“Priest Nax?” I tried addressing him, even if he seemed to still be under the still image curse. “Here are the documents. Would you mind handling them?” Taking the sealed papers from my waist pouch-style bag, I presented them to him. He accepted them with slow, deliberate movements. Seemed like the curse had broken.
“Ah, yes, of course. Well, I was admiring... No, indeed, these are the official documents of House Robur...” Why was it that just when I thought the priest’s curse was broken, now he was blushing and subtly averting his gaze? His voice was incredibly quiet. Muttering something under his breath, he broke the seal and checked the contents.
“My lady, there’s no point standing around chatting forever. Let’s use the waiting time for a picnic as planned.” The expressionless prince, apparently free of the curse as well, shoved his way forward and wedged himself between me and the priest. A wall suddenly loomed before me. “Shouldn’t you hurry with the processing? Finishing a task that takes weeks in a single day? You must be busy.”
“Uh, no, I wanted to spend a little more time with the lady...”
“Why don’t we pass the time with a picnic?” The prince cut off the priest’s words before he could finish, urging us on to the picnic.
It didn’t really matter, but I couldn’t see the priest at all—not even his face, just a wall of body. Was the priest saying something to me? Prince, you’re a bit in the way. Huh? Wait. This was...
“Roses, right?” said Miss Linda, who had been freed from the curse without me noticing. I realized it was the moment we both understood each other’s intentions.
“Yes, how splendid. The forbidden...” Of course, we turned to nod in agreement together. Oh dear, the priest and prince were...
“No,” said Regulus sharply.
“Huh?” Miss Linda gasped softly and took a step back.
Wondering why, I twisted my neck to look up and found myself face-to-face with his usual expressionless, perfectly chiseled features. I realized Miss Linda must have concluded that from her perspective, Prince Regulus’s face was simply too flawless. And given his royal status, it was only natural for her to be startled if their eyes met. Especially since she was a count’s daughter. On top of that, she was currently on leave from school and quite shy around people.
Oh, right! This was just a typical, clichéd, heart-fluttering encounter scene between a prince and a count’s daughter, straight out of a normal romance novel...
“My lady, no. I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely not what you’re thinking.” How did the prince know that I was suddenly feeling the urge to write a normal, youthful romance novel again?
“I see. Then, Priest Nax, is the garden at the back of the church still there?” I asked.
“Why do you ask? Well, it is there, but that place...” For some reason, the priest was starting to look flustered?
“Then, let’s have a picnic there,” said Prince Regulus. “Since I’m royalty, it shouldn’t be a problem. The maintenance costs for that garden are covered by donations from the royal family.”
“Well... Yes, that’s true...” Priest Nax said. The priest seemed both dissatisfied and perplexed.
Why should the presence of royalty matter?
That garden had been created during my first life, when I was Beljeanne. It had begun with a contagious epidemic brought by refugees from a neighboring country. To isolate the refugees, whose status had been deteriorating, and the infectious disease, I’d appealed to the pope at the time. I’d used money I’d secretly saved as rent in order to secure an untouched, awkward empty space within the church grounds.
When it was all over, the actions I’d taken had ended up being attributed to my half brother, the crown prince at the time. That space having later become the church’s memorial garden was definitely his suggestion.
Back then, it had been open to anyone who wanted to enter, at any time. Was it different now? Perhaps I should have checked beforehand. I’d have to ask my brother when I got back to the mansion.
“Let’s go.” Well, well! So saying, the prince took my hand, gave Miss Linda a meaningful glance, and started walking.
I’d been planning to sneak in and take a stealthy tour looking through the door cracks of that ascetic garden called the church. Too bad.
Upon reaching the garden, we took a stroll first. It was well maintained, with seasonal flowers in bloom. Miss Linda seemed struck by inspiration. She sat on a mat until lunchtime, scribbling something in the notebook she’d brought.
“Mom, a glass room!”
Describing the greenhouse as a glass room! So young, yet already showing literary talent!
Dia, who’d spotted the greenhouse shrouded in illusion magic ahead, was pure curiosity incarnate. She leaped off my head and dashed off in her comical armadillo-like run, breaking through the illusion magic with sheer momentum.
Wondering if breaking it was a mistake, I naturally chased after Dia too. Is the prince in there? I wondered. I grumbled a bit, but followed right behind.
He must have noticed Dia by now, right? He occasionally locked eyes with me, exuding an expressionless yet intense aura. Inside, he was surely gushing over my angel.
I glanced at Dia, who had entered first, as she looked around curiously inside and then turned back at me. Was something wrong? I hurried inside a little faster.
“My lady?!”
“Oh?!” Suddenly a spell activated, instantly enveloping the greenhouse in a barrier. Yet, I sensed no malice in the magic circle that appeared. I teleported Dia to my arm first, then let things unfold as I watched the prince frantically try to interfere with the barrier.
Based on my magical analysis, it seemed like some kind of amusement park attraction. I was intrigued...!
But no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I found us trapped in a completely white, empty space. How exciting, Dia!