Chapter 232: Bleh

Of all the reinforcements officially dispatched by Wester, Bart and his crew were Otou-sama’s guards, so they were invited to the castle to participate in the celebration party. However, although the war is over, the chaos in Easter hasn’t subsided yet, so it was decided that such a glamourous event wasn’t appropriate yet.

“I don’t want to go to a party. I’d rather they let us walk freely around the capital,” Bart told me secretly.

“So, I can’t go with you to the castle, but I can see you from time to time when you get back. You okay with that?”

“Ai. Awishthair ish coming withh me tho thhe cashthwe, sho ith’sh awrighth.” (Ai. Alistair is coming with me to the castle, so it’s alright)

“You’re right. It seems like Prince Huu is also at the castle, so maybe you can meet him?”

“Huu! I forgoth abouth him.”

Alistair and the others were staying at the Lisburns because Alistair was related to them, but Prince Huu is royalty, so he’s being entertained at the castle.

“You can’t forget about him. He may act like that, but he was worried about you, Lei.”

“Ai.”

Huu’s attitude is hard to understand, but he was definitely worried about me. So, I was happy inside the carriage heading to the castle since I might be able to meet Huu.

“Fufun, funfun.”

“Kyee.”

The dragons also seemed to be having fun. Nii-sama was with me today too.

“I wonder if Nico ish awrighth?”

“Hmm. He probably wasn’t feeling like you when you first came back from Wester.”

“Same ash Lei.”

At that time, I had tried my best to be a good girl since I didn’t want to worry everyone.

“I wnow he’sh thrying noth tho be shewfishh.” (I know he’s trying not to be selfish)

“Lei, so you were really holding back.”

Dammit, he was leading me on. When I looked at Otou-sama’s face, it didn’t seem like he was leading me on, his face was just full of love for me.

“I don’th wnow whath shewfishh ish.”

I think I didn’t know what to do every day even though I was being cared for and protected. But Nico has his father, Lam-ojisama, his mother and Prince Al with him.

“The Princes are also busy.”

Otou-sama is also busy because of the war, so there’s no way the royal family wouldn’t be busy. I became unhappy and waited for the carriage to head to the Prince’s Palace.

Then as soon as the carriage stopped, I opened the door and jumped out. Nii-sama sensed that I would do this and quickly picked me up and put me down.

“Nico!”

“Lei. It’s been a long time.”

Nico, who always arrogantly turns around to look at me, was standing quietly in the garden even though he was smiling. He had more guards with him than usual and Lam-ojisama was standing behind him. Lam-ojisama usually had a mischievous smile on his face, but he looked worried right now.

This is definitely strange. Nico would usually come running up to me, but today, he was waiting quietly for me. If he’s not going to come towards me, then I’ll go to him.

I began to run fiercely.

“Ah.”

And fell splendidly. My fall even made a sound. I felt Nii-sama rush towards me, but he stopped right behind me because he knew that I didn’t like being helped up. But Nico didn’t come towards me. He would normally get worried and hold his hand out to help me get up.

“Nico!”

He’s not coming. I jerked my face up while still on the ground. There might be grass on me, but who cares? Nico was worried about me and reached out his hand, but he hesitated because he didn’t know if he could move or not. Don’t you always help me without hesitation?

“Nico! Run!”

As the people around Nico gasped at my voice, Nico began running as if a switch had flipped inside of him. I also managed to get up and sit down.

Nico slid into me, then he took out his handkerchief and wiped the mud off my cheeks.

“You still can’t run Lei, so don’t force yourself to.”

“I can run. Ith’sh your fauwth for noth coming tho me.” (I can run. It’s your fault for not coming to me)

“I’m sorry.”

“I feww becaushe you didn’th come tho me.”

I didn’t fall because he didn’t come to me, but when I saw Nico’s serious expression, tears came out of my eyes for some reason.

“Nico’sh, waaaah~!”

“Lei.”

