A Pre-wedding Trip in the Name of a Field Investigation 6
「What is this guy surprised about?」
「Since some plants become poisonous depending on the climate, we are
strict with the servants not to swallow the sap.」
「Haha, this is why the nobles of the Kanista Kingdom are
troublesome due to their ignorance. This sap has been eaten in my country since
long ago, so there is no problem. It is also a favorite of my grandfather, who
excels in botany. It is quite stickier than the sap gathered in our country,
but the taste is the same, so it's fine.」
However, Ashren-sama stopped Blake-san,
who was about to say.
His arrogant attitude is irritating, but since he is royalty, it is not
permitted for the second son of an Earl's family to argue back. Taking
advantage of that, Prince Elliot tore off a Monitares leaf and sniffed
it.
「It's larger than the trees I know, but the smell is the same. Hm? Those
white flowers blooming over there, what are those?」
Pure white flowers were blooming on a tree a few trees away. They were
about the size of my hand, and their shape, spreading their petals toward the
sky, resembled a magnolia.
Looking closely, there were trees with flowers blooming and trees
without. I remember reading that ginkgo trees have male and female trees, and
ginkgo nuts can only be harvested from one of them; perhaps the Monitares tree
has a similar characteristic. Prince Elliot headed toward the tree with
flowers blooming and looked at it as if it were a novelty.
「Come to think of it, my grandfather once said he saw flowers bloom on a
Monitares tree a long time ago.」
Was it my imagination that his eyes looked a little nostalgic? Just as
I thought that, a brown object suddenly jumped out from the shadow of the tree
and leaped at Prince Elliot.
「Uwahh! What the!! Hey, pull this thing off me!!」
As the guards hurriedly tried to rush over, Blake-san blew a
whistle with a pyuu, and the brown mass separated from Prince Elliot
and got onto Blake-san's shoulder. Swaying its long reddish-brown tail
back and forth, it was a small monkey with a body length of about fifty
centimeters. Eh, a monkey?
Prince Elliot pointed at the monkey with trembling hands and
ordered his guards with such force it seemed spit would fly from his mouth.
「You guys, kill this monkey! It scratched my hand.」
「Understood.」
「W-Please wait. It was just startled because a person suddenly appeared.」
As I involuntarily stepped forward, Blake-san dropped to one
knee and bowed his head.
「I apologize. However, these monkeys were gifted by royalty to an
ancestor who once studied abroad in the Tarteria Kingdom. Initially
there were only a few, but they bred naturally in this botanical garden and now
there are several dozen. We cherish them very much as a proof of our
friendship.」
The Hadren Earl's territory and the Tarteria Kingdom are
neighbors separated by a mountain. It seems they had interactions involving
more than just the Monitares trees. At this story, the guards who were gripping
their swords exchanged glances.
They seemed troubled over whether it was acceptable to kill a monkey
gifted by royalty, or if they should obey Prince Elliot's command. As
for Prince Elliot, he thrust his scratched hand ostentatiously at Blake-san.
「Do you think the likes of an Earl can injure a royal of a neighboring
country and get away with it?」
「T-That is...」
In front of the bewildered Blake-san, Ashren-sama
smoothly stood.
「It is certainly bleeding. If you are a researcher, your hands get
injured when touching medicinal herbs or conducting experiments, and if you are
a swordsman, you are constantly covered in fresh wounds, but as expected of
royalty, your hands are beautiful. ...Ah, however, the royalty of the Tarteria
Kingdom excel in swordplay, and furthermore, Your Highness Prince Elliot
took medicinal herb research classes during your academy days, didn't you? Do
you no longer do research?」
Nodding fumu fumu, Ashren-sama bent down and looked at
Prince Elliot's hand.
The tips of Ashren-sama's nails on the hand placed on his chin
are faintly stained with the color of medicinal herbs, and if he opened his
hand, there are sword calluses as well. That way of speaking is clearly picking
a fight, isn't it? He is floating a seemingly harmless smile at first glance,
but his eyes are not smiling.
「P-Prince Elliot, I have a healing salve I made; would you like
to use it? It is well-received even among the knights.」
Small scrapes are part and parcel of plant gathering. I took a tin
containing the ointment out of my pocket and showed it to Prince Elliot.
Prince Elliot narrowed his eyes at me, who inadvertently stood as if
shielding Ashren-sama behind my back, and then, floating a full-faced
smile, grasped my hand along with the tin.
「If you treat it for me, Layla, I will forgive him.」
「...Thank you very much.」
I think I deserve praise for smiling with cheeks twitching with a piki.
I sensed an extraordinary aura from Ashren-sama standing behind me, but
I decided to pretend I didn't notice.
It would be a problem to cause an international incident in a place
like this, and Ashren-sama understands that too. Turning around to nod
so that only Ashren-sama could see that it was fine, I also took out a
handkerchief and a bottle of rubbing alcohol from my pocket.
