The next day. I didn’t get to start the lovey-dovey date with Patrick.
For the second time in a row, I’m facing unexpected visitors.
“My apologies for the sudden visit. I should have announced my arrival… but I thought you might leave immediately after handling your business…”
“No, you’re absolutely right. His Royal Highness the Second Prince lacks common sense.”
“My apologies. I only found out yesterday when you showed up at the palace.”
“…I suppose it’s not bad to drop by unexpectedly. Quite innovative, Your Highness. As expected.”
Prince Edwin arrived. Patrick and I are handling him. The moment Eleanora learned the prince had come, she hid. She seems concerned about the situation, as she’s right outside the reception room. Ah, I hear the sound of her ear pressed against the door.
The prince, whom I hadn’t seen in ages and with whom I have a history, seems oblivious to Eleanora’s presence, tilting his head over something trivial.
“As expected…?”
“Don’t worry about it. But what brings you here?”
“Well, I have nothing specific to discuss… I just wanted to see both Miss Yumiela and Patrick since I haven’t seen either of you in a while.”
What is it with this guy? We’re not that close, are we?
In my heart, I’d still call him the foolish prince. What a waste!
Now that you’ve seen my face, you can go home. Just as I was about to say that, Patrick spoke up.
“Is it just me and Yumiela?”
“…I can’t win. Patrick sees right through me.”
“I was closest to His Highness among the male students at the academy.”
“I’m glad I met Patrick at the academy too. Who knows what would’ve happened if Patrick hadn’t been there.”
Somehow, these two guys click. I feel like I’m getting in the way, so I’ll leave you young folks to your leisure…
I’ll sneak a listen with Eleanora while they relax. I quietly stand up, and Patrick says,
“Are you going to call her?”
“Huh?”
“You were getting up to fetch Miss Eleanora, weren’t you?”
“…Yes. I’ll go get her.”
Ah, Eleanora. It’s true—Prince Edwin and Eleanora haven’t seen each other since the Duke Hillrose incident. Even if their love was one-sided, they’ve known each other for a long time. It makes sense that he’d be concerned about her now that she’s no longer nobility.
I got up for another reason, but I’ll fetch Eleanora anyway.
However, she had said something about how someone like herself, who isn’t nobility, shouldn’t marry the prince. It wasn’t elaborated on much.
Seeing someone you love but can never be with… That’s probably why she hid.
If she shows any sign of reluctance, I’ll say she’s not receiving visitors. With that thought, I step out of the reception room.
I twist the doorknob, wait until Eleanora, who’s pressed her ear against the other side, moves away, then open the door slightly.
After sliding through the narrow gap into the hallway, I cover Eleanora’s mouth.
“Mmmph!”
“If I return immediately, they’ll know you were nearby. Let’s wait a little while.”
Whispering this in her ear, we walk to a spot far enough away that the prince can’t overhear our conversation.
Is this area okay? Then I whispered cautiously.
“Did you hear? His Highness seems to have come out of concern for Eleanora-sama. He likely doesn’t know the Duke is still alive—”
“I shall not meet with Edwin-sama. Just tell him I’m well.”
Eleanora looked me straight in the eye and nodded. Her resolve was firm.
I suppose a quick meeting for a brief greeting might be fine… but I’m not entirely sure what feelings she currently harbors toward the prince. If complicated maiden’s emotions come into play, that’s beyond my jurisdiction.
“Are you sure? It’s His Highness Edwin. If you’ve lost interest, that’s perfectly fine.”
“…My feelings for Edwin-sama remain unchanged.”
Then why? Before I could ask, Eleanora continued with unwavering resolve.
“Both my father and I are under Yumiela’s protection. Though the truth is different, I’m still the daughter of a rebel. His Royal Highness Edwin, who seeks to fulfill his royal duties, must not meet with me.”
There stood a noble young lady of high moral character. She was the wise and noble one who stepped aside for love—Eleno… no, she was strange.
I frantically rubbed her back.
“Are you okay!? Did you picked up and ate something strange? Come on, spit it out quickly!”
“What!? I haven’t eaten anything strange! Picking up food…? I’m not like Yumiela, you know?”
I didn’t pick up and eat any food either. I didn’t even have the presence of mind to say that.
This is serious. Something is seriously wrong with Eleonora’s mind and body. She might even have a serious illness.
“Is there anywhere you feel unwell?”
“I haven’t hurt myself.”
“What I’m worried about is illness. Healing magic can fix injuries, but it can’t cure illness. Does anything hurt?”
“Injuries hurt, but illness makes you feel miserable… Huh? Wait, some illness do cause pain too. Could it be… that illness and injury are the same thing?”
Oh no! That’s our usual Eleanora! I love her.
For now, I’ll keep an eye on things just to be safe, but I’m excited about this discovery—though I apologize for that. Illness and injury are completely different things.
“They’re entirely separate.”
“Ah! So injury is from the outside, and illness is from within, isn’t it!”
