It Seems I've Been Reincarnated As A Mob Character In An Otome Game World, But The Prince Dropped Out Before It Even Started - Episode 22

The morning after meeting the dragon.

I was scolded. How dare I, in a position where I should be protecting my lord, fall asleep first while sharing the same bed?

Wait… no, I didn’t intend to fall asleep or anything?!

No, maybe I was just dozing off without realizing it.

As for Lord Cedi, he has been calm ever since, as if his earlier negativity was a lie.

Yeah, maybe that was really just a dream.

Looking back, my thinking is terrible. What the heck, saying it’s okay to pat my head. Normally, you wouldn’t even think of such a thing.

I see, I went to sleep without permission… Ugh, I need to reflect on this as a professional bodyguard. I shouldn’t leave the target and go to sleep.

So surely, that monologue by Lord Cedi was also an illusion.

During the journey to Lakewood, the members were moderately shuffled during the day, and I would be with Lady Cedi about once every three days, but at night, we were always together.

The problem of beds being too narrow. In some inns, they are so narrow that you can’t even turn over if two people are lying side by side.

So, inevitably, I was chosen as the partner… and Cedric and I started having trivial conversations before bed.

There are no enemies eavesdropping anymore.

Please don’t mind the dark senior lurking in the attic. We have a nature that makes us uneasy unless someone is hiding there…

And so we talked about our trivial dreams.

It seems that someday, Cedi-sama wants to go to the sea. Apparently, they have never seen it in person.

Come to think of it, Lord Cedi has hardly ever been outside the royal capital, has he? Nobles who own territories often return to their domains, but Lord Cedi, who had little connection to his family and no proper support, has never had that experience.

Even if it was just a fake engagement, you should at least invite me to your home, you villainous noblewoman.

While you were cheerfully developing shampoo and conditioner at your family home, Lord Cedi was drinking poisoned tea with the queen in the royal capital.

Ah, I’ve seen the sea before. I don’t remember my past life, but there’s a port town in the southern part of the kingdom. I did my junior training there.

Fresh seafood is delicious! Let’s have a barbecue together someday.

Before that, we’re having a barbecue in the mountains.

A campfire by a large lake, it must be so much fun. Fishing, hunting, and stargazing too.

As I lay next to him and spoke like that, Cedi-sama smiled happily.

There is no longer any trace of the cold prince in him. His reaction is age-appropriate… or even younger, and the subordinates who have supported him until now cannot contain their joy.

The unfortunate prince I serve, I’ve always wished for his happiness.

When I see Ian-sama gazing at Cedi-sama with such deep emotion, I can’t help but smile while feeling like I might cry too.

I don’t know if the dragon’s spell I received on the first day worked.

After that, without being attacked, the group continued their journey according to schedule, and it had been over twenty days since they left the royal capital.

Finally, I arrived at the mountain where my destination is located.

By the way, the name of the mountain is Lake Mountain.

Game company, do your job. I think it’s such a simplistic name for a mountain.

A conical active volcano reaching a height of nearly a thousand meters. Its silhouette somewhat resembles that of Mount Fuji.

For the past few thousand years, there has been no volcanic activity, and a forest has spread over the collapsed crater, with a deep blue caldera lake in the center.

It is a picturesque place, but the outer rim surrounding the caldera is a dragon’s habitat. Therefore, no one lives there except for the soldiers stationed at the fort.

The crater of Lake Mountain.

The land called Lakewood will be Lord Cedi’s residence from now on.

Arriving at the town at the foot of the mountain, we reunited with our companions who had taken a different route and switched from the car to the wagon.

The sound of a car’s exhaust can sometimes provoke dragons. Therefore, the means of transportation in this mountain area are horses and carriages.

We slowly ascend the winding road built on the steep slope, with the carriages lined up behind each other.

When you reach the top of the path, you enter the fortress built into the mountain.

The only gate connecting Lakewood to the outside world. Originally, this place was also a place of exile for royalty.

Lake Mountain is adjacent to the border of a neighboring country, so the fort is guarded by border patrol soldiers.

Passing through the fortress and emerging on the other side, the path becomes a downhill slope. It descends into the caldera and continues to the royal villa by the lakeside.

I proceed along that single road, guarded by garrison troops surrounding me.

I was riding at the very back of the line of carriages (being a low-ranking member), enjoying the view from the window.

Truly, it’s a scene that can only be described as picturesque.

The white mountain slopes surrounding it like a folding screen. This is a feature unique to caldera topography, called an outer rim. The inside has collapsed, forming a basin.

Perhaps because it is summer, the green forest dominated by coniferous trees spreading at the bottom is incredibly dense and beautiful, and the lake in the center shines without a single ripple on its surface.

In terms of size, it’s about a five-kilometer diameter. Since the Yamanote Line’s diameter is roughly ten kilometers, it’s about half that.

In such a vast land, the only thing that exists is the royal villa by the lakeside.

But I think that home is where you make it.

We servants can go down to the town at the foot of the mountain during our days off if we want to.

The shops were fairly well-stocked, and there was even a brothel. Not that I plan to visit one, though.

I heard the villa has a hot spring. Just that makes me happy.

It is impossible to climb that winding slope without being noticed by anyone, surpass the fort where the soldiers are stationed, and get any closer to the villa.

As expected, the Empress’s assassins won’t be able to infiltrate anymore.

“You seem to be having fun, Alexis.”

Hugh called out to me with a wry smile as I was lost in thought, staring out the window.

“I’m looking forward to it, this new life ahead.”

Because your life has been so tumultuous up until now, Lord Cedi.

I think it would be good for you to take it easy for a while in this safe place.

I’ll take my time too. Soaking in a hot spring, a dream come true for a former Japanese person!