I Became the Villainess’s Brother

26) gossip: by your side (Prince Huddle-Imperial-Windilia perspective)

Langley, why are you avoiding me?

Surrounded by the ladies in the same class, smiling, my feelings are in the air.

Both Langriese and Miss Fortuna are really rare to see at tea parties.

And even if I see him because of it, he has no other word to say besides a formal greeting, and the two of them are leaving me.

I could be in the same class, so I'd like to get close to Langley at least......

The ladies will always smile at me and try to stay by my side.

But Miss Fortuna was different.

Eye-catching beauty is backwards, understated, and always with a gentle grin.

To no one, that kindness has a backdrop.

Every maid said that the smile directed at me, the prince, and the expression directed at the servant were different.

... that day, I learned the truth about the face behind the ladies and Miss Fortuna.

◇ ◇

It was about a year ago.

"Engagement, is it?

My father's room called me, and I wanted to lean down.

Both my brother and sister already have a fiancée.

But it wasn't yet for me.

My second brother got engaged when he was my age.

So it's not strange if those stories come to me.

But...

I didn't feel very positive listening to my father.

It doesn't mean I don't like engagements.

At tea parties, every young lady always smiles at me.

I enjoyed spending a lot of time with them, and I'm sure I'll be happy no matter what kind of courtier I get engaged to.

But there's only one person to choose for my fiancée.

After marriage, we can welcome you as a second lady, a third lady and a wife, but your fiancée is alone.

I can't just pick one of the gentle and fun ladies.

Is it because I'm just a kid that I want to be with everyone?

When I honestly told my father how I felt, he nodded, "Hmm..." and stroked my jaw.

And Father made a hell of a suggestion.

I have been surprised by that suggestion but, at the same time, very excited.

The next tea party is just a week away.

I'm even more excited about my usual tea party.

◇ ◇

"You, carry the glass!

"Ha, ha."

"Carry the food when you're done."

"Yes."

One of the kitchens talks fast to me.

To me, the prince, I would be disrespectful.

But now I'm still a servant.

This is what Father suggested to me when I was worried about not being able to choose my fiancée.

"Why don't you play the servant?".

He said it was only natural for everyone to smile at me, the prince.

So if you have a warrant you care about, change your position and look.

I followed that word.

I change my hair, dye it brown, wear non-degrading glasses, and wear brand new servant clothes.

With all this, no one realizes I'm a prince.

I'm a freshly entered apprenticeship servant in the castle.

Tea parties are held in the small hall of the Royal Palace.

I hand out a glass of cold tea to the table one after the other.

All the servants always handed it out gracefully, but it's surprisingly hard to try it on their own.

When you get back to the prince, you have to thank all your servants more.

At the wall of the hall, I heard a voice I saw.

... Miss Vermouth?

There was a Vermot-Odill Duke and Lady.

They tie rustling and flowing silver hair into two pieces, higher than the ears, and wear luxurious hair decorations embellished with gems.

There seems to be a gathering of her and friendly warrants surrounding her that we don't see much of.

Miss Vermouth's voice is pointy enough to tell even if she's away.

What's wrong with her, always smiling?

Pretending to put the glass down, I moved to their side.

"Isn't it a lot more glamorous for the Baron's Warrant fetish to attend the Royal Palace tea party?

"Oh, uh, me..."

"Oh, are you going to answer me? I don't remember giving you permission."

"Oral Answers, etc…"

... some kind of mistake, right?

I took a breath in the words of Miss Vermouth, which I could hear in my own ears.

Has the Baroness, who is being blamed, even done something crude?

Otherwise, I don't think there's any way she could blame me for hanging so familiar...

"Baroness Dermilia, you're wearing a very unusual meal. Civilian clothes."

Miss Vermouth looks funny-looking in her heart, and her surrounding friends are at the same time.

What's wrong with it?

I don't understand.

Baroness Dermilia, certainly not very glamorous.

But it's the outfit you deserve to come to the royal palace.

There are no luxurious hair decorations like Miss Vermouth's, but even if you look at carefully intricately tied hair, you won't look like you'll be laughed at.

Baroness Darmilia, with tears in her eyes, has left the small hall to escape the Vermouth ladies.

What the hell caused it?

In front of me, the prince, Miss Vermouth has never behaved like that.

The other day, even to a servant who had a crude phase, she was smiling and responding.

How much did Baroness Dermilia do?

I wanted to deny what I had just seen, and I passed by the ladies' side, who blossom in rumors, and I got the truth from the stories of my sons, who look pitifully at the baroness.

... Miss Vermouth has a crush on the Weimar family's son, doesn't she?

In the whispers of my surrounding sons, I learned that Baroness Dermilia had nothing to do with it.

It's just that Miss Vermouth saw me speak up to Andy-Weimar.

