“You’re going up north?” (Hestia)
And as expected, Hestia’s eyes widened at my sudden decision.
“Yes. I believe the Dark Forest is where they live. But I can’t get any more accurate information, so I’m going to go to the north to find out firsthand.” (Dahlia)
“Uh… it’s so important that you’re going all the way to the north?” (Hestia)
It wasn’t my main goal to find the monster insect, but I’m too dignified to say ‘I’m following a man to seduce him,’ so I put on a straight face and nodded.
“Of course. It’s a duke’s job.” (Dahlia)
“So you’re going up there alone?” (Hestia)
“No, Rudrick… I’ll be going with Duke Bouser when he returns.” (Dahlia)
For a moment, Hestia’s eyes took on a strange gleam.
“You’re going with him? That young male friend of yours? With the new Duke of Bouser?” (Hestia)
“Eh? I’ll be staying at the Duke of Bouser’s residence.” (Dahlia)
“Is that so? Then you’re going to the north because the Duke is returning home…” (Hestia)
“Huh? No, not exactly… Just an excuse?” (Dahlia)
“Oh my goodness…” (Hestia)
What the hell was she thinking, Hestia’s cheeks flushed red.
A momentary shiver of anxiety ran up my back
I hastily tried to stop her, but Hestia was faster than I was.
Hestia suddenly grabbed my hand, then shot a burdensome glance at me and said with all the sincerity in the world, “I’m good at relationship counseling.”
“What?” (Dahlia)
Hestia exclaimed brightly, “I want to go!”
✿
It took me three seconds to realize what Hestia had misunderstood.
And I was stunned, ‘Does… look like that?’
Sure enough, the figure was strange.
A princess followed her childhood friend to the north, who had been waiting for her for ten years.
It was the perfect picture to start a rumor.
Perhaps if the Emperor hadn’t set his eyes on Rudrick, Rudrick and I would already be considered a couple in social circles.
But rumors in society are always subject to change, and now I was thinking, ‘I just need to make sure that the people around me don’t get the wrong idea.’
But I didn’t expect them to misunderstand everything.
“Because of Rudrick?”
I almost spit out my tea, because that was the last place I went to visit, a tea time with my parents.
It was only after I had roughly wrapped up my work in the capital that I visited them one last time.
I was worried that, as an adult, they would respect my wishes, but that they would still be concerned at the start of the proof of the succession process.
But, I was wrong.
They seemed to welcome my journey up north. They urged me to get some rest while there was still time.
“You wanted to go there so much when you were a kid.”
I looked at my parents in disbelief, wondering if they remembered.
Staring at them, I had been doggedly pursuing the North since I had promised Rudrick in a letter that I would go there.
At the time, I had been concerned for Rudrick, who was struggling alone, but it must have seemed to them that I had wanted to go there for some time.
But it’s been a long time since then, and I thought they’d forgotten about it…
My father and mother were talking as if it was yesterday, remembering it vividly.
“Back then, I was in such trouble because you wouldn’t eat if I didn’t give in to you.” (Adelio)
“That’s right, and then did you eat the dessert you secretly hid in the back?” (Chloe)
“What? You really did that?” (Adelio)
“You know what? Your dad was getting restless because you weren’t eating, and he was starving for food with you.” (Chloe)
“What? Is that true?” (Dahlia)
“Oh, honey!” (Adelio)
Father blushes at the out-of-the-blue accusation, and mother laughs happily.
I smiled softly at the sight of the harmonious family…
“I didn’t think you’d still want to follow Rudrick to the North.” (Chloe)
“Cough!”
…I almost screamed, causing me to cough in surprise.
But her mother didn’t seem to mind, and added, with a loving nod.
“What if you two went and became three?” (Chloe)
Then my dad and I screamed in horror.
“Mom!” (Dahlia)
“Honey, dear, isn’t that too much to ask! Dahlia, don’t commit things recklessly, and plan your child carefully…” (Adelio)
“What are you talking about!” (Dahlia)
I said, throwing up my hands in disbelief that this was going beyond marriage to Rudrick to naming a grandchild.
“Rudrick and I are just friends, nothing more, nothing less…” (Dahlia)
“All lovers start as friends, after all.”
“I’m only going to the north because I have business to attend to…” (Dahlia)
“Oh, you are guys secretly dating?” (Chloe)
“Mom!” (Dahlia)
I looked at my mother in disbelief.
It was obvious that she knew what she was doing. I tried to remain firm, especially since she was obviously amused by my inability to stop stuttering at every turn of phrase.
“I’m never going to have anything to do with Rudrick anyway…” (Dahlia)
“Then maybe…”
Until a voice interrupted.
“Goldman?”
My father’s expression had suddenly changed, and his eyes were sharp.
