“Tomorrow at lunch, do you have time?”
When Jerald first heard the question, he thought he had heard it wrong.
He blinked his eyes for a moment with a blank expression.
“Huh…”
“Tomorrow at lunchtime, are you free?”
“Why…”
“You suggested going to the forest together.”
Pristin said nonchalantly.
“The hunting competition is coming up, and there won’t be much time to spare.”
“Oh, that’s right…”
Jerald still murmured in a dazed voice.
“It’s all right, tomorrow. I’m available at any time.”
“I think it’ll be good after we have lunch.”
“Since we’re already talking about it, let’s have lunch together.”
“Sure.”
Pristin answered calmly, and Jerald looked more flustered than before. Seeing his reaction, Pristin asked.
“Is there a problem?”
“No… Do you happen to feel unwell?”
“What?”
“You seem different from usual.”
“…Well.”
Pristin opened her mouth with vague words.
“Because the door is shaking.”
“…”
“It would be different if it were different than usual.”
“Huh…”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Your Majesty.”
Pristin left a quick greeting and then exited Jerald’s room.
When she was completely alone, Pristin’s cheeks turned red belatedly.
‘…Was that okay?’
It was the first time since the reunion that Pristin had expressed her feelings aloud, so Pristin felt nervous and awkward. She appeared to be deep in thought.
‘I used to be quite proactive when we first met.’
Even though it was only two years ago, it felt so far away.
‘…But…’
So much had happened in the meantime. Pristin momentarily wore a dark expression but soon lifted her head. Rather than dwelling on a past that she didn’t do anything wrong in, she decided to be faithful to her current feelings.
It occurred to her that her parents, though she would not hear an answer, would want that more, too. Pristin began to walk toward her room with a much better expression on her face.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Meanwhile, Jerald, who was left alone, was in a state of confusion.
‘…What is it?’
It was a natural reaction as she seemed to have changed her mind after the reunion. However, the panic didn’t last long.
‘…It’s good.’
Whatever the change of heart, the important thing was that she responded to his heart. Jerald’s face, which was exhausted until he met Pristin, came to life. He strengthened his hand holding a pen and began to read the documents.
He had to finish the mountain of work no matter what happened today in order to keep his time away from tomorrow afternoon.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
And finally, the day after he longed all day for, lunch came.
“Your Majesty, Countess Rosewell has arrived.”
Without even putting down the documents in his hand until he reached the dining room, Jerald quickly shifted his gaze to the mirror. In the brief moment the door opened, he hastily adjusted his face and attire.
—Knock, knock
Jerald’s body naturally became tense as he heard the obvious sound of shoes, which must be Pristin. It wasn’t the first time he had seen her, yet strangely, whenever he faced her, his body was always in a state of tension.
Soon, Pristin, adorned in a vibrant pink dress, revealed herself.
“I see the great sun of Limburg, His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Pristin.”
Welcoming her with a trembling voice, Jerald beheld her in all her dazzling beauty.
“Welcome. Sit down.”
Pristin sat across from Jerald in a formal graceful motion. He, in turn, rested his chin in his hand and contentedly gazed at her.
Pristin, burdened by the gaze, asked.
“Your Majesty.”
“What?”
“Is there something on my face?”
“I’m just staring at it.”
It was time for Pristin, flustered by the words, to hurry and smooth her face.
“Beauty.”
“…Your Majesty.”
“Or is it elegance?”
“… That’s enough.”
“To be honest, today you look truly beautiful. Elegant and enchanting.”
Jerald said with a charming lift of his lips.
“You’re beautiful, Pristin.”
“…”
Still uncertain how to respond, Pristin awkwardly avoided eye contact, her face flushed. As much as Jerald wanted to express that her response was adorable and lovely, he decided to refrain, fearing it might make her even more embarrassed.
After a while, the servants set up various dishes on the table where the two sat. The table was quickly filled with numerous dishes as if the legs were about to break. After eating for a while, Pristin asked in a slightly worried voice.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“What?”
“Going to the forest. Of course, you’ll have to go there someday, but…”
“Are you worried?”
“Is it not natural for me to ask?”
“I’m worried too.”
Pristin looked at Jerald with a slight force between her eyebrows. He made eye contact with Pristin with an unknown expression and soon showed a light smile.
“But as you say, I cannot avoid it forever.”
“Can I be of any help to you?”
“You already are.”
Jerald spoke with a slow, deliberate tone.
