“Episode 4”
Joshua Medelaik seemed to be quite impatient.
“Then, would tomorrow be alright? I happen to be free tomorrow.”
Out of the blue, tomorrow? Are princes usually this free?
Especially Joshua, who is said to be handling the most work now that the crown prince position is vacant.
As I looked puzzled, Joshua hurriedly added.
“It’s thanks to you, my lord. We’ve prepared many things for the hero Luca Delik. Ah, if Lady Blante needs to be by your side, it can’t be helped…”
Suppressing a somewhat bitter feeling, I shook my head.
Alicia Blante was merely a childhood friend of hero Luca Delik, an outsider who didn’t even know if he was a prince or not since childhood.
Even I, as part of this plan, was used as a pawn for Lucas.
So, it was clear that it wouldn’t be good for me to follow Lucas around.
“Then, is it alright to meet tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
I answered without hesitation. It’s better to get things over with sooner rather than later, as delaying would only fill my mind with unnecessary thoughts.
But Joshua’s face brightened immensely at my answer. Feeling a sense of relief from him made me feel even more uneasy.
‘Am I walking into a trap by myself?’
Otherwise, there was no reason for Joshua Medelaik to be this happy!
But whether he knew my feelings or not, he skillfully escorted me as he spoke.
“Shall we enjoy a bit more of a night walk, or should I, regretfully, escort you to your room for your sufficient sleep, my lady?”
Even with a slightly excited tone, I could only blink and then, as if bewitched, ask him to take me to my room.
*
When I woke up in the morning, I was in a state of confusion.
‘What was Joshua Prince’s attitude last night?’
He tried not to let any awkward silences happen, chatting with small talk all the way to my room.
Trying to just respond appropriately, I found myself genuinely engaging in his conversation at some point. Really, genuinely.
‘Joshua Medelaik’s conversational skills are amazing!’
I thought, no wonder he is the most promising candidate for the crown prince.
Somehow, Joshua brought up topics that I found interesting and liked, bit by bit.
The more he did, the more nervous I became.
It felt like he had researched that much about me.
‘Ugh, creepy.’
Shivering slightly, I got out of bed. As soon as I pulled the bell rope, a maid from the palace came in to prepare for the morning.
Since the appointment with Prince Joshua was in the late afternoon, I didn’t rush my preparations.
I leisurely enjoyed my morning bath and asked another maid to prepare the townhouse in the capital for the marquisate.
Thanks to Lucas, I stayed in the royal palace for one night, but from today, I would stay in the townhouse.
‘Lucas…’
Just in case, I prepared a townhouse for Lucas too – spent a good deal of my money – but that might turn out to be unnecessary.
I thought about this as I brushed my dry hair. Though the maids’ attendance wasn’t bad, it felt more calming to brush my hair alone when I had things to think about.
It was around that time a visitor arrived.
Still in my negligee, I put on a gown and opened the door, where a flustered maid came in carrying large boxes.
“What are all these?”
“His Highness the Prince sent them!”
“His Highness the Prince?”
Seeing that it looked like a box of gifts, I suddenly wondered if Lucas had done this. There was no one else who would give me a gift.
But Lucas Medelaik? That child doing something so considerate?
Even though he was my very dear childhood friend, Lucas didn’t have such a thoughtful nature.
I had to oversee every little thank-you gesture he made to those who had helped him over the past few years.
“Yes, His Highness Prince Joshua!”
But, absurdly, my curiosity was easily resolved. As soon as I heard from the palace maid about the sender of the gift, I felt a strange sense of deflation.
‘Why?’
It’s not like I was expecting or hoping for something from Lucas. It just seemed that the unfamiliar environment of the capital was unsettling me.
‘…Am I homesick or something?’
I didn’t particularly have deep affection for the Blante Marquisate. If anything, it might be the memories with Lucas there that I miss a bit.
I knew this from the moment we arrived. Unlike the always excited Lucas, I had to calm myself down many times.
The time when Lucas and I could be just childhood friends was over; he would now move to a bigger stage and shine his dream brightly.
