Chapter 99

When she had gathered her two hands towards the goose like that, he hadn’t wanted to see it; but when she did the same towards him, it didn’t feel that bad.

No, he would say it felt rather good, actually, considering how he didn’t think of kicking the goose that was shoving its head onto the ground in front of him.

“…..”

Rashid squeezed his hand into a fist before he slowly reached out. As soon as his middle finger touched the forehead, or wherever this area, that he estimated to be approximately the forehead was, the goose lowered its body even more.

“…..Isn’t this thing de—”

“As, as expected of Your Highness!”

“…..”

Catherine approached him with a very touched expression, covering her mouth.

Almost about to say that he didn’t need that kind of praise, he slowly retrieved his hand.

“Very well done, sir! My word, to think His Highness personally accepted the greeting. Which knight in the entire Empire has dared to have such honor bestowed upon him!”

“…….”

Taking out a handkerchief, Rashid stared at Catherine wordlessly. He’d mainly seen this kind of expression from the sisters or the mothers of knights that had received an Emperor’s medal.

“This is nothing.”

“Nothing, you say. This is a very enormous event. If you had done that to me, I would be so happy that I wouldn’t even be able to sleep!”

“…..”

Her tone was so clear and concise that she seemed to be reading from a book, and her voice rang out brightly.

If not for the fact that she was looking at the goose instead of him while saying such words, it was a voice that wouldn’t be too bad to keep listening to.

“Your Highness, please take a look at this.”

“…….”

Why should I have to look at a lousy goose like that raising its body, he was about to retort firmly, but Rashid slowly withdrew his hand instead.

To be able to say something like that now, the hand that had touched the goose’s forehead was already his.

“……”

That’s right, I did that.

Until the goose, twisting and turning to open up its wings in various ways, disappeared from view, Rashid scrutinized his own hand.

He thought that he would have nothing more to see if he lifted his head now, but he realized he was wrong as soon as he raised his head.

“Your Highness, you did very well.”

Seeming to find this situation good, Catherine went as far as to raise her shoulders as she smiled at him brightly as a greeting.

With the hand that he’d lowered slowly, Rashid fiddled with his sword.

“I think I’ve done enough.”

“Yes, of course. Your Highness has done everything! Your Highness was perfect!”

“…….”

Had I given her that much to fear.

For the first time, Rashid looked back on what he’d done to her before.*

*T/N: OOH YES CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT E/N: ????

It didn’t seem like she was acting when she rejoiced in something as small as this.

Perhaps that was why his chest tightened achingly all the more.

“Catherine.”

“Yes. It’s my turn now, right?”

“….where are you going?”

Without meaning to, he grabbed her clothes as she began turning to go behind the tree. Once he’d grabbed it, he did a small double take, but even then he did not want to let go.

“Oh….. Trust me!”

“What.”

“I’m not running away. I really won’t run away.”

Maybe because she thought he was suspicious of her, Catherine shook her head repeatedly.

And then she pushed him back inside the shade of the tree. To be more accurate, instead of pushing with her hands, she made him step back with a light step toward him.

“Just watch from here. To see if what I say is right.”

“…..”

“It has to be from here, okay?”

With a passing smile, Catherine lifted her skirts up slightly and went down the hill.

That witch, not again!

Her walking speed quickened; in case she might jump into the lake like last time, Rashid’s face was engulfed in tension.

“Cathe—”

“Baabbyyyyy! Mommy’s here!”

But it was different this time. Instead of crying and yelling, she reached her hands out with a wide, a very wide smile.

Instead of running into the water, the way Catherine’s knees bent onto the grass was as light as air.

“……”

And more than anything, the baby swan that resembled a cotton ball no longer sank miserably. The way it hastily ran as soon as it saw her, was as different as if it had been brought back from the dead.

Flapping its white wings, the baby swan approached Catherine and snuggled right into her skirts, and Catherine carefully lifted it up.

“Yes, it’s mommy.”

Though it was a whispering voice from afar, he felt like he knew what she was saying.

As she smiled with a smile so joyful that it could not even be compared to the smiles she’d shown him until now, she placed her cheek onto the baby swan’s cheek, and the baby swan rubbed its head on the cheek furiously as well.

With its beak, it pecked at the fingers, and rolled its clawed feet on top of the palms. And like that, Catherine’s clear laughter rang out even to the hill once again.

“…..”

Even without the shade from the tree, his eyes darkened. Instead of grasping his sword, he raised his hand onto the surface of his chest.

Since there were more than just a few things that had changed from last time they’d been here, he’d wondered how he would find it all, but in reality, the most changes had occurred inside of him, not elsewhere.

‘….I told you. I was right, wasn’t I?’

Her cheek still on the swan’s cheek, the purple eyes that brushed past him drew a long track. Dropping his head languidly, both of Rashid’s hands headed towards the back of his neck.

***