In the end, Leoâs misunderstanding that Rishe was the Crown Princessâs substitute was left unresolved.
His eyes were brimming with conviction, and no amount of excuses from Rishe made him believe her.
When Rishe returned to the shrine, she took a small breath in the dining room alone. Then she remembered the exchange she had just had with Leo.
[Um, I-Iâm not a substitute.]
When Rishe refuted in confusion, Leo responded with all seriousness, [Thatâs what all substitutes say. I believe so.]
[You may be right, but! In the first place, I donât think His Highness would go out of his way to replace his fiancee.]
[Donât worry about it. You said earlier that you wouldnât tell anyone that I was in the forest, right?]
Leo looked straight into Risheâs eyes and gave her a sincere look.
[So I promise you, too. I wonât tell anyone youâre a fake.]
[â¦]
With him vowing so strangely solemn, she had no choice but to reply with a vague word of thanks.
Well, thereâs no particular reason for me to correct him. Leo might be essentially curt, but heâs surprisingly caring.
With that conclusion, she moved her fork and knife.
The dining room was too huge for one person, but Arnold never showed up. Apparently, the ruckus that Myria had caused in the evening delayed his official duties.
At long last, as Rishe finished her meal and was drinking her after-dinner tea, Oliver came to apologize.
âMy apologies for not being able to accompany you to dinner⦠And Rishe-sama, I have received a plea from the Order and His Excellency the Duke of Jonal.â
âIs it about Myria-sama?â
âYes. As youâve probably guessed, they are asking for your help in preparing for the festival.â
Standing at the entrance to the room, Oliver continued with his hand on his chest.
âAbove all, Myria-sama herself expressly demanded for Rishe-sama.â
Oh, Young Miss!
She felt a surge of excitement in my heart and wanted to agree immediately.
However, due to her position, she couldnât give an answer at her own discretion.
âHave you told His Highness Arnold about this?â
âNo, I thought Iâd ask for Rishe-samaâs wishes first.â
âYou mean we have to contrive how to tell His Highness about it, lest weâd sure displease him, right?â
âHa-ha-ha.â
ââ¦â
Oliver smiled refreshingly, having failed to entirely fool her.
Rishe smacked her forehead and placed her teacup on the saucer.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
I donât know what the reason was, but His Highness didnât want me to have any contact with the Order. I wonder how he would react if he knew they were asking me to help with the festivalâ¦
In any case, it wouldnât be a pleasant sight.
Rishe contemplated for a while before telling Oliver.
âOliver-sama, I would like to speak to His Highness about this.â
âNo, Iâm not going to allow you to take on such a role.â
âButâ¦â
âIâll take care of his anger. If anything, I would like you to help me recover afterwards.â
âRecover?â
She parroted, failing to grasp his meaning.