🌹💘🌹
AND then, about an hour later, Richard and I met again in the carriage. As part of his disguise, he had dyed his hair black. He also wore a white shirt with a matching two-piece checkered suit and a hat. He looked like the well-bred son of a merchant family. The black-framed glasses he wore to hide his glittering flame-colored eyes suited him exceptionally well.
I was in disguise too. My hair, dyed a chestnut color, had been gathered into two plaits hanging down my shoulders and I wore a checkered dress. I had deliberately chosen the outfit because it was the complete opposite of a holy woman’s attire.
It seemed like our disguises were a success because when we disembarked from the carriage and stood in the beautiful plaza with its flower clock, no one paid any attention to us. Relieved, I smoothed my hands down my chest.
“I did cast a simple stealth spell on us to make sure we don’t create a lasting impression, but…I think we’ll be just fine.”
Richard stared down at me as I spoke. His next words sounded quite heartfelt.
“Miss Monica, I’ve felt like this for a long time now…”
“Hm?”
“When you dress like an ordinary young woman, you look so young. Absolutely fetching.”
“Huh?! Th-Thank you…?” I stammered.
“I wonder if it’s because letting your hair down like that emphasizes your baby face? And those big, beautiful eyes of yours remind me of lop-eared rabbits. Next time, I’d love it if you showed me your hair in its natural color, hm?” Richard picked up one of my braids and pressed his lips to it. I jerked in reaction and automatically put some distance between us.
“W-Will you stop that? We’re pretending to be siblings on this walk and big brothers don’t do that to their little sisters,” I chided.
“Wait, is that the act we chose to go with?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Huh? It’s not?”
The corners of his eyes softened as he grinned. “What if we pretend to be newlyweds instead?”
“Newlyweds—”
Our conversation was interrupted by thunderous applause coming from across the square. A gorgeous, colorful procession was coming down the boulevard from the clock tower to the plaza.
“Here, for the lovely couple! You two should throw flowers too!” A cheerful older lady handed us fresh flowers from her basket as she passed by.
Richard beamed at me as he twirled a marguerite daisy in his fingers. Clearly, the “lovely couple” comment pleased him.
“I really don’t think there was any deep meaning to her words,” I said. “Anyway…more importantly, look over there! So pretty!”
The beautiful wedding procession caught my attention and I couldn’t look away. The couple’s carriage had been lavishly decorated with flowers along with the white horse leisurely pulling it down the street. Another carriage behind them held their relatives and they too waved at the spectators on the road who continued clapping and flinging flowers. Based on what I could hear from the conversations around us, the daughter of a prominent merchant family in this town had finally landed a husband.
The procession lapped around the square’s floral clock tower once then headed in the direction from which it had come.
“Oh! Richard, look!”
“It’s Xenu.”
We spotted Xenu waving from one of the carriages carrying wedding guests.
“That makes sense. He must have connections to them since he’s a merchant too.”
When he noticed us, he grinned broadly from atop the coach and waved specifically in our direction. He held Saaya solidly to his chest as he did so. Then he tossed a flower-decorated hat at me.
“Wah!”
When I caught it without thinking, an old man near us laughed cheerfully in response.
“Well, ain’t you a lucky miss! A guest sharing their gift means a marriage proposal!”
“Huh?” My gaze jerked back to Xenu. He winked at me and then he was gone as the coach rolled away.
“Right then, I believe this calls for a funeral pyre, Miss Monica.”
“Oh my goodness, Richard, stop it. You’re scaring me. Enough!” I shook my head frantically at him because he looked deadly serious about wanting flames right this instant. “Neither Xenu nor I know about this festival’s traditions, so I’m sure he threw it without understanding what he was doing.”
My attempt to pacify him did nothing to erase the displeasure on his face. Saying nothing, he snatched the hat from me then aimed for a pole on the last carriage in the procession. He flung the hat at it, and it landed neatly, hanging from the top.
A-An excellent throw!
“Hahahaha! Way to send it back, sonny!” The old man walked away, laughing hard.
“I admit it wasn’t smart of him, but you really didn’t have to toss it away,” I said.
“Even though keeping it would mean accepting his proposal? It might be a silly custom, but it’s not a joke to me.” With those words, Richard took my hand in his. I flinched at the sudden move.
“Wh-What is it?” I asked. But he didn’t just hold it. No, he interlaced our fingers. “E-Eep!” It was the only sound I could make in response to Richard, the only person capable of inciting lust in me even without the use of my supernatural powers.
“If I do this, no man can approach you with ill intentions,” he stated. “And no one will mistake us for siblings either. What say you?”
“No one will…mistake us…for siblings…”
“You don’t want people to think of us as lovers?”
“L-Lov—”
His eyes lowered to half-mast as he pressed me.
“B-But I’m just…just a priestess… and y-you’re the imperial prince…”
“Wrong. You’re Miss Monica and I’m simply Richard.” Then he pulled me close to him so he could whisper in my ear this time. “Or would you prefer it if I wrapped my arm around your waist instead?”
“Ummm…Richard…”
“I kid, I kid.” He let out a shout of laughter as he stepped away from me. But he didn’t let go of my hand as our fingers remained interlocked. “Remember this, Miss Monica. So long as you don’t hate it, I’ll want to do whatever you’ll let me get away with.”
I didn’t know what to do when he said those words with such a poignant expression.
“I-In any case, let’s just enjoy ourselves,” I managed to say.
“Yes, good idea, Miss Monica.”
After that, holding hands, we strolled amongst the crowd and enjoyed the festival. At a target shooting stall, he won me a garland. At a food stall, we both savored the flavor of skewered, buttered, roasted potatoes. For some reason, they held a play about Saint Monica on the stage. As I covered my face in a terrible panic, Richard howled with laughter next to me, holding on to his stomach.
The knights who had disguised themselves as ordinary people were always nearby and I felt safe knowing we were well protected. Darius and Solarus pretended to be siblings and strolled along not far from us. Unlike me and Richard, they actually looked like they could be biological siblings. It was entirely possible they were related, though the connection might be distant. After all, aristocrats intermarried quite often. Ohhh! Maybe that was exactly why Darius stated so firmly that he couldn’t see Solarus in a romantic light.
In a romantic light, hm?
I peeked up at Richard, who looked like he was enjoying the acrobats’ show. What did he think of me? What was I to him? I knew he cared for me. I knew he thought of me as a friend and ally. And lately, I felt like his displays of affection were more frequent, blatant.
But…that was it. I didn’t know anything else.
Hold on. Anything else? What in the world am I thinking…? He cherishes me as a friend, so what more is there beyond that?
I didn’t understand my own desires. My hand felt hot in his. Richard’s musk, his profile, his voice. I want it all. More. I couldn’t help thinking so. What did I want? How did I want it? Having His Highness call me “Miss Monica♡~!” and cherish me, what more could I possibly want?