CH 33

1-5. Duchess, the lifesaver.

“—Next is, …the mines.”

“…You’re already in shambles before we even go there.”

It was when I took a short rest in a corner of the royal castle garden, where I’ve often fled to since I was a child.

A cavernous entrance wrapped in green ivy, like a cage that no one else could find. I heard Mika’s voice coming from outside the entrance, and I shivered. My eyes turned blank as I wondered why he would follow me to such a place, but if anyone could follow me here, it was only Mika.

Because this secret place— is a secret base that Mika and I found when we were little.

It was after we returned from the ten-day inspection of the Lambert territory.

After visiting Edessa, I spent almost all of my time preparing a place for Taluha and his family to live, planting magical plants, and also explaining things to them. Of course, I also went to several orphanages and refugee facilities, which was the purpose of this visit. I understood now why Machina wanted to take the Livelihood Magic Study class. Count Lambert also guided us to historical sites, and we spent ten fulfilling days.

Among the magical plants entrusted to Taluha and his family, some of the varieties quickly wilted. But I asked them to take care and observe the progress of the plants that remained lively, and also the seeds that I had brought with me. I also asked Count Lambert to send an errand to check on them from time to time, and I also gave him a “long-distance pigeon pair” as a means of communication.

This is also a feat of the tamer’s skill. It can be used as a means of communication by keeping a small monster, a “pair” of long-distance pigeons, at two different places.

You read the letter to one of the pigeons in one place, and then the pigeon in the other place has the nature to copy the letter. They are highly intelligent and have telepathy with each other.

The sight of them pulling out a magnificent quill pen from inside their feather and effortlessly copying a letter is a sight to behold again and again. Although not yet in widespread use, it was probably going to be a major change in the means of communication in this country in the future.

They are a very romantic kind of monster. Once a year, you need to arrange a dramatic rendezvous for them. They will continue to copy the letters that way, even if they are far away all the time. The ‘dramatic’ part is the hard part of taming them, said a tamer of long-distance pigeons.

I didn’t quite understand what he meant, and when I asked him what kind of arrangement he was doing for the rendezvous, he replied, “Dramatic things like; ‘This is the first time I visited the town. I stepped in with nervousness, concealing my feelings of uneasiness. If only you were by my side… I couldn’t help but think that way. At that moment, I was approached by an evil-looking pigeon and taken into a dark corner. Oh my God! I need you to come and help me! I need you! It was that moment… I saw a familiar feather flapping in the sky.’ something like that.” All I could say was, “I see”.

At any rate, it is a romantic monster that is difficult to tame.

I finished reporting about the refugees to Brother Seth and I also told him my opinion about it.

He praised me for what I had done, but he also commented sharply, “Your thinking is still too naive.” It made me think about the difficulty of dealing with the Rubrum Empire. Brother Seth told me that I should not look only at the superficial protection of refugees.

They are a country that has a peace agreement with us. To give extensive protection to refugees who are not permitted by that country would be taken as a violation of that agreement.

That was certainly true. We are not dealing with a country at war. Even if the other side was a country that was planning a war, as long as there was a peace agreement in place, the official response was usually to send the refugees back, not to protect them.

(I-it’s difficult…)

Then, with my head in my hands, I took a walk in the garden and settled into my usual retreat for a change of mood.

While looking at Mika, who was peeking in through the entrance, I asked him.

“How did you know that I’m here…?”

“You’ve always been here when you feel down.”

Suddenly confronted with that, I became frightened.

A childhood friend who can see through everything is also something to worry about. Speaking of which, this hideout is connected to the outside of the castle through a cavity on the other side. I think we have to seal it up, but the only person who knows about this place is Mika. I even slipped outside through here with Mika when I was a child.

(I was surprisingly adventurous back then…)

As I was thinking about this, Mika, who seemed to have come up next to me on all fours, muttered something as if he had read my thoughts.

“This takes me back.”

I looked over and saw Mika sitting down beside me in the empty space.

When we were kids, this place was spacious enough for two people. But it was too cramped for two grown men to enter such a place. While looking around, Mika said, “Don’t you have that thing?” I think he meant the magical plant I showed to him when we were kids, but I had put it away in my office.

I remember once when I was young, Mika pledged a mock oath of knighthood to me here. He already pledged the extension of that oath from back then in the throne room, but I wonder if Mika still remembers it.

It’s been a long time since we’ve been in a place like this together, and it brings back old memories.

When he was young, Mika looked very mature. His jade eyes always had a calm color in them and didn’t sparkle as they do now. Even though he was being raised by Count Chardin, Mika didn’t smile as much as he does now, and I used to smile more than he did.

As I wondered why Mika didn’t smile much back then, he told me a similar thing again.

“I’ve always liked your smiling face, Nagi.”

I could tell from his expression that he was saying it out of nostalgia for the old days, but it sounded like a confession, and my heart skipped a beat.

But now that he mentions it, that’s right. At that time, I still didn’t really understand the difference between my brother and myself. I didn’t understand my position and the things that I shouldn’t do. I think I simply enjoyed growing up under the watchful eye of a kind queen and with a kind older brother.

But as I grew older, I gradually realized that I was nothing more than an accessory to my older brother. That I was being measured by what I could do for him, that I was worthless, and I began to realize things that I didn’t want to know.

