“I may still not approve of this, but if this is what you want, then that is just how it will be, princess.”
Rosemarie left the evening wedding reception thoroughly exhausted and returned to the room she’d been provided. Now, she was trying to keep her tired eyes open as she listened to her trusted maid’s complaints.
Said trusty maid sat Rosemarie down in front of the vanity and slowly combed her hair, inviting sleep all the more.
“No matter how scary one’s face may be, no matter how suspicious one seems, so long as they do not harm a hair on your head, I do not mind.” Seeing as how she did not specify “who” she was talking about, Heidi probably wasn’t particularly upset.
She had been against the marriage to Claudio. But at the same time, she respected Rosemarie’s decision—not that it stopped her from being outspoken about it, though.
“I love that you’re so frank about these sorts of things, Heidi.” Rosemarie admired the fact that Heidi could say what she herself couldn’t. And since Heidi had been so unreserved in voicing her mind, Rosemarie felt she could be at ease, with or without the presence of a beast head. Having a mismatched heart and face is scary no matter what.
“Indeed, I also like how forthright you are, milady.” For the final touch, Heidi ran a floral pomade through the girl’s hair to set it, causing Rosemarie to let out a huge yawn. She wanted to just go ahead and fall asleep, but she knew she shouldn’t yet. According to plans, Claudio was supposed to visit after this. If she were to fall asleep, then she would have humiliated him.
(I’m going to tell him about my eyes, and then...)
She didn’t really want to think about anything after that.
Suddenly, a cup with a hot brown liquid was presented her. The sweet vapors that rose from it made Rosemarie’s eyes light up.
“Kaola! Why do they have Kaola here? You can’t export it from Volland, so I had all but given up on trying to get any.” Now completely awake, Rosemarie took the cup, practically giddy.
The Kaola fruit, which could only grow in Volland’s soil, was banned from being transported into other nations. The tea was made from the seeds of the dehydrated Kaola fruit. But not only was the manufacturing process only passed down verbally through skilled artisans, it was also extremely difficult—so much so that it proved impossible for amateurs. Also, most importantly, the country had almost completely expended their supply of the fruit. Thus, as it was such a rare commodity, export of it was outlawed.
“His Majesty.... your father seems to have negotiated with the Union. According to him, he can ship however much you want to drink from now on.”
“So, that’s how. I ought to thank Father...” This was something she had been accustomed to drinking since her childhood. It brought a smile right to her face.
She inhaled the sweet aroma of Kaola tea, missing from her life for three whole months, and took a sip. Its distinctive bitterness and acidity spread through her mouth, leaving a faint, savory sourness in its wake. It seemed to soak its way through her weary body. Apparently, it actually had fatigue-healing effects.
“My, you surely can put it down. I’m unable to stomach it without any sugar. Though, the aroma alone is quite sweet.”
“Um, well...” Rosemarie turned to look at Heidi, who was busy being impressed.
A knock at the door echoed, causing Rosemarie to tense and stiffen her face in surprise. Heidi grimaced for just one second before fixing her face the next, walking over to open the door for the visitor.
Rosemarie stared nervously into the brown, swaying surface of the tea, her body even more tense as she sensed someone entering the room.
“I bid you good night.” Rosemarie heard Heidi saying her farewells for the night, and jolted her head up just in time to see her worried maid disappear out the door. The maid had been chatting about completely unrelated matters to take Rosemarie’s mind off her impending honeymoon night... and now she was out of sight.
Rosemarie couldn’t help but feel forlorn, sparking the urge to follow after her, but she managed to quell that urge after her eyes caught sight of Claudio standing by the door, clad in his nightclothes and robe.
The door was completely shut, and Heidi’s footsteps were slowly slipping off into the distance. Claudio didn’t budge from the doorway, regardless. He seemed to be checking outside the room.
(What do I even do in this situation...?)
After doing an awkward job of standing up, Rosemarie’s eyes met with Claudio’s as he turned around suddenly. He gave her a smile, causing her body to go stiff.
“What have you been drinking, if I may ask? Whatever it is, it has quite the sweet aroma.”
“Oh, forgive me. I will finish the rest off right now.”
Claudio looked on in bewilderment as Rosemarie brought the cup of Kaola to her lips in a rush, only for her to realize that it was too hot for her to drink. Claudio then came over to her, taking the cup from her with a wry smile on his face.
“You needn’t hurry yourself. I simply asked what you were drinking.”
“—Oh, um, it’s Kaola.”
“Kaola? That is a drink I’ve never heard of.”
Looking at Claudio in profile as he peered into the cup atop the vanity with great interest, Rosemarie clenched both her hands and took a gulp. Hoarse from tension, she slowly opened her lips.
“Um, Your Highness. I have something I’d like to talk about, actually...”
“Yes, what might that be?”
Her throat trembled at the sight of Claudio smiling at her, but Rosemarie focused herself and formed the words.
“T-This may come across as somewhat unsettling, but...” As she said that, her heart was beating so loudly that she felt likely to pass out right then and there. Just imagining what would happen if she were to pass out was enough to make her poor heart feel like it was getting crushed.
“You see, I see the faces of people who have negative emotions, such as anger and envy, as beasts. It is so frightening that I can’t contain myself. But yours is the only face that has looked human the entire time...”
Claudio quickly wiped the smile from his face. The fear of this news possibly making Claudio’s face turn into that of a beast reared its ugly head, causing Rosemarie to look away suddenly.
“I am so sorry for not telling you! I have not been trying to deceive you; I just thought that you might end up hating me, so I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you...”
“—This problem... how long have you had it?” Claudio asked her in a tone that was so indifferent, she couldn’t tell whether he was angry or surprised. A cold sweat started to run down the length of her back.
“I am not sure. All I know it started sometime when I was still young...”
“‘Sometime,’ was it? —Sometime after attending Baltzar’s National Foundation Day seven years ago, you mean?”
“...Huh?” Rosemarie widened her eyes in surprise. She looked up timidly to see that Claudio was glaring at her with a furrowed brow, which made her gaze in even more surprise.
(Is he... angry? But, I don’t see a beast head on him... Also, “seven years ago”...?)
Considering Claudio usually had a smooth demeanor and polite way of speaking, his coarser tone caused Rosemarie to sink back in fright. For one thing, it was rare for her to see someone look angry while still retaining a human face.
“What’s the matter? Do I scare you? If I am the only one whose face looks human to you, then you shouldn’t be scared, right?” Claudio said, the corner of his lips pushed into a smirk. His expression was so brooding that it was hard to believe that this was the same person who had been smiling kindly for her up until a few seconds ago; the extreme and complete shift in tone left her speechless.
Claudio drew even closer to her. Fearful, she sank back. Her hand suddenly hit the cup that had been placed atop the vanity. The cup made a clanging sound before the sweet aroma of the Kaola enriched the room even more. Rosemarie looked that way involuntarily, but what made her freeze stock still wasn’t the spilled Kaola, but what was being reflected in the vanity mirror.
“What...?” The tense, pale-faced, mahogany-haired young girl was herself. However, what stood next to her wasn’t the black-haired crown prince.