CHAPTER 035
"Your Majesty, I'm terribly sorry, but I've been incredibly busy lately. It's not an excuse."
He emphasized how busy he was. Wasn't it true?
Despite his irritable attitude, Philip responded calmly.
"I understand. Being the head of the Magic Tower must be very demanding. But as a Marquis of the Empire, couldn't you at least show some sincerity?"
Sincerity, huh.
"Oh, you were with Lady Elsner last time, weren't you? Would you come if I invited her?"
"No need to invite her."
Lewis replied more sternly.
"Lady Elsner feels quite uncomfortable in the palace. She thinks it's a place for people too high up."
Philip let out a light chuckle at that.
"Is that so? Then I'll just invite the Marquis. I'll get in touch soon."
With that, he briefly exchanged farewells and left.
As Lewis watched Philip's retreating figure, he thought to himself.
He would never have a pleasant meal with that Crown Prince.
* * *
Today, I came to visit Lady Hos' estate with Bella.
Lady Hos, with whom I already had some interaction, had invited Bella and me to her estate this time.
Bella must have gotten along with her better than I thought. Considering she arranged such a casual tea time.
"Lady Yanils!"
So, I see Charlotte here today.
Lady Hos had already informed us that she would be coming.
Lady Hos does have quite a wide circle, doesn't she?
The people gathered today were Bella, Charlotte, Lady Hos, and me. Just the four of us.
It wasn't grand enough to be called a social gathering, just a chat among close friends.
Because of that, the conversation topics were a bit different from when there were more people. The subjects were lighter and more personal.
"Come to think of it, how have you been, Lady Yanils?"
I knew this topic would come up!
It seemed Lady Hos was also keenly observing Charlotte and Philip's relationship.
"I thought you'd be meeting with His Highness the Crown Prince separately."
Charlotte was startled and waved her hands.
"No way. I'm not that close with His Highness the Crown Prince."
"But His Highness seems interested in you?"
"No, it's just that he's kind to everyone. That's why it seems that way."
In the original story, Charlotte would have been getting along well with the male lead by now, but lately, she's been busy hanging out with us.
Emphasizing that she never made separate appointments with him, Charlotte mentioned that it had been quite some time since she last met Philip.
"That time, he gave me flowers on the street-"
"He gave you flowers?"
"We met once more after that, but not since then. He's not someone you can meet easily."
Indeed, the Crown Prince isn't someone you can bump into on the street.
But for the heroine, it would be relatively easy due to the original storyline.
Bella asked.
"How long has it been since you came to the capital, Lady Yanils?"
"Half a year ago."
Charlotte, who had been living in the provincial estate with her parents, moved to the capital just before her debutante.
Since then, she had been living in the capital with her older brother, who had inherited the barony.
"And you already became that close with His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Bella looked at Charlotte in amazement.
Respect. Her eyes were full of admiration.
Lady Hos excitedly continued.
"Everyone is eager to catch the Crown Prince's eye! If that's the case, His Highness must definitely be interested in you."
"Really...?"
Listening quietly, Charlotte suddenly shifted the topic to me.
"It seems like Lady Elsner and the Marquis are closer than I am with His Highness."
Why suddenly bring me into this?
If I hadn't heard from Michael, I might have denied it, saying, "No way!"
Of course, not now.
Now that we've just become real friends, it's briefly meaningful, but he said it would become an ordinary friendship eventually.
"Ah, Lady Elsner, you have quite a close relationship with the Marquis, don't you?"
"I'm quite close, indeed."
So, I smiled broadly in response to Lady Hos' question.
"How did you get so close? Everyone's curious, you know? At the previous banquet and the recent ball!"
It seems difficult to live quietly in the social scene.
When I first became friends with Bella, I didn't receive this much attention.
"Perhaps he recognized my hidden charm? He found my strengths that even I didn't know!"
"Really? Hmm..."
Hey, don't give me that blurry look after asking!
"Selina, you're still closest to me, right?"
Why is Bella asking that here?
Before I could answer, Bella quickly changed the topic.
"Of course, there's no need to ask. We're friends for life."
"Friends for life... Haha, right!"
But Bella, you don't know, right? Lewis swore in blood...
