# 101
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‘I thought it was natural that the Archduke and the Duke would be such close friends.’
I was surprised at first, but when I thought about it later, I wondered why I hadn't noticed it.
The Duke of Elade and the Marquis of Diabelle were one of the few prestigious noble families with a history as long as that of the Empire.
Of course, they would have interacted with each other for a long time, and since their palaces were so close to each other, it would be natural for them to develop friendships.
‘But you are a childhood friend of the Duke….’
Is it because I can't imagine it at all?
Although I knew immediately that the Archduchess was the eldest daughter of the Marquis de Diabelle, I couldn't make the connection at all.
"no?"
"Yes?"
“Rose, she's really beautiful...”
It was then that Askart's sad voice woke me from my thoughts.
Perhaps because he took my silence as a rejection, his face, which had been bright only a moment ago, became gloomy.
I was surprised to see the handsome boy's appearance suddenly change into a sad mood, and at the same time, I felt a new feeling.
Meanwhile, I often heard Duchess Perronde asking me to come to the palace, but that was just an exploratory concept.
This is the first time I have been invited to visit my home in this pure sense.
After hesitation, she looked at the Duchess as if asking for approval.
The Duchess, who was looking at me with a nervous look on her face, seemed to realize that my expression was troubled and spoke quickly.
“The Archduke and the Marquis will be coming soon, but I am worried that it might be an inconvenience.”
She took a deep breath as the Duchess spoke.
It wasn't because I was sad that I wouldn't be able to go to the Marquis's residence.
“He's coming too!”
If you think about it, this is normal.
Isn't the Marquis Escart's maternal grandfather?
His parents also came to watch the graduation ceremony from the distant Principality of Pylos, and the Marquis lived in the same empire.
If you think about it, there was no reason for him not to come.
However, she thought that the Marquis would not come because he was the lord protecting the Diabelle region, a border region with kingdoms in danger of war.
In fact, he rarely came to the capital until he passed the title on to his youngest son.
'Marquis...'
In my mind, an old man with gray hair always came to mind, carrying a cane and always walking around with his back straight.
When I was in charge of the café that was Terenceum's headquarters, the person I visited regularly was the only noble I was close to in my past life.
“The Marquis will be back in a few days, so I think it will be fine.”
At that time, after hearing Askarte's calm answer, I tilted my head.
“Why do you call your grandfather the Marquis?”
But the ideas did not last long. The Duchess looked at me as if it would be difficult to refuse again.
I raised my hand and said, I'm afraid you'll misunderstand my feelings again.
"I want to go! Can I go?"
The Duchess's eyes widened as if surprised by my words, but she nodded slowly.
Ascarte also smiled brightly.
“You can come with Diana, or you can come alone!”
“Um...I think the meal preparations are almost finished, shall we go in?”
Then the Duchess spoke with an embarrassed smile again.
As we all headed into the dining room, I suddenly felt curious.
Even though he was a guest, it was strange that the Duchess, who loved her son so much, did not say a word to Lucio and only cared about Ascarte the whole time.
In addition...
'Why do you keep looking at me!'
In fact, I felt Lucio's gaze on my cheek from the first moment I got off the carriage.
I did my best to pretend not to notice, thinking he was watching Askart.
When I saw Askart talking to the Duchess, who was already far away, it was true that he was also looking at me.
'Since they didn't bother to stop me, they don't seem to have anything to say.'
It seemed like my gaze was getting hotter and hotter, maybe because I was conscious of it, but I made up my mind.
I will never make eye contact with Lucio unless he contacts me directly.
Fortunately, the result was successful.
* * *
“Important.”
In the afternoon after lunch.
Unable to overcome his drowsiness, Lucio yawned, and as he lifted the teacup, his eyes fell on Ascarte.
“If you're tired, why don't you go back and rest.”
“Well, the Duchess told me to eat him for dinner, it's not polite.”
“Is it polite to force yourf to stay in your seat?”
Ascarte flinched at Lucio's harsh tone.
“…Not too hard, I’m just a little tired.”
“I went straight back to the dormitory yesterday.”
“Ah, I went to bed early, but I couldn't sleep well.”
Askart, who spoke shyly, laughed as if he was embarrassed.
After putting all his belongings away last night and going to bed early, he felt an inexplicable excitement.
The reason was simple.
〈Thank you very much, Young Archduke.〉
Because I was excited at the thought of seeing that smiling little girl again.
Thanks to this, I was able to carefully examine things like my hair and clothes that I would not normally pay attention to.
