A Captive Prince Awaiting Execution Falls In Love With A Young Lady - Episode 25

Five days later.

Sirius was at the place where Mr. Sanders had contacted him.

The location is inside the royal castle.

The side of the artificial pond between Aobamiya Palace, where Sirius lives, and Ruri Branch Palace, where Judith is staying.

The gentle lawn extends all the way to the artificial pond.

On the banks, a variety of plants grow naturally, and even now, plants like touch-me-not and Japanese knotweed sway with their vibrant flowers.

Flies and other winged insects were buzzing above it.

Even without straining to listen, the sound of trickling water can be heard, because it is not a reservoir.

I am creating a small stream to drain the water from the fountain in the center. The sound of the water flowing in that stream is incredibly soothing.

Sirius looked around but still couldn’t see Judith.

“Yo”

Shouting encouragement, they spread the rug they brought from the shrine on the grass.

I sat on top of it, placed my hands behind me, and gazed up at the sky.

It’s a sunny day.

On top of that.

Sirius was moved by the fact that there was no window frame to cut off the scenery.

For the past few years, my view has been limited because I’ve been inside the tower. Even if I lean out of the window to look around, I can never see behind me, and there are limitations in terms of angles.

Above all.

I was moved by the sunlight hitting the top of my head.

Sitting cross-legged, unbuttoning my shirt, and rolling up my sleeves.

I scrutinized my own arm.

White. Pale.

I never thought much about it until now, but when I see knights around my age after coming out of the tower, I feel a bit embarrassed because they are so white.

Having thin muscles and a slender body can’t be changed overnight, but getting a tan might be possible.

Thinking so, whenever I have some time between tasks, I try to go outside and get some sunlight, but the reality is that it doesn’t go as smoothly as I would like.

“Sirius!”

I hear a voice and turn around.

Judith was walking briskly along the path that ran beside the stream.

“Judith!”

Sirius also raises one hand and calls her name.

Judith laughed happily and twirled the parasol around.

It’s only been five days since we last met, but it feels so nostalgic and dazzling.

The reason is that.

Because we both started moving towards “marriage,” we suddenly became very busy.

Especially Sirius, there is preparation to become a “prince” before becoming a “groom.”

Mrs. Garcia is taking the lead and I am basically following her instructions, but there are still many times when my judgment is required, and on top of that, I’ve even started studying a foreign language.

Even though we had just become engaged, we had no time to meet each other at all.

“Sorry, sorry! Right before we were about to leave, Mr. Sanders came running after us with an umbrella!”

Even though she was wearing high-heeled shoes, Judith approached as if she were flying.

“I’m sorry too. You’re right. I didn’t think about Judith’s skin.”

I grimace, saying, “I failed.”

Judith tilted the parasol diagonally, resting its handle on her shoulder, and sat next to Sirius.

“I’m totally fine with feeling like I’m sunbathing.”

“It’s not acceptable. What are you saying, someone who is about to become a bride?”

I heard a calm voice right behind me. When I twisted my face to check, it was Mr. Sanders.

“If you just get sunburned and turn red, that’s one thing, but what if it leads to spots, wrinkles, and sagging skin? Even if you don’t see symptoms now, they can suddenly appear as you age, you know, spots.”

“Eh. Do you care? Sirius”

Because Judith puffed her cheeks, Sirius gave a wry smile.

“If Judith doesn’t mind, I don’t care either way.”

“Well then, Mr. Sanders, I’ll take this parasol home with me…”

“That’s not allowed!”

When called a “brawler,” Judith shrugged her shoulders as if to say “meow.”

“Oh. Mr. Sanders, would you like to sit too? Hey, Judith, move a little closer over here.”

I stepped onto the rug, but Mr. Sanders shook his head.

“No. I can read the room, even so. Since you haven’t seen each other in a while, please, just the two of you. We’re in the royal castle, so there’s no need to worry about being sniped at or anything…”

Mr. Sanders still directed his hawk-like sharp gaze around him.

“I will come to pick you up again in an hour, Miss.”

“Yes”

“Make sure to use your parasol properly.”

“Yes, yes”

“Also, Sirius-bocchan.”

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

Sirius, not expecting to be addressed himself, involuntarily started to rise.

And then it came to a complete stop.

Because Mr. Sanders was giving a piercing glare.

“I am pleased to announce that I have become engaged to Miss Judith, but we are still in the engagement period.”

“Y…yes”

“In the unlikely event that the order is reversed, please carefully consider maintaining an appropriate distance, showing appropriate consideration, and engaging in appropriate interactions.”

Sirius, too, feels like yelping “yip” when spoken to in a tone akin to a whip.

“Th…that’s very serious. Yes.”

“That’s a good response. Well then, I will take my leave.”

Mr. Sanders said that, bowed respectfully, and then walked away briskly.

“Th…that’s scary, Mr. Sanders.”

As I calmed my palpitations, Judith laughed.

“You really don’t need to worry that much.”

“…You should be a little more cautious, with me.”