Prince Elliot, still holding my hand, sat down as if leaning
against the trunk of the Monitares tree, and offered his scratched hand to me
with a "Here." The monkey's claws seemed sharp, and it was cleanly
cut for about five centimeters. This looks painful. I soaked the handkerchief
in the antiseptic and wiped the entire wound, then scooped up the ointment with
a cotton swab and applied it. Even while doing that, he kept talking to me
about this and that, but I decided to just give vague responses, gloss over it,
and let it pass.
「I hear you are from the Jilgista Kingdom, Layla. If you
are marrying into a foreign country, don't you think it makes no difference
whether it is the Kanista Kingdom or the Tarteria Kingdom?」
「I am not marrying into the Kanista Kingdom, I am marrying Ashren-sama.」
「The seat of my first consort is open, you know.」
「What happened to the talk of being a candidate for Her Royal Highness
Princess Stira's prince consort?」
「The King of this country isn't bad either, but your husband, Layla,
is hard to give up too. That's right, if I become King, change the laws, and
make it possible to have concubines, how about that? This will settle
everything perfectly.」
I had heard from the talk about Princess Stira that he was a
womanizer, but that idea sent a shiver down my spine. I don't think such a
ridiculous bill would pass, but if he takes advantage of the Kanista Kingdom's
lack of resources, I feel it's not impossible. Unpleasant sweat oozed damply
onto my palms.
Anyway, not wanting to be with him any longer than necessary, I quickly
finished the treatment.
As for the monkey that caused this situation, it was deliciously eating
the flowers blooming on the Monitares tree opposite us, and licking the sap
seeping from the shaved trunk. How carefree.
But I didn't know monkeys ate flowers. I feel like they were
omnivorous, but I am not knowledgeable about animals. If there are several
dozen of them, if they eat too much, the amount we can harvest might decrease.
When I stood up, Prince Elliot also stood, called his guards,
and instructed them to take the Monitares sap back with them. He apparently
plans to drink it in black tea later, but it is pure arrogance to not even try
to get permission from Blake-san, the owner of the sap.
Blake-san was gently trying to stop him, but
Prince Elliot acted as if it were his own territory, and Gray was
pacing back and forth, not knowing what to do. As for Ashren-sama, he
was nonchalantly gathering flowers. Just imagining what he is thinking behind
that poker face is terrifying. Thinking we should quickly gather the flowers
and leave, I opened the lid of the basket attached to my waist. This basket
tied to my belt looks clumsy, but it is good for work efficiency.
The petals were thick and fleshy, and when I touched the calyx, the
flower snapped off with a potori. When I brought it close to my nose, it
had a sweet smell. It was not rich like a rose, but an unprecedented scent that
mixed a refreshing citrus-like smell within the sweetness.
As I repeatedly picked one, smelled it, and put it in the basket at my
waist, before I knew it, Ashren-sama was standing next to me.
「You are in a suspiciously good mood; what did you talk about with that
guy?」
「We didn't talk about anything important. More importantly, it seems you
are disliked quite a bit, but I am more curious about what happened during your
academy days.」
「I truly have no idea. We've hardly even had a conversation.」
While he was twisting his head saying "Hmm," Blake-san
came over with the monkey on his shoulder.
「I overlapped with Ashren-sama for one year of enrollment. His
tales of heroism reached even my ears, two years below him. I heard that when
he arrived at school, female students formed lines at the gates, and crowds
gathered in front of his classroom. He was always at the top in studies, and in
swordplay, he defeated a foreign prince in the blink of an eye.」
Hm? A foreign prince?
「That foreign prince also seemed to be good-looking, and at the time of
enrollment, he apparently stood out more. But I hear the situation reversed
after he lost disgracefully in swordplay and Ashren-sama won the
championship.」
「Ashren-sama, that is it. It is absolutely
that.」
Because he is totally the type who wants to be pampered by noble
ladies.
「Hmm, did something like that happen? But I only won the championship
once, and lost to Mark the other times.」
「I heard that he kept the students from the knight course at bay and was
always the runner-up.」
Said Blake-san. Even so, Ashren-sama didn't seem
convinced.
「Were there really female students at the gates?」
「You are always out of it when you wake up, Ashren-sama, so maybe
you just didn't notice?」
Surely that indifference poured oil on the fire. To see someone as a
rival all by oneself, only to not even be taken seriously and suffer a complete
defeat—if it's the prideful Prince Elliot, he would definitely hold a
grudge.
Good grief, I thought, but just as we finished
gathering the necessary amount of flowers, a carefree voice was heard from
behind us.
「You, Blake or whatever, I will also stay at the Hadren
Earl's mansion tonight, so prepare a room. We have been close since our
ancestors' generation; we should also deepen our friendship. I haven't decided
yet whether to become that prince consort, or take Layla as my wife, or
both, but there is no loss in becoming close with me.」
There is probably no one who suits such an arrogant smile better.
Pointing his chin up and giving orders to Blake-san, he directed his
black, condescending eyes at us. I wonder if he wants to say, 'I have this
much power'?
Leaving us, who could only stand there dumbfounded, Prince Elliot began walking at the front as if it were only natural.