Chapter 47
A Fragment of Everyday Life
Daisies, which bloom between spring and early summer, were said to stay in bloom longer in cool temperatures. Perhaps because of that, even now, with summer nearly over, the daisies inside the cool greenhouse were still in full bloom.
“This greenhouse is a place you may use freely, Princess. You may take as many flowers as you wish.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I can’t bring myself to cut the daisies here. If I do, the daisies will disappear from the daisy greenhouse.”
“That won’t happen, Princess.”
Cedric said firmly.
Even if we made a bouquet, as Cedric said, all the daisies in the greenhouse wouldn’t disappear. There were simply too many of them. Still, I wanted next spring’s greenhouse to feel just as full.
“Even if you take the flowers, next spring the daisy greenhouse will be even more abundant.”
Cedric said exactly what I needed to hear.
“Why is that?”
“When daisies lose their petals, their seeds fall. The seeds grow into flowers the following spring, and new blossoms also sprout from the existing stems.”
I clasped my hands together in admiration.
“So every time a new spring comes, this greenhouse will be filled with even more daisies?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Wow.”
Cedric smiled.
“I’ll help you make the bouquet.”
“Thank you, Duke!”
Sir Diego, who had been standing behind us, said he would fetch gloves. He left the greenhouse at a brisk pace and soon returned with two pairs of leather gloves.
We stood up and crouched in front of the patch of daisies. Cedric lowered himself to match my height.
He cut the first flower for me. Holding the flower he gave me in my left hand, I matched the stem length he showed and gathered several more. As I chose large, pristine daisies one by one, my left hand quickly became beautiful.
I spotted a daisy a little farther away and reached for it—only to bump into Cedric. I couldn’t let a gentleman fall, so I tried to step back, but ended up plopping down on the ground.
“Ah!”
“Princess!”
Sir Diego rushed over at once, but Cedric, who was closer, reached me first.
“Are you all right?”
“No. I’m embarrassed.”
Even as I fell, I held my hand with the daisies high in the air. I checked the flowers—thankfully, they weren’t badly damaged. I didn’t want to waste flowers I had carefully picked by having to throw them away.
Cedric stood and offered me his hand. With his help, I got back on my feet.
My indoor dress skirt was covered in dirt. My back was probably even worse. A lady couldn’t brush dirt off her backside in front of a gentleman, so I turned so no one could see my back.
Cedric took a small step to the side. I followed him, turning as well. Then he turned once more.
Ah!
“You have to pretend you didn’t notice.”
“Understood.”
“I mean it!”
“Yes, Princess.”
After getting his sincere agreement—despite his barely suppressed laughter—I deliberately changed the subject.
“The courier must have already come by today.”
“Decorate it however you like and give me the bouquet. I’ll contact the post office.”
“So you’re saying you’ll wield your authority for my sake?”
“I intend to show you the power of an imperial duke.”
I burst out laughing, forgetting my earlier embarrassment. I looked at Cedric—his smiling eyes were cherry-colored.
Ah. Such pretty smiling eyes.
And they were looking at me so beautifully.
When the delegation was staying in Owen, and just before they departed—it was another fragment of everyday life.
One day, we went to a dessert shop near the city with Daimond and the others. It was after my cold had fully healed, the second time I’d gone out with them.
The sunlight was blazing that day as well. I didn’t have the glass magic with me.
The place we visited was a shop said to accept only direct descendants of high-ranking noble families. It was two stories tall, and the interior wasn’t very spacious. I figured the choice of venue reflected Daimond’s preferences perfectly.
The seating was divided by partitions made of wooden frames draped with chiffon fabric. Even without a reservation, we were guided upstairs thanks to the name Daimond Rund.
A glass table sat in the center, with two-seater sofas facing each other. Yuri and Nanesha sat side by side. Yuri yielded the seat closer to the window to Nanesha.
My older brother shoved past me and claimed the window seat first. Daimond slouched back with his shoulder pressed against the sofa back.
