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nChapter 54: Chapter 54

nI turned while I was getting on the wagon when he called me.

nWhen I turned my head, he said, smiling feebly, “Oh, just nothing.”

n“Okay. Goodbye, Allen. I’ll write you a letter. ”

n“Well…”

nI looked back again. He was looking at me with an uneasy expression.

n“What’s the matter?’ He said as if something came to his mind,

n“Oh, that blue mellow. I’ll give you it again when you are out of stock. So, drink it as much as you like.”

n“Really? Thanks for the tea.”

nI brightly smiled at him. I waited a bit more until he spoke, but he said nothing.

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nSo, I said goodbye to him and tried to climb the wagon when he called me urgently.

n“You know, Tia. Um, let me escort you back home.”

n“I like it, but isn’t it a burden to you?”

n“Not at all. Let me tell them to get ready for my departure. I’ve only just seen you after such a long time, so I feel a bit sorry as I let you go alone like this.”

n“Sure, then. Thanks, Allen. ”

nAfter he disappeared, saying he would prepare a wagon, I told the horseman of my carriage who was waiting for me to board to leave.As he knew I was close to Allendis, he nodded without any objection.

nSoon a wagon arrived with the sound of a horse’s hoofs. As if it was cold outside, there was puffing up white steam from the horse’s mouth.

n“You must have gotten cold while waiting. Let’s get inside. Come on. ”

n“Sure.”

nIt didn’t seem that much time passed, but it got dark suddenly outside the window.

n‘What should I do?’ I think my father has returned already.

nAs Duke Verita’s manor was not far from mine, we reached our destination shortly after we left. I looked anxiously at the knights guarding the main gate, but fortunately, it seemed that I was not late because they didn’t mention anything special after bowing to me.

n“Thanks for escorting me here, Allen.”

n“You’re welcome, Tia. I think it’s too late, so go in now.”

n“Okay, Allen. Take care.”

nWhen I turned after waiving to him, I heard the clatter of a horse in the distance.

nAnother wagon approaching the mansion had the crest engraved with the four spears intersecting over the silver shield.

n‘Oh my god! Why is he coming back now?’

nWhile I was at a loss what to do, the wagon drove at a high speed and stopped.

nSoon the door was opened and a man stepped down. I sighed. Although it was hard to see him because it’s dark, I clearly saw his shiny silver hair.

n“Daddy.”

n“It’s been a while, sir.”

n“Aren’t you Duke Verita’s son? It’s been a long time,” my father said.

nWalking to me with great strides, he bluntly nodded at him.

n“Oh, you returned after seeing him.”

n“…Yes, Daddy.”

n“Let’s go in because it’s late. Thanks for escorting my daughter here, young man.”

n“You’re welcome, sir. Then, I’ll see you again next time. Goodbye, Tia. See you next time.”

n“Take care, Allendis…” I barely responded while checking my father’s look because I almost called him so naturally by his first name. However, perhaps because of the darkness, I couldn’t read anything from his expression.

n“Goodbye, boy. Tia, let’s go in. ”

n“…Yes, Dad. ”

nMy father, who walked silently up the stairs, looked back at me halfway through the stairs and said, “It’s late, but would you like to have tea with me?”

n“Ah yes, Daddy.”

nI felt like I was guilty for some reason when I headed for his study. As I sat facing him in the soft chair, my father said, sighing low, “So, did you have a good time there?”

n“…Yes, I’m sorry. ”

n“What do you mean?”

n“Oh, I am sorry I didn’t tell you in advance before I went to his house.”

nUpon hearing my answer, he was silent for a moment. He seemed to choose words while I was waiting, and then broke the silence with a low voice, “I don’t know what will happen in the future, but you’re engaged to the crown prince. If you are making friends with boys of other families, you know people will begin to gossip about your relationships.”

n“… ”

n“Well, the reason I haven’t stopped you from making friends with Duke Verita’s son and Duke Lars’s son was because I saw you were happy while mingling with them.”

