The sky was high and beautifully blue….yet my heart felt like it was trapped in a heavy downpour beneath thick, gloomy clouds.
I felt like everything was already over.
I was currently in a high, open area of the castle.
It was supposedly the place where the King would give speeches to the soldiers during wartime, but to me, it was just a wide balcony.
I was lying there, staring up at the sky.
I didn’t want to do anything anymore. I just wanted to turn into stone right here.
The distance between Noie and me grew wider every day. Recently, we hadn’t even slept in the same bed. She would sit on the sofa, hugging her knees, and just stare at me. Yesterday, when I took over the sofa, she sat on the bed and stared at me intently… Nothing had really changed.
This must be what they call despair.
Ah, I want to become a bird. I don’t even need to fly properly. If I could just float away lightly, would I feel better?
I glanced over the edge of the balcony. It was high, but not high enough. It seemed I wouldn’t pass on easily unless I fell headfirst.
Ah, no good. My thoughts were becoming too negative.
I placed my hands under my head as a pillow and looked up at the sky.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t tell Noie the truth. She herself was a hostage.
I didn’t know what Glodia was thinking by keeping their existence a secret, but she must have had a reason for using such drastic measures.
In other words, I had no choices left.
「This is truly unpleasant.」
Gradually, shadows began to cover the area above my head, and then—
「A purple triangle? Mugh!」
「My apologies, Argusta-sama. I spotted some suspicious black insects, and my feet moved naturally.」
「I get it, so move them! Why are you grinding them in!」
「I feel uneasy unless I thoroughly crush any suspicious black insects.」
「It seriously hurts!」
Her merciless grinding attack was directed at my face!
「What was that color you glimpsed?」
「I didn’t see anything! The sky today is a very beautiful blue!」
「Is that so.」
I finally escaped from under her foot with all my might, rubbing my face as I glared at the perpetrator of this atrocity.
It was the Head Maid assigned to the Queen.
I checked my face for injuries while remaining wary of the person who had suddenly appeared.
This person… somehow felt troublesome. She had an aura similar to the people inside Noie.
「Do you need something?」
「Yes. Camille-sama has been fleeing with all her might for some time, and I thought she might be here with you, Argusta-sama, whom she gets along with.」
「The tiny princess? I haven’t seen her today.」
「Is that so.」
She gave a light bow… and remained standing there.
What was this feeling of being stared at by a snake?
「Is there anything else?」
「No, there is not.」
「…Aren’t you going to look for her?」
「It is more effective to set a trap and wait for Camille-sama than to search for her. I will wait here and catch her.」
This person treats the future Queen like a pest. Is she really okay?
She’s strict, or rather, she seems to be the living embodiment of Frea-san when she loses her temper.
「Well, it’s fine, I guess.」
I let out a sigh and leaned my back against the stone pillar of the balcony.
The Head Maid, who continued to emit a terrifying aura, glanced at me.
「Is something troubling you?」
「Yes. A scary maid is standing right here! I’m sorry. That was a lie.」
I bowed my head deeply in the face of the approaching terror.
Was this person actually a trainer disguised as a maid? Was the job of a Head Maid to train everyone around her?
「So, what is weighing so heavily on your mind? Appearances aside, I possess the knowledge and experience befitting a Head Maid. If you share your troubles, I might be able to offer some wisdom.」
「I want to do something about my idiot aniki.」
「I see. Then please give the order. 『Go kill him quickly.』」
「Isn’t that wisdom a bit too violent!」
This maid started saying outrageous things in an extremely casual tone.
However, the Head Maid kept a faint smile plastered on her face.
「Prince Halfren has had a bad habit of defying me since he was a child. Yes… if Her Majesty the Queen hadn’t stopped me, I don’t know how many times I could have disposed of that brat.」
「Hello～?」
「…It was a light joke.」
That definitely wasn’t a joke, was it? She had tried to do it several times, hadn’t she?
I couldn’t take it anymore. There were far too few sane people around me.
Then, the Head Maid gave another light bow. What was it now?
「By speaking out, has your mood improved slightly?」
「……」
What did she say?
「When people think too much, they accumulate negative feelings inside. In such cases, raising your voice can help lighten the burden on your chest.」
I wasn’t fully convinced, but her words weren’t wrong.
Thanks to making a scene, the gloom in my heart had thinned considerably.
As if she understood my feelings perfectly, the Head Maid bowed again.
「How about it? I would appreciate it if you confided your worries in me.」
「Ah～. Even if it’s about men and women?」
「Yes. Since I have been forced to listen endlessly to Her Majesty the Queen’s complaints about His Majesty the King, I believe I can offer some good advice in return.」
「Wow～. I don’t really get it, but somehow I’m convinced.」
Just being the wife of that stud-king must cause Her Majesty immeasurable mental stress.
「Then I want you to tell me.」
「What would that be?」
I opened my mouth to the Head Maid, who kept that faint smile on her face.
「How can I continue to lie to my wife while dispelling her anxieties?」
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