Chapter 41 Morning To Avoid Coming Home Late
The day after the party, Rhiannon woke up with a clear sense of discomfort.
"Wait, why am I not wearing pajamas...?"
Rhiannon muttered in disbelief.
She was still in the same dress from the party, with only her petticoat and jewelry barely removed.
It seemed the corset had dug into her stomach while she slept, causing a dull pain just below her ribs.
From above her, a voice filled with exasperation came down.
"My lady, do you not remember what happened last night?"
Turning around, she saw Kaine sighing as she brewed tea.
It seemed he had just come to wake Rhiannon up.
Rhiannon took the tea offered by Kaine and desperately tried to recall her memories, her sleepy mind working hard.
"Um, I think I slipped out of the party and was talking in Sir Werner's room..."
For some reason, her memory cut off perfectly at that point, and Rhiannon pressed her index finger to her temple, trying to remember.
"Well, I remember dozing off in Sir Werner's room? After that, I'm not sure, but when I woke up, I was in this room..."
"...You fell into a deep sleep in Werner's room, my lady."
"What!?"
Rhiannon turned pale in an instant.
If someone saw a young lady returning from the palace in the morning before her engagement, it would quickly become gossip.
In that case, Rhiannon's reputation, which had just begun to recover, would plummet again.
(──Wait, did nothing really happen!? I spent the night with Prince Werner, right...!?)
As Rhiannon's mind raced with panic, Kaine sighed and pressed her forehead.
"Do not worry. Prince Werner and Lady Rhiannon did not spend the night together. I came to fetch you in the middle of the night, if I may be so bold."
"Oh, is that so? I didn't notice at all..."
As Kaine nodded to herself, glancing at Rhiannon, he said,
"Yes, you were fast asleep. Then, the maids tried to undress you as much as they could..."
Kaine's gaze flickered to Rhiannon's figure.
"It seems they decided it was impossible to remove your dress any further. I wonder how deeply you were sleeping."
"I see..."
It must have been quite a nuisance for the maids who had to struggle with Rhiannon's dress while she was sound asleep in the middle of the night.
"I'll apologize to the maids later..."
"Really, sneaking out of the party and going to a gentleman's room, only to end up sleeping so defenselessly..."
His tone was as usual, like that of a parent scolding a child.
But his voice seemed to tremble slightly, and Rhiannon paused, her teacup in hand, to look at Kaine.
His expression seemed normal, but his golden eyes appeared to hold a hint of sadness and longing.
Rhiannon's hand, not holding the cup, reached out to touch Kaine's cheek, and she looked into his golden eyes.
"...Kaine, what's wrong? But you also look a little sad."
Kaine, stared straight into her eyes, which shone with a blue glow, and his face showed surprise.
He instinctively rejected Rhiannon's touch.
An awkward silence filled the moment.
Realizing his rudeness, Kaine apologized, "My apologies, I was startled." He then gently took Rhiannon's hand and bowed respectfully at her feet.
"Forgive my boldness, but I have a piece of advice. Even though you are to be engaged, it would be best to avoid spending the night outside the palace before the engagement. It could lead to bad rumors, so please be more discreet in your actions..."
"Wait, who's getting engaged?"
"It's obviously you, my lady."
Rhiannon was perplexed.
Kaine's words made it sound like Rhiannon had already found a potential fiancé.
"Hold on, what do you mean?"
"There's no point in pretending. His Majesty the King has already proposed the idea of your engagement to Prince Werner again."
Kaine looked up at Rhiannon with a special, meaningful smile, as if this was the moment to do so.
However, deep in his eyes, there seemed to be a sorrowful and painful color that contradicted the words he was about to say.
"Congratulations, my lady. You've managed to regain the engagement to Prince Werner, whom you once lost, haven't you? That's wonderful. Prince Werner has finally realized how amazing Lady Rhiannon is."
Kaine spoke gently, still wearing a bittersweet smile.
Rhiannon looked taken aback, her expression blank.
"Did you perhaps hear about this from His Majesty the King?"
"Yes, that's right. It's not like you keep secrets from me, my lady."
"If that's the case, I should have turned it down, right?"
Rhiannon's response was straightforward.
A look of disbelief crossed Kaine's face, one that could be interpreted as either "astonished" or "shocked".
"You turned it down...?"
"Yes, I politely declined, so don't worry. I made sure to choose my words carefully to avoid any offense."
"No, that's not what I mean! If it's a recommendation from the King, it guarantees exceptional treatment! You would have power at your fingertips! The position of queen wouldn't be just a dream..."
"I don't need such things."
"B-but, my lady..."
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
In front of Kaine, who had suddenly become as still as a stone, Rhiannon took a sip from her now completely cold tea.
(Well, it is a bit surprising... Most noble ladies wouldn't do this. I mean, it was an invitation from His Majesty the King.)
Rhiannon's heart was surprisingly calm.
Even after a night had passed, she felt not a moment of regret for turning it down.
She offered her empty cup.
"Kaine, could I have a refill of tea?"
"Oh, yes..."
Finally snapping back to reality at Rhiannon's voice, Kaine took the cup and poured tea with a somewhat vacant expression.
He seemed quite shaken.
After a while, Kaine offered tea and asked in a hoarse voice.
"Even with the assistance of His Majesty the King, did you still dislike Prince Werner the Third...?"
"Well, I did think he was difficult to deal with back then. But now, maybe not so much. He seems to have changed his mind, and I think we could become good friends in the future."
"I see..."
Kaine had a somewhat puzzled expression, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes.
Seeing this, Rhiannon softened her expression.
"Oh, that's good. You don't look so sad anymore. I was really worried about you."
Rhiannon placed her hand on her chest and sighed.
Kaine forced a strained smile.
"...Isn't that just your imagination, my lady?"
"Oh, come on, hiding it like that is pointless. ...Hey, could it be that you felt a little jealous when you heard I might get engaged to Sir Werner again?"
"──! N-No, that's not it..."
"Then why did you look so sad?"
"That's..."
Kaine answered hesitantly, which was unusual for him, and looked down.
Although his complexion didn't seem much different, Rhiannon noticed the redness around his eyes.
"Kaine, aren't you blushing?"
"My lady. You really are... so perceptive at times like this, it's troublesome. ...You're usually such a scatterbrain."
Kaine averted his gaze from Rhiannon and covered his mouth with his hand.
It was as if he was trying to hide his expression somehow.
It seemed he was quite embarrassed that Rhiannon had read his feelings so easily.
Rhiannon placed her hands on her hips and pouted.
"Really, calling your master a scatterbrain is just too disrespectful. How rude!"
"But you did fall asleep in Prince Werner's room, and wasn't that behavior because you are a scatterbrain?"
"Ugh..."
Rhiannon grimaced, having been hit right on the mark.
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