“Thank you very much. You really are a marvel, Lady Claes. It looks like there’s nothing wrong with my master’s taste.”
“No, no, not at all... Hmm? Your master’s taste?”
“You needn’t worry about that part. More to the point, thanks to your conversation with Prince Cezar, I got to see him smile for the first time in a while. Lately he’s been so tense that he seems to spend all his time frowning, so I’ve been worried about him. Thank you very much.”
“Oh, I see. He said himself that he really had felt quite stressed. Cezar seems to be quite a hard worker,” I said, nodding intently.
Janne looked shocked.
“That’s right. Though he might not act like it, Cezar is an extremely hard worker. I sensed this when you told him that he ought to rest more, but you can see Prince Cezar for who he truly is. Don’t you, Lady Claes?”
This was such an exaggeration that I felt flustered again.
“No, no, you exaggerate—I don’t see anything of the sort. I just somehow thought that might be the case.”
“However you came to realize it, I think that’s amazing,” said Janne. After a wry chuckle, he continued, “Not only that, but thanks to you, Lady Claes, it looks like Prince Cezar might finally take a break. Really, thank you so much.” He seemed so very grateful that I couldn’t help but ask a follow-up question.
“Don’t tell me, will this be the first break he’s had since he got here?”
“Indeed. He has been unable to take even a single day off since coming here, instead filling every day with study trips, so tomorrow will be his first day off. In fact, if you hadn’t arrived during our break earlier, he would have gone on to his next workplace visit after a much shorter interval. Just as you said, Lady Claes, if he pushes himself much further he really might collapse,” said Janne, looking troubled.
So Janne was worried about Cezar pushing himself so hard too. Although, if he was working this hard during his trip...
“Pardon me, but is he like this back in Ethenell as well?” I asked.
Janne smiled wryly and confirmed my suspicions.
“Yes, that is exactly the case. He never rests, and is always dashing here and there with too much work on his hands. His Majesty was also concerned, and has told him to rest before, but that only resulted in Cezar working in secret. At the end of his tether, His Majesty suggested that if Cezar left Ethenell, he might be a little more likely to rest, which is why we ended up here on this study trip.”
I didn’t realize he was that much of a workaholic! I could tell he was a hard worker, but I didn’t think he would go that far.
“We thought that, since he can’t continue his regular work in Sorcié, coming here might prompt him to take at least some time off, but instead he’s been obsessed with learning about how people work in Sorcié. Of course it is important for him to learn these things, so we can take those lessons back to our own kingdom, but the king himself said that his greatest wish was for Cezar to get some rest...” Janne recounted the tale with a melancholy expression.
“So you invited me to join you so Prince Cezar would take more time off.”
“That’s right. In the hopes of getting Prince Cezar to take even a little time off, I forced you to fit in with our plans. Lady Claes, please accept my apology.”
“Not at all. Just as I said before, it isn’t a problem.” I’m looking forward to it, after all. More to the point... “Prince Cezar is really quite dear to you, isn’t he, Janne?” I said.
Janne looked startled. Perhaps he wondered what I was trying to say, so I quickly elaborated.
“The whole time, you acted while thinking of Prince Cezar. When you approached me to join you for tea, then asked me to be your guide, you knew full well that, if I took you to be disrespectful, in the worst case you might face some kind of penalty. But you had Prince Cezar’s best interests at heart all along, didn’t you?”
The truth was probably that he felt he could participate in our conversation—despite being a servant—simply because he and Cezar were so close. But when he went on to request my help in guiding them around town, I realized that he was watching very closely to see my reaction. At the time, I had wondered why, but now I realized that he was watching to make sure that he didn’t anger or offend me.
My maids and other servants knew me well, but this was more or less Janne’s first time meeting me. Those who took more pride in being members of the nobility might have taken Janne’s attitude to be disrespectful, and would have seen to it that he was punished. The fact that he had continued to work for Cezar’s interests despite knowing those risks told me that Cezar was very dear to him indeed.
Janne blinked in surprise.
“So you were aware of that. I must beg your pardon for my impertinence.” He then bowed again.
“No, no, I don’t worry about that kind of thing, so please don’t feel the need to bow. I just thought it was lovely to see that Cezar is so dear to you,” I said.
What I saw next from Janne wasn’t any of the expressions I’d seen him make before, but a truly natural, gentle smile. Perhaps this was Janne’s true face.
“Lady Claes, you are truly a wonderful person. To think you would squander such kind words on me, after I was so rude to you... I really hope you will choose him.”
“Huh?”
“N-Nothing, please don’t concern yourself. Pardon me. It’s just as you say, Lady Claes. Even ignoring the fact that Prince Cezar is my lord and master, he is someone very dear to me.” With a peaceful expression, as if he had just recalled a pleasant memory, he started recounting his past. “When my mother first brought me to the palace, I found the young Prince Cezar there, standing around as if he had nothing to do. The moment I saw him, I felt very strongly that I had to protect him. He soon became very attached to me, always following me around. I thought that was cute. In the first place, since I was the youngest child in my family, with many older brothers, I had only ever experienced being looked after. So though it may sound disrespectful, I really came to think of Prince Cezar like a younger brother. When he said he was leaving the inner palace, I immediately decided to go with him. I’ve always been close by, watching over him. I’ve seen him suffer many hardships and much anguish. So now I wish very strongly for him to find happiness.” Having said all this, Janne had a kind yet bittersweet look in his eyes. Perhaps he worried that, no matter how hard he wished, that wish wouldn’t necessarily come true.