Chapter 132………………………………..
“I like another young lady, Anne likes Ron… so we each want our own love…? Is that what Sir Sherbert said?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly what I said.”
Sherbert smirked proudly, curling the corner of his lips.
That fearsome mouth of his…
I had completely forgotten his nickname all this time.
Every time Sherbert met the nobles, he would shout that phrase, which is why we ended up with all these numerous invitations.
“Ouch, my head.”
Suddenly, I felt like Maryanne, burning herself entirely for love.
“By the way, have you met with Young Lady Alter since then?”
“No, she never meets anyone.”
Bianca had been avoiding not only me but Sherbert as well.
We had sent letters to the Alter family and frequently tried to contact Bianca.
We only received replies twice.
The first came in a letter stamped with the family seal, seemingly sent by a butler.
[Since the young lady is soon to become the crown princess, she cannot meet outsiders. We apologize.]
Frustrated, I had been on the verge of using teleportation to go see her in person.
Finally, a letter from Bianca arrived directly.
[Please don’t take an interest in me. I beg you, please.]
The handwriting was unmistakably hers.
Comparing it with past letters, it was exactly the same.
Feeling gloomy again, I asked,
“So what do you plan to do then?”
The kingdom’s founding festival was next spring, so the crown prince and Bianca’s wedding was scheduled around that time.
It was late autumn now, and the leaves were already falling.
Time was running out.
Sherbert raised his thick eyebrows and said,
“We have to kidnap her.”
“Kidnap? Who?”
“The bride.”
“….”
How could his mind go in that direction?
“Sir Sherbert! Young Lady Alter isn’t just any bride! She’s going to marry the crown prince! How could a… kidnapping even be possible?!”
Suddenly, a scene from the original story came to mind, and I had to stop talking.
Right, Sherbert and Maryanne had planned to kidnap the heroine, Bianca.
I couldn’t recall the exact circumstances at the time—just that Sherbert had gone mad with obsession.
‘And now he’s talking about kidnapping her again!’
I wasn’t sure whether it was Sherbert’s character being consistent or the fate dictated by the original story, but the important thing was that Sherbert wanted to prevent the crown prince and Bianca’s wedding.
But there was something Sherbert overlooked.
“What if Young Lady Alter… really likes His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“….”
It was her feelings that mattered.
Even if the crown prince’s heart wandered to Princess Hemel, if Bianca liked him, it would be tragic.
The ones who would be hurt were Bianca and Sherbert.
So, caution was necessary.
Sherbert said,
“That’s not the case. Bianca doesn’t like His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Sherbert’s sharp eyes locked on me.
“Because the look in Bianca’s eyes when she looks at me is different.”
He spoke of what he had personally witnessed.
After several failed attempts, they had finally met in front of a dessert shop.
At that moment, Sherbert and Bianca had looked at each other for a long time.
“We couldn’t take our eyes off each other. It felt as if we were the only two in that space.”
“…Is that all?”
Sherbert glared at me with his intense eyes.
“How important is it to exchange feelings through eye contact! Anne, you like Ron, so you know it well, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
“I even heard her heart pounding. I saw her blush and bow her head. All of it.”
“Oh. I see.”
That sounded somewhat convincing.
Of course, I still had to hear Bianca’s side.
Objectively, Sherbert was incredibly attractive, so any young lady could be enchanted by him, even if it wasn’t Bianca.
But I didn’t say that for the sake of his love.
“Besides, you saw Young Lady Alter too. She didn’t look like a happy bride preparing for her wedding.”
“….”
“Of course, His Highness the Crown Prince felt the same.”
I agreed with that completely.
“Alright. Then, Sir Sherbert, please keep contacting and meeting Young Lady Alter. I’ll try to meet His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“The crown prince? Why?”
I hadn’t told anyone that Princess Leatrice of Hemel liked the crown prince.
I couldn’t. She wanted it to remain a secret.
Moreover, if the princess’s feelings leaked, it would cause a huge stir.
