Chapter 143: Lily “I Can See Sparkles Too”
“I feel siiiick.”
Leaning over the ship’s railing, Rosalie emptied the contents of her stomach into the sea with a blaargh.
“Urp… R-Rosalie-sama, please hold on…!”
Cicely-san, rubbing Rosalie’s back, also looked pale, and occasionally joined Rosalie in leaning over the railing.
Lake Reese, being a giant lake, has waves on its surface. While the ship wasn’t rocking violently, even the small sways were apparently enough to induce seasickness. It wasn’t just Rosalie and Cicely-san; classmates were looking groggy all over the deck.
“A-Are you okay, Lily-chan…?”
“H-Heheh. The world is spinning and spinning, ahh, there are three Hughs. Now everyone can keep me company, hehehe.”
“Lily-chaaaaan!?
Lily, who had slumped down clutching a bucket, was starting to hallucinate. Lecty was desperately casting
Right after we set sail, everyone had been enjoying the boat trip, going up on deck to watch the receding port and the scenery, but before we knew it, this was the situation.
Rouge and I were sitting in a shaded spot on the deck, watching the miserable scene unfold.
“You seem okay with the seasickness, Rouge?”
“Yeah. You look fine too, Hugh?”
“Yeah, this level of rocking is no problem. Back home, I used to take a boat out on the nearby lake and fish all day. Maybe I got used to the swaying then.”
“Wow, that sounds fun. I want to try fishing too.”
“Want to do it now?”
Even a royal ship should have fishing rods somewhere. I was about to stand up to borrow some from the crew when Rouge tugged on my sleeve.
“No, not right now. That’s not it… I meant, I’d like to try fishing together in your hometown, Hugh. …Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. Let’s do it, fishing. Definitely.”
I don’t know when I’ll be able to take Rouge back to my hometown, but I’ll definitely make that wish come true. We’ll float a small boat on the lake, just the two of us, casting our lines. Enjoying the slowly passing time, and even if we don’t catch a single fish, I’m sure we’ll just laugh about it.
I want to spend those kinds of peaceful days together with you, forever.
…………Isn’t this, like, a perfect line for a confession?
Is now the time? Is this the moment?!
“Ahh, I see it. I see the light, Lecty. Sparkle, sparkle, ufufu.”
“Lily-chan!? Please get a hold of yourself, Lily-chaaan!”
…Yeah, now’s not the time.
Lily looked like she was in really bad shape. We couldn’t just sit back and watch anymore, so Rouge and I rushed over to Lily. I decided to carry her princess-style to her room.
After laying her on the bed, Lecty alternated casting
“Ah, finally found you. Got a moment, Hugh-shounen?”
Alissa-san called out to me from the doorway, which had been left open. Leaving Lily to Lecty, Rouge and I stepped out of the room for the time being.
“Is something wrong?”
“His Highness is asking for you, Hugh-shounen. Said something about wanting to talk to you now while he has the chance.”
“Prince Lucas…? Understood.”
Could it be that he’s going to tell me himself why he accompanied us on the Off-Campus Training Exercise? If so, that saves me the trouble of asking, but I wonder.
“U-Um! Is it okay if I come too…?”
Rouge asked Alissa-san. Alissa-san crossed her arms and tilted her head, “Hmm, I wonder…” After pondering for a moment, she said,
“Well, he didn’t say you couldn’t, so I think it’s fine.”
“Thanks, Alissa-san!”
Prince Lucas probably expects Rouge to be with me, and if it were a conversation Rouge couldn’t hear, he would have instructed Alissa-san beforehand not to bring her. Since there were no such instructions, it likely means Rouge’s presence is acceptable.
Guided by Alissa-san, Rouge and I headed towards the stern of the ship. The corridor leading to Prince Lucas’s royal cabin was heavily guarded by the Royal Knights Order members we’d seen at the academy. Passing them by, Alissa-san knocked on a conspicuously luxurious door at the end of the passage, different from the others.
“Your Highness, I’ve brought Hugh-shounen and Rouge-shounen.”
Come in.
Confirming the reply, Alissa-san opened the door.
Befitting its royal designation, the room was incomparably spacious compared to the cabins assigned to us. The interior was lavish, with numerous paintings adorning the walls and a plush red carpet covering the floor.
From the large window in this room at the very stern of the ship, the wake left behind as the ship moved forward was clearly visible.
Prince Lucas was sitting relaxed on a sofa in the cabin. Beside him sat Merry in a maid outfit, munching away vigorously on cookies. …She’s like a squirrel.
“Ah, you’ve arrived. Both of you, have a seat for now. There are… still a few cookies left.”
“These cookies are super sweet and crunchy, I recommend them!”
“U-Um. Thanks, Merry-chan.”
Offered cookies by Merry, Rouge smiled somewhat awkwardly and thanked her. The cookies, which must have been piled high on the plate, were already down to just six.
We each took three onto small plates for the time being, and Rouge and I sat down on the sofa opposite them.
Before getting to the main topic, we moistened our throats with the tea Alissa-san poured and took a bite of the cookies. Yep, they were certainly sweet and crunchy.
“These are delicious, Merry-chan.”
“They’re Merry’s favorite!”
Merry puffed out her chest proudly, doyaa, and popped the last cookie she was holding into her mouth, munching away. Rouge did the same, putting a cookie in her mouth and munching.
They really do look alike.
It’s no wonder Lily mistook her for Lucretia when they first met. Even though she used hairstyle and makeup to look similar, the fact that even her childhood friend Lily couldn’t tell them apart says a lot. Now, especially since their hair colors are close—silver and grey—they almost look like sisters.
How similar are they? Maybe as similar as Lecty and Tina?
“Aww… The cookies are all gone.”
Having finished her cookies, Merry’s shoulders slumped dejectedly. Her index finger touched her lips as her gaze wandered, landing wistfully on the small plate placed in front of me. Only two cookies remained on my plate.
“Ah… Want them?”
“A-Are you sure?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
When I offered the cookies, Merry’s face lit up with a beaming smile.
“Thank you!”
Merry started munching on the cookies again. She looked incredibly happy.
…I actually wanted to eat them, but I couldn’t refuse after seeing that face. Guess I’ll just be content with seeing this happy expression.
Suddenly, I felt a gaze and looked beside me to see Rouge smiling softly.
“Hugh, I bet you’d really spoil your kids if you had any.”
“Y-You think so?”
“Yeah. I think you’d be a great father.”
I don’t know what Rouge meant by that.
I’m curious, but I’ll refrain from asking.
…Please notice that your older brother is making an incredibly complicated face over there.
Volume 1 will be released by Overlap Bunko on June 25th! Also, I’ve revealed the character designs for Hugh and Rouge, and just last night, Lucretia, on my activity report!
Seriously, the designs are amazing! I’d be happy if you could check them out. Thank you for your support (‘ω’)