Chapter 29
The Prince Died, So I’m Starting Over!
Count Lurupel’s personal attendant looked at me with a very anxious expression.
The hallway was as quiet as a mouse. If I listened closely, I thought I might even hear the attendant rolling his eyes.
“…Um, if it’s alright, I can escort you to His Highness’s room, Miss.”
The attendant hesitated as he offered.
I, standing there foolishly stunned, only now snapped out of it.
“Ugh, seriously annoying!”
Caught between a whale fight—or rather, a whale showing off—I felt like a shrimp about to be crushed.
Rage bubbled up to the top of my head. Like an angry gorilla, I stamped my foot furiously on the innocent floor.
Crack.
From somewhere came the sound of a large, solid object splitting.
I glanced down at the floor. A thin crack had appeared.
“…No way.”
It must have been like this from the beginning.
The hallway floor was marble.
There was no way a few weak kicks from me could crack it.
…Right? …It couldn’t be.
“Ah, I’ll show you the way, Miss.”
Count Lurupel’s attendant, who had hesitated as if scared, fumbled his words once more.
“I’m not going!”
“Eh?”
“If you want to go, tell him to go himself!”
I knew, of course, that the attendant hadn’t done anything wrong. But no matter how hard I tried, polite words wouldn’t come out.
I turned my back and walked straight ahead. Not toward the Third Prince’s room, not toward my own room.
“Miss! This way is not it! Miss!”
The attendant called after me in desperation, but I never looked back.
One funny thing was that he didn’t try to follow me. He seemed to lack the courage to confront my anger.
Apparently, in his eyes, I and Count Lurupel were similarly ticking time bombs.
The thought that I was being treated the same as the Lurupel family made me feel even worse.
“Miss! Miss…”
The attendant’s voice faded into the distance.
I moved forward without any interference. My path led neither to the Third Prince’s room nor to mine.
Not even a tiny thought crossed my mind about going back to persuade Count Lurupel.
There was simply no need for me to compromise with him in the first place.
Foolishly, I only realized this now.
If I didn’t participate, the engagement ceremony would naturally have to be postponed.
I planned to take a detour on the day of the ceremony.
As a cultured modern citizen, I could never participate in overworking a sick child.
‘If I keep going this way… what will I find?’
I stopped walking only when the attendant’s voice was completely out of range.
Since I hadn’t come this way often, I was slightly confused about the path.
‘The exhibition hall is over here, the indoor garden is beyond that… and…’
Next to the indoor garden, there seemed to be some suspicious facility…
“Harry! What are you doing here?”
Lost in thought, an unwelcome figure suddenly appeared.
The one who burst through the exhibition hall door was, unfortunately, Hariela’s older brother.
“Y-you, what are you doing here?”
“I was just admiring the paintings. The Rudbeckia court has many excellent works.”
“Oh? Have you finished looking around?”
“Yes.”
“Then go quickly.”
I stepped aside, hoping he would just pass by.
But Hariela’s brother did not step aside so easily.
“I’m very curious why our Harry came all the way here. You probably have no interest in art, after all…”
Was he subtly insulting me just now?
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. He nodded as if he understood.
“So, you came to sneak a look at the training ground, huh?”
“Training ground?”
“I know everything. You probably came to spy on the Duke of Caledonia. He must be around now…”
What did he know?
I asked about the training ground, and he rambled nonsense. Fortunately—or unfortunately—he didn’t finish his sentence.
“…I guess I came at a bad time.”
The young marquis was approaching us.
‘He… must have overheard something.’
I glanced at Hariela’s brother.
He wasn’t the least bit flustered.
“Duke of Caledonia! Good evening.”
Hariela’s brother greeted warmly with a friendly smile.
“Good evening.”
A blunt reply came from the young marquis.
Small beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He seemed to be returning from outside.
“Are you coming in now?”
Hariela’s brother seemed to draw the same conclusion as I did. His light green eyes widened, and he asked in a friendly tone.
