episode_0160

Quite suspiciously, both Elizabeth and Emily happened to be away on the same weekday.

Elizabeth excused herself with matters concerning the Imperial Family.

Emily cited the need to prepare for an important outing, but looking back after waking up, their routes were far too suspicious.

It just felt like they were taking off to meet each other.

A few days ago, I would have dismissed it as nonsense, but seeing how unusually close they’ve become recently, it was a pretty reasonable suspicion.

It was extremely suspicious, but I didn’t point it out or act like I knew.

Even if they get up to something bothersome, they wouldn’t do anything truly weird.

No matter how annoying, it was bound to be less bothersome than Hayes dragging me around to pick out underwear or slathering my face with cosmetics to test them.

No, Hayes was beyond bothersome; she was dreadful.

Like that time when she was learning makeup and slathered on color makeup and foundation so weirdly that she turned me into a clown.

She applied it so daringly that my face was ghostly white, my lips were bright red, and my eyes were panda-like black.

It was so terrible that even when I punched Hayes in the solar plexus while yelling my head off, my mother just looked at me pitifully and said, “William, the solar plexus was a bit much.”

Compared to that, how suspicious could Elizabeth and Emily be, even if they were up to something?

It would definitely be cute compared to what our dreadful little sister did.

“Sigh…”

Suddenly, I felt a surge of anger.

The kid who acted like a tomboy and a beast around me is now acting coy and pretending to be innocent next to a guy…

I am human mugwort and human garlic.

I turned a beast into a person.

And into a person who can perfectly perform the advanced thought process of love.

Thinking about it that way, maybe I am a dating master.

To think I’d awaken a talent I didn’t even know I had.

I was not thankful at all.

“Duke Howard.”

Just as I was faintly nurturing hatred and vengeance toward Hayes.

Duke Herbert, who thought I was resting because I had briefly stopped working due to my idle thoughts, cautiously approached and spoke to me.

“What is it?”

“Isn’t Saint’s Day coming up soon?”

“Yeah, it’s only four days away.”

“By any chance, do you have any plans to rest the day before Saint’s Day? It’s a weekday, but… that day isn’t just an ordinary day, is it?”

“Hmm?”

I widened my eyes at Duke Herbert’s question and tilted my head.

“Didn’t I say I’d be resting that day? Of course, I should rest.”

Because I naturally assumed I would be resting.

In my past life, Christmas was naturally a day off, and even people with religion only attended evening services on Christmas Eve or Day, but here, religious color is still very strong.

In a world where ‘You Heretic’ is like a national holiday, Saint’s Day is not an event to be taken lightly, so on the day itself, you have to be cooped up in church almost all day to attend the service.

They say it’s okay to only participate in part of the service, but if you really only do part of it and try to leave, they give you a lot of disapproving looks.

‘Haha, do you have more urgent matters than giving thanks to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, brother?’

No one here can confidently say ‘Yes’ and leave, so everyone quietly sits down, but the problem is that it’s not easy to attend the service all day.

It’s like conducting military spiritual education without breaks.

And if you doze off, a Divine Power Punch (a tingle) will come flying at you.

That’s why you need to rest or play enough the day before Saint’s Day to endure the hellish 10-hour service on Saint’s Day.

“Duke Howard gave hints that he might, but since he hasn’t confirmed it yet, I was just wondering, as schedules can always change.”

“No, it hasn’t changed. I’m definitely going to rest the day before Saint’s Day and the days around January 1st, even if they’re weekdays, so everyone should know that.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Duke Herbert’s expression brightened noticeably at the words that I would definitely rest.

He probably has plans with his family or with Lady Fani.

I was planning to wander around the capital with Elizabeth and Emily that day too.

Even though I lived as a shut-in, I don’t dislike the unique atmosphere of holidays that everyone enjoys.

It just takes too much determination to go out.

Still, Hayes forcibly dragged me out and diligently took care of the holidays in her own way.

This time too, I’ll wander around moderately…

…

“Huh?”

A chilling sensation ran down my spine and spread throughout my body.

That common mistake that guys who have never dated make.

That mistake that brings disappointment to your girlfriend after going to the meeting place with a peaceful heart.

I hadn’t decided what to do on the day before Saint’s Day at all.

I had forgotten because I had never planned and wandered around before, but usually, the guy leads in these things, right?

And this time, I was the one who brought it up first.

But on the day of, I’m going to do something like, ‘Haha, what do we do now?’

I could have died.

Even if Elizabeth and Emily were up to something suspicious, I still had to show that I had prepared something.

“Ha…”

I hurriedly checked the calendar.

