larvian Emperor left with words to rest until the small banquet he had prepared, along with a welcoming party, was ready.
Mary smiled awkwardly and left, saying she wanted to see the palace with Astina.
The three remaining men followed the courtiers. Theodore couldn’t stop laughing, and Demimore, holding a rose, was all smiles. Only Rex looked serious.
Before reaching the room, Rex blocked Demimore’s way.
“Your Highness, you don’t really think my sister, Mary, proposed, do you?”
“Well, as expected of Mary Conler’s spokesperson.”
“Please, brother, be quiet.”
Seeing Rex’s inscrutable demeanor, Theodore raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“It’s just a small mistake from Mary, who is not yet familiar with the customs of another country.”
“Who said anything?”
Both Rex and Theodore looked puzzled, not just at Rex’s unusual attitude but also at Demimore’s overly compliant attitude. In Larvian, you’re supposed to follow Larvian laws, right? It’s not exactly a law, but still, Rex thought there might be some objection, but it happened so easily.
“However, whether it’s a mistake or not, shouldn’t you ask her directly?”
I knew it.
Rex sighed involuntarily when he recalled Mary, whose eyes widened like a cat that stepped on its tail. Why would her innocent sister make such a mistake?
‘Could she be planning to get married in this foreign country anytime soon?’
The way Demimore obsessively looked at the rose, licking it with his gaze, made him feel nauseous. Whether he felt that gaze on him or not, Demimore, without taking his eyes off the rose, casually responded.
“Why? Haven’t you ever seen a man happy because of a woman?”
❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀
“Um, Mary? It might be good to step away from there.”
“Huh? Uh, why? Why on earth?”
Astina and I endlessly wandered the palace, or more precisely, Astina, who was worried, followed me. Anyway, the place where Astina and I stopped was in the middle of the garden, in front of a massive fountain.
The fountain seemed to mimic the sea spread out in front of the palace, constructed with sparkling jewels resembling coral. It was very beautiful, but unfortunately, it didn’t catch my eye. However, looking at it, I felt like I could forget the incident earlier. But Astina’s expression as she looked at me was quite serious.
“You look like you want to jump in right now.”
“…….”
I took three steps back from the fountain without saying anything.
“Astina, did you know?”
“Huh?”
“About the flower…”
“No, I didn’t. I didn’t even know such a culture existed. I guess Mary studied a lot.”
Astina complimented me, but I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly. Even though I studied, it seems I only dipped my toes into it. I hoped this story wouldn’t spread to the Britina Empire. I could already imagine my former governess laughing loudly.
The problem was that Theodore, who was the most mischievous, was here. If we returned to Britina, he would surely make a fuss in all directions. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. He was laughing so much just now. I won’t let that happen; I’ll have my revenge.
“Miss Mary Conrer!”
“Oh, Your Highness.”
It was Sylvia Larvian.
Wearing a white dress with slightly bulging sleeves, Sylvia looked mature for her age, yet she had a very innocent and bright impression. Her dreamy, sparkling eyes were a big part of that.
Sylvia strode over to us and looked up at me with her hands folded across her chest.
“That was so cool, that proposal with the single flower; it’s such a forgotten culture in Larvian. But to propose in the Larvian style as soon as you visit Larvian… It’s so romantic! I’m so happy that today, I feel like I could even eat carrots that I hate!”
Yeah, if it makes you happy, that’s enough…….
On the contrary, I felt sorry enough for not handing the flower to Demimore with that intention.
No, I too might have gotten excessively excited. They invited the prince and his fiancé from another country, and they followed the custom of their country to propose… I thought to myself, if that’s not a true cultural exchange, I don’t know what is.
‘Oh, this wasn’t what I intended.’
The things I had thought out felt a bit distorted, and it gave me a headache, but seeing Sylvia’s excitement made me involuntarily smile.
Seeing her happily recall that absurd proposal made me feel a bit guilty for subtly restraining her earlier. No, really, I was sorry, because I was… blinded by…….
Now that I think about it, she was the first to applaud earlier. Smiling with a brighter expression than anyone else. I’m so grateful. But if it weren’t for Sylvia, maybe I could have quietly passed over it without much fuss.
“Oh, tonight’s ball is going to be beautiful. Her Majesty has put a lot of effort into it. From selecting the music to the invitation list, she paid attention to every detail.”
“Oh my, to that extent! Will the Princess also attend?”
“No, I’m still too young…”
Sylvia, who chirped like a little bird, became gloomy at Astina’s question. She said she could only attend the feast.
“It’s a shame that the princess won’t be attending the ball.”
“That’s right. I would have loved you to be there.”
“That’s very kind of you both.”
It wasn’t just empty words; I really felt sorry. Even with Astina, Demimore, and Rex, it seemed awkward because it was my first ball in another country, and I wasn’t the type to enjoy balls much in the first place. I would rather attend a salon opened by Duchess Lausanne; it’s more enjoyable.
So it would be much better if the adorable Sylvia was around. Sylvia herself sighed deeply and was secretly disappointed.
“I also wanted to give the bouquet to him like Mary when I received it at the ball.”
“Yes?”
“When I saw it in person, it was even better than I thought it would be. Maybe he can be so beautiful even when he’s just sitting quietly.”
What? Do I need to restrain myself?
Shlvia, who was swirling around in her seat like a girl in love, made me anxious for no reason. Astina, who had been looking at Shlvia with affectionate eyes all along, also had a slightly uncomfortable expression. Astina rarely made such an obvious expression. I was worried that perhaps it would be awkward between the two because of me.
“No, I…….”
“To whom were you planning to give it?”
Oops, Astina finally asked outright.
Shyly responding to Astina’s question, Sylvia sneakily glanced at me.
Why? What’s there to see here? Is it really Demimore? No, if that’s the case, why did she like it so much earlier?
“It’s for Rex Conler….”
However, what came out of Sylvia’s mouth was my brother, Rex.
No, of course, our Rex is cute, lovely, handsome, adorable, and kind. It’s not just because he’s my brother; it’s an objective fact. For some reason, as I rummage through my memory, I seem to recall the unusually glazed look in her eyes…….
“In fact, I’m interested in black magic! But since Rex was mentioned as having such abilities, I kept pestering them to invite Rex this time.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“He kept writing Rex Bluea on the invitation list, so I insisted on specifying it as Rex Conler. After all, he’s Mary’s brother, right?”
Sylvia talked about Rex with a bright smile; her gaze was exceptionally twinkling, and…
Ah, it was because Rex is my younger brother. Maybe she was trying to show off a bit too much to impress me. That thought made me burst into hollow laughter.
“But since I can’t attend the ball, I’m not sure if I’ll have a chance to talk to Rex.”
Why does the girl in love feel happy and sad several times a day?
“What if other young ladies become interested in Rex?”
It’s just unnecessary worry and concern.
