Chapter 24.2
The princess exaggeratedly complained about the pain, but eventually sighed heavily and muttered.
“. . .I’m sorry for involving you.”
Despite her voice sounding like she was forced to say it, her demeanor seemed to show that she was reflecting on her actions.
“. . .But, it’s your fault in the first place! You treated Theodore poorly and ignored him! Do you know what they call that in Verde these days?! It’s called ‘morahara’!”
As I thought, she became angry again, insisting that she was not at fault. Diark hit her head again, but she didn’t seem to care. As for me, her words pierced my heart and made me feel pain.
“. . .I’m really sorry about that.”
As I apologized while looking at Theodore next to me, he smiled and patted my head.
“You really liked me all along, didn’t you?”
“Y-Yes.”
“There must have been some circumstances. If you can tell me someday. . .For now, the fact that you chose to be with me is enough.”
He’s too kind, it’s blinding. If I lift my face and look at him, I might even be blinded by his radiance. I heard Sophie-sama’s kol screaming mysteriously nearby.
And then, I heard the voice of the princess’s collar saying, “You’re forgetting about me again!” So, I approached her. Since her hair might get tangled if I returned it to its original state while it was braided, I untied it. Her glossy black hair looked a bit damaged by the heat, and I felt sorry for it, but considering what happened to Krystler-san after losing her brother, I thought it was better this way. Should I really ignore the results of my revenge? For a moment, I hesitated, but I still wanted Krystler-san to rebuild the shop for her brother’s sake, even if it was my selfish desire.
“. . .Ester, are you okay? Your magic power is still. . .”
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
Seeing me hesitate for a moment, Theodore looked worried and spoke to me, so I hurriedly cast a healing spell on the princess. The shimmering particles of light that appeared seemed to gather and shape her hair, and as the brilliance faded, her long black hair returned to its original state.
I have never failed a healing spell, but perhaps because it was the princess, I unconsciously felt a bit nervous. As I let out a sigh of relief, she took it as a signal and reached out to her hair with trembling hands.
“. . .Thank you.”
The princess must hate me, but she seemed to have been holding back tears as she thanked me.
After that, she asked about the current situation and what would happen next.
It seems that it will take some time for the prince to be sentenced due to his many crimes, but at least he will be arrested for the attempted murder of a foreign princess. He had also founded an assassination group called Grose Baehr, so he won’t get away with a light punishment that would allow him to leave in ten years or so.
As for the punishment for Princess Dorothea, it hasn’t been decided yet as they are busy with the prince’s case. She is currently under house arrest in her room, but she came specially to apologize.
Threatening the future king consort of another country and falsely accusing the future queen is not a light crime, but the root of all evil is the prince. If it weren’t for this incident, it would have taken a long time for me to trust Theodore’s feelings, so I personally don’t hold a grudge. However, this is just my personal opinion, and I have no intention of objecting to whatever punishment the Emperor or my mother decides.
For now, I feel like it’s finally over. Of course, the threat to Acardi may not only come from the prince, but he was certainly a troublesome presence. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
“Um. . .Esterize-sama.”
As the conversation came to a pause, Sophie-sama timidly spoke up.
“What is it?”
“When will Esterize-sama and Sir Theodore’s wedding be?”
“If they officially announce the engagement, I might be able to attend as Diark’s fiancé. Ah. . .the wedding of my strongest ship. . .I absolutely want to see it with my own eyes!”
I don’t know what Saikyouoshikapu means, but it might be another Verde youth slang like Morahara. Anyway, it was clear that they were very excited.
A wedding. . .of course, I want to get married and was happy when he asked me to marry him. But since the day I first heard Theodore’s voice, I hadn’t imagined a future where I would marry him for a long time. It felt like a dream.
It wasn’t until we had this specific conversation that I finally felt the reality of it.
