A strange silence had descended on the room after my bizarre words. Feeling responsible for the awkward atmosphere, I racked my brains to think of something to say.

Just then, a gust of wind brought a mild but familiar scent to my nose.

“Rose?”

The scent was similar to the scent of rose essence used as my massage oil last night, but it was much weaker.

“The roses must have started blooming in the garden,” the Prince answered after thinking for a while.

“Ah.” Prince Charles looked like a good idea had come to his head and asked with a smile, “Why don’t we have a walk around the garden since we are done with tea? Apart from roses, the gardens have a large variety of flowers that might catch your interest as well.”

I nodded immediately.

Although I thought our garden back at the mansion was marvellous, we did not have any roses. Most importantly, I am not going to let go of the chance to change the atmosphere!

“Yes, I’ll love to take a look.”

*****

Followed by an entourage of maids and guards, Prince Charles showed me to the palace’s gardens.

“These roses were planted by Queen Alena. She loves roses so we have different colours in the garden. The pot over there is a white variety of roses that the gardeners are currently researching on.”

“The bushes are really tall aren’t they…?”

I marvelled at the walls of rose bushes as tall as a full-grown man. They were all well trimmed and blooming in colours of red and yellow. I had seen roses in my previous life, but it was all in stalks, so it was refreshing to see roses still on the bush.

“Yes. I heard that they can grow taller, but they have been trimmed to keep the height in control.”

“I see...”

As we walked amongst the rose bushes, I sneaked a peek at the Prince’s side portrait. The Prince in the story started off at the age of 16, so there were very few descriptions about how he looked like in his childhood. However, as the light novel series has illustrations, I could see the resemblance to his older self. Unlike me who had sharp, light green eyes and long wavy crimson hair that leaves a strong impression, the Prince had soft features and a warm smile that he often carries on his lips. He also had an air of sensibility and stability around him that made him feel more mature than other children.

I turned my eyes forward again, and clutched the cloth on the front of my chest.

He is definitely going to grow up to be the same gentle character as the one in the story.

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“Uh? Did I say anything?”

I jumped and turned to him with wide eyes. Did I accidentally say what I was thinking out loud? Just daydreaming was bad enough, when did I adopt a bad habit of saying things unintentionally as well?

“I might have heard wrongly. Sorry to alarm you,” Prince Charles replied with a soft laugh.

As we continued to walk, apart from introducing the roses, Prince Charles also introduced the other plants in the garden to me. I nodded along with his words and occasionally asked questions such as their place of origin and usage. To my surprise, Prince Charles was able to answer all my questions easily.

Was he secretly working as a gardener in his spare time?

While having such thoughts, we wandered deeper into the well-kept garden and a small pond came into view.

The pond was under a tall and leafy tree which casted the pond under a cool shade. I walked up to the pond and peered into the waters in a half crouch. There were small fishes and tadpoles swimming in the relatively clear waters and I could see smooth stones lining the bottom of the pond.

“Croak!”

I looked up just in time to see a frog leaping off a water lily leaf into the water.

Oops, did I scare it?

“Lady Liliana seems quite different from the rumours.”

I turned my face to my left to see Prince Charles standing beside me. His caramel coloured locks were covered with golden flecks from the sunlight filtering down between the leaves from the tree. A gentle breeze caressed his soft hair, messing up the strands. Giving a slightly troubled smile, he reached out his hand to comb through his hair loosely.  The scene looked so picturesque, for a moment, I thought that it was a CG in an otome game.

But my attention was quickly turned back to the words he had spoken.

“What kind of rumours have you heard about me?” I asked curiously.

As I have not left the mansion in three years, I had no idea what kind of reputation I had. I do recall that I was a selfish girl when I was young, but since I remembered my previous life, I had stopped throwing tantrums, so I wonder what others thought of me now.

Prince Charles widened his eyes and gave an ambiguous smile as he scratched his face lightly. Noticing his troubled expression, I realised the difficulty of my question.

Ah. I said something bad didn’t I?

Even if I have not shown myself in the public for a while, it was unlikely for the rumours to have died down. Or, you could even say that precisely because I have not shown myself in public, the rumours have probably become more twisted over time.

“Hey, you! Stop! How dare you steal one of her majesty’s roses!”

