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 7

“That ring. It looks very good on you.”

“……Eh?”

Salute spoke softly, offering a quiet compliment toward the diamond ring Cherie wore on the ring finger of her right hand.

“……A-Ah, thank you. It’s, well… something of a lucky charm.”

Being praised so unexpectedly made Cherie feel strangely self-conscious. A pang of guilt struck her. Was it wrong to wear a ring on her finger in front of a man who had technically confessed his love to her?

Salute, however, showed no sign of offense. He continued to gaze at her with a gentle expression.

“Um… I don’t know if it’s actually true or not, but apparently, this ring came out of the womb with me when I was born.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes and whenever I wear it, I feel strangely at peace. I think the design is lovely, too. Usually, I wear it as a necklace under my clothes as a charm, but since today was such a big stage, I thought I should wear it properly.”

“I see. I think that’s wonderful.”

Cherie felt a wave of relief when Salute smiled and validated her.

She felt relieved but why? As she questioned her own heart, she noticed Salute’s expression shift into one of slight nervousness as he continued.

“……To be honest, trying to say this formally makes me feel quite tense.”

Cherie blinked in surprise at his sudden admission.

“Tense? You?”

“No, well…”

Salute hesitated, appearing to choose his words with extreme care. Cherie waited patiently for him to find them.

“……Truly. Thank you so very much for deciding to come with me.”

“If we are giving thanks, it is I who should be thanking you.”

“Even so, let me say it. I’m the one who kept pushing and making requests even after you turned me down, I’m quite the persistent one. I’m truly grateful that you’ve humored me without looking displeased.”

“Please, don’t say that…”

Salute’s proposal had been nothing short of a salvation for Cherie.

Strictly speaking, once she had rejected his marriage proposal, he had no obligation to look after her. Despite that, he had reached out, stating he needed her purely for her talents, without any hidden agenda.

That alone was something for which Cherie was immensely grateful but then…

“……If I said that I still have a tiny bit of a hidden motive, would you be fed up with me?”

“……What?”

Caught off guard by his words, Cherie let out a small gasp.

A tiny bit of a hidden motive? As Cherie struggled to process what he meant, Salute chuckled softly at her bewildered reaction before continuing.

“Even if you’ve turned me down, I don’t want to give up on being by your side. That doesn’t mean I’m forcing you to be my personal Florist just for that reason, though. It’s true that your abilities are exceptional. It’s just…”

He paused again, glancing at Cherie as if testing the waters.

“I want to be your good friend.”

His hesitant gaze shifted into one of absolute sincerity. Faced with such an honest look, Cherie instinctively straightened her posture.

“……A friend?”

“Yes. You see, I’m actually quite greedy. I want to be your good superior, your confidant, and your supporter. And above all, I want to be the friend who is closest to you.”

—How about it?

Cherie sat still, absorbing the weight of the request written in Salute’s eyes.

(……A friend.)

She turned the word over in her mind, repeating it again and again. She looked at the man before her and reflected on who he was.

(Prince Salute is mature, kind, calm… a truly wonderful person.)

When Reiss had annulled their engagement, Salute had been the one to catch her as she fainted. When he visited her afterward, he had been a perfect gentleman through and through.

Even after she rejected his hand in marriage, he continued to treat her with such sincerity and consideration and more than anything, he recognized her worth.

Cherie thought to herself:

(If this person is willing to keep me by his side as a friend, that would make me very happy as well.)

She imagined a future where they could discuss work or exchange idle chatter without the pressure of romance. It seemed like a very bright future.

(If we stay together as friends, then even if we hit that ‘cursed third year’ of a relationship, we won’t have to deal with things getting stale or being disappointed in each other. I won’t have to feel that sadness again.)

If that were the case, his proposal of “friendship” was the best possible outcome for her.

Coming to this conclusion, a natural, soft smile spread across Cherie’s lips as she answered him.

“If Lord Salute is willing to have me as a good friend then I would be delighted to accept.”

At her answer, Salute looked immensely relieved, his face lighting up with genuine joy.

“……Really?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t lie about such a thing.”

“Then, I’d like to see some proof.”

“Proof?”

“Yes.”

Cherie wondered what kind of “proof” he could possibly want. Salute continued with a shy, bashful expression.

“I’d like you to call me by my name, not ‘Your Highness.’ And when it’s just the two of us, I’d like you to use more casual speech with me.”

Salute tilted his head slightly, making the request with an almost adorable charm. Cherie repeated the word under her breath. “His name…”

“……Salute-sama?”

“Yes.”

Salute beamed. It seemed he was incredibly pleased just to hear her say his name.

“……May I call you by your name, too?”

Perhaps it was because the night had grown deep, but Salute’s aura had become soft and airy. Cherie gave a small, firm nod.

“……Cherie.”

“……Yes.”

Feeling it would be rude not to answer, she gave a short reply.

“……Cherie.”

“Yes.”

Salute wore a wistful, slightly pained smile, as if calling her name alone brought him supreme happiness. Once again, Cherie’s heart gave a sudden throb.

“Thank you. Always calling you ‘Lady Mercury’ felt so distant.”

“……I suppose so.”

“Hehe. It looks like it will take a little more time before your speech becomes casual.”

“…………”

Salute saw right through her. He knew that even though he told her she could speak casually, Cherie wouldn’t be able to change her habits instantly. He showed her that he was willing to wait patiently, without rushing or pressuring her.

“……You are very mature, Lord Salute.”

“I wonder. I think I just have a bit more life experience than most.”

Hearing that, Cherie realized that if she counted her previous life as Chieri, she technically had more “life experience” than him. Even so, she felt Salute possessed a remarkable maturity.

“By the way, to change the subject… there is one challenge you must overcome to become a Florist in Trigea.”

“A… challenge?”

“Yes.”

Salute took another sip of the floral tea Cherie had brewed.

“Becoming my personal aide means becoming a Floral Apothecary affiliated with the Royal Palace. And within the palace, there is the Royal Floral Medicine Research Institute. You will need to pass the examination to join it.”

While there were floral apothecaries in the city, those at the palace were part of a cutting-edge institution that used the national budget for research. To belong there, one needed significant knowledge and skill.

“Judging by your grades at the academy, I don’t think it will be a problem. However, I feel bad for placing an extra burden on you.”

“Not at all…”

“Honestly, if I wanted to, I could use my authority to force you into the position. But you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Salute’s apologetic words hit the mark perfectly for Cherie.

(If I entered the palace purely on the Prince’s recommendation and skipped the exam through his privilege, I’d become a target of resentment immediately.)

Her reputation wasn’t exactly great to begin with. While she didn’t think those rumors had reached Trigea yet, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t follow her.

After all, Salute had come all the way to Dortmund to study. Since Dortmund was effectively a vassal state of Trigea, it was hard to imagine that rumors wouldn’t eventually cross the border.

Therefore, Cherie thought it was only right to eliminate any reason for people to point fingers at her.