ALL NOVEL “…”
Maybe I was thinking too much.
A princess… well, that’s not a bad deal.
I might have overthought it too much.
After all, she is a princess, right?
One of the most successful women in the empire.
To be exact, she has the emperor as her husband, but he’ll probably kick the bucket in a few decades, so let’s just gloss over that.
Anyway, the most successful lady.
In a way, wouldn’t she be the best match for Kyle?
“Of course, it doesn’t sit well with me.”
She’s at least pretty, and she’s loaded.
“Maybe I really was just thinking too negatively….”
After work, I found myself alone in my room, staring up at the ceiling, realizing that I must’ve been overthinking things.
The princess hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did I think that way?
Anyway, it seemed like Kyle was somewhat interested too.
Maybe I didn’t need to say anything.
“He’ll probably handle it well….”
Kyle is an adult.
I have no reason to say anything, and he’s old enough to manage on his own.
“He’ll do fine….”
He will. Probably.
*
The next day, Kyle and the princess were inseparable.
Not literally attached at the hip, but they sure weren’t far apart.
“This is tea brewed from tea leaves grown in Eristirol. Not bad at all.”
“Is that so? I’m grateful for your kind words.”
“Uh-huh….”
After finishing lunch, they took a stroll around, then settled down for tea time.
Looking at them, I had to admit they were quite the picture.
Anyone who saw them would probably agree that they looked good together.
The princess in her beautiful dress and Kyle dressed only in a shirt made for a nice pairing.
No words came to mind other than “they look good together.”
“Sophia?”
“Uh, yes.”
Suddenly, Kyle called my name, making me flinch a little.
It had been ten minutes into tea time, and he hadn’t said a word until now.
“Could you pour some more tea into the princess’s cup?”
“…Yes.”
At Kyle’s request, I poured tea into the princess’s cup.
The princess bowed slightly in gratitude as I filled her cup.
She was beautiful.
“…”
I bowed my head and stepped back.
Watching Kyle and the princess, I felt that something was off.
Kyle seemed different from before.
I thought long and hard about what exactly was different about him.
What was different, why, how?
“…Ah.”
It was a sound so tiny that it couldn’t be heard by either of them.
But more importantly, I realized what was different about Kyle.
There had been quite a few women around Kyle.
Catherine from the Oldenburg Family, Lily from the White Family, and Karin from the Belph Family.
There were also Louise and Elin.
All of them had spent a significant period close to Kyle.
Though I hadn’t met Karin since the party, it still counted.
In any case, there had been many women around Kyle, but he hadn’t gotten close to them.
Even though he had known Louise and Elin for years, there was no physical contact or the kind of light-hearted conversation happening like right now.
He mostly seemed to keep a wall up with women, you could say?
That feeling was quite strong.
“Princess, you seem more reliable than I expected.”
“Haha! Did you think I was a complete fool?!”
“Apologies.”
“Well, as long as I’m enjoying the situation, let’s just pretend I didn’t hear that.”
But the current Kyle was acting differently than he had with the other women.
That wall?
Forget it.
He was casually chatting away.
“…”
“Hahaha!!!”
“Don’t laugh too much. It makes you look weak.”
“Ugh… but it’s hard not to laugh when it’s all so obvious!”
“Try to hold back.”
“…”
They were having a hilariously fun time over tea.
As the servant, I stood by watching the two enjoy their conversation, just like always.
“Young Master, are you enjoying your time with the princess?”
That night, after dinner, I visited Kyle’s room.
Usually, this would be the time I’d lie alone in my own room, but not today.
I had something to tell Kyle.
“Um… I’d say it’s enjoyable. She’s a lot better than I expected.”
“Is that… so?”
If Kyle thinks that, then she must really be a good person.
Kyle doesn’t have terrible judgment, so that must be true.
“Young Master, do you perhaps have feelings for the princess?”
If Kyle had feelings for the princess…
I’d probably support and help him.
But he did say before that he liked someone…?
I don’t know.
Well, he could like the princess now.
“Yes?”
“It’s perfectly fine if you have feelings for the princess. I’d do whatever I can to help….”
“I don’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said I don’t. I’m just trying to get closer to a really good person.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Is that…really the case?
I’m not so sure.
