episode_0173

The carriage was quite wide, but not so much that you couldn’t face each other while sitting with your butt lightly resting on the edge of the chair.

On the carriage ride home, Diane and Adele were facing each other like that.

In fact, considering the place where they met today, it was somewhat strange to see the two of them sitting face to face in the carriage like this.

Since we met at Adele’s house, of course the people leaving had to be Amelia, Elsie, and Dianette.

However, at Amelia’s suggestion, the four of them were able to get into the same carriage and talk together on the way back. Anyway, this carriage was also lent by Amelia, and it was the carriage that would take Amelia and Elsie, then pick up Diane, and then return to the front of Ciadel’s house. Because.

In the carriage on the way back after dropping off Amelia and Elsie first.

It wasn’t just the knees that were touching. Adele and Diane’s hands were also touching.

Diane’s palms were up, and Adele’s hands were holding them tightly, as if pounced on them.

And above that, the lips of the two people were touching.

The sound of kissing could be heard inside the carriage for a while. Of course, it wasn’t loud enough to be heard outside.

They both closed their eyes and explored each other’s lips.

The ‘practice’ continued for a while and—

By the time I felt the speed of the carriage slowly decreasing, the faces of the two people had also become slightly distant.

“G, really, I will win next time!”

Diane shouted with her face turning red.

“I know. I’ll be waiting.”

And Adele spoke to Diane as if to soothe her.

A very natural atmosphere.

When I think about the first time I met, it was an atmosphere I could never have imagined. In the first place, the two people were not similar enough to sit face to face like this.

But in the end it ended up like this.

With a smiling face, Adele took out something small from her pants pocket.

It was a double-folded note.

It’s probably a letter.

It’s smaller than what I usually write on a piece of cloth and send to Alexander, but I’m sure there’s a lot of information written there as well.

Diane received the letter with both hands.

“I’ll be waiting for your reply.”

“… … .”

Diane nodded.

Diane was usually so harsh with Adele, but for some reason she was able to be honest in her letter.

Of course, that didn’t mean I confessed my feelings. It was a feeling I had to hide for the rest of my life.

The slowly speeding carriage came to a complete stop, and the carriage door opened.

“Lady Hoover, you have arrived.”

Outside, a well-dressed coachman spoke politely while holding the doorknob.

A bright light poured into the carriage. It was the light of Diane’s mansion.

Diane sat in silence for a moment, then slowly got up.

“See you later, Adele.”

“Yes, see you again.”

Diane walked away, feeling her heart warming at that one word of reply.

I didn’t bother looking back, because there was no need to.

The sound of a door closing behind her was heard, and the sound of a carriage slowly moving away. Leaving behind the sound of horses’ hooves, Diane slowly moved forward.

I gently lifted the letter, which I held dearly with both hands, and held it in front of my nose.

There was a scent of an unknown flower.

it was good.

I’ll ask Adele later.

Diane walked away, holding back a smile from forming on her lips.

“Lady.”

The maid who was waiting for Diane in front of the gate bowed and said.

“Count Hoover is coming.”

“… … Yes?”

But, that was an unexpected story.

“Waiting inside.”

“Your father?”

The maid didn’t bother to answer longer.

In fact, he probably had nothing to say. Looking at his tightly closed lips, there was no doubt that something had happened inside.

Diane’s heart was pounding loudly, but strangely, her face turned pale.

Diane quickly reached down and put the letter in her skirt pocket.

The maid seemed to have seen it, but didn’t say anything.

The path she followed behind the maid ahead felt infinitely long. So Diane walked for eternity until she arrived at the mansion, passed the large door, and reached the guest room. It seemed like she had walked for such a long time, but there were almost no memories left in her mind.

and-

“Diane.”

Count Hoover spoke while sitting on the sofa in front of the table in the guest room.

“Did you come?”

And in his hand was a piece of cloth that was slightly yellow in color.

There were quite a few of those things spread out on the table.

Diane’s legs gave out and she almost collapsed on the spot.

Adele’s letter brought by Alexander.

The content of the letter was actually nothing special. At least the two people didn’t whisper love in it. Diane thought that Adele might not like her if she got that close.

But still.

