Chapter 15
…Yeah, I can’t turn my back on him now anyway.
Perhaps the answer had already been decided. Until the antidote turned him back to normal, it was my responsibility to look after him.
“Alright, Havel. I won’t turn away from you. This all happened because of my mistake, so I won’t ignore your feelings until I get the antidote again. But I hope you also understand that our relationship isn’t real. The feelings you have for me now will disappear once you drink the antidote. So, I hope you’ll treat me the same as always in front of others so that we can safely return to our own lives after you take the antidote.”
“…I’ll be careful about how I treat you publicly, then.”
Oh, I feel like we’re communicating better than last time.
I felt relieved by Havel’s attitude, which had taken a step back from trying to tightly bind me.
“Thank you, Havel. Um… I won’t refuse you when you want to see me either. Unless there’s something special going on.”
When I smiled gratefully at him for not immediately insisting or demanding that I take full responsibility, Havel’s sharp eyes softened even more.
“Serira, do you have any special plans for the upcoming holiday?”
This holiday? I don’t have any specific plans, but… Hmm, could he be trying to act on what I just said right away? I’m not the type to go out on holidays though.
“Uh, um… no, not really…”
I tried to rack my brain for an excuse, wanting to say yes, but I usually don’t do anything, so no specific excuse came to mind.
Damn it, I should have lived a busier life.
Havel, seemingly oblivious to my awkward expression, displayed a beautiful smile on his inhumanly cool face.
“Then you can spend time with me on the holiday. I’ll consider your wishes, and take you to the outskirts of the capital.”
Havel’s face lit up with a gentle smile as he added in a low voice that he knew a place with a good view.
I thought he understood what I said… but did he really understand?
Something felt off. I clearly said that to draw a line between us, but why did it feel like the line had faded even further?
“Havel, did you really understand what I said?”
“Of course, I understood. When I meet you in public, I will come up with a reasonable excuse to come see you, but other than that, you said you wouldn’t refuse me when I want to see you, and I want to spend time with you during the holiday… Does that not fall under your definition of understanding?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Seeing me flustered, Havel smiled bitterly.
“I don’t know why I’m like this, Serira, but I want to see you even when you’re by my side, and I want to be with you all the time. It’s probably the effect of that potion you gave me… If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”
“Yeah…if you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.” Havel’s soft whisper lingered in my ears.
After saying that, Havel’s gaze, which had been fixed on me, dropped downwards. The shadow beneath his long lashes gave him a sorrowful look, making him resemble an abandoned puppy.
“No… it’s not that I don’t want to! I don’t really have anything to do on the holiday anyway…”
Unable to ignore the surging guilt, I mumbled, and Havel’s gaze, which had been lowered, returned to me.
His handsome face, the only shining thing in the desolate garden, was perfect enough to distort my sense of reality.
His low voice resonated in my ears as he gazed at me with affectionate eyes
“Then, Serira, will you go on a picnic with me on the holiday?”
The gentle smile on his lips held a magical power that made it impossible to refuse his offer.
I stared blankly at his smile and slowly moved my lips.
“…Yes, Havel.”
* * *
“Miss, you’re up early.”
Liche looked surprised to see me up early, unlike past holiday mornings, when I usually woke up sometime between breakfast and lunch.
“I have an appointment today.”
“An appointment?”
“Yes. I have something to do with His Highness the Grand Duke…”
“His Highness the Grand Duke?”
Liche’s eyes widened, and then she rolled them as if thinking about something. Liche, who was combing my hair while exhaling a small sigh, met my eyes in the mirror.
“Miss.”
“Yeah?”
“This is really just me asking just in case, but… are you perhaps dating His Highness the Grand Duke? He’s been visiting the mansion often these days…”
Liche’s voice trailed off into an ant-like whisper towards the end. She asked, but her eyes trembled uneasily, as if wondering if it was okay to ask such a thing.
I smiled at her to let her know it was fine.
“We’re not dating. His Highness the Grand Duke is just looking into something related to spirits with me. He might show up at the mansion quite often for a while, so don’t be too surprised. Please tell Hilda as well.”
It was easier to answer since Liche had asked first. The butler and Hilda would surely have the same questions as her.