I sat beside Daimond, gathering my dress skirt neatly—then changed my mind and spread the skirt over his lap instead. Hmph.
“It’s hot. The central region really is.”
Daimond leaned even farther back, resting his elbow on the armrest. I felt the heat too, pressing a handkerchief against my forehead where sweat had begun to bead.
“You really do suffer from the heat, Princess. Very fitting for northern royalty, shall we say?”
Nanesha said as a staff member brought over our drinks. She placed each drink neatly in front of its owner.
I drank three big gulps of my iced lemon tea at once. Should I be grateful for living in an age where magical engineering could make ice in summer—or praise the mage-engineer who developed the magical freezer?
While I was thinking that, Daimond gulped down his entire drink. Nanesha was about to tell him to mind his manners, but stopped when she saw how he was sitting.
Daimond had mastered the highest level of etiquette in the Rundra Kingdom, yet threw it all away in front of people he was close to.
Likewise, Yuri—who also ignored etiquette—sat sideways on the sofa, propping his arm up lazily.
If there was a difference between Daimond, a prince of a historic royal family, and Yuri, a scion of an old noble house, it was this: Daimond usually followed etiquette perfectly, while Yuri usually didn’t follow it at all.
Yuri stared ahead with half-lidded eyes, looking utterly bored, showing no interest even in the drink in front of him.
Seeing Yuri return to his usual self made me feel both puzzled and relieved. The conversation on the table wandered through several topics before finally settling on Rachel.
“I had a feeling Rachel wasn’t actually from the Rich family.”
“Really?”
“After Rachel disappeared, Theo and I looked into it. We found out that there was indeed a daughter of the Rich viscount’s family in Owen.”
“Hmm.”
“And the young lady of the Rich family staying in Owen wasn’t someone we knew.”
Theo Haley, the Marquis, was another friend of Daimond’s. I hadn’t realized Nanesha and Theo had investigated this deeply.
At the same time, I was surprised that while the Rich family’s daughter was in Owen, the trail didn’t lead to Rachel. Rachel had been far more thorough than I’d expected.
“I knew she’d be connected to Owen somehow, but I never imagined she was an imperial princess.”
Nanesha paused, then looked at Daimond.
“You knew Rachel was Her Imperial Highness, didn’t you, Prince?”
“Huh?”
Daimond feigned ignorance.
“Earlier this year, the Rich viscount’s family disappeared without a trace. Even if they were a rural noble house, an entire family vanishing should’ve at least made it into a newsletter—but there was nothing.”
“Oh, really?”
“Theo and I decided to stop digging before our pickaxes hit the royal palace.”
“Hm.”
Daimond turned his head away.
“So I’m supposed to stay innocently clueless, then?”
Daimond said nothing.
“As a Linzhurg, loyalty thicker than friendship or love runs through my blood.”
It was something Nanesha often said, almost out of habit. She continued calmly.
“I can forget the past. I can even lose friends.”
At last, Daimond spoke—to Yuri.
“Yuri, are you nervous?”
“Not at all. If blood must be offered, mine would go first. Nanesha won’t lose my love.”
What broke the chilled atmosphere was a stranger.
“Prince Daimond?”
It was a clear voice, like the highest key on a piano. A textbook beauty stood there—large, shining eyes, as if she had stepped straight out of a portrait.
“Ah.”
Daimond straightened up and put on a perfectly practiced smile.
“I didn’t expect we’d meet again.”
“I’m happy to see you again, Prince.”
After exchanging greetings, the stranger rolled her eyes slightly and looked at me. Since she recognized only Daimond and didn’t greet me, I figured she wasn’t from the Rundra Kingdom.
It was a chance encounter, so I thought she would simply pass by—but instead, she remained standing beside our table.
Nanesha took a sip of her drink.
“When you didn’t accept my card, I thought you’d returned to your home country.”
Oh? I turned to look at Daimond. He pretended not to notice my gaze.
“I must have missed it among the many cards I receive.”
“That makes me terribly disappointed, Prince Daimond.”
Daimond smiled.
