Chapter 31: Courtyard Event

A few days have passed since I left Ghislan’s private office in a hurry, and I still wonder why Ghislan was acting so strangely at that time, but this time I decided to be careful not to disturb those two anymore.

So today I was walking alone in the courtyard, but unfortunately, there was already a visitor in the courtyard.

It’s not only that, but also that…Nina and Prince Alfeld were the first two visitors.

And those two were walking side by side in the courtyard, talking happily.

Geez! Why am I running into you guys at this point in time!?

I was bemoaning my bad timing, but I spun around on my heel to leave before they noticed me yet.

But then I heard a voice calling out to me,

“Isn’t that Cecilia over there?”

“What?…Well, Lady Cecilia!”

As expected, I couldn’t ignore their voices, so I slowly turned to them with a bitter smile on my face.

“Hey, hello…”

I waved at them as I greeted them. Then they smiled and came downstairs with me.

“Is Cecilia alone?”

“Yeah, I’m just going to go for a walk in the courtyard…”

“That’s just great! We were just taking a walk in the courtyard, and I was wondering if Cecilia would like to join us.”

“What?”

“That’s a good idea! We’d love to have you join us, Cecilia-sama!”

“No, no, no, it’s not like I wanted to interrupt you guys…”

“There’s no way you’re interrupting!”

“Yes! I’d rather welcome it!”

As expected, I didn’t want to disturb them, so I tried to say no, but in the end they pushed me to go for a walk in the courtyard with them.

However…

…why is it this arrangement?

So I glanced at the two of them walking beside me, confused in my mind.

I was planning to at least take a step back and follow behind them so as not to interfere with their relationship, but for some reason they ended up standing on both sides with me in between them.

I also saw an opening and tried to quietly slow down and step back, but each time they fell back to match my pace.

In the end, I was made to walk around the courtyard in this unfamiliar arrangement.

Then, while the three of us were strolling around the courtyard for a while, a beautifully carved fountain appeared in front of us.

…Huh? I don’t know where I’ve seen this fountain before, but…

As I thought that, I casually looked at Prince Alfeld’s face beside me and realized with a huff.

Ah! It’s the fountain event with Prince Alfeld and Nina!

Nina was invited by Prince Alfeld to take a walk in the courtyard and happened to find a fountain to take a rest, when Nina slipped and fell into the fountain.

That’s when Nina slipped and fell into the fountain. But Prince Alfeld rushes to help her up, but he loses his balance and falls into the fountain with her, and both of them ended up soaking wet.

Yes, yes! That’s when Prince Alfeld takes off his head scarf, and the still with water dripping from his bare white hair was bewitching and so beautiful!

As I was unconsciously grinning and skipping consciousness while remembering the image, Prince Alfeld spoke to me with a puzzled look on his face.

“Cecilia, what’s wrong?”

“What? I…No! It’s nothing!”

“Really? There was something strange…or rather unfamiliar about the way you looked.”

“You can just honestly say I have a funny face…”

“How could I say that to Cecilia? More importantly, maybe you’re tired?”

“What? No, I’m not…”

As I turned a troubled expression on Prince Alfeld’s worried face, Nina peeked at me from next to me with a worried look on her face as well.

“Cecilia-sama, please take it easy. If you want, let’s take a short break at the fountain over there.”

“Yeah, that’s good.”

“Then I’ll go ahead and see if I can find a place to sit that’s clean!”

“I’ll do that.”

“No, I will…”

So they went off to the fountain, arguing with each other.

Oh! I think this is finally the start of the event scene!

I was watching them with excitement as I thought about it.

Then, as Nina approached the fountain, the grass caught her footing and she leaned toward the fountain.

“Kyah!”

“Watch out!”

When Prince Alfeld shouted at the screaming Nina, Prince Alfeld pulled Nina, who was about to fall into the fountain, by her waist, and they sat down on the ground with the same momentum.

…Huh? What’s the difference?

As I was bewildered as I looked at the scene in front of me, Nina, who was in a position to be hugged by Prince Alfeld from behind, thanked Prince Alfeld with a blush on her face and an embarrassed look on her face.

“Thank you, Prince Alfeld.”

“No. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Then I looked at Prince Alfeld, who smiled gently at Nina, and I thought to myself.

Here it is!!!!!

I was squealing inwardly at their atmosphere, but I went up to them with a worried look on my face for now.

But by continuing to stare at them, I didn’t notice the small stone at my feet.

“Are you both okay…Kyah!”

I tripped over the stone and let out a small scream and staggered at the same time, and fell headfirst into the fountain with the same flow.

“Cecilia!”

“Lady Cecilia!”

I looked up from the surface of the water in a panic as I listened to their cries in the water.

“I was surprised!”

“Cecilia, are you okay?”

“Lady Cecilia, are you hurt?”

I was sitting in the fountain when two people came up to me with blue faces, as if to look into me.

I smiled bitterly at them and felt very embarrassed by the situation.

“Nah, it’s okay. I was a little surprised, but I didn’t hit anything, and I wasn’t hurt.”

“But I’m just soaking wet all over…”

“I’m okay though—achoo!”

“Lady Cecilia!”

I was about to show Nina, who looked worried, that I was okay, when I suddenly felt a chill run through me and I sneezed.

Then I heard a loud clothing scrape and the sound of water splashing close by.

The next thing I knew, a large white cloth was gently wrapped around my body and I was held up even more softly.

“Huh? Huh?”

“Cecilia, hold still!”

“Ah, Prince Alfeld!”

Prince Alfeld’s face approached me, upset by the suddenness of the situation, and then admonished me with a serious expression.

