"No! Why should we be frightened to show our backs to such person!"

As expected, Aria-sama refused to return earlier than planned.
Although she did not say it out loud, the queen seemed to agree with her, judging from the atmosphere

After lunch, the members of this trip went to the living room? Salon? Anyway, they gathered in the hall on the first floor.
The reason, of course, was to talk about the future.
However, after a brief explanation of the situation, Aria-sama voiced her opposition.

Although it is as expected, it is also a fact that it cannot be left as it is in terms of safety

"That said, we cannot dismiss the possibility that the attackers are still out there, and we are still weak in terms of security as it is. Considering our safety, I think it would be better to go back."

"You should do something about it, Onii-sama. You can solve it by increasing the number of escorts or calling in knights from Royal Capital."

"Of course, the knights will be dispatched from the royal capital. We also need an escort on the way back. We have already sent out fast horses for that purpose. But even so, we can't be sure that it will be safe. So..."

However, once again Aria-sama's voice interrupted my persuasive words.

"We only arrived last night, remember? So why are we talking about leaving already? We haven't done anything yet..."

Hm, I understand what you mean, Aria-sama. We had just arrived last night, and ate dinner and went straight to bed. There was a commotion this morning, but in effect, it was as if we hadn't done anything yet. But I guess it would not be enough to suddenly go back home.

"But it's not worth it if you get hurt because of it, And there are cases where injuries are not enough. Even Aria knows that, doesn't she?"

"That's true, But..."

"There is no need to return home right now. In any case, the knights from royal capital will arrive at midnight today at the earliest. If so, it would be possible for them to stay here as scheduled. Of course, we will have to stay with an escort, which will cause some inconvenience."

Ahh, Prince, you are so sneaky! You let me explain only the troublesome parts, and you want to take all the good parts!

"Well, it would certainly be better to return to the royal capital earlier than planned. But that wouldn't satisfy Aria-sama and mother, would it? If that's the case, then please try not to go out too much today and wait for the reinforcements from the royal capital."

Ugh, this makes it sound like I'm the only one who is being unreasonable....

"......I understand. For the time being, I will do as you say Onii-sama."

"If you say so, it's easier for us to move around. So, here's our policy for now. I'm not saying don't go out, but try not to be alone as much as possible. When you go out, you will be guarded. Also, the people being targeted are me, mother, and Aria. So El will be with Mother and Sakura will be with Aria. Chiffon will also be under guard, just in case. I know you are aware of this, but if at all possible, please avoid going to places that are prone to attacks. Would that be all right Mother?"

"Yeah, I don't mind."

"I am fine with that, too."

"I shall obey"

The prince explains, and the three respectively expresses their approval.
Agh, I still can't accept it! It's as if I'm the one who arranged this for the prince!

"But still, my escort is El, is it?"

The queen asks curiously. Well, it is a natural reaction when a cat is said to be an escort.

"Yes, El looks like a kitten, but he seems to be an excellent escort, perhaps because of his animal instincts. He is also very smart. I am sure he will fulfill his role as an escort."

Ahh, the prince is taking the good part again.... He's not fair, showing off his good looks all the time.
Perhaps he knew I was staring at him, the prince put his hand on my head with a slight bitter smile on his face.

"These are things that Sakura and I discussed beforehand. We will take care to keep everyone as safe as possible, but I would like each of you to take your own precautions. And I hope to be able to return to the royal capital in three days."

Even as he said that, the hand on my head is moving slowly.
I-I won't be fooled by this!

"That's why you should say a word when you go out. Each guard will later go to each room. Until then, I would like you to refrain from going out. That's all from me"

"From what Onii-sama just said, it is safe to assume that you will be guarded as well, right?"

"Ah. Sakura said yes, but we had already assumed from the beginning that they would oppose us. We had the talks worked out so that we could make a move either way."

"I see. That's fine then.... More importantly, Onii-sama? How long are you going to keep petting Sakura-chan's head?"

