By Zephyria 
It wasn’t that I necessarily wanted to be alone, away from Carlisle, at this time when my heart was constantly uneasy even if I stayed still. But I couldn’t crouch down without moving forward in order to gain immediate psychological comfort. Worry, hesitation, anxiety. At least for me now, they were just a luxury.
The Crown Prince, who had finished the engagement ceremony, said that he planned to tour various parts of the empire to calm the restless public sentiment and carefully observe the local forces. He had gone on a similar tour after getting engaged to Allen, but back then, it was before the strange phenomena were appearing all over the world, so he only toured a few places near the capital to show them off. But when I heard the plan, it seemed that he was going to go to every corner of the outskirts very seriously this time. The north, where the chaos had not been completely resolved, was excluded for safety reasons. Now that I had officially taken the position of the Crown Prince’s fiancée, I had the legal right to accompany him on that schedule.
So I decided to accompany him on the tour schedule. The Crown Prince seemed very unhappy that I, who had been suffering from a high fever for a few days, was following him, but he didn’t refuse until the end because I wanted to be with him even though I was being stubborn for once.
Carlisle and my plan was for me to ‘officially’ disappear during that tour schedule. Although I wasn’t directly visiting the north, the target destination was a nearby territory that shared a Mountain Range with the Grand Duchy Territory.
Carlisle said that if Graham’s abilities were used, the mountain beasts could be controlled at will. Noah Hamilton, the would-be Crown Princess, was scheduled to be unfortunately lost while trying to save His Royal Highness the Crown Prince from the fangs of a mountain beast that suddenly attacked in the deep mountains.
Lennox would help with what followed. Carlisle said he hadn’t heard a precise explanation from Lennox either. He only said that it was important for I to arrive at the Grand Duchy Territory as soon as possible.
The reason for linking the cause of the disappearance to saving the Crown Prince was to prevent the risk of being ousted from the position of would-be Crown Princess when I returned to the capital later.
If the point of confrontation in this huge conflict, with I as the main character, was just a human being named Adrian Pearson, then it would have been a good idea to get help from Lennox to hide my appearance with magic and live forever inside Graham Castle as Carlisle’s lover.
But he wasn’t my enemy, and I had to reach the scene of the wedding with the Crown Prince safely, no matter what.
“Young Master! I told you not to be out in the cold wind yet!”
I had seen off Carlisle, who had to leave first because there were many things to prepare before I and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince arrived at the target territory, and I was standing blankly in front of the half-open window. Nicole hurriedly ran over, saying that I was just getting better and was going to get a fever again, and closed the window and pulled the thick robe all the way up to my neck and tied the knot tightly.
“…Nicole, it’s stuffy.”
“Even if it’s stuffy, bear with it. Who told you to be out in the cold wind? I really can’t take my eyes off you for a second!”
“I’m really all better now.”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh. I don’t believe you. You have to go on a tour the day after tomorrow, so bear with it until then, even if it’s stuffy. Got it?”
Nicole kept chattering, saying that he didn’t know I would open the window in that short time he went to check the luggage list. Even while doing that, his hands didn’t know how to rest. How could his small hands be so deft? He sat me down on the sofa and even pushed the warm Onion Soup he had brought forward.
“Sigh… I wish you could just rest at the mansion without even thinking about such a long trip…”
Nicole sighed deeply, staring at me as I slowly ate the soup. The Onion Soup that my nanny always made when I was sick was still sweet and stuck to the tip of my tongue.
Every time I saw Nicole, who only knew how to worry about me like this, guilt wriggled inside me, showing off its presence. He’d cry a lot… he’d worry a lot… It wasn’t because I was worried that Nicole would betray me that I was hiding so much from him. What I was really worried about, what I was really concerned about, was rather…
‘Young Master! I’m sorry, am I too late…? It’s okay now, it’s okay, so let’s go out together…’
‘There he is! Catch the intruder!’
Thud! Rumble…
‘He’s been killed. He was the criminal’s exclusive attendant.’
‘Hmph, just because he was a nobleman, he had a competent exclusive attendant? So what? I don’t know how he managed to get in here, but it’s over when he dies.’
‘What should we do with the head?’
