“Episode 23”
“Perhaps Joshua has a message to convey…”
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the gift box Regina brought with a proud expression.
“Do you have a habit of gifting extravagantly to women?”
This was already the third time.
“Or perhaps, when proposing in the capital, is there a custom of giving gifts?”
Wind spirits could exist anywhere, but not everyone could hear all the rumors.
Considering the possibility that I might have missed something, I asked perplexedly, and Regina smiled joyfully, shaking her head.
“That couldn’t be! Could it be because Your Ladyship wants to impress Lady Alicia?”
“Wants to impress?”
As a spirit, or rather, because of the Marquess of Blanche himself?
Or perhaps, really, was it because what I told Joshua when I was young left a deep impression?
Even though the Marquess of Blanche’s estate was quite far from the capital, he still came many times, disguising his identity and even deceiving the eyes of the Emperor.
“…Or maybe it’s a mix of all three?”
I, too, had been swayed by just one person’s face and helped Lucas so far, so there was a possibility.
Of course, I also knew there was one more possibility, logically speaking.
But what could I say right now?
Joshua didn’t say anything, and my mind wasn’t even in a state to think about that.
“…Let’s just leave it be.”
Thinking about too many possibilities in advance was a bad habit I had developed while spending time with Lucas.
Whenever he got bored, he tended to mess up even the plans I made.
After a short break, Regina changed her touch on my head more carefully, as if she had misunderstood something.
I smiled, indicating that her concern was unnecessary, and unfolded the newspaper she brought.
I should check the results of what I did yesterday…
*Bang!*
“What is this?!”
Clang!
“All this nonsense…!”
After meeting Joshua at the ball last night and feeling upset, Lucas, who had been drinking heavily, finally checked the newspaper today.
Normally, he didn’t bother checking the newspaper. Why should he do such a boring thing?
“It should be someone like Alicia who likes boring things.”
But today, he couldn’t avoid it.
As soon as he heard that Lucas had risen, his aides brought various newspapers to Lucas’s bedroom.
Thanks to them, Lucas had to look at the annoying articles with a pounding headache, holding his throbbing head.
“[Marquess of Blanche’s beloved, accompanying Prince Joshua for a spring evening…?]”
“[Prince Joshua, for the first time, accompanied by an official partner…Prince Lucas, who has never escorted anyone other than relatives or visited alone, contrasting sharply with Marquess of Blanche who didn’t even dance once!]”
“Was she really just a childhood friend? Prince Lucas and Marquess of Blanche, who didn’t even dance!”
The articles didn’t include a single word about Lucas being “jealous,” but the tone hinted at it.
Moreover, the area where Lucas was slapped was the second floor where reporters were strictly prohibited from entering.
“Darn it! How dare Joshua take Alicia?”
She’s mine!
Lucas breathed heavily as he threw the newspaper.
“What have you all done! You couldn’t stop this nonsense!”
Alicia had been doing well until now, but why couldn’t the aides do what she had been doing since she was young?
When Lucas looked at them with a fierce gaze, the aides shrunk back, but still spoke out as if they were unjustly treated.
“We couldn’t help it. Too many people saw it.”
“Yes, and if we pressure them not to write articles, there’s a high chance of backlash, saying it’s pressuring the media.”
Lucas squinted at their words.
“What about Alicia? Aren’t you trying to cover up your incompetence with a few words?”
Lucas was really annoyed.
Alicia had done well so far, but the aides couldn’t do what she did?
“…Alicia wouldn’t have done this.”
Lucas felt a deep regret as he chewed his lips.
“Yeah, Alicia wouldn’t know anything. She must be deceived by Joshua.”
His step-sister had been unscrupulous since she was young.
Wasn’t it all because of Joshua and Anita Consort that she lost her mother and brother?
Lucas chuckled as he carefully laid out his plan to bring his childhood friend.
After all, Alicia liked him, and if he smiled nicely and said, “The second dance will always be Alicia’s from now on,” wouldn’t that work?
And then, after becoming Emperor, he could give Alicia the position of Consort.
