Happy Friday!
Here’s the next chapter. For those who don’t know, hahaue is a more polite form of okaasama, they both mean mother. Like always, if you spot a mistake, let me know and I’ll fix it.
Enjoy the chapter and I’ll see you next week. Have a good weekend!
「Is this a new method of harassment?」
I think that Dia had said something, but let's pretend that it was just my imagination.
The bed in the guest room was big, and it was so big that it wouldn’t be a problem even if there were three people sleeping in it. Hanna also wanted to come with us, but Yurii-sama did not approve of it. It was his birthday, so for today, Yurii-sama’s requests were the highest priority.
Reiss looked like he wanted to say something as he stared at Dia, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. Perhaps he wanted to say that it was good that I was with Dia, maybe.
‘I put your Father and Mother in the same room,’ the suppressing a smile Duke-sama, how lovely.
With Yurii-sama in the middle, the three of us slept close together.
Yurii-sama was lying down on the bed and when I was reading an illustrated fairy tale to him, he was giggling, and his face cramped. It seems that Father’s present has successfully won over his heart.
「There are lots of wonderful things in the world.」
The one who said that it was 'wonderful' and not 'mysterious' was Yurii-sama.
‘That’s true,’ I didn’t tell him that I didn’t know whether it was a true story or not.
After we finished reading several stories, Yurii-sama took something from his mountain of presents, and put it under his pillow.
「What did you take?」
「It’s something that I got from Alan.」
Yurii-sama asked Dia who had asked him that if he wanted to see it, and without waiting for an answer, he once again took it out from under his pillow.
It was drawing where the colors were fading.
The three of us leaned our faces closer so that we could take a look at the drawing.
The figure of a lively woman was delicately drawn. Her hair was tied up at the back, cracking a toothy smile, and her freckles were like the young woman's, charming. The woman who seemed to be a maid looked like she was a little older than me, and was as bright as the sun.
That smiling face looked somewhat similar to Yurii-sama, and I thought, ‘perhaps…’.
「This is my real hahaue that Alan drew.」
In the corner of the drawing,
『The beautiful Leonora』
was written as if it was the signature in tiny words that sounded like the title.
「Because there are no pictures of hahaue within the castle and I didn’t have any either, this is the first time I’ve seen hahaue.」
Gently caressing the drawing, Yurii-sama became elated for a moment.
「My real hahaue is much prettier than the hahaue I have now.」
Because he’s describing her as ‘beautiful’, His Highness Prince Alan was probably close with Yurii-sama’s okaasama.
「I only received hahaue’s ring as a memento from chichiue. However, it’s too big for me when I put it on, and sooner or later, it’ll conversely become too small.」
「Saa, there’s also the possibility that your body won’t grow to be that big.」
「That won’t happen, Dia. Yurii-sama will definitely become a wonderful man and be much stronger than Dia.」
I know what he’s trying to say. If it was a string, it wouldn't be strong enough, so when we return to the dormitory, let’s put it on a chain so that it hangs from his neck.
「In foreign countries, it is said that if you place something that you want to see near your pillow, it would appear in your dreams. Matilda said that.」
That’s because that’s girl is a maiden…. Actually, she’s the best among those around me.
「I see, you wanted to see Dia’s dream, which is why you’re sleeping together.」
「You’re wrong! He’s an extra! I just put him in the corner so that he wouldn’t become a hindrance to me, Mira, and hahaue!」
He's embarrassed.
Dia too, his cheeks were trembling from trying to hide the fact that he's happy.
「Because it'll be warmer if both of sides huddled together, I only chose him because he was suitable.」
「Mou, it's actually because you two are close friends.」
Putting the drawing back under the pillow, Yurii-sama shaped his lips into a 'へ' character and buried his face in my chest.
It hurts, it hurts. He was pressing with quite a bit of strength.
We're not close friends.
After murmuring this, I could immediately, hear him murmuring, 'There's no such thing.'
Dia's cheeks were moving up and down again in his attempt to stop himself from breaking into a smile.
「If hahaue was alive…I might've been able to sleep together like this with chichiue, and with hahaue….」
With those last words, Yurii-sama fell soundly asleep.
Even though he clung onto me when he slept, as he slept more and more deeply, he was gripping Dia's and my clothes as he pulled on them.
「I've been a selfish child since I was young.」
I smiled wryly, as I poked Yurii-sama's cheeks.
Until now, I have not done something like sleeping together with my parents, not even once. Father and Mother always slept together, and for some reason or another, I avoided them as if thinking that I shouldn't be a hindrance.
We slept together when the two of them were fighting, I alternatively slept together with each person in order to console them, the situation was not one where I could honestly be happy in.
I was unhappy about that, but for the children of nobles, that's how it was for everyone, to say nothing of Yurii-sama who wished for it, but it was already something that couldn't be granted.
「I won't think that Dia and I, could stand in for his parents, but…it would be nice if we could be like family and unravel that big knot that he has within his heart. If that's the case, then this child would have peace of mind and make complaints around us.」
'Sad times, hard times, times when I want someone to help me, and times when I want someone to be by my side.' If I heard these things directly from the mouth of the person himself, I would show him that I could be there for him and protect him.
Even if he didn't say it outright, I'll still stand by him, but there were also some things that I didn't realize.
「That's true…. However, it may still be difficult for us to do so. Somewhere in our hearts, we pity this child. Children are sensitive to the affection that comes from pity. Then they end up thinking something like, 'if I wasn't a pitiable child, then wouldn't I not receive this affection?'.」
‘You already know, right?,’ Dia asked with his eyes. Dia also, knew that. A son who had one parent, and a daughter whose parent forced the House onto the verge of ruin would inevitably be pitied.
