Your Regrets Are Late

Lili went out carrying the sleeping Charteron and ran into Marin, who was waiting outside.

“Oh my, Viscount Luche.”

“Long time no see, Martin.”

Viscount Luche. Externally, Lili’s human form referred to Arensis’s aide.  Of course, Martin didn’t know he was a cat. In the first place, Arensis only informed Luensir and Charteron.

When Martin saw that Charteron, held by Lili, was sleeping, she motioned for him to hand her over.

“It’s okay. I’m on my way to see His Majesty anyway. Since she took a nap, I think she’ll wake up if I move her even a little,” spoke Lili as he patted the back of Charteron, who had turned over once.

Lili saw Martin slightly limping her foot as they walked together and asked. “Are you hurt?”

“Ah, it’s not a big deal. Last time, Her Royal Highness almost fell while running… I fell sideways while hugging her. It’s embarrassing.” Martin’s face instantly turned red, covering her mouth, and smiled slightly.

“Wait a minute.”

“What’s wrong?”

Lili, who stopped walking, pointed to Martin’s foot and recited something. “You’ll be fine now.”

“…That’s amazing. The pain really went away. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Just in case, be sure to show it to the doctor, even if it’s late.”

“Thank you. You know how to use healing magic… You’re amazing.”

“Compared to saving the dead… Well, it’s nothing…”

Pardon? Dead…?”

Lili, who was about to inadvertently bring up Arensis’s matter, paused for a moment. Just like he said to Charteron, he had been making more and more mistakes with his own mouth lately.

“It’s nothing. That was a slip of the tongue. This is all because of master, I mean, Her Majesty. She’s giving me work without a break.”

“

Still, Her Majesty did it because she trusts you.”

“If Your Royal Highnesses trusts me too, I’m afraid only my name would be left.”

“…I’ve known Her Majesty since the days she was still in the duchy, and even after several years, she’s still a tough one. I envy you.”

“Did something happen?”

“Umm… Should I say that she doesn’t keep me close? Your Royal Highnesses are like that too. Even though I have served them since their birth, they still call me Viscountess Rael.”

“It must be hard for you. Charon is energetic… You must be having a hard time because of Her Royal Highness.”

“…It’s okay. Still, when only the two of us were there, Her Majesty and the Royal Princess treated me in the friendliest way possible.”

Martin replied slowly to Lili’s sympathy. It was true that Luensir’s attitude of drawing line was upsetting, but there was also a heartwarming Charteron. So, she just had to work harder.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. How lucky I am to serve them as close as possible. In particular, His Royal Highness looked just like Her Majesty when she was young. They also have the same personality and habits… I’ve been surprised more than once.”

“Like what?”

“Umm… Eating carrots even though they don’t like it, and slightly moving their little fingers when holding a quill pen… Ah, and the star-shaped mole on the top of their right foot is the same. They also keep reading a book until they memorize its contents…”

“I see.”

“More than that, the funniest thing is how His Royal Highness says ‘no’ even though he likes pudding. Pudding isn’t something he readily gives in, even to Her Royal Highness.”

Martin talked about their resemblance without hesitation. Lili could see how much affection she had for the children.

After the death of nanny and predecessor Viscount Rael, she remembered that Charelize was worried that her personality had changed a lot. Fortunately, she brightened and improved a lot while caring for the children.

“What about His Majesty?

“Pardon?”

“Viscount Luche has served His Majesty since he was in the Peschte Empire. What is the similarity of Her Royal Highness with His Majesty?”

“They smile a lot?”

When asked Martin’s question, Lili did not hesitate to give an answer.

“Really…? I can’t imagine. I guess it’s because I’ve never seen His Majesty smile except in front of Her Majesty and Royal Highnesses…”

“He was like that until Madam Arabella passed away. He suffered a lot.”

“…Is that so?” Martin, who had a glimpse of Arensis’s past, answered with a dark look on her face.

Sensing an awkward mood, Lili brought up the incident in which Charteron played the piano with magic. “Ah, he also plays the piano very well. By the way, I heard that Countess Hakan fainted from annoyance because Her Royal Highness used magic to play the piano. Is that true?”

“Did the rumor spread like that? Countess Hakan had a headache while listening, but it’s not true. Her Royal Highness’s performance was perfect.”

At Lili’s words, Martin managed to hold back her laughter in fear that the fast-sleeping Charteron would wake up.

“Is Martin good at playing the piano?”

“Was it when I was ten? At that time, I was just learning the Cernita Symphony, and I remember finding it very difficult.”

“I see.”

“I didn’t want to do it, and it didn’t work out the way I wanted, so I took my anger out on the keyboard. My mother… She personally taught me, and I liked it so much that I continued to learn everything.”

“You seem to have talent, judging by the fact that you could play Cernita Symphony at the age of ten.”

“…I had no talent. At first, I couldn’t play it well enough to even call it noise. I just liked that my mother, who was by Her Majesty’s side every day, focused on me while I played the piano.”

