I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 32: Canbina Coast (2)

With a slightly sour taste in my mouth, the carriage set off for the coast of Canbina.

I didn’t say a word to Alex until sometime after the carriage had departed.

Alex seemed to look at me, choosing his words, and then, with difficulty, he opened his mouth and began to apologize to me.

“I’m sorry, Ariana. I tried to disappear without saying anything.”

“…….”

I’m just taking it out on Alex because I can’t control my emotions.

Still, Alex’s behavior today was a little hard to overlook.

I don’t know about anyone else, but the idea of leaving me behind and heading off to the coast of Canbina alone to deal with the demons is a pretty big ego bruise for me.

“Ariana, the reason I left without telling you is because I didn’t want you to get hurt.

The latest reports coming in from the Canbina coast are that there’s been some damage done by some unidentified creature, and the last thing I need is for you to be in danger.”

“I mean, I don’t like the fact that you even thought of it.”

“…You don’t like it?”

Alex repeated, as if he didn’t really understand why, so I explained to him why I was offended.

“You left me behind because you were afraid I’d be in danger. You thought I might end up losing to a demon or something, and you thought that taking me along would only get me in trouble, so you tried to sneak away without me realizing it, right?”

I’ve shown you dozens of tricks, and I can’t believe you still doubt my abilities.

Even though I’m a wreck after three spells a day, I’m pretty sure there’s no one else who can handle the firepower I’m capable of when used at the right time.

To be honest, it was a bit of a blow to my ego.

“…Was that what made you angry?”

“No, I wasn’t angry, I just didn’t understand.”

“And not because I left the hospital without telling you, or because I disappeared without telling you I was going somewhere dangerous?”

“Not that that didn’t have an impact, but I still didn’t like the fact that you didn’t even consider the option of using my magic….And I’m not mad at you.”

Alex smiled bitterly at my attitude, and then finally gave me an answer I could understand.

“…Okay, well, from now on, no matter where I go or what I do, I’ll make sure Ariana is my first priority.”

“Of course you will.”

With my emotions released, the carriage that Alex and I were riding in, was heading further and further south.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set on that first day as we rode the carriage to the south of the kingdom.

I’m reminded of how big the kingdom is, and if I’d known traveling would be so tiring, I might have made the kingdom map a little smaller during development.

Traveling is a process that’s obviously omitted from the game, but it’s an experience that leaves a lasting impression.

The vibration in the carriage as we got farther and farther away from the capital city was unbearable, especially compared to riding around a city with well-maintained roads.

Plus, we still had two more days to go before we reached our destination, so tomorrow we’d have to brace ourselves for even more rough roads to keep from collapsing.

Unless I changed the fundamental structure of the carriage, I’d be battling motion sickness for years to come.

With that thought in mind, I walked into the inn for the night, and it wasn’t long before I was joined by another unexpected traveler.

“Elise, how did you find your way here?”

“Ms. Arianna, next time you leave without telling me, I’d like to ask you to at least write down where you’re going.”

Elise unfolded the note I’d left for her and asked me to be careful in the future.

It was a letter telling her not to worry because I was going to be with Alex for the rest of the summer vacation, but wasn’t that all the information she needed?

I can’t believe she’s still so overprotective; she still thinks of me like a plant in a greenhouse.

I didn’t even write down where I was headed, so I’m not sure how she caught up.

“I’m glad I took up horseback riding for times like this.”

I don’t know if horseback riding is a necessary skill for a duke’s handmaiden, but I’m a little confused by the idea of learning it for times like this.

If anyone were to hear her, they’d think I was a woman who bounces from place to place unexpectedly.

“Oh, Elise is here, so I guess I need to rent another room.”

As it was, we had rented one double room and one single room, but if Elise was joining us, we would need to rent another single room.

“We could just add one more single room, right?”

“No. Why don’t we cancel the single room and rent two double rooms? I think it would be more comfortable for Elise to host Ariana.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Well, if Ariana and Elise stay separately in two single rooms, it’s going to take time to get you ready in the morning, so it’s best to leave as early as possible.”

“What? Even if we cancel the single room and rent two double rooms, isn’t that still the same as me and Elise staying separately?”

“What do you mean by that, Ariana?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand.”

“I’m sorry, but could you explain it to me one more time?”

None of the three seemed to understand my obvious question, so I quickly explained to the others what I had in mind for the headcount distribution.

“I’m just saying that since it’s already been established that Alex and I will be sharing a double room, shouldn’t Elise and Dale each have their own single room?

Even if they know how to behave, we can’t just put two people who aren’t related in the same room for the sake of convenience, and they’ll be forced to look at each other when they wash up or change clothes.”

I heard the obvious logic and explained it to the others, only to be met with confused looks from the other three.

“You haven’t even made it official yet, Ariana. I realize that you’re the only one Alex has any interest in, but I’d ask that you keep your distance for now.”

“Are you suggesting you’re going to bed with Prince Alexandros? No way. Never.”

“Is that what you’ve been thinking since you rented the room in the first place? Arianna, I appreciate your faith in me, but I don’t think it’s time for that yet.”

“What kind of weird misunderstanding are you all having?”

I told them the obvious story of my fiancé and I sharing a room, which ended up with no one understanding my logic.

In the end, we ended up renting two double rooms, with Alex and Dale in one and me and Elise in the other.

And the next day, after a morning of motion sickness and a carriage ride through the warp gate and into the evening.

“De, we’ve finally arrived….”

We finally made it to our final destination, the shores of Canbina.

Canbina Coast, one of the locations created for the summer event of the Academy of Light Romance.

There were several regular events in the Academy of Light Romance every quarter, and the typical event during the summer vacation of the third year is this vacation at the Canbina Coast.

If you enter the Prince Alexandros route or the Prince Aemon route, you’ll have the option to experience this event in the summer of your third year, and the plot goes something like this.

A royal villa exists on the coast of Canbina, and it’s a facility that royalty often uses to vacation in the summer.

The default setting is that any royal can use it, as long as they ask. If you’re doing either the Prince Alexandros route or the Prince Eamon route properly, your third year summer vacation events will almost certainly include a vacation on the Canbina Coast.

After all, we’re talking about nearly two years after their first meeting, so it’s not out of the question to include an event that involves a trip of some sort.

Of course, it’s not just an event that ends in a date, and of course there are devices to showcase the protagonist’s abilities.

It’s not uncommon to have the protagonist defeat a horde of overgrown demons on the beach with his or her powers, and to end with some natural physical contact with the target in a crisis, but….

I’m not going to be able to go on a leisurely beach date like I did in the game.