The sea breeze blew the curtains up, and the room was bathed in summer sunshine.
With Harriet seated at the vanity table, Rishe, who had been working with the shears, finished up and removed the cloth.
“How do you like it, Harriet-sama?”
Harriet’s golden hair slid down over the cloth.
In the mirror in front of her, Harriet saw her reflection with her long hair shortened and trimmed to her shoulders.
“Thank you, Rishe-sama!”
“It looks great on you. Shoulder-length hair dries quickly, so it’s perfect for reading after a hot bath.”
While putting the shears away, Rishe praised Harriet with a smile.
“Now, some new makeup.”
Harriet’s bangs were shortened, and a different makeup than the other day was applied around her eyes.
The makeup greatly accentuated those slanted eyes that she was so concerned about, making her look dignified. The makeup she wore for the first time the other day was to soften her slanted eyes and make them look more droopy, so now, it was the exact opposite.
“Hmm, it’s strange…I can’t believe I don’t mind wearing makeup that highlights my slanted eyes…”
“For sure. This is one of the benefits of makeup. You can ‘leverage’ the parts of your face that you dislike, instead of ‘hiding’ them.”
“Leverage the parts you dislike…”
Harriet repeated the words as if to chew on them.
“T-That’s right. You can’t just hate the parts of yourself you don’t like…”
Harriet sounded determined as she looked at herself in the mirror.
“Rishe-sama, I’ll do my best!! My character, which I hate so much, may be of use to my country. I’m a coward, but I’ll use that to my advantage and contribute to prudent governance!”
“Harriet-sama…”
It had been two days today since the recent commotion in which Harriet was kidnapped.
The Fabranian knights had been captured and were being interrogated by Arnold’s knight guards. Arnold was willing to discuss with Sigwell the charges against the counterfeit money and the future of Sigwell.
A letter had already been sent to the Sigwell Kingdom. Harriet’s letter was also attached to it, and the real Curtis was expected to come for the continuation of the talks.
I don’t think Harriet-sama is a coward…
It took no small amount of courage to be able to jump out in front of Arnold and declare that she was responsible for everything. Harriet had a lot of potential that she had yet to realize for herself.
“Rishe-sama…If Garkhain and Sigwell form an alliance, I’m sure Sigwell’s position will change dramatically within the continent.”
Harriet looked at Rishe with undying determination.
“That’s why I decided to go for it! Not as a puppet Princess, but as a human being with the ability to think for myself. I may not be able to succeed in it, but I don’t want to use this ‘uncertainty’ as an excuse not to work hard!”
Harriet covered her face with her hands in shyness. Seeing this, Rishe smiled.
“I will do my best to help you…And of course, that includes maintaining Harriet-sama’s health.”
Harriet looked up and picked up a small bottle on the vanity table.
“I’ve been applying eye drops to my eyes without fail! The glare seems to have eased a little, somehow…”
“Great. You don’t feel as much pressure on your eyes as you did a few days ago, do you? It seems that you’re also conscious of your blinking, so I’m sure you’ll get better and better.”
“Wow…”
As they were chatting on the subject, a knock sounded.
“Rishe-sama, His Highness Curtis would like to see you.”
“Thank you, Head Maid-sama.”
When the head maid appeared, her eyebrows moved just a little at the sight of Harriet.
Harriet was frightened for a moment, but then straightened up as if she had reconsidered. When the head maid saw this, she spoke up.
“…You look very beautiful, Your Highness Harriet.”
“H-Huh!”
“Rishe-sama, I’ll show you the way. This way please.”
Rishe nodded and gave Harriet a ‘See you later’ look.
Harriet smiled and gave me a gentle wave. Her posture was nothing but beautiful. Her golden short hair and her summery white dress suited her very well.
What a relief. The head maid and Harriet-sama will get along with each other better from now on.
With a smile, Rishe walked out into the hallway and headed for Raul with the Head Maid. Just then, the Head Maid, who had been silent for a while, spoke in the middle of the corridor.
“I may have to resign from my position as Her Highness Harriet’s attendant.”
Rishe turned her head in surprise. The head maid continued with the same stern expression.
“I was unable to be of any help when the Fabranian knights kidnapped her. I usually scold and nag her, but I failed to protect her at the critical moment…”
“Please h-hold on, Head Maid-sama! I heard that you tried to protect Harriet-sama at the risk of your own life. Harriet is deeply grateful for that…”
“But the only thing that matters is the result.”
She was not only strict with Harriet, but on herself as well. Rishe looked down and tried to convey her thoughts at least.
“I think it’s very reassuring for Harriet-saa to have someone by her side who will be there for her every step of the way.”
“…Nonetheless…”
“The reason I knew that you’re from Sigwell, not Fabrania, was because the way you scolded Harriet-sama was like a real mother.”
This information made the Head Maid’s eyes round.
Rishe chuckled, but also asked a favor from her.
“That’s true. But in the future, I suggest you use a gentler scolding method if possible…”
“…Even if I continue to serve her, there may be no need for me to scold her anymore.”
The Head Maid muttered and looked back at the door of Harriet’s room.
