He didn’t think he talked much with her, but an hour had already passed.
“Then, I’ll go.”
He stood up in a bit of a hurry.
For a while, he thought to find a good excuse for if Rietta caught him, but fortunately, she didn’t.
Instead, someone else came to see him in the tea room.
“Young Master.”
He was the family’s butler.
He held something in his hands, and Noel paled when he saw it.
“I heard that you left a book you borrowed from the Royal Library a little while ago, and the librarian brought it to the mansion.”
The butler handed Noel a book with the cover ‘All About the Kingdom of Liz! Curious Things About the Territory.’
“…..!”
Why was he parading it around like that!
Noel shrieked internally and quickly grabbed the book the butler gave him.
Then, with an uneasy look, he looked at Rieta on the opposite side for a moment.
She didn’t know any Imperial language, so he hoped she didn’t know what book he borrowed.
But his wish was useless.
The raggedy book’s title was in both the Imperial and Kingdom languages.
“Oh, I’m telling you in case you misunderstand. I’m not even curious about the Kingdom of Liz!”
“….?”
“That’s right!”
“Ah!”
Soon Rietta said, clapping her hands with an enlightened expression.
“Noel likes the Kingdom of Liz.”
She completed a nonsensical sentence and gazed at him with a look on her face asking if she was correct.
Of course, it was grammatically correct! That was true!
Perhaps it was because Noel couldn’t answer.
The butler, who had been watching the two, answered with a thumbs up.
“It’s perfect, princess!”
It’s not!
Noel’s face crumpled as he despaired inside once again.
****
“Prince Noel, I heard Princess Liz is living with you.”
The Count’s son whispered quietly in Noel’s ear.
Noel went because he was invited for dinner, but he couldn’t believe this was the only thing the Count’s son asked.
What was so great about Liz’s squirrel princess?
“So what?”
Noel continued eating as if it were nothing.
“I heard that Princess Liz is very pretty.”
Kiiik.
Noel’s fork scratched the plate.
He exerted too much force at the moment.
“Prince?”
“I don’t enjoy this sort of casual banter.”
“…!”
The Count’s boy looked surprised, and quickly bowed his head.
“I-I’m sorry, I’ll stop being rude—”
“Well, it’s not me whom you must apologize to.”
“That’s right. I must apologize when I see the princess later.”
“Why are you meeting the princess?”
“Pardon? T-that… Can’t I?”
“Of course you can’t.”
Noel replied with a twisted smile.
He didn’t have to tell the other aristocrats that the squirrel princess couldn’t speak the Imperial language.
“I-is that so..”
Noel felt a strange sense of victory when the count’s boy answered, despondent.
And he didn’t know why he felt that way.
*****
It was dark when Noel came home by carriage.
Considering his young age, it was too late for him to return.
Dozing off in the carriage, he suddenly woke up as soon as it stopped moving.
Soon, the butler opened the door, so he got off the carriage, drowsily rubbing his eyes.
“Welcome back, young master.”
“Father?”
“He’s in the office.”
“Brother?”
“I speculate his conference ends late.”
After his return, all the ceremonial greetings exchanged between Noel and the butler ended.
Nevertheless, the butler stared at him.
‘Is there anything else you would like to ask?’
“….P-princess?”
At his question, the butler smiled.
“She’s in her room. She ate very little again, so everyone in the kitchen is worried.”
“I’m afraid someone like the princess is being too picky.”
Just then, the Duke’s valet arrived, bowing to the two.
He said that the Duke was looking for a butler, and that he was waiting for Noel’s return.
“Go to your father first, I’ll be there to greet you soon.”
“Yes.”
When the butler and servant disappeared, Noel immediately pulled the uncomfortable collar slightly.
Classy suits were good, but also way too uncomfortable.
He heard that he would get used to it over time.
“Oh, Noel!”
As he was about to enter the mansion, he heard Rieta’s voice from far away.
When he looked up, she waved to him, her head sticking out of the window.
“Good morning, oh no. It’s evening.”
In an instant, Noel chuckled at the morning and evening greetings.
She seems to have learned a new greeting from the Imperial language teacher.
“Good morning, Princess.”
“It’s evening.”
Rieta slightly pursed her lips at his teasing greeting.
So she also sulked, Noel thought, it was also interesting.
“Noel, uhm…”
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