Episode 8
The carriage of Lankeia, bearing the finely engraved crest of the Fidelanis family, was as large as a moving mansion.
Its exterior was painted in pitch-black matte, exuding a dark yet somehow alluring aura that seemed to embody Lankeia himself.
“Let’s depart.”
Inside, the carriage was just as luxurious—plush seats, flawless in every way—except for one flaw.
I can’t believe I have to ride in here with this guy…
I stole a glance at Lankeia, who was leaning toward the window to give instructions to the coachman.
Two whole days to his domain. Just the two of us.
And after what happened this morning, the air was still awkward!
‘Keep conversation to a minimum.’
I replayed Ribed’s parting words in my head and took a deep breath.
Right. If I keep my mouth shut, I’m halfway there.
Lankeia, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease.
As soon as the coachman replied, he leaned back in his seat, pulled a pair of round glasses from his uniform pocket, and began reading a newspaper from who-knows-where.
“Then, let’s go! Hyah!”
With the coachman’s loud call and the cheerful neigh of the horses, the carriage began to move—
“Wait!”
A desperate voice rang out from beyond the carriage.
The horses halted after only a few steps, and moments later, the owner of the voice hurried toward us.
His face was flushed, but his clothes were neat.
“William?”
Lankeia tilted his head, recognizing him.
I might be bad with faces, but once I heard the name, I knew instantly who he was—
William Ringard, Crown Prince Cedric’s aide.
“Pant… pant… Stop—sorry… haah…”
Catching his breath, William straightened up after a few deep inhales.
“What is it? Did His Highness summon me?”
“N-no. He simply asked me to relay a message.”
“Go on.”
“Word for word: He apologizes for not giving you a proper wedding gift yesterday and will soon visit the Grand Duchy with a present.”
“That’s it?”
Lankeia frowned, clearly not understanding why William had come rushing for something so trivial.
“And…”
“?”
“His Highness says that whatever he said to Her Highness on the wedding day was meant as a joke, and if it offended her, he apologizes.”
…Apologizing to me?
Caught off guard by the sudden shift in focus, I tilted my head in confusion.
“Uh… please tell him I understand.”
We couldn’t waste more time on something so trivial, so I nodded, though an odd feeling lingered.
After that brief exchange, the carriage resumed its journey—this time uninterrupted.
Even if the journey is smooth, so what…
The awkward air between us remained, Lankeia still absorbed in his newspaper.
I alternated between glancing at him and gazing out the window.
Outside, winter scenery swept by. Snow must have fallen yesterday—everything was white, and warmly dressed children were happily building snowmen.
As I watched absentmindedly, I muttered,
“I wonder if those kids know they’re living inside a novel…”
Well, unlike me—an orphan—they had loving parents, so wherever or however they existed, happiness was probably guaranteed.
“Hm?”
Lankeia’s voice pulled me back.
“What did you just say?”
“…Huh?”
I’d spoken so quietly—no way he heard that.
“Didn’t you just say something to me?”
“Ah… no, it was just to myself.”
“…I see.”
So his hearing was annoyingly sharp too.
“Your…”
Before he could circle back to it, I scrambled to change the subject—
“…wrist.”
Thankfully, his next words had nothing to do with my muttering.
“Is your wrist all right?”
“Ah, it’s fine.”
I forced an awkward smile and nodded.
But his expression remained rigid.
“It was my fault, so if it hurts, tell me immediately.”
“…Okay.”
“Have you had breakfast?”
“Breakfast?”
The sudden change of topic threw me off.
Remembering how I’d turned down Madam Heily’s offer that morning, I simply shook my head.
“No.”
“…I see.”
His expression darkened further.
What? Why make that already sharp face even scarier?
Feeling uneasy, I asked,
“Why…?”
“Didn’t I tell you? This will be a long trip.”
“And?”
“…You’re going to get motion sickness.”
For a second, I’d thought it was something serious.
I laughed and shrugged.
“Oh, I never get motion sickness. In fact, if I eat in the morning, I’ll feel more nauseous.”
Just a carriage ride—no problem.
If anything, I was curious to see if he would get motion sick.
As always, I was the one to suffer instead.
The road was rough and uneven, the speed constantly changing, and my stomach turned inside out.
“Haa… Your Grace…”
“Yes?”
“We’re… getting close to your domain, right?”
I’d promised myself I’d keep conversation to a minimum, but now even my head was spinning—I couldn’t focus.
“No. We haven’t even reached a quarter of the way.”
“…”
I swore inwardly and decided I might as well try to sleep.
Leaning back, I closed my eyes and started counting sheep.
One sheep… two sheep… three sheep…
But thanks to drinking heavily last night, I wasn’t sleepy at all.
Then—
“Your Highness.”
Lankeia’s steady voice softened slightly.
“Are you asleep?”
“…No.”
“Then would you like this?”
A cool sensation touched my hand.
Looking down, I saw a bottle.
“What is this?”
“A magically insulated bottle with jasmine tea inside. It should help ease the motion sickness.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“If you hold on a bit longer, we’ll stop for lunch.”
He gestured at the bottle.
Following his suggestion, I unscrewed the cap and took a sip.
The rich tea aroma filled my senses.
“Mmm…!”
It was sweet at the end—surprisingly addictive.
I looked up to thank him again, but his eyes were already back on the newspaper.
So he’s not all prickly after all…
Watching him quietly, I took another sip.
My head cleared a little.
That’s one point toward being a proper romance-novel tsundere male lead.
Just as that thought ended, the carriage stopped.
“We’ll rest here for a bit!” the coachman called.
It seemed to be the break Lankeia had mentioned.
My body was craving food, so I stood up the instant we stopped—forgetting something important.
Namely, that I was in terrible shape physically, and my congenital orthostatic hypotension was severe.
The moment I stood, the dizziness hit, my vision blurred, and my legs gave way.
“Ah!”
Lankeia, who had stepped out first to help me down, widened his eyes as I swayed.
Losing my balance, I pitched forward.
Damn it, the ground!
I clenched my eyes shut, ready to use the falling technique Ribed had taught me to soften the impact—
Thump—
It was too quick for the ground.
And there was a familiar scent.
