Chapter 5
“So you have co for my younger brother, haven’t you? We may have disturbed you with the bizarre ideas of our mother. She has been influenced too much by the fables of outern reigns. She couldn’t be stopped even by our father. That’s too bad.”
“Coming here was not a problem at all, Your Highness. I thank you along my father for having invited .”
“Your father… Baron Dalton, right? He’s always such a cheerful person, but the other day, when he ca for a visit… i found him unusually taciturn. May it be that he was concerned about his daughter?”
“I-I think it was due to his anxious disposition…”
“He adores you so much. One becos sad when “soone leaves ho”, but to desire the early wedding of your daughter would be due to your paternal affection.”
“Oh, really? Y-Yes.. it may be for this reason, for sure…”
A heroin like Peko always creates lots of clamor. Her words regarding our eting may have caught His Highness attention. That’s quite a pity… isn’t it?
“Theresa, do you have any siblings?”
“I’ve got a sister, she is one year older than .”
“I envy you. I’ve got a brother, but he didn’t play much with because he is 10 years older…..”
While smiling at her sulking face, which told “I envy you”, I took a look at the glacial stare’s monster that was listening to Peko…..
“Once this month ends, when my father cos back ho, I think I’ll try to not make him worried.” – “Coming back”… you could feel so kind of strength in it!
At this point, it didn’t feel like it was a lie….. for example, even if it was the truth, there wouldn’t have been nothing more to say about it.
The surprising fact when I t Peko was that she had no ambition and no interest in nothing that wasn’t necessary.
It shouldn’t be a problem to find a shy bride candidate that can be Tou’s substitute.
“Wait… What? You want to return ho? Don’t you like His Highness Itaku?!”
“Oh no! No! It’s not true! It’s just.. well.. I’ve been talking to the other girls…. and i find them more suitable for His Higness. You see.. I’m already twenty…”
“That’s the sa for m…..”
“She may have thought about the difference in age with His Royal Highness Atoren. Rembering when she said “as the younger brother”, she stopped talking. What a risk you’ve taken, Peko! He would have not forgiven you if you would have told him about your age difference!
“Peko, let Itaku think about his bride. No one should ddle on this thing!”
“Well… you’re right. I agree. I’ll never ntion it again.” His Highness easily obtained obedience looking at her with sparkling eyes, how ta is this woman, bending her head with such nobleness.
“Which is the way of His Royal Highness of “letting it go”? Did he give any information to his brother? If soone told him that I’m the replacent I wouldn’t need to doll up….”
“By the way, Peko, I rember you told that you had to go to the bathroom a long ti ago.”
“What? Ehehe…”
The poor girl froze under the icy stare of his Royal Highness. After the repetitive ga of cut and thrust, the monster had finally showed his teeth….
＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋
Peko turned at , asking for help with awkward eyes… i must find a diversion..! Oh, look! A butterfly flying… Wooooooow…..!!!
Looking away without making them notice and while respecting good manners, I ran at a fast pace: Peko seed to have learnt how a frozen person would feel… It seems that His Royal Highness is able both to freeze and to enchant!
True love has no boundaries, right? It would be better to behave like a good friend and pretend not to have heard the sound of their kiss.
Once I returned to dicinal herbs garden, His Highness Itaku was idle on the bench.
Do they have any errands? It seems that i can not go out to appear because an enthusiastic love scene is spreading: it may be that he taught his older brother where he has found Peko the other day..
When i tried to curtsy and get a reward, His Highness lightly shrugged his hand: “No need to use pompous greetings”.
“Your Highness….. I feel embarassed if you tell such an equivocal thing…”
“You do not even need to use a ceremonial language. You talk normally with my sister in law, don’t you? I have to run an errand for my brother, it will require ti. If you would, please…”
I would have wanted to reject with all my strength, but i couldn’t: I sat with a grudge.
“Why do you sit so far?”
“….. Why shall I co too near…?”
Stay quite Theresa, and do not shorten the distance….! His wordless blue eyes gazing at left shaken!
With a sweet smile, he whispered to : “That hat looks good on you”.
“Oh… ehm… d-did you see how wonderful it looks with all those drawings and colors? It’s a gift of Peko, my friend… Oh no, no.. I would look arrogant using such a word..!”
“Be calm. She told and my brother that she has a new friend. If you deny it, she will be sad.”
“Friends”, long has passed since when i used this word the last ti. I also had friends when there was no separation between n and won.
Since when i was a child, I didn’t care about females pastis, therefore i’ve spent my youth among males.
I wasn’t interested in collecting insects: I’ve always found much more intriguing having a walk in the woods and getting familiar with every type of plant I would have bumped into.
My father’s complains about my lack of womanliness begun when I started to act like a man in the attempt of being accepted in their group.
The more I was growing up, the more their attentions were addressed to my sister, and once I realized that they were showing interests to just to get closer to her I separated myself from them.
I would be a lier if I’d say it didn’t cause grief, but I found being among plants, which have no cunning nor falsehood, much more comforting.
＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋
“This.. this makes really happy because I never received a gift from anyone before…..”
“What a surprise! I tought you could receive many gifts, not only from your friends but also from n!”
I don’t know how to interpret it. Does he mock knowing that I’m the replacent, or it’s just my imagination?????
Usually, my sociable sister received gifts from boys, while I, the refused one, refuged myself in the garden, with the only friends I knew while gardening. The usual gifts for were plant’s seeds and the sweets that old n gave or, better, elderly n with whom I took tea together: that’s why I was pleased to receive the hat Peko gave .
