The Life of Maria Lewellin - Chapter 37

“I saw you alone with him on the terrace yesterday at the banquet but you’re saying that you didn’t expect him to ask you for a dance?! you must be lying!”

What the, you’re saying that now?

“It’s true that His Highness came to see me while I was resting for a while. But all we talked about was Glick, the same reason why I’m staying at the Imperial Palace right now.”

I had no intention of telling you what kind of conversation we had. I’m the only one who loses if I pour oil into a house on fire.

The Empress words followed again.

“It looks like your skills are indeed outstanding. Seeing that he didn’t only put you in the palace. He even treats you like a VIP.”

“I’m flattered.”

I’m not sure if she certainly meant that or if she’s just being sarcastic but for a now, I answered humbly. Then something like a bolt of lightning suddenly touched my ears at her next words.

“Please come often and be my companion. You must have a lot of interesting things to share with me.”

How good would it be if I have a chance to turn back time?

If I were really given such a chance, I would go back to that time without any thought. Before I accepted Ains’ offer to dance with me.

‘This is driving me crazy. Did I seriously jump into this situation for nothing?’

As soon as I left the drawing-room, I felt regretful. I could bear the hardships of my body, but I absolutely hated mental stress.

The mere thought of fighting against noble women whose noses poked into the sky made me tired.

“Stop there. “

Just before leaving the palace, a voice from behind my back made me crumpled my face as if I chewed a bug.

Yeah. I’m just gonna let you know how it goes.

I breathed a long sigh. As soon as I turned around, I heard a clack of shoes as Roselia came close. And…

*slap*

There was another fire in my cheek.

“How dare you take my place and humiliate me!”

“…..”

I clenched my fist in anger.

What should I do? There’s no empress here now. Should I pay you back with an ‘Eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? ‘

But once again, I thought about it. As there are guards around here, it was better not to do anything that could turn the blame on me.

If so…

I smiled as if I had never been slapped on the cheek and corrected my posture belatedly.

Then I took one step closer and whispered in a voice that was small enough to be heard only by her ears.

“Hey. “

(t/n: she told her ‘Yah. ‘ sksksk so cool) 

“…….!”

“Don’t you think this behavior is disgraceful?”

“…..what? You, just now….. “

“I’m not done talking.”

I spoke quickly without her a chance to speak.

“You should be good at it. Why take it out on me when you’re the one who’s not chosen?”

I could see Roselia’s mouth open without a sound. Looks like the sudden verbal attack and my informal way of speaking, work.

“You! Seriously! “

I could see her hand rising once again, but this time I was faster.

I hurriedly stepped back. Then I gently grabbed Roselia’s wrist, which had cut through the air without hesitation.

I didn’t forget to smile as if it were nothing.

“You must have forgotten, I attended the banquet yesterday not as the Crown Prince’s Veterinarian but as a family of Marquis Dmitri.”

“……..!”

I’m glad to see that you got it.

“Today, I was formally invited to visit the palace of the Empress, and at the sudden call, I was willing to bring a gift and present it to the Empress. In other words, I’ve just done what I have to do.”

Only then did I let go of her hand. Of course, my smile remained plastered on my face.

“By the way, what would happen if the words of the Empress, that I was struck by you for no reason enters the ears of the Crown Prince?

“How dare you, now…!”

“I’m not done talking. I indeed took care of the leopard. If you find it hard to believe, come to the Annex Palace next time. I’ll let you meet Glick and I’ll prove you it’s real.”

That’s enough explanation. No, please, I wish it was enough.

I completely distanced myself off her body and stepped back.

Holding the hem of my skirt gracefully with both hands, I said goodbye in my usual voice.

“It was nice meeting you. I’ll be going ahead first.”

I turned back and walked towards the open door.

You’re not gonna come running and grab me by the hair, right?

“…….”

Mommy!

As soon as I realized it, I hurried down the stairs in vain, leaving Roselia standing there, seething with poison.

“Are you all right, Miss Maria?”

“Am fayn. “

Unlike my answer, an unclear pronunciation that sounds like a child missing a front tooth came out of my mouth. Well, I can’t help it.

I’m currently putting a large ice pack on my cheek and doing a poultice.

“Oh my god…!”

As soon as I came back to the annex, the maids looked at me and screamed. When I looked in the mirror, my left cheek was red as a tomato. When I said internally that her slapping speed was unusual, it was clear that she hit me hard with a full swing.

I also had a thin cut that looks like a red string on my cheek. Looks like she scratched me with her sharp nails as well.

Pain is also a pain, but my anger has been pushed in when I saw her embarrassed face. It feels amazing to see her getting provoked while I was pretending to be a good person in the world.

