The envelope that Claudio shoved at Rosemarie made her blink in shock and disbelief.
“Hurry up and take it. If you don’t want it, I’ll dispose of it,” Claudio asserted with a blunt yet peevish expression, upon which she rushed to take the letter from his hand.
Claudio’s sudden visit to Rosemarie’s lounge had happened just as the sun was setting, and just as she was starting to fear she hadn’t received a letter from Volland that day.
“Thank you very much!” Rosemarie smiled broadly, giddy and overjoyed that Claudio had hand-delivered the letter she was convinced she wouldn’t be getting. At that, Claudio frowned and quickly averted his eyes. His complexion was a little worse than she had thought.
“Well, look who’s full of cheer. I went through all the trouble of sending for letters out of concern for you, but it seems that wasn’t necessary. Do you find hassling me that enjoyable?”
“That isn’t what I...” Her shoulders slumped at Claudio’s sharp remarks and, upon seeing his expression in profile, she held her tongue.
(He isn’t angry, is he? He sort of looks troubled, actually...)
It might have been apt to say his expression looked uncomfortable.
She stared at Claudio intently, unable to gauge his emotions. As she did, Claudio finally turned her way, furrowing his brow in a manner that seemed just on the edge of sullen. Her eyes darted around the room.
“... So, err, yes...” Claudio opened and closed his mouth over and over, as though giving up on something mid-thought. In the end, he said nothing and turned his back on her. Realizing that he was about to leave, Rosemarie instinctively grabbed his sleeve.
“Um, Prince, I...” She needed to apologize. That genuine desire drove her to open her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. She wanted to apologize but, rather frustratingly, found she couldn’t. Maybe Claudio was feeling the same way a moment ago?
“If you have the energy to rejoice over this letter, then maybe it’s time for you to come out of here. —It’s your fault I’m doing so poorly,” Claudio asserted in a monotone, shaking off Rosemarie’s hand and exiting the room. Once he exited, Rosemarie was robbed of her energy in one fell swoop and sank limply into the cushion of the sofa.
“Are you all right, princess?”
“...Yes, I was just a little nervous.” Heidi came to Rosemarie’s side from her post in the corner of the room and began stroking her shoulders to console her. This gave her the incentive to reply.
“Nevertheless, it seems he didn’t apologize after all. Admittedly, he seemed like he was going to, at least.” Heidi sighed in disappointment, a hand on her cheek, as Rosemarie’s gaze fell on the letter Claudio had brought her.
Between him personally delivering the letter he’d sent for from Volland, his high-handed threat to “dispose of it,” and his apparent desire to apologize, Claudio was hard to figure out.
(Do I want him to apologize?)
She didn’t feel like that was the case. After all, she had said plenty of rude things to Claudio herself.
She should have been happy that he came to deliver the letter, but the fact that he brought it killed her motivation to read it right away. Instead, she stared at it closely. Then there was a knock at the door. Heidi answered it in trained fashion.
“Oh, my, Squire Clausen. If you’re looking for His Highness, he has already made his return.”
On the other side of the open door stood Alto, Claudio’s ever-trustworthy aide.
“Oh, His Highness was here?”
“Yes, he came to deliver the letter,” Heidi replied dubiously to Alto, who seemed to be shocked. He lowered his eyes in contemplation, then gave his thanks and departed. However, Rosemarie sensed something out of place with the knight and hailed him down.
“Wait a moment, please, Squire Clausen. You didn’t know that the prince was making a visit here?” She had assumed that Claudio had told him that he was bringing the letter himself today.
“... That is correct, milady. I was unaware.”
“If so, why did you make your way here, Squire Clausen?”
“Well...” Alto was being oddly inarticulate, but Rosemarie waited for what he had to say without rushing him, which led to him confessing in resignation.
“I have been suggesting to His Highness that he deliver the letters to you personally for the past few days now, but he would refuse the suggestion every single time. I have been delivering them in his stead. However, today I was more persistent in holding my ground, which ended up making His Highness quite upset. I couldn’t make His Highness entrust the letter to me. And I would have felt awful if you never received the letter you had been so eagerly awaiting because of me. So, I’d actually come to check on the situation and apologize.” Rosemarie saw Alto lower his shoulders, crestfallen, leaving her to simply stare at the floor wordlessly.
(So, the prince didn’t come and deliver this letter of his own accord... And here I was so happy, too.)
However, the only one in the room who wasn’t remaining silent was Heidi.
“Then, are you saying that his attempts at apologizing were because he was told by someone else?! I’m sorry if this comes across as rude, but His Highness is a little pathe—”
Interrupting Heidi, whose revealed anger manifested as turning her head into a black cat, Rosemarie looked at Alto. Despite her harsh words about Claudio, though, he didn’t seem displeased. The knight’s face remained human and he simply smiled bitterly.
“The good maid’s anger is not unreasonable. However, I am sure that he realizes that he has done a horrible thing to you, Your Highness. It may just be that His Highness is so overwrought about the fact that you stole his mana that he cannot find it in himself to apologize easily. I believe I have made mention before as well, but His Highness does not normally act in such a way.”
“—Yes... I believe you. All of his retainers worship him, after all...” Rosemarie slowly lowered her gaze, not convinced.
“Your Highness, may I have a small word with you?” Alto asked, sounding hopeful for a response in the positive, so Rosemarie nodded silently.
“Because of His Highness’s appearance, he must be stronger than and far superior to anyone else. Otherwise, he might have the rug pulled from under him and even lose his life if he makes the wrong decision. He must work more than the average man.” Alto mournfully knitted his brow. Rosemarie hung her head, feeling cornered. While Alto may not have intended to criticize her, there was a subservient side of her that took his words that way. She hated it.
“His Highness is normally extremely on guard. His rash remarks may have been a case of him being comfortable with you, considering you’re aware of the breadth of the situation. However, he is a kind individual at heart.” As Rosemarie listened to what Alto said, her final delirious vision of Claudio in his youth crossed her mind.
(I wonder if that was a memory from when he saved me while I was lost in the Forbidden Forest...)
Assuming that it really happened, that would have meant that he came searching for a child he didn’t even know, but she couldn’t really trust her own memory.
He was so cruel when she was taken to his office, and he was usually so curt and scowled at her when they weren’t in public.
Rosemarie clenched her hands into tight fists, determined.
“Um, Squire Clausen, I have a request. —Would you mind telling me the prince’s schedule for tomorrow?”
“No, I would not mind, but... might you be planning to pay him a visit?”
“Oh, no... Um, not exactly. It’s more like observation from afar.”
Alto’s eyes widened in shock. Heidi stood with her mouth agape in bewilderment. The two of them fixed their eyes upon Rosemarie. Their gazes being too much to handle, she held her face down.
“I would like to see the prince as he normally is. He is always so ill-tempered when he is around me, you see...” If she watched from afar, there was a chance she would get a good glimpse into what kind of individual Claudio really was. Even if his decision today was at the advice of another, the one who decided to bring the letter to her personally was Claudio. Which meant that, this time, it was her turn to take action.
“If that is the case, I shall gladly make arrangements for you!” Alto shouted in complete shock, a broad smile on his face. Rosemarie pulled back from his overly enthusiastic display, but nearby Heidi gave her a little pat on the shoulders.
“Princess, I am very pleased that you have your mind set on going outside, of course, but... What does he mean by ‘you stole his mana’?”
“Oh...” Rosemarie looked at Heidi with her sweet smile as she slowly transformed into a black cat, noticing that her trusted maid had absolutely no idea about the matters surrounding Claudio. She then tried to piece together an explanation while going pale in the face.