Fourth Arc: Eighth Chapter

"Assassination... you mean something that dangerous could happen again?"

Looking at my clenched hand, what raced through my head was the feel of touching Michael's back that night. The slippery, bright-red color of blood.

Could something like that happen again? To such a small, lovely princess.

Maybe it isn't rare in this world. But to me, who can't shake the sense of a modern Japanese person, it's unthinkable. Just then, something warm wrapped around my trembling hand.

"Cosette, please calm down."

"It's all right. Calm down, Cosette."

Watching me with concern were the familiar faces of my childhood friends. As I looked into their eyes, the terrible image faded, and I felt my heartbeat, quickened without my noticing, settle down.

"I frightened you... I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's fine, I'm all right now. Maybe because shocking things kept happening, I've turned quite the coward."

"Yeah, it's been a busy stretch lately."

Saying so, Georg arched his back in a big stretch.

"In any case, it's good that King Michael has fully recovered."

"Yeah. Still, he pushes himself, fresh off a sickbed like that. Seems he's barely slept since he got back to the castle."

"What did you say?!"

Shocked by Georg's words, tossed off like small talk, I put both hands on his shoulders and pressed in despite myself.

"H-hey, calm down. Th-that hurts! When did you get this strong!"

"Don't underestimate the strength of a housewife trained by housework! Never mind that! He was so gravely ill, and he isn't resting properly? What is the meaning of this!"

"No idea, don't ask me."

"It's to protect you, Cosette."

"Huh..."

The voice that came out of nowhere was a familiar, well-loved one. Turning, I found Crown Prince Leonhardt standing there, wearing a slightly tired look.

---

"To protect me, you say..."

Wetting my lips with the freshly brewed tea, I fearfully threw out the question. The prince, raising the corner of his mouth as if enjoying the aroma, was lovely as ever. But he somehow seemed out of sorts, and I couldn't help flinching. I'm not a husband caught coming home at dawn by his wife, so it's odd to fret this much, but somehow it's uncomfortable.

"I mean it exactly as I said. To keep the Lumelica nobles, who mean to descend on you in a horde, from getting near you, I've been rushing about, busy."

"Getting near me... what is there to gain by doing that?"

At me tilting my head, blank, the prince sighed, there's no help for it. Ugh... a beauty's cold expression is scary precisely because it's beautiful.

"It means they're weighing Cosette as the next queen consort. Until now, the move to write it off as the King's whim was strong. But this latest incident changed even the conservative nobles' view."

"Because of this incident? But I didn't do anything..."

No matter how many times I look back, I was no real help. If anything, I got captured and caused nothing but trouble. As I lowered my brows, at a loss, the prince shrugged.

"Whatever the truth of it, you are now the maiden who saved the nation by curing the King's illness. There's no loss in currying favor with you."

"But in this incident it was really Anje's doing that mattered... ah, come to think of it, what happened to Anje?! Oh no, I've been all about myself and completely...!"

Even if I was so worn out yesterday I couldn't think about anything...! Because the royal castle bed was incredibly fluffy, and there was a cute body pillow. I slept so deeply. And even after waking this morning I was absorbed in Lady Gabriella. Ahh, me, oh me...

As I sank into a heavy self-loathing, I heard a snort of laughter and hurriedly looked up.

"Kh... f-fufu..."

"...Your Highness?"

"Cosette, your inner voice is leaking out."

"Whaaat?!"

Munching a scone, Georg put in the retort with an exasperated look.

"Heh heh... don't worry, Lady Anje is fine."

"Really?! Th-thank goodness..."

"Yes. But the King's benefactor or not, we can't let someone with a criminal record into the royal palace. She's surely resting easy at the inn with Lady Julia by now."

"I-I see... thank goodness."

As I breathed a sigh of relief, I noticed I was seeing the prince's laughing face for the first time in a while.

"...You laughed."

"Huh?"

"You'd been scowling all this time. I finally got to see you laugh."

"Wha..."

As the prince went wide-eyed in surprise, Georg spoke up.

"You'd been scowling the whole time, yeah. The prince should just be honest too."

"Georg!"

At Georg's words, the prince reddened for some reason, but with one cough he turned to face me. At his far too serious expression, I found myself bracing, and a strange tension set my heart pounding hard.

"It's been a while, but I'm relieved you look well. As I thought, when Cosette... no, all of you too, when everyone's away, I feel lonely."

"Y-yes, that's true. I feel lonely too, when Your Highness isn't... ah, no... um."

It must be lonely without Georg and Remias, who could be called his future close aides, at his side. But he'd been thinking of me too. Maybe it's ordinary, since we're childhood friends who are always together. But I felt a warmth spread quietly through my heart.

"Did Cosette feel lonely too...?"

The prince, peering into my face, had his eyes wavering with unease for some reason.

"Of course I did...! Because Your Highness is my...!"

"My...?"

Having said that much, I suddenly noticed the situation around me. Yes. The two remaining childhood friends, watching us with warm, knowing eyes.

Coming back to myself, a fierce embarrassment came crashing over me. In front of everyone like this, what was I about to blurt out!

Out of sheer embarrassment, I stood as if kicking my chair over and struck a triumphant pose.

"How could I ever forget?! Because Your Highness is my boss! Now if you'll excuse me, boss!"

Shouting it, I dashed from the inner garden at the fastest walk of my life.

"Boss..."

"So that's the road she took."

"Not wrong, though. Yeah."

"Boss..."

"Your Highness, take heart."

"Remias... 'boss,' she says..."

In the inner garden where the three childhood friends were left, Remias, somehow holding back his laughter, patted the shoulder of a deeply crestfallen Leonhardt to comfort him.