‘Forget it, just take care of it however you want. Do I have to worry about some commoner’s severed head?’
…Ugh. A very unpleasant scene came to mind. Anyway, I’m not going to tell Nicole anything. Absolutely, no matter what.
He’ll definitely cry a lot at my sudden disappearance, he’ll definitely be hurt a lot, but that’s better. He’s the kind of kid who would jump into dangerous things without thinking to help me, so even if his heart is a little hurt, it’s a hundred or a thousand times better for him to be safe and sound without getting a scratch.
Why did you deceive me? I’ll accept it all later, whether you resent me for having to do that to you or feel betrayed.
“……”
“Young Master?”
“…Yeah.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why? How did I look at you?”
“It’s like…, like… you’re looking at me like I’m the last strawberry left on the cake… Why are you suddenly like this? Did you do something wrong to me?”
Anyway, he’s like a ghost. I skillfully smiled and nodded my head greatly.
“I told His Royal Highness. I want to take my attendant with me in the carriage.”
“Huh…? Why is that…”
“Because His Royal Highness will be using the carriage for this tour for security reasons, and he won’t be riding a horse.”
“Eek!”
“Hehe, His Royal Highness, I, and you… Shall we three have a cozy time together?”
“A-a-are you crazy? Me with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Yeah, yeah. I love you too.”
“Young Master!”
Nicole, who had turned pale, couldn’t hit me with his tightly clenched fist and only hit the innocent table. I stroked the top of my attendant’s head, which still looked young, because I was glad that the head on top of his neck was properly attached.
* * *
Click.
A hand reaching out from behind closed the half-open carriage window as ruthlessly as possible. I wasn’t surprised and calmly turned my head back. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who seemed to be taking a nap, had woken up and was pulling me into his arms with a look of a headache.
“I haven’t received a report that the Hamilton family raised you locked up. Did you hide something good outside? Why are you so eager to open the window?”
“Tch, why did you wake up so early?”
“Now you’re even scoffing openly?”
“Then, can’t I, who will soon be the Crown Princess, open a window as I please? I said I wouldn’t be the Crown Princess if it’s like this.”
“Uh-huh.”
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince made a stern expression and pinched and shook my cheek without hurting me. No, to be exact, it would be more accurate to say that he was trying to pinch and shake it, but he was just scratching the dry leather with his fingers.
“I know why that young attendant is so anxious. There’s nothing to pinch here.”
I burst out laughing at the story of Nicole coming out of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s mouth. Like all the nobles except for me, who had memories of my past life, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn’t hesitate to do what he wanted, whether there was an attendant around or not. He escorted me to the carriage in a fairly polite manner, and as soon as the door closed, he immediately kissed me and tried to put his hand inside my shirt.
Nicole’s counterattack began at that moment, as he was suffocated and scared by the thought of being in a small space with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
‘Ha, I’m finally relieved to be alone with you. Release some of your pheromones. I was going crazy because they were flickering.’
‘Ahem.’
‘Didn’t you miss me? Damn it, your skin seems to have become softer.’
‘Ahem, ahem, ahem.’
‘Noah……’
‘Ahem! Ahem! Ahem, ahem!’
Nicole couldn’t say it out loud, but he conveyed the meaning of what are you doing to our young master, who hasn’t recovered his condition in a while, with his eyes and expressions. It was a talent to be able to convey his meaning so clearly without opening his mouth once.
However, how could his innate arrogant nature go anywhere? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was about to issue an order to drag that arrogant thing out, but as soon as he sensed it, he shook his head as if he couldn’t help it when he saw me hiding Nicole behind my back.
‘Your Royal Highness, Adrian.’
‘Yes… You said he was a cherished attendant who grew up almost like a brother…’
Fortunately, Nicole kept his neck safe. He just couldn’t be in the carriage anymore. Later, when I heard the story, Nicole said that he didn’t even realize it and his body just moved like that, and he almost shed tears. He said that it would be right to be separate if he didn’t want to go to the guillotine for insulting the royal family.
“Well…, then, now that there are no cumbersome obstacles, shall we enjoy it properly?”
He had been up for days and nights because of things to be done before leaving the capital, so he only kissed me a little and fell asleep, but he only talked a lot. I snorted and familiarly pulled his neck.