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“AGNES, what’s wrong? You seem out of sorts.”
After they left the theater and climbed into the carriage, Claude turned to her in concern as they sat side by side.
Agnes had been conversing normally and hadn’t expected her true feelings to show on her face. Claude cared so much for Agnes; he was attuned to every little quirk of her expression.
“I’m sorry, I’m fine…”
She was about to deny everything, but then trailed off as she remembered what Zenaide had said: “If you have any concerns, please talk to Claude. He’d lay down his life to protect you, Agnes.”
Ah, that’s right, she realized.
Being with Agnes was all he needed—Claude told her as much more than a few times. Here he was, concerned for her, though she’d tried to hide her feelings. Fobbing him off would be too easy. Up until now, Agnes would have gone this route and faked a smile. She didn’t want to worry Claude—these were her personal concerns.
Yes, she was concerned, and Claude had picked up on it. Why not look to him for advice, for once?
For a moment, she thought of her ex-fiancé, Philip, yelling at her. Worthless Agnes. Disgraceful, detestable Agnes. Just do what you’re told; don’t attract attention.
She had heard those words over and over until, before she knew it, she’d internalized them. Her brother Kevin had referred to this as Philip’s curse. Claude was the one who’d rescued Agnes from a situation that even the kindness of her own family couldn’t solve.
So, it was all right. She could open up to Claude. Agnes knew this, but it still took courage to speak. It took courage to break free of an internalized habit. She took a deep breath and looked into those silvery-gray eyes.
“Actually, something is bothering me,” she started. “Can I talk to you about it?”
“Of course. You can talk to me about anything, no matter how small.”
See? It’s all right. Agnes felt a flood of relief. The feel of Claude holding her hand was enough to make tears spring to her eyes.
“The royal family of Visage protects the country and citizens with the power of dragon blood, right? That’s the role of the royal family. Then, what’s my role?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“My father was a member of the royal family of Oreille, a King of Mushrooms blessed by the spirits. Now I find out that I myself am a Queen of Mushrooms. If I inherited a royal power, then maybe I inherited a specific role too. Maybe I should fulfill it… Though I don’t know exactly what it is I could do?”
Claude stared at Agnes, and then slowly narrowed his eyes.
“…Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“Thank you” was an odd answer to a question about what she should be doing—although her question had been a bit muddled.
“Your self-esteem has been decimated all because of Philip. You’ve been recovering a little, but now see, you’ve gained the courage to express your own worries to others. To me. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.” Claude smiled and patted Agnes’s head as he spoke.
His smile, his gentle touch—Agnes could feel the depth of his care for her. She was so moved by this unconditional care and trust in her, she felt like she was about to burst into tears.
“Claude, why are you so kind?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t call this kindness. I’m not unconditionally kind to everyone. It’s just that I adore you. I always want to see you smile.”
“That IS kindness, I think.”
“You don’t want me to be kind to you?”
Agnes wasn’t saying that; she loved his kindness toward her. She lowered her head and took a breath, fighting the feelings welling up inside her.
“I…don’t mean that. I find your kindness so soothing,” she tried to explain. “But I feel at the same time that I shouldn’t be too reliant upon it.”
“I think your self-control is admirable, Agnes, but in fact I WANT you to rely on me,” he stressed.
“You do?” Agnes lifted her head, surprised, and saw Claude smiling softly at her as he always did.
“Your poor heart, so wounded by Philip, is slowly recovering. Even so, the wounds may open back up again at some point. Don’t be afraid of that. No matter how long it takes, I will…be by your side and support you, Agnes.”
“Oh Claude, you really are too kind.”
The tears threatened to overflow again. Claude hugged Agnes’s shoulder, and as they swayed in the carriage, droplets fell onto his jacket.
“So, to return to the topic,” he said, knowing that talking would help her through this moment. “You weren’t born and raised to be a member of the Oreillian royal family. You’re under no obligation to fulfill any role. You renounced your rights to being a member of that family, too, and are no longer one of them. Anyway, this is Visage. Not Oreille.”
“But…”
Agnes knew all that. King Nathan wasn’t the type of person to impose any responsibilities on her. She wasn’t an official member of the royal family of that country. So, she had no rights, and thus no obligations there.
“If you want to be useful as a member of OUR royal family, then you can lend me some of your power and help me defend the hole in the wall with my dragon power,” Claude suggested.
“My power?”
Agnes looked up at Claude, wondering what he meant, when his lips suddenly touched hers. He moved so swiftly, so naturally, that it took Agnes a second to realize what had just happened.
“If you care so much about it, Agnes, then I’ll gladly accept all the power you have to give,” he said suavely.
By power, did he mean…that kiss?
Claude really was impossible. She shook her head quickly, embarrassed and frustrated.
“I-I think that’s enough for now!”
Agnes held her hand over Claude’s mouth to block him from further kisses, and he smiled a little sadly.
“I just want you to stay where it’s safe, Agnes…please.”
“…Okay.”
Claude cared for Agnes and wanted to protect her. She was happy about that, truly. Still, was it really okay for her to be so indulged?
A line of brown-capped Shiitake popped up on Claude’s arm, their entrance reverberating within the carriage. Claude looked out the window while plucking the new arrivals, and the carriage stopped at almost the same time.
“Ah, it looks like we’ve arrived.”
Agnes took Claude’s hand and stepped down from the carriage to find herself in a flower meadow. He’d brought her to a flower meadow before, but those ones were grown for sale. The flowers here were wildflowers. So many colors and types, all swaying happily in the green grass. No doubt, the flowers meant for sale were beautiful, with larger petals and more vivid colors. The beauty of these wildflowers, however, growing free, was beyond compare.
There were so many different types of flowers blooming, the scent changed every time the wind did; all the smells were so enjoyable to Agnes’s nose.
Ciel leapt down from the carriage after Agnes, stretching and narrowing his blue eyes in pleasure.
“This is amazing… It’s so beautiful,” Agnes gasped in admiration, and then there came a loud pop.
On Maurice’s arm sprouted a mushroom that had pale reddish-brown petal-like fronds, and a mushroom with a pale gray cap and indigo frills. At the same time, matching mushrooms were also growing on Claude’s arms.
“A Sparassis crispa and a Lactarius indigo! They are as beautiful as any flower garden!” Claude effused.