“Well, yes… I suppose that’s correct.”
Injuries are also called external wounds, so that understanding should be fine. There are no exceptions… I think?
It was good that it was Eleanora, whom I knew well, but I kept Prince Edwin waiting.
“Are you sure you really don’t want to meet His Highness Edwin?”
In response to my final confirmation, Eleanora answered, “Yes.”
Despite her appearance, she was stubborn, and persuasion would be difficult with her resolve this firm. There was no reason to force a meeting.
I returned to the room where the prince was waiting.
Seeing me return alone, both Patrick and Prince Edwin looked puzzled.
Now, what should I say? I carefully chose my words to explain.
“Eleanoraaaa!”
In the middle of explaining, I let out a strange shriek.
His Royal Highness the Second Prince’s shoulders jerked up. It must be scary when expressionless me suddenly yells, but I didn’t think he’d be that startled.
On the other hand, Patrick didn’t even twitch an eyebrow—utterly calm.
“Yumiera, don’t eat anything off the floor.”
“I wouldn’t pick up food like that—I’m not Patrick.”
Passing off the title of “food-picker” that Eleanora had pinned on me to Patrick, I quietly took my seat, no longer needing to drown out the sound.
I raised my voice to mask Eleanora’s movement. She’d followed me back here, keeping her distance, and was already back in position with her ear pressed against the door. If she’s so concerned about the prince, she should see him.
But even if it distracts him, what if she thinks I’m the type to eat off the floor?
Patrick, who clearly didn’t think it was a nice assist, urged me to explain.
“What about Eleanora?”
This is the part where I explain the details, but I still haven’t found a good excuse. If I told the real reason, I would ignore her wish not to burden the prince. But saying something like, “She absolutely refuses to meet him,” would create hard feelings.
“Eleanora doesn’t seem to be feeling well.”
“That Eleanora? She’s unwell!?”
I expected the conversation to end with him saying, “Well, that can’t be helped,” but Prince Edwin reacted much more strongly than I had anticipated.
I also remembered being told to inform him that Eleanora was well, which made my statements inconsistent.
“She’s been perfectly fine. Just today she doesn’t seem quite herself.”
“They say changes in living conditions can be taxing, and there’s the matter with Duke Hillrose. We should have her examined by a doctor while we’re in the capital, just in case.”
“Today is the only exception. She’s perfectly fine otherwise.She’s been quite active in the Dolknes territory, more sociable than even I am…”
I didn’t expect him to bite so hard. Perhaps this is just how Prince Edwin is—he worries this much when he hears an acquaintance is ill.
Patrick adds details about Eleanora’s daily life.
Finally convinced there’s no issue with her health, he says calmly.
“It’s a relief to see that she’s well.”
“Are you that concerned?”
“I’ve known Eleanora since we were barely able to walk. She’s never once been ill. Sure, she catches the occasional cold, but she’s back the next day, more energetic than usual. Hearing that such a healthy Eleanora was unwell made me take it a bit seriously.”
I see. Hearing that Eleanora, who never once got sick, was unwell made him worry more than necessary.
I have known Eleanora since we entered the academy, so there’s a difference of over ten years in terms of how long we’ve known each other.
Eleanora, who harbors one-sided affection, and Prince Edwin, who doesn’t even notice her. They’re the only two I’ve ever seen settled into that kind of relationship. Before that, I only heard about their past through Eleanora’s memories.
“When you two were together, Eleanora fell into the fountain and caught a cold, didn’t she?”
“How do you know that?”
“I heard it from her countless times, enough to make me sick of it. She didn’t even have a cold. She pretended to be sick just so you would come visit her. But she got bored waiting after just one day and apparently gave up the next.”
“Is that so? If she’d stayed sick for three days, I would have gone to see her…”
Memories of young Eleanora are etched into my mind, even when I hear them casually. That’s why I naturally blurted out the truth without thinking. Therefore, I humbly request generous punishment from Eleanora, who listens to this.
A mysterious groan, “Mmmph,” could be heard outside the room.
Patrick stepped in to cover for the curious prince, who had looked over.
“It’s the sound of the wind. It seems a window somewhere has been left open.”
No mention was made of the strange sound.
Then Patrick and I took turns talking about Eleanora in the Dolknes territory. He was genuinely worried about her, so I wanted to reassure him as much as possible.
Hearing about the former noble’s tomboyish ways, Prince Edwin seemed to realize his own worries were unnecessary. I never would have imagined back in our academy days that a day would come when I could chat amicably with him.
When the conversation reached a natural pause, he suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I have some news regarding Count Archiam.”
“The Defense Lord? It’s strange to say I’ve already dropped the matter, but I intend to stay out of it from now on.”
“That’s good. Especially if your stance of not interfering with the central government remains unchanged. It’s true the position is largely symbolic; sooner or later, it would have been abolished. As much as I’m concerned about Eleanora, I also wanted to discuss this.”