Chapter 11 The Annoying Third Prince
The distance between Sarah and Kaine, who were chatting in the shade, was close, almost like they were lovers.
Occasionally, Sarah would laugh and casually touch Kaine's arm.
(What? Why!?)
Rhiannon was confused.
Kaine had seemed to dislike Sarah so much, yet here he was, smiling at her with a relaxed expression.
It was a bright smile that Rhiannon had never seen before.
(What is that...!)
Rhiannon instantly became sullen.
She didn't even know why she was so angry.
But she felt like she wanted to jump in between the two of them right now and hurl some nasty insults.
However, despite those strong feelings, Rhiannon's feet felt frozen and wouldn't move.
"Hey, Lady Rhiannon?"
Suddenly, Halesia tilted her head at Rhiannon, who had stopped resisting.
"What's wrong? You're staring at something."
"Um, I need you to look at that..."
"That?"
"Look, over there. Under the tree with the white flowers!"
"Oh, oh, it seems like there are some people having a secret meeting!"
"That's my butler Kaine, and that's Sarah, who was just walking with the prince."
"Really! Hmm, what an unexpected pairing... But they both are such a handsome couple. They look good together."
At Halesia's comment about them being a "good match," Rhiannon felt a heavy thud in her heart.
Indeed, even from Rhiannon's perspective, the two looked good together.
They resembled a naive princess and a foreign knight from a fairy tale.
(I've never seen Kaine look so happy. I guess he can smile like that with a bright girl like Sarah.)
Rhiannon forced herself to look away from the seemingly affectionate Kaine and Sarah.
A dark feeling was swirling in her chest, but she managed to take a deep breath and calm herself.
After all, Rhiannon and Kaine were just employer and butler.
She had no right to intrude on Kaine's private life.
(No matter who the other person is or the reason, I can't let anything get in the way of Kaine's happiness.)
Kaine was an excellent butler, and Rhiannon had always relied on him completely.
She was aware that she had been monopolizing the talented Kaine as her butler.
However, given the current situation, it might be time to rethink things.
While Rhiannon was lost in her thoughts, Halesia crossed her arms, looking exasperated.
"Ms. Sarah, after being so flirtatious with those 2 princes, now she's trying to make a move on Mr. Kaine too...? ──Hey, Ms. Rhiannon, are you okay!? You look really pale."
"I just suddenly... don't feel well..."
"Are you alright? Should I get you some water?"
"...Maybe I should just step away for today."
Saying that, Rhiannon tried to leave the scene unsteadily, and Halesia followed her with a concerned look.
In that moment, someone approached them from the crowd with long strides.
"Hey, you planning to leave without even saying hi to me?"
At the authoritative voice coming from behind, both Halesia and Rhiannon turned around, making faces of displeasure.
There stood Prince Werner, looking more flamboyant than usual, with his arms crossed.
(What a terrible timing to run into someone I don't even want to see.)
Since it was a tea party hosted by the royal family, it was natural for Prince Werner to be there.
However, Rhiannon was in a particularly bad mood right now.
She gently covered her mouth with her fan, trying to hide a sigh that was about to escape.
Not noticing the displeased expressions on Rhiannon and Halesia's faces, Werner wore a smug smile.
"I saw some shady characters whispering in the corner of the garden, so I came to check it out, and look who it is──gloomy Halesia and Rhiannon, who got her engagement canceled by me."
Werner said this, puffing out his chest arrogantly.
Halesia sighed, while Rhiannon straightened her back and shot a cold glare at Werner.
They were ready for a confrontation.
"Sir Werner. You seem to be in a good mood today."
"Ugh, it's been a while since we last met, and you greet me like that? So uncharming!"
"Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it."
"Hmph, that's exactly why you're no good. A woman without charm will never get married, Rhiannon Mimi Clahsen! After all, you got rejected even by me, the generous one!"
Werner pointed sharply at Rhiannon.
