“It’s tough.”
“Right?”
“Hey Louise, why did we suddenly start exercising?”
“You dragged me into it last time…”
“Oh right.”
“Sigh… Kyle just left his seat for no reason and left me doing this…”
So when Kyle suddenly said he was off somewhere, I had nothing to do, so I worked out with Elin.
It was really tough last time, but I still thought exercise was necessary.
Of course, since Elin seemed to struggle last time, I made it a bit easier this time.
If it had been the same intensity as last time, I probably wouldn’t even be able to talk like this now.
“You’re keeping up better than last time, though.”
“That’s because you made it easier than last time.”
“Fair point.”
Normally, I would still be following Kyle around right now.
But without Kyle, I seriously had nothing to do, so I had to spend my time like this.
“Sigh… I was just planning to stay in my room… and there was no class with Adela today!!”
“But Louise, if I don’t drag you out, you’ll just sleep in your room!”
“Not true!?”
It felt unfair to exhaust myself alone, so I brought Louise along.
I also brought her along because she doesn’t usually exercise.
If Louise were super athletic, I wouldn’t have dragged her with me.
Then it would really be just me suffering!
“I feel like I might actually die… Why is this only happening to me!? I should’ve called Adela over, or even the princess!”
“That’s a bit…”
I’m not close with them.
I only chat with Adela a little.
It’s not the kind of closeness I have with Kyle or Louise or Elin.
“Ugh…!”
“Sorry, but that was fun, right?”
“No way! I was about to die from exhaustion!?”
Anyway, I worked hard that day.
Kyle came back to the castle that evening.
No matter how much I asked what he had been up to, he didn’t give me any answers, leaving me just curious.
*
“The Princess calls for you. Please follow me.”
“Huh?”
I was on my way to Kyle’s room to wake him up.
But suddenly, a super fancy-dressed guy stopped me.
“The Princess?”
That girl?
Calling for me?
Why?
“That’s correct. Please follow me.”
“Uh…”
I was supposed to wake Kyle.
“Could you wait a moment? I need to wake the Young Master…”
“….”
There’s no need to hurry anyway.
It’s just morning; what’s the rush?
The man dressed in a suit told me he’d wait a moment.
“So I’ll go wake the Young Master first and then head to the Princess.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting in the room.”
“Yes.”
So I woke Kyle and followed the man to the Princess’s room.
The Princess was waiting for me in a reception room, not in her bedroom.
Her hair was completely arranged even though it was early morning; she must have gotten up quite early.
“Oh, you’re here. No need for formalities, sit down, please.”
“… Yes.”
I tried to kneel to greet her but was stopped.
Well, not doing it is actually more comfortable. Anyway, I sat down, facing the Princess.
She was incredibly beautiful.
She had the kind of looks you’d see in an anime.
Not the cosplay type, but genuinely that vibe.
The combination of her blonde hair and purple eyes was uniquely stunning.
“What’s the reason you called for me?”
“Um… let’s start by calling me Sophia. Is that okay?”
“Of course. Please feel free to address me as you like.”
It’s not like she’s asking me to call her something horrible like “that witch” or “slut,” so calling her by her name is just fine.
Besides, she’s a princess and I’m basically beneath her.
“First, let me ask you something. What do you think about Kyle, the Duke’s Son?”
“You mean the Young Master? I think he’s a good person.”
“Well… that’s not what I meant. I’m asking how you think of him as a man.”
“Huh?”
As a man?
Why are you asking me that?
I’m confused.
“What do you mean by how I see the Young Master as a man? I don’t understand your intention behind this question.”
“It’s literally what I said. How do you see Kyle, the Duke’s Son, as a man? How do you see him romantically?”
“….”
Kyle as a man…
I have no idea.
“I don’t know.”
I’ve never really thought of Kyle as a man.
I just regarded him as my younger brother.
It feels weird even just thinking of him romantically.
I’ve never thought of someone in that way.
“I’ve never seen the Young Master like that. I just see him as someone I assist.”
“Ah… really?”
“Yes.”
“What am I supposed to do with this…”
“What do you mean?”
“You genuinely have no thoughts about him? He’s a really good guy, you know. Don’t you think so, Sophia?”
