Part Three, Section One: “A New Pope”
Chapter Eighty-two
When I returned home with Prince Oswald, we were welcomed by Leonardo.
“Welcome back, Lady Philia. Is His Highness Oswald accompanying you?”
“Mr. Leonardo, I’m sorry for the short notice, but would it be alright if His Highness Oswald joined us for dinner?”
I asked Leonardo for permission to have Prince Oswald eat with us.
“Of course. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to cook for His Highness Oswald again after so long.”
Leonardo seemed excited at the chance to prepare a meal for Prince Oswald. It looked like he welcomed the prince’s sudden visit.
“Haha, Leonardo is just as passionate as ever about cooking.”
“His passion for cooking is stronger than anyone else’s. Thanks to him, I’ve learned to appreciate the joy of anticipating mealtime.”
As we watched Leonardo head to the kitchen, Prince Oswald chuckled with evident enjoyment. The butler’s heartfelt cooking always soothed me.
"Oh, Your Highness Oswald, you’ve come at a perfect time!”
While we were relaxing in the guest room, awaiting the completion of dinner, Lina, who had brought us tea, spoke to us.
“Just a while ago, Bishop Bjorn stopped by with some extra cake he baked. Let me bring you some!”
Surprisingly, Bishop Bjorn came by to share a cake with us. He had a hobby of making sweets, and whenever I visited the church, he often treated me to professional-level goodies like cookies and crepes.
"This cake reminds me of when we first met, Your Highness.”
As I took a bite of the cake Lina had cut for us, I couldn’t help voicing my thoughts out loud.
“Oh right, Bishop Bjorn introduced me to you, didn’t he? I remember you had quite a shocked expression on your face.”
“Of course I was shocked. We were only discussing agriculture and vegetables, so I’d never have guessed you were the prince of this kingdom.”
“Haha, was that all I talked about when we first met? My mistake, I’m sorry about that.”
I was truly astonished at the time. The friendly man who had tried to cheer me up at the party when I felt out of place and just ate a salad turned out to be the second prince of Parnacota.
“Even though I was too stunned to respond then, I’ll never forget what you told me—that you’d do anything to help me love this country.”
“R-Really? I just wanted to honestly convey my feelings to you, Miss Philia. I didn’t expect you to take it so seriously.”
“After hearing those words, my unease mysteriously disappeared. Looking back, it may have been because of what you said that I came to admire you, Your Highness.”
When I was sold to a neighboring country, I felt overwhelmed by anxiety. My engagement was broken off, my family agreed to sell me, and I was separated from my beloved sister. I was almost ready to give up on life itself. So the prince’s strong words were the greatest comfort to me at that time.
"So, Lady Philia, you fell for His Highness Oswald at first sight back then, didn’t you?”
"Hey now, Lina, falling for me at first sight is a bit much, don’t you think?”
"Well, I may have felt that way without realizing it, it’s possible.”
"Miss Philia…”
His Highness Oswald is like the sun, shining light into my heart. But back then, I likely didn’t even understand the reason I was drawn to him.
"Dinner is ready. Please make your way to the dining room.”
After we had enjoyed the cake and chatted for about two hours, Leonardo came in and announced that dinner was ready. From how much more time it took, he must have put in extra effort.
"This is amazing. As expected, or should I say, has your skill improved since before? I thought cooking was just a hobby for you.”
"It’s because it’s my hobby that I pour my heart into it. And of course, as her butler, it’s only natural that I ensure Lady Philia lives comfortably. Meals are the foundation of life!”
Seeing the feast laid out before him, Prince Oswald remarked that he thought cooking was just Leonardo’s hobby, not his profession. He showed that passion precisely because it was his hobby, I suppose. I also ponder how to add more functionality when I make accessories.
I felt I could relate to that dedication.
“I spent the entire day with you today, right?”
“I’m sorry. I ended up keeping you occupied from the morning.”
Realizing that I had kept Prince Oswald tied up since meeting early for herb gathering and climbing, I hurriedly apologized. Time flies when you’re having fun, and the day truly felt short, so I didn’t notice I had been with him from morning to night.
“Hey, why are you apologizing? I was just thinking how happy I’ll be when we’re married and can spend every day like this.”
“Oh, uh, yes, we would be together every day if we were married.”
Caught off guard by Prince Oswald’s sudden words that I needn’t apologize, I was flustered. It seemed so obvious that I hadn’t seriously thought about it, but it’s actually quite an unbelievable prospect.
"Hm? Miss Philia, you suddenly look down.”
“Is this really going to happen? If I’m by your side so much, won’t you grow bored of me?”
"Huh?”
"We won’t always have lots of topics to discuss every single day. I’m worried I’ll bore you.”
Even though the frequency had increased somewhat, we still only met occasionally, so running out of topics was rarely an issue. However, having a new and interesting conversation every day was not so easy.
“That’s what you’re worried about? How earnest, just like you, Miss Philia. But I feel the opposite—even dull moments won’t feel dull if you’re by my side. I think we have a good relationship.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, after I leave today, I know I’ll feel quite lonely. And I’m thinking that having that lonely feeling disappear would be an incredible change. Even just sitting in silence for hours, I doubt I’d feel bored. If our hearts are fulfilled, we won’t need anything else.”
Prince Oswald dismissed my concerns. He said if our hearts were fulfilled, we wouldn’t be bored, but was that really true? Still, Prince Oswald’s warm personality comforted me like a sunbeam.
As he said, maybe just being by his side would satisfy me.
"Well, Miss Philia, thank you for having me today. The meal was delightful. And Leonardo, it was delicious. I’ll come to eat here again.”
"I apologize for keeping you so long. I had a great time as well.”
"The honor was mine. Next time, I’ll hone my skills to impress you even more, Your Highness.”
With a satisfied look, Prince Oswald finished his meal and returned to the palace. Just as he noted, the loneliness I felt after he left was incomparable to before.
“Come to think of it, why did His Highness have such a sad expression at that time?”
As I pondered the loneliness of Prince Oswald’s departure, I suddenly recalled the indescribable expression he showed just before we got out of the carriage.
When I spoke about Archbishop Henry, Prince Oswald unusually evaded the topic. Considering he was raised high enough in the church to become an archbishop, he must be quite virtuous.
Should I ask Bishop Bjorn tomorrow when I go to the church what kind of person Archbishop Henry was? Getting to know his personality might bring me closer to understanding the reason for Prince Oswald’s expression back then.
As I felt the night breeze, I let my mind race to distract myself from the loneliness.
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