A Captive Prince Awaiting Execution Falls In Love With A Young Lady - Episode 26

“Is this a newspaper announcement to provoke my brother-in-law…?”

“I think so. And you want to provoke them into taking action early, right? I think the article is a provocation.”

“He’s a devil, King Benedict.”

The season is autumn.

The southern region is in the season of enjoying abundant harvests.

The annual earnings are sustained by the harvest.

They probably want to turn that place into a battlefield and burn everything down.

And.

Direct the anger towards the brother-in-law and the Nalan faction.

If anything.

Even Sirius and the others are fine.

If it weren’t for the current royal family.

“Well, not everyone likes fighting, you know.”

Sirius mutters to himself.

“Hey, Judith. Could you show me that newspaper sometime? Just gather it all up for me.”

“Alright. I’ll make sure to send it to Aobamiya.”

“Yeah. Oh, right. And then there was the wedding preparations, and I received some teachings from a monk of the Azil sect.”

“Me too.”

Judith laughs as if to change the dark atmosphere.

“It was a long story. It felt kind of like something a high monk would say.”

“Right? It’s the Sobish monk, isn’t it?”

Sirius also laughs. While his expression shows laughter, he was thinking of something else inside.

The high priest Sobish of the Azil faction.

That monk has been trying to contact Sirius.

“If this continues, the country will be divided.”

After receiving a sermon about marriage, where the high priest endlessly spoke about the importance of moderation and fidelity, he dismissed everyone by saying, “From here on, it’s just casual conversation,” and then turned to Sirius.

“Starting a war over religion is the most foolish thing. The Nalan faction has connections. Please, before it comes to war, I urge you to discuss it among brothers.”

Sirius agreed with a few conditions.

The only thing left was whether my brother-in-law would go along with this plan.

(What if my anger flares up before that…?)

I can’t believe the newspaper report turned out like this.

“How’s Judith? How has she been these past five days?”

Suddenly, Sirius asked her.

Sirius spent five tumultuous days, but I wonder if she was busy too.

“Mainly tea parties. Mrs. So-and-so from somewhere is hosting a tea party at some place in the royal castle, so please attend, or something like that. You see, I haven’t shown my face in high society at all until now. Well, if you say it’s my fault, then it’s my fault, but still…”

Judith placed her hands behind her and straightened her knees. Then, while keeping her heels on the ground and swaying her toes side to side, she pouted.

“Well, if I get married now, I’ll become the lord’s wife. I understand that means I’ll have to interact with the ladies of high society, but it’s really painful.”

“You don’t have to push yourself, you know?”

“You have to do it even if it means pushing yourself, Sirius.”

With a sulky face, Judith says.

“I’ll do my best because I want to be with Sirius forever.”

“……I see.”

“So, what’s left is the wedding dress fitting. Did Sirius do it too?”

“Yeah. I ended up in clothes styled like those of the Darnian Empire.”

“Huh, really!? Should I match too!?”

“No, that’s fine. You see, it seems the Emperor wants to see me like that again… They’re going to paint another portrait of me.”

When I frowned, Judith laughed as if it were amusing.

“But it’s strange that I can’t see him even though I’m trying hard to be with Sirius.”

“Right?”

“Hey, Sirius”

“What?”

“Won’t we be able to meet again for a few days?”

“Hmm. Maybe, right?”

When she answered that, Judith stood up abruptly. Before Sirius could wonder what was going on, Judith moved behind him and sat down quietly.

He hugged Sirius from behind just like that.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to absorb the components of Sirius so that I won’t feel lonely until we meet again.”

Sirius was taken aback by what was said.

“Does it feel like you can absorb it?”

“I can do it. I’ll send my essence so Sirius won’t feel lonely.”

“Thank you for that.”

Sirius laughs while being hugged from behind.

My back feels pleasantly warm.

“Hey, Sirius”

“What?”

“Is the pre-marriage talk just about the monk coming?”

“For now. Huh? Is there something else?”

“We had it. Mrs. Simpson came over.”

“Oh, really? Are they coming to my place too?”

“Well, you know, it’s a story about the boudoir.”