“The Young Master is a good man, no doubt about that. I certainly don’t disagree.”
“Then why can’t you see him romantically?”
Why haven’t I thought of Kyle romantically?
It’s simple.
I’ve known Kyle since he was 12, and having been a man in my past life, it’s hard for me to see men that way at all.
“The Young Master is just the Young Master.”
“….”
“I’ve been assisting and teaching the Young Master for almost ten years. Thinking of him as a romantic interest would be strange for me…”
“Well, that makes sense.”
“So, do you have any more questions? If not, I’ll take my leave.”
I really don’t understand why we started talking about Kyle.
Is she trying to keep an eye on him because she has feelings for him?
Hmm…
Since she’s been around Kyle, I can kind of understand.
Being around Kyle might make someone develop feelings for him.
He’s just that appealing of a guy.
I understand why an Imperial Princess would have feelings for him.
“Oh, if you happen to have feelings for the Young Master, that might be tough since he said he has someone he likes.”
“Heh.”
A somewhat ridiculous laugh.
What’s that about?
Is it confidence in winning him over?
Well, she’s incredibly beautiful, so I guess it makes sense.
“Anyway, we had that exchange. It seems like you, the Princess, might have some feelings for the Young Master.”
“….”
When I returned to Kyle’s room, he was waiting for me, changed and ready.
He could’ve just gone to breakfast without waiting, but he chose to wait for me.
He was probably curious about what we talked about.
“It wouldn’t make sense to suddenly ask me how I feel about the Young Master otherwise. My instincts are spot on.”
“And so you think he’s a good guy?”
“That’s a given. A man like the Young Master isn’t easy to find.”
Separate from not seeing Kyle romantically, there really aren’t many men like him.
He’s tall, handsome, muscular, capable, and has a high social status—how many guys like that can there be?
Maybe the crown prince of the Empire?
I can’t say since I haven’t met him, but judging by the level of the princess, I can kind of guess.
“It might take some time to find a man as attractive as the Young Master in the Empire.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Yes.”
And so, I started my day with Kyle.
We had a lot on our plates, but we hadn’t even started breakfast yet, so off we went to eat.
At breakfast, Kyle and the Princess quietly chatted about a ton of things they had to say.
*
“I actually felt good about this.”
“No! That’s not the point!?”
“At least it’s better than thinking of him as just a little brother.”
“Well, yeah… that does make sense…”
I already knew that Sophia didn’t have particularly strong feelings for me.
Whether she just didn’t realize it or if she truly didn’t have any feelings, I wasn’t sure.
But just the fact that she thought I was a good man made me feel nice.
Who would dislike being called an attractive man by someone they like?
At least, the situation was better than when she hadn’t thought of me in that way at all.
It’s a bit disappointing that everyone else knows about my feelings but Sophia herself doesn’t.
“So, are you really going to confess?”
“Yes.”
“I feel like it’s still too soon…”
“I believe this is the most normal way to go about it. At least compared to what you, the princess, suggested.”
“Ah.”
Honestly, it’s the best approach compared to the weird, sexual methods she had suggested.
“And if I confess, at least you’ll know my feelings, right?”
“Um….”
“I bet Sophia never even considered that I would like her. So I think it’s better to fix that perception right away.”
“Got it. Just hurry and do what you need to prepare.”
“Yes.”
I have to finish what I’ve been tasked with before I can start anything.
Confessing without a proper setup feels lame.
“Sigh… Hurry up, I need to go back soon, and I want to see you before that.”
“….”
If you don’t want to go, you can just stay longer, right? But saying that would probably get me in trouble.
Even if I wouldn’t literally get my head cut off, she would definitely get angry.
I wasn’t planning on dying young, so I decided not to say anything like that.
“I’ll do my best.”
I had given it to her yesterday, so I would probably finish it in a few days.
It wasn’t even raw materials I had given her, it was something that had been processed to some degree, so I expected it to be done quickly.
A ring, red and beautiful like Sophia’s eyes.
It would surely suit her well.
“Young Master, I’m sorry to say this, but your expression just now didn’t sit well with me.”
“Haha…”
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