That day, when Havel and I walked in the desolate garden, I clearly saw Hilda’s cheeks, which kept rising even though she tried to suppress them.
If she found out this all happened because of a mistake I made, Hilda might just clutch her neck and faint. Both the butler and Hilda are at an age where they need to be concerned about their heart health, so ignorance was bliss.
“Miss, would you like me to curl your hair?”
Liche asked, as she heated a thick rod-shaped iron with a mana stone.
I rarely curled my hair unless I was going to a party. Normally, I just kept my hair straight with a single pin.
But today wasn’t an ordinary day… No, I shouldn’t give it any meaning… But still, this could be considered a date…
Ack! I hit my head, stopping my train of thought.
A date? No, technically it could be called a date, but I shouldn’t think of it as a date. Yes, I shouldn’t.
I had to keep a tight grip on my sanity for Havel and me to safely return to our original places. From my perspective, Havel was a very dangerous man.
When I first saw him, his inhuman indifference made me wary and think he was someone I shouldn’t get close to. But now, his human side was dangerous in a different way.
Especially when he looked at me so affectionately, as if he loved me very much, my heart felt like it would burst, and it was hard to breathe.
I had to stay focused, so I wouldn’t ruin my own life.
“Yes, curl it. In big waves…”
It’s true that I needed to come to my senses… but it’s okay to do my hair nicely, right? After all, we’re going out. Yes, this much should be fine… probably.
* * *
“Is this too much…?”
Standing in front of a full-length mirror specially made for the Grand Duke, who was nearly 2 meters tall, Havel looked at the wine-colored vest he was wearing and shook his head.
The vest with a small gold chain across his chest suited Havel perfectly, but unfortunately, it did not satisfy him.
Serira doesn’t like drawing attention, so this is too much.
Havel took off his vest and handed it to the butler.
“Is there something simpler?”
He rummaged through his closet himself, but aside from the knight’s uniform he wore to work every day, all he had were formal clothes like tailcoats and tuxedos for attending formal occasions.
As Havel’s brow furrowed, a look of distress appeared on the butler’s face.
It had been 10 years since he started working for the Grand Duke’s family. The butler, who believed he knew Havel’s personality well and had therefore not prepared any casual clothes, regretted his decision.
I should have bought a few sets of everyday clothes, even if they weren’t custom-made. The butler silently scolded himself and bowed his head to Havel.
“I apologize, Your Highness. We don’t have any casual clothes prepared at the moment.”
“Hmm…”
There wasn’t much time left until the appointed time to go to Serira’s mansion.
Among the clothes the butler brought, the wine-colored vest was the most ordinary. But Serira probably wouldn’t like it…
A dissatisfied groan escaped Havel.
Although he didn’t mean to scold him, the butler, who didn’t understand, bowed even deeper.
The aide, who had been quietly observing the two, spoke to Havel.
“Your Highness, you don’t normally wear casual clothes, so the butler probably didn’t think to prepare them. For today, since you’re busy, please wear what you have, and I will call a designer from the salon to make more casual clothes.”
Havel turned his gaze to the butler at the aide’s words. Only then did he notice how deeply the butler was bowing.
“Straighten up. I’m not blaming you. It was I who said there was no need to get casual clothes.”
Havel’s low voice dissipated into the air. He thought for a moment and then asked the aide.
“Would it be too much trouble to stop by the tailor and buy some clothes now?”
Though the aide found this side of Havel quite unfamiliar, he wasn’t surprised and calmly replied, as Havel behaved astonishingly in all matters related to Lady Ventus recently.
“Yes, I’m afraid it might be. Your Highness’s physique is different from that of ordinary imperial men, so it will be difficult to find clothes that fit.”
At the aide’s firm words, Havel clicked his tongue and looked at the mirror again.
It was his first… date with Serira. He hoped she would like it.
Unaware of his troubled thoughts, time was passing by quickly. Of course, it was because he had spent too much time choosing clothes, which was unlike him, but today, Havel couldn’t help feeling bitter at how time refused to wait for him.
He let out a short sigh and reached for the wine-colored vest he had taken off.
“Bring a dark-colored coat and muffler.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
