CH 110

I was invited by Ludwig, so the 4 of us are sitting in the school courtyard and talking. As expected, it would be difficult for you to constantly turn down a prince’s invitations, especially when you’re engaged to marry him. Besides, I’m also interested in what happened yesterday and why they’re getting along so well.

If Simon is going to be treated badly by these two, he’ll at least need to give them an explanation or he’s going to have a hard time sleeping at night. It’s a world like this, so depending on the situation, there’s a real fear of being executed and killed physically. It would be unavoidable if he was executed even after doing everything I could, but it’s really pitiful to abandon him without doing anything for his defense.

“So… yesterday you were quite hard on each other, but today you’re talking quite like you’re quite close,” I said. “Did something happen?”

“Hahah…! As always, you ask straight away, Flora,” Ludwig said. “A normal noble would ask in a more roundabout fashion…”

I’m sorry, I couldn’t use polite and witty phrases like a noble lady. Even I can engage in that sort of pleasantry, but I don’t do it very often. This is because there are many times when we miss the point and reach misunderstanding using anything other than direct language. I’ve had a hard time with it. Especially with my female friends, particularly Katharina…

That’s why I’ve come to think that it’s better to speak in a sure way where there’s no room for misunderstandings and misinterpretation. The same is true for Ludwig and Rutger. Even Wilhelm and Dietrich asked questions like that. Too many misunderstandings will only bring tragedy to both parties. Better to hear each other clearly.

“There are times when misunderstandings between people worsen by using roundabout speech,” I said. “If that is the case, it would be better for both parties to speak frankly.”

There is a risk of being punished for disrespect if you say something too frank, but if you don’t speak clearly to some extent, the problem won’t be solved no matter how long it takes. Let’s just say that I’m doing it for my reasons. If you put up a line of defense like this, you shouldn’t be suddenly accused of Lèse-majesté, a Crime against the Crown, unless you get them really angry.

“So I see…” Ludwig said. “I think my attitude yesterday was also incorrect. My apologies, Flora. I took such a one-sided attitude without even bothering to listen to you. I think it’s natural and you’ve every right to get angry.”

Oh? I don’t know why, but suddenly Ludwig apologized. Simon, what in the hell did you say to Ludwig and Rutger? I’d like to hear some tips on how he was able to suppress their anger so easily.

“Lord Simon?” I asked. “What in the world did you say to the two of them?”

“Huh…?! No-ooo… nothing in particular…” Simon said, stammering and struggling.

Did he say something unnecessary? His behavior is too suspicious.

“No, no! I just heard that Lord Simon has done nothing wrong,” Ludwig said. “Rather, he has done a good thing. I understand that it is wrong to blame him instead of giving my gratitude.”

Why is Ludwig acting like this? Was he always like this? In the old days, it was more like… he was a twisted kid on the inside, even if he covered himself up well on the surface… somehow, now he’s like a clumsy, handsome prince.

“Simon here is a devotee of yours, isn’t he, Country Girl?” Rutger said.

“Huh!? Devotee?” Simon cried, startled.

I’m sure I’m making a pretty strange face right now too. What does he mean by “devotee”? I don’t understand it at all.

“I heard that you’ve saved Lord Simon’s life, Flora,” Ludwig said. “In order to repay the kindness he received at that time, he has decided to serve as your confidant. I heard that it is not a relationship between a man and a woman or one of romance, but of a Goddess of Salvation and the devotees who believe and protect her as well.”

Huh…!? What is all this? I don’t understand it at all. That’s why I questioned Simon and the others, to ask for a little more details. The story that came out of it was completely nonsensical.

Whatever it was, I helped Simon, and Simon, who felt grateful for the help, became a knight who served me, a devotee, or something like that. And Simon is doing his best to be my hands, feet, eyes, and ears, and work for me… that’s how he explained that we weren’t acting as a man and a woman, we didn’t have any romantic feelings, and it was like the loyalty of a believer towards their deity.