A sudden shout came from the direction of the rose wall from behind the tree.

“Stop running!”

Both of our attentions were immediately drawn towards the source of sound.

“I wonder what it could be,” Prince Charles asked as he stepped towards the tree.

As I prepared to stand up, a commotion came from behind my back.

“Whoa!” A boyish voice sounded out.

“Aedus! What are you doing here?”

The next moment, something bumped into me on my back, and I lost my balance.

“Lady Liliana!”

Eh.  

As the surface of the pond loomed closer to my face, a feeling of déjà vu hit me.

The feeling of not having something firm to stand on, the scene of the surface slowly approaching me... Has something like this happened before?

While I was spacing out, I could hear people shouting my name. However, it was too late for someone to grab me and I fell into the pond with a splash, face first.

I think I heard a maid give a high pitch scream somewhere as well.

“Lady Liliana!”

“Someone! Please help her up!”

Luckily, the pond was lined with smooth pebbles so I did not think I was injured. I propped myself up with my arms and gingerly stood up.

As water dripped down from my hair and body, I examined my arms for any open wounds and was relieved to find none.

If I come home injured, my mother was going to treat me to a long nagging session about how ladies should have unblemished skin.

“I’m not injured. Don’t worry,” I said with a reassuring smile as I stood in the water.

Mmm? Though I was sure I had given a reassuring smile, for some reason the expression on the Palace maids’ faces only grew more terrified. However, I was really in no danger as the water was only up to my waist.

I tried to take a step forward, but I found that my ankle length dress had gotten very heavy after soaking up the water, making it difficult to walk. In the end, I had to be helped out of the pond by the guards who lifted me up by the chest.

Back at the shore, a boy who looked to be slightly older than me with chocolate brown hair waited anxiously together with Prince Charles and the other servants.

As the servants went into a frenzy to get a dry towel for me, I was able to find out in between conversations that the boy had accidentally bumped into me while he was running away from the gardener who had caught him plucking a rose.

“I am very sorry! You are Lady Liliana right? Are you okay?” The boy who was slightly taller than me crouched and looked at me in the eyes worriedly. While looking into his clear amber coloured eyes, I quietly observed before I blurted out.

“Do I really look like a moss monster?”

“Huh?”

The boy in front of me opened his mouth in stupor.

Be- Because the figure reflected in his eyes had dull red hair that was flat and in clumps, and her fringe which had become limp was covering her eyes, giving her a very sinister feel. Pairing it with a wet moss green dress, she looked like the spirits of the lake that I read in stories!

Except that the person in his eyes was me!

Realising how much of a sorry figure I was, I could understand why the maids were terrified. I must have looked like I had the spirits of resentment behind me as I smiled.

“Pfft!”

It was my turn now to have my mouth open in stupor as I stared at the boy who was laughing so hard he had doubled up on the ground.

“Aedus… This is a little…” Prince Charles said with a frown as he touched the boy’s shoulders.

“Ahaha… I’m sorry Charles. It’s just that… It’s just that I was too surprised I can’t…”

The boy called Aedus slowly stood up as he wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes.

Are they friends? I wondered as I realised that they were addressing each other without honorifics.

However, I was soon distracted as the boy kneeled in front of me with one knee on the floor.

Wait a minute. Isn't there a saying somewhere about how there is gold under a man's knees? Was it really okay to kneel so easily like this?

Just as I was uneasy about what he was going to do, he stretched out his hands and lifted my right hand.

Before I knew it, he had brought my hand to his lips and I felt a warm but gentle sensation on the back of my hand.

My face immediately became flushed with heat as I realised what he had done. Although I was feeling cold from the water just a moment ago, such feelings were all gone with the simple gesture.

‘Hand-kissing’ was a gesture of respect and admiration towards the lady, my mother had explained it to me before, and I have seen my mother greeted by this when important visitors came to our house. However, it was the first time I had received this from someone and also the first time I had someone kneel in front of me so I was momentarily unsure of how to react.

Towards me who have frozen up, the boy called Aedus flashed a cheeky smile, showing off two dimples on his cheeks.

“No. You are definitely beautiful, my princess.”

A dangerous person spotted!

Something in my head screamed.