“You’re going up north?” (Hestia)
And as expected, Hestia’s eyes widened at my sudden decision.
“Yes. I believe the Dark Forest is where they live. But I can’t get any more accurate information, so I’m going to go to the north to find out firsthand.” (Dahlia)
“Uh… it’s so important that you’re going all the way to the north?” (Hestia)
It wasn’t my main goal to find the monster insect, but I’m too dignified to say ‘I’m following a man to seduce him,’ so I put on a straight face and nodded.
“Of course. It’s a duke’s job.” (Dahlia)
“So you’re going up there alone?” (Hestia)
“No, Rudrick… I’ll be going with Duke Bouser when he returns.” (Dahlia)
For a moment, Hestia’s eyes took on a strange gleam.
“You’re going with him? That young male friend of yours? With the new Duke of Bouser?” (Hestia)
“Eh? I’ll be staying at the Duke of Bouser’s residence.” (Dahlia)
“Is that so? Then you’re going to the north because the Duke is returning home…” (Hestia)
“Huh? No, not exactly… Just an excuse?” (Dahlia)
“Oh my goodness…” (Hestia)
What the hell was she thinking, Hestia’s cheeks flushed red.
A momentary shiver of anxiety ran up my back
I hastily tried to stop her, but Hestia was faster than I was.
Hestia suddenly grabbed my hand, then shot a burdensome glance at me and said with all the sincerity in the world, “I’m good at relationship counseling.”
“What?” (Dahlia)
Hestia exclaimed brightly, “I want to go!”
✿
It took me three seconds to realize what Hestia had misunderstood.
And I was stunned, ‘Does… look like that?’
Sure enough, the figure was strange.
A princess followed her childhood friend to the north, who had been waiting for her for ten years.
It was the perfect picture to start a rumor.
Perhaps if the Emperor hadn’t set his eyes on Rudrick, Rudrick and I would already be considered a couple in social circles.
But rumors in society are always subject to change, and now I was thinking, ‘I just need to make sure that the people around me don’t get the wrong idea.’
But I didn’t expect them to misunderstand everything.
“Because of Rudrick?”
I almost spit out my tea, because that was the last place I went to visit, a tea time with my parents.
It was only after I had roughly wrapped up my work in the capital that I visited them one last time.
I was worried that, as an adult, they would respect my wishes, but that they would still be concerned at the start of the proof of the succession process.
But, I was wrong.
They seemed to welcome my journey up north. They urged me to get some rest while there was still time.
“You wanted to go there so much when you were a kid.”
I looked at my parents in disbelief, wondering if they remembered.
Staring at them, I had been doggedly pursuing the North since I had promised Rudrick in a letter that I would go there.
At the time, I had been concerned for Rudrick, who was struggling alone, but it must have seemed to them that I had wanted to go there for some time.
But it’s been a long time since then, and I thought they’d forgotten about it…
My father and mother were talking as if it was yesterday, remembering it vividly.
“Back then, I was in such trouble because you wouldn’t eat if I didn’t give in to you.” (Adelio)
“That’s right, and then did you eat the dessert you secretly hid in the back?” (Chloe)
“What? You really did that?” (Adelio)
“You know what? Your dad was getting restless because you weren’t eating, and he was starving for food with you.” (Chloe)
“What? Is that true?” (Dahlia)
“Oh, honey!” (Adelio)
Father blushes at the out-of-the-blue accusation, and mother laughs happily.
I smiled softly at the sight of the harmonious family…
“I didn’t think you’d still want to follow Rudrick to the North.” (Chloe)
“Cough!”
…I almost screamed, causing me to cough in surprise.
But her mother didn’t seem to mind, and added, with a loving nod.
“What if you two went and became three?” (Chloe)
Then my dad and I screamed in horror.
“Mom!” (Dahlia)
“Honey, dear, isn’t that too much to ask! Dahlia, don’t commit things recklessly, and plan your child carefully…” (Adelio)
“What are you talking about!” (Dahlia)
I said, throwing up my hands in disbelief that this was going beyond marriage to Rudrick to naming a grandchild.
“Rudrick and I are just friends, nothing more, nothing less…” (Dahlia)
“All lovers start as friends, after all.”
“I’m only going to the north because I have business to attend to…” (Dahlia)
“Oh, you are guys secretly dating?” (Chloe)
“Mom!” (Dahlia)
I looked at my mother in disbelief.
It was obvious that she knew what she was doing. I tried to remain firm, especially since she was obviously amused by my inability to stop stuttering at every turn of phrase.
“I’m never going to have anything to do with Rudrick anyway…” (Dahlia)
“Then maybe…”
Until a voice interrupted.
“Goldman?”
My father’s expression had suddenly changed, and his eyes were sharp.