Even now, I still don’t understand the situation properly, and I can’t even come up with a good idea about the refugees. I was about to let out a sigh when my cheeks were squeezed. Mika squeezed my face with his big hands, then he said,

“Smile more. Why are you always making such a face lately?”

“Because… I feel like there’s not much that I can do.”

“I don’t really get it, but it’s only been a few weeks since you started trying to change, right? ….alright.”

“Whoa, what?! Hey! Wait.”

I didn’t know what he came up with, but Mika suddenly stuck his hands into my sides from behind and tickled me. “I heard that you can feel better if you laugh,” he said something that didn’t make sense to me, but his hands didn’t stop moving.

I tried to escape somehow, but I couldn’t escape Mika’s strong hands, so I turned around to him.

“Pff- ahaha. Stop it, you idiot. Don’t do silly things like this, hey, haha stop-”

“…….”

“…..Mika. Hey, Mika.”

After I was laughing for a while, Mika’s hand suddenly stopped, and I tilted my head from confusion.

In front of me, Mika was staring at me intently, and just like that he said,

“So cute.”

“…What are you saying?”

“What did you eat that made you grow up to be so cute?”

I remembered that just the other day, in Parthenios, I had been called “cute” a lot by beautiful women. I was upset that people still thought so, even though I was already an adult prince. But what did I eat, he said…? I thought about it and told him what I often eat, although I still don’t really understand what he meant.

“Eggs?”

“…Eggs, huh.”

Mika nodded while saying, “I see,” and buried his chin on my shoulder.

Before I know it, my body is settled between Mika’s legs. My body temperature rises instantly as I finally realize this.

How did we get into this position in such a small place, I wonder. Moreover, this is a hideout. I suddenly felt ashamed that I had gotten so excited in such a place, just like a child.

Mika’s breath hit my neck. He also rubbed his nose against my neck. Is this a habit of his? As I thought of that, I feel afraid of this overly close distance between us. However, Mika asked me a question as if to catch up with me.

“Hey… Do you remember that we kissed?”

“Huh?! Th-that was just because we accidentally bumped into each other. Don’t say it in a weird way!”

“So you remembered. You have a good memory after all.”

Mika was talking about the time we played the mock knight’s oath, which I also remembered earlier. A potted rare magical plant that I had brought here suddenly bloomed, and I was so startled that I stepped on the cloth that I was using as a cloak and fell. And then, we bumped each other on the mouth, and that was it.

(We bumped our teeth and it was just painful…)

It wasn’t a good memory or anything.

But for some reason, it feels like the Mika who is here is just my childhood friend, and not Mika the knight. I stroked his red hair that was on my shoulder. Mika gently closed his eyes. His beautiful reddish-brown lashes are downcast, reminding me of the naps we used to take here in the past.

Mika said with his eyes still closed,

“You should be a little more guarded with me.”

“For what? What is it about you I need to be wary of?”

“…..Yeah, but still.”

I’m not sure what he was saying, but he sounded dissatisfied.

I had chosen my knight by myself, but after the inspection of the Lambert territory, I was truly relieved to have Mika by my side in my daily life. So why should I doubt him? If Mika had betrayed me, I’m sure that I would not be able to recover.

But perhaps he still wasn’t satisfied, Mika continued.

“You never know. I might be thinking of something bad.”

“I’ll know. You’re my knight, after all.”

“……Yeah, but still.”

I’m still not quite sure why he wants me to be so wary of him.

I blinked my eyes and Mika hugged me from behind. I put my hand on his arms that were around the front of my neck, and wondered what kind of situation this is. I don’t understand, but since he wants me to be cautious, this must be a ‘bad thing’ for him.

That means—

“…You’re imitating a ruffian?”

“Mhm. I’m imitating a ruffian.”

Mika’s breath is on my neck. I don’t know why he suddenly started imitating a ruffian, but his hair that was poking out as usual touched me and tickled me. However, if he was a ruffian, I thought that I had to fight him off. Then as I twisted around my body, I heard a sigh.

Mika’s head, which was resting on my shoulder, became heavy.

“Sigh…….”

“You’re quite the gloomy ruffian.”

“Whatever.”

I don’t know why, but he seemed to be in a bad mood. If that’s true, I couldn’t make sense of this even more.

As I was wrapped in Mika’s warm arms, I couldn’t help but feel calm and at ease.

I don’t want to think that it was because he tickled me earlier. Even when it comes to myself, I’d like to think that I’m not so simple-minded.

I think I need to go back to my office and rethink how to deal with the refugees.

Tomorrow, I will be going to the Ackerson Territory and Taurus Mine with Tillois, which I never thought I would be doing.

This time, I won’t be in a dragon carriage, but in a horse carriage.

When I told Brother Seth that I was going to the Ackerson Territory, for just a moment, I could feel the tension in the air coming from him. Even my brother would not expect me to follow Brother Vincent now. But that momentary reaction made me feel the “political pawn” position that Mika had told me I had before, and that was part of the reason I was so daunted.

I leaned my head against Mika’s head. He was the kind of guy who wouldn’t think twice about being leaned on by a beautiful woman. I’m sure he’ll be fine if I put a little weight on him.

(I want to stay like this for a little longer…)

I closed my eyes, thinking that I will do my best again tomorrow.

Right from next to me, I heard Mika’s dissatisfied voice again.

“You should be more guarded with me.”

“Like I said, for what?”