There is a limit to how much this kid can treat someone like an idiot.
I should have gotten angry all of a sudden, but I couldn't. It was because I didn't see any malice in him. If someone as skilled in malice as me can't sense it, then there is no malice.
He just embarrassed me to the point of malice.
'Please make me understand, you punk. You're the cub of the empire.'
The cub of the empire has no obligation to make me understand. But my mind was forcing myself like that.
He stopped laughing and stared at me with a crooked smile.
"I messed up my speech quite a bit while rolling around with the soldiers in the Tunbar Mountains, but I guess I got a little overexcited because it was unfamiliar to a noble lady."
What kind of perversion is this? Who, gets excited like that? I'm going to twist something up like that...
For a while, my inner self, which had been calm and peaceful, became a mud puddle due to the ripples caused by Locard Kydel. The smoky curses that had settled at the bottom rose up in a lump.
When I thought about it, the problem was me. I should have just endured it once and acted hypocritically. But strangely, it was hard to do that with this man.
Prince Kydel said with a smile.
“People really make me curious. What is your identity?”
I said, straining my stomach.
“If you need herbs, just let me know. We only deal with high-quality ones.”
“Did the Count open the store for you?”
I asked what kind of foolish thing that was.
“If it were my store, would I make the deliveries?”
“Hmm.”
Prince Kydel made a slightly embarrassed expression, then suddenly said solemnly.
“But, don’t you have something to apologize to me for? Miss Loire.”
“...”
I slowly backed away. But he quickly took a step forward and closed the distance.
“I confirmed Miss Loire's running ability that day, but if you want, I’m willing to show you my running ability as well. Miss Loire.”
It was also unfortunate that he kept calling me Miss Loire. Is Loire my name or yours?
Anyway, the youngest knight in the empire clearly warned me not to run away.
“I didn’t have time to bring this up, but if it’s a coincidence like this, isn’t it heaven giving me a chance?”
“At that time, I... I think I might have misunderstood...”
The voice I heard in my ears was small, shabby, and mean.
He opened his eyes wide and asked.
“Then does that mean Miss Loire is not at fault now?”
“No, that’s not it...”
I didn’t know why I was holding on like this either.
But it wasn’t hard to guess. The memory of that day. I didn’t want to recall the horrible feeling I felt that night when I gave up the academy exam and wandered the streets at night.
But that was my situation, and I owed Prince Kydel an apology.
I spoke with strength in my voice.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. It was wrong to accuse me of being a pervert and run away without apologizing even after realizing it was a misunderstanding!”
I was sincerely admitting my mistake. However, contrary to my feelings, my voice was raised and cracking. It was as if I was swearing.
Prince Kydel must have felt the same way because he had an expression on his face that seemed to say he didn’t know what expression to make.
I screamed.
“I’m really, really sorry!”
He furrowed his brows and reluctantly answered.
“Yes... I accept the apology.”
What was he thinking? He couldn’t stand seeing me like this anymore, so he reluctantly accepted my apology, which made me feel uncomfortable in its own way.
I had to leave quickly. This man was truly like a swamp. A dark swamp swaying with my mistakes and dark history.
“Then excuse me, Your Excellency. I hope we don’t meet again. For Your Excellency’s sake too.”
“Where are it?”
I tried to turn around, but my feet got tangled and I turned around awkwardly again.
“Yes?”
“Where is that herbalist?”
“...”
He bent down toward me and lowered his height a little. He was telling me to look at his face well and to listen to his voice, which had become quite quiet, up close.
“Should I let someone go and find him? I’m good at that.”
The image of the knights surrounding his carriage on the day of the academy entrance exam suddenly came to mind. If I had mobilized half of them, it wouldn’t have been a problem to find me in the city.
After making that gentle threat, he straightened his back. His body looked straighter after bending and straightening.
That unlucky nobleman.
That’s when I realized the real reason why I couldn’t apologize to him obediently.
He seemed like a noble. He seemed like the first real noble I’d ever met, other than our Count.
A state of pure perfection that I could never reach.
I stared into those dark and mysteriously colored eyes with my mouth open and sighed.
“Will you keep it a secret?”
He looked down at me and smiled.
“Do you think anyone would come to me and ask where Miss Lorisha Loire works?”
“...”
As expected.
What an unlucky bastard.
“It’s Tolman’s apothecary at the end of Rue Valois! I hope I never have to meet you again.”
I quickly spat out and turned my body around so that the basket floated up from the centrifugal force.
“...!”
I stopped abruptly as if I had a breakdown.
My shoulders shook as I gasped for breath. Then the basket went up and down with it. I felt embarrassed to say it. I felt like I was going to die.
But I had to go back after receiving the first payment for the deal I had made today.
I turned around and shouted at him.
“Excuse me! Take me to the guest waiting room of the Third Palace!”
Prince Locard, who was about to enter the building, returned to me and laughed like a mean boy.
How mean his face, suppressing a smile, was!
He leaned over me and spoke softly near my ear.
“You owe me, Miss Loire.”
Then he strode past me and took the lead. He didn’t forget to grab the basket from my arm as he passed me. When the basket was unexpectedly empty, he lifted it high again as if to check its weight and walked briskly.
