6.How to get acquainted with the second lead.

Clink.

Richt picked up the bell on the table and shook it.

The maid who was waiting outside of her quickly knocked and came inside.

"Did you call me, Grand Duke."

"What about the Princess of Garden?"

"She went back to the room. Maybe she is with the Prince of Garten."

"Prince? Ah, the second prince of  Garten who came with her?"

"Yes, that's right.

"How long will he stay here?"

"I heard he's going to Garten tomorrow. He asked me to prepare the wagon he was riding in the morning."

"Right."

Richt pondered for a moment.

Garten's Princess wouldn't last long if left alone.If he pushes her a little,then she will give up sooner.

"Who decided to serve the princess?"

"Marie, who was working in the , is attending."

"From tomorrow Marie goes back to her other work."

"Then, who is Princess Peony's service?.... ..... "

"no one."

"Yeah?"

"That means no one should attend to the princess."

"But... ..... "

"Who is the owner of this castle?"

"Shu, this is Grand Duke Stern."

"Then don't talk  at my words."

Richt immediately shut the maid's mouth, attaching a butcher to her words.Instead, she nodded in an attempt to obey him.

"And she doesn't have a maid who  knows  how to fire a fireplace anyway, so don't put a firewood in her room."

"Yeah?"

The maid listened to Richt words and opened her eyes round.Stern is now autumn. If there  is autumn, and in other regions, it was like winter.

The summer was only very briefly warm in the early years, and spring and autumn were as cold as winter, and in winter, the cold weather continued to make the bones sore.

But telling the princess not to give her firewood at night in such a weather was like her telling  to freeze and die.

"Looking in your eyes, you must have understood everything. Get out."

There was no time to say anything to plead.The maid had no choice but to go outside with her head bowed when her master told her to go out.

"Phew... .… ."

Only after closing her door she sighed.

After the death of the Baron who previously ruled this place, no lord-like lord was appointed to the Stern estate.

Everyone wad glad that  the emperor's brother was coming as the lord of this place....

Everyone was happy to know that everything was done... … ...

"I think he's such a ridiculous  person."

The maid shook her head.

In  a letter from her friend who previously went to the imperial court maid,  I heard that he is a little hot-blooded,but inside a warm prince.

Rather, she said that he was the same on the outside and was easy to treat, and that he was much better than the sneaky imperial people.

In fact, the lord she met was not such a person at all.She have been serving for nearly a year, but she has never seen a smile.

It must have looked good if he smiled, but... It seemed like she wouldn't be able to see that Grand Duke smiling until she died.

***

Rachel cried as he got on the boat. He said he wasn't crying, but he couldn't sweat in his eyes, so it was obvious that he cried.

When she sent him away from the port and returned to the castle, she felt something strange.

Stern Castle was still cold and somehow gloomy. But there was something different.

After thinking about what it was for a while, it was at the door of her room to find out.She stood still in front of the door.But the door didn't open.

"Ah!"

Only then she realized that there was no one around her.

Because someone always opened the door, she have never opened the door herself in this world.

"What, do I have no hands or feet?"

She pulled the door open with her  hand. And here again,  she felt something strange. In the room, the interior of the room was exactly the same as  before going to see Rachel off.

The pajamas that she wore were thrown into the bed, and the blankets kept the shape from which she  came out.

The breakfast plate was on the table, and the remaining fruit was slightly browned.

The same goes with the dressing table,Marie, who said she would take care of her hair while staying at Stern Castle, was messed with getting her hair done and putting on makeup.

Everything was the same as before she left.

Nothing, nothing, nothing changed.

That was the problem.

"Why... Hasn't  anything yet arranged?"

I looked at the room that was in a mess.

Since becoming a princess, I have never cleaned. Is it just cleaning? I never did laundry, cooked, or anything.I really lived like a princess.

By the way… The room was not cleaned as if the princess magic had ended, and the maid who was always around me could not even find a shadow.

I blinked,I wondered what happened to this.It was strange.

I went out. And I looked for someone who knew this situation better than anyone and who could solve it better than anyone else.

"Grand Duke!"

Like yesterday, Richt is sitting cross-legged and reading a book.

"What?"

His cool eyes stared at me.Um... this also seems to be different from yesterday?

"Rachel brother safely got on the boat and left for Garten. All thanks to the consideration of the Grand Duke."

"Not,really"

Shh~and his gaze fell, then turned to the book again.As if I had disappeared before his eyes...

"Duke? But I have one question to ask."

"Say it."

In short words I realized.He was talking to me.Obviously, until yesterday, he  had spoken with respect to me.

"Because I can't see a maid named Marie. You knows she's a maid,you  assigned to me in Stern Castle."

"Marie is a maid for other works. She will be in her works."

"But it's definitely a maid who will serve me."

"Who did that?"

"Who said Marie was your maid?"

"Marie, it's you."

"Then I will say it again. Marie is this castle's  maid, she's not a princess's maid."

It was a sharp voice.

"Then my maid... … ."

"The princess's maid, Princess  should take care of it. Why are  you telling me that?"

"That's it"

I stopped trying to say that the owner of this castle was you, Archduke Stern.

His sharp eyes were staring at me.I knew only then. He was rejecting me.It was like,I was drawing a line saying that  why should I give you a maid, and saying that you and I are no one.

He just said clearly.It's called'the princess's maid'.To him, I was neither his fiancée nor his future marriage partner.

I  was just Garten's princess.

The fact that he attached a maid to me was possible as a courtesy to the guests who came to the castle.

Not for his fiance, not for his future wife, but for the guest.

If I were really the hostess of this castle, there was no need for a maid for me.All the servants and maids of this castle will be my servants and maids.

"it's nothing."

