Happy Friday!
My body was stiff and won't move.
「Your Highness Prince Yurii. Please wait in Alan's room for a while. I need to talk to Mira.」
Completely frightened by Dia, Yurii-sama said「I got it」in a small voice.
Even if he was being carried by Dia, the atmosphere was not one where he would be able to tell him to stop because it's embarrassing to do it outside or something like that. At any rate, it's been a very long time since I've made him this angry, from the time that I met him until today, the number of times that I had made him this angry was truly few in number. Therefore, I had no resistance, and it was extremely scary.
It seems that we were returning to the men's dormitory that we passed by just a while ago. Dia's legs were moving toward the dormitory. I quite frequently visit the men's dormitory, so it would be great if there weren't any weird rumors going around though. No matter what kind of rumors were circulating now, I already lost my reputation a long time ago, so there's nothing to worry about though.
From behind, Cain's worried voice could be heard.
「Mira….」
Before I could tell him that, it'll be fine, Dia glared at Cain and said this.
「Don't you understand that you're not qualified to speak her name.」
「Stop it, Dia. Don't say something like that….」
「Mira. Be quiet.」
His voice wasn't able to come out when he saw the unreadable look in his eyes that had quickly narrowed.
I was held onto by Dia who started walking, and Cain and Yurii-sama who were left behind had the same worried look on their faces, so I told them 「It'll, be, fine」by mouthing the words.
When I was lowered onto the bed in Dia's room, the sweetly smiling Dia was intently staring at me. Aah, it's a misunderstanding. Him sweetly smiling was not him making a lovely smile, it was a completely cold smile.
「Saa, think about it, and please try to answer me. Why am I mad.」
He had put his hand on my cheek, and I actually felt, again and again, that there was no escape.
「I don't…」
「If you say that you don't know, you are looking down on me too much.」
The hand on my cheek, moved down to my neck, shoulder, arm, and then finally, he took my hand, Dia, who chuckled, had a bewitching look on his face and put his lips on my hand.
Aah, it's definitely no good.
This was when he was the most angry, when he's like this. He explained to me before when I made him angry that when he's angry, if he didn't smile, he might impulsively break various things, so he forced a smile, doing his best to suppress his anger.
「I have a rough idea. Of what His Highness Prince Romeo talked to you about.」
My body trembled with a start when I felt Dia's breath as he held the hand that he caught.
「You have a vague inkling of who the traitor is. …no, already, you are probably convinced of it as well. And it's the same with His Highness Prince Romeo and Cain Marian. Perhaps His Highness Prince Romeo proposed it to you. For you to be the decoy in order to quickly catch the traitor.」
He had said it so smoothly as if he he had seen the entire thing, I shivered. Dia continued to laugh at me, who was confused on so many levels and was not focusing.
「Everyone, is pretty cruel. You, Alan, His Highness Prince Romeo, Cain Marian. You're looking down on me a little too much.」
That's right, I forgot about it.
He had always been someone who exceedingly surpassed my expectations. I was very much aware of the fact that Dia was someone who was more capable than other people. However, different from what I and other people had imagined, Dia kept moving forward.
From the information that he had, he thought of many possibilities that I couldn't even think of, and choosing the one that was the closest to what had happened among those, Dia managed to do that in such a short time.
「It's because I, gathered the information by myself as I pleased…?」
Dia already knew that I had investigated the fact that that girl was the queen's accomplice as I liked.
I, broke my promise with Dia.
Dia shook his head.
「I've been with you for a long time. I did not think that you would listen to me. I estimated that you would break half of the promise. However, I believe that you would keep the other half.」
My shoulder had knocked into the wall, and I involuntarily grimaced. However, I didn't complain. Dia's face, when I looked up, looked much more distressed than mine, as if he wanted to cry.
Aah, I had hurt him this much. I felt like I had betrayed his trust.
「Didn't I tell you to not take Mira away from me.」
I understood that Dia was trembling, from the places where he was touching me.
「You, the reason why you came back so quickly after going with His Highness Prince Romeo, is because you accepted His Highness's proposal. Right?」
You don't even know if His Highness Prince Romeo will have you do anything dangerous, was what Dia said. However, His Highness Prince Romeo wasn't particularly familiar with me, and both Dia and I understood that it would be easy for me to be discarded.
In actuality, even if Dia had not predicted it, I had received a declaration that I was disposable from His Highness just now, so, maa, it was not safe.
「If, I lost you, I won't be able to keep on living. Even so, will you still take the risk?」
「That kind of thing, don't say it….」
「You are the one making me say it.」
Even if it makes him angry, I understood that there was nothing I could say or do. However, it wasn't as if I wasn't thinking of a way.
「It'll definitely, definitely be fine. After all, that girl is my friend? I'm the one that knows that girl more than you, His Highness Prince Romeo, or other people. That's why, I want to trust her. That girl.」
I said this to the frowning Dia as if persuading him.
