Happy Friday!
Here’s the next chapter. Just a heads up, the next chapter is quite long, about two times as long as a normal chapter, maybe longer, so I decided to split it into two parts, so you will get the first part next week and the second part the week after next.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one. Have a good weekend and I’ll see you next week.
I don’t really care.
That was, what His Highness Prince Romeo ended it with.
Observing us from so far away, His Highness Prince Romeo came to where we were, and he said that when he looked down at Melissa and Yurii-sama.
I, don’t really care.
Not understanding the meaning, everyone at the scene was tense, and His Highness Prince Romeo gave a sigh like he didn’t care.
「If that small one said that it was because of himself, then that's how it is, it's fine even if we don't treat this time's matter as an incident. It's also good to have Miss Everett, or perhaps I should say, Attorney Everett who probably doesn't know anything, owe me one. To begin with, even if this matter turn out well, I have many methods of dragging that female vixen down.」
His Highness Prince Romeo crouched down, and Yurii-sama who saw that was startled. For this person to kneel down in the ground, it was definitely not something you see often.
「It would also be pitiful if you lost these few friends. If it continues towards a direction that’s undesirable for you, Cain would be mad, Count Swain’s daughter.」
Taken aback by His Highness Prince Romeo’s unexpected conclusion, even if I had been asked a question, I would not have been able to respond.
「Eh. Eh? That, what do you….」
「Didn’t I say it. Cain is my friend, but he’s not on my side, he’s on your side.」
It made me think back to the words that His Highness Prince Romeo had said before that I had always been worried about, I realized that he had been giving me hints ever since that time.
His Highness Prince Romeo turned his gaze away from me and back to Yurii-sama, he got rid of his suspicious smile and unhurriedly asked.
「You, want the throne?」
「…I don’t need it.」
「Hee. You can give an immediate reply.」
When I thought that the suspicious smile would come back again, that didn’t seem to be the case. It was a bit different than usual. Seeing that His Highness Prince Romeo had a human-like, childish smile on his face, Yurii-sama had the most astonished look on his face that I have ever seen.
After that, His Highness Prince Romeo gave Yurii-sama’s forehead a flick with his finger.
「You look more and more like your mother, Yuriel.」
He let go of Yurii-sama who became more and more astonished, and His Highness Prince Romeo left.
When we weren’t able to see His Highness Prince Romeo anymore, Yurii-sama muttered this.
「It’s the first time…my name….」
I suddenly thought of it.
Come to think of it, His Highness Prince Romeo calling Yurii-sama by his name, at the very least, this was the first time I’ve seen it. This was the first time his brother's called him by his name…? Was something like that possible.
If that’s the case, why did he do so now?
「…I’m going to where Dia and Alan are.」
Regaining his composure, Yurii-sama looked up at me, and muttered these few words.
「I, am a child, so I know that there are some things the Mira doesn’t want me to hear. I also know that, it’s fine even if I don’t know any more than this.」
While looking at Yurii-sama running as fast as he could with his small steps, Melissa’s sobbing leaked out again.
When it came down to just the four of us, Melissa began telling us, bit by bit, everything that happened until now.
Things about the queen's envoy meeting with Attorney Everett and what she learned when she passed by in front of the room.
The condition that they had given, was that a peerage would be bestowed onto Attorney Everett. If it were to be Attorney Everett who had saved many people until now, there would be many people who would follow his words, it seems.
However, Attorney Everett, who believed in justice, decisively refused.
And then, it seems that Melissa, who had come home, held the queen’s envoy back and declared that she would do it. It seems that they did not truly believe what the young girl said, but if there were results, then it wouldn’t be a problem, was what Melissa had concluded.
Not too long ago, His Highness Prince Romeo also said,『Attorney Everett probably doesn’t know anything』, so there was truly nothing going on with Attorney Everett himself.
「What was that. Did you want to give your otousama a peerage that badly? How stupid.」
Narrowing her eyes as if looking down on her and scorning her, Matilda snorted.
