Chapter 103

“But I’m the one who won the bet from before! Though Your Highness wouldn’t know, since you didn’t watch until the end.”

“No. I saw.”

“Oh……”

I became embarrassed once again at how easily Rashid agreed with me. Since I’d had nothing to say in this situation, I’d brought up the bet we’d made earlier, but I could no longer find the same short-tempered competitive nature in him like before.

“I, I see.”

“……”

“Anyways, that’s fortunate. If I had lost, I really wouldn’t have had anything to give you. Of course, there’s the question of what someone like Your Highness could even want from someone like me.”

“That’s what you think.”

Strands of his silver hair scattered between his gloved fingers.

As he bit and pulled off the very glove that had touched my cheek, the temperature rose up amidst the middle of winter as if it was hot.

“I know what I want.”

***

“…Are you sure? You’re certain you saw properly?”

“I told you I did.”

Standing next to Lania, Rebecca shook out her wet skirt.

Since they had overturned all the roads heading towards the separated villa, the only way to get there now was to use a small ferry boat and sneak in that way.

“As much as it’s great to be careful, what is this. And I got this fitted not too long ago, too!”

“You were only going to wear it once and throw it away, so stop exaggerating.”

Folding her fan, Lania struck Rebecca’s wrist lightly while she whined. As a noble, she had a nature of disliking frivolous things, but more than anything she couldn’t stand the fact that someone was talking back to her.

“Rebecca, if you can’t even earn your keep this way, then let me know anytime. I guess you don’t want your fiancé to be back?”

“H-hey now, why would you say that.”

“…….”

Rendered subservient soon enough, Rebecca forced the corners of her lips to rise as she gave a soft laugh next to Lania.

Though she knew she was being obsequious, her sister Lania was not one to say empty promises.

Starting from their stepmother Catherine, she wasn’t one to bat an eye even when placing curses on those who opposed her; chasing away a younger sister’s fiancé would be nothing.

No. It could even be considered fortunate if she chased him away graciously.

“Anyways, I kept an eye on her but there was nothing notable.”

“There wasn’t?”

“Yeah. She just went around the lake a couple times and that was it.”

“She wasn’t meeting with anyone? She didn’t go near, say, His Highness or towards the Winter Palace or….”

“His Highness? How would a woman like her dare meet His Highness?”

Rebecca cut off her sister’s words with a snort, but this one time Lania didn’t feel particularly upset.

But her younger sister Rebecca wasn’t that trustworthy a person for Lania to believe everything she said. She was lazy, extravagant, and dishonest to boot.

Since she was the only other human apart from Ronin who knew about the matter of the lake, she had pushed her into it, but she was still doubtful if she really had been keeping watch properly.

“It’s the truth. I really didn’t take my eyes off her, just like you told me to!”

“…….”

Rebecca may be bad at reading the room, but even she knew what the meaning behind her sister’s sharp gaze was.

“As soon as the sun set, she went and stayed hidden behind the villa! She didn’t come out until the end in case she got discovered.”

She appealed how unfair she felt without prompting. If she hadn’t been telling the truth, she was the type to avoid her sister’s eyes or get angry instead, but she must have been considerably frustrated herself.

“She didn’t particularly talk to anyone secretly, and there was no-one frequenting the place either.”

“I heard His Highness called that into the royal villa recently.”

“But you know a lot of different nobles went to the Winter Palace. Oh, and you went, too.”

“……”

What Rebecca said was only half-true. As the time His Highness spent here grew longer, there weren’t any nobles that were not trying to get his notice by visiting the royal villa by stream.

Lania as a lady was not excluded from that mix, but there was no-one who actually went into those doors.

“Then you can ask Viscount Dion, since he’s the manager of the royal villa.”

“You think I haven’t tried?”

Lania flapped her fan once more and bit her lip, gnawing. The Viscount had often visited the Duchy and built up their acquaintanceship until not so long ago, but once His Highness had come he didn’t leave the house, with not even a word of communication.

For him to be keeping away from her to wash himself clean, he himself would know of his master’s incredible characteristics.

“…what is someone like him thinking.”

“Who?”

“Nothing for you to worry about, so go ahead and leave me.”

After coldly cutting her off, she waved a hand at her sister to have her leave. Though she didn’t much like the way she did things, it was true that she only had Rebecca to use in immediate situations like this.

She was, after all, a child with clear desires.

More than those who insidiously racked their brains to tear into this and that for themselves, people who may be fools but had steadfast intentions were best for these kinds of chores. If they wanted money, she could shower them with it, and if they wanted gems she just needed to throw some at them.

But only if they did not trick herself.

“Is that really everything?”

“……”

Lania looked towards the excessively wet skirts of Rebecca’s dress. Though she was trying not to miss out on any flustered expressions, Rebecca was the one who appeared to take offense, her face crumpling.

“I told you it is. I didn’t even see anything human-like. And there were only a bunch of those ducks or geese or whatever those are when I was coming back out. And would those things even dare to look at me?”

“…..”

“Think about it. If I had caught someone, then I would’ve run straight to you and tell you, I caught someone, so buy me something!”

“…..that you would do, but.”

“I was super super careful and quiet until I came out, you know. I couldn’t even straighten my back in case that wench Catherine saw me, so stop. And anyhow, why am I so wet!”

Rebecca trembled at the droplets of water that were still trickling down onto the floor.

I better hurry and go change into new clothes!

Poised to go outside, the lady threw one last word impudently to her sister still resting against the chair.

“There’s nothing for you to be so bothered about anymore, sister! How can that thing that only brings around a baby bird even be your competition?”

***