CH 107

༺ Festival (5) ༻

In a path leading to 3rd Street.

Vera walked down the street while quietly keeping an eye on Renee’s expression. Her face was filled with irritation.

It was because Renee was very angry.

Tak! Tak!

Renee’s cane hit the floor with a hint of dissatisfaction. It wasn’t “tap-tap” but “tak-tak”.

That alone could tell how angry Renee was currently, so Vera’s expression couldn’t be any better.

It had been like this since he left the outdoor hall for a while in an attempt to somehow control his agitated feelings.

Feeling a sense of despair creeping up, Vera spoke carefully to Renee.

“How was the festival?”

“…”

“…It’s fortunate that the festival was held safely despite the incident.”

“…”

“Also…”

Vera trailed off as he continued, unable to think of anything else to say.

They were enveloped in an incredibly awkward atmosphere.

In the midst of that, Vera, who didn’t even know why Renee was angry, started to look for the cause by pointing out the wrong places.

‘The Prince?’

Did the Second Prince do something rude while he was away?

‘No.’

When he returned, the Second Prince just stood there quietly with his characteristic dumbfounded expression.

‘Did she not enjoy the performance?’

It couldn’t be, since Renee’s reaction was good as she listened to the performance right before he left.

Feeling his head getting dizzy, Vera looked at their clasped hands.

They weren’t crossing arms, and their fingers weren’t even interlocked. It looked just like putting a hand on top of his hand.

He was saddened by it for some reason.

Vera looked at Renee, unsure of what to say, and finally managed to get the words out.

“…I apologize.”

Whatever it was, he decided to apologize and see.

And then…

Halt—

Renee stopped walking.

“What are you apologizing for?”

A curt look was evident on Renee’s face as she finally opened her mouth.

Vera flinched again at her expression and hastily added.

“I apologize for not being considerate of the Saint’s feelings. Maybe there was a place among those I showed you today that you didn’t like. I apologize for my lack of consideration…”

“That’s not it.”

“…Yes?”

“It was good.”

She spoke in a blunt tone.

Vera felt his confusion grow. She said it was good, but why was her expression bad? Why was she so angry?

As he continued to worry, Vera broke out into a cold sweat. Ultimately, he couldn’t find an answer no matter how much he thought about it, so…

“…I apologize.”

He repeated the same words again.

“Just what are you apologizing for?”

Renee also responded similarly to before.

Vera felt uncomfortable with her answer. Renee’s sharp response was like a needle poking at his heart.

What should I do?

Vera continued to worry and eventually decided to face the situation head-on.

Wasn’t this the case? After all, this wasn’t a problem that couldn’t be solved by simply paying attention to her expression. If thinking about it could provide an answer, he would’ve known already.

Therefore, it was time to express his true feelings and offer a sincere apology.

Having made up his mind, Vera let go of Renee’s hand and knelt down on the ground with a loud “thud!” then opened his mouth while looking downwards.

“I apologize. I, Vera, am too foolish to understand the will of the Saint. Please teach me.”

Renee’s body trembled. Embarrassment flashed across her curt expression.

“…Yes?”

“If you teach me, I will never offend the Saint’s feelings with the same thing again. But if you can’t believe me, then I will make an oath…”

“No!”

Taken aback by the word ‘oath,’ Renee quickly denied it. She felt like her anger had been blown away due to Vera’s sudden actions.

“Please teach me.”

As Vera repeated his words, Renee’s body shook, and her mind went blank.

Of course, it was because she was embarrassed to tell him why she was angry.

‘I-I’m upset because of our linked arms…’

How could she say that she was angry because their arms weren’t intertwined anymore?

Wouldn’t it be too embarrassing to say with her own mouth that she was upset over something so trivial?

Renee’s face turned even redder.

Unable to express her true feelings and losing her words, Renee immediately exploded with the thought that ‘whatever happens, happens’ as she could not think of a suitable excuse.

“T-that’s why I can’t!”

“Yes?”

“Do I have to feed you something like this? Huh? If you don’t know, keep learning until you do! If you can’t, do it until you can! Use your perseverance to find out!”

She didn’t even know what she was saying. She just repeated the words of admonishment that Norn had once said to the Paladins under his command.

It wasn’t until later that she realized her mistake, but thinking that it would look weird to take back her words now, Renee strained her blind eyes and continued to speak.

“If you don’t know, is your life in the Holy Kingdom over? Huh? Nowadays, people can’t function because of things like this! ‘Do this please~ Do that please~’ People can’t think for themselves!”

It was a phrase that people often used these days.

“I ap…”

“I mean, don’t do something that you’ll have to apologize for!”

“I apo….”

“If you like apologizing so much, why not become an apologist!?”1

Renee wanted to cry.

Even though she kept thinking ‘this isn’t right’ in her head, she couldn’t stop talking because she had already gained momentum.

She hoped it would stop soon, but this tactless man just kept apologizing.

“This is why I can’t sleep well! ‘What kind of accident will you have tomorrow~ How long do I have to feed you one by one~’ When I lie down with that thought, a sigh comes out! A sigh!”

Over Renee’s flushed face, tears of shame began to well up in her eyes.

Vera felt his breath stop once again at the sight of her face.

“No. You don’t have to tell me. I think I gave up too hastily. After thinking more deeply, I will give the Saint an answer again.”

Flinch.

