“What do you mean by a misunderstanding? Are you saying that it is a misunderstanding that Your Highness did not know anything?”
“That’s not it...!”
Franz, who had been flustered, soon gave up making useless excuses. Franz raised both his hands as if he had lost a battle, sighed, and shook his head.
“...I lost. I am reflecting on it.”
“What are you reflecting on? Are you reading pornographic novels? Or are you making fun of me?”
“I'm reflecting on both. So come this way.”
When Franz spread his arms with a pitiful expression, Judith snorted and pretended to be unable to resist, but she approached him. However, she was not strong enough to be held in her arms, so Franz ended up having to approach her. Judith's hair, which was hugging her tightly, gave off a sweet scent of wisteria blossoms.
“It smells good.”
“It’s because of the fragrance.”
“No. It’s not because of the perfume...”
Then, at the moment when Judith raised her head to ask why, Franz’s lips lightly and weightlessly overlapped her upper lip, as if flower petals were fluttering in the spring breeze. He smiled, biting her protruding skin, and soon gave her a passionate kiss that took her breath away.
Judith's hand, which had been holding the sheet, wrapped around Franz's neck. They came close as if they were hanging on, but at the moment their lips parted, they pulled away like someone who had just gotten out of the water, gasping for breath. Their faces, which had come close enough to make eyelashes meet, were reflected in each other's eyes.
The only thing that came close was the sound of their breathing, quietly intertwined, as if they had completely forgotten about the bickering and squabbling they had been through just a moment ago. No, other sounds faintly intruded between them. It was like the sound of summer insects chirping, or the sound of the strings of an out-of-tune instrument vibrating thinly.
“I am sometimes quite curious.”
“What is it? That’s strange.”
“There are times when you are good at everything... It’s hard to put into words, but it feels like you’ve lived a different time than me. How should I put it? It’s like seeing someone who has already lived many lives... Of course, there can’t be such a person.”
At times like this, she didn't know how fortunate it was that he couldn't see a person's heart with his eyes. Judith shook her sank heart and pretended to be pouty.
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been fooled by your lies.”
“Are you still crying?”
Franz laughed quietly. Judith felt his hair brush against her shoulder.
“Forgive me. I won’t do it again.”
A beautifully low voice tickled her ear. It was a faint touch, like the brush of a butterfly wing wandering here and there, so faint that she couldn’t tell whether it had touched or not. Nevertheless, it was enough for Judith.
Suddenly, she recalled a past memory she had long forgotten. She thought of the small, unattractive roses she had seen in her previous life, the flowers hanging from the tips of thin, limp vines. She also thought of herself, who could not help but pray every time she passed under that arch.
Judith’s body curled up in Franz’s arms, and moved slightly. At the same time, she slowly caressed Franz’s nape, which was kissing his shoulder, as if she was touching it for the first time. She stroked his hair, which became shorter and rougher as it went down, and slowly stroked his neck, which stretched smoothly underneath.
Judith tilted her head as if to kiss him. But her red lips touched his cheek. As she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she felt as if Franz was invading her body. Deep inside, in a place that no one had ever seen before.
His scent filled her lungs and stomach. She felt Franz’s hand brushing Judith’s back as she lightly bit the soft flesh protruding along her earlobe. Her cheeks flushed at the clear gesture. Judith didn’t stop him from moving slowly and put her lips on his ear. After a long silence like a kiss, Judith whispered in a small voice.
“Would you take me under the rose bush too?”
Franz's lips were tightly drawn inward. He clenched his empty hands as if he was trying to hold something back, and slid away. The soft bed heaved up and down once. Something hard caught on the tip of her finger. It was the book Franz had been reading earlier. Judith pushed it away gently and closed her eyes.
The white shoulders exposed under the light trembled weakly like the branches of a young willow tree. The tangled fingers groped and found their place and tightly interlocked. Like secret dreams, expressions hidden under the eyelids that she wanted to keep to herself forever passed by every moment.
The body immersed under the fragrant shade sank and rose deeply repeatedly. The large flower that had bloomed up to the top of the cliff suddenly burst into flames.
It was hard to straighten out her heated vision, so she closed her eyes and felt the body temperature that was touching her even more clearly. The corpses of roses scattered around were ecstatic. It was too much to count.
***
Judith got up early in the morning. She didn't need to get ready today, so she had less time than usual to get ready.
Instead of wearing fine gold-woven ornaments or hairpins, she tied her long hair into a single round bun and tied it tightly with woolen ribbons. Instead of dresses with elaborate decorations that were difficult to move in, she wore long tunics and skirts, over which she wore thin robes.
