Chapter 64: There’s No Way My Roommate Could Be This Cute
A week had passed since the mock group battle, and on one particular day, I received an unexpected summons from Prince Lucas through Alissa. It seemed he had a matter he wanted to discuss and requested that I come along with Lily.
“What’s the matter you want to discuss?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t really know either,” Alissa replied with a shrug. “Even Master said he wasn’t informed.”
Neither Roan nor Alissa had any details about this matter, and I couldn’t shake off a bad feeling. However, I couldn’t refuse either. After breakfast, I consulted with Lily and then replied to Alissa that I would comply with the summons.
If I had to guess, it might be related to the incident with Duke Lecherie. I had heard the outcome from Prince Lucas; it seemed all the servants who had turned into monsters under Lecherie’s command were now missing.
As for the Puridi family, they had successfully switched their allegiance to Prince Lucas, and Marquis Puridi was reportedly busy expanding Lucas’s faction.
However, the identity of the person who had given Lecherie the drug that transformed him and the others into monsters remained unknown. Prince Lucas hadn’t asked me for any assistance regarding that matter.
If this summons was related to that… then I couldn’t understand why Lily was being called. It might be an entirely different issue.
As before, I would be sneaking out of the academy at night in Alissa’s carriage, and as I confirmed that the meeting time of 10 PM was approaching, I wrapped up my review of Kingdom History from today’s lessons.
Stretching lightly and turning around, I found Rouge sprawled on my bed, clutching Nokoko, her plush toy.
Lately, she had been spending more time on my bed than her own, and I wondered if I should be a bit annoyed. But then again, it wasn’t like I disliked it… Hmm.
By the way, she was reading a book I had borrowed from the library—a fairy tale featuring the «Holy Maiden» Skill.
I had thought it was a picture book, but it turned out to be a surprisingly thick book filled with text. The story followed a girl with the «Holy Maiden» Skill as she traveled, healing people’s injuries and illnesses, gathering companions, and eventually battling the king of monsters. It reminded me of the tale of Momotaro.
The «Holy Maiden» depicted in the Sacred Scripture was somewhat different from the one in this fairy tale. While the fairy tale’s «Holy Maiden» could heal not only injuries but also diseases, the one in the scripture was more focused on her divine mission.
Could it be that Lecty also…? If that were the case, it might cause quite a stir. It might be better if I remained unaware.
“Rouge, I’m heading to see Prince Lucas soon.”
I had already informed Rouge about the summons from Prince Lucas. She knew that I had met the prince and that I had sought his help to save Lily, so there was no issue in telling her.
“Okay. Please say hi to… no, I mean, Prince Lucas for me.”
Did she almost call him ‘Big Brother Lou’ just now? Also, I doubt a normal viscount’s son would ask for such a message when meeting a prince…
That night at the Duke Lecherie’s residence, after returning home utterly exhausted, I had accidentally whispered, “I love you, Lucretia,” to a sleeping Rouge.
Even now, it was incredibly embarrassing to think about. I still hadn’t asked her whether she had been awake or asleep at that moment.
If she had been awake, then Rouge would know that I was aware of her true identity as the Seventh Princess, Lucretia von Reese. Yet, since the following morning, she had acted as if nothing had changed, behaving like the usual Rouge in front of me… Well, she hadn’t completely managed to pull it off.
So, I found myself deeply troubled about how to interact with Rouge, ultimately deciding to maintain the status quo. I would continue to treat her as my friend and roommate, Rouge. It shouldn’t be too difficult.
It shouldn’t be, but…
As I slipped on the blazer I had taken off, I felt a gentle tug on the hem from behind. Turning around, I saw Rouge, having climbed off the bed, looking up at me with her big eyes while still holding Nokoko.
“Don’t stay out too late, okay? It gets a little lonely in this room without you…”
My heart nearly stopped at her anxious expression. This was bad; it felt like we were a newlywed couple, and I was melting inside. Is my roommate really this cute?
“Y-Yeah. I’ll hurry back once I’m done.”
“Really!? Ehehe, then I’ll wait up for you!”
“No, if it’s going to be late, you should go to bed first.”
Tomorrow was a day off, so staying up a little late wouldn’t be a problem, but I had no idea what time I would return. I felt guilty about making her wait up for me.
“Muu… You just said you’d hurry back, Hugh.”
“I’ll hurry, but there’s a limit, you know? Plus, I don’t even know what Prince Lucas wants to discuss, so it might take some time. You don’t have to wait up. Just go to sleep.”
“Ehh… But I don’t sleep very well without you around…”
Rouge, who seemed to have a bit of insomnia, claimed she slept much better when she hugged me. That’s why almost every night, she would sneak into my bed while I was asleep.
It made for quite the morning routine…
“…Then, I want a reward.”
Rouge hugged Nokoko tightly and murmured softly. I had just switched to the «Ninja» Skill, so I clearly heard her words.
“A reward?”
“Yeah! If you give me a reward, I’ll try to sleep alone.”
“A reward, huh…? By the way, do you have any specific requests?”
“Um…”
Rouge blushed and fidgeted, whispering something I couldn’t quite catch.
“I want you to say, ‘I love you, Lucretia’ again…”
Wha…?
Why did she have to say that just when I switched to the «Ninja» Skill!? Of course, I could hear her! And did that mean she was awake back then!? You’re way too cute!
While I mentally screamed at myself, I had no choice but to play it cool and pretend I hadn’t heard anything.
“S-Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that… but—”
“Ah, um! It’s not like I have any specific requests or anything, but…!”
We both stumbled over our words, covering our faces with our hands in embarrassment.
Before we knew it, the meeting time was drawing near. I had to leave the room soon if I wanted to make it on time. If I was late, I could imagine Lily and Alissa giving me a hard time.
“Ah, um. I don’t know if this counts as a reward, but how about we go out somewhere tomorrow?”
“Outing!? A date with Hugh!?”
No, I didn’t think two guys going out together would be called a date… but before I could voice that thought, Rouge exclaimed,
“A date! A date~♪”
Well, since Rouge looked so happy, I decided it could be a date after all.
Am I really managing to maintain the status quo…?
Author’s Comment:
Thank you for reading this far! Your support through comments and follows always motivates me to keep writing. I hope you found it even a little bit interesting!