Princess Danielle noticed what the kids were doing as well, and she imdiately pulled her hand back before she could embarrass herself even more.
Her eyes looked at Shuu with a soft and sorry expression that he chose to accept and not look away from.
"Go away-! Go be busy...!"
Caelis did not seem happy to see Princess Danielle, and he imdiately told her to head back to work. It was a little weird for Shuu to see because the last ti he checked, Danielle and Caelis had gotten along just fine.
Rin did not seem to have the sa problem as Caelis had, but even he was much more reserved with her compared to before.
This did not go unnoticed by Princess Danielle, and she flinched at the treatnt she was receiving from the pair.
But she did not let it deter her, and she straightened her back to give them a firm look.
"I...would like to apologize to you for my behavior until now. I know that it was unprofessional, and I did so things that could have hard you. That is why I am here to apologize to you and make ands. Please, give a chance to do that."
Princess Danielle bowed to Shuu and the kids. The servants noticed and instantly began to gossip.
Shuu knew what it looked like-it looked like he was bullying Princess Danielle because of his position. And he instantly wanted to clarify that it was not his intention.
But the kids definitely had that as their intention, because they did not even flinch when they looked at her. Instead, they gave her a look of superiority.
And only after she spent a full minute bowing to them did they allow Princess Danielle to lift her head.
"Hmm, alright. We forgive."
Caelis had grabbed hold of the situation, and Princess Danielle let out a relieved sigh as soon as she noticed this.
Her eyes lit up once she was forgiven, and she instantly handed Shuu a card she was carrying.
"Here, please take it. It would be my honor for you to be present at my wedding."
Princess Danielle sounded happy and content. Her face also looked younger and filled with youth.
Just having a promise of marriage and a reassurance with the announcent date seed to have lifted all the burden from her shoulders, and she felt like a new person at the mont.
Shuu grabbed the offered card and opened it. It was tinted with gold and sparkles, making it look beautiful and mystical at the sa ti.
"It’s a beautiful card. But didn’t you select it too fast? You will only get married once, so you should take so ti to decide things."
It was likely not Shuu’s place to tell Princess Danielle these things, but he still felt like he had to say this to her.
Thankfully, Princess Danielle did not seem to have taken offense. She was too happy to notice much of what he said anyway and just blinked at him for a few seconds before she replied.
"You have no idea how long I have waited to get married. I had all the designs for the cards and the party hall picked out ages ago. But I just...never got the chance to tell anyone because the date was never set. But now..."
The look on Princess Danielle’s face told Shuu that she truly had been waiting for this opportunity for a long ti. There was a certain tenderness in her expression that made her look more youthful in Shuu’s eyes.
"I see. I am glad for you. Your dream of getting married is finally coming true. Congratulations."
Shuu felt happy but weird at the sa ti. He could not explain the feeling inside him at the mont, but he knew that it was akin to jealousy.
’I have no reason to feel jealous of anyone or anything at the mont. So why am I feeling like this? What is wrong with ?’
Shuu wanted to ask a question, but there was no one he could ask such questions to. No one but the voice in his head that spoke up all of a sudden.
’Are we sure you don’t know what is wrong with us? Or are you pretending not to know? Can’t we tell ourselves what is wrong? We are jealous of Princess Danielle and her decision to marry. It is sothing we will never be able to experience ourselves, after all.’
The voice reminded Shuu, and he felt his head throbbing.
He wanted to deny that accusation, but sothing inside him told him not to do that. The voice, as if realizing this, continued.
’We might want to marry the Emperor, but we know that it’s a bad idea. It’s finally ti to wake up from this delusion and recall that we are actively making the choice not to marry the Emperor. It’s all because we want to return to the goddess’s side and be hers-’
’Stop-! I don’t want to hear anymore...’
The voice disappeared, but the lingering feelings it invoked inside Shuu did not fade. He felt a little disturbed and annoyed that he had allowed the voice to get to him at all.
"-anyway, I should get going now. I need to arrange for the vendors and other stuff. I will see you around, Shuu."
Princess Danielle had been speaking this whole ti, but Shuu had tuned her out. He felt guilty about it, but relieved at the sa ti that his expression had not given anything away.
Shuu sighed in relief as he finally watched her run away, but the kids quickly reminded him that he was not alone.
Caelis tugged at his sleeve, causing Shuu to turn toward him.
"Huh-? Do you want to ask sothing, Caelis?"
Shuu asked the kid who had a curious look on his face. And Caelis did not hesitate to ask what was on his mind.
"When...marry...Father...Shuu?"
The words were broken apart, and Caelis seed to be having trouble speaking them. But it was clear to Shuu what he wanted to ask. And Shuu suddenly felt speechless, not knowing what to tell his son.
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