How pitiful. What a pitiful child.
It was by no means painful to be receiving pity, but it’s uncomfortable. After all, I myself do not understand what was so pitiful about me. If you look carefully, I have a normal life, or perhaps they would pity me no matter what for doing my best and overcoming my grief. Before long, I realized that it must've been pity. I thought that no one would notice me if not for them pitying me.
In my case, it was my relatives.
I am extremely grateful to them, but I couldn’t say what I really wanted to say. I had felt that their affection was only due to pity. Even though I knew that that wasn’t the case in my head, I wasn’t good at being spoiled.
I think that it would be the same for Dia.
「However…, if, even if this child was the world’s most blessed child, I would think of this child as precious. He’s someone who tries his best. The reason why you and I think of this child as precious, is not because he is pitiful, but because he is a hard worker, isn't that right? Although it would be good if this child will, realize it someday.」
「Yes…」
When I hugged Yurii-sama tightly together with Dia, Yurii-sama just gave a small smile.
「Nevertheless, you omitted the formal speech.」
「If someone else was here, I would be made fun of. I'll do it gradually, gradually.」
Although we should be sleeping, the two of us were chatting while messing with Yurii-sama. We were patting his head, and touching his eyelashes.
「Come to think of it, what present did you give to His Highness?」
I've been waiting for this. I've been waiting for someone to ask me this.
「Ufufu…. During these last few months, I spent more time with Yurii-sama than anyone else, you know? Therefore, more than anyone else, I know what Yurii-sama wants. I lost to His Highness Prince Alan and His Majesty though. Shall I tell you?」
「Aah, by all means.」
Yurii-sama had an interest in plants. In addition to that, it seems that he was drawn to the medicinal herbs. It wasn't that the person himself had said it, but if you saw it, you would understand.
If he's walking in the garden and there was an unusual plant, he would ask for the name of the plant. Because he's a child, I would understand if he were to be drawn to dazzling things, but Yurii-sama could even go as far as to admire wildflowers that don't have blossoms. Not only that, but he would go to the library and look up that plant. After that, he would, without fail, look up the uses of medicinal herbs. Just how much of an intellectual child will he become?
Healing magic can only treat external injuries. For diseases and internal injuries, it would be imperative that you get medical treatment and take medicine. Despite it being an occupation of great importance, as long as the pharmacist was not one that was directly under the royal family, the income was low, so the number of pharmacists was decreasing. It wasn't that the salary was low. It's just that, it's expensive to be a pharmacist. The equipment that helps promote the growth of medicinal herbs cost an enormous amount of money.
Because of that, it would be good if you had knowledge of medicinal herbs yourself.
So what I had prepared were, seedlings of medicinal herbs that were easy to raise, a few seeds, flower pots, as well as Yurii-sama's own book on medicinal herbs.
It might be too early for a five year old child, but since it was what I had chosen after having always looked at Yurii-sama, I have the confidence to say that there's no mistake.
Why would I bring it all the way over here, plus we would probably end up staying over, so I had already given the present to him at the dormitory so that it would be given before the day was over.
「Then, please tell me what yours was first. It's not in there, right?」
I pointed at the mountain of presents on top of the table. The present that Dia have was not in there.
Maa, it's no match for my present though. After all, I'm the one who knows best what Yurii-sama is interested in.
「The greenhouse.」
「…yes?」
Perhaps something was wrong with my ears.
「If it’s the Roderick House, then there will be no problems no matter how many times the royal family comes to visit. I thought that after His Highness Prince Yurii returns to the castle, he would be able to come here periodically. I built a greenhouse in the interior of our garden. Since it seems that His Highness Prince Yurii has an interest in medicinal herbs.」
Someone other than me knew about what Yurii-sama was interested in. Although that by itself was a shock.
My fiance had always been crafty. It's no wonder, Yurii-sama did not tell me what Dia’s present was. You don’t even need to compare them, the greenhouse full of equipment was much superior to a flower pot.
He had paid attention to the child.
「You, have always been good at making me feel dejected. Also, the limit for presents is strange every time.」
If it's the present that he gave me that left the biggest impression, was on my tenth birthday. It was the year when I was admitted into the school and because it was special, it was much flashier than usual. The number of roses I received covered the entire mansion. The servants were buried by the roses. I wondered whether this person was an idiot or not. My fifteenth birthday. Because it was the year that I became an adult, it was even more flashy. I received a hundred dresses, enough cosmetics to last ten years, and a mountain of accessories. I don’t doubt that he is an idiot, I realized that he is one.
Although there were also various other presents that exceeded the limit, the things I've received all made me feel self-conscious. Rather, even if I thought about how it would be quite the sum of money if I sold it in exchange for money, I could not do that to the present that I received from my fiance.
There was a time when he said that we should create a small-scale town near the quiet and lonely Swain House and I was seriously worried that he had gone crazy.
This person's sense of money was extremely weird.
Although he usually wouldn't do something like waste money, when he's getting presents for people, he had a pointlessly eager bad habit.
「In the first place, there's no reason to give him something like a greenhouse…」
Even though I thought that I was number one. I had lost to His Highness Prince Alan and His Majesty, that was inevitable, but, I thought that I would be in third place. Just how good at making me feel dejected was my fiance?
「So, what did Mira…Mira? Are you angry about something?」
「I'm not angry or anything! Hurry up and sleep! It's because of this, I told you, people are…!」
Most likely, you won't be able to understand, the reason I said 「bothersome person」to you.
「No…it seems that I, won't be able to sleep tonight…」
「What?」
「No. Nothing. ….good night.」