Chapter 64

“…”

Perhaps I was thinking wrongly.

The Imperial Princess… yes, she’s not bad.

I might have been thinking too extremely.

First of all, she’s the Imperial Princess, right?

One of the most successful women in the empire.

To be precise, there’s the Emperor’s wife, but she’ll die in a few decades, so let’s skip her for now.

Anyway, the most successful woman.

In a way, wouldn’t she be the most suitable match for Kyle?

“Though I don’t like it in my heart.”

She’s pretty in appearance, and she’s wealthy.

“Maybe I was thinking too negatively…”

As I lay in my room alone after work, looking at the ceiling, I thought so.

I seemed to have thought too extremely.

The Imperial Princess hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did I think that way?

Kyle seemed to like her to some extent.

Maybe I shouldn’t say anything.

“He’ll handle it well…”

Kyle is an adult.

I have no reason to say anything, and he’s old enough to handle things himself.

“He’ll do well…”

He will do well.

Probably.

The next day, Kyle and the Imperial Princess were together again.

Not literally attached, but they weren’t far apart either.

“So this is tea brewed with tea leaves grown in Eristirol. Not bad.”

“Is that so? I’m grateful for your kind words.”

“Hoho…”

After lunch, they were having tea time after walking around for a while.

Looking at them like this, I had to admit that they made a good picture.

Others would probably say they looked good together.

The Imperial Princess in her pretty dress and Kyle wearing just a shirt matched well.

I couldn’t think of any other expression besides saying they matched well.

“Miss Sofia?”

“Y-Yes.”

I was slightly surprised when Kyle suddenly called me.

I hadn’t said anything for 10 minutes since tea time started.

“Please pour a little more tea into Her Highness’s cup.”

“…Yes.”

I poured tea into the Imperial Princess’s cup as Kyle ordered.

The Imperial Princess slightly bowed her head to me in gratitude as I poured tea into her cup.

She was pretty.

“…”

I bowed my head and stepped back.

Looking at Kyle and the Imperial Princess, I felt something different.

Kyle was somehow different from before.

I thought carefully about what was different.

What was different? Why? How?

“…Ah.”

It was a very small sound, not loud enough for them to hear.

Anyway, more important than that, I realized what was different about Kyle.

Until now, there had been more women around Kyle than I thought.

There was Catherine from the Oldenburg family, Lily from the White family, Karin from the Belpf family.

Besides them, there were also Louise and Elin.

All of them had been close to Kyle for a certain period.

Although I hadn’t seen Karin since the party, anyway.

Anyway, there were many women around Kyle, but Kyle didn’t get too close to them.

Even with Louise and Elin, whom he had known for years, there wasn’t much physical contact or continued conversation with smiles like this.

For most women, you could say he put up walls?

That feeling was strong.

“Your Highness, you’re more reliable than I thought.”

“Hohoho! You thought I was too stupid?!”

“I apologize.”

“Well, I’m enjoying the current situation too. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

But the current Kyle was different from how he was with other women.

Walls?

Nothing like that.

He was talking very comfortably.

“…”

“Puahahahat!!!”

“Don’t laugh so much. It makes you look weak.”

“Kik… But it’s all revealed! How can I not laugh!”

“Just hold it in.”

“…”

They had tea time in such a joyful atmosphere.

As always, I, the servant, watched from behind Kyle as the two had a pleasant conversation.

“Young master, are you enjoying yourself with Her Highness the Imperial Princess?”

I visited Kyle’s room at night after dinner time had ended.

Usually, I would have been lying alone in my room at this time, but not today.

I had something to say to Kyle.

“Hmm… I could say it’s enjoyable. She’s a better person than I expected.”

“Is… that so.”

If Kyle thinks so, then she must really be a good person.

It’s not like Kyle has poor judgment about people, so it must really be true.

“Young master, have you perhaps developed feelings for Her Highness the Imperial Princess?”

If Kyle had such feelings for the Imperial Princess…

Wouldn’t I support and help him?

But Kyle said before that there was someone he liked…?

I don’t know.

Well, he could like the Imperial Princess now.

“What?”

“Even if you say you have such feelings for Her Highness the Imperial Princess, it’s fine. I will help somehow…”

“I don’t.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t. I’m just trying to become friends with her because she’s really a good person.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Is that… the case?

I’m not sure.

“Were you perhaps worried that I would have that kind of relationship with Her Highness the Imperial Princess?”

“Pardon?”

Me?

Worried?

Nonsense.

Why would I be worried whether Kyle and the Imperial Princess date or not?