“Just the thought of you worrying about me already helps me enough.”
“…I’m glad, then.”
“If you hold my hand and walk through that forest together with me…”
Jerald looked at Pristin with a friendly glance and whispered.
“I’m sure I’ll get better. I’m looking forward to that.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Pristin quietly raised another question.
“Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“I’ve ridden on flat ground.”
Jerald murmured with a hint of amusement.
“That’s why I’ve been able to hide my fear until now.”
“…Take it slow, for it is not easy to walk through the forest.”
“You speak like someone who has walked through it a lot.”
“Of course. At least for a year, I’ve been under the forest’s shade.”
Pristin said in a voice of confidence.
“At least I have more experience than Your Majesty, so you can trust me.”
“You’re reliable.”
Jerald mumbled in a voice that indicated his approval.
“At least I won’t get lost on the way.”
“Just in case something like that happens, I’ve memorized the map all night, so you don’t have to worry.”
“I feel secure.”
Jerald smiled faintly as he looked intently at Pristin.
“I’m about to do what I’m most afraid of, but I’m not worried.”
“During the hunting competition, you should try to feel the same.”
“That depends on how things go in the future.”
Jerald slowly rose from his seat and then approached Pristin. After a bit, he came close to Pristin and held out his hand.
“I’m done eating. Should we go now?”
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Fortunately, the weather was nice that day. If it was cloudy or rainy, it might have been bad for his emotions, but it was fortunate that it was not.
Pristin changed into something comfortable to walk through the forest and then set out on the road with Jerald. Today, the plan was to simply go to the forest beyond the garden instead of riding a horse from the beginning.
“…”
“…”
Of course, while holding hands.
Both Pristin and Jerald were walking silently in the forest with a slight blush on their faces. If they felt so embarrassed, it might have been better not to hold hands at all, but they both firmly held onto each other’s hands as if they were tied.
Walking in silence, perhaps due to embarrassment or simply a lack of words. As they approached a point where not even the sound of birds could be heard, Pristin opened her mouth first.
“Are you okay?”
In truth, for Jerald, the forest was never a pleasant memory. So, just walking through this kind of forest was enough to make him tremble with fear, but purely because Pristin was holding his hand, the resulting tremors and the terrible memories of the past were diluted.
Jerald nodded calmly.
“I’m all right.”
“Tell me if you’re having a hard time. You can take a rest.”
“How far have we walked?”
Jerald replied casually.
“And it’s all right.”
However, the person holding his hand could tell that he was struggling. The hand that was warm and dry when she first held it had become cold and damp.
However, Pristin did not say anything because she did not want to agitate him by mentioning such symptoms. She simply held his hand silently and continued walking. But as time went on, there was no sign of any improvement, so she became worried.
‘I brought sedatives just in case…’
She hoped there would be no need to use them. Pristin, with a thoughtful expression for a moment, finally called out to Jerald.
“Your Majesty.”
Jerald looked at Pristin. He seemed fine, but it was easy to see that his expression was not very good. Pristin looked a little worried at Jerald’s appearance and opened her mouth.
“You don’t have to worry too much. I have a plan for everything.”
“What…”
Then, Pristin suddenly let go of Jerald’s hand. Jerald’s hand, which had nothing to hold, fell mournfully in the air. Jerald looked at Pristin with a bewildered expression on his face at the moment, and Pristin, to reassure him, tried to smile. The smile seemed to be trying to tell him to wait just a moment.
Soon, Pristin took something out of her pockets. It was a glass bottle of colorless liquid. Jerald asked.
“…What is that?”
“I made it myself, Your Majesty.”
Pristin spoke in a very secretive and hushed voice.
“If we use this, no animals will come near us. I made it by mixing a large amount of herbs that animals dislike.”
“Then…”
“While I can’t guarantee what will happen as we walk through this forest in the future…”
“…”
“At least, we will be safe, Your Majesty. That’s what I wanted to promise.”
Pristin relieved Jerald in a quiet voice.
“I guarantee the effectiveness. I’ve experimented with it to some extent.”
“Ah…”
“You can relax a bit more, Your Majesty.”
With that, Pristin carefully placed the glass bottle back into her pocket and gently held Jerald’s hand again. Jerald’s hand, which was cold before, quickly warmed within Pristin’s grasp.
Jerald looked at Pristin with a slightly trembling gaze, and finally, Pristin uttered the words he had been longing to hear.
“I will be by Your Majesty’s side.”
