“You can’t do it yourself, and you can’t ask Franz or Judith to do it. Oh, that's right. What about Ms. Ebelta?”
Bartholomew was frightened and threw up his hands.
“Your Highness, that is absolutely not possible.”
"Yes? I thought it was an appropriate appointment.”
“Are you serious? What a fiery personality Ms. Ebelta has. Moreover, she hates the second Princess so much. Please don’t say anything to Ms. Ebelta, as this may cause an uproar.”
Cheraan hated Flavia even coming near Judith. She hated her so much that she once joked that Judith had not repaid her debt. Of course, this was without Cheraan present.
Even Judith would make such a joke, so he didn't even want to imagine what would happen next if Cheraan found out about this.
“You can’t do it, Franz and Her Highness can’t do it, and Miss Ebelta can’t either... If this happens, there’s only one person left, right?”
“One person?”
“I mean me.”
That was when Bartholomew opened his mouth with an expression of astonishment. Judith and Cheraan, who had entered first, came out of the drawing room. It was Judith who first spotted the two people standing almost pressed against the window.
“You two, what are you doing standing there?”
Not only Bartholomew but also Rogero shrank their shoulders at the sonorous voice. They quickly looked out the window and luckily she saw Flavia leaving the scene.
“There’s a frog sitting on a tree branch. I was watching.”
“There are frogs in this weather?”
Judith approached, tilting her head as if it were strange. But of course, there were no frogs.
“I can’t see it.”
“It was there a little while ago, but it looks like it ran away somewhere.”
Bartholomew looked at Rogero, who was giggling, with a somewhat concerned expression. This is what he felt even when they were sparring with swords, but his outwardly playful appearance was by no means all that he was. It was almost to the point where he had the illusion that there was some kind of dangerous atmosphere within him that was slowly moving around him.
“By the way, Bartholomew, I have something to tell you for a moment.”
"Yes? Is that what you mean?”
Bartholomew, who had been absent-mindedly pointing a finger at himself, suddenly reflexively turned to Cheraan. She was still looking away from Bartholomew with a sallow face.
“It’ll just take a moment. Cheraan, take His Highness the Prince to the parlor and serve him tea.”
“Your Highness.”
"Hurry."
As Judith's voice became somewhat stern, Cheraan took Rogerero into the drawing room as if there was nothing else to do. As soon as they were alone, Bartholomew felt a little nervous. For some reason, he seemed to know what Judith was going to say even without hearing it.
“You know what I’m saying, right?”
“...Aren’t you talking about Miss Ebelta?”
"That's right. Why did you do that?”
Bartholomew thought he would hear consolation, but unexpectedly the tone seemed to be harsh, making Bartholomew feel aggrieved again. This was the moment when Bartholomew opened his mouth to retort. Judith raised one of her hands to stop him.
“I heard you said you wanted to go say hello to Marquis Ebelta.”
“Yes, I did. Why is that wrong?”
“Bartholomew... I can’t say I know much about these things, but there is still a basic order.”
“What’s the order?”
Judith stamped her feet with an expression of frustration on the one hand and regret on the other. Judith said.
“Have you ever told Cheraan how Bartholomew feels?”
Bartholomew's eyes widened. Judith continued.
“Bartholomew has never told her honestly what you think of Cheraan. You never asked Cheraan. Isn’t that right?”
“No, but...”
"But?"
Was that the problem? It was something he never thought of. Only later did Bartholomew's face turn red with embarrassment.
“Of course, I’ve never done that, but... Still, because I thought our feelings for each other were clear...”
“That’s just a guess. Isn't it? Of course, I know for sure that Cheraan likes Bartholomew. But even though you haven’t even talked to her, who would be happy if you suddenly asked to go say hello to her parents?”
“I thought there was no need to hesitate if you were sure...”
Bartholomew, who was rolling his eyes here and there, buried his face in his palms. He seemed to have finally realized what mistake he had made. Judith smiled pitifully and patted Bartholomew's arm as if encouraging him.
“Try to talk to Cheraan again.”
“Won’t Miss Ebelta treat me like a scoundrel?”
“That can’t be possible.”
Judith laughed. Perhaps because he was encouraged by her support, or perhaps because he had figured out the cause of his problem, Bartholomew suddenly clenched his fists with a determined expression.
"All right. I need to talk to her again.”
"Cheer up. It’s my pleasure to watch these two people these days.”
Judith covered her lips and laughed. At that time, Franz passed through the corridor and entered the palace. Bartholomew, who saw this, grinned mischievously, just like Rogero did, and whispered softly in Judith's ear.