“Her Highness seemed to have gotten over her habit of hunching over before I knew it.”
The Head Maid turned to Rishe and smiled with relief that was just a little bit sad.
Rishe returned the smile as well, nodded, and then started walking to Raul’s room.
＊＊＊
Rishe was bewildered when she arrived at Raul’s room.
“―― I’m really sorry for making you guys go through that.”
She could hardly believe her ears.
Her former boss, who had always been aloof and seldom apologetic, bowed to her deeply.
Unbelievable, Raul can actually show such meekness!!
Unsure of how to respond, Rishe looked around in reflex. However, she and the Head Maid had parted ways in the corridor, so she and Raul were the only ones present.
Raul was no longer acting as Curtis. She had heard that he would continue to be a shadow until the real Curtis arrived, but she also heard that Curtis himself was set to be confined in his room for a while, so she guessed he was fine in this character.
“Um, Raul, don’t apologize. I sustained no damage because of you.”
“…Sustained no harm? Are you being serious?”
“Totally, that’s a fact.”
“…”
Raul squinted and said.
“That Crown Prince-sama must have been troubled after you were drugged like that. I feel sorry for him…”
How did the conversation turn to His Highness Arnold?!
Rishe wondered, but she felt like she shouldn’t voice her question out loud. As she squeezed her mouth shut, Raul shrugged and said.
“However, I can’t take it for granted. I’ll repay you for the trouble I’ve caused you.”
These words sounded familiar to Rishe.
At the beginning of her fifth life, Rishe rescued a man in the forest. Using her knowledge in medicine, she healed his injuries and brought him to where she knew he was roosting.
The injured man was Raul.
In hindsight, it was unusual for him to be injured so badly. By any chance, was it because he was impatient and couldn’t find a way to save Harriet?
After Raul recovered, he told Rishe, who at that time had not yet decided on a new career, that he would return the favor for the trouble he had caused. At that time, Rishe replied.
“You can teach me how to use a bow…”
“The bow? ―― What’s a young lady like you going to do with the bow?”
“I don’t have a goal in mind. I just want to learn something new.”
She remembered looking up at Raul with great excitement, wondering what knowledge and skills she would gain, and smiled happily.
“Now, what do you want from me?”
Rishe stared straight into Raul’s red eyes.
“If I could ask for a favor, I wish you’d rely on your people more.”
“…Ha.”
Raul stared at her, flabbergasted.
“The guy who taught me the bow a long time ago was just like you. He shouldered everything on his own, always smiling and lying…much like an invisible and insubstantial ghost.”
The Raul of her hunter’s life would have laughed and retorted, “That’s not true.” However, if it was Raul who was in front of her now, she might be able to reach him better than she did then.
“Like this time, you didn’t have to carry everything on your own…Let everyone around you see your happy or sad face.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. My benefactor didn’t understand me until the end.”
Rishe was certain that Raul died in the same forest she died.
Garkhain attacked and burned it down, and there were not even any trees for the hunters to hide in. Raul fought while protecting his friends and defending the knights, so he must have sustained more serious injuries than Rishe.
“If you’re going to do me a favor, spend the rest of your life like that. ―― Tell me with your genuine smile what you think is happiness and what makes you happy.”
“…”
It was then that Raul gave Rishe in front of him a somewhat distant look.
“…So cute.”
Then he said the exact same words he had said to Rishe just the other day.
“I want you to be my wife, not the Crown Prince-sama’s.”
“Oh, God. There’s no need for jokes like that anymore, is there?”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it. You’re going to be Arnold Hein’s wife.”
“!!”
That was true, but it sounded strangely embarrassing now that he mentioned it again. When Rishe frowned at him, Raul heaved a sigh.
“Even if your marriage is a political one…even if your marriage is to Garkhain…”
“…Raul?”
Raul looked at her and said with a gentle smile.
“I hope, really hope that you’ll be happy.”
“―― Yeah, I will!”
After saying that, Rishe left the room.
＊＊＊
Time passed surprisingly quickly as Rishe made various preparations.
The soft splashes of waves echoed on the beach at dusk. Rishe looked at the dial of her pocket watch, took a deep breath, and thought to herself.
Just ten more minutes until our meeting time…
Her hopes that she would be able to calm down in ten minutes were dashed. Rishe was crouching on the sandy beach, when she heard the voice of the man she’d been waiting for.
“Rishe.”
Rishe stood up quickly and looked toward the castle in a panic.
“Your Highness Arnold!”
Arnold walked along the sunset-colored sandy beach. Perhaps the sun was blinding him, so he squinted slightly.
“Oliver told me you wanted to see me… What’s the matter?”
“…I have something to tell Your Highness, so I consulted Oliver-sama.”
Rishe rushed in front of Arnold and looked up at him after taking a moment to catch her breath.
“I just want us to reconcile.”
“…”
T/N: I was going kyaaaaa(spoiler)!!! translating Chapter 148, then I realized that I seemed to have not translated Chapter 147 yet…Upon checking, yeah…not yet. I just read the MTL last time (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ)) So, late this one…Look forward to Chapter 148 tomorrow 🙂
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