The day after the conversation with Mother and Father we headed towards the royal palace.
Father seemed fired up saying ‘Today for sure’.
Mother had been firing herself up with fighting spirit since the early morning.
Mother mine .. that was just your daily practise routine, wasn’t it? It wasn’t specifically for today, was it?
We swiftly arrived at the palace.
Father had contacted the King yesterday it seemed, so we were immediately granted an audience.
Nh?
Why, I wonder.
I could feel one extremely strong stare on me.
As I was inadvertently making sure of what the origin of that gaze was ..
Nyo!
I-I almost let out a strange voice.
Not having let out that voice, well done Me!
The gaze was .. that is, probably, Leon-sama.
I’m sure the person himself has every intention to be hiding.
He’s pretty far from here, but my eyes are good.
He’s peeking over here from a room on the second floor while trying to hide his figure.
But he was a lot more emaciated than when he declared his breaking off our engagement just the other day.
This place is quite a bit apart so I can’t be confident about it, but he looks sort of happy seeing me.
Why would he be happy about seeing someone he broke off an engagement with?
As usual, I didn’t really understand him.
For now let’s pretent not to have seen anything.
He was trying to hide so he himself probably didn’t want to be noticed, either.
Ignoring the matter I entered the inner parts of the palace.
Father, Mother and me directly made our way to the room the King and Queen were at.
“Ririina! Is it true that you have been attacked on your way back to your territory? Are you alright? Were you injured anywhere?”
The moment we entered the room Rachel-sama walked over to me and inquired with a worrying face.
“Rachel-sama, thank you very much for worrying about me. I haven’t received any injuries anywhere. We also captured all the enemies so there was no problem.”
I thus answered in order to remove her worries.
Thereupon, as if she now had the piece of mind to do so, she looked around and noticed my Mother.
“Maa, it’s been a while, Liesa. You look well, I’m glad. I really do apologize for the trouble our idiot has caused you this time around.”
“Rachel-sama, it has been a while. So far, well, things have been manageable in a way, but as for this time’s cancellation of the engagement, that really won’t do at all.”
“You haven’t changed at all, have you, Liesa. Also, it’s only us here so please just call me Rachel like you used to. Having sama added by you makes me feel embara.s.sed.”
It appears that Mother and Rachel-sama have known each other ever since the past.
Well, I only just learned of that though.
Listening to their conversation it seems they had been close with each other.
“King, as always Prince Leon hasn’t said anything about this time’s incident, is that right?”
As if to reconfirm that Father asked the King.
“Aah, Leon hasn’t said anything. Just, possibly because Ririinjou hasn’t come to the castle in these past few days .. It would appear he has been running all around the castle asking the employees whether they haven’t seen her? We haven’t told him, after all, that she had returned to your territory. Though too late he must have been panicking since he couldn’t see her after she had been visiting the castle for the Queen training most every day so far. Really, just what is he doing. Maa, he is doing his job properly apart from that for what it’s worth.”
Prince Leon .. just what are you doing?
Having the engagement cancelled one wouldn’t normally come to the castle anymore, isn’t that clear.
Listening to the King Mother said with a smile.
“We don’t have the leisure to waste time on such a matter forever. Now, please call Prince Leon here! Let’s have him clearly declare it right here.”
As expected of her.
To round things up by calling the source of a problem that no one else could solve.
Whether he had prepared himself for the worst because of Mother’s words, the King send out someone to call for Leon-sama.
A few minutes later the person that was supposed to call him returned.
But how come he hadn’t brought Prince Leon back with him?
“Your Majesty, saying that he wants to talk with Ririinsama with just the two of them Leon-sama wouldn’t let me bring him here. I must truly apologize.”
With just the two of us?
Hm? Can we even build an actual conversation like that~
I don’t particularily mind meeting him, but the pattern so far had been either him not saying anything at all or one-sidedly speaking rapidly about completely unrelated things, one of the two.
“That child, really, no matter how much he they are parent and child to ignore the direct order of this nation’s King, he’s got some good nerve ..”
Rachel-sama, please stop making those dangerous noises with the folding fan you’re holding in your hand.
The King is shivering for some reason, you know.
I suppose I shall try my best here.
“Ano, I will go talk with Leon-sama one more time. It’s possible that he is worried about how to go about introducing his new fiancee to you, after all. Father, Mother, I will go try my best.”
Hearing my words, for some reason everyone put on some difficult expressions.
Are? Did I say something that strange?
Among that Rachel-sama called out to me.
“Ririina, I do think there won’t be anything happening but all the same .. if, just if. If Leon tries to do anything strange feel free to do him in without any questions asked. You will absolutely not be punished for whatever you do. It wouldn’t be unimaginable that that child has gotten strange in the head from Ririindeficiency, you see ..”
Eh?
Strange things would be what things?
This is complicated~
In any case, violent methods have been banned for today.
Let’s talk things out.
And thus it was decided that I would be talking with Leon-sama about the breaking off the engagement one more time.
Translator’s notes
レイチェル様 : Reicheru-sama -> Rachel, I guess. She’s the queen by the way.
リリーナ嬢 : じょう Miss, unmarried woman; I did consider translating it as Miss Ririina since that’s a perfectly fine translation meaning wise, but I decided to keep it in line with the way I append -sama for now. I may change my mind about it, haven’t really committed to either yet. As of now, this suffix isn’t used all too often, so meh.
So, is Leon actually a capable Prince aside from the whole not-gonntalk-to-my-fiancee-that-I-love-so-much issue? Who would have thought.