“You must find pleasure in the rain from Franz.”
“...Bartholomew!”
“I’m going to go get my pleasure back.”
Bartholomew disappeared towards the drawing room, even whistling. Judith, who had been gently rolling her eyes as she watched him quickly disappear, quickly changed her expression when she saw Franz coming towards her and slightly bent her knees.
"Your Highness."
“What were you talking about? Where is Bartholomew going in such a hurry?”
“...Well, he says he is leaving to find pleasure.”
“What do you mean?”
Judith laughed a little as if she was amused by Franz's confused reaction.
“Why are you coming in now?”
“Ah, I had a brief chat with the second Princess.”
“Flavia?”
When he suddenly mentioned the second Princess, Judith was a little embarrassed and asked back. For some reason, it seemed like she was running into Flavia often these days. She also chose a time when Judith was with Franz.
The two started walking down the hallway side by side as if they had made an appointment. They did not go into the drawing room. They turned a corner along a wall decorated with tapestries, draperies, and paintings. In the quiet hallway with marble floors, only the footsteps of Judith and Franz echoed softly.
“It seems like Flavia opened up to you pretty quickly.”
Judith said. Just as Bartholomew felt it, she also found it strange that Flavia spoke unusually in front of Franz.
If she had known what Flavia was thinking about when she spoke to Franz, even Judith would not have found it so surprising. But like everyone else, she never thought of questioning Flavia's intentions.
From the time they first met until now, Flavia has always been timid, and Judith has felt sorry for her. She was even more concerned because Flavia's appearance was by no means unfamiliar. But it wasn't easy for her to try to get closer. She said that Flavia mostly stayed within the palace of Serene, and Judith did not want to set foot there.
If they happened to run into each other in the palace courtyard or on the promenade, Judith tried to talk to her a few times to invite her to the Argent Palace, but it never came to fruition. After this happened several times, Judith also stopped inviting Flavia to come for tea unless something else happened. Because it seemed like she would only put a burden on her.
“What were you talking about?”
"Just... It was no big deal. She said she was curious about the story of the empire and wanted to hear it, and asked me to come over for tea sometime.”
Judith, who had been looking up at the tapestry decoration, turned her head. She was wondering whether she should laugh or not.
“So you agreed?”
"No."
Franz answered. Although she felt relieved, Judith felt an anxiety creeping up in her that she had not previously considered.
Perhaps it was not Flavia's intention to be particularly friendly to Franz. It occurred to her that Queen Gilsis or Krald might be trying to get the timid Flavia to catch Franz. Since they won't be able to come forward themselves, wouldn't they be putting forward Flavia, who didn't know Franz?
“Flavia...”
Judith opened her mouth intermittently. Franz looked at her intently and said nothing to her.
“She’ll need a friend to talk to. Please be kind to her.”
His eyes, which were looking down in silence, subtly wavered. The corners of his mouth, which always looked calm, became slightly stiffened to the point where it was difficult to notice. Judith did not notice the change.
“Aren’t you worried?”
“... Am I worried?”
Of course, she was worried. Because she doesn't know what Queen Gilsis or Krald are planning to do using Flavia. But now that she wasn't sure about such intentions, she didn't want to make Franz feel uncomfortable by saying such things.
Judith knew Franz's kind nature. Therefore, she guessed that he would sympathize with Flavia's situation. She didn't know if he would want to say something like he did to his old self. From Judith's point of view, since she already knew this fact, it was even more difficult to tell Franz to be careful of Flavia's approach.
Emotions are very subtle. Depending on how you accept and view the other person's intentions and truth, it could be likable or, on the contrary, unpleasant.
Judith did not want her concerns or anxiety to be misunderstood. There were more things she had to watch over, but she thought it was something she had to take on.
“What concerns are you talking about, Your Highness?”
“...I just did it.”
Franz smiled a little later. Judith wrinkled the bridge of her nose slightly and gave him a puzzled look, but he did not try to explain further.
“There is no one anywhere who would feel comfortable in Serene Palace.”
There was no doubt that he meant Flavia, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. Judith suddenly remembered the high and huge wall she had felt before. She didn't think she could get over it, and she couldn't expect anything to come out of it. Franz was the castle's owner and gatekeeper and was too far away from Judith.
What about now?
Judith caressed the newly revealed wall and felt its dry, hard texture. Does she still have to wait for the wall to suddenly collapse one day, like a natural disaster, without any promise?
She didn't like that.
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