CHAPTER 16
Lunch Break
A short chapter.
I was eating lunch in the cafeteria with Rabra-chan.
Of course, Catherine-chan was with us as well.
“Princess Rose! Why are you eating with someone from the commoner class?”
“Is that not allowed? I always dreamed of having lunch with my friends… Was it improper for someone like me to share a meal with her friends?”
“N-No! We were the ones who spoke out of turn!”
Ever since we sat down, cute noble girls had been coming over to question us.
Maybe I was causing trouble for Rabra-chan and the others after all?
“Perhaps I should move to another table?”
“It’s fine! Let’s eat lunch together!”
Catherine-chan was so kind.
Rabra-chan, however, looked a little stiff.
Sorry about that.
“May I join you?”
“Ah, the pervert.”
“Stop that. Please stop. I’ll apologize.”
The prince had appeared, and both girls immediately froze.
“Cardinal, you’ve been way too cold to me lately! I heard you’ve been going to see Princess Cocol instead.”
“Princess Cocol is my source of healing! She’s adorable!”
“If you marry me, Cocol will become your little sister.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m already satisfied.”
“What do you mean, ‘satisfied’?”
Ignoring my response, the prince sat down beside me.
“If Yard marries Princess Cocol, then Cocol becomes my little sister, and I won’t have to marry this pervert. Two birds with one stone!”
“H-Huh?! Is Yardral really in that kind of relationship with Cocol?”
“No… but Princess Cocol adores Yard. Things will work themselves out.”
“You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
“Of course not. I simply want my cute little brother to be happy!”
“You’re lying. Do you really hate me that much?”
“…If you’re asking whether I dislike you or not…”
“Don’t answer that! You’re exactly the type who would throw me away without hesitation! You and your brother are both terrible!”
I replied with a cheerful smile.
“If you insult my brother again, I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
The prince immediately looked away.
“All you ever talk about is Bart.”
“He is my beloved older brother. Speaking of which, where is he?”
“…It’s always Bart!”
The prince pouted and turned toward Rabra.
“You must have a hard time being friends with Cardinal too.”
“N-Not really…”
Rabra-chan looked incredibly nervous.
“Lady Rabra is an important friend of mine. If you do anything to her, I’ll kill you.”
“Your whole family says ‘I’ll kill you’ to royalty way too often!”
“…I have never once said that to Lord Braud.”
“Wait, so you say it to everyone except my uncle? That’s even worse!”
“…You have a point! Which is why I would appreciate it if the marriage proposal between us were canceled.”
“How did we get to that conclusion?!”
“How did we not? I honestly don’t understand! Please remove me from the list of candidates already! My entire family wants that.”
“So that’s what you’ve all been after!”
While the prince and I glared at each other, Rabra-chan quietly spoke.
“Marriage proposal?”
“Want to hear something funny? Cardinal was once supposed to be engaged to me. Then she rejected it, saying, ‘I refuse to be engaged to an idiot prince like you.’”
“I am far too busy to enter an engagement with a fool!”
As I flashed a bright smile, my brother suddenly appeared.
“You seem to be having an interesting conversation.”
“Yes, Brother!”
“I’m not having fun at all!”
My brother smiled warmly and patted my head.
After that, we all ate lunch together at the same table.
It seemed that the heroine was still being chased around by Cardinal-chan.
