CHAPTER 064
"It seems like that's the case. Otherwise, these symptoms wouldn't have suddenly appeared."
Poor thing. He’s supposed to be the male protagonist, yet he’s going through such a painful experience.
"Cheer up."
When I offered some words of comfort to Philip, he gave a wry smile.
"Talking about this somehow makes me feel a sense of camaraderie with you, Lady."
"Camaraderie?"
He's free to misunderstand if he wants to.
I don't know anything about the pain of love.
* * *
While outings with Lewis were frequent, today we decided to visit a somewhat different location.
Instead of the bustling streets we usually frequented, we went to an area more populated by commoners.
We came to buy the bread Bella wanted to try!
"It's not even that good. If she tries it, Bella will be disappointed."
"But she’s curious. If I bring it as a surprise, she’ll be happy."
"She will be pleased, I suppose."
Lewis didn’t seem very keen on choosing the bread. It seemed better if I quickly bought it myself.
Pointing to the bakery across the street, I said to Lewis, "I’ll be quick, just wait here for a moment!"
Leaving Lewis outside, I walked towards the bakery.
But before I could cross the street, I had to stop. A series of carriages were passing by on the road.
Only after the carriages had all passed did people start crossing the street.
Just as I was about to cross, I saw a familiar figure and stopped.
"Philip?"
On the other side of the main road stood Philip in plain clothes. Judging by his attire, it seemed like he was out on another incognito trip.
It appeared that he hadn't noticed me.
Should I pretend not to see him since he's undercover?
I decided not to greet him and just hurried to the bakery.
Just as I was about to cross the street later on, I heard the loud neighing of a horse nearby.
Turning my head, I saw a carriage speeding towards us.
"Get out of the way!"
Is there a problem?
The coachman seemed quite panicked. His expression and voice suggested as much.
I quickly retracted my steps from crossing the road.
Others also moved out of the way.
But in the middle of the road, an old lady who had bumped into the hurried crowd dropped her cane on the ground.
"Oh no, my cane...!"
The old lady moved slowly to pick up her cane.
She’s going to get hurt...
I watched the old lady and the carriage in tension. The carriage was rapidly approaching.
"Move out of the way!"
The coachman shouted again in alarm.
It was a moment of crisis.
Fortunately, Philip was here. If he saw this, as the just person he is, he wouldn't just stand by and...
Huh?
Philip was just standing there, like the others, watching the old lady.
He didn’t look worried or anxious like everyone else.
What’s going on? My head was filled with questions, but I couldn't dwell on them any longer.
The old lady was in real danger!
I don't care! My feet moved on their own in this crisis.
I need to help—
Just as I was about to move, I heard Lewis’s voice from behind and felt a hand grab my shoulder.
Was he stopping me from running out?
Lewis went in front of the old lady, blocking me. Then he faced the carriage head-on.
The carriage seemed like it was going to hit Lewis.
"Marquis!"
Although Lewis wasn’t in any real danger, my heart sank. I called out to Lewis without thinking.
It was truly an unnecessary worry.
As soon as Lewis murmured something softly, the carriage suddenly stopped.
He had used magic to stop it.
I immediately ran to Lewis.
"Marquis, you scared me! You suddenly rushed out."
"I was more scared."
Right. I wasn’t in a position to be proud either...
Lewis’s stern face turned towards me.
"What would you have done if something happened? Did you think you could protect this person and yourself?"
"Well, I was a bit reckless... I’m sorry."
"Such a scaredy-cat."
Lewis looked at me with a sigh.
Though his nerves seemed on edge, it was clear he was worried, so I couldn’t help but feel contrite.
By then, a crowd had gathered around us.
"Are you alright?"
"What was with that carriage...?"
The old lady saved by Lewis still looked bewildered.
The coachman got off the stopped carriage and bowed repeatedly.
"I’m so sorry! The horse got spooked and suddenly bolted..."
"Are you alright?"
I asked the old lady, who nodded with a flustered face.
"Thank you so much. I thought I was going to die..."
"I’m glad you’re not hurt."