Apparently Miss Vermouth hates all the women approaching Andy.

You think the only person you can cross with her is Marquis Shreddy-Paferia?

In her capacity, Miss Vermouth is above Miss Shreddy because she is the Duke's house courtier, but Miss Shreddy is the daughter of Marquis Parferia.

The daughter of the Marquis de Paferia and the son of the Duke of Gred are engaged, and the first lady of the Duke of Odile is the sister of the Marquis de Paferia.

I guess it's not just about identity.

"Yikes!

Is it because I was thinking?

I, with my glass, ran into your daughter.

"Sorry...... Huh!

Sooner than I apologize, the pain ran on my left cheek.

It took a few seconds to understand it was slapped with a fan.

It was the Countess Lyudia-Sharon who slapped me.

I remember well because I am always a courtier at a tea party held at the Royal Palace.

Behind the smile in my memory, Miss Lydia stares with angry, burning eyes.

"This, civilian! What will you do with my dress?!

Look, there's a little tea stain spreading on Miss Lydia's dress.

"Sorry, I'll wipe it right away"

My hand, which I tried to wipe with a cloth towel, was knocked off by Miss Lydia's fan, though.

"You can't possibly get dirt off that thing, can you?! It's time for Prince Huddle to be here, and this is ruined!

The beaten right hand is red and swollen.

I'm sure your cheeks are swollen too.

I can't imagine the usual smile from Miss Lydia, who curses me like a bad person.

Still, my hand swung up to slap me with a fan, and I closed my tight eyes.

…………

I opened my eyes softly to the pain that would not last forever.

In front of me was Miss Shreddy grabbing Miss Lydia's arm and putting it away.

"Sh, Master Shreddy, please let go of my hand"

"You can let me go, but you said to yourself it was time for the prince to come? Do you realize that? It's for your attention."

To Miss Shreddy's words, Miss Lydia looked around and dyed her cheeks slightly.

"Look, if it's that much staining, you can hide it with this costume"

Miss Shreddy removed the costume she was wearing and gave it to Miss Lydia.

Miss Shreddy and I had an eye for each other when Miss Lydia was wearing costumes.

... I think they smiled all the time.

I don't think so, but has he been called a prince?

I walked out of the small hall so I could run away from the two of them.

Through the small hall, out into the courtyard, tears crept up.

Both cheeks and hands complain of pain.

But above all, I couldn't believe the way your ladies were transformed.

What have I ever seen of them?

It's time to go back to the prince and back to the little hall.

But I don't feel that way very much.

I'm no longer sure I can smile and talk.

It won't be possible at all, such as choosing a fiancée.

... When you get back to your room, tell the butler you're not feeling well and let him rest.

I wiped my tears and felt my gaze as I raised my face.

"Are you hurt?

The lady who's staring at this one, I remember very well.

Glossy dark hair and pink tourmaline colored eyes.

I'm Miss Fortuna-Jackberry.

My body strained to her, who doesn't even talk much at the tea party.

Why is the Duke's maid in this place?

"Did I surprise you...... But if you like, use this one."

She put a healing cloth on my cheeks and hands.

"The magic of healing can be treated immediately..."

Just a little, sadly, she lay her eyes down.

"The Duke's Lady Who Can't Use Magic"

I knew the rumor, too.

So I shook my head in a hurry.

"Yes, no, it's okay. Thanks to the healing cloth, the pain seems to keep coming."

This is true.

Isn't it a healing cloth that performs well for a long time?

"Good......"

Fluffy.

She smiled with heartfelt joy.

Servant's, to me.

I'm not a prince, just to me.

"... eh"

Tears crept up again and I nodded on the spot.

Miss Fortuna rubbed my back like that.

Until I stop crying, all the time...

◇ ◇

Since that tea party day, I've looked into Miss Fortuna.

Mainly about fiancées and their equivalents.

Fortunately, she didn't have a fiancée yet.

but......

Seeing me surrounded by a warrant lady, an obviously relieved Langley was pictured on the edge of my eye.

Have I done something to Langley?

I can't think of anything.

Miss Fortuna says she admires Langley very much.

I later learned why Miss Fortuna was in the courtyard that day.

The inability to use magic is subject to contempt.

The ladies smiling in front of me must have a back face, like the Duke of Vermouth warrant.

There are only a few opponents who can blame Miss Fortuna, the Duke's Lady, face to face, but the rumors whispered there are not pleasant to hear.

If I could protect her...

Like she was on my side that day the whole time.

Now if I could have been by her side.

Back to what I wish for, I have had little to talk to Miss Fortuna since that day, and I have been avoided by my brother Langley.

What am I supposed to do?

Can we be friends with Langley this past year when we could be in the same class?

Will I see Miss Fortuna?

I nodded vaguely and sighed softly at the tea party schedule, which was going on without any trouble for me.