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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Meeting at the Festival (3)
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Wham!
"Ugh!"
"When you see your big brothers, you should greet us happily, not run away."
Sei-an subtly frowned at Cliff's action of wrapping his arm around his neck and messing up his hair.
'He's touching me with the hand that was just in his mouth?'
He didn't like Cliff messing with his hair with the hand that had just touched his mouth while blowing kisses to women.
"Ugh... Ugh!"
"Se-Sei-an?"
"...! Sei-an!"
At that, Sei-an deliberately groaned, feigning pain.
A flustered Cliff released his arm and checked Sei-an's complexion, while Lucian, standing nearby, also approached Sei-an with a hardened expression.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"...I'm fine. A sudden pain flared up in the spot where I was injured by Cliff, sir..."
"..."
At Sei-an's words, Lucian slowly turned his head and glared at Cliff with cold eyes.
"Oh, no, I was just joking around..."
A flustered Cliff quickly offered an excuse, but Lucian's already chilling demeanor didn't easily soften.
Cliff's expression grew even more awkward. It was his own fault for forgetting that Lucian was incredibly sensitive, especially when it came to his younger brother.
'Serves him right for touching me with that hand.'
Watching Cliff, Sei-an chuckled inwardly, then straightened his body, which he'd feigned to be in pain, and comfortably sat back down.
"Are you really okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine now."
"Good, then."
"But I really just touched him gently...!"
"..."
"Ha... Haha! Alright, it's all my fault."
A moment later, when Sei-an said he was fine, Cliff finally grumbled, making excuses that weren't really excuses, claiming it wasn't his fault.
But at Lucian's silent, cold gaze, Cliff quickly changed his tune and forced an awkward smile, having to apologize.
"By the way, are you two also out to enjoy the festival?"
Feeling a little sorry for Cliff, who was constantly flashing awkward smiles, Sei-an spoke to the two of them, seemingly trying to change the atmosphere.
"Yes. Are you also here to see the festival?"
"Yes."
"Actually, I stopped by your place to see if you wanted to come with us, but you were already gone. So you came here."
Cliff had sought him out, insisting they go to the festival together, and Sei-an, thinking it would be good to join them, had gone to his residence, but found he was already out.
"Alone?"
"No. I came with Pike."
"Pike? Ah..."
Lucian, who had asked if Sei-an was alone, tilted his head slightly at the name Pike, then quickly remembered that Sei-an's maid was named Pike.
"But where did she go? Why are you alone?"
"To buy some drinks... Hmm, now that I think about it, she's taking longer than expected."
Sei-an, who had been answering Cliff's question, suddenly realized that Pike had been gone for quite a while and stood up.
"I should go look for her."
"Let's go together."
"Alright."
At that, Cliff and Lucian also stood up and began to move with Sei-an.
***
'Don't fall... Don't spill... Careful... Careful...'
At that moment, Pike was carefully and slowly walking, holding cups of drinks in both hands, trying not to fall.
Thump!
"Oh!"
But then, she collided hard with someone and couldn't help but fall backward.
And one of the drinks in her hand spilled all over her face and body, while the other slipped from her grasp and flew onto the clothes of the person she'd collided with.
Splash!
"Kyaa!"
"Princess Rainy!"
"..."
The person on whom the drink had spilled let out a small shriek and instantly scowled, while her lady-in-waiting beside her called out her name in a hurried voice.
It was Princess Rainy's name, to be exact.
"I-I'm sorry."
Pike quickly got up and bowed her head deeply towards the person who appeared to be a noble, offering an apology.
Although the other person had walked into her, she believed it was her duty as someone of low status to apologize, which was why she bowed so deeply.
"You wretch! Do you even know who this person is?!"
"I am truly sorry."
"What are you going to do about these clothes?!"
At the barrage of angry words from Jessie, Princess Rainy's lady-in-waiting, Pike didn't know what to do.
Still young and having no experience with such a direct confrontation with a noble, tears simply welled up in her eyes.
"..."
Rainy's mood worsened as she looked at Pike, finding nothing at all to excuse.
Princess Rainy, who had first spotted Sei-an and followed him, had then trailed Pike as she headed somewhere alone.
Princess Rainy, who had purposely bumped into Pike to get a closer look at her, now felt an even greater surge of anger at the unexpected shower of drinks.
"Oh dear! This child is crying, Princess Rainy."
Princess Rainy wore an even more displeased expression at the sight of Pike shedding tears.
What on earth was so pretty about this wretch that *that person* had even smiled at her?
"Hey! You're the one who made the mistake, so why are you crying like this?! Anyone would think we were tormenting you."
"Hmph... But... but..."
"But what?"
At Pike's attempt to offer an excuse in response to Jessie's words, Princess Rainy spoke to her for the first time, her voice icy.
"I... I wasn't entirely at fault, was I?"
"...What?"
Perhaps it was out of panic. Pike, despite knowing that the other person was of high status, began to blurt out words mixed with excuses and accusations.
And at Pike's words, Princess Rainy's expression began to harden even further.
"Hmph... You're the one who walked into me."
"..."
Ultimately, at Pike's words, which blamed her, Princess Rainy raised her hand to slap her cheek.
