Returning Home From The Apology Ceremony

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…”

While letting a meaningless sound spill from my mouth, I descended the stairs.

The location was my… or rather, mine and Shitoen’s mansion within the royal palace. I had left the private room on the second floor and was heading toward the entrance.

“Why does it have to be like this… one thing after another?”

Endless complaints spilled from my mouth.

My second older brother was returning home from the family he had married into.

My eldest brother, the Crown Prince, had asked me to go to the border to welcome him and provide security, but…

I had just come back from the apology ceremony held in the Kingdom of Tania!

I couldn’t relax at all! I was newly married, yet one overnight official duty after another kept coming!

Choose your timing, second brother! Read the room!

“Are you all right, Prince Saryu? Do you feel unwell somewhere?”

Shitoen, who was walking beside me, peered up at my face with concern.

My eyes met her noble amethyst-like eyes. Her silver-thread-like hair was let down instead of tied up, framing skin that was white and smoother than porcelain. She was so small that she did not even reach my shoulder, and today she was wearing a sleeveless dress suited for summer.

Shitoen smoothly moved from beside me and stepped around in front of me.

While I was confused, wondering what was going on, she took both my hands and stretched up as far as she could in her pumps.

“Um, could you crouch down a little?”

I bent down as I was told.

Tap.

Shitoen pressed her forehead against mine.

“Hmm. You don’t seem to have a fever, but…”

Shitoen murmured, furrowing her elegant brows.

That voice.

Her breath.

Her scent.

They grazed the tip of my nose and brushed my cheek…!

Or rather!!

She’s incredibly close…!!!!

I’m looking at Shitoen’s national-treasure-class face from so close that our noses are almost touching!!!

So precious!!

Shitoen’s eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, and the atmosphere around her…!!!!

There’s a halo shining behind her!!!!

Looking at her this close is making me dizzy!!!!

“Wh-what’s wrong? Do you feel sick?”

When I closed both eyes and groaned, “Uuuuuuuuh,” Shitoen’s flustered voice reached me.

“No, it’s not that I’m feeling unwell or anything…”

“That’s right, Shitoen-sama. There’s no way Prince Saryu would catch a cold or anything. Right, big sister?”

At that cold voice, I immediately straightened up and turned around.

Standing there was Roze.

Today too, as usual, she had her hair in twin-tails and was wearing a uniform that adapted Tania’s ethnic clothing into this country’s style. Perhaps because of her small face and hairstyle, she looked quite young, but…

The way she crossed her arms, raised her chin, and looked up at me sideways was truly irritating.

“Roze is right, Princess Consort Shitoen. They say fools don’t catch colds, don’t they? Ah. But that’s about humans, so perhaps bears are different.”

Standing beside Roze was her older sister Mone.

She was quite tall for a woman, and like Roze, she wore a uniform adapted from Tania’s ethnic clothing. Even through those clothes, one could tell she had an extremely voluptuous figure and was a beauty, but…

The gaze she directed at me while laughing softly was as sharp as an icicle.

These assassin sisters we had captured in the Kingdom of Tania were still openly hostile toward me. Sometimes I wondered if I had picked up a wild beast and its cub.

“Roze-san, Mone-san. Your words.”

The one who cleared her throat behind those two and warned them was Shitoen’s maid, Eaton.

She wore her black uniform neatly and gave Mone and Roze a glance befitting a senior maid.

“Yes.”

“That was a slip of the tongue.”

Roze puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but apparently had no intention of arguing back. Mone straightened her back and lowered her eyes.

Ohh. That Eaton, who used to keep collapsing from fear. To think the day would come when she would discipline those two like a senior maid… I feel strangely moved.

“I know that Prince Saryu always manages his health perfectly for official duties, but…”

At Shitoen’s voice, I reflexively turned my face toward her.

With concern seeping into her purple eyes, she looked up at me.

“Please do not push yourself. Are you all right?”

“I’m not pushing myself at all!”

Nothing more must be allowed to shake Shitoen’s heart. As a man and as a husband, I did not want that.

When I answered firmly, Shitoen finally relaxed in relief.

“Really? I’m glad.”

Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

That’s what I mean! That smile!!!

After being shown something like that!!!

How am I supposed to go on a business trip―――!!!!

“According to the schedule, I’ll be away from the mansion for a week. Will you be all right, Shitoen?”

Even so, I pulled myself together and asked. Shitoen lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled.

“Of course. Even while Prince Saryu is absent, I will protect this mansion properly. Um…”

She faltered slightly and clenched her fist tightly as if encouraging herself.

“I… I will be lonely, but it is an official duty. Besides…”

Shitoen’s cheeks turned peach-colored and her eyes narrowed.

“When you ride a horse, command the knight order, and perform your official duties, Prince Saryu, you look very cool. I always think you are wonderful. Please do your best.”

I’m sorry, second brother!!

I am truly sorry for thinking you should choose your timing and read the room!!!!!

I’ll do my best――――――――――――――!!!!!

I’m suddenly motivated to work hard at my official duties!

And I hereby swear to work hard so that Shitoen will think I’m cool!

“Ugh, no thanks. What is with that face?”

“Everything he’s thinking shows on his face. How unpleasant.”

“I mean, Shitoen-sama has good taste and is clever, so why this bear…?”

“If he is holding some weakness over you, please consult us. We will send that bastard straight to the underworld.”

