Ahhhhhh. See, you’re saying nothing and now Klifford’s giving you a dubious stare!
Oh…oh dear… I recoiled without meaning to.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Now Klifford’s stare has increased in dubiousness! It’s definitely increased!
What happened, Octavia? You were perfectly fine a second ago!
Um… Actually…the better question would be, how have I acted normal around him all this time?
I desperately racked my brain.
“……Your Highness?”
Great. Now he’s called out to me.
Easy, Klifford! Slow down, old boy!
My brain is buffering!
From the moment I woke this morning, my mind had been consumed with Hugh. I didn’t have time to give it a second thought when I saw Klifford.
But, for now, it’s safe to say we’ve avoided the worst-case scenario.
With my shoulders now slightly less tense, I looked at Klifford again and the two of us gazed into each other’s eyes—alone for the first time.
…And that was why the psychological stuff I’d put off had burst to the surface again. I just know it!
Yesterday, I had displayed incredibly shameful behavior in front of Klifford.
I made him indulge me (selfishly?)…and after I had him pat my head I had the audacity to pat his head in return!
It’s really hard facing that memory while sober…!
And meanwhile, I got a happy flutter in my heart at the sight of my wreven feather tassel on his sword hilt…because I realized he didn’t put it on just that one time to be polite.
So, in a word, I feel like I’m coming face to face with my dark history! And it’s embarrassing!
I had screamed and rolled around in bed for quite some time over it, but it wasn’t nearly enough to console me!
Even though I shouldn’t be afraid of him, I took another step backward…then another.
“Your Highness—the way you’re walking…”
Huh?
“……!”
Oh. Shit.
During all that edging backward, I forgot I was wearing extra-high heels.
My foot—
Just when the words I’m gonna fall reached my brain…
I felt my body float, without falling backward.
No, wait, I think I only pitched a couple inches forward?
Klifford held my hand in his right and my waist with his left to stop me from falling.
“Do be careful, Your Highness.”
His indigo eyes were filled with concern.
Urrrrgh. I deserved that.
Klifford, like a proper bodyguard, had moved to catch me. Meanwhile, I’m here like…
Imagine nearly falling backward trying to avoid a guy, only to be rescued by aforementioned guy!
“Thank you.”
Sorry, my bad. Sorry I’m a terrible Sovereign.
Arrrgh. But what was this—a lucky mistake? Exposure therapy? Now that I’m too close to Klifford to escape him (and supported in his arms, for that matter), I’m finally getting used to—NOPE!
“I’m all right now. You may release me. I merely lost my footing a little as I am unaccustomed to wearing these shoes.”
If you asked the conventional wisdom of Esfian high society, they would say it’s my own damn fault for wearing flats all the time!
Still way too close for comfort, Klifford looked down at my foot, then back up at me.
“I noticed you favoring one leg earlier when we were walking.”
“……Was I really?”
Yeah, that’s because I have a blister…
“Yes. It was subtle.” Klifford nodded firmly.
I get the sense he isn’t gonna let me pretend it didn’t happen…!
“Have you twisted your ankle? My apologies for not noticing sooner.”
Uh, actually, Klifford, you noticed it incredibly soon! Don’t you dare apologize with such deep regret in your tone, okay? Okay?!
I’m seeing a vision…of a giant dog sulking with its ears drooping!
“It’s just a blister.”
“But if you continue walking, it will grow worse.”
Grr. A sound argument. B-but hear me out! In the glamorous royal and junior balls, noblewomen dance and chat with high-heeled shoes and big smiles on their faces as they push through the pain. That’s just the way it is!
“We should probably examine the state of your wound as soon as possible.”
“…Don’t call it a wound. It’s not that bad.”
“……”
Looks like Klifford ignored my assertion. Grrrr!
I could just steamroll him, but… I glanced around us. That’s right. The Great Corridor is lined with chairs. The castle has a fair amount of chairs stationed everywhere, in fact, from hallways to personal rooms. Castles are big and people need to rest.
“Very well—you may assess the state of my foot over there.”
I pointed to a chair that blended in with the décor of the Great Corridor flawlessly.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Klifford nodded. “I shall carry you there.” Then he picked me up like it meant nothing.
“Hmm?!”
As my eyes rolled into the back of my head, Klifford began to walk.
W-wait! Hold up, good sir!
I cast him an admonishing glare. And the recipient looked oblivious to what had warranted it.
“I can walk on my own.”
“As I mentioned earlier, Your Highness, if you walk, you may worsen your injury. Moreover, you needn’t force yourself to walk under these circumstances. Please, make use of me.”
With a glance down at my bandaged hand, Klifford continued, “It already vexes me—how long your wounds take to heal.”
“I don’t think it’s taking longer than average…”
Regarding my left hand, that was only because the wound had opened again…
But—
I understood what Klifford was trying to say. It was the same thing my father had scolded me about earlier.
As a princess, I could not take my health or injuries lightly. Moreover, the reason I couldn’t get away with insisting I was okay was because this was Klifford.
And I am in the midst of giving Klifford the incredibly reckless command of “Don’t let yourself get hurt!” He’s a bodyguard—a profession that already comes with an abnormally high level of personal risk—and yet Klifford was keeping his end of the promise. He walked the walk.
When I tried to brush that all aside by saying, “A little blister is no biggie, totally fine,” who exactly was in the wrong? Me! Clearly me! …I’m all talk and no walk…
I relaxed my muscles and wrapped my arms around Klifford’s neck. “Klifford, carry me to that chair over there.”
“As you wish.”
Is it just me, or was that a smug smile on Klifford’s face just now?
After he sat me down on a chair, Klifford knelt opposite me. My right foot felt perfectly fine. It was my left foot that was getting a blister.
Klifford carefully removed my left shoe.
……I never thought anything of it when I took off my own shoes. Why did I feel so self-conscious having somebody else do it?
“……”
My blister was really just a slight peeling of the skin between my heel and the ball of my foot by my big toe, but when Klifford saw it, he frowned.
My impulse to run away from Klifford because of what had happened the day before may have been subdued, but now his silence was unbearable, so I said, “See…? It’s nothing serious.”
Klifford looked up at me.
Urk. He’s practically emotionless, but is he giving off vibes reminiscent of that time he said, “I’m terribly furious” back in the Sky Chamber? I mean, I know I was at fault back then, but this time, it was an inevitable happenstance! And the degree of injury is way different, too!