Chapter 04: Deeply Apologizing
Unaware of the discussion that had previously taken place.
I slept soundly and woke up when the sun was high up in the sky.
The feeling that I slept quite soundly remained in my body, so I thought how could I have slept so much like this because I was in a solid wooden box.
But when I opened my eyes thinking that, it seemed like I was lying on the bed properly……and an unfamiliar older man was looking at me.
「Wa-wa!! Gyaaaa! *cough *cough」
Because I cried out in surprise so suddenly, I ended up choking and started coughing.
Someone keeps stroking my back as I keep coughing as tears well up in my eyes. Uu, thank you very much. But I cannot let my guard down.
「Ano, I’m sorry….*coughs…nn」
Trying to stay calm and composed, I looked up at the owner of the hand.
The black-haired man does not appear to be upset by me and looks like a person who was attentively observing an experiment.
What on earth is going on?
Because I had just woke up, at first I could not understand anything.
But after a moment, Ah, I realized that I was not inside the carriage.
I jumped up with haste when I realized that.
「I-I, I apologize for hitching a ride without permission!」
It seems I won’t be able to keep silent about secretly riding along, anyways I thought I should apologize first. So I apologized by deeply lowering my head.
I just got on because of a sudden whim, I am very sorry! The moment I saw the horse carriage, the sound of the goddess’ whistle sounded in my brain! Ano, because I will take my leave immediately I will not trouble you anymore! That’s right, I will leave the ride fee! Consider it a token of my apology, please forgive me with this!」
Feeling really unsettled, I took out a gold coin from my purse with trembling hands, I will just leave it and get up immediately――but at that moment I suddenly fell forward from the bed.
「Ah!」
I made a fairly loud noise and dropped to the wooden floor, it hurts, but the psychological damage was even worse and I couldn’t get up.
Riding along without permission, then having been discovered asleep, and finally falling ungracefully off the bed, it was incredibly embarrassing. I want to disappear somewhere right now.
I do not know what to do, I was completely rooted to the spot, then someone burst out laughing.
「Kuku, ahahaha, this is my first time seeing a girl fall from the bed like that!」
To the laughing voice, I raise my head in spite of myself.
Until now there was only an expressionless young man in the room, but before I realized the door of the room was open, and two boys were standing before me.
The owner of the carriage I got on, a black-haired boy wearing a black uniform of the church school, stood there stunned. But the silver hair boy next to him was smiling.
The silver hair tied behind his neck is glossy, and the hair went past his ears and covered the sides of his face, and the skin color did not lose out to it.
But him being in that attire could make it be mistaken for a saint’s attire, that would be the result of having beautiful features.
「……」
It’s an angel. I almost said that out loud, I have to control myself.
But I cannot take my eyes off him.
After a while, the also familiar looking boy with black hair poked the silver haired boy’s arm.
「Oi Reggie laughs too much」
「Sorry Alan. It just got to me. ……By the way, are you all right? Can you stand?」
Said the silver haired boy called Reggie and held out his hand.
While I was still spaced out, I causally reached out to borrow his hand.
「Reggie! 」
「Reggie-dono! 」
The voices telling him to stop sounded out from 2 directions, I instinctively stopped the movement of my hand.
Why, it’s not like I will bite or anything, but then I noticed the reason for the two to be alert.
That’s it. I am a suspicious person who secretly got on the carriage. Even though he was a servant, he seemed to be cherished, it is no wonder that the other two people fear careless contact with suspicious individuals.
So I thought about getting up for myself, but my wrist was suddenly grasped.
「There is no problem Alan, Wentworth. Because this is probably due to the influence of the medicine」
I was pulled up and I tried to stand naturally.
「Eh? Wa-wa」
I could not feel any strength from my legs and immediately sat back down.
I wonder if my feet lost strength because I slept too long. I was surprised by the funny state of my condition, and Reggie who is still holding my hand was talking to the other two people.
「You see. I think that the influence of the medicine that was used to prevent her from escaping has not completely wore off yet. I thought it was strange to fall from the bed with an “Ah” if she were in a panic」
「Eh? Escaping?」
Apparently, it seems that Reggie also witnessed me falling from the bed, but there was a word to be more worried about than that.
It means that I cannot stand up because of that medicine?
When and how? To me who was suspicious as to whether it was this person’s fault or not, Alan, the black hair boy that kept quite till now spoke up.
「You were found sleeping inside the carriage」
Yes that can be understood. Because that was were my memory was up to.
「Even when we found you in the middle of the night and carried you out of the carriage, you did not wake up. Even more unusual, you did not wake up even when we tried talking and shaking you. So you were a suspicious person for the time being. We checked your belongings. Then we found out that medicine was painted on this letter you had」
Alan offered me the letter, which contained the marriage sentence sent from the adopted host, Earl Patorishiel.
「Eh……why, in the letter……?」
From there I was anxious to hear what Alan had to say.
「Miss Kiara Patorishiel, It was probably supposed to keep you asleep so that you would not try to escape from the marriage that is written in the letter. But before the medicine came into effect, you ran away. Earl Patorishiel thought that you would try to escape, and tried to make the first move」
「.……」
It was true that as soon as I received the letter I ran away.
I am already 14 years old, so I thought that if I try my best I could live by myself alone.
However, for the purpose of the political marriage I was put to sleep so that I would be forcefully taken back. Oi, it would seem Viscount Credias is viewed the same even by adults his age, was he such a terrible man that you could guess that I would not comply with the marriage unless you dr*gged me?
As soon as I thought it was good to run away, I was shocked and relieved, and I lowered my head suddenly.
I am somewhat tired.
「Are you alright?」
Reggie who was still holding my hand kindly asks me.
「……I want to faint. But, then I would be troubling you again, so I will bear it」
An unconscious person, it would be troublesome to carry. Even though it was just once, I was caught sleeping like a log. I do not want to leave anymore bad impressions.
He really does like to laugh a lot was what I thought.