“There’s no need to be so harsh on someone who nearly died.”
Roselia’s hair and shirt were drenched, her cheeks flushed a deep red as she struggled to hold back the tears welling up. Her wet green eyes, sparkling under the sunlight, were striking. Furthermore, along with her damp scent, the familiar fragrance that always plagued him wafted toward him.
As if time had stood still, Klaus remained frozen, his gaze drifting toward the bandage visible through Roselia’s wet shirt.
“Are you… not fully healed yet?”
The moment Roselia lifted her head, puzzled by the softened tone in Klaus’s voice, a familiar cry rang out.
“Antonio!!!”
Closette, having docked the boat at the water’s edge, was running toward them at full speed. Only then did Klaus come to his senses; he released his grip on Roselia’s shoulders and stood up.
By then, Closette had reached them, already sobbing as she made a frantic scene.
“Antonio! Are you alright? Can you breathe properly? Can you see me clearly? Are you able to move? No, don’t move! I’ll go call a doctor!”
At Closette’s overreaction, Roselia finally stifled her tears and offered an awkward smile. If she let them fall, Closette would likely become terrified and break down into a full-blown wail, so the tears retreated as quickly as they had come.
“I’m fine, Young Lady.”
“‘Fine,’ he says! Do you have any idea how scared I was? I could’ve thrown away ten or a hundred hats like that! Never do that again!”
Seeing Closette with her eyes brimming, a sense of reality began to return to her. Perhaps she felt a little relieved because someone else was crying on her behalf.
With that thought, Roselia’s mind turned back to Klaus. He had been looking at her with a strange expression—almost as if he were seeing a creature he had never encountered before.
As she looked toward him, he had already turned his back. The realization that she had been bawling like a baby in front of her savior—an adult man, at that—brought a wave of shame.
Regardless, he was her lifesaver, so Roselia swallowed her pride and offered her thanks.
“Thank you for saving me, Duke…”
“……”
Why was he silent? Was he disgusted by the sight of someone he’d just rescued blubbering like a child? While Roselia worried, Klaus, still turned away, left one final remark.
“Be more careful next time…”
Roselia stood there blankly, watching his figure vanish as suddenly as it had appeared. Beside her, Closette narrowed her eyes, grumbling about her own brother: “How can he be so cold to someone who almost died?” and “He must be a man without blood or tears.”
* * *
Invited to a dinner banquet by the Crown Princess, Closette and Roselia sat at a table so long and wide it felt empty, chatting as they waited for the meal.
“So, do you have any idea how my heart stopped? Goodness! Who jumps into a lake just to retrieve a hat? Oh! I’m talking about Antonio, of course.”
“Young Lady, I didn’t jump in; I fell in. Or so my brother says.”
When Roselia quietly countered, Closette merely shrugged. The Crown Princess, watching the incessantly chattering Closette with an affectionate smile, looked toward Roselia.
“Antonio must have had a hard time. Is your brother alright?”
Roselia shot a subtle glare at Closette in this difficult situation and answered awkwardly.
“Yes, he is perfectly fine, with no major injuries.”
“That is such a relief. Your brother, my lady, is truly delicate, responsible, and full of courage.”
The Crown Princess’s praise for Antonio was so effusive that Closette and Roselia were left blinking in bewilderment. Noticing their reaction, the Crown Princess gave a sheepish laugh and changed the subject.
“Still, it is very fortunate that Duke Baltezar happened to be passing by.”
At the Crown Princess’s words, Closette huffed.
“Hmph! That man just fished us out like he was grabbing a rabbit from the water and then took off without a word.”
At Closette’s adorable reaction, the Crown Princess smiled faintly.
“Speaking of rabbits, do you remember when the Duke caught a wild rabbit for you when you were young?”
“I certainly do! He brought that poor, cute thing by its ears, dangling it! He told me he was going to skin it to make me a muff—do you know how terrified I was!”
It was so fascinating that Klaus had done such things for Closette that Roselia found herself drawn into their conversation.
“I remember you crying your eyes out back then. Though it has already been eight years.”
Listening with interest, Roselia cautiously chimed in.
“Eight years ago… would that be when the Crown Princess was the same age as the Young Lady?”
