Chapter 10: 10

“Fletta.”

A clear and refreshing voice was heard, and Cezanne’s face came into view. Fletta immediately ran to Cezanne, relieved.

Cezanne then met the eyes of the man, whose presence could not be ignored, in front of her.

The mysteriously shining gray eyes, piercing nose, and the blood-red lips drew her attention, but what caught her eyes the most was the pitch-black hair that looked like Fletta’s. A color that seemed to have descended from darkness.

He was tall enough that it’s hard to look up for a long time, and had a solid physique. Nevertheless, his beautiful features were still very noticeable. It was the first time she thought of a man as beautiful.

Yes, it was definitely not the first time she saw him. This person… But in this timeline, it was the first time. She later saw him at a formal dinner.

Mel, the lady-in-waiting who followed after Cezanne, whispered to her that he was the Grand Duke, but Cezanne faced him with eyes that feigned ignorance.

When their gazes were intertwined in the air, the man belatedly realized that he was staring at Cezanne unconsciously and spoke immediately. 

“Pardon me for my rudeness, 2nd Princess! My name is Grand Duke Kylia von Darian of the Duchy of Srakan. Nice to meet you.”

A calm, low voice that didn’t give away whether he was flustered or not.

It was also rare for Cezanne to come face-to-face with a man who seemed to be of the same age as her brother, Luca.

Nevertheless, Cezanne greeted him with ease.

“Oh, this was unexpected, so I was a little surprised. I’m Cezanne de Hermel Erantos. Nice to meet you, Grand Duke Darian.”

After the greeting, Cezanne quickly turned to Fletta in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

“Fletta, what were you doing here?”

“Oh… I was looking for a four-leaf clover for the princess.”

“A four-leaf clover? It’s not easy to find. That’s why it’s considered good luck.”

“I found it! I didn’t find it, but…”

Fletta carefully held out the four-leaf clover that the Grand Duke had given her earlier to Cezanne.

“A four-leaf clover?”

“The Grand Duke gave it to me…”

Fletta told the truth while looking at the Grand Duke.

“Oh… I came across it by accident. I just gave it to the young lady who was diligently searching through the clover field.”

Cezanne, who had only been smiling at Fletta the whole time, gave Kylia a light smile.

“I don’t know if I can accept the Grand Duke’s good luck, but thank you. Say thank you, Fletta.”

“T, Thank you, Grand Duke.”

Fletta nodded and waved her hand.

“I have already received her thanks earlier. It now belongs to the young lady.”

Cezanne looked down at the four-leaf clover in her hand for a long time before giving it back to Fletta.

“Fletta, the Grand Duke gave this to you, so you should keep it.”

“Yeah? But…”

Fletta’s face became slightly sullen.

Cezanne lowered her body to meet Fletta’s gaze and spoke.

“I don’t need a four-leaf clover. Fletta is my four-leaf clover. So I’ll give you this good luck.”

At Cezanne’s kind words, Fletta’s black eyes wavered.

“Eek! P, Princess…!” 

When Fletta looked at Cezanne with flustered eyes, Cezanne patted the child gently. Kylia watched the two with a smile around his mouth. Even then, his face was still filled with curiosity.

“Excuse me, young lady…”

“It’s not polite to ask the lady you’ve just met for the first time.”

At a word from Cezanne, Kylia shut his mouth.

“Yes, then I shall take my leave. I’ll see you again, 2nd Princess and young lady.”

“Goodbye.”

Kylia bowed his head, finishing his greeting.

At that moment, she caught a glimpse of his pale forehead exposed by the wind. His appearance in the sun was that of a sacred statue. When he left, Fletta spoke innocently, looking at the Grand Duke’s back.

“I’ve never seen such a handsome man before!”

Cezanne laughed unexpectedly and teased Fletta.

“What? Did our Fletta have a crush on the Grand Duke?”

Then Fletta shook her head fast.

“No! I just thought the Grand Duke would look good with the Princess…”

“What? But Fletta, why is your face red?”

“No, it’s not!”

Mel, who was waiting along with the maids, laughed and spoke.

“Princess, Miss Fletta. Where should I prepare the picnic lunch?”

At those words, the two smiled as Cezanne spoke.

“I’ve been so focused on my class that I’m hungry. I think over there is a good place.”

Cezanne pointed to the stump in the garden.

“All right. Please take a moment to look around as we prepare it.”

* * * 

As he turned his back on the voices of the ladies chattering like birds, Kylia’s doubts arose again.

Both of them were puzzling. A child who acts as friendly as a sister to an imperial princess, was she a child of a concubine?

In addition, he couldn’t read the 2nd Princess’ mind at all. There hasn’t been a single woman who made him so curious so far… How come?

It was a coincidental first meeting, but it was quite strange because he felt like he couldn’t shake off his curiosity.