“I have some connection with His Highness the Crown Prince. I’ll talk to him, and if… he doesn’t want to marry either, we’ll stop it by any means. Of course, it won’t be easy.”
Suddenly, Sherbert’s face filled with sorrow.
He looked on the verge of tears.
“Why… why is that, Sir Sherbert?”
“Because… I’m thankful… so thankful to Anne… I never thought someone would think of me this way.”
“You’re family.”
“Hmph… thanks. All this time, I annoyed Anne with my terrible mouth, caused trouble, and even broke engagements. Ugh!”
Pow, pow—Sherbert hit his own mouth with his hand.
I didn’t stop him.
He removed his hand on his own and pouted.
“His Highness the Crown Prince must have noticed that I like Young Lady Alter.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. So if my name comes up, tell him. My feelings haven’t changed.”
“Okay. I will.”
“By the way, Anne. You can’t meet him right now.”
“Why not?”
“He’s not in the palace at the moment.”
“Excuse me? Then where is he?”
“Probably in the eastern region.”
Unfortunately, the crown prince wasn’t currently in the palace.
It was a long-standing tradition in the Triya Empire.
Before the wedding, the crown prince had to travel throughout the empire to receive congratulations from the people.
“How long will that take?”
“I don’t know, but I heard he’ll soon pass through the west after the east.”
There was nothing to do but wait for him to approach the western region.
Being stuck in the mansion made time feel slow.
While walking through the garden in the now chilly wind, a familiar voice called out.
“Anne!”
It was Ron.
“Ron! Did you cut your hair?”
“Yeah, what do you think?”
His dark blue hair, which had once reached his shoulders in the back and his nose tip in the front, was much shorter.
Thanks to that, his ruby-red eyes were clearly visible, and his now-flushed ears could be seen.
“Think? You look amazing. You looked amazing with long hair and amazing with short hair too.”
I could never choose between the two.
Both were different versions of Ron, equally handsome.
At the compliment, Ron’s eyes softened.
He fixed the strands of my hair blown by the wind and asked,
“Why are you out here in the cold? Were you bored?”
“Yeah, I’m always in my room. I want to go out now.”
Ron tapped my cheek with his finger and asked,
“Where are you going?”
“Just… to meet someone.”
“Oh, who?”
“Well… someone. Someone.”
I couldn’t casually say I was going to meet the crown prince—not like meeting a friend from the village.
“Who is it? I’m really curious. Could it be… a boy?”
Ron asked kindly, smiling, but his eyes glowed ominously.
It felt like something hot was emanating from him.
“Ron, surely you don’t mean… malice?”
“Yeah. But it’s malice with a reason, so don’t worry.”
“…?”
I was momentarily confused by “malice with a reason.”
Ron’s red eyes seemed to burn.
“Anne, so you’re not going to tell me?”
“Well, actually…”
I glanced around and then gestured for Ron to lower his head.
When he did, I whispered in his ear that I was going to meet the crown prince.
Ron had two contrasting reactions.
At first, his face flushed, then he frowned.
“Ron, what’s wrong?”
He straightened his body and thought for a moment before confessing honestly.
“I was happy you whispered in my ear, but I didn’t like that a man’s name came up. That’s why I reacted that way.”
“…Ah.”
Yes, it was a perfectly reasonable cause for jealousy.
I reached up, grabbed both of Ron’s cheeks, and pulled him close.
In an instant, his soft lips puckered.
Even though he was handsome, this made me realize he really was.
Feeling his soft skin, I said,
“Ron, I’m meeting His Highness the Crown Prince for business.”
“Whhaat?”
“I mean, it’s a work-related meeting. I have to deliver a very important item. Do you understand?”
“Yeah!”
“So you don’t need to worry.”
When I let go, Ron scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
Seeing his innocent smile under the sunlight, something suddenly came to mind.
“Oh, right! Speaking of which, Ron, your birthday passed, didn’t it?”