It contained the honest content written by Adele Diane.

The story is about a person who, in the father’s opinion, ‘doesn’t fit the bill’, but acts like an indispensable friend to Diane.

“… … .”

“This way.”

A maid carefully guided Diane, who was on the verge of collapsing, and made her sit at the same table as Count Hoover.

It would have been the best consideration for her to have her sit as far away as possible.

It was ironic that the place was for the father and daughter to face each other.

“You know it.”

Count Hoover said as he read the letter indifferently.

“There was a movement within the royal palace. It was a movement to connect the crown prince with the daughter of the Baron Delkisi. Although he is a baron, he is a family with royal blood. Moreover, considering the current situation, it is the most important family in this kingdom. It is also one of the reasons. So usually these marriage talks are successful.”

“… … .”

“However, Baron Delkisi did not even react whether he had heard the news or not. The Grand Duke of Grattonmount’s reaction was also lukewarm. Maybe they saw in that girl a skill they never wanted to lose.”

Count Huber put the cloth he was holding aside. There were already quite a few other cloths piled up there.

Then, picking up the new cloth and reading it, the count said:

“According to rumors, the girl may be married to the only son of the Grand Duke’s family. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s an opportunity for us, isn’t it? The family that worked so hard to help the prince become crown prince. Who is it?”

“… … .”

Diane pursed her lips.

I felt like I knew what was going to happen next.

“ As it happened, you leaked information to the Grand Duchy, and we were unable to save the author. The list he had was all in vain. Tell me. Why would I call such a daughter ‘my daughter’? ‘Should I leave it at that? In that case, it would be better to marry someone else and use it to foster a relationship.”

Count Hoover’s gaze turned to Diane.

Diane shuddered.

It was a dream that would never come true, but I thought I could make it last a little longer.

“Before my daughter’s value falls further.”

Count Hoover sighed heavily and put down the last cloth he was holding.

*

I cautiously extended my hand to the window.

I tried to open it with a little force, but the window did not budge as if it was normal.

Even if I craned my head, I couldn’t see inside. A thick curtain was drawn inside, so I couldn’t see the inside at all.

Is this really the crown prince’s room?

I was thinking of just breaking the window and going in, but I thought I’d made it this far without being seen, so I thought there was a need to leave a trace.

“… … .”

After thinking for a moment,

smart.

I knocked on the window with my hand.

There was no reaction inside.

“… … .”

good.

If you knock once more and the window doesn’t open, let’s just break it and go in.

With that in mind, I knocked on the window again.

smart.

Fortunately, this time I heard something moving inside.

The sound of footsteps got closer and I stood in front of the window.

Even through the thick curtain, I could clearly see that there was a person standing in front of me through the shimmer of light.

smart.

I knocked again, and the curtain was lifted.

And the crown prince’s face is visible,

“… … !”

The crown prince was seen screaming silently with his mouth open.

“Open this.”

When I pointed to the window with my finger and spoke, the Crown Prince thought for a moment and opened the window.

“What kind of crazy thing is this?”

“So, I told you, I can at least kidnap a princess.”

“… … Does the Grand Duchess know about this?”

“Of course I don’t know. When I first suggested it, I was so vehement and opposed it that I deliberately waited until he fell asleep to come out. Could you please get out of the way a little more?”

The crown prince must have sensed that my expression was unusual, so he quickly moved to the side and gave me a seat.

Although the chest area was a little tight, I was able to enter the crown prince’s room anyway.

“… … Are you the one who released the bear outside?”

“Is there more out there? Of course, bears can’t testify.”

Because I don’t know how to talk in the first place, let alone death.

Even the royal knights had left their seats because several bears were rampaging outside the royal capital.

“No matter how much disarmament was done, I never thought the defense would be this lax.”

As expected, southerners are fed up with peace.

It’s very similar to doing something stupid.

“… … .”

“Why, I didn’t come to kill you.”

“No, just looking at his momentum, it seems like he could easily kill him.”

Oh my, that’s right. My expression.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath to let go of my anger, then took a chair in the crown prince’s room and sat down.

“So, let’s ask this first.”

I asked while glaring at the crown prince.

“Where is Diane now?”