Chapter 20 of the side story. A strange meeting between two men
2022.10.22.
Even more surprising to Xavier was Mabel’s statement that Aidan had cried.
oh my god. Nonsense.
Did that Archduke Aserad cry? I can’t even imagine laughing, let alone crying.
Occasionally, very occasionally, he laughed, but it was either a sneer (mostly at Esteban) or a thin smile only at Mabel.
Xavier, who tried to imagine Aidan crying, who had extremely rare emotional expressions, eventually gave up. didn’t come to mind either.
Mabel asked as Xavier glanced at Aidan and groaned.
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“What’s wrong with Xavier?”
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“That’s…”
I’m so curious that I’m going crazy. Can I ask?
Aidan, who was looking at Mabel with an expressionless face, suddenly became scared of Xavier, but in the end, curiosity won.
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“But did Grand Duke Aserad really cry?!”
Aidan’s eyes turned to Xavier’s question, and Xavier, frightened at the moment, moved his body backwards with his fists clenched. Fortunately, Aidan didn’t say anything. Instead, Mabel smiled and crossed his arms. alt
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“Our Aidan cried a lot.”
Mabel’s coy gaze reached Aidan. Aidan protested as if he was unfair.
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“…no.”
Xavier
felt relieved at Aidan’s answer
. It’s unbelievable that the Grand Duke of Aserad cried out loud.’
Of course, Mabel must have exaggeratedly expressed it, and I felt relieved-.
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“I didn’t cry out loud.”
Xavier’s eyes widened at Aidan’s additional words.
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“Huh?”
To make matters worse, Mabel replied as if he was generous.
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“Okay. I’ll say I cried a little.”
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“Yes.”
When Mabel corrected the ‘big cry’ to ‘a little cry’, Aidan nodded and backed off.
It was a sight I liked.
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‘Are you really crying?’
Big! Xavier, who almost screamed, managed to keep his mouth shut.
I had a hunch that the life of an attendant would be difficult if I spoke carelessly
. Mabel , impatient
with the prospect of stock market success, added another piece of advice:
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“Zavie will know, but Larimar won’t know unless she tells you right away.”
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“I know that. Larimar is dull.”
He thought that Larima was probably the only person who didn’t know Xavier’s heart, even knowing Mabel, who would be saddened by the fact that he didn’t care about the love front. Mabel gave
serious
advice .
tell me your heart Don’t avoid it.”
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“…Yes.” I made up my mind, but my
distraught
mind didn’t go away,
especially after hearing the confessions of those two people
.
I love you to death. What does that mean?
Goose bumps ran down Xavier’s forearms as he imagined himself saying that to Larima.
This feeling of getting dark before my eyes and somehow wanting to sprint…
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‘I can never do this!’
The road ahead is really long.
***
Today was a day without regular meetings. Instead, Mabel was preparing to digest the outdoor schedule, because there was an opening ceremony for the grand theater sponsored by the imperial family. Larima and other ladies-in-
waiting They helped Mabel dress up.
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“Larima-sama. How about this one?”
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“That’s not bad. Let’s do that.”
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“Larima. What is this?”
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“You wore that last time, so it’s good to keep some distance.”
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“Ah! okay. After all, it’s Larimar-sama.”
Since she was Larimar who supported Mabel the longest, her skill shined when she was with the other ladies-in-waiting.
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‘Should I say that there is an atmosphere that comes out as a senior?’
After consulting with Xavier, Mabel looked more closely at Larimar.
However, Larimar was in the same mood as usual. Even when I called tweeters passing by and asked if anything had happened recently, they were all busy pecking at each other. It is said that no news is good news, but somehow it is not surprising
. After
getting ready to go out, Mabel subtly grabbed Xavier’s sleeve.
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“A confession?”
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“Not yet.”
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“Then what if I get married to that count for real?”
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“I’m thinking of doing it within this week…”
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“It’s okay. The authority to marry nobles rests with Jim. I’ll put it off as long as possible, so Xavier concentrates on confessing.”
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“As expected, Your Majesty…! I’ll try.”
As they whispered, Larimar, who was tidying up her clothes, approached with a
pout .
Is it this time?”
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“I didn’t say much.”
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“But you can’t talk without me. No matter how petty the story is!”
Feeling a strong sense of alienation, Larimar suddenly glared at Xavier fiercely.
Suddenly, Xavier, who had been restrained, took a step back. No matter how you look at it, Larimar’s gaze was not kind.
Larimar, who snorted with excitement, said cheerfully, arm in arm with Mabel.
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“Let’s get out of here, Your Majesty.”
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“Eh. let’s go.”
Xavier with a shy expression saw Mabel and Larimar off.
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“Please be careful.” This situation
,
where Larimar glared at Xavier, caught Mabel’s
heart
. I decided to just pass it on, thinking that Xavier would take care of it.
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“I’ll be back.”
Mabel, who had stepped outside while saying hello to Xavier, looked back at Aidan, who casually
followed
.
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“I’ll follow you anyway.”
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“No. Trying to make me a bad employer? I’m going to visit with Lisandro, so Aidan is hanging out here.”
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“….”
Aidan looked at Mabel like a puppy in the rain.
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Mabel’s heart was shaken by the pitiful face.
Mabel struggled to turn her head away from Aidan’s gaze.
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‘Aidan should have his own time too. Make some friends.’