Glancing sideways, Judith tilted her parasol and peeked out. She met Sirius’s gaze and chuckled softly.

Gently.

As if the sun peeked through the clouds.

Sirius’s cheeks are getting hot.

Cute.

I felt that from the bottom of my heart.

“What have you been doing for the past five days, Sirius?”

Spinning her parasol around, Judith asks.

“First, I signed a certificate to become a prince of the Darnian Empire and received an explanation of the amount I would receive each year. Apparently, it will continue as long as the current emperor is in power. I said I didn’t really need it, but they said it was to maintain the dignity of the prince.”

“Wow. So you actually take care of those things.”

“And then, right after that, I had my portrait painted.”

Suddenly, the parasol stopped, and Judith stared intently at Sirius.

Then they throw their heads back and burst into laughter.

“On the first morning, it was like that the whole time. I was dressed in the clothes of the Darnian Empire and made to pose like this.”

“Wait…! Stop it! I’m going to die from laughing!”

“I was thinking, ‘What is this?’ and then the emperor over there… well, he might become my uncle. It seems like he’s really concerned about me. Not just with support funds or preparation money, but he seems to be really interested in my existence. Apparently, he’s even saying he wants to come to the wedding.”

“The Emperor is coming?! This is bad. Let’s not invite Timothy. It might cause a diplomatic incident. … This is a bit of a hassle.”

Judith, while saying this, places the opened parasol on the grass.

“That’s just not acceptable. Apparently, Mrs. Garcia desperately tried to stop him. But then he said he just wanted to see what I looked like. So they quickly painted my portrait and sent it back home. Hey, Judith. Get the parasol properly.”

“Sure, whatever. But it’s amazing. To draw something in such a short time. Sirius was always kind of, you know, fiddling around for ages just to finish one piece.”

“Mrs. Garcia had conveyed my height and build to some extent. It’s a strange story, but they had even gotten to the point of fitting my face and making fine adjustments. That Mrs. Garcia is quite the go-getter, isn’t she?”

“Right? So? What’s next?”

“I was doing various things. I was learning the language of that country from a tutor introduced by Mrs. Garcia.”

Sirius sits cross-legged once more and cracks his fingers.

“I greeted the head butler and the head maid of the new residence, and I think I also met the gardener and the cook. Then, I received an explanation about the squad from the battalion commander… Tomorrow, I plan to watch the battalion’s drill.”

“The reporter? Didn’t you meet with the reporter?”

“Reporter? What’s that?”

When asked back, Judith also looked puzzled.

“Huh? Didn’t you get interviewed?”

“Not so much an interview… After signing and officially becoming a prince of the Darnian Empire, I heard Lady Garcia and Duke Cornelius say, ‘We’ll announce this in our respective countries.’ Is that what the announcement is about?”

“It’s been crazy for the past four days, the newspapers. They’re all about Sirius.”

“Me?! Huh, what do you mean?!”

I never had the habit of reading newspapers, and since I had been living in the tower for the past few years, I had even forgotten the existence of such periodicals.

Since I only heard from Count Cornelius and Lady Garcia about the “announcement,” I assumed it was just a few lines in the article saying “recognized as a prince.”

“Apparently, he saved the daughter of Duke Cornelius, who was about to be attacked by a thug, and then, coincidentally, he pleaded with His Majesty, who happened to be there, saying, ‘Please, I beg you, bury my brother-in-law’s remains in the royal tomb.'”

“………Who”

“Sirius. And you know, the ambassador of the Darnian Empire, Mrs. Garcia, who happened to be there, noticed that she looked just like the late princess, and it turned out she was the princess’s last remnant.”

“………Who”

“Sirius. So, Sirius fell in love with the daughter of Duke Cornelius, whom he saved, and they’re getting married in two months.”

“Two months after the wedding?!”

“Seems so. I found out by reading the newspaper too.”

“Wait, what is that newspaper announcement? Is that really okay?!”

Judith sat with her knees hugged, laughing happily.

“I was wondering about it too, but from what I’ve heard from Mr. Sanders and the people coming in and out of the royal castle, it seems to be quite popular?”

“Who”

“Sirius”

I felt like pulling my hair out.

“Originally, you know, we were always worried about the Darnian Empire. I think they’re just relieved that someone who seems capable of handling that has finally appeared. The emperor also wrote something about being concerned for Sirius’s well-being and so on.”

“I wonder how things are going in the Darnian Empire. Over there, things are getting weird again…”

Sirius began to speak but then closed his mouth.

“No. Read this…”

When I muttered to myself, Judith nodded deeply.

“Yeah. I was wondering what Sirius’ older brother would think if he read this. I thought about it too.”

It must be infuriating.

I’m absolutely furious.

Patrick, who moved as if he were my own hands and feet, even went so far as to say to bring the Duke of the Imperial Court to our side.

Sirius is a prince of the Darnian Empire and has married the daughter of a court noble, owning land in the southern part of the empire.

Such a thing.

It can only be seen as directly picking a fight.