“Good evening to you too.”
But the young marquis completely ignored the question aimed at him.
Instead, he focused on me, standing stiffly, not on the one giving him a friendly look.
“Uh, um…”
He’s acting friendly to you right beside me… can’t you see that?
Flustered, I only managed a hesitant reply.
“Good evening… yes, well, it is a good evening, I guess…”
The young marquis had come to see me earlier that morning.
Of course, I hadn’t allowed him in.
Facing someone I had refused just hours ago was extremely awkward.
Feeling embarrassed, I looked at Hariela’s brother.
Even though he was thoroughly ignored by the young marquis, he simply smiled without a trace of discomfort.
No matter how strange his personality might be in this world, his attitude was incomprehensible.
Puzzled, I tilted my head. Hariela’s brother tried to say something to me with his lips.
‘…What is he saying?’
Of course, I couldn’t understand a single word.
I frowned, trying to decipher his lip movements.
Those lips…
“Compliment?”
Was he asking me to say he was handsome? Suddenly? Was it because the atmosphere was awkward?
But I doubted the young marquis would appreciate a comment on his looks.
I shook my head slightly toward Hariela’s brother.
He pouted in frustration and moved his lips again.
“…Mirror? Building? Ah, swordsmanship!”
The young marquis, who had been tolerantly ignoring our antics, raised his eyebrows.
“…Swordsmanship?”
“Yes. He’s asking if you practiced swordsmanship? Or did you?”
I stole glances at Hariela’s brother as I spoke. He nodded slightly.
“Yes. On my way to train with the sword.”
The young marquis, who hadn’t even acknowledged him, quickly responded to me.
“Do you… train like this every day?”
“Of course. A true knight should never go a day without holding a sword.”
“I see… that’s impressive…”
Half willingly, half unwillingly, I continued the conversation.
The young marquis, unaffected by my halfhearted attitude, still had sparkling eyes.
“Now, you’re interested in the sword?”
Blushing slightly, he grabbed my hand firmly. His hand was so large it completely covered my wrist.
“I knew you would definitely show interest in the sword!”
“No, that’s not it… could you… let go of my hand?”
Hariela’s brother was watching both of us with a pleased look.
I wriggled like an eel and freed my hand from the young marquis’s grasp.
The young marquis, realizing he’d accidentally touched me, looked noticeably flustered.
“…My apologies.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, please give me a chance to make up for my mistake.”
“…Really, it’s okay.”
I tried to stop him, but the young marquis’s enthusiasm showed no sign of waning.
He pretended to ponder briefly, then suddenly exclaimed as if a good idea had come to him.
“Yes! How about we go outside together now?”
“Go outside?”
For what?
The young marquis and I weren’t close enough to enjoy an evening walk together.
“It’s a bit… the sun has set, so it’ll be dark soon.”
I expressed my reluctance.
But he didn’t seem to notice my displeased expression.
“It’s not that dark yet. It’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go.”
“…Where are we going?”
“Where else? Obviously, the training ground!”
“…Training ground?”
The longer he talked, the more my expression soured.
I could already see where this conversation was going.
Sure enough, the young marquis eventually said the line I dreaded:
“As an apology, I will personally teach you swordsmanship.”
“…What?”
It seemed there was something slightly wrong with this handsome boy’s brain.
Why did every conversation with him end with swordsmanship?
Surrounded by two insane boys, I was beginning to feel weary.
I took half a step back.
The young marquis’s eyes sparkled like rubies as he stepped two steps closer.
I reluctantly spoke.
“Sadly, or rather, actually not at all sadly, that’s going to be difficult.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t particularly want to learn swordsmanship. I’ve told you before—have you already forgotten?”
How many times had I said this?
By now, he should have understood, yet the young marquis was undeterred.
“But just a moment ago…!”
He tried to object to my words.
“And!”
I interrupted him with a very insolent attitude.
