Chapter 64
After barking roughly through her nose, Mirabel suddenly froze like a broken toy, then cautiously glanced around, leaned forward, and peered behind me before exhaling in relief.
As I watched, wondering what on earth she was trying to do, she now stared fixedly at my hand, her mouth opening and closing in silence...
"Mirabel"
"W-what? What are you planning to do with that...!?"
"......Ah"
At the tip of Mirabel's pointed finger was the knife. So that's what she had been staring at—I returned the knife I had been gripping back into my dress.
"It's for self-defense."
"......I-I see."
I waved my hand to show I wasn't holding any weapon, but since Mirabel's gaze was fixed on the skirt of my dress, I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
"......Ugh, sorry, but I don't have time to deal with you right now. Go back to the ballroom—hey, wait!?"
Mirabel raised her chin and shooed me away with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Deciding that I couldn't have a conversation with Mirabel, who was acting more erratically than usual, I silently grabbed her arm and began pulling her toward the archway.
"You've enjoyed the scenery enough, haven't you? Let's go back."
"Don't pull me... ow! Let go of me!"
"Don't you know this is a restricted area?"
"I know, so what!?"
"So what? Are you serious?"
I was so taken aback by Mirabel's bizarre behavior that I stopped in my tracks.
"Only royalty are allowed in restricted areas. Entering without permission means punishment..."
"You're being dramatic. It's just a little girl who accidentally wandered to the lake. There's no way the royal family would punish someone over that."
"And what makes you think that? Besides, you weren't lost—you had someone from the ballroom guide you here, didn't you?"
"Wait, were you watching me!?"
"The one who guided Mirabel is over there. They were worried because a noble daughter was outside without an escort and waited."
"I told them to go back... Tch, useless."
"Mirabel"
Clicking her tongue in frustration—such crude behavior was unbecoming of a noble daughter. I instinctively called her name in reproach, and she snorted at me.
"Enough already, let go!"
With a scowl, Mirabel raised her arm and shook off the hand I had around her wrist. Maybe because I was holding her lightly to avoid hurting her, she easily broke free, so I pulled my hand back and shrugged.
"You came to the lake on purpose, so it's grounds for punishment."
"And who's going to prove that? What's the evidence? Don't tell me the servant is going to testify? That's ridiculous—no one would believe a commoner. I'm the daughter of a Count family, you know?"
"Adopted."
"Even so, I'm still a daughter of the Rotish family now. I'm part of Fildé Rotish's family, the king's beloved, so there's no way they'd punish me."
"Watch your words. Are you trying to add blasphemy to the charges?"
"What's that, pledging loyalty to the kingdom? How diligent of you, even though no one asked."
"......The punishment won't just fall on Mirabel—it will affect the Rotish family too. Even if it ends with a light penalty, Grandfather would never forgive it."
"But he's not the head anymore. My adoptive father will protect me."
"That's... fine, I guess—huh?"
Taking advantage of the moment Mirabel lowered her gaze, I reached out and grabbed her slender arm, pulling her close. I wrapped my arms around her to keep her from escaping, and the petite Mirabel fit snugly in my embrace.
"Sorry, but playtime is over."
I smiled at Mirabel, who looked up at me in shock.
It would be difficult to carry her like this because of the dress I was wearing.
After thinking for a few seconds and finding no better option, I restrained both of Mirabel's arms with one hand, wrapped the other around her waist, and gently lifted her as I began to walk.
I felt satisfied that this way I could escort her back to the ballroom naturally without dragging her, but Mirabel began to struggle pointlessly to escape the restraint.
"Wait, no! I still have something important to do!"
"......"
"Listen to me!"
"What important thing?"
"Who asked you to ask!? Just listen to me—hey, you're too strong!"
"Just shut up and keep your mouth closed."
"W-what kind of character are you!? Let me go, you... ugh...!?"
Her desperate resistance—shaking her head and twisting her body—was so ridiculous I let out a small laugh, only to be met with a look as if she'd seen something terrifying... how rude.
"To have the event ruined like this... it's completely my fault."
"Event...?"
"Don't play dumb. You being here means exactly that, doesn't it? I knew something was off."
"There you go again with the nonsense."
"Still playing dumb!? You know exactly how important this event is, and you're ruining it on purpose! The love-at-first-sight-by-the-lake event is essential for capturing the Crown Prince, b-because—"
As I debated whether to physically shut Mirabel up as she screamed about heroines and events, she suddenly fell silent, stared ahead, and muttered, "No way..."
"Have we taken too long?"
I bowed my head lightly in apology to Rudo, who was walking toward us from the rose arch with his escort.
I wasn't surprised since I had sensed Rudo and the others approaching by their footsteps and presence, but Mirabel must have been shocked—she thought I was the only one here, and now the Crown Prince she kept mentioning had actually appeared.
"No, I just got worried on my own. I knew she wouldn't do anything reckless, but still... And who is that girl?"
"She's my stepsister..."
"Stepsister...? Don't tell me the noble daughter who entered here without permission is Celes's stepsister?"
"It seems so."
"Well, what can I say... hmm. So, Celes,"
"Yes?"
"Why are you holding her like that...?"
Not only Rudo, but the escort knights were also staring at Mirabel, who quickly raised her head and tried to appeal with her eyes—but I decided to ignore her.
"She's at risk of fleeing, so I'm restraining her like this. I'll take her to Grandfather for now."
Grandfather is far scarier than any minor punishment...
As I looked down at Mirabel with pity, she seemed to sense something and shivered.
