Everyone in the room sighed at once. We never figured out what to do in the end.
“Your Highness.” Lord Simeon was the one to break the brief silence. “I’ve already gone along with many of Princess Mira’s wishes. Isn’t this enough?”
“It is, I know. I’d like to refuse her at this point as well. But the way we turn her down is what’s important.”
“I could be taken off security for health reasons and then work outside of the public eye.”
“She’s just seen you healthy. Do you really think an excuse like that would work?”
“We could say that I got cold feet after seeing my wife’s face—that all of my stress hit me at once after my beloved appeared. We could show off our relationship, just as you’d planned.”
“Those words are so strange coming from your mouth that it’s giving me goose bumps. You can’t just become a different person.”
A voice full of amusement cut in. “That sounds like a good plan to me. I’m sure it would be effective.”
Lord Nigel was peering in from the other side of the doorway.
“Lord Nigel.” Lord Simeon bowed.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. I called out to Her Highness Mira to try and distract her, but she didn’t take to me, as she’d heard of my reputation in Easdale. She wouldn’t even give me the time of day.” He laughed nonchalantly as he strode into the room. It was written on everyone’s faces that his explanation made perfect sense. “With that in mind, your only option is to distance yourself from her. Why don’t we go with the Vice Captain’s idea?”
“Hrngh...” Prince Severin pondered it for a while, then nodded in agreement. “As obvious an excuse as it is, it’s the least risky path. Even the princess couldn’t force us to bring Simeon out if we told her he was sick.”
But what if she requests to visit him? As I began to brainstorm the princess’s potential responses, I noticed that Duke Silvestre was gesturing at me. Yes? What is it?
“We’ll let His Majesty and Poisson know as well,” continued His Highness. “We have to make sure the story is kept straight.”
Behind me? What’s behind me?
Lord Nigel laughed again. “And we’ll have to brief all of the staff as well! We can’t let them spill that their Vice Captain couldn’t possibly be sick.”
Prince Severin scowled. “Don’t bother telling them.”
“I’ll be sure to relay the message to those applicable immediately.”
I wasn’t sure how to cut in. “Um...”
“Good.” His Highness wasn’t listening. “You all may leave, then. Simeon, you may as well just go home for the night. It would be more convincing if you went home with Marielle anyway.”
“Um, Your Highness?”
“You go home too, Marielle. I’ll let your in-laws know, so take Simeon and...”
“B-Before that, please look over there...”
I stopped Prince Severin from briskly ordering me around and pointed at the door. All of the men in the room turned to see what was there, and the whole room tensed up.
“Hee hee. There you are, Lieutenant.”
A lovely woman clad in a blue dress was cutely peeking through the door. Like a fairy, she entered this waiting room with light steps, her eyes on Lord Simeon.
“For you to leave the person you’re supposed to be guarding—isn’t that slacking off from work? I’d like you to promptly protect me without hesitation, wherever we may be.”
Lord Simeon opened his mouth to say something in response, but Prince Severin jabbed an elbow into his side. “Simeon! Are you that sick?! I’m so sorry—I piled way too much work onto you!”
“Huh?” Lord Simeon could only croak out a noise of confusion.
“Are you all right? If you can’t stand, then lie down on that sofa there. I’ll call a doctor for you right away.”
His Highness shoved my husband aside while speaking in a loud voice. Apparently only just then remembering his own plan, Lord Simeon hobbled over to the sofa and collapsed onto it.
“Ah... M-My back is at its limit. It hurts. It hurts so much...”
“Huh? Your back? It was your back? Ah, of course, it’s only natural for your back to be thrown out! Indeed!”
“Yes sir... I must have pushed myself too hard. My apologies for showing you such a pathetic side of me.”
“Hmm. This won’t do. You there! Call for a doctor!”
U-Um...
I was so unsure of how to react that I couldn’t move. Lord Simeon, I thought you were better at lying than this! Is it because His Highness was so sudden about it? Or are you just bad at acting sick?
Prince Severin patted Lord Simeon’s back, flicking his eyes to me at the same time. Having no other choice, I ran over to them. “Please pull yourself together, my husband! Back pains call for stretches! Your only option is to move to release the pain!”
His Highness swatted my head. “That’s only for when your shoulders are stiff from desk work! Don’t force a sick patient to move!”
“Ah, you’re right! Er, then perhaps breathing exercises?”
“Yes! Inhale, exh— That’s not the problem here!”
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen him sick, so I have nooo idea what I should do! Waaah! Don’t diiie!”
Lord Nigel was glued to the wall, and Duke Silvestre had his hand pressed to his mouth, his eyes firmly on the floor. Those two were trembling with repressed laughter, while Princess Mira watched the chaotic scene of us putting on this ridiculous act curiously.
✦ ✦ ✦
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hmm? Are you all rehearsing for a play?” Her head was tilted cutely.
Right... There’s no way we could fool her with something like this.
The princess continued to giggle as she made her way over. Lord Simeon had sat up, so she began to tug at his arm.
“I’m sure you’re having fun, but I’d like to dance to another song. Please accompany me, Lieutenant.”
Lord Simeon gritted his teeth. “Please wait, Your Highness. My job is to guard the venue. I have to watch for my underlings’ reports, so please ask another attendee to dance.”
“It’s because you’re a guard that you should be near me. If you dance with me, you can rest assured that I’m safe because you’ll be closer to me than anyone. Let us go.”
She evidently knew Lord Simeon didn’t want to obey, yet she still pulled him along. Lord Simeon sighed and went back to the venue with her while turning his sad gaze toward me.
Don’t worry. I know. I gave him a smile back. I won’t pout, get angry, or even lose my nerve. But it hurts my heart to see you dance with her, so I think I’ll stay here.
Princess Mira then turned around and locked eyes with me. She nodded slightly as a farewell, then left for good. As before, she showed no signs of animosity or superiority. Yet, I felt like there was just a bit of something else mixed in...
“Aaargh! So she doesn’t even care if he’s sick?!” Prince Severin was wailing.
I put my hands on my hips. “I was really acting with everything I had.”
“Both you and him were fooling around!”
“She wouldn’t have believed us even if we’d tried harder.”
In exchange for the two that had left, Julianne entered the waiting room, a worried look on her face. She wasn’t asking questions, so she must have figured out what’d happened based on our expressions. All she did was shrug and shake her head.
Lord Nigel finally let out the laugh he was holding in. “Hmm. Quite the pickle we’re in, then. Seems we’ll have to come up with another plan. I wonder what might work?”
Duke Silvestre let himself laugh as well, clearly satisfied. “That was an incredible show you put on. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.”
Well, I’m glad you had so much fun. Did that satisfy you enough that you’ll lay low for the time being? Please don’t haunt us any longer!
In the end, Princess Mira didn’t let go of Lord Simeon that night until it was time to leave. Her attendants tried to stop her several times, but she flatly ignored them all.
It was no wonder Lord Simeon had written that letter to me. The rumors were sure to have spread by tomorrow.