LSOV Chapter 12 — [R15]

012. Like Before

It was hard to tell what thoughts were passing behind Rachel's smile. It wasn't that she was hiding something, there were simply too many emotions in her eyes. They were tangled together, impossible to read one by one.

"Back then, Dragon's Tears were nice, sure. But you coming to the Empire is far better now. Naturally, I prefer this much more."

"…What?"

In the end, a very unladylike sound slipped out of my mouth.

"Not Dragon's Tears, you, Daisy. What would be the problem with that?"

When I only blinked in silence, Rachel continued.

"You're still lovely, we've already built a good relationship, and everything's fine, isn't it? Staying at the Deirton estate is nice too, right?"

Rachel laughed brightly. The Princess's attitude, brushing things aside with a 'what's good is good' approach—was, for the moment, beneficial to the Kingdom of Lundra. Judging by her demeanor alone, it almost felt as though Rachel were trying to persuade me.

But even so, after a formal agreement had been signed between nations, could something so different from what had been expected really be dismissed like this? The thought crept in that perhaps Rachel had already finished a different set of calculations, with me as part of them.

"You mentioned compensation, Your Highness."

"At the time, that was the most rational solution."

"Was I… an appropriate result of Your Highness's calculations?"

Carried away by my emotions, I was more blunt than usual.

Rachel lifted the corner of her lips. Resting her chin in her hand, she tilted her head once or twice.

"I'm actually glad I didn't return to my hometown."

"Your hometown?"

Lowering her voice, Rachel said something cryptic. There was a strange look in her expression. When I questioned her, she very noticeably changed the subject.

"So, Daisy, when it's just the two of us, could we go back to how things were before? Just like then."

Rachel said it with a laugh.

It felt as though she would keep insisting until she got her way, so I had no choice but to agree. Even if Rachel was running a new set of calculations involving me, maintaining at least a superficially close relationship with her still seemed like the wiser course of action.

"Alright. Rachel… ma'am?"

"Hahaha. What was that?"

Now that I knew her status as Imperial Princess, addressing her had become awkward. Rachel burst into laughter again.

"You can just call me Sister Rachel, like before! Nanesha isn't here, so just 'Sister' is fine too."

"Still, I think the title I'm used to is more comfortable."

"That makes sense too."

Rachel replied cheerfully.

Nanesha of House Linzhug is another academy friend of Daimond's. Before Daimond graduated, whenever I met Rachel, Nanesha was always by her side. Rachel was referring to how I had to distinguish between addressing Nanesha and Rachel back then.

Rachel seemed unhesitant about speaking of old friends. Nanesha included, Rachel's former friends likely believe I simply came to Owen to study abroad. But Daimond knows the truth, and the others are still worried because they can't get in touch with Rachel of House Rich.

And yet, was Rachel truly unbothered by all of this?

Daimond's face came to mind, how he had once said that Rachel was a good friend.

"I like it when you call me Hesandra. Shall we be friends?"

Rachel said gently.

Hesandra was Rachel's second name. In Owen, people were said to choose a second name for themselves, separate from the one their parents gave them. And that second name was permitted only to those they were especially close to. Because of that, calling Rachel by her second name—which implied an intimate closeness—made me uncomfortable.

"I'll call you Sister Rachel, like before."

"Yes. Like before."

Rachel, who had been meeting my gaze, smiled brightly once more. I steered the conversation back to something more ordinary.

"Why did you visit the duke's residence today?"

"Well… to see a face I missed."

Rachel took a sip of the tea before her. After setting the cup down on the tea table, her brown eyes turned toward the window. She let out a small laugh to herself.

A face she missed.

Even if I assumed Rachel's friendly attitude toward me was genuine, I couldn't believe she meant that she had missed the younger sibling of a friend she only saw occasionally.

And there was someone in this estate whom Rachel thought of as close.

Naturally, the owner of the house—Cedric—came to mind.

From the beginning, Cedric and Rachel must have formed their relationship without hiding their statuses from each other. They weren't simply a friend's younger sister and an older brother's friend; the two of them were truly friends.