Rather, if Kyle and the Imperial Princess dated…

“Don’t worry. There’s absolutely no chance I’ll have that kind of relationship with Her Highness the Imperial Princess.”

“…”

Kyle was looking straight at me as he spoke.

For some reason, I couldn’t look at him properly.

“But still, perhaps with Her Highness the Imperial Princess…”

“I’m telling you it’s true.”

“…Yes.”

Kyle confirmed once more.

I thought that if Kyle said so, then it must be true, but on the other hand, I also thought he might be hiding it out of embarrassment.

“By the way, did you come at this late hour just to ask that?”

“Yes.”

For some reason, Kyle covered his mouth.

“Why are you doing that?”

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly felt happy.”

Happy?

Nothing happened in the room, so I don’t understand what could make him happy.

There’s only me and Kyle in the room.

Is he happy at the thought of being with the Imperial Princess tomorrow?

“Miss Sofia.”

“Yes.”

Kyle called me.

He looked somewhat happy.

He’ll probably spend time with the Imperial Princess tomorrow too.

“Would you like to go out with me tomorrow?”

“Pardon?”

“We promised, didn’t we? To go on a date together.”

“…”

We never directly used the word “date,” but we did make an appointment.

Which we couldn’t keep thanks to someone with blonde hair and purple eyes.

“So, would you like to go on a date tomorrow?”

“But in the castle, Her Highness the Imperial Princess…”

“It’s okay. Sofia is more important to me than Her Highness the Imperial Princess.”

Thump…

Something felt strange.

Something difficult to explain, but something felt strange.

“You were dressed so prettily that time, it would be a waste not to go, right? Let’s go together tomorrow.”

Kyle, who had been sitting on the bed, stood up.

I was slightly surprised by his sudden movement, but I didn’t show it in my expression.

“Do you perhaps dislike spending time with me, Miss Sofia?”

“N-No, I don’t.”

Kyle suddenly took both my hands.

They were warm.

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to go on a date with me tomorrow, right?”

“… That’s right.”

“Will you go with me?”

“Yes.”

I accepted reflexively.

No, it’s not particularly because I want to go on a date with Kyle, it’s just because I was uncomfortable that our previous appointment was broken.

After all the preparations, the appointment was suddenly canceled right before we were about to leave.

I was just uncomfortable about that, nothing more.

“Then let’s see each other tomorrow morning like before. Or would you like to sleep together like before?”

“… I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

I said that and then left Kyle’s room, walking to my own room.

Thump-thump…

I felt something extremely strange.

It’s difficult to explain exactly what feeling it was… but something was strange.

So very strange.

“Date…”

No, rather than calling it a date, it should just be the two of us going out together.

Kyle said he has someone he likes.

Yes, it’s just an appointment.

Just an appointment to briefly look around the domain, walk the streets together, enjoy a meal, visit scenic places, and do fun things together if there are any.

But why does it feel so strange?

Could I have developed an arrhythmia?

I haven’t eaten anything wrong lately.

Thump-thump.

For some reason, I felt my heart continue to pound.

Since it was beating much faster than usual, I couldn’t help but think it was strange.

“Why is this happening.”

I really don’t know.

“So?! You’re saying you’re going on a date today?!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I was having a light morning tea and conversation with Her Highness the Imperial Princess.

There was time until my date with Miss Sofia, and I had told Miss Sofia to just rest until the date, so there was no problem.

“Wow~ To think Young Lord Kyle has grown so much, this teacher’s heart is truly moved!”

“Haha…”

“Just until recently, you were the kind of young lord who couldn’t properly evoke any feelings from a woman you had known for years!”

“…”

“Finally!”

There was nothing much to say, but I didn’t feel particularly bad.

Rather, to express my current feelings, I could say I felt good.

“By the way, that servant called Sofia, she’s really cute.”

“Isn’t she?”

“Yes, I turned my eyes slightly to look yesterday, and it was all over her expression. Her lips were slightly protruding too.”

“That’s what’s good about her.”

Miss Sofia thinks she’s hiding it, but it’s cute that it’s not hidden at all.

I was surprised yesterday too, but how cute she was pretending not to be surprised.

When I was younger, I only thought she was an incredibly cool person, but the more I met her, the cuter she was.

“Hah… I think I understand why popular women are popular.”

“Doesn’t Your Highness have quite a following too?”

“That’s because I’m the Imperial Princess. If I didn’t have the title of Imperial Princess, wouldn’t I be less popular than that servant Sofia? That servant looks like she’d be popular with women too, at a glance.”

Her Highness the Imperial Princess was smarter than I thought.

How did she even know that?