Shut up, you wild beast sisters!

“Now then. Roze-san, Mone-san. While my lady sees him off, please make preparations.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Eaton called out to Roze and Mone, then bowed her head to me. …Annoyingly, those sisters walked away without even greeting me.

While I was away on my trip, it seemed Shitoen would help Mother and handle various guests. Apparently they were preparing for that.

“Shitoen, you mustn’t push yourself too hard while I’m gone either, all right?”

Once there were finally no people around us, I spoke to Shitoen in her mother tongue, the Tania language.

Shitoen had spent two years in the Kingdom of Luminous, then after her engagement was broken off, she married into the Tidros royal family, where I was.

Since she was always speaking foreign languages in daily life, we had agreed during our engagement that we would speak in the Tania language at least when it was just the two of us.

“I will be all right. I will do my best.”

“I’ve entrusted your personal security to Roze and Mone, but… you must not go wandering around alone, all right?”

“Of course. Besides, if anything happens, I can fight too!”

Perhaps because there were no people around us anymore, Shitoen smiled casually and jokingly flexed her arm.

How adorable that gesture was…! If an enemy saw that gesture, they would surely reform and swear loyalty to Shitoen!!

“If I have time along the way, I’ll buy something you might like.”

“No…! You already give me so many things.”

Shitoen looked surprised and shook her head slightly.

To be honest, I had absolutely no sense for gifts to women. It might not be something I should declare so openly, but I had none at all.

At first, I had consulted Raul and others, but recently I had started choosing them myself.

So that they would not feel forced on her. So that Shitoen would be happy.

I had tried to choose gifts while thinking of that first and foremost, but I did not know whether I was being smooth.

But Shitoen always accepted them happily and said, “Thank you very much.”

Then the two of us would talk about the present. She would ask where I bought it, or I would talk about why I chose it. More than anything, I enjoyed that time.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, Shitoen gave a small exclamation.

“Then, after your official duties are over, I will prepare something too. Prince Saryu. What would you like?”

A reward for official duties!

Can I think of this as a reward for official duties?!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance…!

What is it?! What should I absolutely wish for?!

“Ah!”

This time, I raised my voice loudly.

“You see, ever since we went to the Kingdom of Tania, hot springs have become popular in our knight order.”

“Hot springs?”

Shitoen asked with a puzzled expression.

Recently, I had taken Shitoen to the Kingdom of Tania and attended the apology ceremony.

That was because, after Shitoen’s engagement was unilaterally broken off, the King of Tania flew into a rage at the Luminous royal family and suspended exports of mineral resources, including coal, indefinitely.

This measure had terrified the Luminous royal family, which had little stockpiled.

So a setting was arranged in which Arios, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Luminous, would apologize to Shitoen before the King of Tania.

Thanks in part to Shitoen’s mediation, we safely obtained the King of Tania’s forgiveness, and Shitoen and I returned to the Kingdom of Tidros, but…

During our stay in the Kingdom of Tania, Shitoen’s father, who was my father-in-law, had once invited us to a hot spring resort.

Because of the attempted assassination of Shitoen and other incidents, in the end, I, Shitoen, and most of the members were in no position to enjoy the hot springs, but depending on the time of day, some members were able to soak in them, and everyone envied them, saying, “Lucky!”

It was not as much as in the Kingdom of Tania, but hot springs also flowed in some regions of Tidros.

So I had suggested to Raul that I would pay for it, and the members could take turns going to hot spring resorts within the country as a form of recreation.

Apparently, this proposal had been unanimously accepted, and I heard Raul was currently working out the schedule together with the squad leaders.

…Well. It looked like that would also be delayed a little by this “second brother’s homecoming” though…

I briefly explained that situation and asked Shitoen.

“When the members’ recreation trip is over, would you like to go to a hot spring together again? You know, we couldn’t relax at all last time.”

“Yes, by all means! It sounds like so much fun!”

Since Shitoen’s eyes were shining, I also nodded vigorously.

“Then I’ll arrange the schedule. This time, let’s enter the hot spring together.”

That suggestion slipped smoothly out of my mouth.

…Let me tell the truth.

I had fantasized about it.

Entering a hot spring together with Shitoen, looking up at the night sky, laughing and playing around…

In the bath… well, I had also thought of some outrageous things I could never say to Shitoen!

So.

I was sure that was why I had said such a thing so naturally and casually!

“…Together?”

After Shitoen repeated it as if confirming, her face turned bright red with a pop.

“Ah…! No, um! If you don’t want to, then absolutely…! Separately is fine too!!!”

Damn it! Ah, this is the worst, me! If I get rejected here…!

Or rather, what should I do if she says something like Roze would, like, “What are you saying? How lewd,” and ends up hating me?!

In my mind, even Raul was saying, “The strange thing is that she likes you in the first place.”

While I was turning red, then blue, and breaking out in a cold sweat…

“Um… well. If… if I may wear a swimsuit…”

“That is absolutely no problem!!!!!”

At Shitoen’s voice, which seemed about to disappear, I answered almost before she finished.

Immediately, Shitoen laughed softly while her face was still red.

“Then… I’ll prepare for it.”

Yesaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!

After making a victory pose in my heart, I got carried away and lifted Shitoen in my arms.

“Eek! Prince Saryu!”

“In that case, I’ll finish my official duties quickly and come back!”

And then I dashed toward the first-floor entrance hall.