Volume 3 Chapter 9 Part 2 (2/2)
Saying that, the Princess sat down on the sofa right next to me, looking at me apologetically. It was really strange, being able to casually talk with this pretty Princess just like that.
Also, sitting right next to one another like this felt rather intimate, as opposed to having her sit on a throne with some space separating us.
「Well then, what is it?」
「Whatever do you mean?」
The Princess blinks a few times, as if not understanding what I just said, but then she quickly regained her composure and smiled gently. She looked as adorable as a little lily, and was somehow similar to Klanven at that moment.
「Why of course, the everyday life as my Uncle’s caretaker. According to what I have heard, it is going quite nicely.」
She said that while smiling at me so brightly. I felt somewhat unable to resist that smile, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was also something quite malicious behind it.
「Umm, Princess. Can I ask you something?」
「What would that question be?」
「Did you perhaps heard any rumors that are being spread recently……?」
「Not really, aside from the one that says that the two of you are practically head over heels in love with one another. But no, not really. So don’t mind me and please carry on, okay?」
「…………」
The Princess continue to smile, even though that smile wasn’t quite matching the look on her face right now.
「You know, in case you ever wanted to divorce your current husband and marry my Uncle, that would be wonderful. We could become genuine sisters, right? I think it’s not so bad if you think about it.」
「P-please stop joking like that, Princess……」
「Why of course. Of course it was a joke. Please pardon me.」
The Princess laughs happily and I manage to force a smile on my lips as well. To divorce that man and marry Klanven instead, was such madness even possible?
But still, if the rumors were reaching even the ears of the members of the royal family, I think we simply cannot leave it be any longer. Sooner or later, it was going to affect my everyday life one way or another.
The Princess laughed some more for a while before eventually falling silent. Somehow it was even more ominous of a sign.
「Say, Filmina? What do you really think about my Uncle? And I don’t want to hear any flattery or dodging the bullet. I want to hear your honest thoughts.」
I couldn’t help but to think that I was getting scolded for something I didn’t do. Even though the Princess wanted to hear my honest thoughts about her Uncle, this was hardly the time to answer that question. That gentle smile of his was the only kind of answer I really needed.
His smile was like that of a sun that couldn’t be concealed by even the thickest of clouds. It was always so bright and warm, with no false or despicable emotions being able to taint it.
But still, he was so reckless that he would eat a whole plate of poisoned soup just so that the dish wouldn’t get thrown out. He also didn’t seem to care about the consequences of his actions, just living in the moment.
But then, there were the moments when he protected the children at the orphanage from the werewolves and when he was gazing at the pocket watch that his mother gave him. Those were certainly softer parts of his personality that he was usually kept well hidden deep inside of him.
「 –––– I think that His Highness is a rather strange person.」
It may seem like an answer that wasn’t really an answer, but it was the only way in which I could formulate my thoughts.
The Princess looks down as if thinking about something. After a while, she rose her head and her expression was like she wanted to say: “I see.”
「I see. What a relief.」
「Eh?」
「But it’s a rather poor answer, don’t you think? At least you could have gone with standard “I love him!” or “I can’t stand him!”. A concrete answer full of conviction. Just like my Uncle himself.」
Much to my surprise, my answer seemed to have satisfied the Princess. She looked quite content and even said something like “Could you perhaps elaborate on that”, which made me feel at a loss for what to say.
「Umm, Princess? Can I ask you something in return? What is His Highness to you, Princess?」
「For me? Hmm, let’s see……」
After putting her hand to her chin and thinking for a while, the Princess finally made up her mind and proclaimed with confidence.
「……Honestly, I can never tell what his deal is. Sometimes he has greed in his eyes and can act like a really bad person, but in the next moment his eyes are full of compassion and warmth. He’s really complicated.」
Was it really wise to call your own relatives bad and greedy? I couldn’t really say anything, and the Princess laughed in a dignified manner upon seeing my confused reaction.
「But, I must say I’m happy that you are my Uncle’s caretaker. Especially since he how he is, clumsy and that he cannot be really honest with himself at times.」
「I feel like I can somewhat understand that.」
Speaking of which, I remember that Heathrow-sama used to say the exact same thing sometimes in the past, about how cunning and clumsy of a man Klanven was, always trying to hide behind the mask made out of smiles and gentleness. That he would always do the bare minimum for the public services, and then try to push his own responsibilities onto somebody else. Seeing someone like that, you just couldn’t help but to want to support him, to lend him a hand.
What is he doing right about now? He should be alright for now, but if I don’t come back in a bit, he might go onto something stupid or irresponsible again…… At that moment, the Princess smiled and took me by the hand again.
「But still, I wouldn’t lower my guard if I were you, Filmina. You need to always stay vigilant around my Uncle, or you might end up crying because of that.」
As the Princess said that, I wondered if it was meant to be some kind of a warning or more of a general form of advice, but before I could muster the courage to ask her about Klanven some more, the Princess fell silent.
She then let go of my hand and said with a smile on her lips: “That’ll be all. Sorry for keeping you away.” before eventually seeing me off.