Chapter 10: Loving People
“UM, it seems that Prince Rutherford has left the resort in a carriage…” I’d come to the men’s bedroom and addressed Prince Adelberd, who was lounging on the tatami floor.
“Yes, I know. I acted like a caring older brother, just as you advised, Lady Cynthia.”
“Huh…? What are you referring to?”
I’d given him that advice right after Prince Rutherford arrived at the resort. It was hardly relevant now.
“What did you bring us, Cynthia?” Siraiya asked.
“It’s mead. Siraiya told me you like sweet alcohol, Prince Adelberd, so I brought some mead made with Rhuddlan territory honey. It’s one of our best products.”
“Sweet booze?! I’d love to try it!” Prince Adelberd sat straight up and took the mead from me, sounding pleased. His sweet tooth was as apparent as ever.
“I heard you and Siraiya tried alcohol for the first time. I’d like to try it too, so why don’t we invite Lady Estellise and drink together, all four of us? I think it would be perfect with some cheese or nuts to snack on, so I’ll ask the kitchen to—”
“No, that’s a bad idea. I’m sorry, Lady Cynthia, but you should avoid alcohol for a little while. You too, Siraiya. I’ll tell Estellise the same thing.”
“Do you not care for mead? I could prepare a different fruit wine if that’s what you would prefer…”
He’d seemed so eager to try the mead, but now he didn’t want to drink at all. When I suggested alternative drinks, Prince Adelberd told me, “It’s not that.” Then he placed the bottle of mead on the table. “Things are probably going to be set into motion soon, and we’ll need to have clear, sober heads when the time comes.”
“What do you mean…?” I studied his face, searching for the answer.
“More importantly, Lady Cynthia, shouldn’t we be enjoying some time alone with our partners? We can all have dinner together, but until then, it’s the perfect opportunity to help our love flourish.”
“I agree!” I instantly forgot about my desire to try alcohol, clinging eagerly to Siraiya’s arm. Siraiya was a much better use of my time. I’d heard that getting drunk felt good, but surely it paled in comparison to sharing special moments with my beloved.
Siraiya’s face was bright red—all the way up to his ears. But he still smiled at me.
“All right, then, can you tell Estellise to join me in my room? You can go with Lady Cynthia to the girls’ room, Siraiya.”
“Of course! Have a nice time together!”
Siraiya and I headed straight back to my bedroom to give Lady Estellise the news. She blushed, smiled, and quickly left us to go be with Prince Adelberd.
“Hehe! She seemed really happy. Lady Estellise is such a pure-hearted person, getting all red in the face like that… Actually, her studious side reminds me of you, too, Siraiya. Maybe that’s why I find her so adorable.”
“You think of me when you’re with her, too? That’s nice to hear…”
I sat next to Siraiya on the tatami floor.
“I think about you all the time, too, Cynthia. Or maybe…it’s more accurate to say that I can never get you out of my mind.”
“It sounds like we’re constantly occupied with thoughts of the other, even when we’re apart.” I leaned against Siraiya, feeling his warmth that I loved so dearly. I was always the happiest in moments like these.
“Now that I think of it, Prince Adelberd reminds me of you, too,” he said, dropping a bombshell.
I gasped. I remind him of that scheming prince? What a disgrace to my name!
“H-How so…?” I froze, fearing that I’d accidentally been cruel to Siraiya without realizing.
“You’re mischievous.”
“…Mischievous.”
It was a relief to hear him call me something other than “scheming.” But was “mischievous” really a good descriptor? I didn’t understand, but Siraiya smiled softly at me.
“You’re the brave and gallant young lady who swooped in to save me when I was a prisoner.”
“Oh, so that’s what you mean? If that was me being ‘mischievous,’ then I intend to be mischievous for the rest of my life. I’ll protect you no matter what it takes.”
“You’re always so cool, Cynthia. I should become more mischievous so that I can protect you, too.”
“I can hardly imagine a more unfitting word for you. Let’s both work hard to protect our future together. Does that sound a little better?”
“Of course. I’ll do anything to stay by your side.”
His sincerity was far too adorable. Suddenly, I felt the irresistible urge to tease him.
“Anything, you say? Then once we’re married, we’ll kiss every single day, sleep in the same bed, and take all our baths together.”
“Urk… We have to bathe together too…?”
Siraiya blushed. He was so charming when he was stumped. I had to stop myself from pushing him even further. Perhaps this was what Prince Adelberd felt when he teased Prince Rutherford. Maybe I really did resemble the crown prince a little bit.
“I-I can do it,” he faltered. “It’s just embarrassing, but it’s not like I don’t want to. It makes me really happy…knowing you want to do stuff like that with me.”
“Hehe! We can go slow, and that way, we’ll find more and more things that we’re comfortable doing together.”
“I like the sound of that.” Siraiya was embarrassed, but he still smiled sweetly at me all the same.
“Is there a reason you feel embarrassed kissing me? Or is it something you can’t explain?” I asked.
Even Prince Adelberd and Lady Estellise had kissed now. Plenty of people in the world were too shy to kiss, like Siraiya, but there were also many like me, who found it to be a natural gesture. What was it that made the difference?
“…I do have a reason…”
“Is that so?”
“Until I started attending the academy… um… I thought that kissing…”
He was struggling to get it out. What could be so embarrassing? I waited nervously until Siraiya finally worked up the courage to tell me.
“…I thought that kissing was how babies were made!”
“All the way until the academy?! You don’t mean when you were a little kid?!”
In other words, that was pretty recent. He’d believed this until he was Prince Rutherford’s age.
“I didn’t have anyone to teach me otherwise… The books I had for young kids showed a man and a woman having a baby after they kissed, and I took that literally for a long time… I only realized I was wrong once I started going to the academy and saw couples kissing…”
“I-I see. So that’s why you’re so sensitive when it comes to kisses.”
Now I understood why Siraiya wanted to save our first kiss for our wedding. There was actually more logic behind it than I first thought.
“Even though I know I was wrong now, kisses still just feel special to me for some reason… But I guess…they are still special, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they’re very special. You’re only supposed to kiss people who are very dear to you.” I tried to console Siraiya, who was covering his mouth bashfully, by patting him gently on the back. “You must have worked up a whole lot of courage when you said you were ready to kiss me the other night.”
“Well, you were kind enough to wait in the end… I’m sorry to keep postponing it all this time.”
“No, I actually enjoy waiting for you. I also loved when you picked me up and carried me in your arms. Remember what a big deal it was that we embraced each other when I first proposed?”
“That’s right… I was so happy and so embarrassed at the same time, I thought my heart was going to stop.”
But after he said that, Siraiya suddenly lifted me up again. I laughed with glee as he spun me around. But then, his soft lips touched my forehead.