“Heidi, I think that, right now, I’m blessed,” Rosemarie whispered in earnest, overlooking the gardens from her third-floor chamber window.
The dazzling early summer sunlight shone upon the courtyard, which was beautifully abundant with an assortment of multicolored roses. Come nightfall, they would be illuminated by the moonlight, bathing the garden in an atmosphere of fantasy. She’d never seen a flower garden like this in Volland. She could stare at it all day and never grow weary of it.
“Even though the prince has ignored you for going on seven days since the wedding, milady?!” Heidi, who had been readying tea right by Rosemarie’s side, stomped her foot with a bam, not even attempting to hide her irritation. As she did, a pair of adorable black cat ears popped up on her head. A pink nose and large green eyes followed, turning Heidi’s head into that of a rather beautiful feline.
Rosemarie had her breath taken away for just a second before she let out a small, reluctant laugh. Her transformation wasn’t all that scary, seeing as how she knew the exact reasons behind Heidi’s anger in this case.
“The prince is a busy man.”
“But his room is just next door to this one. Just next door! No matter how busy he may be, I think that the least he could do is say hello to you.” Despite her huffiness, the cat-headed Heidi skillfully brewed Rosemarie’s tea. The princess took the cup, letting out a deep sigh internally.
(Still, he could just keep on leaving me alone...)
She still hadn’t fully digested the shocking confession from their wedding night, and she’d spent the past few days in a haze. Claudio, meanwhile, had not looked in on her even once. Life had been so tranquil, it made her wonder if the whole thing had been a dream. Initially, her blood curdled at the thought of what he might put her through. But now, that feeling had begun to wither away.
“But he always sends all sorts of gifts, so it seems like he hasn’t forgotten about me...”
“‘He hasn’t forgotten about you’...? Your Highness... no, Lady Rosemarie? You are newlyweds. Not coming to see his new wife is quite dubious. What if you discover he’s been out on late-night jaunts or something of the sort?”
“Late-night jaunts?”
“Yes, you know. Gallivanting? Making merry in the wee hours? In other words, cheating. That is deplorable for a fresh newlywed, don’t you think?”
“...Y-Yes, right.” She averted her eyes awkwardly as Heidi pressed close to her. The maid’s straight cat whiskers grazed Rosemarie’s cheek, causing her to back down a little.
(If I told her the truth, she just might strangle the prince...)
To Claudio, Rosemarie wasn’t so much his new bride as his mana vault. It was abundantly clear from that nickname that he didn’t view her as a person. While she couldn’t do anything about him not liking her, she wished that he would at least grant her that kindness.
“Even so, let’s think things through. If the prince doesn’t visit me, I can live pretty freely, all things considered. And while I may not be able to leave the room without his permissions, I don’t mind not having to see people. If anything, it’s a welcome improvement. And there have yet to be any talks about my official duties as the wife of the Crown Prince, so I’ve not had my nerves keeping me awake at night. So, yes, that’s why I said that I think I’m blessed.”
“Lady Rosemarie, that is not being blessed on any level...” Heidi’s face reverted back to human form with a sigh and a slump of her shoulders. Rosemarie saw this from the corner of her eye and happily put her lips to her cup.
“Oh? But you yourself said that all that matters is that I’m happy. I really don’t feel constrained or anything like that. Though... Oh, but that rose garden down there has my interest a tad.”
“Why not try inviting the prince? I’m sure then—”
“No, that wasn’t what I was getting at. I was hoping he’d let me have some of the roses to raise in my room. I also want to use Hanna, since I haven’t had a chance to in quite some time.” She lifted a trowel from the desk, gazing spellbound at its sharp silver sheen. The area around her was lined with gardening tools—her trusty bucket, of course, as well as a watering can and shears. All of them showed signs of frequent use, but were well-maintained and free of grime.
That was a result of Rosemarie polishing them almost every day. Maintenance time was the most enjoyable time to her—she became engrossed, freeing her mind of thought.
“...Oh, this time you’ve given the trowel a name, have you? I beg of you, please do not let the prince see you admiring a bunch of gardening tools. Please?” Heidi placed her hand on her cheek in dismay and sighed. That was when it happened.
“There she is. The Volland princess.” Suddenly, a somewhat sleepy-sounding whisper met her ears. Rosemarie came back to her senses after staring at her trowel in a trance. Once she did, she found herself floating in mid-air.
“—?!”
“Princess!”
Her feet weren’t touching the floor.
As Rosemarie struggled in the air in attempts to fix her balance, she realized that the same gloomy sorcerer she saw at the wedding had suddenly appeared near the window. Because of their oversized hood, she couldn’t see their face, and with black gloves covering their hands, she couldn’t make out their age or gender.
“Claudio. Bad condition. Come.” The sorcerer conveyed their message in broken speech and drew a circle in the air with one finger. Before Rosemarie knew it, she was bottled up in what seemed to be a glass orb.
“Princess?! Lady Rosemarie!” Heidi’s face was wracked with panic as she desperately pounded at the surface of the glass orb. It was to no avail, however, as it did not crack.
“U-Um, excuse me! Where are you...” She heard Claudio’s name mentioned right before she was bottled up. She wasn’t panicking like Heidi was, but she felt tense all over. Could this be the beginning of the experiments to return Claudio’s mana to him?
The sorcerer didn’t turn around to answer Rosemarie’s question, instead murmuring something at the flustered Heidi. At their words, she fell limply to the floor.
“Heidi!” She tried reaching out to her now incapacitated maid, but her hand was stopped from going any further by the glass. Frustrated at the situation, she felt herself begin to bob along in the orb after the sorcerer.
“What did you do to Heid... Wait just a second here. This is the third floor!”
Perhaps Rosemarie’s pleas to stop didn’t reach their ears. Either way, the sorcerer climbed up on the window’s handrailing and jumped into the air. Likewise, the orb followed, leaping outside. Rosemarie held back her urge to scream and shut her eyes tight.
(O God, Father, Mother, Elder Sister, Charlotte...!)