"......The stepsister isn't injured, is she?"
"No."
"Then that's fine. The scenery here is exceptional, so it's understandable to be curious and wander in. Right?"
Rudo smiled at the escort knights, prompting their agreement. They exchanged glances and nodded with wry smiles, and Rudo gave me a small nod.
Normally, Mirabel would be escorted away by the knights, and Father, the head of the Rotish family, would be summoned for punishment—but it seems Rudo intends to let her off.
"Thank you for your leniency."
"She's Celes's stepsister, so only this once."
Rudo bent his knees slightly to meet Mirabel's gaze and said, "Don't trouble Celes."
"We'll assign a knight to escort Celes's stepsister back to the ballroom."
"In that case, I'll go with her..."
"Celes, no. Did you forget why we came here?"
"But—"
"I think you should prioritize us, the royalty, over your stepsister."
Who could say no to that...?
"You'll go back to the ballroom quietly, right?"
"......Yes."
I released the sulking Mirabel from her restraint.
"......Ah"
Mirabel deliberately lost her balance and fell toward where Rudo was standing.
A gentleman would probably gently catch a woman who stumbled toward him...
"I'm sorry... huh!?"
The one who gently caught Mirabel as she fell was the escort knight who had been standing beside Rudo earlier.
Rudo, having switched places with the knight, gave a wry smile to the surprised Mirabel. There's no way the Crown Prince, who should be protected above all, would risk himself to save some unknown noble daughter...
Watching Mirabel furrow her brows and tilt her head in confusion gave me a headache.
"Mirabel, go back to the ballroom before you do anything else."
"Um, but, Sister-in-law..."
After glancing around tearfully, Mirabel clenched her hands at her chest and pleaded in a trembling voice—an act that apparently invoked protective instincts.
She used to do the same in front of Floyd and always got scolded by him and others around, but no one here is likely to fall for that.
And to make matters worse, someone with a troublesome personality is here too.
"Even if you try to cover it up now, I heard everything you said to Celes, you know?"
Renato, who had popped out from behind Rudo, coldly declared to Mirabel.
With the concubine faction moving in secret, Renato had to carefully select the people around him. Fearing assassination or poisoning, he avoided keeping maids or attendants who might betray him at any moment. The only ones Renato could entrust himself to were those from the Crown Prince's side.
"Such a two-faced person. It's incredibly unpleasant, so could you not appear before my brother?"
"The Second Prince... why...?"
"It has nothing to do with you."
Renato, speaking flatly without expression, seemed to have classified Mirabel as an enemy.
It was only natural—she had deliberately tried to touch Rudo, who was Renato's emotional bulwark and someone he cherished more than himself.
"Since my brother is being generous enough to overlook it, outsiders should just leave already."
Staring intently at Mirabel, who was even more shocked than when Rudo had appeared and covered her mouth with her hand, Renato tilted his head and ordered the escort knight to take her away.
I never imagined someone from my own family would trespass into a restricted area without permission...
Led by the escort knight, Mirabel glanced back at us several times before disappearing beyond the arch, and I let out a deep breath.
"Celes...!"
As I stared at the ground, wondering if it was okay to sit in a dress—no, it wasn't—I heard Rudo call out to me, and when I slowly looked up...
"We got interrupted, but how about it? Amazing, right?"
There was Rudo, standing with the lake behind him, arms spread wide, grinning proudly.
While the escort knights were panicking to keep the Crown Prince from falling into the lake, the man himself was beaming with joy.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Smiling at Renato's proud face as he looked up at me while waving to his beloved brother, I turned my gaze back to the lake.
"Beautiful..."
The queen bee at the Academy, always surrounded by followers, was hated by royalty, abandoned by her fiancé, and sent to a convent by her own family.
Afraid and terrified, I chose to walk a different path, avoiding the one I was originally meant to take.
—And yet.
Here I am, watching the lake together with people I shouldn't be involved with.
When I saw Rudo, standing before me, nod as he held a freshly picked flower to my hair, I gave a wry smile at how strange this all was. As he slowly tucked the flower into my braided hair, his golden eyes narrowed and he gave a sweet, melting smile.
"The dress and that flower both suit you well."
Captivated by Rudo's gaze, I found myself drawn to the flower, to his whispered words, to the slender fingers brushing my cheek—and without realizing it, I was watching him walk away toward the escort knights.
"Celes."
Just as I was about to unconsciously reach for the flower in my hair, Renato's voice snapped me out of it, and I turned around to see the hand he held out before me.
"The next time you appear in public will be at your coming-of-age ceremony, right?"
"Since next year we'll be doing practical training outside the fortress, I suppose so."
"Then, here."
If I were to read the room perfectly, this meant I should place my hand in his.
As I hesitantly placed my hand on his, he gently squeezed it.
"Your fiancé will be your escort, so let me have the first dance."
By the time I realized it was a dance invitation, it was too late—Renato had leaned in close, and just before his lips touched my hand, he stopped and made a soft kissing sound.
"You can never turn down a dance invitation from royalty."
When I looked up from my lowered gaze, Renato was smiling with an uncharacteristically fierce expression, and it sent a shiver down my spine.
"Time to head back."
"Okaaay."
Unlike me, who stood frozen in shock, the two of them acted like nothing happened. Feeling restless, I passed Rudo and Renato and went through the arch ahead of them.
"...So wicked."
My cheeks burned, and my heart was making strange noises.
Ignoring the voices of the two calling me from behind, I fanned my face with my hand and quickened my pace.