“I’m screwed…”

Four days,

Even excluding today, it’s two days later.

I’m doomed.

I’m completely doomed.

There was only a woefully insufficient amount of time left to prepare something.

I felt the energy draining from my body, and my vision spun.

“Uh… Duke Howard, is something wrong? You suddenly look pale…”

Duke Herbert, seeing me sitting there with a pale face and trembling eyes, looked at me with a worried expression and put his hand on my shoulder.

Thanks to that, my mind, which had been in chaos, returned slightly, and my gaze turned to Duke Herbert.

Unlike me, Duke Herbert often frequented social circles and traveled before working at the atelier.

He definitely knows more than I do.

Thinking that way.

I grabbed the Duke’s hand that was on my shoulder.

“Duke Howard?”

“Hey, Herbert.”

“Yes?”

“Help me, I’m really in a hurry.”

“…?”

And I asked for help in a very earnest and desperate voice.

“Uh, well… yes, I’ll help as much as I can if it’s within my power.”

“Thank you…!”

And the Duke showed a flustered look, but fortunately, he nodded willingly.

Duke Herbert, you are confirmed to be this year’s best employee…!

_

“Hmm…”

I, who had almost ruined an important appointment by wasting time with useless thoughts, slowly reviewed the plan that I had hurriedly put together with Duke Herbert’s advice and help.

==

Morning: First, after joining up, visit a jewelry store.

Spend time there trying on and buying simple accessories that would suit the two of them.

When lunchtime comes, of course, have a meal.

Originally, it would be right to take them to one of the only four restaurants in the capital and have a meal, but it’s already too late for that.

Then, this time, casually resolve it with street food, saying, ‘It’s better to hide the fact that you’re a princess!’

If the street food isn’t good, I’ve heard there are some pretty famous bakeries in the capital, so we can just go there.

After resolving lunch, in the afternoon, stroll through the capital streets and give them perfumes or books that would suit them as gifts.

Depending on the situation, swap the afternoon or morning schedule for flexibility.

And in the evening…

=

“Hmm…”

The schedule after dinner is… on hold for now.

There is a universal rule that has been passed down from generation to generation, and will continue to be passed down, but I don’t have the courage to choose it yet.

And you never know what might happen on the day.

I might decide to do it and then cancel because I’m too drained, or I might decide not to do it and then suddenly feel a bit drawn to it.

So, I need to think about it a little more.

“Good…?”

Excluding dinner, it wasn’t bad.

But if you ask if it’s a good plan, it’s not, but at least it shows traces of effort to make a plan, and under the condition of ‘first time,’ it’s a crude but reasonably good plan.

“As long as I’m not sick that day, I can just proceed as is.”

_

I made a decent plan, even if it was a bit crude.

So, unless a meteorite falls, it’s bound to be at least average.

Even if it doesn’t succeed, it won’t fail.

There was a time when I thought that way too.

“Emily.”

“Yes…”

The day before the promised Saint’s Day.

“What on earth is that white powdery stuff scattering from the sky?”

“Snow… maybe?”

Until I arrived at the Imperial Palace Plaza, the meeting place to join Elizabeth, and saw the terrible sight of heavy snow pouring down like rain.

“It wasn’t too bad when I came out, even if it was a bit cloudy, how can it be such a mess in 30 minutes?”

“But that’s reality.”

“Sob…!”

A sigh escaped at the all too sad reality.

On average, the sky in the capital is clear 80% of the time, cloudy 10% of the time, and pouring rain or snow 10% of the time, but why did that 10% have to fall on today?

“It’ll stop soon, unlike our territory, the capital doesn’t get heavy snow or heavy rain, right?”

Not wanting to admit this reality, I tried to mentally win, saying that the snow, which looked like it would lead to a blizzard, would stop soon.

“Umm… Young Master, the clouds in the sky are beyond white, they’re dark and gloomy…?”

“No, that can’t be.”

Denying Emily’s words, thinking that Emily had seen it wrong, I looked at the sky, but.

“It shouldn’t be…”

As Emily said, the clouds in the sky were beyond white, they were dark, very thick, and low-lying dark clouds everywhere.

From long experience, if the clouds are in that state, they won’t calm down until they’ve been pouring snow for half a day.

So, the snow that just started falling in the morning would only calm down around sunset.

“Charles, can the carriage move in this weather?”

“It’s possible right now… but it will be impossible in just one hour. Even if the carriage manages to move somehow, there’s a high possibility that the horses won’t listen.”

“Umm…”

I groaned softly and pressed my forehead with a trembling hand.

“Is this real…”

Now even the sky is trying to screw me over…