I kept twisting the side of my skirt as I walked.
‘Oh, oh, oh!’
Misha had come home for the first time last weekend. It had been more than a month since she had entered the Academy.
The Countess had prepared various foods and changed the decorations of the house to welcome her proud Academy student daughter. The mansion was festive.
The carriage arrived while everyone was waiting, and Misha got out of the carriage in her Academy uniform. The Countess who saw that let out a gasp and her eyes welled up with tears... The academy uniform looked great to her too.
On the other hand, the Count was just as calm as usual, and he seemed to have calmed down a little. It was a subtle thing that only I could sense.
It didn’t seem to be because she had been back for so long, and I wondered if there was a rule that said she couldn’t wear the uniform outside of the academy, but I didn’t know.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I had teased Misha and comforted myself. And the time I got angry at Misha.
Misha kept talking from the moment she got off the carriage until we were eating.
The academy was this and that, the academy was that. The academy was about to claim that even the dust floating in the air was made of gold dust.
If that were true, then the Imperial Academy should have unicorns and dragons.
However, the Countess, who had been excited for so long, kept up with her at the end of every sentence, saying, “So, so.”
Since I had finally gotten my life path straight, I didn’t find it hard to listen to Misha’s endless boasting.
If it were Misha, she would say, “What kind of vulgar thing is it to be a herbalist with the last name of Loire?” But I was so bored by Misha’s boasting that I imagined a unicorn jumping around on the table in front of me. The Count also ate in silence. When Misha finally stopped chattering and took a breath, the Countess said,
“But isn’t the quality of the food at the Academy bad? Your skin seems to have gotten rough.”
“I’m tired from studying.”
Huh. The Count next to me heard the tiny, tiny laugh I made. I glanced at him and buried my nose in my plate.
On the other hand, the Countess’s eyes grew as big as a lamp and she got up with a napkin in her hand. She then went out, wiping her tears with the napkin. The news that Misha Loire was studying was enough to make a person cry.
Then the Count asked in a calm voice,
“Are you able to keep up with your studies?”
“So-so. I’m trying. Father, can you arrange for a tutor for me? I can come to my house on weekends.”
The Count looked at Misha with a subtle expression and did not answer right away.
“I think it will help my grades. The Academy... Everyone is so hard-working, I think I’ll have to work harder to get ahead.”
“Let’s do that.”
Only then did I notice the Count’s expression brightening a little.
They say even a snail can roll, and Misha Loire studies too.
And she wants to get ahead? It was something I’d only seen if I lived long enough.
Hmm, isn’t this an example?
I should have gotten angry all of a sudden, but I couldn't. It was because I didn't see any malice in him. If someone as skilled in malice as me can't sense it, then there is no malice.
He just embarrassed me to the point of malice.
'Please make me understand, you punk. You're the cub of the empire.'
The cub of the empire has no obligation to make me understand. But my mind was forcing myself like that.
He stopped laughing and stared at me with a crooked smile.
"I messed up my speech quite a bit while rolling around with the soldiers in the Tunbar Mountains, but I guess I got a little overexcited because it was unfamiliar to a noble lady."
What kind of perversion is this? Who, gets excited like that? I'm going to twist something up like that...
For a while, my inner self, which had been calm and peaceful, became a mud puddle due to the ripples caused by Locard Kydel. The smoky curses that had settled at the bottom rose up in a lump.
When I thought about it, the problem was me. I should have just endured it once and acted hypocritically. But strangely, it was hard to do that with this man.
Prince Kydel said with a smile.
“People really make me curious. What is your identity?”
I said, straining my stomach.
“If you need herbs, just let me know. We only deal with high-quality ones.”
“Did the Count open the store for you?”
I asked what kind of foolish thing that was.
“If it were my store, would I make the deliveries?”
“Hmm.”
Prince Kydel made a slightly embarrassed expression, then suddenly said solemnly.
“But, don’t you have something to apologize to me for? Miss Loire.”
“...”
I slowly backed away. But he quickly took a step forward and closed the distance.
“I confirmed Miss Loire's running ability that day, but if you want, I’m willing to show you my running ability as well. Miss Loire.”
It was also unfortunate that he kept calling me Miss Loire. Is Loire my name or yours?
Anyway, the youngest knight in the empire clearly warned me not to run away.
“I didn’t have time to bring this up, but if it’s a coincidence like this, isn’t it heaven giving me a chance?”
“At that time, I... I think I might have misunderstood...”
The voice I heard in my ears was small, shabby, and mean.
He opened his eyes wide and asked.
“Then does that mean Miss Loire is not at fault now?”
“No, that’s not it...”
I didn’t know why I was holding on like this either.
But it wasn’t hard to guess. The memory of that day. I didn’t want to recall the horrible feeling I felt that night when I gave up the academy exam and wandered the streets at night.
But that was my situation, and I owed Prince Kydel an apology.
I spoke with strength in my voice.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. It was wrong to accuse me of being a pervert and run away without apologizing even after realizing it was a misunderstanding!”
I was sincerely admitting my mistake. However, contrary to my feelings, my voice was raised and cracking. It was as if I was swearing.