And then, at that time, one of Lucas’s aides rushed in with an urgent face and delivered bad news.
“Your Majesty…! Solarre Summit has fallen to Miss Blanche!”
“What?!”
“What?!” Lucas exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Damn, damn. Alicia!
“I’m going to make jealousy look so cute, aren’t I?” Lucas grumbled to himself before resolving firmly to make sure Alicia never dared to be so arrogant again.
“…Where is Alicia right now?”
*
The wind danced lightly, and the lights on the leaves and stones moistened with dew seemed to sparkle more than usual.
“I didn’t know there was such a place not far from the capital.”
I blinked my eyes happily as I looked around.
I assumed Joshua would have lunch in the palace, but as soon as I finished preparing, he summoned a carriage again.
Today, my dress was a calf-length one for ease of movement.
The ankle boots were made of soft leather, making walking easy, and Regina also brought a slightly wider-brimmed hat.
Instead of my usual tightly tied hair, it was loosely braided down, a bit messy but not something to worry about.
Joshua’s attire was much lighter than usual to match mine.
He wore a light high-neck collar shirt with a vest and a blue jacket, looking like someone going for a stroll.
He didn’t even wear a tie.
After about 40 minutes in the carriage, we arrived at a lakeside surrounded by autumn flowers and grasses.
The trees around created a secluded atmosphere, making it feel like a different world.
“It’s so beautiful.”
As I stepped out of the carriage and looked around, I felt like I fell in love with the scenery at first sight!
Even the spirits, usually tense in the suffocating atmosphere of the capital, seemed to frolic joyfully, making it even more enjoyable.
While I was busy looking around, Joshua skillfully found a flat spot and laid out a blanket.
And before I knew it, he had set up a loose shade between the trees to protect us from the autumn sun and gestured for me to sit.
“This was a place I used to run away to when I was young.”
“Run away?”
“Yes.”
It seemed absurd. With the nickname of a perfect prince, had he run away so much?
Last time, it was the botanical garden, and before that…
And he had visited the Marquess of Blanche’s estate so often.
I laughed and said to him, “It seems like you’ve run away more than I thought when you were young.”
“Yes, because someone said it was okay to run away.”
Seeing my complicated expression, he first gestured for me to sit by sitting down himself and then tapped the seat next to him as if to invite me.
“In fact, this was a place I used to come to even before I heard that from Alicia.”
Various complicated emotions passed over Joshua’s face above his expression.
But it was only for a moment, as he started taking out the food he had prepared from the hamper.
“I thought about arranging a proper meal in the palace, but I wanted to come to a quiet place with you.”
He apologized, but I shook my head immediately.
As it was outdoor dining, there were sandwiches and tea foods, but they were visually appealing enough to stimulate the appetite.
Soft, thick bread with tomatoes and lettuce, slightly savory grilled beef sprinkled with pepper, chewy and delicious cheese, and various other vegetables.
Just one bite seemed enough to fill the stomach.
Moreover, I already liked sandwiches quite a lot.
“I used to eat them ravenously because I was busy at work.”
And Joshua even brought us tea in this beautiful scenery.
It was the perfect lunch for me!
Most of all.
“I have something to tell you.”
“It’s about time you called me properly.”
As soon as I opened my mouth as if it were a habit, he looked at me with a disappointed expression while pouring the well-brewed tea.
Really, this prince!
For some reason, he seemed to realize that I was a bit weak in begging like this.
I cleared my throat briefly and hesitantly opened my mouth again.
“Joshua…”
“He told me to think more about myself.”
I accepted the tea he offered, wrapping my hands around it, and spoke quietly.
“You don’t have to be too sorry or considerate towards me. It’s okay, I won’t misunderstand or anything.”
I’m not the foolish Lucas Medelike.
Most of all.
“You brought me here today because you thought of me, didn’t you?”
When he took me to the botanical garden before, my mind was filled with all sorts of misunderstandings, but not anymore.
He knew very well that I liked such natural places, and above all.
“Because if I stayed in the palace, Lucas would have come looking for me.”
