The Escape of Layla

"If I had Allen, would you have seen that maid again?

That afternoon, when I met Monica, as my mother expected, she accidentally whined about that as I was having tea in the courtyard with Cheryl, who had pushed me to the royal castle.

Cheryl, with her beautifully curled, shiny blonde hair and blue eyes, still looks beautiful in anyone's eyes today. Luxuriously, I am completely accustomed to her beauty, but I think Cheryl is a beautiful girl once again when she sees the servants blinded.

"Who did you ask, Cheryl?"

I was seeing Monica hours before I met Cheryl like this. Will a servant who is avoiding me bother to tell Cheryl?

"You don't have to ask! Allen seemed so happy when she met that maid."

"... I guess so"

Before I know it, will my cheeks be loose? I think blurry, touching my face unexpectedly. My fiancée seems to take a good look at me.

"I'm glad you even noticed minor facial changes. Cheryl."

Same exemplary answer.

"Couldn't you?

"I can't complain, and rejection is annoying."

For once, it's like Cheryl to say this to me, the king and prince of a country. I was very fond of such a strong point about her, and I know perfectly well that she is a heartfelt girl whose words are just tough from time to time.

"You will surely be loved by all of us when you become Princess Wang."

Mouth the prepared tea, whining casually like that. Today and today, it tastes perfect from the temperature to the intensity of the tea leaves.

"I don't know..."

Cheryl turned to me in an unsatisfactory manner and picked out the small cookies and put them in her mouth.

"If you care about Monica, I apologize. Today, I was asked to confirm the paper I'm presenting next time."

"Papers......?

"Yes, I told you before, you're signaling a hand to use instead of a voice. Do you read Cheryl, too?

I meant to ask very naturally, but Cheryl had a subtle look on her face. She's not supposed to be bad at studying, but I've never seen her like it and read a little difficult book.

"No, I won't. From what I've read, something I don't understand"

"Well, that's too bad."

"... I'm sorry I doubted you, yeah. That's what you are..."

"Really, seriously," Cheryl sighed in a small sigh. I know it's complimented as a word, but it sounds boring to me to do so.

"Sorry, let's tell Cheryl's favorite story"

Even I don't want to ruin my fiancée's mood without darkness. Besides, before she was my fiancée, she was an important childhood friend. I want to be as close as possible.

"... nothing, fine. I don't hate it when you talk about papers like you're having fun."

"Really? But you seemed bored, Cheryl."

"I was reflecting on my narrowness. Neglected even by my emotions are clever imitations of you making a lover other than your fiancée, something you can't possibly do"

"I'm aware of Cheryl's emotions. You love me, don't you?

"Oh... nothing, that's not true!

Cheryl blushed just a little bit, stirring teacups of tea to hide it. It's not a bad mood to think that's all Cheryl is upset about.

I hope I can get it back to you soon. "I like Cheryl too."

Where the right words have been fixed, the sharp Cheryl will find out. She doesn't want to be flattered. I knew that, too.

What is the moment when friendship turns into love? I can't even think of the right person to ask. Asking your parents who don't seem to have friendship or romance in the first place is too wild.

... Monica would you consult me?

Unexpectedly, I felt it was a good idea, and accidentally I loosened my cheek.

Monica is still young, even though she is older, so it won't be a year when she splits it between sour and sweet, but at least she must have a lot more experience than I do. If she haunted that gentle and innocent atmosphere, many would have been told.

It's about serious Monica. I'm sure you'll be personally on board for this consultation.

I thought so, and I made up my mind to go see Monica again after this tea party.

Watch closely until Cheryl gets into the carriage at the Duke's house and wave small at her as she drifts away. Cheryl always seems a little lonely when she's face-to-face like this without vacation for three days. Will she never have that look if she marries me? [M]

I went to the library first, thinking about asking around.

I've been reading with Monica for years now, but there's actually more I don't know about her. So much so that I can tell from my outfit that I'm a maid, I don't even know exactly where I have it.

I was just thinly guessing. There are only two workplaces I can think of that never bowl together with me living in a castle.

It's called the "Moon Shadow Tower," which either manages towers to the west of the castle or works in dungeons.

