Chapter 114
I couldn’t bring myself to say, “No, it’s not good.”
“Ah, no, it’s cute.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
The moment I said that, the Duke relaxed a little.
“That’s right. I thought it would suit you.”
Suit me? Who could possibly pull off a carriage like this, fit for a princess? Probably only Seraphina. Ugh, it’s way too much pressure. There has to be another way.
“…Father, are you going to act as the coachman too?”
“Yes.”
“That’s too disappointing. Can we leave the carriage here and have you ride the horse instead?”
The horse is huge. It could probably carry the two of us with ease.
Of course, riding a single horse with the Duke would still attract attention… but at least we’d get home faster than by carriage!
“Huh? If Father isn’t burdened, I’d like to see you drive up close.”
“……”
The Duke stopped in his tracks as he approached the carriage.
Did my suggestion work?
“Sol.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t make such tempting offers lightly. It makes me actually want to do them.”
With a crooked smile, the Duke looked back at me, then started detaching the carriage from the horse.
Wait, didn’t he just reject my suggestion to ride together? So why is he detaching the carriage?
“Sol, wait a moment. I’ll arrange another carriage from the temple.”
“…Huh?”
He didn’t explain further and walked toward the temple. Rather than panicking at his leaving, the Duke’s horse actually nudged closer to me, as if trying to protect me.
As twilight stretched across the sky, several priests arrived with a temple carriage, attaching it to the horse.
Its corners were decorated with silver waves, making it just as ornate, though less ostentatious than the Duke’s whale-sized carriage.
After the priests pulled the white carriage away, the Duke opened the door.
“Get in.”
“Father? What about that carriage?”
“I’m not foolish enough to miss that you’d feel burdened.”
“Oh… I’m sorry. You were trying to be considerate, and I just made it more troublesome…”
“No need to apologize. It’s actually rather thoughtful of you.”
Thoughtful? I’ve basically bossed around the Duke…
“It’s unexpectedly fun thinking about what suits you. Now I understand why people enjoy shopping.”
“Ah…”
“But now I’ve realized that it’s more important to consider what you like rather than what suits you. So, no time was wasted for me.”
He said that and casually made my heart skip a beat, then gracefully opened the carriage door.
“Shall we go, Lady? It’s time to return home.”
“…Yes, let’s go quickly.”
“Of course we will.”
Did I just say “quickly” for no reason?
The Duke smiled meaningfully, closed the door, and took his seat on the coachman’s bench.
Soon, the carriage moved.
“Whoa!”
Too fast, human!
Thankfully, the interior was as plush as a VIP car’s backseat, with armrests, so I could sit safely without flying around.
The speed was high, but the ride was smooth.
Honestly…
“Who would’ve thought the Duke would be used as a personal driver…”
This is indulgence I’ll never experience again.
Just as I got used to the speed, I opened the bag I had brought from the dorm to prepare for something.
I wonder how long we traveled.
The carriage soon slipped past the familiar walls and into the garden. Through the small window, I could see the servants running toward us.
“Go away.”
“Yes, sir.”
They all immediately backed off at the Duke’s voice.
Ahaha, as expected.
I thought only the Duke could escort me when I got off the carriage.
When he opened the door and extended his hand:
“Welcome home, Lady Schlager…?”
“…Yes, I’m back.”
I smiled while wearing the headdress he had gifted me. Judging by his trembling eyes, he recognized what it was.
“That is…”
“Yes, Father gave it to me last time.”
After my mistake tore the dreamcatcher, the Duke had repaired it beautifully, adding various protective charms.
If I were to show it for the first time, naturally…
“I wanted to show it to you first, Father. Doesn’t it look pretty to you too?”
“…Yes, it really suits you.”
“Hehe, I knew you’d say that.”
“It’s really beautiful.”
“Yes, yes. It was beautiful even as a dreamcatcher.”
“It’s beautiful enough that anyone would believe you were born wearing it.”
“Stop it!”
Listening to this made me blush to death!
I tried to calmly take off the headdress and put it back in my bag, but the Duke’s hands were faster.
His large hands pressed from my temple to my cheek, preventing me from removing it.
“You’re beautiful.”
“Father! My ch-cheeks!”
“Are you eating well? Your cheeks look slimmer.”
“At home, you fed me lots of dessert! I’m at the age where baby fat disappears!”
