Another Perspective
"My apologies..."
In my office, I first apologized to Levan, who had brought me back.
I sank into a chair, clasped my fingers atop my knees, and pressed my forehead against them.
A blunder rarely seen in recent years.
No, I was so ashamed and frustrated by how much I had lost my composure...
"Um, seriously... please stop dwelling on your first love forever."
"Ugh."
Levan said something outrageous with visible difficulty.
I groaned at the overwhelming humiliation.
The royal family of Lukiusaria had paid a courtesy visit to the Empire.
The king and I are cousins, and I am on close terms with the royal family.
And I was surprised by Diora, whom I met for the first time in ages.
She had strongly resembled my aunt since birth, but now her orange hair had grown long, and even the texture of her hair was similar to my grandmother—my aunt.
Moved by nostalgia, my tear ducts loosened slightly.
Yet after the garden reception ended, while the king and queen were speaking with me, Diora declared with flushed cheeks:
"I have fallen in love with someone for the first time. To think my heart could race like this—this must be the love at first sight from the stories. Count Stratege, please tell me about Lord Asha."
Her lovely voice pleaded with me, yet the content felt like being pushed off a cliff.
Furthermore, she even said she wanted to marry him!
"Ugh... damn you... to think I would be done in by the First Prince..."
"Would you like some water? Ah, or perhaps alcohol would be better? Well, I think it's too late to try to cover it up now, so you might as well brazen it out regarding today's events."
Levan offered words that could hardly be called comfort and moved to act.
Wait, why does he naturally know where I secretly keep alcohol and glasses in my office?
And don't so casually prepare two glasses.
"Please, or rather, let me ask you something."
"W-what is it?"
When I handed him the drink, Levan erased his frivolous smile and appealed to me.
It seemed there was a problem.
He should have been on guard duty in the garden today, and I had heard there were no issues besides a lost child?
"...Because of the First Prince, I'll probably be glared at intensely by some of the palace guards."
"Why would that happen? You may have a sharp tongue, but you're good-natured, so you never had problems getting along with people, did you?"
"The thing is, for some reason, the First Prince responded to Duke Eurasion with this really weird way of speaking."
"Huh?"
"How should I put it... it was drawn out, but with these pauses like he had to listen to something... but when you heard the whole thing, it was normal. Completely normal. But, well... it was just this incredibly funny way of talking..."
I don't understand.
I don't understand, but I know what he did.
Precisely because I know how he normally is, I was surprised by the First Prince's foolish way of speaking... no, this guy laughed, didn't he?
I turned to my desk, checked today's assignments, and turned back.
"Ah, now that you mention it, those near you are all serious types, aren't they?"
"Yes, it completely looked like I was the one fooling around. If possible, please don't assign me with them for a while."
That said, it would be troublesome.
"You were already criticized here for being my favoritism hire and excessively privileged due to our connection."
"Isn't that fine? It's a connection from Lukiusaria. If anything, we've been connected since before I was born."
As he says, I've known Levan since before he was born.
When he said he would leave Lukiusaria to find work, I was the one who called him here.
It is indeed too late to be told not to show favoritism due to connections.
"So, how do you plan to make the princess give up on this?"
"No, I can just say the other side refused, can't I?"
"True, he didn't seem interested, but you never know what happens when someone falls in love, right?"
"I won't allow it! No matter how you look at it, nothing but hardship awaits if she marries that First Prince!"
"Wow, you say that clearly despite being childish."
Levan understands, but the child would not be so reasonable.
"Why is that? Lord Asha was so kind. I only wanted to thank him, yet to think you would avoid meeting him... Did I... do something wrong?"
Before my eyes, Diora shed large tears as she appealed to me.
It was a terribly heart-wrenching sight, and even I, a blood relative, found it painful, so her parents must be even weaker.
"Well, um, he must be busy. How about starting with correspondence first, hm? Suddenly proposing marriage is difficult. So he may have withdrawn for that reason. He doesn't dislike you, Diora, so please stop crying."
Frustrating as it was, I could not interfere with my cousin's mediation.
[End Chapter]