/
Eventually, Orion, who still hadn’t finished his work, was once again trapped in his study.
If only he did his work in the palace, then he wouldn’t need to go through the cumbersome process of receiving approval through the messenger, and confirming it back.
“So, the land certificate was rejected?”
“If you provoke Orion, I won’t talk to you, sir.”
“Gosh, how scary.”
He grinned.
I turned my head because his overly relaxed attitude annoyed me to no avail.
The sun was rising just in time.
While I was looking at the sun slowly rising, shining this world, Sir Rune suddenly said,
“You look like someone who decided a lot of things before making your move.”
“Am I?”
I asked while stealing a glance at him.
“Didn’t you also want to be a knight when you were young?”
“I had no choice. Even Orion might be the same. Of course, it is true that there are a lot of things that he could get his hands on, but for that, most of his life direction was already decided.”
Well, just by looking at Orion, that was true.
Just like how the Blue Knight Order of the Duchy was highly known as the empire’s shield, it was very natural for him, who was the heir of the duchy, to become a knight.
If I looked at it like that, didn’t it mean that I rather had a free decision right for my life?
As I matched my steps to his, I slowly parted my lips.
“Since I was little, Mom occasionally asked me, ‘What would you do if I disappeared?’”
“Are you talking about Madam?”
I nodded.
Her playful voice was still vivid in my ears.
I would cry loudly, saying that I didn’t want to get separated from Mom.
Back then, when I was young, Mom stayed at my side for much longer than she does now.
It seemed like she spoiled me more too.
“I was very scared the first time I heard it. A world without Mom? It’s like a disaster, right? I even ordered a maid to check if Mom was present, and I did go to her room to check her in person.”
“Hmmm.”
“I think Mom found my reaction funny.”
She giggled as she teased me the whole day.
When I ran to her room with tiny steps, she feigned innocence, asking what was the matter while laughing. And I would come closer to pester her to sleep together.
“And then, one day Mom left home.”
Mom, who was selected as diseuse at a high class salon, entrusted me to the nanny and left the home late at night.
Although it wasn’t often, it happened from time to time, but somehow that day, anxiety and worry tormented me.
“Perhaps she won’t come back, I got such an idea back then.”
The time I spent in the empty bed, waiting for Mom who hadn’t come back was very frightening.
“Then, I thought about it.”
If Mom disappeared from my side for real, then how should I live?
Because Mom never ordered me to do particular things nor told me things I had to do, those kinds of decisions in my life became mine to decide.
“When did you think about that?”
“When I was seven.”
Sir Rune touched his forehead at my answer.
I, who was embraced by Mom who came home late at night, realized that someday I would leave those arms.
“You matured early.”
“You think so?”
I stared up at Sir Rune, who was the same age as Orion.
The light brown eyes were fully radiating a gentle gaze, but his hand, that I only ever touched when he kissed the back of my hand, was covered with old scars.
“I feel like Sir Rune too was a very precocious kid when young.”
“Do I look like that?”
“Yeah, even now you look more mature than your age.”
I didn’t mean he looked old, but the atmosphere he exuded looked free and mature.
He smiled as he tucked my hair behind my ear.
The sudden touch turned me stiff.
I really shouldn’t let my guard down around this person either.
I had thought about this from the last time, but this person’s skinship indeed, occasionally, ‘very skilfully’ crossed the line.
Before I had a chance to say something, my body was dragged by someone’s hand smoothly to the side.
At the same time, the musty dirty water was poured to Sir Rune who was on my side.
“Ah.”
“Oh my Gosh. My Lady, are you okay?
The maid flusteredly checked on me.
Finding a drop of the dirty water splotched on the end of my dress, she tangled her hair with a distressed expression.
“What should I do if I dirty your dress?”
“It’s fine. I have a lot of dresses.”
I calmly replied to her while looking at Sir Rune who was soaked through.
I felt like they should apologize to that person instead of me, but everyone was looking at Sir Rune with glare as if looking at the most bad person in the world.
“Are you . . . okay?”
“Yeah, well. I’m fine. This is something that often happens nowadays.”
His face that looked like he was taking a philosophical view turned me even more confused.
Is there a reason for you to receive this kind of treatment nowadays?
When Sir Rune left first to change his clothes, a few maids made a fuss while guiding me to change my dress.
They pretended to whisper, but strongly asserted.
“Oh my, I heard that Master Orion has no partner for this hunting competition . . .!”
“Gosh! What do we do! If our young master goes alone, then he will become a laughing stock.”
“If women treated him as an unattractive man, then he won’t be able to get married!”
Why would Orion be unable to marry?
I heard that in the market Orion’s picture was the most popular after Bertin’s.
On top of that, who on earth would laugh at him, when he’s a young duke of this empire?
I felt like I was seeing clearly at their insides.
I tried to remember Orion’s happy face while holding the sickle, and I thought about Sir Lloyd, who was still getting double training in the drill hall.
“Well, if it’s only a hunting competition, then . . .”
Wouldn’t it be okay if we went together?