But on his head, the large scarf that he always wore up to his waist was gone, exposing his beautiful white hair.

I realized that the head scarf was the cloth that was now wrapped around my body, and that Prince Alfeld was holding me in his arms.

“Ah, Prince Alfeld! Oh, please put me down!”

“No!”

Prince Alfeld said in a strong voice and immediately stepped out of the fountain and looked at Nina, who was looking at us anxiously.

“I’m sorry Nina, but could you go to Cecilia’s room first and ask the maidservants to prepare a bath?”

“Oh, yes! I understand!”

Nina nodded at Prince Alfeld’s words with a serious expression and immediately ran off into the castle.

And then Prince Alfeld, holding me in his arms, began to walk quickly towards the castle.

”Prince Alfeld, this much is fine! Besides, I can walk by myself!”

“…”

“Prince Alfeld!”

“…I can’t be alive if anything happened to you.”

“What?”

“That’s how important Cecilia is to me! So I hope you don’t let your guard down…”

Saying that, Prince Alfeld made a painful expression as he looked at me.

“Uh…I’m sorry. It would certainly be painful for me if something happened to my friend, too. Thank you for worrying about me.”

“…friends…”

“?”

I don’t know why, but he laughed at me with a complicated look on his face when he heard my words.

While I was wondering what he was doing, I arrived at my room with him holding me.

As soon as I entered my room, the maidservants took me to the bathhouse and gave me a warm bath in no time, thanks to Nina’s prior explanation.

Then, as I warmed up from the core, I thought I would take a break in the living room, but the maidservants stopped me from doing so and made me change into my nightclothes before I could resist, and then they put me in bed.

“No, I’m fine now…”

“No! You were soaking wet all over, weren’t you? Maybe you caught a cold or something, so please keep on resting!”

With a troubled look on my face, I pleaded with the handmaids that I was okay, but my pleas were rebuffed by the head maidservant Dahlia, and the others nodded their heads in agreement over and over again.

I let out a small sigh of resignation at the sight of the handmaids, then decided to sleep peacefully today and crawled deeper into bed.

Just then there was a discreet knock on the door and Prince Alfeld asked permission to enter, I nodded to Dahlia and gave her permission to enter.

Dahlia immediately allowed me to put on a light gown, and I also received Prince Alfeld as I raised my upper body from the bed.

When I was ready, Prince Alfeld came into the room with a new scarf on his head, and a worried looking Nina came in with him from behind.

“Cecilia, how are you feeling?”

“Yes, it’s nothing, thanks to Prince Alfeld. Thank you.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

“…Lady Cecilia, are you sure you’re okay? Do you have a headache or something?”

“I’m sorry to have worried you, Nina, too. But it doesn’t hurt at all, it’s okay.”

“I see. I’m really glad…”

Nina looked relieved at my words and showed me the basket she was holding in her hand.

“In case you can’t eat it, I’ve made some ginger-based snacks for you to eat later.”

“Oh! Thank you Nina!”

“Actually, I brought some medicinal water that I take when I’m sick too…”

With that, Prince Alfeld looked at his handmaid and she brought a cup of liquid on a tray to me.

I thanked him and took the cup, received it, and froze when I looked at the contents.

…Whoa! What amazing colors! This is several times darker in color than the green juice my parents forced me to drink once in a past life! And the smell… it smells awful.

I stared at the glass that was being poured so lavishly, holding it in both hands, with cold sweat running down my back.

“…Cecilia, you don’t have to force yourself to drink it.”

“No, no! I’ve been prepared for this…I’ll drink it!”

I said so forcefully, and I closed my eyes and drank its contents in one go.

“Ugh…”

“Cecilia! That’s not something to drink all at once…”

“Um…N-Nina!”

“Yes, yes!”

“One of those snacks, please!”

“What? Oh, yes, of course!”

With tears in my eyes, I held out my hand to Nina and she hurriedly took out a madeleine from the basket and handed it to me.

I took it and hurriedly put it in my mouth and ate it up.

Ahhhhhhhh, the subtle sweetness and refreshing scent of ginger managed to neutralize it~!

Then I ate my madeleines and exhaled in relief, wiping the tears from my eyes, I smiled at them.

“Thank you so much, both of you.”

I thanked them both for that, but Nina was still looking at me with a worried look on her face.

And as for Prince Alfeld…

“Hah…hahahahah!”

“What? Prince Alfeld!”

Suddenly, Prince Alfeld burst out laughing with his belly.

I and everyone else in the room was stunned by the suddenness of this, and we all stared at him with a surprised look on our faces as he continued to laugh.

But Prince Alfeld’s natural laughter had caught my attention.

Ugh! The usual bewitching smile looked good on him…but this one looks great too!

I wondered if everyone else felt the same way, but when I looked closer, I saw that they were all looking at him with a fawning expression as he continued to laugh.

When he finally stopped laughing, he wiped the tears from his eyes with his fingers and looked at me with a bewitching smile.

“After all, Cecilia is the best.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I’ve never seen a woman drink that medicinal water in one go like that. Most women only take a little and leave the rest.”

“I wouldn’t do that! You prepared it for me!”

“That’s why you’re nice.”

As he said this, Prince Alfeld’s smile deepened.

Then I heard a sighing breath leaking out from around me.

I looked around at the sound and saw that everyone was blushing and staring at him with enraptured expressions.

Even Nina was blushing and looked uncomfortable.

Oh! Maybe…maybe this is the start of a relationship between the two of them!

I secretly had that kind of hope when I saw Nina’s condition.

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