“…”

“And my father, even while working, would get so excited if I played the piano that he would sit next to me and interrupt my playing.”

The atmosphere became awkward in an instant. He could see Martin biting her lips and suppressing her emotions.

“…Here we are, Viscount Luche.”

“Yes.”

“I’m proud to be Her Majesty’s person. Thanks to that, I can serve both of them.”

Martin, whose eyes were red, brought up another topic for no reason.

“I think Her Majesty feels sorry for entrusting the role of nanny to me, who isn’t even married yet… But I feel so proud every time I see the two growing day by day.”

“…”

“Especially when Her Royal Highness acts childishly to me. She’s just like a child. My mother often says she wished her child would grow up just like Her Majesty.”

“Martin, are you happy?”

“Of course, Her Majesty and the twins are my everything.”

“I’m glad.”

“But why all of a sudden… Oh my, Her Royal Highness, are you awake?”

Their conversation ended when Charteron woke up.

Charteron, who yawned loudly, reached out to Martin, asking for a hug.”…Hug me.”

“Ah, yes! Come here.”

Before handing Charteron over to Martin, Lili laughed and quickly whispered something.

“Lili, you…be quiet…”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Martin didn’t know what he whispered about, but Charteron was shocked and glanced at Lili. She warned him to keep his mouth still and be quiet.

“What’s wrong, Her Royal Highness?”

“I-it’s nothing… Martin… I’m sleepy.”

Charteron, rubbing her eyes as if she had never done that before, wrapped her hands around Martin’s neck. She fell asleep again.

When she opened her eyes, she was already in Elac Palace. What caught her half-open eye was Arensis, who was reading a book.

“Your Majesty…Father…?”

“…Charon? Are you up?”

“Umm…”

“Baby, come here. Your hair is a mess.”

Sitting on Arensis’s lap, the gentle touch she received was pleasant, so she stayed calm.

“Th-this!”

“Huh? What’s wrong, baby?”

“How can this… be here?”

“It fell off when I moved you to bed earlier… Is that important?”

She came to her senses as soon as she saw the handkerchief on the desk. She was planning to give it to her father as a birthday present. It was really a plain fabric that hadn’t been decorated yet, but she still felt uneasy. She was planning to give it as a surprise gift without anyone knowing, but she was about to get caught by the person in question.

Taking a deep breath and calming her beating heart, Charteron came down from his lap.

“Are you leaving already?”

“…”

“Let’s have dinner with Dad. Lur will also come here after class.”

Arensis’s sullen face shook her heart for a moment. Still, it would be difficult to manage her expression if she stayed there any longer, so she shook her head.

“The dessert is your favorite strawberry cake and cocoa…”

Arensis threw the last resort to Charteron, who was determined to leave.

“…me.”

“Me?”

“Don’t tease me!”

Charteron, who shouted at Arensis and ran out, came back in and took her handkerchief.

Charteron said she wouldn’t drink cocoa and shouted at him. Lastly, the word ‘don’t tease me’ echoed in Arensis’s head. As Arensis was still in shock, Lili, who was passing by, laughed.

“Don’t tease me, ha, really, I’m going crazy. It’s so funny.”

“…Funny?”

“Yes.”

“Is she hurting somewhere? No, how can she…refuse cocoa? Should I tell Baron Alec? Now that I think about it, I think she has a fever…”

Lili flatly replied to Arensis, who denied reality and worried about Charteron, “Chacha wasn’t exactly in a ban, right? Martin will give her cocoa if she asks for it, right?”

“What?”

“It seems like she doesn’t like to share a meal with someone. Even that glutton refused the strawberry cake. Well… I’ve said everything.”

While knowing the truth from Charteron, Lili, the mischievous and ill-tempered cat, simply enjoyed the current situation. He couldn’t miss the chance to tease Arensis.

“No…way.”

Knowing nothing, Arensis struggled there for a long time because of the shock.

* * *

“

, I almost got caught.”

“What are you doing?”

Charteron ran recklessly, ignoring Martin’s shout to go slowly, saying she would fall. It was only after she arrived at Isla Palace that she caught her breath, but Luensir, who appeared from nowhere, asked.

“You surprised me! Lur, show some presence. I was so shocked that my heart was still beating.”

“I came first. You’re the one who has to show your presence. And people die if their heart doesn’t beat. It’s completely normal.”

“

, yes. You’re right.”

“That. See?”

At the place Luensir pointed out, there were more assignments than usual. It was the result of her skipping the class.

While Charteron was stunned and unable to say anything, Luensir sat on the chair and said, “I heard His Majesty Father wants to have dinner together.”

“…I just got back, so you can join him alone.” Charteron, who was exhausted after seeing a pile of assignments, buried her face in a pillow and spoke quietly.

“Have you eaten yet? I’m not that hungry either… Viscountess Rael.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

“Please tell His Majesty that we will have dinner together tomorrow.”

“I understand.”

Charteron, who saw Martin leaving to deliver the news, put the candy in the basket into her mouth and said, “Lur, why do you always call Martin not by her first name and call her Viscountess Rael?”