“….. I’m not really attached to that thing. Understand , for heaven’s sake! I’m not married at this age!”
He was silent, maybe because he couldn’t find words for such an unfortunate woman, but his stare was really eloquent: “Really..?!” He said, with his eyes seeking for confirmation.
I turned my attention sowhere else, lowering my head; the strength of his gaze looking at from head to toe made my skin shiver like if it had a physical power! An inadequate sha made blush. Ohhh jeeeeez! Didn’t his mother, the Queen, teach him that it’s not convenient to scrutinize a person like that?!
Since I couldn’t bear it anymore, I looked straight at him. His blue eyes looked away, and the next mont they sharply lit up.
“You say you have never been involved with anyone else before, do you?”
“Yes, never.”
“It’s not because you wouldn’t, it’s just because you are tending to avoid it, right?”
“.. It’s-It’s not about …!”
His words upset , but i realized that’s because he got it right: it wasn’t lack of femininity, it was the defection of willingness in refining it.
Can I say with no sha that I have done everything possible for becoming more pretty? Did i ever tried to enhance my charm and look like more attractive to n?
Maybe, I’ve always avoided this unconsciously, believing that I would have not been up to the task.
I started being more debit to gardening because I thought n were avoiding , but I was the one who was avoiding them!
I felt solitude in my own way, but it was the result of my laziness.
“….. Yes, you are right. I didn’t make any effort and sought the reason sowhere else…”
I can’t ask anymore “Which flower will bloom on a plant called Love”?. I completely forgot about that due to the ss of my sister running from love, but now that she disappeared, the Dalton will extinguish if I’m not going to marry him. Here’s the groom. The groom!
“I thank you, my Lord. I opened my eyes thanks to you! I will try to get more refined in order to find soone when I’ll return ho.”
It looks like the fog that covered my heart dissolved: maybe it’s just , but it looks so bright. It must be like a dawn! I must pray….
As soon as I thanked him, the frowning boy raised his hand saying: “Wait, please…”
I was not sure if he was having a headache, as he sighing, massaging his temple: “You are a really strange person.”, he said.
“That’s the way I feel too. I didn’t realize my stupidity until you didn’t make notice it!”
“Errr… That’s not exactly what I ant…. But I’m still not getting the aning of your words…”
“I beg your pardon! I-I intended to thank you… Did I annoy you?”
＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋
“I wouldn’t be enough for you… I can’t figure you out! First, you amaze with that strange dress, then, you behave like a noble girl… You also seem to have an unusual docile nature…..” – if it wouldn’t be for the complints, It would looks like he was mocking – his eyes were agitated like they mirrored my embarrassnt: “Why did you decide to co here?! You could have refused an invite which you didn’t find interesting!”
It’s true that I could have refused it: since he does not want to divide so lovers, the invitation to the royal palace could have been declined if they were engaged. But wait! It’s like a suicide for a poor noble to refuse the invitation from the royal family: His Highness itself could kill you with a saw!
Probably my father did it being sure that no one could refuse, but my sister ssed this up.
“I-I didn’t say I’m not interested…”
“And tell , which part of the royal palace catches your interest? The palace itself? The people? ..? Or.. THIS garden? You are not a person who can hide things.”
“This garden”….. It’s inevitable been fascinated by it! I tried to nod when he talked about himself, but i couldn’t in front of this floral paradise!
“You don’t take care of , even if you are one of my suitors. You smile only when you hear about herbs.”
After glimpsing at , he crossed his arms coolly.
What was he thinking? Was he sulky? He had an ambiguous behavior, waiting for my response still sitting on the bench: I would have cuddled him if he would have been my sister… but it wouldn’t be funny getting condemned to death for lese-majeste!
“Many won would take care of you.”
“Again! Easy girl! You must be careful about what you say!”
Maybe he heard thinking about him choosing between such so beautiful girls like lady Miranda, lady Cecil, lady Yuliana and many more….. I fear such royal people!
“It makes no difference if you say that you’re not interested in .”
I, being dumb, finally understood. It’s absolutely not right that a suitor may say “Find another woman”, while declaring at the sa ti “I’m looking for a fiancee”: it’s done, it’s over!.
I was praying my mother when His Majesty stood up. I instantly beca terrified, but he proceeded to the garden.
He ca back imdiately with an azure flower in his hand: a Lirott flower, made of twelve petals.
“I want to take care of you, maybe because you don’t take care of . How is it to decorate your hat? The vivid blue Lirott will look good on your cream colored cap.”
It felt like he criticized , like a sort of “fashion check”, but I was relieved that he was not angry.
Yes, i know, he’s a bit an, but he wouldn’t give a flower to soone he doesn’t like.
The flower that he put in my hand released a sweet and fresh perfu: “What a nice fragrance! My thanks, Lirott is my favorite flower!”
Seeing my thankful smile, he sat heavily on the bench: “You keep amazing , a woman usually does not appreciate wild herbs”.
He left wordless.
Lirot is a very important flower which grows everywhere in Rionia. It is not a plant which should be kept at ho, but it does not need the attention which a rose requires: it’s strange to see it in a royal garden… but maybe it’s here due to his perfu…!
“Are you giving it to as a prank?!”
“No, I was just thinking that it would matches with your eyes”
I turned about, and he turned his head blushing….. Should I consider his words as a complint? I’m confused, I lack of femininity, how could it be??!
Nevertheless, I really appreciated, and I thanked him again.
Reviews
All reviews (0)