Chapter 13: Happiness Regained
“THERE was no need for you two to come all this way…” Prince Rutherford pouted, embarrassed.
It was the year after the limited-time event had finished. Today, Prince Rutherford was finally enrolling in the academy.
Siraiya and I had come to the school to celebrate his milestone. My wings had long since vanished, of course. I’d only needed to wait out one more month, since I inherited the curse from Prince Adelberd.
Despite the occasion, no other member of royalty came to celebrate.
But that wasn’t out of hostility toward the prince. A large gathering of royalty would invite chaos due to the number of guards and protection they would require. No one from Prince Adelberd’s family had attended his entrance ceremony either.
It was why Siraiya and I came up with the idea to go to the ceremony in their place. When we asked the school if we could attend, they prepared seats for us without any issue.
“But it’s a big day for our dear friend. Congratulations on your enrollment, Prince Rutherford.”
Prince Rutherford blushed shyly when I smiled and said that to him, but he thanked me, not sounding entirely displeased.
I’m relieved. He seems to be doing well.
A few days earlier, an announcement had come from the palace. The second queen consort was officially sent to live in the castle’s eastern tower.
She was the mother of the second-born prince and a former princess of Sanctoria. She still had plenty of followers, too. Even though the crime of inciting a civil war was a grave one, she wasn’t someone who could simply be sent to the guillotine for all to see. Instead, the official word was that she was receiving medical treatment in the eastern tower.
Nobles, however, sensed that she must have committed a serious crime to end up in such a place. The eastern tower was supposed to be reserved for lifelong imprisonment.
That was why I feared Prince Rutherford would be in a bad mental state. We’d come to the ceremony in hopes of checking in with him.
“You wear that uniform well.”
That remark came from Siraiya. A stuttering Prince Rutherford thanked him, clearly embarrassed.
“Seeing these uniforms and the schoolhouse really takes me back. We don’t have many opportunities to come here, so what say we go and steal a glance at the area behind the school? It’s a very special place to Siraiya and me.” When I suggested that, for some reason, Prince Rutherford seemed to know what I was talking about.
“Right. The legendary couple.”
“Legendary couple? What do you mean?”
“You’ll see once we get there.”
Siraiya and I exchanged looks as Prince Rutherford set off ahead of us. There was no use trying to guess what he was talking about, so we followed the prince behind the schoolhouse.
I could still picture that quiet spot we shared, where there were no flowers or even benches nearby, but at least we had the beautiful sunlight pouring down on us through the tree leaves. However, once we arrived, we were met with a completely different sight.
“Wh-What happened here?” I asked, surprised.
“I hear it turned into a really popular romantic spot for students.”
Just as Prince Rutherford described, frolicking students crowded the area. They’d even planted flowers and built new benches.
“Wait, so the legendary couple is…?”
“It’s the two of you. This is the place where the bullied, illegitimate son of a nobleman rose to the title of duke, and where the daughter of a viscount became a duchess. That sort of marriage had never happened before, and even more shocking, the two even get along happily to this day. That’s why the students come here to strengthen their relationships with their partners and future spouses. Some even hang around here in hopes of meeting someone.”
I wasn’t a duchess yet, but Prince Rutherford’s description was obvious—the legendary couple was Siraiya and me.
I could hardly believe that my special spot with Siraiya had become a legendary place for the students who came after us. While I was at a loss for words, Siraiya noticed something peculiar.
“A lot of the students are carrying notebooks.”
“Yeah, they’re like shared diaries. The stories say that the legendary couple grew their love by exchanging a notebook between them. …Is that true?”
No, it wasn’t a shared diary at all. Siraiya only gave me a notebook study guide speculating about what might show up on tests. But I understood that the legend must have evolved over time as it was passed from student to student.
I enjoyed seeing the blushing students romping around the area, but that made it impossible to stay and bask in our memories, leaving me with mixed feelings. Prince Rutherford spoke again, sounding a bit sad this time.
“I wish I were the same age as you two. It would’ve been fun to go to school with you.”
“It definitely would have, but you’ll have your own fateful meetings too, Prince Rutherford,” I said.
“Really…? You think I can do it…? I don’t know…if I could be like you…”
His blue eyes looked up at the sky, filled with both hope and longing. I prayed that Prince Rutherford’s student life would be happy and fulfilling. I also prayed that every student gathered behind the schoolhouse would find the happy ending they sought.
“Excuse me… Are you Duke Brooke and Lady Rhuddlan?”
“What?!”
I’d been distracted. Before I knew it, a flock of students surrounded us.
“You’re the legendary couple?!”
“It’s an honor to meet you! Please sign my notebook!”
“What did you two write in your shared diary?!”
“Please tell us about what it was like to be a duke while you were still in school!”
“I had no idea Duke Brooke was such an ephemeral beauty!”
“Lady Rhuddlan’s red hair looks like a blazing fire. That’s so cool!”
“What’s a ‘yandere?!’”
Their youthful energy overwhelmed Siraiya and me.
“W-Wait one moment, please. We’re chaperoning the second-born prince, so we need to be on our way… Isn’t that right?” I turned to Prince Rutherford for help, only to find him missing. He was already strolling off into the distance, uninterested in our newfound popularity.
Or perhaps he’d abandoned us because he sensed danger. This was Prince Adelberd’s brother, after all. There was no telling what was going on in that head of his.
“We’d love to speak with you both!”
The students hounded us with questions now that we were alone. By the time we finally fled to our carriage, we were both exhausted.
I remembered how I could have simply flown away if I still had my wings, but losing them was worth it if it meant we had our normal, peaceful life together again. Siraiya and I exchanged smiles.
The legendary couple was as happy as they’d ever been.
-Happy Ending-