Kylia walked to the stable where the lieutenant was waiting. In the Empire, he kept forgetting that they always move by horses, not hawks.

It’s probably because of the habit that he has had for 19 years.

“Your Highness!” 

As soon as he saw the Grand Duke, Lieutenant Kryon rushed over and spoke.

“The weather is so nice today. Do you want to go for a walk on a horse?”

“That sounds good.”

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“Where shall we go? Shall we go east over there?”

“No, I just came from there.”

“Really? Did you like it?”

“Of course.”

“Well, maybe because it’s the Erantos Empire, but the gardens are different. It’s almost the size of a village. Shall we go there then?”

At Kryon’s fuss, Kylia shook his head.

“No, I’ve been there, so it’d be nice to enjoy a walk north. It might be a hindrance as the imperial family often go for walks on the lake shore.” 

“Then should we go further? Come to think of it, I heard that the 2nd Princess is so beautiful. I want to see her before I die.”

“Shh, watch your mouth. If the princess sees you, won’t you be put to death immediately?”

“Eek. Is she that kind of person? Well, I guess I’ll see her before I die!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Highness! But aren’t you curious, too? Since she is the princess whom the terrifying emperor cherishes.”

“She was pretty.”

“Yes?! When did you meet her?”

Kylia, with a serious face, forcibly threw off Kryon, who was rushing in close.

“No, it’s a portrait. It’s in the Imperial Palace. You’ll see it someday.”

“…Eh, what is it? I expected it. I can’t believe you’re just looking forward to meeting me in this vast palace. So, from now on, go to all dinner invitations, and run if you’re invited to a hunting contest or a banquet.”

“…I’ll take care of it.”

“Since Your Highness is not interested in women, it has become a problem! At this rate, the rumor about the monster on the battlefield being homo… hmph!”

Kryon, who had been running his mouth off for a long time, covered his mouth at Kylia’s cold eyes.

“…do you want to be killed by a monster?”

“I was wrong, Your Highness.”

Leaving Kryon, who kneeled on the spot for his dear life, Kylia jumped onto the horse. It was a black horse as dark as his hair.

Clip. Clop.

He ran north without looking back.

“Your Highness! Let’s go together!”

Instead of hearing his subordinate’s words from behind, he remembered the two ladies he had met earlier, and a smile crept across his lips.

* * * 

Sweet cherries and green grapes, strawberry cake with whipped cream, apple pie and pecan pie, sandwich with corn and cheese, plus apple juice and milk tea to go with it.

The food prepared by Fletta’s exclusive chef was all excellent. As expected, Mel was quick on her feet.

Fletta, who saw the picnic food in front of her, was mesmerized by the enchanting sight and looked at Cezanne’s emerald eyes.

Cezanne was holding back her laughter at Fletta’s eyes, which seemed to wonder whether this place might be heaven or not. The child’s honest response was cute.

“P, Princess…” 

“Hurry up and eat, Fletta.”

As soon as Cezanne said those words, Fletta picked up a sandwich and handed it to Cezanne, handing out the food she wanted to put in her mouth.

“Eat it, too, Princess.”

“Thank you. Come on, Fletta.”

Cezanne also picked up a sandwich and some cherries, placing them on Fletta’s plate.

Then Fletta looked at the plate for a long time.

“Hm? Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’m thinking about what to eat first.”

“If I were you, I’d start with cherries.”

“Yes!” 

Fletta, with a cherry in her mouth, took a big bite of the sandwich.

Cezanne, who had a habit of eating small amounts of any kind of food, had fun watching Fletta eating.

Food went into her small mouth endlessly, and her cheeks swelled as if they were about to burst.

It looked like a baby squirrel with nuts stored in a bowl.

“…Oh, so funny but cute.”

Cezanne laughed and drank her drink without eating.

“……”

But in front of such delicious food, Fletta became speechless.

“I have to tell the chef that today was a very satisfying picnic lunch!”

Mel, who was serving tea next to her, was also pleased, and the two of them had a pleasant meal.

Today, Fletta, wearing a light green dress, ate so well that her belly was protruding. Cezanne spoke, thinking she looked cute and lovely.

“How can our Fletta eat so well?”

At those words, Fletta patted her belly as if it were natural.

“It was so delicious that I couldn’t help but eat it all.”

After the meal, the two gave the maids free time and took a walk around the garden for a while.

Fletta took out the four-leaf clover in the front pocket of her dress and looked at it. It was still a strange shape.

“Only good things will happen from now on.”

Cezanne came over and said with affectionate eyes.

“Yes, that’s right. Only good things will happen to the Princess, too.”

Then she put the four-leaf clover on her head.

She seemed to want to say that she was Cezanne’s four-leaf clover.

“I know. Our Fletta is my good luck.”

“Yes!” 

The two smiled brightly.

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