Chapter 96

The morning light was soft.

A room in the hot spring manor. The light streaming through the window quietly filled the room. The maid, while arranging the Princess’s attire, suddenly stopped her hands.

She recalled the events of last night. The herbal water the Princess had chosen. She had not missed how her expression relaxed ever so slightly at that time.

As she quietly moved her hand running the comb through the Princess’s hair, the scent lingered.

That morning.

The Princess standing before Prince Leonhart was as usual. Her back straight, her voice unwavering, and her gaze held correctly. However, just the slightest bit. A truly, slight difference.

The pauses between her words were off by a half-beat, and her gaze was delayed for just an instant. Many would not notice. But to the maid, it was visible.

When the Prince drew slightly closer, Princess Elysia’s breathing stopped. The next moment, a faint color tinged her cheeks. But she immediately returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The maid dropped her gaze. Precisely because she understood, she said nothing.

The stroll along the river was also like that.

A gentle current, a maintained path. The escorts kept their distance and did not avert their gazes. Princess Elysia and Prince Leonhart were walking side by side.

There were not many words, but the atmosphere was not bad.

Rather, it was good—it was natural to the extent one would think so.

Princess Elysia was also slightly relaxed.

However, it changed after seeing those women.

The older woman and the young daughter in the distant shade of the trees.

After the Prince directed his eyes that way and issued instructions.

“…”

The Princess said nothing and quietly faced forward.

The maid had seen it. The shallowness of Princess Elysia’s breathing, the slight stiffening of her fingertips. And above all,

“…Lydia.”

That small voice. The maid was likely the only one who heard it. That was sufficient.

The maid let out a small breath in her heart.

The Princess is strong. She understands her position and does not break her demeanor. That is exactly why, by the amount she shows no one, it builds up inside.

The maid says nothing.

Because she knows she shouldn’t.

Just being by her side—that is her role.

—However, that alone is not enough.

The Princess should not speak. Nor can she ask. If so, in her stead, who will become the mouth that asks and the ears that listen?

That too, was the duty of a maid.

The maid moved swiftly.

Watching for an opportunity, she quietly closed the distance.

The placement of the escorts, the flow of gazes, the gaps between them. Eventually, she arrived near Prince Leonhart’s close aide—Marc.

“…May I ask you a few things?”

Her voice was low, to the extent of blending into the surroundings. Marc directed his gaze slightly.

“What is it?”

A short reply with no waste.

The maid paused for just an instant, choosing her words.

“It is regarding the woman named Lydia… whom we saw earlier.”

Marc’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“She is the next lord of the neighboring territory.”

A concise explanation. A boundary drawn, implying he would speak no further.

“…Their relationship?”

Taking just one more step. Marc paused for just the slightest moment.

“We have transactions for agricultural products and the like.”

That was the end of it. With no additions or implications, just the facts.

The maid did not retreat there, but chose her words so as not to step in too far.

“…Pardon my rudeness, but,”

Dropping her voice extremely low.

“Are there any talks of… a marriage proposal or the like?”

The air stopped slightly. Marc did not change his expression.

“…There are none.”

A short, clear reply.

The maid bowed her head slightly.

“Thank you.”

She asked nothing further. She had obtained exactly the necessary amount.

That night.

The maid reported quietly.

Princess Elysia listened to it under the lamplight.

“…Regarding the woman from earlier.”

While choosing her words, she continued.

“I was told she is the next lord of the neighboring territory. They only have transactions for agricultural products and the like, or so I heard.”

The Princess did not answer immediately. Eventually, she slowly opened her mouth.

“…Is that all?”

“Yes. That it is not a special relationship.”

Shortly, and accurately. Princess Elysia dropped her gaze slightly.

“…But, they are a neighboring territory, aren’t they.”

The maid did not answer. The facts were exactly as she had conveyed earlier. The Princess continued even more quietly.

“If it is a neighboring territory, there must surely be exchanges as well.”

Her tone was gentle, but somewhat dry.

The maid, as expected, said nothing.

The Princess let her gaze drift slightly to the side.

“…Perhaps, it is a relationship of relying and being relied upon.”

Matter-of-fact words, but at the very end, the slightest bit of strength was put into them.

“If she is the next lord, from here on as well.”

A small, added remark. In that instant, an extremely thin thorn mixed into her voice.

—Irritation.

It disappeared in an instant, but it was certainly there. Eventually, the Princess let out a soft breath.

“Just that, huh.”

A smile containing a slight bitterness. But, she said nothing further.

The maid quietly bowed her head.

Princess Elysia understands. Even so, she cannot completely accept it logically. Including that fact as well, the maid said nothing, and merely waited by her side.

…If there is some opportunity for the Princess herself to get involved, surely, things will head in a good direction.

Thinking so as if to believe it, the maid quietly continued to exist in that place.