“Were you worried that I might end up in a relationship with the princess?”
“Excuse me?”
Me?
Worry about that?
Not a chance.
I couldn’t care less whether Kyle dated the princess or not.
Rather, if they did end up together…
“Don’t worry. There’s no chance I’ll end up in that kind of relationship with the princess.”
“…”
Kyle looked me straight in the eye as he spoke.
For some reason, I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“But what if you and the princess….”
“I’m serious.”
“…Yes.”
Kyle reaffirmed once more.
If Kyle says so, then maybe that’s truly the case, but I also wondered if he was just embarrassed and hiding something.
“By the way, did you come here at night just to ask me that?”
“Yes.”
Kyle for some reason covered his mouth.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just felt suddenly happy.”
Happy?
What’s there to be happy about when we’re just sitting here in the room?
The only ones in the room were Kyle and me.
Maybe he was looking forward to spending time with the princess tomorrow?
“Sophia.”
“Yes.”
Kyle called for me.
He seemed happy.
Tomorrow, he’ll be with the princess again.
“Do you want to go out with me tomorrow?”
“Excuse me?”
“We had a promise to go on a date together.”
“….”
I’d never actually used the word “date,” but we did make a promise.
It didn’t happen because of someone with blonde hair and purple eyes, though.
“So, do you want to go on a date tomorrow?”
“But the princess….”
“It’s fine. Sophia is more important than the princess.”
-Thump…
Something felt off.
It was hard to describe, but something definitely felt off.
“Last time you wore such a pretty dress; it’d be a waste if you didn’t go out. So let’s go together.”
Kyle stood up from his bed.
I was slightly startled by his sudden movement but didn’t show it.
“Are you saying you don’t want to spend time with me?”
“N-No, that’s not it.”
Kyle suddenly took my hands.
They were warm.
“Then, it wouldn’t be a problem to go on a date with me, right?”
“…Yes.”
“I take it you’ll join me?”
“Yes.”
I accepted almost reflexively.
No, it’s not that I particularly wanted to go on a date with Kyle; it was just that I felt uncomfortable because the promise we made last time had fallen through.
It was annoying that the plan got derailed right before we were supposed to leave.
That was all.
“Then let’s meet up tomorrow morning like last time. Or would you like to sleep over like last time?”
“…I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
I said that and left Kyle’s room, walking back to mine.
-Thump thump….
Something felt really weird.
It was tough to explain exactly what it was, but… something was weird.
“Date….”
No, rather than a date, it’s more like a plan for just the two of us to go out.
Kyle said he had someone he liked, after all.
Yeah, it’s just a promise.
We’ll look around the territory, stroll down the streets, enjoy a meal, see scenic spots, and just have some fun together.
So why do I feel so strange about it?
Am I having arrhythmia or something?
I don’t usually eat badly or anything…
-Thump thump.
For some reason, my heart keeps racing.
It didn’t feel right since it was beating too fast compared to normal.
“Why am I feeling this way?”
I genuinely have no idea.
*
“So, you’re saying you’re going on a date today?!”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I was having a light tea time and conversation with the princess in the morning.
There was still time until my date with Sophia, and since I told her to take it easy until then, there was no problem.
“Wow~ The duke’s son is growing up like this! I’m so proud, my heart feels full!”
“Haha….”
“Just a while ago, you couldn’t evoke any feelings from the women you’d known for years!”
“….”
“Finally!”
I had nothing to say, but I didn’t feel bad about it.
If I were to express my feelings now, I’d say I felt good.
“By the way, that maid Sophia is really cute.”
“Right?”
“Yeah, I caught a glimpse of her yesterday, and her expressions were all over the place. Her lips were slightly pouty.”
“That part is what makes her nice.”
She might think she’s hiding it, but it’s cute how clear it is.
I was surprised yesterday, but her trying to act unshocked was just adorable.
When I was younger, I thought highly of her, but the more I got to know her, the cuter she became.
“Seriously, I think I’m starting to understand why popular women are popular.”
”Isn’t the princess also quite popular?”
“That’s because she’s a princess. If she didn’t have the title, wouldn’t she be less popular than that maid Sophia? That maid looks like she has her fair share of popularity with the ladies too.”
The princess seemed to be smarter than I had thought.
How did she know all that?