Moon Shadow Tower. That, although ostensibly regarded as a private room used by the royal family to breathe, was in fact a tower for the seclusion of sinners and others of noble stature. Sometimes, he said, the king's mistress and so on are surrounded.

I grew up telling you not to come near me, and even for me, it wasn't a place I liked to peek. It's kind of a creepy tower because they don't even let you know if there's anyone out there.

Most of all, if my father had done such a nasty thing as surround his mistress, it would have been a familiar story to reject.

... Even if Father had someone he loved as much as he wanted to surround himself, he might feel the human flavor under that cold look.

While I was there, I imagined things too unrealistic. I can't believe your father loved someone enough to shut him down. It's a joke that the heavens and earth are unlikely to turn upside down.

As I stepped into the library, I went straight for a small browsing room, just like I did in the morning. There are few people in the library because the days are starting to tilt. I took a softly peek into the browsing room as I heard my own footsteps echo into the quiet space.

I didn't know how long Monica was reading in this place, but, after all, she doesn't seem to be here anymore. I'm afraid I'll ask you the next time I see you. I thought so, and when I tried to turn my heel back, it came to my attention that Monica was left with an old leather notebook where she was sitting.

If I accidentally came close to observe it, I knew immediately that it was a notebook Monica was carrying for brush talk. No matter how much work buddies and I started using hand signals, it would be inconvenient without this.

I gently reached out and touched the notebook, but I slipped my hand because of smoother leather than I thought. Make a blunt noise and the notebook falls to the floor.

Even though it's Monica's precious notebook, I did something I'm sorry about. He reaches for the notebook in a hurry to succumb and tries to close it so that he doesn't look at the contents as much as possible. But I was blinded by something sticking out of my notebook and accidentally stopped my hand.

It was a single ribbon with delicate lace that a woman could wear to her hair. If that's all, I might have done with the feeling that Monica sometimes wears these things, too.

But it was the colour that confused my mind.

Yes, it was one of the contraindications of this castle, the colored ribbon. No, I'm not wearing it, so I guess I can't say I'm touching contraindications, to be exact, but I also hate to have a color if I'm a regular servant. No servant should have bothered to carry it, because if the one above finds it, he should undoubtedly be reprimanded.

The colors are colors that even nobles avoid if they are close to their fathers. Especially the Duke of Ames, Cheryl's biological home, which is remarkable. Even the Duke didn't tell me why, and it was just repeated that I shouldn't bring up the colors where I get to my father's eyes anyway.

How can Monica carry such a colour? Besides, I can't believe I bothered to pinch it in a notebook I cherish. I couldn't help but think that a serious Monica would do this kind of imitation with a halfway motive.

When I first open the leather cover to put the colored ribbon in my notebook, this time the purple embossed flower is pinched and I stop my hand again. I can feel you staring seriously at someone else's personal belongings, but I couldn't help but look away.

Isn't this a flower of anemones? It's a contraindication flower in this castle, so I've never seen the real thing, but I've checked it in the drawings. The round petals were adorable, poor flowers.

Naturally, it's just as contraindicated as a ribbon. It's not a complimentary substitute to have.

"... why, Monica"

I gently glanced at the ribbon and thought back at her sunny smile. Even though she's not the kind of person who goes on and breaks the rules.

Is it so thoughtful for her? Is it a treasure you want to cherish so much that you don't hate touching the contraindications of this castle?

I wanted to know, I thought. Of course it's because it involves Monica, because I've intuited that there are few secrets involved about the contraindications of this castle that I've been exploring for the last fifteen years.

Anemone flowers, colored, flax hair and eyes. I saw these three as completely irrelevant, but even if Monica had a ribbon and an anemone, she might have something to do with these three matters.

My previous curiosity hurt and I couldn't stay or not. When I pinched Monica's notebook tightly with a ribbon, I left my notebook behind in the browsing room with one hand.

I had already completely forgotten about the romantic counseling, which was supposed to have been my original purpose. Right now, I just can't help but care about this ribbon and the tweezers.

Will Monica tell me? Monica's thoughts on the secrets of this castle's contraindications.

Just a little, don't be nervous. When I grabbed Monica's notebook and laughed a little, I went to the librarian to ask her where Monica was.