Prince Gilbert Fritzner, the second prince of the Kingdom of Aviria, was enjoying the tea party well enough. He had turned down Milly’s invitation to tea not too long ago, so to be able to sit here now, enjoying cakes and tea without worry, was a rare luxury indeed. These days, every action of his immediately became gossip—about factions, about succession. It was only natural, given his position, but still suffocating. In that light, this tea party felt almost like a respite.
If only Milly were here... He washed down that impossible wish with a sip of tea, nodding politely at a friend’s chatter.
For this event, the student council officers had been assigned their seats in advance. Apparently, the seating arrangement was the headmaster’s idea, who wanted the members to be spread across the venue to keep watch. Because of that, Gilbert had been placed all the way at the far edge of the courtyard, diagonally opposite Milly’s table.
“Hmm? Your Highness, there looks to be some sort of commotion over that way.” The remark came from one of the students at his table, who tilted his head in curiosity.
Gilbert followed the gesture, set down his cup, and indeed noticed a noisy stir in that direction. Some sort of trouble, perhaps?
Just then, a boy came running from that very side of the courtyard, rushing up to a friend with breathless excitement. “Hey, there’s a huge uproar over there! Word is, they found poison at the grand duke’s daughter’s table!”
“What?!” Gilbert’s eyes flew wide. His chair scraped back with a crash as he shot to his feet. Poison? Before he could think, Gilbert seized the boy by the arm. “Did you say poison?! At the grand duke’s daughter’s table?!” That title could only be referring to one person.
“Hwuh?! I-I... Y-Yes, Your Highness!”
“What happened? Tell me exactly what’s going on!”
The force of Gilbert’s demand made the boy blanch with a squeak, but instinct told him that refusing the second prince’s demand was not an option. Stammering over his words, he nevertheless managed to recount the sequence of events in detail.
It wasn’t the grand duke’s daughter herself but Sierra Restreive who had ingested the poison. Thanks to Milly’s quick action forcing it back up, the worst had been averted.
Thank heavens Milly didn’t drink it. Relief washed over Gilbert and immediately, he wanted to strike himself for it. Fool! That’s vile of me. It doesn’t matter who it was. No one should have been put through that!
No, he couldn’t let himself think something as wretched as “Better Milly than someone else.” Sierra had suffered too, and even if her life wasn’t in danger this time, the thought of what could have happened—of death—made his blood run cold.
Gilbert’s face twisted as he clenched a fist, furious at his own selfishness. “Is Milly still in the courtyard?”
“Uh,” the boy responded, “I-I think she’s probably already gone back into the school building.”
“And Restreive?”
“I-I’m not positive, but I think she’s in the infirmary.”
“I see. Thank you.” He gave the boy a quick nod, then pivoted on his heel. Not needing to ponder over his next step, Gilbert broke into a run toward the school, ignoring the voices calling after him.
Gilbert, her childhood friend, knew well how Milly handled moments like these. When it came to those she cared about, her heart bled more than anyone’s, and she grew angrier than anyone else. Leaving her to bear that alone was unthinkable and, more than that, Gilbert himself could not stand the idea of Milly wallowing in solitude.
Through the vast academy halls, large enough to be mistaken for a royal castle, the prince ran, lungs burning as he made for the infirmary. Surely Milly would be there, by Sierra’s side. That was the only place she could be.
He ran on that hunch, took a few wrong turns, gasped for breath as the lack of air clawed at his chest, and after ten minutes of sprinting, his blurred vision finally caught a glimpse of flowing black hair—Milly, seemingly just leaving the infirmary.
Gilbert called out. “Milly!”
She turned, eyes widening slightly as she spotted him. Gilbert quickened his pace and came up to her, relief flooding him at the sight of her unharmed. It was true, then; she hadn’t been the one to drink the poison.
“Good day,” she said, appearing unbothered. “What are you doing here?”
“I was worried about you! Are you all right? And how is Restreive?”
“As you can see, I’m fine. Sierra has been taken to the hospital.” Though Milly’s tone was steady, Gilbert could hear the trace of relief lacing her voice. She must have been even more frightened for Sierra than he’d imagined. He nearly smiled but forced it down. The crisis wasn’t over yet.
“There was another girl seated at your table, wasn’t there?” asked Gilbert. “Is she unharmed too?”
“Oh, yes, Lizbel. She’s all right. She had a bit of a panic, but she’s resting now.”
That was only natural. Gilbert clenched his teeth. No one would ever expect poison to be found at their table. And if things had gone differently, he might have been the one to drink it. It was terrifying, of course; this wasn’t some distant danger.
“I see. Then that’s good. So, have they found the culprit?” That was the one thing he most needed to know. But Milly’s expression clouded faintly. “Milly?”
She slowly shook her head. “They haven’t. But people are already saying the ones at the table are the most suspicious.”
“They’re what?” Gilbert stared at her in disbelief. That meant Milly herself was under suspicion. “That’s impossible! How could anyone think that? Why the devil would you be suspected?!” The words burst out of him, loud and furious. The mere idea wasn’t even conceivable for someone like Milly.
She had always cared deeply for her friends, even as a child. That hadn’t changed, no matter how much her outward demeanor might have. What reason could she possibly have to slip someone poison?
Outraged, Gilbert was about to press the point further, when Milly’s lips softened into the faintest smile. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m glad you believe I’m innocent.”
“That goes without saying! Who’s spreading such nonsense? I’ll go set things straight.” So he thought, ready to unleash his anger again, when Milly’s eyes widened in surprise. She was looking past him, over his shoulder. Someone was there.
Gilbert turned, following her gaze, and saw a young lady standing just behind him. A classmate. Forcing down his agitation, Gilbert steadied his voice and greeted her with practiced calm. “Ah, Lady Grey. Is something the matter?”
“Oh, not at all. I simply heard raised voices and wondered if something had happened. Good day to you, Your Highness. Lady Milly.”