The Reincarnated Villainess Whose Romantic Trauma From Her Past Life Is Too Strong Is Sweetly and Painfully Doted On by the Prince of the Neighboring Country - Chapter 31

“Nice to meet you, Prince Salute! My name is Theodore Mercury!”

A pair of eyes sparkled with pure excitement! Standing before Theodore, who had delivered his greeting with a radiant glow, was none other than Salute Trigea himself.

“Nice to meet you, Theodore. Your sister is always a great help to me.”

As Salute spoke, he placed a hand over his heart and offered a proper bow, even to a child. He was the very picture of a prince. Theodore’s eyes shone even brighter.

(Incredible…! He really is like a prince straight out of a picture book!)

Theodore was deeply moved, yet he was clever enough not to let it show too much. He knew that even compliments shouldn’t always be blurted out. Having received a strict education from a young age as the heir to a Marquessate, Theo was a brilliant son of the Mercury family who knew how to carry himself.

“Sister, is it really alright for me to join you both for tea?”

“Yes. Prince Salute was kind enough to say he didn’t mind.”

“In fact, I should apologize for barging in on your day,” Salute added, following up on Cherie’s words.

Theodore sat down at the table, feeling delighted. Yet, as he settled into his chair, something small tugged at the back of his mind.

(…What is it? These two seem…)

Young Theo couldn’t find the words to describe the slight sense of “strangeness” he felt. All he knew, vaguely, was that the calm atmosphere surrounding the two of them felt strangely similar. And he sensed an indescribable intimacy between them.

If a sensible adult had been present, they would have translated his observation quite simply: “Wait, are these two a thing!?”

Over the past month or so, an undeniable air of closeness had begun to flow between Cherie and Salute through their time together at the academy and elsewhere. Though the two of them hadn’t quite realized it yet.

“Wow, Sister, are you brewing the tea?” Theodore cheered as Cherie stood to prepare it.

“I am.”

“Yay!”

“Theodore, you must really like Cherie’s tea,” Salute remarked with a smile.

“I do! Sister’s tea is so delicious!”

As Theodore answered with a grin, Salute’s own smile widened. Encouraged, Theo began to passionately pitch just how wonderful his sister was to Salute.

“Sister is amazing at more than just tea. Her baked sweets are the best, and she’s always so kind to me!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

“Theo, don’t get carried away and be rude to Prince Salute.”

“Yes, Sister!”

Theo answered energetically to his sister’s warning. Salute watched the boy, his gaze somewhat wistful.

The tea party revolved around Theodore for a while. It was a peaceful time, with the two older companions nodding along to the youngest’s stories. Just as Theodore had decided he absolutely loved his sister’s gentle friend, a servant spoke up: “Master Theodore, it is time for your lessons.”

“Aww, just a little longer? Please?”

“No, sir. Your tutor has already arrived.”

With a reluctant sigh, Theodore stood up.

“Prince Salute, I’m sorry to cut our talk short. But will you have tea with me again sometime?”

“Of course. I’ll look forward to having tea with you again, Theo.”

Theodore smiled brightly at those words. He walked over to shake Salute’s hand goodbye, but as he did, he leaned in and whispered something into the Prince’s ear.

Salute, who was rarely caught off guard, looked genuinely surprised. He stared at Theo’s face; the boy simply widened his grin, gave a respectful bow, and left.

“…Um, is something wrong, Prince Salute?”

“…………No.”

Cherie hadn’t heard what Theo said, but she saw him whisper. Since Salute’s expression had changed slightly, she asked if Theo had said something rude, but Salute only responded with a wry, helpless smile.

She waited a moment, but nothing more than that smile came out. Taking it as a soft denial, Cherie returned the smile and let the matter drop.

“Actually, I stopped by today because I wanted to talk to you about her.”

With Salute’s next words, Cherie finally understood the purpose of his visit.

“You mean Miss Lily?”

“Yes.”

When Cherie asked, Salute nodded simply.

“From your reaction, it seems you’ve already heard.”

“…Yes. That Miss Lily has… well, disappeared…”

“Yeah.”

Salute had gone out of his way to visit her on his day off because he was worried. Once she realized that, the space where it was now just the two of them suddenly felt a bit bashful and restless.

“Have you heard about the Arboreal Prayer Festival?”

“I have.”

There was no need to lie, so Cherie nodded honestly. Salute knew. He knew that Cherie had been chosen to fill the hole left by Lily’s disappearance.

“What are you going to do, Cherie?”

“…For now, I have told them I will accept the role.”

“I see.”

Following that one sentence, a brief silence fell between them. The only sound was the light clink of Salute’s teacup as he took an elegant sip of the floral tea Cherie had brewed.

“Haaa…”

Salute let out a small sigh, then rested his hand against his forehead and muttered a curse.

“That girl… she really does nothing but dump her troubles on everyone else…”

“…………”

“That girl” undoubtedly referred to Lily. Since it was true that she had caused nothing but trouble, Cherie couldn’t find anything to say in her defense; she simply lowered her lashes in silence.

“Sorry. I know I said I’d respect your choice to defend that gar—…her. But I’m still angry.”

“Well… that’s…”

(He almost said ‘garbage’ again.)

Cherie swallowed the thought and showed her agreement with Salute’s sentiment.

“And here I was looking forward to enjoying the Arboreal Prayer Festival with you, Cherie…”

The fact that his next words were so unexpectedly childish and sulky made Cherie blink in surprise. She realized then that Salute wasn’t just upset because Lily had burdened Cherie with more trouble. He was genuinely moping because his own plans to enjoy the festival might be ruined.

(…It’s not like we had actually made a formal promise, but…)

In his mind, spending the festival with Cherie had already been a settled matter. He was shocked that the plan had been derailed. Cherie found his childish sulking rather adorable and spoke up to comfort him.

“We can still enjoy ourselves, even if I’m acting as a substitute.”

“Really?”

At Cherie’s words, the dejected Salute looked up at her.

“Yes. Even as a substitute, there will be time for me to enjoy the festivities properly.”

“Really, really? Then, will you spend time with me?”

“I will.”

When Cherie answered, Salute’s face lit up instantly. Looking satisfied that he had secured her word, he tilted his head slightly.

“Then, let’s make a pinky swear.”

He said, extending his little finger toward her.