“…You didn’t force yourself to eat for me at home, did you—”
“No. Let’s go inside now.”
The servants stood awkwardly, unsure when to take my coat, but the Duke didn’t back down.
“Just one more question.”
“Yes.”
“Have you had good dreams lately?”
“…Of course.”
Even on days I didn’t dream or had nightmares during light sleep.
“The first gift from Father has returned to me. How could I not have good dreams?”
As long as I had this gift, I felt blissfully happy.
Satisfied with the answer, the Duke took a step back, but his large left hand naturally held mine.
“Let’s go inside, to our home.”
“…Yes. It’s been a long wait.”
The moment I returned to where family was, holding hands with him like a real father and daughter, someone I truly didn’t expect greeted me.
“Miss!”
“Uh… L-Linda?”
Beyond the red carpet was Linda, the maid who had cared for me in Flogel. Her gentle eyes were wet with tears.
“You’ve become such a fine lady in just a few months. How have you been?”
“…Of course. Wait a moment.”
After setting down my luggage, I ran to Linda and hugged her tightly.
She’s still taller and stronger, but she only gasped once and easily supported me.
“Miss… announce yourself before running over next time.”
“That’s impossible. You came without warning first.”
“Haha, His Grace called me. He said to make you feel at home during vacation. I couldn’t help running right over.”
“…Thank you for coming.”
After patting her back, I stepped out of Linda’s arms.
But as I did, I noticed an awkward figure nearby.
When did you get here?
“Why is Father standing there with his arms open?”
“…I was waiting my turn.”
“If you want a grand welcome, you’d have to be away for months.”
“That… is impossible.”
The Duke stepped back, revealing Elber and Venen behind him.
What are these two doing?
Venen spoke first.
“It’s been months since we met, right?”
“We just saw you recently.”
“That was due to your work request. It doesn’t count as a family reunion.”
Figures.
Meanwhile, Elber was still struggling between concept and reality. Shouldn’t he have gotten used to this by now?
“I, uh… I don’t particularly want to feel your weight… no, that’s not it…”
“…You can speak plainly. I’ll understand.”
“I want to do it properly when I do it. Let me prepare a bit.”
Elber closed his eyes and took a breath.
Now, in typical dark-haired, cold-eyed romance hero fashion—
“I’ve hugged you countless times, and I’m tired of it, but—”
I kicked Elber in the shin in shock. What kind of tsundere line is this! A soon-to-regret, trashy male lead line!
“Ah! Sol!”
“That’s the worst thing you could say!”
“Ah, I know! It’s actually not tiring! Never!”
“It’s not about tiring or anything!”
At that moment, the Duke’s deep voice intervened.
“Who exactly hugged whom?”
“….”
His eyes shone like a stormy sea.
But Elber, mentally tougher now, didn’t back down. His blue eyes were sharp as ever.
“Father, you saw Sol holding hands and entering. And before that, you were groping her cheeks!”
“That was to check if she lost too much weight as her primary caregiver.”
“That’s an excuse. Also, the primary caregiver is Linda for another reason!”
While Elber and the Duke bickered, only Venen leisurely hugged me.
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
“We had dinner together a few days ago; I already hugged you then.”
“Forget that. We’re meeting here for the first time in months. Got it?”
“I feel like charging for alibi costs.”
“Go ahead. I welcome being indebted to you. I’ll repay it in a way you’ll never forget.”
Elber looked at us with a very wronged expression, but had no chance to argue with Venen.
My stomach growled, and Linda clapped, signaling the end of the situation.
“Now, since you’ve traveled far, change quickly and come down for dinner!”
Dinner was fun, tiring, and enjoyable all at once.
The Duke’s attempt to feed me ice cream himself, as he did in Flogel, was a big part of it. He made it on the spot.
Still impressive handling of ice.
“You’re not overdoing it… right?”
It’s ridiculous that the Duke would overexert for ice cream.
Anyway, it was mid-July, the heart of summer.
Tomorrow, I’d discuss vacation plans with the family, but I also had something urgent to prepare for:
The spear-and-horse competition.
I would absolutely refuse to attend and throw myself on the floor, but if I could prevent the event from happening or block any terrorists from intervening first, that would be even better.
As I opened the report I received from Freya the day before the vacation ceremony, a familiar voice called out.
“Sol, can I come in?”
It was Elber.
I naturally turned toward the voice…
“…Oni-chan? Why are you there?”
