Ever since the day I happened to overhear a conversation about Phil and the princess at the palace, I spent my days with a heavy weight in my chest. Even now, as I sat in the carriage on my way to House Lawrenson’s manor, I’d sigh if I let down my guard for even a moment.
The princess I met at the soiree the other day was a lot more lovely than I ever imagined. She was beautiful from afar, but breathtaking up close, yet she talked to me as if we were peers.
The thought of such an amazing person liking Phil, as well as the idea of them spending so much time together, was like a bad taste in the back of my mouth. I also couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation from the other day, where I learned that they had apparently also held hands and hugged each other.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if I ask him about it, would it?” I murmured to myself.
I was Phil’s fiancée. That should give me the right to ask him a few questions about his relationship with the princess. What I heard the other day must have been a misunderstanding of some sort. I decided that I’d ask him directly about everything so that I could feel better. I could still see my moody expression reflected in the window of the carriage, and I smacked my palms against my cheeks. This was one of Phil’s rare days off, so I wanted to spend it by having fun with him, after I figured out the truth of the matter.
Get it together, I told myself and forced myself to smile.
We eventually reached the manor, and Phil greeted me with an ecstatic look on his face.
“Thank you for coming to see me. I missed you.”
He looked so happy that I could practically see flowers in the air around his face. Seeing him smile made me want to as well, and we headed to his room with our hands linked together.
“I worked so hard every day, looking forward to when I’d be able to see you again,” he said.
“Thank you. I’m sure you’re exhausted after so much work. But at least it’s getting closer to the day of the ceremony.”
“Yes, there’s only one month left. I’m going to continue doing my best. After the ceremony ends, I want to spend some time relaxing. Maybe we can go fishing together.”
We were conversing while walking down the hall. Ever since our first fishing trip when I pretended to have amnesia, we regularly made our way to the river to fish. He was the same as always, and seeing him act like this made me sigh in relief. We eventually reached his room and walked in. Little Vio was in her cage, as usual. After I got permission from Phil, I took her out of the cage and let her perch on my arm.
“Hello, Little Vio.”
“Play tag with me!”
“Tag?”
She was saying some weird words, but she was still as cute as ever today. After I gave Little Vio a few head pats, I sat down on the sofa at Phil’s invitation. He immediately went to prepare tea for us.
“Is milk tea all right for you today as well?”
“Yes, thank you so much for everything. I also made some snacks that would pair well with black tea.”
I brought cookies today. They were the ones that Phil complimented the other day, and that I had improved on.
“That sounds delightful,” he said, looking so happy that I could feel myself growing warm as well. “Rex was praising you and how far you’ve come as well.”
“How far I’ve come?”
“He said that the apple pie you brought the other day, as well as the tea you prepared, was really good.”
“Oh, I didn’t know he said that. I’m glad to hear it.”
There was a gentle air in the room as we talked about this and that. But I was waiting for the chance to ask about the princess. I knew that this would probably be my only chance to bring her up, so after I clenched my fists, I opened my mouth.
“Um, Phil, there’s something I’d like to ask you about.”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s about the princess...”
“The princess?”
Even after I brought her up, Phil’s hands as he poured hot water over tea leaves didn’t twitch. His expression remained the same. He’d always been terrible when it came to hiding things, so if there was something he was guilty about, he couldn’t possibly remain this calm. That gave me a sense of relief, so I continued to speak.
“The other day, I overheard people saying that you and the princess were holding hands, and that she was hugging onto you.”
“Oh, yes, that did happen. I forgot about it.”
“Wha—?!”
To my shock, Phil spoke in a casual tone, without a hint of shame in his voice. No matter the circumstances, a man with a fiancée shouldn’t be holding hands with a woman, or letting her cling onto him. I thought that Phil had enough common sense to know that, at least. I fell silent, and Phil continued to speak as if nothing was wrong.
“We went to the menagerie yesterday too. Since it was my second time, I was familiar with the park.”
“Um, wait, you went with the princess?”
“Yes. Someone told her about how we went the other day, and she begged me to take her there.”
I couldn’t help but feel that it was a bit insensitive of him to take another woman to a spot that we’d gone on a date at not too long ago. But maybe I was just being petty. I did my best to bite down on the anger starting to rise up inside of me. He was still smiling as he prepared our tea, but instead of looking at him, I stared down at my hands, which were balled up in tight fists over my knees.