I couldn’t keep him by my side forever. I wanted Aidan to enjoy his own life. It’s
not bad to blindly look only at himself, but I didn’t want Aidan to be trapped.
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“I’ll be back, Aidan.”
Aidan, who was silent for a moment, nodded.
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“Yes.”
The answering voice was somehow weaker than usual.
.
.
.
The carriage in which His Majesty the Emperor rode came out of the castle.
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‘And Larimar too.’
Xavier stared at the empty garden with a distraught heart.
After whispering with Mabel, Larimar seemed to have something twisted. But I was confused because I couldn’t figure out why.
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“Haa…”
Xavier sighed and scratched the side of his head.
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‘Confession. It’s a confession…’
I’ve liked Larimar ever since I was young, even though I can’t remember. Unrequited love is a daily routine for him, so he wasn’t happy about the relationship changing.
If you rush into confessing and get rejected by Larimar, you’re probably not even friends.
Mercy was afraid of that.
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“Whoa.”
Xavier sighed in succession and suddenly looked to the side.
Aidan, who came out to see him off, was looking in the direction the carriage left with an expressionless face.
He
looked like a puppy waiting for its owner to return
. ‘
Xavier’s steps, which were about to return to the imperial castle, stopped.
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“I’m going to have a drink with you. Would you like to come with me, His Excellency?”
Mercy, which he inadvertently suggested, was startled when he said it himself.
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‘What am I doing now?’
Xavier desperately needed someone to listen to his concerns.
But, of course, the person next to him at that moment was ‘the’ Grand Duke of Aserad.
I regretted it right after I said it, but something unexpected happened later.
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“Okay.”
Aidan nodded his head and
accepted Xavier
‘s
offer!
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“Yes!”
Xavier creaked ahead, and Aidan followed
suit .
That ‘s how the drinking party
of the two mismatched men began.
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“Oh, it was really fun. Yes?”
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“Yeah. I must have prepared hard.”
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“That’s natural since His Majesty, who is the most handsome in the world, is coming to see it.”
If someone else said it, it would be flattering, but since the speaker was Larima, the words were 100% sincere.
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“By the way, where’s Sir Donovan?”
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“I’m hiding and guarding it with the other escorts.”
The emperor’s escort was closely escorting the emperor in an invisible place.
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“I see.”
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“I deliberately told you to escort me away today.”
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“Why?”
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“I’m going on a date with Larimar.”
omg. Larimar covered her mouth as if moved.
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“Only the two of you with His Majesty?”
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“Yes. alone.”
Strictly speaking, there were more than 10 knights escorting nearby, but I decided to ignore it for Larimar’s sake.
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“Oh, I love it! Where should I go?”
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“Shall we go eat something delicious? Where are you going?”
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“There’s a restaurant that’s been going viral lately. Let’s go there.”
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“Yes.”
The two of them played as best they could, moving all over the streets of Recavelli. After eating at a restaurant and shopping at various stores, we finally arrived at a cafe.
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“I haven’t played in a while, and this is quite tiring. I guess I can’t ignore my age.”
Patting his shoulder, Larimar grumbled.
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“How old is Larimar?”
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“Your Majesty is the only one who says that? What a mess it is around the fort…”
Ehh. Larimar let out a short sigh and sipped the hot tea.
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‘Around. An uproar?’
Upon hearing that, Mabel’s eyes twinkled in secret.
It was a chance. A chance to ask what Larima is thinking.
Mabel asked Larimar subtly, trying not to show off.
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“Why? What do people say?”
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“Obviously. Now I can’t even get married. What are you going to do? You must get married before it is too late. The older you are, the less likely you are to have children. Words like that.”
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‘Hearing something like that is the same everywhere.’
In fact, there were a lot of nobles who told the emperor, Mabel, that they should hurry up and get married.
Of
course, they are ignoring them all
.
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“Ummm… yes.”
Larimar, with a troubled face, nodded slightly. Mabel’s lips didn’t come off
easily
.
Probably because Larimar hasn’t made any lovers since the disappearance of David Pennant.
I wondered if I was picking up on a painful wound for no reason, but it was also a problem that I had to address at least once.
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“Larima, by any chance…”
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“Yes. Please speak!”
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“Is it because of the Rabid Pennant?” In an instant, Larimar
‘s expression changed vaguely. Mabel didn’t know
what
that expression meant.
Larimar blinked her big eyes and asked again.
Maybe it’s because it’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Although he didn’t feel comfortable asking, Mabel spoke the name once again.
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“Rabid Pennant.”
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“Lavy? Who is that?”
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“Don’t you know?”
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“Yes!”
Larimar, tilting her head, was acting as if she really didn’t know about the Rabid Pennant.
Mabel was taken aback.
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‘That’s for real…. You really forgot the Rabid Pennant.’ Of course, more than 10 years have passed since the disappearance
of
Ravid Pennant, but a lot has
happened
in the meantime…!
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“Who is Ray?”
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“It’s a dog raised by the family. It’s so cute. Fluffy white hair!”
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“Wow. I’ll give you the camera magic tool, so can’t you take a picture later?”
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“Okay.”
Oops. Mabel, who had been talking a lot about puppies with Larimar, hurriedly came to her senses.
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“Anyway, who is Ravid Pennant… that’s the name of the guy Larimar dated.” After Mabel
‘s
explanation, Larimar remembered who it was
.
Larimar laughed bitterly.
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