Volume 6 Chapter 4 Part 1
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Translation: Mar
Editing: Team Foxsunes
The brown eyes staring at me motionlessly were full of anxious anticipation. The medium was looking at me in suspense waiting for my answer, so I smiled.
「Yes, master Snow. It’s enough, let’s finish here for today.」
Our lesson that day was revision about table manners. He was a quick learner and I didn’t have to correct too many things, so we went over everything smoothly, which was a relief. I was thinking about the next day’s lesson and how it should be about behaving well in public while he was tapping the table’s surface. He was sitting on a chair opposite mine.
「Hey, Filmina. If that’s the case let’s have some tea. What sweets are there today?」
Before I knew it the lesson was over and his eyes sparkled with excitement for the tea party promised as a reward. It was so child-like that I smiled unconsciously. With a smile, I moved the basket from a chair beside me to the table, cleared the table napkin and started taking out colorful macarons. The Medium examined the contents of the basket and his face brightened in a second.
「So pretty! What are these?」
「They are called macarons and they’re a type of baked sweets. I prepared a variety of them, so each color has a different flavor. They are quite popular among girls in the royal capital.」
「Huh… Well then, let’s not waste any more time…」
「Oh, no, no, that’s wrong.」
I moved the basket away from him, as he stretched his hand to grab one of the vividly pink macarons. His tanned hand stopped mid air and he frowned sullenly. He looked at me with dissatisfaction and I smiled at him.
「I told you just a moment ago. Whatever food it might be, given your status, you cannot put yourself first and take the food before anybody else. In this particular case, you should let me be the first to choose one.」
「But the lesson is over, so it’s fine, isn’t it」
「Exactly. The lesson is over so it’s time to put it to practice, otherwise, there’s no point in our lessons. 」
Since he was to become a royal consort, his honor could be affected if he devoured his food so greedily. Besides, it was unreasonable to grab food without a prior check for poison. I had just explained it to him a moment ago, but with the sweets right in front of him, he immediately forgot everything. It made me think that I should reconsider my teaching methods.
He made a sulked grimace and I smiled at him bitterly as I poured the medicinal herbal tea into teacups. I drank my tea, took a macaron and ate it. The Medium was waiting motionlessly. After I took a bite, finally he tried her macaron as well.
「So good…」
The Medium said it with a sullen look and I replied with a「Thank you very much」and drank from my cup again. The herbal tea I had chosen complimented the taste of macarons very well and was quite refreshing after the sweetness of the confections. Once again I thought that it was a good idea to ask that man to prepare the blend. I had originally prepared it for a possibility to serve it to the Princess. I would never have expected that I would have tea just with the Medium so many times.
I looked at him right as she was stuffing a whole macaroon into his mouth with an ecstatic look on his face. His smile faded, little bits of a macaron crumbled everywhere. It was quite sweet, looking at this child-like figure, but it wasn’t proper for somebody who might become Princess’s fiancé.
「Master Snow」
「…I-I know, alright!」
When I called his name somewhat reproachfully, he stiffened and sat up straight, startled. I wished he would have noticed his own behavior before I have pointed anything out. I stared at his well-featured face.
Once again I thought that he is a beautiful young man. He wasn’t wearing his turban today so his long hair was fully exposed. It was tied into three lose braids that reached his back. The hair was a very unusual iridescent color and responded to light like aurora. And those shining brown eyes left such a strong impression. His tanned light brown skin was pleasant to look at and corresponded very well with our silver Princess. I was sure that if both of them appeared somewhere next to each other, nobody would be able to resist looking at them, they would make such a well-matched couple. And there was no doubt that the difference in age would not matter in a couple of years.
I wanted to see it but I also didn’t want to. Ah, so complicated! I almost let out a sigh. Brilliant brown eyes examined my face.
「What is it?」
「Sorry?」
「Is there something on my face?」
「Huh? Ah… ah, yes. On your right cheek. You have a bit of…」
Luckily – or not – there was a bit of a green pistachio flavored macaron on his right cheek. He rubbed his cheek looking for the crumb and with an「Excuse me」put it away into his napkin. He tossed the remaining half of the macaron into his mouth and drank his cup of herbal tea in one go. I watched him motionlessly and he scowled at me irritably.
「I asked what was the matter, didn’t I? If you have something to say to me, just say it.」
He was pressing me in such a way that I was at a loss of words. It was like he said. I had things I wanted to say to him. Well, to be more specific, there was something I wanted to ask him, but I didn’t know if I had any right to do it. In the end, I never asked until that day.
At that moment I wasn’t worried if I can ask him. On the contrary, I had a feeling that if I didn’t do it now, I would not get a second chance like this. If that was the case, then I had to prepare myself and just do it. I put down my teacup and started.
「Uhm… Master Snow, eventually you and the Princess… Well…」
「Mhm. It seems like we are to be married.」
…………Ah. He just said it straight.
It was unexpected, he replied instantly. How anticlimactic, and I was always so hesitant to ask him that. In the end, he knew he might marry the Princess all along. I was aware that the higher-ups and our rulers must know the details of Princess’s marriage, but I wasn’t sure if the Medium himself knew. I see, so he did know. It was a little bit surprising. On the other hand, if he was to learn the royal etiquette, magic control, and all the things connected to the government without being told what it was for, I’m sure it would have been unbearable for him. If it were me and somebody asked me to learn all that without giving me a proper reason, I would probably oppose. Considering all that, it was quite understandable, that he knew about marriage plans.
But why would he use the phrase 「it seems like」? It sounded as if he was talking about other people, not himself. I had a bad feeling like a premonition and quickly took a sip of herbal tea. I asked once more.
「Master Snow, what do you think about the Princess?」
「I think she’s a beautiful woman.」
This was his immediate reply. While I agreed with this opinion wholeheartedly, wasn’t it a little bit problematic that it was the only thing he said?
「I-is that so? Anything else…?」
They probably met a couple of times during the preparations for the ceremony of imploring the divine protection of the water spirit. During this time not only were they bound to have met eye to eye, but they also must have had a chance to talk. Knowing the Princess’s disposition, they must have become acquainted to some extent at least. And even though all he had to say was that she was beautiful? Or maybe it was just an act and he was purposely trying to pretend that this was his whole opinion… I wasn’t sure what was his honest opinion and I couldn’t help but ask.
His hand holding a teacup stopped mid-air to my question. He mumbled 「Hm」and looked down as if deep in thought. He stayed silent for a moment and with a「Well, let’s see…」started talking again.
「People call her the Princess so naturally, I wanted to become her friend. She made a good impression on me and I think well of her. That’s all, I don’t know her enough to judge anything else.」
As always, his reply was fast, plain, and frank. His tone of voice was flat and cool, one would never expect that he was talking about a woman that was to become his wife. There was no warmth or odor in it. He sounded uninterested as if he was just stating plain facts.
I felt a bad premonition once more and looked up at the ceiling. It was no good.
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