Renee stopped talking.

Finding a breakthrough in Vera’s words, Renee’s face brightened as she continued to speak.

“W-will you?”

“Yes, I will engrave the teachings of the Saint on my bones and seek the answer myself.”

As the tension began to dissipate, Renee felt relieved that she could finally stop saying these strange words.

“Hm hm! Well thought out.”

Feeling more at ease, Renee forgot why she was angry and spoke with a bright smile on her face.

“Get up. Marie must be worried.”

Vera tilted his head and slowly rose to his feet. It was because he couldn’t judge whether it was resolved well or not.

Although it was fortunate that Renee’s mood had improved, he couldn’t help but wonder what he should do if something like this happened again.

“Come on.”

Renee held out her arm.

Vera flinched at the arm outstretched in his direction, as if it were trying to do something other than hold his hand, and then felt a thought flash through his mind.

‘Is it perhaps…”

Crossing arms?

Maybe she was angry because he untied their arms as he rushed to leave.

Although it sounded unlikely, Vera couldn’t ignore the possibility that had come to his mind and simply stared at Renee.

“Let’s hurry up, shall we?”

Renee urged, waving her arm up and down.

Vera reached out and extended his arm with a nod.

Renee’s arm wrapped around his, and her body clung to him.

Twitch—

Shuddering, Vera pushed the assumptions out of his mind.

He felt that it would be embarrassing to ask if his assumption was right. He had a  hunch that it would be better to just keep silent and bury the answer.

Staring straight ahead at the soft sensation he felt once again in his arm, Vera started to move forward.

The sound of the cane had returned from a ‘tak tak’ sound to a ‘tap tap’.

As they walked, their faces glowed a similar shade of red under the light of the magic lamp.

***

“My apologies.”

In the mansion’s study, Count Baishur bowed his head to Renee and Vera.

“His Highness the Second Prince is also reflecting a lot, so please forgive us for what hap…”

“N-no! I am not angry!”

When Renee blurted out a refusal in a surprised tone, the Count breathed a sigh of relief.

“…Thank you for saying so.”

Count Baishur felt his head throbbing from the damned chronic headache, and took something out of his chest pocket.

“It’s small, but I’m offering it as an apology.”

What came out of his chest pocket was a gilded envelope.

Renee received the envelope handed over by the Count and tilted her head at the rough texture of the envelope.

“What is this?”

“It’s a VIP seat ticket for the public auction held in two days.”

Vera’s eyebrows went up. This was because it was also a familiar item to him.

“You managed to get your hands on this. I know there are only forty of them available.”

Only 40 tickets to the VIP section of the auction house were issued for each year’s festival. It was a priceless artifact that cost as much as a house in the Empire’s Capital.

While doubts arose in Vera’s mind at the Count’s behavior of handing something too big for an apology, the Count added an explanation.

“It is His Highness the Crown Prince’s ticket. He wanted to apologize for the rudeness caused by His Highness the Second Prince and sent this instead.”

It was a gesture of apology and a way of settling the matter.

The Crown Prince, who had little interest in spending money on things like auctions, gave the tickets to Renee to cheer up his brother’s spirits and to dispose of the extra tickets.

Of course,  Count Baishur did not mention that part separately because it was unnecessary.

“Thank you.”

Renee smiled lightly as she fiddled with the surface of the envelope.

‘Hit the jackpot.’

Renee, who was annoyed by Vera’s escape and didn’t even pay attention to the Second Prince at the time, felt so happy at the ticket which was suddenly given as an apology.

“There are many interesting items at the auction, right?”

“In fact, it can be said to be the flower of the festival. I’m always surprised by where they get those unusual items from.”

“Ah, is the Count going, too?”

“I have to go to guard.”

“Ah…”

So, he works even during the festival.

‘No, they’re probably busier because it’s a festival.’

Feeling sorry at the thought that crossed her mind, Renee continued with a light smile.

“You must be going through a lot, Count.”

“It’s something that must be done.”

“But shouldn’t you at least take a day off? You could go out with Marie.”

“I’ve actually taken some time off next week. Coincidentally, there happened to be a ball at that time.”

“Ah, come to think of it, it will be next week.”

“The Second Prince’s blessing… Please take good care of him.”

“Of course.”

They were talking about the blessing for Albrecht’s coming-of-age ceremony, which coincided with the ball.

Count Baishur felt uneasy at the sight of Renee smiling lightly.

‘I hope the Prince doesn’t cause another accident.’

The anxiety was caused by the condition of Albrecht, whom he had checked on before leaving for the day.

Whether it was due to the trauma from being scolded every time he met Renee, the Second Prince had become so tense that he trembled at the mere mention of Renee’s name.

In his current state, it was hard to shake off the concern about what would happen if the Second Prince showed an inappropriate appearance at the coming-of-age ceremony.

‘Please let the coming-of-age ceremony pass in peace….’

It was a gathering place for all the nobles of the Empire.

A member of the Imperial Family should not show a foolish appearance.

Of course, no one expected a majestic appearance from Albrecht, but he should at least show a dignified appearance.

The headache made his head throb.

For the first time in a long time, Count Baishur prayed to the Lord.

Please help the Prince become more mature so that this headache doesn’t get worse.

He didn’t ask for  much, just for the Second Prince to be mature for even just one day at his coming-of-age ceremony.

Count Baishur wished for it fervently.