Nico timidly put his arms around me when I suddenly started crying.

“Ith’sh noth Nico’sh fauwth.”

“Didn’t you say it was my fault a second ago?”

“Noth Nico’sh fauwth! You did your beshth! you behaved yourshewf!”

“Lei.”

Nico hugged me tighter. I wasn’t talking about now when I mentioned that it wasn’t his fault and that he had done his best. I was talking about the incident that both of us had safely overcome.

“If I had been more careful. If only I was stronger. Then that might not happen.”

“No! Ish noth Nico’sh fauwth!”

He really did think it was his fault. He must have worried that if he had acted better, then he might not have bothered those around him.

“Everyone wash awrighth becaushe Nico and I did our beshth. Lei and Nico did greath!” (Everyone was alright because Nico and I did our best. Lei and Nico did great)

“But…”

I squeezed Nico’s cheeks with both hands.

“Ish noth Nico’sh fauwth! Ith’sh everyone ewshe’sh fauwth shince thhey didn’th shave ush righth away.” (It’s not Nico’s fault. It’s everyone else’s fault since they didn’t save us right away)

“You can’t say that.”

He’s even serious at a time like this. I stood up and pulled Nico’s hand to make him stand up. There’s mud on my clothes at the front, but I don’t care. We walked away from everyone and started running towards the garden. The guards tried to follow us.

“Don’th come!”

Lam-ojisama stopped them when I said this.

“Sthupid. Weaw. Bweh.”(Stupid. Weak. Bleh) I shouted every bad word I could think of as an infant and ran with Nico towards the trees we always climb. No one followed us.

“You’re surprisingly sharp tongued.”

“Ith’sh awrighth tho shay thhoshe thhingsh shomethimesh.” (It’s alright to say those things sometimes)

“I see.”

I looked next to me and Nico looked refreshed.

“Ish not Nico’sh fauwth.”

“It’s not my fault?”

“Ai. Kidsh can do whath thhey wanth.”

“Even if they’re a Prince?”

“Ai. Of courshe. Lei awsho doesh whath shhe wanthsh.”

I said while remembering my own position, “Even if I’m thhe daughther of a Four Marquish.”

“Can the daughter of a Four Marquis say ‘bleh’?”

“Probabwy noth.”

“Haha.” Nico finally laughed.

“To make my mother not cry, and my father not worry, this…”

Nico pointed at his stomach.

“No. Up a bith more.”

“Here?”

“Yesh. Thath’sh where your hearth ish.”

“This becomes painful.”

It was tiring for him to act in a way that wouldn’t worry them. But for a child, that isn’t a good way to live.

“Ith’sh awrighth for her tho cry. Ith’sh awrighth for him tho worry. Thath’sh thhe job of aduwthsh.”

“Worrying is their job?”

“Ai. The aduwthsh wiww do shomethhing abouth ith.”

I found two branches in the grass even though the garden was well cared for and rarely had dangerous items lying around.

“Venth your anger withh thhish.”

“Vent my anger?”

“Swing ith around and hith thhingsh. Ah! Ah!”

“Like when we hit the letter ‘e’?”

I remembered when I met Nico. How nostalgic.

“Yup. Swashh and hith. Ah!” (Slash and hit)

“Ah! Argh!”

“Ith wash shcary. I wishhed shomeone had shaved ush earwier. Ah!”

“It was scary! Gah!”

At the end, they even pointed their swords at us. And “The hard bread washn’th yummy ath aww” (The hard bread wasn’t yummy at all)

“Gah!”

“Ith wash shthuffy under thhe bed!”

“Ah!”

It was really tough. Nico was already absorbed in swinging the branch.

“Alright Lei. I’ll race you to that tree!”

“Oway!”

“Ah, that’s not fair! You started running before me!”

I’m slow, so I’ll lose if I don’t run before you.

That morning, we didn’t even notice that Alistair had arrived and played until we were tired, and our voices were hoarse.