Mary Anne and Cheraan were dressed similarly, so at first glance, it was hard to tell who the three were. Cheraan tried to come out wearing trousers but was caught by her mother, and pretended to be upset, making everyone laugh.
“You said the second Princess was going with you too? I can’t see her.”
“You don’t have to take the carriage together. If you go and wait, she’ll come. Or she’ll go first.”
Two Combler knights and Neos were to escort the Crown Princess instead of Bartholomew. The three men and their knights set off first, followed by a cart loaded with grain, cloth, bread, and the like. Judith, as the Duke of Vergy had advised, also took a basket filled with dried herbs, clean cloth, and a willow-bark ointment.
“Will there be a lot of people?”
Mary Anne asked with a worried look.
“Probably so. It’ll be even more chaotic since we haven’t cleaned up all the rubble yet.”
Judith was also worried, but she showed no sign of it on the outside. While she was mentally organizing the things she had to do, the carriage entered the Place de la Michiel. As they passed the place where the inauguration ceremony had been held, Judith could not help but look at the place where the stage had been, even though she knew there was nothing there.
It was still early morning, but the square was quite crowded. There were rows of carriages carrying goods to the shops, and many people came out to find work to sell their daily wages. Street vendors were bickering and arguing for seats, and occasionally, you could see people walking around with faces still hungover from the night before.
It was a completely different scene from the palace morning, which was always neat and generally moving at a regular pace. Judith watched the things passing by outside the window carefully, as if she was trying not to miss a single thing. This lively street, the many people and their lives, Franz would one day be in charge of. Thinking of that, she felt she couldn’t overlook even one thing.
The carriage, having passed the bustling downtown area, entered a narrow road and slowed down a bit. As the scenery that seemed to be shining in the morning sunlight began to gradually lose its color, Judith saw the gray stones that had collapsed and piled up in a heap.
“Judith, we have arrived.”
Mary Anne whispered. As soon as she finished speaking, the carriage door opened. Judith, who went outside, couldn’t hide her surprise for a moment. The people lined up in front of the makeshift distribution center were all looking at her.
At that moment, someone rushed out through the crowd. He was a short, balding old man, and Judith immediately recognized him as the caretaker of the poorhouse. He kept wiping the sweat from his shiny forehead and could not hide his nervousness.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, I am Narni, in charge of management and supervision here.”
“Nice to meet you, Sir Narni.”
As Judith bowed her head slightly, old Sir Narni became even more at a loss as to what to do with himself. Judith said.
“I came here today to help you and work with you. There is no need to treat me too well or be careful.”
“Just saying that means a lot to this old man.”
“What should I do first? I brought some medicine in case it might be useful.”
Narni was delighted.
“We really did survive. Food and such are quite plentiful, but medicine and clean clothes are... Most of them became useless when the warehouse collapsed. Fortunately, Your Majesty is looking after the situation here very carefully, but there were many sick people, so we were running out of medicine. This will be a great help.”
Judith nodded to Mary Anne, who was holding the basket. Narni, who received what Mary Anne had handed him, looked genuinely relieved. Judith was also relieved that he seemed to be managing the poorhouse well.
“Then shall we begin?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I will guide you. Come this way.”
The three followed Narni, who was ahead. People standing in line for food rations stood on tiptoes, their heads craning to look at them.
Did someone notice Judith? Or was it just a rumor?
Whispers of the Crown Princess’s arrival began to spread like ripples.
The people who had been standing in a long line began to slowly gather to see Judith up close, and soon they formed a circle. In an instant, Judith, surrounded by people, blinked and then smiled broadly and bowed. Then, the eyes of the people who were watching her widened.
“Good morning, everyone. It’s time for breakfast. I know you’re hungry, but please wait a moment. We’ll have a delicious breakfast ready for you soon.”
That was all. As Judith began to walk again, people made way for her. It was an unexpected greeting for them, who had expected the Crown Princess to offer the usual words of comfort.
The people who had been standing in a long line began to slowly gather to see Judith up close, and soon they formed a circle. In an instant, Judith, surrounded by people, blinked and then smiled broadly and bowed. Then, the eyes of the people who were watching her widened.
“Good morning, everyone. It’s time for breakfast. I know you’re hungry, but please wait a moment. We’ll have a delicious breakfast ready for you soon.”
That was all. As Judith began to walk again, people made way for her. It was an unexpected greeting for them, who had expected the Crown Princess to offer the usual words of comfort.
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