223

1K 15 2
                                    


Rishe blinked, unable to fully comprehend the meaning of the words. Yoel, still at close range, looked down at Rishe and muttered to himself. "If he needs you, then it's somewhat better... But honestly, you shouldn't be necessary for Prince Arnold."

"Sir Yoel..." Rishe uttered in shock.

"I mean, isn't it unnecessary? He's stronger than everyone here. Yet he's cooperating with your 'role playing' games, protecting you, going out of his way for you. It's strange. It looks like he's just humoring the lady of the house..." 

In Yoel's tilted eyes, a genuine question lingered. "Why does your husband spoil you?"

"..." Rishe found those words surprisingly unexpected.

(For Sir Yoel to show this kind of interest in others...)

In her knight life, Yoel was only interested in 'how strong this opponent's swordsmanship is.' But the Yoel here seems to want to know Arnold's true feelings. Rishe somehow felt like she understood why Yoel was seeking that.

"—Does His Highness remind you of yourself? Is that what you're thinking?"

"...!" At that moment, Yoel slightly widened his eyes.

Yoel, with a slightly sulky tone, asked Rishe. "...Why do you think that?"

"If I look at your face, I just sense it." When they first met in their knightly lives, Rishe didn't understand anything.

(But in a way, Sir Yoel is very straightforward.)

Upon closer inspection, even his expressionless face reveals his feelings. The excitement when seeing a strong swordsman, the feeling of being very hungry, the difference when genuinely sleepy, and when just trying to sleep out of boredom.

Looking down at Rishe, Yoel muttered softly. "Rishe, you're also strange. Truly strange... Even if you're stronger than average, you're still clearly weaker than me. It's incomprehensible why Prince Arnold is accompanying you and putting effort into you."

"Oh. I might become even stronger than now someday, you know?" Rishe replied defiantly.

"That might be true, but for now, you're still weak. After all, you're just..." Yoel's pale hand, thin and delicate, extended towards Rishe, "...a small, delicate, soft, ordinary girl."

At that moment, Raul, who had been silently observing the situation until then, grabbed Yoel's wrist and stopped him. "Woah... enough with that."

"R-Raul?" Surprised, Rishe looked up at Raul, whose red eyes had opened slightly.

"After a moment of silence, Raul suddenly let go of Yoel's hand.

"Phew, that was close. Even though I wasn't ordered by His Highness to guard the lady, that was almost an extra job." Raul laughed.

"Oh, Raul..." She chuckled at his light-hearted remark. He was deliberately making a joke, but it was clear that Raul was worried. "Still, thank you."

"...You're welcome." After shrugging his shoulders, Raul glanced down at Yoel. "Anyway, Mister Swordsman, you'd better not touch this princess carelessly. You might get killed by the terrifying Crown Prince. I can guarantee the danger."

"Yeah. I understand that. ...If negotiations for a match fail, maybe I'll try holding Rishe in front of him." Yoel retorted.

"Hahaha. We'd better seriously stop you from doing that." Raul chuckled.

Listening to their exchange, Rishe suddenly remembered.

(Yoel's words from my knightly life...)

When they first met, Yoel said. 'You'll get weaker by protecting others. You're going to fight alone anyway. —By needlessly worrying about others like this, you'll easily die when you're on a real battlefield.'

At that time, Rishe didn't accept those words.

(But Sir Yoel, in a sense, actually did worry about me on the battlefield...)

What was Yoel, who protected Rishe and was killed by Arnold while shielding her, thinking at the end?

Rishe, who died right after, couldn't even imagine.

(Even the overwhelmingly talented swordsman is stronger fighting alone. That's not just for Sir Yoel but also for His Highness Arnold...)

A slight unease seeped into her heart.

***

The next day, after finishing breakfast in the mansion, Rishe spent the morning in the bathing chamber.

"Mmm..."

The water gently swayed, emitting a pleasantly sweet fragrance. Although the bathwater was slightly lukewarm, it was continually replenished with hot water, ensuring it didn't cool too quickly.

(...It's so warm. It feels good...)

With her eyes closed, Rishe relaxed in the milky white water. Then, one of the women attending to her spoke. "Princess, how's the temperature of the water?"

"It's very relaxing...!" Rishe replied softly.

"Excellent. If there's anything else we can assist you with, please feel free to let us know." The woman was tending to Rishe's hair, which flowed behind her.

But Rishe wasn't alone. There were other women, some polishing Rishe's nails, others massaging her skin, and some moisturizing her face. Rishe simply surrendered herself to them all.

In this situation, the woman smiled gently and said, "After all, this is dedicated to the bride, a meticulous beauty session before the wedding."

(...Could this be what Oliver arranged for me...?)

As she received treatments to beautifully adorn her dress, Rishe pondered in her mind.

(Is this the first step toward the 'lazy, idle life' I dreamed of...!?)

For some reason, Arnold occasionally asks her, "Haven't you given up on that life yet?"

Why he asks that is a mystery because Rishe is genuinely aiming for the 'lazy, idle life'!

7th Time Loop WN Vol. 6 Fan TranslationTahanan ng mga kuwento. Tumuklas ngayon