But once I entered the academy, and learned more about her true character, I understood very well why the romanceable characters would all end up being drawn to her. As the protagonist, Maria was not just a pretty face. She was kind, and also possessed great strength. She was truly a remarkable woman. So these days I was immensely pleased that I hadn’t been defeated by the fate that came with my role in the game, and had instead managed to become friends with Maria.
As I was ruminating on these thoughts, Cezar muttered something under his breath, like maybe “Humph. I guess I really have a lot of rivals,” but his voice was a little quiet, so I didn’t quite catch everything he said.
Oh? Does that mean Cezar actually likes Maria?
“Excuse me, Cezar, but are you...” I began, thinking of asking whether he was attracted to Maria, but something in the air told me that, if I asked him so directly, I couldn’t expect an answer. So instead I tried to sugarcoat it a little. “Cezar, could it be that you have someone special on your mind?”
“Do I? Who can say?” said Cezar suggestively, a big grin on his face. Something about his expression and tone had a very grown-up sex appeal. While I was still reeling from that, he spoke again. “Now, I bet your carriage will be here any minute. Bye for now.” Then, after patting me on the head, he encouraged me to go home.
“Ah! Yes, bye then.”
Swept up in the moment, I did as I was told, saying goodbye and walking away. After just a few steps, I looked back, but Cezar—walking briskly—was already far away. As I watched him stride away, I thought to myself, I guess the romanceable characters really are super sexy.
After that, I went back to the office, gathered my things and headed to the gates, where my carriage was already waiting for me. Sora was working outside the office again that day. Since he wasn’t around, I trotted to my carriage by myself. On my way, I spotted someone who I’d just parted ways with.
“Why, Janne, didn’t you just go back to the palace? And where’s Prince Cezar?”
I found Cezar’s servant, Janne, standing there all by himself.
“Prince Cezar said there was another place he wanted to observe, and went there. I waited here in the hopes of expressing my thanks to you, Lady Claes,” said Janne, before bowing his head respectfully.
“Thank me?”
What on earth did I do to deserve thanks?
“Indeed. I would like to sincerely thank you for being Prince Cezar’s guide yesterday. He seemed delighted when he returned, and it was all thanks to you, Lady Claes.”
Ah, so he just wanted to thank me for being Cezar’s guide.
“No, no, I had fun as well, so there’s no need to thank me. Though I’m very glad to hear that Prince Cezar seemed to enjoy himself.”
“Indeed. Though the man himself would surely deny it if I said so in front of him, I could see his joy and contentment oozing from every pore on his body,” said Janne with a snicker.
“He was that happy? I feel honored.” I never would have imagined that he enjoyed our time together so much. But I felt like I could believe whatever Janne said.
At that moment, I suddenly recalled something Cezar had uttered the previous day with a pained expression. Usually, I would hesitate to ask questions about someone who wasn’t present, but I had the sneaking suspicion that Cezar was shouldering this burden all by himself. Considering how close these two were, I felt like it would be okay to talk about this with Janne. That’s what I thought.
So I told Janne what Cezar had said the previous day when presented with a baby at the orphanage: that he felt like not only his hands, but his entire being was stained with blood, so he shouldn’t touch anything so pure. I told him how Cezar’s expression had been like that of a different person as he said it, and that it looked like he was suffering.
“So, you see, I started to worry about Prince Cezar,” I said as I finished recounting this event.
Janne furrowed his brow, and was silent. After a spell, he looked at me with a serious expression and opened his mouth.
“Lady Claes, could I briefly share a story from my past with you?”
I nodded firmly.
“As long as I’ve known him, Prince Cezar has always been earnest and kindhearted. When others hurt him, he would always grin and bear it; it clearly always pained him to do anything that hurt others,” Janne began, before launching into a tale from Cezar’s days as a young boy.
Cezar was very fond of his brother, the king, and was always saying, “When I grow up, I want to be useful to my elder brother.” However, after learning about academics and manners, and leaving the manor owned by his brother, who always protected him, he encountered many people who spoke ill of the fact that his brother had ever taken him in. Even the faction that supported his brother, who should have been Cezar’s allies as well, complained that he would only drag the king down.
Earnest as he was, Cezar took all of this to heart, and started to distance himself from his beloved brother for his brother’s own sake. Once he reached adulthood, he decided it would be better for the king in the coming years if he wasn’t around. He left the kingdom, becoming a mercenary who vowed to bury anyone who opposed the king.
Cezar, who had been such a kind boy that he hesitated even to kill bugs, was plainly wounded deeply by working as a mercenary. But he never acknowledged this fact, always repeating the words, “I’m fine. No need to worry,” as Janne saw his expression grow darker day by day. Janne said that Cezar eventually even started to convince himself that there was nothing to worry about.