45
（Because I have become an adult, I am
perfectly fine with this much!）
Even
looking around, Candice was left speechless by the gorgeousness that
went even further beyond the White Palace.
From
expensive-looking vases to paintings stretching from edge to edge on the walls
depicting angels, gods, and naked men and women intimately intertwined. At the
edge of the palace, Hugo stopped in front of a particularly large door
while calling out to the guards.
「Only Her Highness Candice, Imperial
Princess, please enter the room.」
At
Hugo's words, Candice's shoulders gave a large jolt. And she
hugged Eva and Rose, clinging onto them.
「Eva, Rose……!」
「We will be praying for Her Highness
the Imperial Princess's safety, after all」
「……, please be sure to return safely!」
「Thank you for everything up until
now, both of you! I won't forget the days I spent with you two」
Looking
at such a Candice, Eva, and Rose, Hugo was covering
his mouth and holding back his laughter. As if it were right before heading off
to a battlefield, he thought. Without noticing such a Hugo, Candice
lightly slapped her cheeks to pump herself up and headed inside the room.
However,
Valentin was not yet in the room, and the tension drained from Candice's
stiff body. As she let out a breath of relief, she was urged straight forward
to the front of a large sofa.
Looking
up at Hugo, he was floating an affable smile with a grin. Hugo
overall has slender features and a soft atmosphere, but according to rumors, he
is a fierce warrior who mows people down like trash.
If
it were now, Candice too could notice Hugo's extraordinary poise
and movements. It was almost strange that she hadn't been assassinated despite
making a fool of Hugo so much.
（This time I will be kind to Hugo
without any prejudice! I won't make a fool of him, just like with Arthur.）
She
had been pondering whether she should make him an ally so he could help her if
push came to shove, but as if seeing right through Candice's heart, Hugo
said, 「His Majesty the Emperor will
be here shortly, so please wait a moment,」 and tried to leave.
「Wait, Hugo!」
「Because His Majesty the Emperor
dislikes having anyone in this room, I too must leave immediately, you see.」
「Gah……!?」
Candice was so surprised by Hugo,
who said it while smiling refreshingly, that her jaw almost dropped.
（Are you saying you plan to leave me
alone in such a dangerous room!?）
Having
let out a weird voice and subsequently coughing, Candice was unable to
stop Hugo and was left behind. Heartlessly, the door closed in front of Candice,
and she had no choice but to scramble up onto the sofa and sit down.
（This is my first time entering
Otou-sama's room. It is a simple room with nothing placed around, huh. I thought it would be more gaudy
and luxurious.）
A
visit to her father's room, which she would have jumped for joy over in the
past, was now nothing but terrifying.
Left
behind in the simple room with only a sofa and a table, Candice waited
obediently until Valentin appeared in the room.
However,
no matter how much time passed, he did not appear. Out of nervousness, Candice
endured while sitting on the sofa and gripping the hem of her dress with sweaty
palms. As time passed…… Candice suddenly realized something.
（Could it be that I am being tested!?）
She
arbitrarily imagined that he was observing her attitude while waiting in the
room to determine whether to kill Candice or not. Candice had
been waiting while pressing down on her heart that felt like it would burst out
thumping, but the thread of tension that had been pulled taut since yesterday
finally snapped.
(I……
can't do this anymore~)
Although
she had been continuously sitting with good posture, Candice collapsed
onto her side. Thinking she could just sit up properly if she heard a knock,
she leaned against a fluffy cushion on the sofa. Perhaps thanks to the soft
cushion, Candice, freed from her suffocating feeling, took a deep
breath. Trying to calm her feelings even further, she hugged the cushion next
to her.
（It's unbelievable…… it's so fluffy
and feels so good.）
The
squishy, pleasant-to-touch cushion enveloped Candice's body. What
streamed in from the large window was warm sunlight. Perhaps because she placed
herself in a quiet space, sleepiness gradually attacked her.
（No, you must not, Candice! If
you sleep in a place like this, it's the end…… Candice…… do your…… best.）
Because
she couldn't sleep last night, Candice fell fast asleep right then and
there while leaning against the cushion.
Completely
unaware that Valentin entered the room right after that…….
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