So I had to say so.

"there."

I opened the door with my own hands, and just before leaving the room, I turned my head and looked at Richt.

He looked up with an expression that did not hide his annoyance.

Previously, I still thought that I was honoring me as a princess of a country, but now it seems that there is no such thing.

".... my name...Do you know that?"

"... ... "

He looked at me in silence.

When he calmly met his black eyes, he first avoided his gaze.

No, he wasn't avoiding it, he just turned and looked at the book again.As if he doesn't even need to answer.

I couldn't do anything more and stepped out to get out of this space.

'...Piony."

A blunt voice from the back spit out my name.I turned my head and looked behind me , and only Richt was in the room looking at the book.

As if he didn't care about me.

"Thank you."

The door was quietly closed so as not to disturb his reading.Spiky- laughter popped up.

Still, he knew my name.

First of all it was done.

...

The dishes on the table were placed outside the door.My pajamas were also opened and put aside. Because I have to wear it at night.

The bed was also roughly arranged, and the dressing table was neatly arranged.

Rather, I thought it went well. I didn't have anything to do because I didn't have my father's, my brothers, or anyone I knew here.

"He still remembered my name."

The memories of the day came to my mindI thought that he was really treating me like a chopstick when I was so blunt.

There seemed to be something different from the sub male Richt  I knew, but Richt was still Richt.

"then… … now… … ."

What should i do?

Of course, if I would like to do what I want to do, we eat rice, drink tea, take a walk with my favourite character , and if possible, hold hands.. .… ..

Shit! What am I saying? Hold hands!

Our favourite second male lead's hands must be warm.Because he is a man of 'I'm a cold city man, but I'll be warm to my woman!'

And since he's a precious prince, he's a soft hand because he didn't do any hard work, right?

no! It was in the book! He practiced fencing hard. If so, it would be a strong hand with calluses.

Shit! Big, warm, strong hands! So good!!

"Ha, calm down."

I ran out and ran wild by myself, calming my inner virtues.

Unless our second lead held a handshake event, it seemed that I couldn't hold his hand.

So… … Unless I get closer to him.if so?I have to get closer!

***

"Excuse me ah~"

I smiled lightly and went into the kitchen.

The kitchen, which was busy preparing dinner, became quiet for an instant as I opened the door.

Only the buzzing sound of the pot greeted me.

"Are you ready for dinner?"

I laughed and talked to everyone, but it was still silent to come back.

Ah… … Be okay.

Does the personality of a person change depending on where they live? In Garten, if this side  laughs, the other side also laughs too. What's going on here?

"Hey, what are you doing?"

A man, perhaps the kitchen assistant, cautiously spoke.

"Oh, it's because I want to make a drink when the Grand Duchy is having dinner."

"A drink?"

"Yeah. It's a very simple drink. It would be great to eat while having dinner."

"Oh, that... .... Well!"

The man was embarrassed.

When I looked closely, he was the man I saw yesterday. When I'm making hot cakes,the man wasstanding  next to me with a nervous  expression.

"I saw you yesterday?"

"Yes? Ah, yes."

"Yesterday's hotcake was a complete failure,so today I want to make up for it."

"Yes? It was a failure? It was a perfect hotcake that looked so delicious?"

".....… Do you really think so?"

The man nodded vigorously.

Fortunately he was comforting. Yesterday, Rachel also ate very deliciously.

Then I got more energy and thought that I should work harder today.

"It's simpler today, so I just need to rent the  kitchen for a moment. 10 minutes ? 15 minutes ?About that?"

I looked at him, he looked at the other side.Perhaps someone who seems to be high in the kitchen.

Ha  looks like this man is my age, so he probably looked like a kitchen assistant.

The middle-aged man shrugged his shoulders, and he laughed at it.

"What can I do for you, Princess."

"Well... I need mint and rum. And I wish I had a pretty glass. Oh, ice too!"

***

As always, Richt's dinner was alone.

He sat alone at a table that was nothing new and found something new.

What he had never seen lay in front of him.

In a transparent glass, red and green things with ice were immersed in the colorful  water.

When he looked at it with his eyes narrowed, what was inside was green leaves and red, slightly crushed strawberries.

"What is this?"

The impression of this Richt was slightly frowned upon seeing for the first time in his life.

As he sniffed the smell, there was a fresh strawberry scent and a fresh smell.

As he passed a sip, a liquid as refreshing as the scent ran over his throat. As the taste of Richt's favorite strawberry  gently passed over his throat, and the fresh strawberry scent gently lingered in his nose.

"....… It's okay."

Slightly, Richt's head nodded.

The chef at Stern Castle, who thought he made something barely edible compared to the imperial chef, created something better than expected.

Dinner was quite enjoyable thanks to this drink that suits his taste.

No, it wasn't quite enjoyable, but it seemed like he had a meal in a pleasant mood for the first time here.

Normally, he would have wiped his mouth and woke up after the meal, but Richt called the maid with a light gesture.

"Yes, Grand Duke."

"This, what's it's  name?"

His fingertips were emptied clean, and only green leaves and ice were pointing at the remaining glass.

"uh... .... "

The maid, who did not think Richt would ask such a question, only blinked her eye and could not answer.

It was definitely the food she brought to her owner, but she didn't even know what it was.

Besides, she didn't know that Richt, who was indifferent to everything, would ask for its name.

"I'll  go to the kitchen now and ask."

"No, it's not like that… .… … ."

Looking at the maid who seemed to be running out at once,Richt said,cut it off.

"Make sure you have this drink tomorrow evening."

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow I'll know it's name."

"Yeah!"

As he stood up from his seat, the maid thought, bowing her head toward Richt.Oddly enough, he seems to be in a good mood now...