“That’s right. Back then, the Young Lady was as small and cute as a doll. Perhaps that’s why Klaus couldn’t treat her roughly, fearing she might break.”
Closette huffed with a look of disbelief.
“As if that man would ever do that. Come to think of it, the Crown Prince was often with us back then, wasn’t he? I still can’t forget the sight of the two of you playing the piano and violin in harmony.”
Unlike Closette, who was lost in a hazy, nostalgic reverie, the Crown Princess’s expression stiffened. Roselia quickly noticed the shift. The original novel had stated that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had known each other since childhood, but it had never been described as being this intimate.
That was when the dining hall door swung open, and the Crown Prince entered.
“My, have I interrupted a pleasant time?”
They say if you speak of the devil, he shall appear. At the sudden arrival, the Crown Princess’s expression became visibly rigid.
“I thought I might join the Crown Princess for dinner tonight…”
It seemed they did not usually dine together, as the Crown Princess’s face was filled with tension. It wasn’t just the Crown Princess who felt uncomfortable at the declaration.
The aide who had followed the Crown Prince inside said nervously, looking troubled.
“Um… Duke Baltezar is waiting to receive approval for the school construction project…”
Ignoring the aide’s troubled voice, the Crown Prince took a seat opposite the Crown Princess and rested his arms on the table with a relaxed air.
“Tell him to come in; I’ll give him the approval right here.”
The aide vanished out of the dining hall with a pained bow. Not long after, Klaus entered, holding the documents. Having been briefed, his expression was frozen in clear displeasure.
The Crown Prince looked at him with an air of leisure, snatched the documents from Klaus’s hand, and began signing them right on the dinner table.
“To think you actually got the Nobility Council to approve this. Those old foxes must have been in a good mood.”
“……”
Klaus’s expression, as he had his documents approved in a dining hall, stiffened with humiliation. Roselia felt as if she were sitting on thorns. Why on earth were these men acting like this? The Crown Prince finished signing and tossed the documents back.
Klaus, maintaining his dignity and paying his respects until the very end, turned to leave.
Or rather, he tried to leave—if the Crown Princess hadn’t called out to stop him.
“Since things have turned out this way, why don’t you join us for dinner, Duke Baltezar?”
At the sudden suggestion, everyone’s eyes turned toward her in shock. As Roselia screamed ‘No!’ inside her head, the Crown Prince, his face twisted in displeasure, muttered with a sneer.
“What kind of combination is this?”
Looking at the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, Klaus, and Closette, who were now gathered around the wide table, Roselia let out a deep sigh. Klaus’s expression—having come to get documents signed and ending up in a dinner party by accident—was stiff as a board.
As the silence was broken only by the clatter of cutlery, the Crown Princess spoke.
“Duke, I hear you are pushing for the construction of a school in Algrisha village.”
To the question, Klaus bowed his head slightly.
“It is not a matter significant enough to trouble the Crown Princess.”
“That cannot be true. I was already worried because the Capital Academy is reaching capacity; an academy for the middle and lower classes is a wonderful idea.”
At the praise, the Crown Prince finally cut in.
“Duke Baltezar wouldn’t go to all this trouble just to do a good deed. What is the Duke gaining in exchange for building this school?”
At the direct question, both the Crown Princess and Klaus stiffened. Klaus bowed politely and spoke first.
“You have a sharp eye. I do not intervene in matters that do not yield a profit.”
One of the Crown Prince’s eyebrows arched upward. He had meant to mock him, but it seemed he was instead annoyed by the blunt, unwavering response.
“I heard you even bribed the opposing nobles. Is it really worth that much expense?”
Despite the crude question, Klaus remained calm. Roselia and Closette, watching from the side, felt as if they were sitting on needles.
“In the Laphelios Empire, there are schools in every major territory, with the capital as the center.”
At Klaus’s sudden shift to a conversation about a foreign country, the Crown Prince furrowed his brows, daring him to go on.
Klaus did not hesitate.
“Unlike in Rugvelzet, where education is perceived as a privilege only for the nobility, Laphelios is a place where education is the foundation for everyone—nobles, merchants, and commoners alike.”
“Are you trying to say that the education in Rugvelzet is wrong?”