Even knowing that, as a human, I guess I couldn’t completely put those feelings aside.
I sighed lightly and gathered my thoughts. This was not the time to waver.
“Is there some kind of mistake? Could these be for someone else?”
“Aren’t you Lady Alicia of the Blante Marquisate?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then there’s no mistake. His Highness specifically pointed me out and told me to deliver these to you! He said he felt sorry for asking too much of you today, and this was the least he could do.”
Asking too much… was he referring to suddenly arranging the botanical garden visit?
The maid carefully organized the gifts and then looked at me as if urging me to open them.
“If it’s alright with you, my lady, His Highness also instructed me to help you prepare. I’m confident in my skills, so please let me assist you.”
The maid blushed as she spoke. She really seemed to enjoy helping with preparations.
I didn’t have a habit of treating servants harshly, so I told her she could. Also, I didn’t have my familiar maidservants here since I was not at the townhouse.
‘Staying at the palace was an unplanned event for me as well.’
If Lucas hadn’t insisted on having Alicia with him, I would have returned to the townhouse even if it was late last night.
I didn’t want to face my brother’s stern gaze, criticizing me for not adhering to proper etiquette. Ah, since he’s not in the capital right now, would he send a letter instead?
But how could I refuse Lucas’s request?
He said he was scared to be alone in the palace, so I set aside my dignity as a marquis’s daughter for a moment and followed his wishes.
“…He really sent a lot.”
“Of course, His Highness Prince Joshua put a lot of thought into it. He figured you might be disoriented since you unexpectedly had to stay in the palace.”
Haha, why is he being so meticulously considerate to the point of it being scary?
Joshua had sent dresses, shoes, matching accessories, even a parasol, a fan, and gloves.
And for my hair…
“His Highness sent bonnets, hats, and hair ornaments because he wasn’t sure which you’d prefer, so he said to choose whatever you like.”
It was excessively thorough.
Indeed, Joshua’s mother, Empress Anita, was known for leading trends in the social world. It made sense that he would be well-versed in women’s fashion.
The rumors about Prince Joshua in society were all positive: that he was well-mannered and considerate.
It was strangely notable that he hadn’t taken a fiancée or shown any romantic entanglements, leading everyone to believe he was being cautious for the future.
‘But is it alright for him to send me such gifts? Ah, maybe he plans to spread rumors that I’m a villainess.’
The daughter of Marquis Blante causing a scandal among the half-brothers? If framed that way, it would indeed complicate my activities in the capital.
As I watched the maid skillfully handle the gifts, she suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
“Oh, His Highness also asked me to convey a message, but I was so excited I almost forgot. He said you are so beautiful! I’ve been eager to style this lovely hair of yours.”
“Uh, huh.”
Saying I’m beautiful, this maid really knew how to flatter. I was well aware of my average looks.
When I was growing up in the Blante Marquisate, I used to admire my pretty face in the mirror, but thanks to Lucas, I realized that it was just relatively better compared to my past life.
Lucas often said to me,
‘Alicia, you’re quite cute, though a bit plain. This hair would be better if it were a bit lighter. I like it. It’s like a dried rose color, even if a bit rough?’
So I learned to curb my excitement upon reincarnation.
I wanted to avoid the mistake of thinking I was pretty and facing disappointment. Besides, standards of beauty can vary.
As long as Lucas liked it, that was enough. It would be sad if my favorite person disliked looking at me, wouldn’t it?
While reminiscing about Lucas, the maid continued with Joshua’s message.
“He said no one will know that he sent these gifts, so please don’t feel any burden.”
Haha, of course.
If the cautious Prince Joshua, who hadn’t even chosen a fiancée, were suddenly rumored to have a romantic involvement with Lucas’s childhood friend, it would be a disaster.
Naturally, he would want to keep it hidden. Indeed, meticulous Prince Joshua.
Hadn’t the lack of romantic rumors been because he handled things this way?
Imagining the lovers that Joshua Medelaik might have hidden, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for him.
