Chapter 18: Under the Lilacs
It has been two years since I made a knight’s vow to William-sama, and I and William-sama have become 14 years old.
I’ve grown taller and seem to have become close to the average male height, and thanks to daily morning training, there is little fat and the feminine curves have been reduced. It is difficult to say whether there is a gender difference in the skeleton, but so far no one has pointed it out thanks to the crisp silhouette of the knight’s uniform.
When I was at the puberty stage, I was nervous about my voice breaking, but when I opened the lid, my voice was just a little lower for a woman and higher for a man.
For now, the changes during puberty have passed as I live as a man. [This has greatly reduced the possibility of being recognized as a different gender from my physique and voice] I comforted myself as I patted my chest.
On the other hand, William-sama’s frequency of going out has increased, and as a result, his asthma attacks have gradually decreased, and now they hardly occur at all.
Furthermore, he has increased his outdoor activities, such as riding horses and wielding swords.
The ones who were agitated by this were the household staff.
As William-sama, whom I had been neglecting, became healthier day by day, they panicked, thinking, “Maybe he will become the heir after all”, and began to approach William-sama in a hurry. They are completely cash.
Even to the household staff, William-sama forgives them with a smile, so he is truly a magnanimous person.
I think it would be alright to get rid of the people who come to him, but when William-sama says to me, “They also have a life, so it can’t be helped. Leah, don’t be angry and forgive them,” I can’t help but forgive them. “I am grateful for my lord’s depth of character” is what I think when I look at the household staff these days.
Bright purple lilacs are swaying in the gentle breeze of early summer.
“Ah… what a peaceful jolly…”
Finlay, the Crown Prince, lies on the grass, looking up at the sky listlessly, in contrast to his words.
William-sama looks at the Crown Prince with a worried face.
“Finn, are you alright? … No, of course not. You must be tired.”
William-sama takes care of the Crown Prince kindly.
“Ah… it’s such a hassle… just going to Will’s place, I have to bring a bunch of escorts with me. It’s really annoying to have to go through procedures everywhere I go.”
The Crown Prince mutters grumpily.
“A~ah… it’s such a hassle…”
Recently, it seems that there are people trying to stage a coup against the Martinez royal family, and the palace has been thrown into chaos.
In particular, the security of His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia has been strengthened, and it is a hassle to walk within the palace, and when going out, dozens of escorts follow suit.
The Crown Prince, who likes to walk around freely, is already in a grumpy state.
Currently, there is a line of escorts with the Crown Prince a little distance away from the gardens of the Moore Duke’s mansion.
“Sofia is crying… “Why can’t Sofia go out and play with her Oniisama? What’s going on?” … I want to play with Sofia too! But it’s no use, I’m told that it’s not good for a royal to gather and act outside, where it’s easier to be attacked! Ahh~ Sofia~!!”
The Crown Prince rolls around on the grass left and right.
William-sama, who was looking at him pitifully, suddenly asked a question as if he had just realized it.
“Why did you come to see me through all those troublesome procedures? Is there a reason?”
Finlay, the Crown Prince, who had suddenly stood up, yelled with vigor.
“I wanted to talk to you, my friend, because I was feeling depressed! You should understand that much!”
“Huh.”
William-sama was surprised and widened his eyes.
Facing William-sama with a look of shock, Finlay froze on the spot.
“… huh…?”
Silence descended around the two of them as they looked at each other.
A pale yellow butterfly fluttered past between them.
“… I’ll ask just in case.”
The Crown Prince remained expressionless as he opened his mouth.
“What do you think is the reason for me coming to see you…?”
Upon being asked this, William-sama tilted his head and replied,
“As the Crown Prince, to deepen your friendship with me, the son of the Moore Duke’s house…”
The Crown Prince remained expressionless for a while and did not move from the spot.
“Finn…? What’s wrong?”
As soon as William-sama called out to him, he collapsed to the ground and lay down in the shape of a large letter “D”.
“Woooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!”
At the sudden scream of the Crown Prince, the escorts with the Crown Prince at the end of the garden rushed over in a frenzy.
However,
“I thought we were close enough that I would come to see you even in a situation where my life was in danger… but I was mistaken for a business friend… Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
The Crown Prince stopped in his tracks and looked at each other with the escorts at the cry of the Crown Prince.
“Even though I thought we were close enough that I would come to see you in a situation where my life was in danger… to think that I was considered a business friend by my close friend… Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!”
The Crown Prince, His Royal Highness, sobbed loudly with his magnificent face all smeared.
William-sama looked at him in surprise, but eventually offered him a handkerchief, looking flustered.
“Finn, sorry… wipe your tears…”
Finlay, the Crown Prince, pushed away the handkerchief offered to him and glared at William-sama.
“Shut up… you must have always thought of me as a reception partner… idiot Will… Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!”
In front of the Crown Prince who sheds tears and says that, William-sama retorted, “That’s not it!”
“I thought Finn came here as the Crown Prince’s role, but I don’t think it’s good enough for me to always look forward to spending time with you… um, that is to say…”
William-sama speaks while gazing around awkwardly.
“I also think Finn is an important friend to me…!”
William-sama, with a determined look, closed his eyes and said so, and the Crown Prince’s tear glands, which were thought to be no more, collapsed even further.
“Waaahhhh!! My fwreeend!!”
As soon as the Crown Prince shouted, he hugged William-sama.
William-sama, hugged, had his eyes turned black and white, but slowly put his hand on the Crown Prince’s back.
“Finn, I’m sorry. Let’s talk a lot from now on too.”
The prince nodded repeatedly with a happy smile at William-sama’s words.
In the evening, after the guards who were with the prince dragged prince Finlay away, saying, “I still want to talk to Will!”, and William-sama said,
“Leah, I had someone who thought of me as a friend too.”
The angelic smile that floated on his face is a secret known only to me.
