Chapter 4

After the meeting with my father and Duke Grantz, I found myself walking through the corridors of the royal palace with Euphie by my side. In the end, everyone had decided it would be best for her to stay with me for a while. There was a spare room in the villa that served as my residence, and so Euphie would stay with me there. As for the villa I called my home, it was officially known as a detached palace, but my father had originally built it to isolate me. That being said, it was designed to be a palace, and there were plenty of rooms for people to live in. It would be used as a regular secondary palace after I was gone, in all likelihood. But that also meant it wasn’t difficult to prepare a room for one guest, and it was decided that Euphie’s necessities and belongings would be brought after we had a chance to officially visit Duke Magenta. Though we were walking side by side, Euphie said nothing as we made our way down the corridor. She remained one step behind me, leaving me feeling somewhat uncomfortable. “Hey, Euphie. You’ll be staying with me at my villa starting today, but is there anything you want to know?” “No, not really. If there are any rules, I’m happy to follow them…” “There are no rules, really. Only my personal maid and I live here. We’re free to do whatever we want, more or less.” “Ah…” Hmm. That was a somewhat indifferent response. Was she nervous? Or maybe she had always been a woman of few words? Seeing as she had been my brother’s fiancée, I had of course noticed her from a distance, and we had exchanged brief greetings on a few occasions, but this was my first time properly speaking to her. Plus, what with how unreceptive she was acting, I wasn’t quite sure what to say next. I knew I shouldn’t be acting so cheerful after her traumatic end to her engagement. But I couldn’t afford to leave her, either. Which meant we would have to do this the hard way! “All right! Let’s go to the detached palace! At times like this, you need a change of pace!” “Huh?” Though she seemed taken aback, I quickly embraced her in a hug, swept her up into my arms, and took off as fast as I could run. “H-huh?! Lady Anis?! Why are you carrying me?! P-please put me down!” “It’s fine! Come on! You know what they say, right? Good deeds should be done quickly!” “I—I can walk by myself! A-and besides, what if people…?!” Don’t worry about that! I ignored her protests, dashing through the corridors of the royal palace. She tried to resist at first but quickly grabbed ahold of my clothes while I was running. “H-how can you run through the corridors carrying someone in your arms…?! This truly is most unheard of!” “Ha-ha-ha! You should have told me earlier!” We sped past knights and maidservants in the employ of the royal palace, but they merely smiled back at me and pretended not to have seen us. It was always like this! Euphie was blushing slightly, curling up in my arms as though to shield her face. That made her easier to carry, so I said nothing. I sped onward as though to shake off the stares falling on me. Finally, we arrived at my villa on the outskirts of the palace grounds, and I set Euphie down once we reached the entrance. The second she was free, she hurried to distance herself from me. “This is my home, Euphie.” “…I’m aware of that.” She nodded, letting out a sigh. I watched her reaction as I reached for the door, only for it to swing open before I could even touch the handle. The person on the other side was a woman in a maidservant’s uniform. Her reddish-brown hair was tied up in a bun, her blue eyes concealing all emotion. “I’m back! Ilia?” “Welcome home, Princess,” Ilia said softly after giving me a small bow. Ilia had been my exclusive maid for many years now, and the lack of warmth was business as usual for her. “Your Highness. May I ask you a question?” she asked. “What is it, Ilia?” “Why is Prince Algard’s fiancée, Lady Euphyllia, with you?” “Because she’s staying with us for the foreseeable future!” “I see. I must admit I don’t quite follow, but shall I prepare a room for her?” Ilia murmured, relaxing her shoulders. Euphie observed our conversation as if it were some strange spectacle. I wanted to tell her that this was just how Ilia always was. “Hmm. It’s late, so how about you stay in my room tonight? Euphie?” “…Huh? L-Lady Anis?!” “No, no! I don’t mean in an improper way!” “But it is still improper…!” “Ilia! Could you make us some tea?” I called out. “Very well,” Ilia responded, showing us to the next room. Euphie looked like she still wanted to say something, but she followed my lead and entered. We made our way straight to the sitting room, which was set aside to welcome guests, and sat down to wait for the pot of tea. “Please take a seat, Lady Euphyllia,” Ilia prompted. “…Thank you.” Euphie sat herself down on one of the sofas, a magnificent piece of furniture characteristic of the royal palace. I took a seat across from her while Ilia began to prepare the tea.