The story is completely made up. Amazingly, Simon also came up with such a fabrication on the spur of the moment. I had thought that Simon was more of the honest type who couldn’t lie, but he might have the talent to weave lies on the spot.

It’s true that Simon and I are just friends and have no romantic feelings, but it’s too unclear to me whether he’s a devotee who worships me or a knight who serves me.

“In order to uncover the injustices that were rampant in the school, you brought this excellent magician, Simon, under your command to conduct an internal investigation and were receiving a report from him, weren’t you? That’s why you were meeting in secret,” Ludwig said. “I was driven by jealousy and made a terrible mistake. Once again, please forgive Flora and Lord Simon both.”

Ludwig lowers his head again. He’s completely eaten it up…. is the country safe with a prince like this?

In the first place, is Simon an excellent magician? That would be a big mistake, too. Simon’s magic is no match for Louisa’s.

Well, I won’t ask Simon about this until after the Prince and Duke’s Son are both gone. In order to make the story consistent, the two of us need to discuss it later. If the two of you were asked about something separately without a detailed meeting between us, there is a possibility that a contradiction will come out.

“Well then… I’m sorry, but could you two go home first, Rutger and Lord Simon?” Ludwig said. “I have something I want to talk to Flora about in private.”

Geh……… what the? I wonder if I said something unnecessary… what did I do…? If anything comes to mind… I guess I told the King and Dietrich about various things about the school?! I guess Wilhelm got mad at Ludwig for that, so he wanted to talk about it or something!

“… Hey, let’s go, Simon,” Rutger said.

“Huh? Ah, yes…” Simon said.

Rutger had been staring at my face for a while, took Simon, and left. It turns out I’m right after all…, when the King and Dietrich had a meeting the other day, I told them about what happened at the school, so they resent me for that. That’s why Rutger was also staring at me.

Oh no. What should I do? At that time, all I could think about was that if the King scolded me for warning him, I’d be fine, but I should have been able to foresee what would happen. I should have expected that if the King got mad at me, it would come back to me next time, but I’m an idiot, an idiot!

“Flora……” Ludwig said, staring at me as he sits beside me.

“Hyii…!” I squealed.

I don’t turn toward him. This is terrible… I don’t have the confidence to keep my cool if I make eye contact and the other side looks like a demon.

“Fufuh, it’s just you and I, right, Flora? You don’t have to be so tense,” Ludwig said as he touched my hand.

What do you mean, “it’s just you and I”? We’re just male friends, aren’t we?

“…Hm?… Hii…!” I squealed.

At first, I thought it was just a touch, but then he moved his hand to caress mine and then grabbed it tightly. I was attacked by a sensation that had my back tingling and my hair standing on end. If I roll up my sleeves right now, I’ll definitely see goosebumps. I’m confident. I must be full of goosebumps.

“Until now, the two of us were separated by the distance between the royal capital and Carruzan. But that’s gone now. And I’d like for the two of us to be closer from now on. What do you think, Flora? Next time, you and I…”

“Please wait!” I said.

I yanked back the hand Ludwig was holding, turned my face away, and calmed down while looking in the opposite direction from Ludwig. This is bad. If I hadn’t been able to reason with myself… if things stayed as they were, I would have punched Ludwig in the face.

No matter how disgusting it was for him to hold my hand, there was no excuse for punching the Prince in the face. Rubbing my hand desperately to forget the nasty feeling of him touching it, I turned back to Ludwig and hid my face in my hands. If he could see my face and actions now, he might say, “Do you think it’s disgusting for me to touch you?!”.

Calm down… calm down…

“Your Highness Ludwig, we were engaged to be married while we were so young, so maybe you haven’t had the opportunity to look at other women?” I said. “Now that you’ve grown into an adult, you shouldn’t be stuck with this old engagement story, but you should open your eyes and consider once more whether there are other women who are more suitable to be your wife.”

