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THE next morning, still worried about what had happened, Sara tried to subtly probe Claire for information.
“Is His Highness still asleep?”
“Yes. He went out with Daniel last night, so he must still be tired.”
Sara’s eyes widened.
So Claire knows that His Highness went out…
Richard had told Sara not to tell anyone, but she was probably safe talking about it with Claire… Sara reached for the plate of breakfast Claire had brought her, but then she noticed Claire hesitating slightly.
“Princess Hermine,” she said, “your eyes look red… Are you all right?”
“What?” Sara started. “They are?” She gently felt her face with the hand not holding a fork.
She had agonized the night before about how things had gone with the prince, but she had only wept for a moment. She had also spent some time sniffling in her bed, unable to fall asleep, but she hadn’t realized her eyes had gotten noticeably bloodshot.
“Yes. The skin around your eyes is red… Did His Highness say something to you last night? The only thing Daniel told me was that you happened to wake up and see His Highness leaving…”
“No… He didn’t say anything. I’m all right, really.”
That was true enough—Richard hadn’t said much.
Sara had been warned on that first day that she shouldn’t stick her nose into his business or get in his way. He had chided her for waking up in the middle of the night and trying to interfere with his activities, and her shock afterward had only been self-serving.
Sara pulled herself together, smiled, and cut up her crispy fried bacon.
“When His Highness wakes up, I’d like to bring him tea. Could you ask him if that would be okay?”
“…Certainly, ma’am.” Claire replied politely, but she shot a vaguely reproaching glare in the direction of the next room.
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RICHARD ended up waking before noon, and it wasn’t until after noon that Daniel came and told Sara, “His Highness is waiting for tea.”
“Excuse me… It’s Hermine,” Sara said at his door.
“…Right. Come in.”
Sara felt her body tense with nerves as she entered the study with Claire.
The room looked the same as it always did, and Richard sat waiting for her, wearing the mask that didn’t cover his mouth.
Daniel had said that Richard was waiting tea, but he was really writing something. From the door, Sara couldn’t see what it was.
“Thank you for the tea. Put it over there. I’ll do the rest myself.”
“Um… Your Highness?”
When he didn’t respond, she pushed forward anyway.
“I’m sorry…about last night.”
His pen stopped moving at once. She thought her heart might stop, too.
I-I’m so scared, but…I have to say this!
Sensing Claire’s anxious gaze on her like a weight, Sara hurried to finish her piece before Richard could say something.
“I didn’t consider your feelings… I wanted us to be closer, but I just ended up annoying you and causing you trouble. I’ll be more mindful about that from now on.”
Richard’s wall of silence continued.
“That… That’s all I wanted to say. Excuse m—”
“You.”
Sara’s heart leaped into her throat. She had just been about to turn around and take her leave.
Looking up, she saw Richard resting his chin on his hands over the desk, his eyes zeroed in on her. There was some tension in his mouth, as there usually was, but this time it didn’t seem to suggest that he was upset or displeased…
Instead, he looked amused…
“Are you a fool?”
“…A fool?”
“Fool might be taking it too far, but… Let’s not rehash what happened last night. Why don’t we just go on like nothing happened? I know you came out to see me with only good intentions, so there’s absolutely no need for you to apologize.”
“…What?”
“If anything, I’m the one who should apologize…”
Richard lowered his arms and rose to his feet.
Sara had never seen him standing in the study before. She watched him walk around the desk with a blank face. He stopped right in front of her, his thin lips parted.
“I had something I had to do last night, and I was frustrated. When I saw you in the foyer, I couldn’t control my annoyance enough to be cordial to you… A husband should never rebuff his wife’s consideration for him, even if he is in a hurry. I made you sad.”
He raised his right hand and gently brushed her left cheek. He touched the slight dip of the outer corner of her eye with the soft pad of his thumb, and the rest of his fingers gently cupped along her jawline.
At such a short distance, Sara could see his green eyes twinkling behind the eyeholes of his mask. His eyes searched hers—which were still probably pink from the night before—and as this clicked in Sara’s head, blood rushed to her cheeks.
“That’s—uh—no—that’s not—”
“I made you cry, didn’t I?”
“No, you didn’t! It’s…because I read a sad story after we saw each other last night!”
…An awkward stillness filled the study.
Th-That was such an awful excuse!
The silence was painful.
Say something! Sara pleaded with her eyes.
Richard made a little hm sound in his throat before saying, “…Would that be one of the books you borrowed from the library, by any chance?”
“Y-Yes, it was!”
“But Daniel told me you only took out books about abilities and history.”
“……”
That was a total setup!
Sara glared at him—half seriously.
Richard chuckled, his mouth relaxing into a small grin. A quiet sigh escaped.
“It was because of me, after all. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine… Really. I have no intention of getting involved with your personal affairs, Your Highness.”
“…To be honest with you, I’m grateful for that. But it’s not because I want to reject you or make you an outcast. It’s just…the less you’re involved with me, the safer you’ll be.”
The sad tone of his voice suddenly made Sara feel uneasy.
What does that mean?
She gave him a questioning look, but he just smiled sadly and shook his head.
“I’ll ask you again… From now on, if I’m going somewhere in the middle of the night…you must not try to stop me. And please don’t ask me why I’m going out, either.”
“……”
“Okay?”
Sara swallowed.
Richard was the king’s older brother—the third most important person in the kingdom, after the king and the queen mother. Sara was just the princess of a defeated kingdom. He was well within his rights to order her around, regardless of what she felt on the matter. He could even make her comply by force.
And yet, instead of telling her “Do this now,” he’d say, “Please do this.”
Although he could be snappy at times, at the end of the day, Richard was a kind and slightly awkward…scaredy cat.
“…I understand. As you wish, Your Highness.”
“Thank you… Well, Claire will prepare my tea, so you may return to your quarters for now.”
“Okay.”
Richard finally took his hand off Sara’s face. She felt a tiny pinch of sadness and quickly turned away so Richard and Claire couldn’t see the sudden shade of red her cheeks had turned.
…Huh?
Sara’s nose suddenly picked up an unfamiliar smell. She looked around.
In the back of the room, Claire had briskly started preparing Richard’s tea. Richard had returned to his desk to resume his writing until the tea was ready.
What is that smell? Sara wondered, wandering over to the wall. She noticed a black coat hanging there.
Oh! That’s what Richard wore last night…
She sniffed again and tilted her head slightly.
“What’s wrong?” she heard him ask suspiciously from behind her.
“Nothing!” Sara answered, quickly leaving the study. As she walked back to her room, she wondered, Why did that coat smell like an animal…?