Prince Kydel must have felt the same way because he had an expression on his face that seemed to say he didn’t know what expression to make.
I screamed.
“I’m really, really sorry!”
He furrowed his brows and reluctantly answered.
“Yes... I accept the apology.”
What was he thinking? He couldn’t stand seeing me like this anymore, so he reluctantly accepted my apology, which made me feel uncomfortable in its own way.
I had to leave quickly. This man was truly like a swamp. A dark swamp swaying with my mistakes and dark history.
“Then excuse me, Your Excellency. I hope we don’t meet again. For Your Excellency’s sake too.”
“Where are it?”
I tried to turn around, but my feet got tangled and I turned around awkwardly again.
“Yes?”
“Where is that herbalist?”
“...”
He bent down toward me and lowered his height a little. He was telling me to look at his face well and to listen to his voice, which had become quite quiet, up close.
“Should I let someone go and find him? I’m good at that.”
The image of the knights surrounding his carriage on the day of the academy entrance exam suddenly came to mind. If I had mobilized half of them, it wouldn’t have been a problem to find me in the city.
After making that gentle threat, he straightened his back. His body looked straighter after bending and straightening.
That unlucky nobleman.
That’s when I realized the real reason why I couldn’t apologize to him obediently.
He seemed like a noble. He seemed like the first real noble I’d ever met, other than our Count.
A state of pure perfection that I could never reach.
I stared into those dark and mysteriously colored eyes with my mouth open and sighed.
“Will you keep it a secret?”
He looked down at me and smiled.
“Do you think anyone would come to me and ask where Miss Lorisha Loire works?”
“...”
As expected.
What an unlucky bastard.
“It’s Tolman’s apothecary at the end of Rue Valois! I hope I never have to meet you again.”
I quickly spat out and turned my body around so that the basket floated up from the centrifugal force.
“...!”
I stopped abruptly as if I had a breakdown.
My shoulders shook as I gasped for breath. Then the basket went up and down with it. I felt embarrassed to say it. I felt like I was going to die.
But I had to go back after receiving the first payment for the deal I had made today.
I turned around and shouted at him.
“Excuse me! Take me to the guest waiting room of the Third Palace!”
Prince Locard, who was about to enter the building, returned to me and laughed like a mean boy.
How mean his face, suppressing a smile, was!
He leaned over me and spoke softly near my ear.
“You owe me, Miss Loire.”
Then he strode past me and took the lead. He didn’t forget to grab the basket from my arm as he passed me. When the basket was unexpectedly empty, he lifted it high again as if to check its weight and walked briskly.
I kept twisting the side of my skirt as I walked.
‘Oh, oh, oh!’
***
Misha had come home for the first time last weekend. It had been more than a month since she had entered the Academy.
The Countess had prepared various foods and changed the decorations of the house to welcome her proud Academy student daughter. The mansion was festive.
The carriage arrived while everyone was waiting, and Misha got out of the carriage in her Academy uniform. The Countess who saw that let out a gasp and her eyes welled up with tears... The academy uniform looked great to her too.
On the other hand, the Count was just as calm as usual, and he seemed to have calmed down a little. It was a subtle thing that only I could sense.
It didn’t seem to be because she had been back for so long, and I wondered if there was a rule that said she couldn’t wear the uniform outside of the academy, but I didn’t know.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I had teased Misha and comforted myself. And the time I got angry at Misha.
Misha kept talking from the moment she got off the carriage until we were eating.
The academy was this and that, the academy was that. The academy was about to claim that even the dust floating in the air was made of gold dust.
If that were true, then the Imperial Academy should have unicorns and dragons.
However, the Countess, who had been excited for so long, kept up with her at the end of every sentence, saying, “So, so.”
Since I had finally gotten my life path straight, I didn’t find it hard to listen to Misha’s endless boasting.
If it were Misha, she would say, “What kind of vulgar thing is it to be a herbalist with the last name of Loire?” But I was so bored by Misha’s boasting that I imagined a unicorn jumping around on the table in front of me. The Count also ate in silence. When Misha finally stopped chattering and took a breath, the Countess said,
“But isn’t the quality of the food at the Academy bad? Your skin seems to have gotten rough.”
“I’m tired from studying.”
Huh. The Count next to me heard the tiny, tiny laugh I made. I glanced at him and buried my nose in my plate.
On the other hand, the Countess’s eyes grew as big as a lamp and she got up with a napkin in her hand. She then went out, wiping her tears with the napkin. The news that Misha Loire was studying was enough to make a person cry.
Then the Count asked in a calm voice,
“Are you able to keep up with your studies?”
“So-so. I’m trying. Father, can you arrange for a tutor for me? I can come to my house on weekends.”
The Count looked at Misha with a subtle expression and did not answer right away.
“I think it will help my grades. The Academy... Everyone is so hard-working, I think I’ll have to work harder to get ahead.”
“Let’s do that.”
Only then did I notice the Count’s expression brightening a little.
They say even a snail can roll, and Misha Loire studies too.
And she wants to get ahead? It was something I’d only seen if I lived long enough.
Hmm, isn’t this an example?
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