All right! I said it even if it was a roundabout way! Cancel your engagement with me and look at other women! Yeah? There must be a lot of women who love Ludwig more than I do. It’s good to have a good relationship with such a partner. I have no intention of doing anything with you. Have a nice life!

“I see. I understand your feelings well, Flora,” Ludwig said.

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Huh…!? Seriously? Did he understand!? In that case, the engagement should be annulled as soon as possible…

“…… Huh?”

“From now on, as you said, Flora, I will take a closer look at other women,” Ludwig said.

What the? I looked back, and Ludwig had a refreshing smile as if he had understood everything. Does this guy really know? A strange feeling of uneasiness crossed my mind, but if I pursued it any further, it would be too much trouble.

Ludwig tells Rutger to leave his seat as Rutger stares at Flora. That’s right. Flora is Ludwig’s fiancée, and she is not the kind of person Rutger should fall in love with. Even so… even knowing that Rutger’s feelings couldn’t be suppressed. The more he tries to forget, the more he thinks about her.

When he stared at Flora, Flora was also staring back at him. Maybe Flora likes him, too… however, as long as she has a fiance and it’s Prince Ludwig, he can’t marry her himself. This feeling that he can’t reach her even though they have feelings for each other…

With that in mind, Rutger coolly walks away as if to shake off Flora’s heated gaze. He’s sure this will make Flora’s affection for him skyrocket.

After confirming that Rutger and Simon have left, Ludwig holds Flora’s hand. Finally, he was able to interact with her as if they were married. Until now, he had hardly ever come into contact with Flora. This is because of Flora’s usual brazenness, but when it comes to men and women, she becomes naive immediately. Even so, today Ludwig took the plunge and tried to hold Flora’s hand.

The feeling is very soft… it’s not bad. The palm under the satin gloves is so tough it’s hard to believe it’s a noble lady’s. Still, he can’t stop the pounding in her chest. The thought that he was finally holding Flora’s hand was the height of his happiness.

And after he did, Flora averted her face and blushed in embarrassment. How adorable is she? If this had been a secluded place, Ludwig might have embraced Flora right now.

As expected, this is a school, and even after school, there are still some students and teachers left. If he did something like that in a place like this, it would cause trouble for Flora as well, so he somehow restrained himself.

“Your Highness Ludwig, we were engaged to be married while we were so young, so maybe you haven’t had the opportunity to look at other women?” Flora said. “Now that you’ve grown into an adult, you shouldn’t be stuck with this old engagement story, but you should open your eyes and consider once more whether there are other women who are more suitable to be your wife.”

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She took back her hand and turned away as if she was embarrassed to show Ludwig her face. She must have been quite embarrassed because even her ears were red. Ludwig thinks about what Flora is saying while looking at her cute figure.

Perhaps Flora is worried that she is not suitable as Ludwig’s fiancée. Certainly, there are still voices among some aristocrats who say that she is still just a margrave’s daughter. Also, Flora, who is a beginner when it comes to matters of men and women, may not be confident in that aspect.

Moreover, Ludwig understood that this was a sign of concern. This was probably her trying to warn him of a mistake, like last time when he didn’t even remember Helene’s name and made such a faux pas. She was advising him to take an interest in other women and deal with them properly.

In addition to that, she also says that if a better woman comes along, she would be willing to drop the engagement and let Ludwig have her, instead.

But there is no woman better than Flora. No matter how many other high-ranking aristocratic daughters were introduced, Ludwig’s feelings for Flora never wavered.

“I see. I understand your feelings well, Flora,” Ludwig said.

As Flora looked at him in surprise, Ludwig gave a soft smile to reassure her.

“From now on, as you said, Flora, I will take a closer look at other women,” Ludwig said.

Yes. He nodded obediently to Flora’s words, with no intention of ever becoming more than friends with a woman other than Flora. With the thought that no matter how many other women appear, his feelings for Flora will not change, and in order not to repeat the stupid mistake pointed out last time, he will properly remember women other than Flora. Ludwig smiled at Flora with the intention of keeping this promise.