The way Rachel had spoken to Cedric so cheerfully throughout the journey to Owen, how many shared memories they seemed to have, how natural their physical closeness looked… My thoughts spiraled further, back to the day I dined out with Cedric, when he said Lundran food felt familiar to him, and when he remarked that there were people you came to understand without even trying.

It occurred to me that Rachel's visit today might have been an excuse, to see Cedric.

Could there be something between Cedric and Rachel?

I nodded to myself.

Rachel burst out laughing.

"You're nodding like you know exactly what I mean, Daisy?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet… but I feel like I've found a clue."

"Hahaha, a clue!"

Rachel looked genuinely delighted. She probably thought I had completely misread the atmosphere between her and Cedric, that I was entertaining some off-base idea. I didn't feel the need to correct her.

I continued.

"So, with that 'missed face'… was there something you wanted to do?"

"Something I wanted to do? I don't know. I didn't really think about it. I just thought I'd see them, that's all."

That seemed more than enough for Rachel, as she added it lightly.

Was it really enough to simply see the face of someone you liked and then leave? I tilted my head.

Despite how close they'd been for a long time, it didn't seem like Cedric and Rachel's relationship had progressed into that of lovers.

Perhaps Rachel was simply awkward at it?

No, relationships were something two people built together. So it wasn't just Rachel; Cedric might be just as awkward.

The maids at the Lundra royal palace loved romance novels.

Sometimes, when I was spending time alone, when I was in my room by myself while the maids changed the curtains or tended to things, they would tell me stories from those novels.

One thing I remembered hearing was this, when a male and female lead were bad at love, they often ended up doing strange things. They liked each other, but couldn't express it, so their relationship never progressed. Or they were naturally cheerful people, unable to treat the other person as someone special in any obvious way.

Cedric's impassive expression and Rachel's innocent one came to mind at the same time. Hmm. In my heart, it became an established fact that the two of them were simply bad at romance.

I had thought this for a while, but Cedric's red eyes and Rachel's red hair suited each other well. An Imperial Princess of a nation and a duke of that same nation, by status and position alone, they made a fitting pair. Even their vaguely similar atmospheres matched.

From Owen's perspective, Rachel's demand for compensation from our Kingdom of Lundra had been an act done for the sake of her country, and Cedric, too, seemed like a loyal and diligent vassal. In every respect, the two of them were perfectly compatible.

It occurred to me that I might be able to bring Owen's two young figures together.

The Imperial Princess who had invited me to Owen and the master of the house where I was staying, Cedric, going out together with me between them would be a very natural arrangement. If I could create opportunities for the two of them to spend time together, perhaps their relationship could grow beyond mere friendship.

At the same time, I calculated that this would give me a chance to observe Rachel more closely.

In truth, that calculation came first.

While arranging meetings for Cedric and Rachel, I would naturally end up speaking with Rachel more often. In the process, I might be able to glimpse what Rachel, and the imperial family, were truly thinking.

Rachel waited patiently while I was lost in thought. Realizing that I had been too absorbed in my own head, I hurriedly spoke.

"Sorry, Sister Rachel. I was thinking about something else for a moment."

"Perfect timing, I was thinking about something too! Want to guess what it was?"

"Could you tell me what you were thinking?"

"Let's go out together, Daisy!"

In the midst of my many thoughts, Rachel's unexpected suggestion was, in fact, a welcome one. When I agreed, her face brightened even more.

"Daisy, is there anywhere in Owen you want to visit?"

"I don't know much about Owen, so I'd like it if you helped me, Sister Rachel."

"Then I'll think about some places you might like. I'll look into it and write to you!"

After that, Rachel continued chatting about all sorts of trivial things one might share between close friends. She stayed for dinner, then left with a promise to see me again soon.

That night, as I lay down to sleep, I turned over her words in my mind, like before.

Like before, Rachel had been lively. Like before, she had drawn close to me.

There were questions I wanted to ask Rachel.

Why had she calculated the price of Daimond's life? Was that truly the only way? What intentions did she hold toward our kingdom? Was she trying to become a threat?

I had feelings too. Memories as well. Even the lingering warmth of a hand.

In the end, I asked none of it.

I buried those thoughts in my chest and went to sleep.