nAfter catching his breath for a moment, he said again,”But I heard that Verita’s son visited you on the eve of the crown prince’s coming-of-age ceremony after you passed out. I also heard that you told him not to come back, and that you had a hard time after that.”

n“… ”

n“As you know, the crown prince is absent right now, so people will be paying attention to you. If they hurt you rather than giving you peace of mind, I don’t have any reason to allow you to meet them, right? I want you to be happy. I really don’t want you to hurt because of them.”

n“But you don’t have to stop me from corresponding with them by letters…”

nI could understand his position, but I grumbled because I thought he went too far when he intercepted Allendis’s letter to me the other day. Looking at me silently, he said with a sigh,

n“Oh, did you already hear about it?”

n“Yeah.”

n“I’m sorry about that. I did so because I didn’t know what the letter was about. I took it because I was worried you would feel hurt again when you had just begun to feel better.”

n“… ”

n“I was so happy to see you working hard in a cheerful mood, so I took the letter. I’m sorry for that.”

nSuddenly, I felt sorry somehow. He did it because he was worried about me. I didn’t feel good when he said he was sorry.

n“I’m sorry for throwing a tantrum, Daddy.”

n“No, you don’t have to. I left the letter sealed. Would you take it? ”

n“No, Daddy. You can give it to me later when you think you feel comfortable about it. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know why you did it.”

n“… Didn’t you hate me for that? ”

n“How can I hate you, Daddy? You know that.”

nWhen I smiled bashfully and leaned on him, he sighed and swept my hair.

n“So, did you have a good time?”

n“Yeah. By the way, you told me you would like to have tea with me, right?”

nI pulled the string and asked the maid to bring some hot water, and I showed my father the box I received from Allendis.

n“What is this?”

n“I received a gift from Allendis. He said it’s a very precious plant growing only in the estate of the Verita family. When I brewed it for tea, it was very pretty.”

n“Really?” After being silent for a moment, he called me as if he recalled something.

n“Tia.”

n“Yes?”

n“Well, a little while ago when Verita’s son was here, I heard him calling you by your nickname.”

nI smiled awkwardly because I didn’t have anything to say. He heard it, too. I thought he didn’t hear it because he didn’t mention it until now.

n“Well, I believed that I was the only one who could call you by your nickname… ”

n“… ”

n“Hmmm… I’m a bit sad.”

n“Oh, Daddy, that is…”

nI was very embarrassed at his sad expression. What should I do? I was thinking of making an excuse somehow, when I heard somebody knocking on the door. I let out a sigh of relief.

n‘Am I out of the crisis since he didn’t take any issue with it?’

nAfter the maid brought the teacup and a teapot with hot water, I quickly pulled the teacup before he asked me more about my nickname. After adding a spoonful of dried petals and pouring hot water, the vivid blue color gradually spread out. I was a little worried because it was the first time I made it. But I carefully filtered out the petals and handed the mug to him.

n“Isn’t the color pretty?”

n“… Yes, it is. ”

n“When I added lemon juice, it turned pink. It was amazing. ”

n“I see.”

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nI tilted my head as he silently leaned over the mug.

n‘Did I brew it wrong? It’s strange. It looks the same as when I enjoyed it at Allen’s.’

n“How does it taste?”

n“Well, the scent is just so-so, but I like it because you brewed it.”

nDoes he mean he liked it or not? When I looked at him curiously, he sipped a cup of tea and said, “Hmmm…I guess you didn’t finish your homework today.”

n“Ah yes. I’m sorry, Dad. I’ll definitely finish it by tomorrow morning. ”

n“No, you don’t have to stay up all night to do it.”

n“But…”

n“Fine. I’m afraid I am too hard on you. As it’s too late, go and have a good sleep, but you should make up for what you missed today.”

n“Yes, I will.” I nodded lightly and stood up. Now, it was time to go to bed.

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