Watching Bella look triumphant, I quietly stuck out my tongue.
She really is of the Croft lineage.
* * *
He said he wouldn't look for the culprit last time.
But contrary to his words, Lewis didn't just sit still.
News came that he had practically wiped out an assassin guild.
Why an assassin guild all of a sudden?
When I met Lewis, that was the first thing I asked.
"Why the assassin guild all of a sudden?"
"It was a warning."
"A warning?"
"Recently, I caught an assassin. Using that as an excuse, I took down the guild he belonged to."
"Oh, so the guild..."
There really are such bold assassins, huh?
In the original story, Lewis also encountered assassins. They were dealt with so swiftly that they posed no threat.
Why keep trying when it won't work anyway? It must have been the same this time.
Instead of taking the trouble to track down the one who troubled his mind, Lewis chose to set an example.
"I said I wouldn't chase the culprit, not that I'd stay still. I have to return the favor when wronged."
"The assassin picked the wrong time. Getting caught at such a moment."
"Are you worrying about the assassin in front of me?"
"Of course not. If an assassin came, you should have told me. How scared you must have been..."
At my quick change of stance, Lewis smirked with one corner of his mouth.
"Right? I was the one ambushed first."
So, he wants me to worry about him?
Even if he faced ten assassins, he'd win anyway!
He probably didn't need consolation or concern, but I decided to worry about Lewis. After all, we're friends!
As I was resolutely reminding myself of our friendship, Lewis casually changed the topic.
"Do you have time tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
Of course, I said yes. If it's Lewis, he'd probably tell me to clear my schedule even if I had an appointment.
But why?
I thought it was a simple meal invitation, but it wasn't.
"Come with me somewhere."
"Where?"
"Somewhere far. We'll be back in a day."
Lewis asked if I had time because he planned to take a day trip somewhere.
* * *
Thanks to Lewis' sudden proposal, I ended up going on an unexpected outing.
The place Lewis took me to the next day was a rural village far south of the capital.
A quiet town I would never have heard of otherwise.
It was so far that it would have been impossible to consider a day trip without Lewis' magic.
But why are we here?
Guessing it wasn't just a casual trip, I asked.
"Why are we here?"
"My hometown."
Lewis' hometown?
"The place I lived before moving into the Duke's residence."
Briefly explaining, Lewis headed to a flower shop. He bought white chrysanthemums and led me somewhere.
Why flowers all of a sudden?
Curious, I followed him to a grave.
"It's my father's grave."
"...!"
It was his father's grave.
Although the original story didn't detail Lewis' past, I had some guesses.
Growing up under his aunt's care must mean there was a significant backstory.
Lewis didn't elaborate. He simply mentioned that his father was buried here.
Standing at the grave, Lewis' expression was unreadable.
No sign of sorrow or longing, just a calm demeanor.
But wouldn't he feel sad? He's standing before his deceased parent's grave. I quietly stood by Lewis' side, thinking that.
After a brief moment, Lewis moved away from the grave.
As the silence seemed to stretch, Lewis spoke first.
"You didn't expect to come to a place like this, did you?"
"No..."
I answered honestly, and Lewis shrugged indifferently.
"I come here sometimes when I think of it. It's just quiet and peaceful, unlike the capital."
Well, Lewis does like quiet places.
Did he bring me here because I'm a special friend?
"But it's really quiet here."
"Because it's a rural area. It hasn't changed a bit since before."
"It's very peaceful."
Following Lewis down the path, I spoke.
"Even though the Elsner estate is much smaller than the capital, it still felt busy."
"Do you like it there?"
"No."
I immediately replied to Lewis' question.
"I have no reason to go there anymore."
How could I like it? My estranged family is there.
It was said that they moved to the capital on their own, but in reality, they were practically chased out.
"They wouldn't want to see me, and I don't want to go to where they are."
I spoke calmly, but Lewis gave me a strange look.
...Do I look very sad?
I quickly added.
"I'm not sad at all. I'm fine, so you don't need to worry!"
"Not sad?"
Lewis stared at me, seemingly unconvinced.
Really, I mean it...
Hoping he would believe me, I stared back at Lewis until he finally spoke.
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