"Hm? Ah, Uh, that's right"

With those words, the prince's hand left my head. I don't...... feel lonely, you know?

"By the way, looking at the two of you from a while ago, I got the feeling that you two were very close, what's going on?"

Urgh. Chiffon-san is very perceptive. I must be careful not to change as usual....

"Oh, now that you put it that way... Onii-sama, it would be better for your own safety if you come clean, wouldn't it?"

I felt Aria-sama's eyes lit up.

I pulled on the prince's clothes so that he could not see me and urged him not to say anything else. The prince nodded his head in understanding.
There is no problem if they find out, but there are still two and a half days left on the schedule. If they find out too early, we may be teased for a long time to come. Even if they don't, I have to stay with Aria-sama for a while because of the attackers....

Even if we eventually talk about it, I would like to avoid it now. Those three are likely to have a lot of free time on their hands after being told not to go out today. I won't bother to tell them
That's what i thought

"Oh, I actually got an answer from Sakura just before noon. It will be after I report to father and brother after we return to the royal capital, but in the meantime, we're engaged, is that right?"

"Gyaaaa!? Why did you reveal it to them so easily?"

"Huh? Is that true...?"

"Your Highness's delusion... Excuse me, are you really engaged?"

"Oh my, when did you..."

Hmm? This is unexpected. Everyone is surprised, Or rather, Chiffon-san casually something terrible.

"Yes, just a few minutes ago. I heard it properly with my own ears."

I was surprised at the surprisingly weak response. I thought it would make more of a fuss, but....
At that moment, there was a snapping sound.
I looked to see where the sound was, and it seemed to be the sound of the queen closing the fan in her hand.

"Sedrim, you have done well. Looking back, it has been three years since you told me about Sakura. Finally, I think, you have done a good job...... for you to hold on this long."

"Thank you Mother"

Ha. This is not the time to be dumbfounded. I have to escape while Aria-sama and Chiffon-san's thoughts are not working....

"Well, then, we have more work to do."

Let's leave quickly. With that in mind, I urge the prince to leave.

"Eh? No, we have already done everything..."

But I don't know if my intentions are being understood, or the prince is saying such things.
Ahh, Mou! If I don't get out of here quickly, I'll be pursued for all kinds of things!

"What are you talking about Isn't there a lot of work to be done yet? Come on"

"Oh, hey?"

If we don't hurry, the two of them will come to their senses.
pushed the prince back and left the room without even saying goodbye.
As I closed the door, the prince opened his mouth.

"Why did we have to leave the room so quickly? Certainly I had finished talking about the whole thing, but..."

"Just go, I'll get out of here as soon as I can. It's not safe for you to stay here. Let's go to my room again."

"Wait, what do you mean, dangerous? Can you explain a little more..."

I don’t even have time to explain it.

"I'll explain later. Anyway, let's go now please."

I cut the conversation short and walk away quickly. If it were true, I would like to dash away.
I guess because I started walking, the prince was following me, mumbling.

When I turned the corner of the hall, I slow down from a fast walk to a normal walk. They will not chase us if we get this far.
If they catch me there, I will be pursued for at least an hour. And I can see that they will ask me questions and I will be writhing in shame. There is nothing more frightening than a woman who is confronted with the love stories of others. Like a horse with a carrot dangled in front of it, the gallop of pursuit never stops.

And it's true that I'm running away from the two, but it's also true that we still need to talk.

"Sakura-chan, Onii-sama, ran away! We will remember it later"

From behind, I hear the voice of Aria-sama, who has recovered from her surprise. It seems that we succeeded in escaping for the time being. However, the next time we meet, she will surely pursue me. I only temporarily dodged that question for now. I sigh when I think of that.

Because the prince says things without thinking. I thought I knew he was slow about such subtleties....
Could it be that I accepted the proposal too early? I even thought about that.