I suddenly felt like bursting out laughing.

“Huh? What?”

While twisting her neck in confusion to look back, she can’t quite see Judith’s face because Judith is standing directly behind her.

“After the first night, representatives from both families will come to check if everything went well or something like that.”

“What if that doesn’t go well!? Are you saying I’ll be suspected or something!?”

“I don’t really get it, but…”

“Isn’t this a huge responsibility?! Huh, I’m starting to get nervous now…”

“It’s okay.”

“Really?!”

“If it comes to it, I’ll consult with Mr. Sanders.”

“Well, it seems like they might manage to do something about it.”

“Or rather, does Sirius really want to do that kind of thing?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Story of the Boudoir”

“Uh… um…”

I move my eyes to observe what’s happening behind me.

From the flow of this conversation, I wonder if Judith dislikes it.

I feel like you were really into the idea of getting married, and if anything, I even remember you crying a few days ago, asking if you didn’t want to marry me.

Somehow, though.

(Judith, are you not feeling well?)

Since we hadn’t seen each other in a while, it took me a bit to notice the oddness, but he wasn’t the type to cling like this in the first place. Rather, it was Sirius who used to hug and give light kisses.

Looking back,

Judith had been holed up in the tower the whole time.

I felt it before when I attended the evening party, but it seems like I don’t have any close friends of the same s3x.

The only one who is always here is Mr. Sanders.

Judith might have vaguely envisioned something like “married life” or “life as a couple,” but there was no girl her age to fill in and adjust the gap between those fantasies and reality.

So.

Are they suddenly bewildered by the harsh reality they are facing?

“I want to, or rather. I think I want to, and I do want to, but…”

Since he only said he wanted to, Sirius was flustered.

“I think it’s wrong to force Judith to do something she doesn’t want to…”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but it feels like… I’m being pressured into it, and I don’t like it.”

“Oh, I see.”

That’s not entirely untrue, to be honest.

However, Sirius was born as a prince, even though he was a bastard.

Currently, I have become a prince, but it hasn’t changed the fact that I must live by understanding and accommodating the opinions and intentions of those in power.

If you don’t like it.

I have no choice but to overthrow the regime like my brother-in-law and King Benedict.

“Isn’t Sirius a bit annoying?”

When asked, Sirius hesitated and mumbled, “Uuuh…nn.”

“It’s not that I don’t feel like saying no, but…”

“It’s not like that, but?”

“I’d rather think that Judith wouldn’t do such things with other men, so I really feel like I’m a lucky guy.”

“………I see.”

Suddenly, Judith let out a word.

“Well… it does feel like I’m just going along with someone else’s orders. But it’s definitely better than Sirius getting involved with other girls.”

After that, I sensed Judith moving away from my back.

When I slightly arched my back to look behind, Judith was smiling contentedly.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the components of Sirius.”

It’s just like a master thief. Sirius burst out laughing, then spun around halfway, pivoting from his rear.

And then I face Judith.

“But I’m still not enough.”

Sirius spreads his arms.

“There’s no helping it.”

Judith, as if on cue, burst in.

“Wow!”

Unable to support herself, she hugs Judith and lies back. As for Judith, she buries her face in Sirius’s chest, laughing merrily.

“Judith”

“What?”

“I told you earlier, but…”

“Yeah”

“I’m not trying to force anything.”

“Yeah”

“So, shall we just go with the flow as usual?”

“Yeah”

Sirius, still lying on his back, tried to tightly embrace her in his arms.

Realize.

I caught a glimpse of something shining out of the corner of my eye.

“Judith!”

“Huh, huh, what?!”

While holding the surprised Judith, Sirius suddenly sat up.

And then, quickly distancing herself from Judith, she reached for the parasol that had rolled onto the grass and handed it to her.

“What? What’s wrong? What is it?”

“The Balcony of Slish Palace”

“Huh? That thing nearby, right? What?”

“There’s Mr. Sanders over there, aiming his rifle…”

“………scary……”

“That was… that was close…”

After that, until Mr. Sanders came to pick them up, the two of them sat properly on the rug, keeping a respectful distance, and enjoyed their conversation.