His clear provocation made Rhiannon shoot him a cold, exasperated look.
When Rhiannon glared at him with her sharp eyes, it had a certain intensity that made Werner visibly flinch.
Internally, Rhiannon sighed.
(What a brat. I would've blown up back in the day, but compared to Kaine, this is nothing.)
When it came to the talent for provoking others, there was no doubt that Kaine was better.
Rhiannon had developed quite a bit of──no, a lot of resilience.
She snapped her fan shut with a clap.
"So? Did you hold us up just to say that, Sir Werner?"
"Y-you! Talking back to me, the Third Prince...!"
For a moment, Werner looked taken aback, but he quickly seemed to reconsider.
"...No, if you just apologize for such rudeness, I might let it slide. Considering the Clahsen family's wealth... I mean, their contributions to this country, that much is only natural..."
"I'd rather not be forgiven, thank you."
Rhiannon's cold reply was elegantly ignored by Werner.
"From me, the generous one, I have the best proposal for you! Open your ears and listen well!"
"......"
"I hear that you tripped over your dress because a servant stepped on it during that tea incident. I've heard the rumors."
"So it's become that much of a rumor, huh..."
Rhiannon placed a hand on her forehead.
Even far from the capital, news about the Clahsen family reached the ears of a prince in the palace, which was quite terrifying.
Werner continued, smugly and condescendingly.
"Well then. If it was a mistake by the servant and not your fault, I think I'll forgive you. After all, I'm generous like that. So, how about we get engaged again? That way, I'll be the head of the wealthy Clahsen family──."
"No way."
That was a stunningly quick response.
At Rhiannon's words, Werner's eyes widened.
"W-What?!"
"I appreciate your generous heart. However, the servant's mistake is ultimately my mistake as the master. I must apologize again."
With that, Rhiannon bowed deeply without hesitation.
"I'm truly sorry."
"...W-Why is that?! You don't need to apologize! The servant's mistake is the servant's mistake!"
"The responsibility of those below is carried by those above, Your Highness. Blaming someone else is just unbecoming."
Rhiannon stated firmly.
Beside her, Halesia clapped, saying, "As expected of Lady Rhiannon!".
Werner gritted his teeth in frustration.
Rhiannon pressed on relentlessly.
"Sir Werner, is that all you wanted to say? I have plans to chat and deepen my friendship with my friend Ms. Halesia, so I'll take my leave now."
Rhiannon took Halesia's arm and, with graceful steps, turned on her heel and swiftly left the tea party.
Behind them, Werner shouted something in frustration, but Rhiannon and Halesia never looked back.
Once they got into the waiting carriage, Rhiannon let out a sigh and clasped her hands together to apologize to Halesia.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this!"
"N-No. Being invited to Lady Rhiannon's home makes me so happy..."
"Oh, really? By the way, that was just a spur-of-the-moment lie, but are you really thinking of coming over?"
"Sure! Let's deepen our friendship! Oh, you can totally ignore me and just go about your life! I'll just be watching Lady Rhiannon from the shadows!"
"......"
Rhiannon felt a faint sense of déjà vu.
"...You know, Ms. Halesia kinda reminds me of my butler, or maybe even more troublesome than him...?"
"Uh, that's not true at all! ...Probably! Oh, more importantly, is it okay that you left Mr. Kaine behind?"
"Oh, I totally forgot!"
Rhiannon covered her mouth with her hand.
In her back-and-forth with Werner, she had completely forgotten about Kaine and left him at the tea party venue.
(Well, I shouldn't interrupt since he was talking to Sarah. It feels a bit off, but if those 2 can get along, then that's all good.)
To shake off her uneasy feelings, Rhiannon flashed Halesia a bright smile.
"Well, Kaine will probably just find his way back on his own!"
"Yeah, he seems like the type who could be left in the middle of a desert and still be fine."
Seeing Rhiannon's frightened expression, Halesia let out a mischievous chuckle.
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