“It's weird, I've never seen a baby look so cute.”
Askart muttered to himf.
Ascarte was lost in his thoughts, not even realizing that Lucio had stopped.
Is it because she reminds me of my lost sister or is it a shock?
Whenever he saw children at the Gifted Academy passing by, he would often turn his gaze to the guilt and sadness that weighed on his mind.
His younger sister Diana, whom Allen bragged about every time they met, was only surprised by the resemblance to Lucio and did not feel any special feelings.
But Leah was different. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the long flowing eyelashes or the soft cheeks.
When he blinked his gentle eyes and looked at me, my heart skipped a beat.
But this is strange.
Up until now, I've never thought of myf as being smart or particularly having trouble remembering people's faces.
After the festival ended, I tried to remember Leah's face, but I found it difficult to remember it.
I asked Lucio how Lea was doing, but it was impossible for a friend of such an indifferent disposition to know how my sister's maid was doing.
Naturally, I received a cold look as if wondering why I would be so curious about something like this, and an answer I didn't know.
'So I was going to take a closer look today.'
I also felt that I would not remember his face if I turned around, so I could not take my eyes off him and looked at him again and again from the moment I got off the carriage until while I was eating.
But now, when I tried to remember her again, the child's features were blurry.
Askart became a little frustrated.
I immediately wanted to meet Leah, who had gone to put Diana down for a nap.
But I knew this was nonsense, so I tried to hold out until dinnertime, but the sleep I couldn't get last night came back to haunt me.
“No way....I want to take you home.”
After completing the graduation ceremony and returning to the Principality of Pylos, it was clear that a visit to the empire would be out of reach.
The thought of never being able to see Leah again like this made me feel strangely confused.
Without knowing why he felt this way, Ascart thought about how wonderful it would be to go to the Principality of Pylos with Leia.
Not only did Leia have magical powers, she also had enough qualities to become a witch.
Moreover, since it is an emirate that has an established system for orphan children, it will spare no full support for the child.
Since you know Bianca, the main knight leader, wouldn't it be easier to adapt?
“I'm confident you'll do a really good job.”
On a large scale.
At that time, I heard the sound of a teacup being placed sharply on the table.
When the stunned Ascarte looked up, Lucio was looking at him with a frightened expression on his face.
Although it is not an exaggeration to say that the face was stern, Askart asked with his distinctive bright face.
"What happened? Are you tired too?"
After hearing his answer, Lucio sighed and touched his forehead, but Ascarte only tilted his head.
If Ascarte had been a little more attentive, he would have noticed that Lucio had become uncomfortable from the moment he had happily accepted the Duchess's invitation, and that when he had stopped at the flower shop before the visit, he had become more than uncomfortable, even somewhat uncomfortable….
Unfortunately, Askart was not very perceptive.
“Are you going to the emirate immediately after the graduation ceremony?”
“Yes, I guess… Because my father and mother are coming, the principality cannot be left empty for a long time.”
As they said, the Grand Duchy of Apelos was a powerful country that had gained its independence from the empire, and it was not a country so weak that anything could happen even if the Archduke and his wife were away for a while.
But Askart's face was darker than before.
You can't tell me how surprised I was when I heard that his parents were coming to his graduation.
Since I left the emirate to enter the academy, I have not seen my father once.
Is this the reason?
I'm both happy and scared.
Although I was expecting you to come quickly, I was also hoping that you would come a little slower.
Lucio spoke briefly, whether he knew his complex thoughts or not.
“I hope they come quickly.”
Askart could not bear to answer and remained silent.
* * *
The sun's rays broke brilliantly over the sea.
The calm sea without waves was as beautiful and calm as a painting.
“Ego!”
Then he broke the peace with an inappropriate voice.
"my lady !"
“Your Highness!”
The Archduchess had been suffering from chronic headaches ever since she left the principality and boarded the ship.
Certainly enough.
Even after leaving, she continued to suffer in the cabin and went out to the deck, unable to enjoy the beautiful shining winter sea and vomiting with an empty stomach.
In the past, my body was healthy and I didn't suffer from motion sickness, but my body was very weak after not eating or sleeping properly for a long time.
Moreover, the cold winter weather of the empire was different from that of the principality.
The Archduke was not sure if she would be able to endure the long journey to the Empire.
“I think it won't work.”
The Archduke, who was looking at his wife with worried and frightened eyes, opened his mouth cautiously.
“We have installed the teleportation inside the ship, so we can go to the Grand Duchy now...”