Just how old is this guy? There should be some limit to how precocious a person can be! What exactly have the people around him been instilling in him?

To a person whose experience in romance is equal to her age, this was too agitating.

Like a line in my head had been cut, my body reacted on its own. I withdrew my hand back and gave a sharp turn to bury my face at the back of Diana’s dress, not caring about the weird looks I must be getting.

You can call me cowardly, but my courage has been completely used up, so please let me hide behind you!

“Aedus…”

An unfamiliar low voice came from the opposite side of Diana’s body.

“Wait, did I do something that bad?”

“We need to have a good talk after this.”

“Aha… ha… This isn’t like you at all. Why don’t you cool down before we talk?”

“I am very cool now.”

As I was stuffing my face in Diana’s clothes, I was not able to hear the conversation very well. The only thing I could remember was Diana sighing and patting my back with her hand.

After the towel was brought over, I was told that my father has been informed of the incident and I was quickly ushered to change my clothes.

By the time I was done, I was told by Diana that the boy called Aedus had been brought away by a stern looking butler. I secretly heaved a sigh of relief as I have no idea how to face him after what I had just done. It seemed like he was a noble from a family of high status too. Well, since he was someone who could address the Prince by his name, it was something I could easily imagine.

The tea party had to be cut short due to the interruption, but I was secretly cheering as I was out of things to talk about. I had been cooped up in the mansion for so long I was almost out of my wits trying to think up of interesting things to say.

I would have loved to say that everything ended well, but unfortunately, before my father and I could return to the high class inn we were staying in…

“Achoo!”

My maid, Diana, who was walking in front of me turned back immediately with a dark expression.

I unconsciously shrank back. Was it because I had sneezed loudly without covering my mouth? Being a noble lady was very troublesome with very strict etiquette to follow. Although I have been drilled the fundamentals by my mother, I was still reprimanded by my mother and Diana frequently.

“Achoo, achoo!”

Just as I was thinking of how to apologise, two more unlady-like sneezes came out.

This time, the two other maids who came with me to the palace started to get pale.

“It seems like it was too late…” Diana said as she crouched down to look at me in the eyes while placing a hand on my forehead.

Wait, wait, wait. What is too late?

“Is it too late for me to become lady-like?” I asked in a small voice.

I was greeted with multiple huge sighs.

“Eh?”

It seems like I had caught a cold and was forced to spend the night in the palace.

*****

The night spent in the palace was comfortable and I woke up feeling refreshed and my fever was completely cured.

The medicine by the doctors in the Royal Palace is really amazing!

It was disappointing to not be able to get a massage, but being healthy is much more important than anything else!

I was dressed by Diana and my maids as usual and was informed to head to the dining room for breakfast.

As we walked down the corridor towards the dining room, I felt like something was amiss and glanced up at the faces of the guards and servants walking past me.

For some reason, the faces of the guards looked more uptight than the previous day, and the servants had worried faces as they hurried about. What was up with this strange tension in the air?

“Diana, did anything happen yesterday? Why do everyone look so serious?” I asked softly.

As I was sick, I had my dinner early in bed and was asleep all the way till the morning. Had something happen while I was sleeping?

Diana, who was slightly behind me, gave a sigh.

In her usual deadpan tone, she asked, “Lady Liliana, do you remember the face of the guard who escorted us to the lounge yesterday?”

“No,” I replied immediately. I could only remember that it was a person wearing silver armour with blue decorations… Just like what the rest of the guards are wearing.

No, but what does this have to do with my question? I gave a questioning look to Diana.

“Now to answer the question. First, there is a question of how much you actually remembered about what happened yesterday. Weren't you telling me last night that you wanted to forget what had happened?”

I nodded slowly.

That was something I did before I slept. A lot of embarrassing things had happened during the day so I had spent a moment stuffing my face between the soft, fluffy pillows and grumbling about how I wished I could erase my memories.

“Next, isn’t it because Lady Liliana has been so nervous yesterday everybody looked relaxed compared to you? Now that you have rested well, everyone looks serious compared to you.”

“Ah, is that so.”

I felt a little embarrassed to have it pointed out by her. It was true that  I was so worried yesterday I could hardly remember what happened around me until I stepped into the lounge. I must be thinking too much then.