"Why did the horse suddenly go wild?"
Lewis asked the coachman beside me.
The previously agitated horse had fallen asleep, perhaps due to Lewis’s magic.
The coachman answered with a confused expression.
"We were passing through a crowded street earlier, and it started acting up all of a sudden."
Was it stressed from the crowd?
Or maybe it got scared? Considering the crowded street.
"Where’s the horse?"
"Over there!"
Hearing the commotion, the guards came running.
Looks like things are getting sorted out.
I glanced back at where Philip had been, only to find him gone.
What’s going on?
I stared pensively at the spot where he had stood.
Philip isn’t the type to ignore such situations...
After expressing their gratitude multiple times, the old lady left, and I boarded the carriage with Lewis to head back to the duke's mansion.
While sitting in the carriage and looking out the window, Lewis spoke to me.
"Are you upset because I got angry?"
"What?"
"Your expression looks serious."
So he thought I was upset because he scolded me.
"I’m not upset because you got angry. I was reckless, after all."
Don’t worry, it’s not because of that!
Then Lewis asked.
"Then what is it?"
"I saw His Highness earlier."
There was no reason not to tell Lewis what I saw.
"Where?"
"When the old lady was in danger."
Lewis raised an eyebrow at that.
"I thought His Highness would surely help the old lady. But even as the carriage got closer, he just stood there watching..."
Philip has excellent swordsmanship skills.
In terms of speed and reflexes, he might even surpass Lewis.
So he could have helped if he wanted to...
"Did the Crown Prince really do that?"
"Yes. I didn't expect him to ignore it..."
At my words, Lewis scoffed.
"I knew it. Something about him seemed off."
So he doesn’t find it strange because he already disliked him!
"Why would he do that? He’s not that kind of person..."
"How do you know?"
"What?"
"How do you know the Crown Prince isn’t that kind of person?"
Because I read it in the original story. There’s no way the main character would ignore something like that!
But I couldn't say that to Lewis.
"He’s always so upright and kind."
"That can be an act."
Lewis chuckled. His eyes conveyed that I still had a lot to learn about the world.
Hey, I’ve lived twice, you know!?
"If he’s kind in front of you, does that mean he’s kind to everyone?"
Huh? That’s not what I expected him to say, and I widened my eyes.
Lewis smiled.
"Today, too, I’m glad to see Lady Elsner. Thank you for making time for me."
Whoa... Who are you?
Lewis used the same polite tone as Philip.
Seeing him behave so out of character gave me goosebumps.
"Marquis, that’s scary. Please don’t talk like that."
"What?"
Lewis immediately looked displeased.
Yes, this is the Lewis Bloomberg I know!
"You were relieved just now, weren’t you?"
"No?"
"Anyway, what I want to say is this."
Fortunately, he didn’t seem inclined to press the issue further.
Lewis explained why he had just imitated Philip.
"If I act like this only around you and other important people, what would you think of me? If I’m only kind in front of those I deem necessary or important?"
Oh? If he treats those around him and strangers differently...
"Then I’d think you’re kind."
"Exactly."
Was the old lady important to Philip?
No. The old lady in shabby clothes had no connection to Philip.
"So you think the Crown Prince changes his behavior depending on who he’s dealing with?"
"Yes. As you saw earlier."
Lewis continued, seemingly trying to enlighten me.
"There are quite a few nobles like that. They seem kind, but their true nature shows when dealing with subordinates."
"Yes, there are."
"So can you really say you know the true nature of the Crown Prince?"
"No..."
But the Philip from the original story wasn’t like that.
‘I read Philip’s perspective!’
Just as I was struggling to find a retort, a sudden realization hit me.
Any part of Philip’s perspective that didn’t involve Charlotte was omitted from the original story.
In other words, the Philip I read about was focused on his romance with Charlotte.
It had nothing to do with his true character.
"No way..."
"You used to think Philip was flawless."
"So you're saying His Highness isn’t necessarily the righteous person who would help someone in danger?"
"Right. That’s just your bias."
Lewis answered clearly.
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