「That girl, wouldn't be able to do something like killing Yurii-sama. I believe that, she will definitely give up on the idea. That's why, I want you to just give her a chance.」
「You want me to let her go if she's able to give up on it? I don't have a say in that. The other party tried to kill royalty. First of all, if, she doesn't give up on it, what do you plan to do? As expected, you intend on being the shield.」
「That's….」
Dia, who casted his eyes downward, said this, as if persuading himself.
「Someone who is protected by another who sacrifices themselves, wouldn't amount to much.」
Aah, he understood. Dia too. Dia too, deeply understood that, it's useless trying to sacrifice yourself. If Dia, passed away first by himself, there would be many people who would be sad. Even me, I would be very, very sad, and even if Dia died in order to protect me, I would never be grateful for it. Rather, I would resent him, hate him, and immediately follow him and go to the underworld to make my complaints.
No matter what kind of person they were, if they died, there would be people who would be sad. There would be people who would be in pain.
Not to mention, if I died for Yurii-sama's sake, Yurii-sama will definitely be emotionally scarred.
「Even so…, I want to save them. That girl, as well as Yurii-sama.」
「…what are you going to do if I put you on house arrest, until everything has been resolved.」
「You will regret it. Forever.」
「…I was talking to myself, Mira.」
Taking two deep, deep breaths, Dia closed his eyes and whispered this.
「I will definitely not let Mira die. I don't want you to be involved in something dangerous. However, if Mira kneels and swears 『I definitely will not die』, I can try to believe it. And if, Mira carried a dagger coated with poison for the next while, I may even think about giving you permission.」
That, means.
It meant that, I would be able to counterattack if I got attacked. If it's coated with poison, even if I just grazed them, I would inflict some damage. If worst comes to worst, it might even kill them though. Which meant that I needed to at least have the resolution for that much.
Perhaps it was intentional, I relaxed and broke free from Dia's confinement, kneeled down, and put both my hands together.
「I will definitely not die. I will live on together with you. When there's no other choice, I will even kill my friend in order to fulfill this vow. That's why, please allow me the opportunity.」
「…」
Looking down at me and not saying anything, Dia looked like he still had something to say, but in the end, he had me stand up and left the room while pulling on my arm.
Him pulling on my arm just a little more forcefully than usual, felt like his last mini protest.
Just next door, when we entered His Highness Prince Alan's room, Yurii-sama was quietly sitting down and was playing chess with His Highness.
Raising his face that held discontent, Yurii-sama, who saw me, ran over to me who had crouched down and touched all over my face.
「Are you alright, Mira? Was it scary?」
「I'm fine. When I see Yurii-sama's face, I will be full of spirit.」
When we hugged each other tightly, I could hear His Highness Prince Alan and Dia whispering to each other. I wouldn't be able to hear them if I don't strain my ears, but it seems that Dia was telling His Highness about the conversation from just now.
The crime of killing royalty. Even if it was an attempt. My request for them to look the other way was too unreasonable. However, His Highness Prince Alan nodded. Perhaps, it was better than Yurii-sama knowing that a friend betrayed him.
After that, the conversation deepened. It was a secret from Yurii-sama.
I intended to proceed, as far as possible, without letting Yurii-sama know. Even if His Highness Prince Romeo didn't intend to do that, His Highness Prince Alan, Dia, and I did.
My ulterior motive of letting my friend, who was the queen's accomplice, go was also, only known by His Highness Prince Alan and Dia. Perhaps His Highness Prince Romeo was using this to banish the queen as soon as possible. It didn't seem like the incident this time was regarded as too important. Since he probably had many more trump cards.
They carefully strategized the day and time to set up the trap.
I will take Yurii-sama with me and go on a picnic with my friend. I will go to a field that was a bit far away from the school where there was no one else. So, the moment that that person attempted to attack Yurii-sama, they will be detained.
Deep down, I was nervous, which was inevitable, but I had to do it.
「I'm looking forward to the day after tomorrow, Mira!」
And, I was feeling guilty. And yet, Yurii-sama was looking forward to the picnic without knowing anything.
「Me tooo.」
「The day after tomorrow? Where are you going?」
Matilda, who came to my room at night to play, tilted her head in confusion. Erika and Melissa who came as well were grinning.
「Hai. I will go on a picnic.」
「That's right! Erika will also gooo.」
「Me too.」
A vein popped up on Matilda's forehead.
「Hold on! Why did you not invite me? You, have become quite awful, Mirabell?」
I was absentminded and unconsciously kept my mouth shut, as Matilda grabbed me. Aah, it's not good, like this, I needed to act better.
「Let's go together with Matilda.」
Matilda's cheeks turned bright red, as Yurii-sama shook Matilda's hand left and right with his small hand, and she hugged Yurii-sama tightly and nodded. Many times.
「Naturally! It's Prince Yuriel's request!!」
「Yurii-sama is suffocating, such a terrible thing…Mati, I demand that you return Yurii-sama.」
I gave a small sigh.
I tricked my friends. My friends that have been together with me for almost ten years. Nonetheless, it was inevitable. When I did it just now, my heart ached.