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 32

After making the pinky swear with Salute…

While their pinky fingers were still entwined, Salute smoothly pulled her hand toward him and pressed his lips to the base of her finger.

He did it so naturally that Cherie couldn’t even question the propriety of the act; for a moment, she actually wondered if this was simply how pinky swears were done in Trigea.

“…Because we made a promise, okay?”

Cherie, whose finger had been kissed for what felt like an eternity, was finally released, only to be fixed with an intense gaze as he emphasized his point once more.

After securing that promise, Salute had made a gallant departure for home, but Cherie, left behind, was in no state to focus on anything else.

That pinky swear was some kind of magic cast on it?

In the morning, the moment she woke up and sipped her tea.

In front of the mirror, the moment she thought her hair was perfectly styled.

At night, when falling asleep he would inevitably drift into her mind.

It was like this even when they were apart, but when they were together, she found herself increasingly restless, overly conscious of his presence beside her.

Cherie could only continue to desperately feign ignorance toward these deep-seated truths within her heart.

Ultimately, even when the day of the Festival of the Tree-Flower Prayer arrived, Lily was nowhere to be found.

Because the day had come with the Maiden of the Flower Succession still missing, Cherie was officially tasked with performing the ritual offering as the Celebrant.

“—Cherie, I am sorry.”

On the evening of the festival day.

While Cherie was in the waiting room prepared in the Great Hall of the Flower Succession to change into her ceremonial robes, Reiss and the others appeared before her and offered a collective apology.

“I am sorry for forcing this proxy role upon you, but even more so, I want to apologize for the terrible things we’ve done to you leading up to this.”

“Just as His Highness says, we only listened to what Lily had to say and neglected you, Lady Mercury. We’ve reflected on our actions and realized how wrong we were.”

“It might seem selfish of us to apologize only now, but we discussed it and felt we had to offer our apologies and gratitude to you, Lady Mercury, for stepping up to fulfill this duty.”

Reiss, Geek, and Thiel.

Hearing their apologies one after another, Cherie could only blink in stunned silence.

“Ah… um, please raise your heads. I-I don’t mind at all…”

“No, no matter how much we bow, it isn’t enough.”

(Wait… what…?)

“Even if you say that, if I keep you all bowing like this, it might lead to more strange misunderstandings about me…”

When Cherie said that, the three of them finally raised their heads with a “If you say so,” and she was finally able to speak with them properly.

“After Lily disappeared, we started looking for her and heard it for the first time from the florists at the Church of the Flower Succession. That you, Lady Mercury, had been secretly filling the gaps where Lily failed to do her job.”

“Looking back, everything you pointed out to Lily was perfectly reasonable. I wonder why we ever saw you as the villain…”

(………… It feels a bit like they’re just making excuses but does this mean whatever effect Lily had over them has finally worn off?)

The three men showing such deep remorse before her looked somehow more clear-headed than before.

To be honest, thanks to Salute, she hadn’t cared much about their treatment of her lately. However, if they could clear the air and return to a relationship where they could interact properly, that was a welcome development.

Coming to that conclusion, Cherie straightened her posture and offered a smile to show she truly didn’t hold a grudge.

“Lord Reiss, Lord Geek, Lord Thiel—please do not dwell on it. I understand that everything you did was out of your duty as Knights of the Flower Basket to protect the Maiden.”

Well—perhaps.

She felt there might have been some excessively harsh words mixed in there.

But “hate the sin, not the sinner.” If they were willing to reflect, repent, and apologize like this, it was enough. Cherie graciously forgave the three of them.

Having had their apology accepted so kindly, Geek and Thiel excused themselves, leaving Reiss behind, saying they also had preparations for the festival.

(—Hm? Why is Lord Reiss the only one staying?)

Left alone in the room with Reiss, Cherie felt a mountain of question marks floating in her mind. An awkward atmosphere began to settle in, making her feel increasingly out of place.