[Sister, are you okay?! ]

Ruri was worried about me, too. As soon as he saw it, she shouted, ‘Kiya-aaaaa-at!’ nervously

Ugh, it’s cold.

It was Chloe who brought the icebag. Actually, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would, but I was holding it gently to get rid of the swelling quickly.

“Miss Maria, may I come in for a moment?”

“Yes.”

The door opened and Linda came in.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here.”

“What?”

I turned my head in amazement and darted my gaze towards the door, and there he really is. Ains was there, standing at the doorway.

“What’s going on so sudden?”

“I heard you had been called to the palace.”

My eyes widened at his blunt remark.

How did he found out?

Did he hide a spy in the Empress’ Palace?

“What happened to your face?”

“What? “

“It’s swollen red.”

Ah-cha-cha.

I lowered my head a little in a hurry, but it’s already too late. Ains asked me in a low subdued voice.

“….did her Majesty do it?”

“No, I fell by mistake,”

But of course, that didn’t work.

“I guess Roselia did.”

He let out a sigh and said an unexpected remark.

“Did you just get beaten up? “

“What?”

I looked at him like I didn’t understand what he said. It’s your fault, you know. If you properly briefed me, then I would know how to handle it, fair and square.

Ains, who was staring at me, carefully asked me to say something.

“Did you hit her back as well?”

“No? “

Anyway, there’s no use hiding it anyway.

“If I hit her just because she hit me, then that means I’m only on the same level as her. Besides, the Empress was right next to us. I said everything I had to say instead, so I think it’ll be fine.”

I’m a little worried about the aftermath, but I decided to ignore it and not worry about something that hasn’t happened yet.

“I’m fine.”

I was about to tell him to go back, but Ains came a step closer.

The distance between us lessened and we became as close as when we were practicing dancing.

I was so embarrassed that I froze and my eyes widened.

I could see Ains slowly reaching for me but his fingertips never touched my cheek. No, maybe it touched, but before I could even recognize it, he already moved away.

A low voice reached my ears.

“Would you like to go to the market with me?”

“A market tour? Why all of a sudden?”

“……you said you liked to go out.”

I was looking at him with a puzzled face for a while, but I couldn’t help but smile the moment I realized what was going on.

Right.

Since you’re comforting me in your own way, then there was no reason to refuse.

I answered with a bright smile.

“Okay.”

The preparation for going out was simple. I changed into a relatively simple outing dress, took out all the elaborate hair decorations, and tied them together.

Ains was already waiting under the stairs when I left the palace.

He was also wearing the same type of clothes as me. It was an ordinary attire that I never saw someone wear in the palace, so his face seemed to stand out more.

As expected. It doesn’t matter what you wear as long as your face is probable.

The door closed once I got into the carriage. I looked at Ains and asked.

“Did you tried the pajamas on?”

“No. “

There was a very blunt answer. But I didn’t give in and continued.

“It’s really comfortable. Make sure you try it, okay?”

Ains was silent. Then our eyes met belatedly.

“Does that mean I have to be naked on top?”

…..huh?

Did I hear it right?

Oh… Yeah, the top.

But I couldn’t say that I would make him a pajama top. So I laughed and said whatever came to my mind.

“It’s nice to sleep naked sometimes. Haha.”

The first place we stopped by was a restaurant. He probably heard me mumbled ‘I’m hungry’ back in the carriage.

I looked around with my eyes filled with admiration as I sat on the chair. I felt so good that I wanted to hum.

I often came to the square, but it was my first time visiting a restaurant with someone.

“Have you decided what to eat?”

“Yes. What about Your Highness?”

A-cha-cha

It was only after I said it that I realized my mistake. I hurriedly shut up.

Nobody heard that, right?

I was looking around in a hurry when I suddenly heard Ains’ voice.

“Call me Ains. “

“Huh? “

I looked at Ain’s face in surprise.

You just asked me to call you by your first name, right?

“…are you serious?”

“Yes. “

“Really?”

Ains smiled as I continue to look at him suspiciously. Then he added one condition.

“Only where no one knows us.”

“Okay, I will!”

I let out a smile. A name is meant to be used to call a person, but that depends on who the other person is. There must be only a few people who can call the prince’s name without hesitation.

But if he let me do it, that means he also thought that we’re close, right?

“…why are you looking at me like that?”

“Yes? “

“You’re smiling like you head is missing a screw.”

“Haha, when did I do that?”.

I’m sure I’ve gotten a lot closer to him.

He doesn’t even care when I use casual words or blunt speech that might sound like quarrelsome words at all.