Why has even the King joined the trouble? Grandmother is really, really scary, okay!?
Ah, but itâs probably okay if the handsome old man the King hugs me⌠Rather, isnât this my chance to get hugged!?
Or so Emma thought as she stiffened her body and waited, though her chance was broken because someone pulled the King back and separated the two of them.
âYour Majesty!! Please let go of your hold on Emmaâs arms! You will press on her scars!â
Seeing Emmaâs arms being grabbed, the Prince, who recovered quickly from his shock, was the one who pulled the King away from Emma this time.
âYou and your unnecessary actionsâŚâ was what crossed Emmaâs mind for a moment, but she started to feel guilty after seeing that the Prince was truly worried about her.
The Prince had also seen the gory state of her wounds before the medical treatment. Her upper arm the King was currently holding was where the wound was the deepest and most severe.
âSorry, Prince. Um, Iâm completely healed, so itâs fine.
Iâve said things like there are some after-effects âcause I donât wanna dance, but actually, it was a full recovery. Thereâs really, really no need for you to worry.â Emma apologized in her heart.
âAhh! Emma-chan! Does it hurt? Are you alright?â
The King realized his actions and looked at Emma anxiously.
The royal family shouldnât apologize easily⌠Your Majesty⌠Your face, face! Even if you didnât put it into words, you looked too apologetic, donât you think? I will gladly save this image in the âcool old men folderâ inside my brain, though!
The feeling of being grabbed tightly was still there, but itâs alright since the King didnât put much power that could make Emma hurt in the first place.
But, whether itâs the Imperial Prince or the King, they reacted strangely. It was indeed said that it was rare to be able to speak Imperial Japanese, but⌠Emma just heard about the Imperial Japan country for the first time today, so she was still clueless about its situation.
âI-Iâm alright, Your Majesty. Please donât mind it.â
Emma smiled to relieve everyone, but in this case, she was the center of the turmoil. It was too scary to look in her grandmotherâs direction. She started breaking out in cold sweat and shivering at the same time.
The Prince and Arthur agreed that itâs better to let Emma sit down as they supported her from both sides and gently helped her sit back down on her chair. She didnât feel any better, though, because the more attention was pointed at her, the more she bathed in cold sweat. Emma felt despair as she would definitely get scolded today.
âIâm sorryy, Iâm sorryy, Iâm totally fine. Iâm very healthyy. Iâll even show you my squats if you would like?â
And so she stood up to perform her squats but couldnât as everyone pushed her back to her chair.
âAre you alright? Emma?â
Hiii! At last, her grandmotherâs hand touched her back and locked Emma onâŚ
When Emma lifted her lowered head wondering whether she would be preached in a place like this, she saw that her grandmother wasnât angry.
What to do. Grandmother looks really worried about me. The angle of her eyebrows is the opposite of usual⌠Grandmother? Please donât make that kind of face!
That worried face⌠itâs hard for me to look atâŚ
I would rather you scold me instead!
âNO~ WORRIES~ EVERYONE~â Oh, I want to scream!!
Emma panicked even more and could feel the beads of sweat on her forehead.
If she went back to school after the holidays, would everyone point at her back and call her the âsweaty ladyââŚ
âGrandmother, everyone, Iâm truly fine. So, um, please return to your seats.â
In the middle of this weird sense of tension, Emma forcibly raised the corner of her mouth to make a smile. But nobody returned to their seat, and not only her grandmother but also everyone continued to look her way with a very sympathetic look.
Ughh, somewhere, anywhere, is there a hole I can hide in?
âYour Majesty, would you please allow me to take Emma to rest in another room?â
As if hearing Emmaâs wish, the Prince bowed at the King and asked permission to leave his seat.
âYouâre right, hurry and let her rest.â
Thank you! Your Majesty! Nice assist! Your Highness!
With this, I can at least escape from the venueâs atmosphere. Now, I will immediately make my escape, thank you very much.
And, her body was lifted the moment she thought so.
âThen, if youâll excuse me.â
The Prince excused himself from the King and headed to the hallâs exit quickly.