After having my breakfast with father and the Prince, it was time for us to leave the Royal Palace.

As Prince Charles sent us off at the entrance, he asked me multiple times if I was really well, and even offered to let me rest a day more in the palace. When I declined politely, he still had an unconvinced face.

Did he feel responsible for my cold? What a kind child.

Trying to make him feel better, I tried to make myself look as energetic as possible.

“I slept very well last night so I am completely fine! In fact, this is the first time I had recovered from a cold so quickly!”

Upon hearing my words, Prince Charles tightened his lips into a thin line and his eyes glanced onto the floor.

Eh? Did I say something wrong?

Just as I was cranking my head furiously and unsure of what to say next, father saved me from the awkward situation.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, your Highness, but Liliana and I will need to make a move soon.”

“A-Ah. I see. Sorry for holding you up.”

I heaved a silent sigh of relief. What father said was true as our land needed around two days of traveling by horse carriage to reach and we needed to make the most of daylight to reach a town before night fall. I wouldn’t mind camping out, but it seems like everyone was worried about safety, hence they insisted that we stayed indoors every night.

“Once again, thank you for coming, Lord Remington, Lady Liliana.”

“We should be thanking you for your warm hospitality. If your Highness has the time, you are most welcome to visit our humble home.”

“I will definitely pay a visit when I have the time.”

After answering, Prince Charles cast a quick glance at me.

A question mark immediately popped up over my head. I didn’t leave any breakfast on my face, right?

“We will look forward to your visit,” father answered with a smile.

After exchanging a mysterious vow to visit us, father and I finally left the Royal Palace.

On the carriage, I idly watched stone buildings go past us in a blur. The road we were taking from the Royal Palace through the streets of the capital, Moressley, was a well-paved road usually reserved for use by nobles entering and exiting the Royal Palace or official processions. Compared to the dirt roads we had to go through on the way to the Royal Palace, it made a much smoother ride.

Just then, the carriage passed by another horse-carriage that had stopped by the roadside. A youth with golden hair held out his hand as a young lady around my age with shoulder length auburn hair, most likely the daughter of a noble, stepped out with elegant steps and a yellow fan held demurely before her face.

The scene only lasted for a second, but it reminded me of the decision I had made yesterday.

Turning to face my father who was seated across the carriage, I asked in a serious voice, “Father, could you find me the wisest and strictest tutors?”

My father closed the book he was reading and met my eyes.

“Why? Although I am quite happy about your enthusiasm in learning… Did something happen?

“Yesterday’s meeting with Prince Charles made me realise that I still have a lot to learn,” I said gravely.

My father blinked blankly for a while before a thoughtful look overcame his face.

“We were so worried but doesn’t it seem like the two of you hit off very well?”

“Um, that’s…”

“It is great that you have such determination. You mother is going to be very happy when she hears about it.”

“So... Will you find tutors for me?”

My father fell silent, and just as I was wondering what he was hesitating about, his eyes was suddenly filled with distrust.

“This is not a ploy to avoid your existing lessons by your mother right?”

As I thought, he was sharp. My mother was usually a mild person, but she turns into something scarier than my father on the battlefield when it comes to my lessons.

“What kind of father treats their daughter with so much suspicion? I’m hurt! Shouldn’t you be encouraging me?”

“When it comes to you, it is very hard to say…”

“I understand that mother and Mr Sebastian have their own work to do but are taking out previous time to teach me. Don’t you think it would be more efficient if we had proper tutors instead?”

“I do understand where you coming from... And Liliana… His name is not Sebastian, it is Christian,” father said wearily as he rubbed his temples.

I covered my mouth as I realised my mistake. The Head Butler serving our house was a gentleman in his fifties with pepper coloured hair. He was a serious person who kept his black swallowtail coat crisp. I could still remember the excitement I felt when I met him after I recovered my memories. Since then, he had always been addressed as ‘Sebastian’ in my head.

“That is a pet name…”

“Who on earth will give ‘Sebastian’ as a pet name!”

Oh! He is becoming a very good tsukkomi!

“Anyway, I will discuss the issue of tutors with your mother when we return to Cruador.”

I could tell from his tone of voice that it was finalized so I nodded and went back to staring out of the window.

I definitely have to do the best for my own future!