「That's, that's because Mati is the princess of a Marquis House! I, was sad when I was with everyone, I couldn't stand it! I too know that the my classmates are looking down on me because I'm a commoner! Even otousan, even though he worked so hard, why does otousan even have to be looked down on by those guys who are boastful about their parents’ status?」
Matilda wrinkled her brows, and gave a sigh as if displeased.
「What a foolish child….」
Glaring at Matilda, Melissa tried to slap her with her hand, so I promptly got in between the two people. However, more importantly, after that, Erika came in front of me, Erika was slapped by the hand in the end.
「Are you ok? Erika.」
「Un. Ufufuu–. It doesn't hurt, and even if it becomes swollen, Erika's prince would say that Erika's cute.」
She added a joke, most likely in order to not corner Melissa.
「Melisschan, Erikaa, is very, verrry, angryyy. But, Erika won't yell at Melisschan, ok? Erika won't say cruel things either. That, would make Melisschan more at ease, right? You need to reflect on what you did. I won't give Melisschan the chance to make excuses. Think back to what's happened until now by yourself, it won't do if you don't regret, hate yourself, and worry a lot. Think about how sad Prince Yuriel is, how mortified we were when we were betrayed by Melisschan, it won't do if you don't worry all by yourself.」
Aah, these, words were much harsher than Mati's. Right now, Erika, was clearly being cold towards Melissa.
「Erika is going back first with Matilda and Mirabell-chan, ok? I don't want to see Melisschan right now.」
Smiling prettily, Erika led Matilda and I by the hand and walked towards the carriage. Matilda seemed like she still wanted to say something, but Erika's hand was trembling. Even though she was discontent, she didn't say anything and started walking.
「Erika, I need to go to where Yurii-sama is. Please go back first with Mati.」
「Ah, I seee. Yeah. Got it, we'll be going first.」
After confirming that Erika and them had left, I, without looking at Melissa who was sitting down, began to talk as I stood up.
「You are not entirely to blame. That was the outcome that Erika wanted. I don't know if you consider it a good thing to be deemed innocent though.」
Even though she knew what she did was a crime, it may be cruel to not be able to atone for it. And yet, Erika and I had her take up that burden.
「I'm, saying this as a friend. Erika kept on saying that, she wanted to help you. Even if what you did was not easy to be forgiven, even so, that girl has always, undoubtedly even now, thought of you as her friend.」
Because she was not her friend just for appearances, it was much harder for her to be able to forgive her.
What we could do for Melissa who had been exonerated from the crime was to scold her ourselves. It was because of this that I was being cold.
「It is the same with Mati. She's being so cold, because she was thinking of you.」
'What a foolish girl,' she said.
Even though we didn't judge you based on something like the social standing of your family. You as a person, we believed in that existence, even though there was familiarity and we became friends. For you to not realize it, what a foolish girl, was what she said.
「In the first place, if they were children who minded your family's social status, they wouldn't have associated with me for such a long time. Besides, if someone's popular, someone or another will always say cruel things. The reason why people talk behind Attorney Everett's back is because he's famous and is powerful, he is just being alienated. Rather, him being spoken ill of is evidence that your otousama is splendid.」
Even if he didn't do anything, it was only a matter of time until Attorney Everett was granted an important position by the king.
Calling Melissa, a foolish girl, was probably about this as well.
Even though your otousama will triumph over those around him before long even if you left him to his own devices, but because you did something unnecessary, you hindered Attorney Everett from getting his promotion instead. What a foolish girl, she said.
「Why….」
Covering her eyes, Melissa spoke with a hoarse voice.
「Why, did Prince Yuriel, forgive me…?」
That's obvious.
「Why did Erika, Mati, and Mirabell-chan, help me…?」
Everyone, cherishes you. Even if they are betrayed, even if they are lied to, even so, because you are important, it's obvious why we did that.
「Think about it yourself. I'm not so kind as to tell you, and I still can't forgive you.」
If you realized it, we may be able to have an enjoyable outing with everyone this time, something like that, the me who's not kind won't say that out loud though.