Snap!
"..."
If only a hand hadn't seized hers at that very moment.
"Sei-an."
"...What brings you here, Princess Rainy?"
It was Sei-an.
"Y-Young Master! Hmph... Hmph."
At Sei-an's appearance, Pike, who was already sniffling, burst into full tears and called out his name. Relief washed over her at the sight of him.
"..."
But Sei-an's gaze, as he looked at Pike, was colder than ever.
He then released Princess Rainy's hand, looked at Pike, and spoke.
"What are you doing here right now?"
At Sei-an's question, Pike began to recount the full story to him, as if to point out Princess Rainy's fault.
"Hmph... I was carefully walking after buying drinks, and that person just abruptly came over..."
Smack!
"..."
But before her words could even finish, Sei-an slapped Pike across the cheek with all his might.
Not only Pike but Princess Rainy also had to stare at him with surprised eyes.
"She is not someone you can carelessly refer to as 'that person'."
"..."
And at his subsequent cold words, Pike couldn't utter a single sound.
"I apologize. She is still young, so please forgive her, Princess."
Sei-an then left Pike standing there and respectfully bowed his head towards Princess Rainy, offering an apology on Pike's behalf.
"I will fetch a change of clothes for you shortly, so please wait here for a moment."
Then, Sei-an took off his own outer garment and draped it over Princess Rainy, whose clothes were soiled.
"You, follow me."
"...Yes."
Then, Sei-an spoke to Pike, who was standing blankly to one side, still in a cold tone, and quickly left the spot.
And Pike, listlessly, slowly began to follow behind him.
"Princess Rainy, what will happen to that child now? She's going to get quite a scolding."
"Does it seem that way to you?"
"Yes."
Watching the two of them, Jessie, Princess Rainy's lady-in-waiting, spoke as if a little concerned for Pike.
"...It will be the opposite."
"What?"
"..."
"?"
But at Princess Rainy's subsequent words, Jessie looked at her with a bewildered expression. *The opposite*, she said. Jessie couldn't understand what that meant.
But seeing her tightly shut lips, as if she had no intention of clarifying her statement, Jessie could only tilt her head, unable to ask anything further.
'That was an act to stop me.'
Princess Rainy had already realized that Sei-an's cold slap to Pike's cheek and his harsh words to her just now were meant to appease her own anger.
If he hadn't done that, she, as a princess, might have killed Pike.
After all, to spill a drink on her and talk back was enough of a crime to warrant the death of a low-born maid, and it would have been no trouble at all.
Even if the fault had originated with herself.
'He did it knowing all that.'
Sei-an had acted, anticipating everything. And she was not so dull as to not realize it.
But even though she understood everything, she couldn't do anything.
Sei-an had already slapped Pike, punishing her on her behalf, and conveyed an apology to her. If she had then pressed charges against Pike, she would only have made a fool of herself.
It would only have been a matter of time before she was labeled a heartless princess.
"..."
Recalling Sei-an, who had upheld her pride as a princess while swiftly resolving the incident, Princess Rainy stood unmoving like a statue for a long time.
"Sei-an, that guy, he's really changed a lot. It's surprising."
"..."
Meanwhile, Cliff, who had been observing everything from the side, spoke admiringly to Lucian, who stood silently beside him.
They, too, just like Princess Rainy, had grasped the meaning behind Sei-an's actions.
Lucian also recalled Sei-an, who had already disappeared from sight, and offered a faint smile.
"..."
However, unlike the others, there was one person who had completely failed to understand Sei-an's actions: Pike.
She was quietly following behind Sei-an, looking dejected and dispirited.
"Are you angry?"
"...! Oh, no, I'm not."
Then, at Sei-an's sudden question, Pike flinched and quickly shook her head.
How could she possibly dare to be angry with Sei-an? No matter what anyone said, he was the superior she served.
She was simply ashamed and sorry for seemingly angering and inconveniencing Sei-an with her foolish mistake and actions.
And the thought that Sei-an might never smile at her again made her heart ache.
"Pike."
"Yes."
"...I'm sorry I hit you."
"W-What?"
But the next moment, as Sei-an approached her and offered an apology, Pike was startled and quickly raised her head to look at him.
"..."
And there stood Sei-an, looking at her with a faint smile, causing Pike to momentarily become blank-faced.
"Did it hurt a lot?"
"Hmph... Hmph... N-No. It didn't hurt at all."
Then, at Sei-an's gentle voice, which followed, Pike finally let the tears she had been holding back flow again.
It wasn't out of sadness, but out of gratitude, immense gratitude, that he had smiled at her again.
"..."
A moment later, Sei-an began to comfort Pike, gently patting her head.
"Hmph... Waaah!"
"..."
But his actions seemed to have only stimulated her tear ducts, as Pike leaned her face against Sei-an's chest and began to sob uncontrollably.
At that, Sei-an made a troubled expression and exclaimed to her.
"...Please, just don't wipe your snot on me."
"Waaaah!"
"...Haa, do whatever you want."
However, at Pike's even louder wails in response to his words, Sei-an ultimately sighed and had to pat her head to comfort her once more.
