Epilogue

The carriage subtly rocked as it rolled along its way.

As she basked in the comfortable rocking, Rosemarie peered out at the scenery going past the window. The beautiful coastline commanded a view from the carriage as it drove along the coastal road, a sight that Rosemarie never grew tired of.

(Time really did fly by.)

Their stay in the Holy Land lasted about seven days, but so many things transpired that it felt like it all happened in the blink of an eye. Sitting in the carriage heading back to Baltzar, she finally felt as though she could catch her breath.

The bucket she asked for Heidi to return sat in her lap as she cast her eyes on Claudio, who was sitting across from her.

Claudio was also enjoying the view out the window in similar fashion to Rosemarie. And the face reflected back at him in the glass wasn’t a lion’s, either; it was the same human head she saw with her own eyes. But it was probably going to right back to looking like a lion’s in a few days.

Claudio’s expression as he peered outside was hard to read—there was no telling what was on his mind. Ever since their discussion with Lene, they had been extremely scant with words.

(I suppose it’s only natural. He was told that he would live even without his mana, after all.) But, as one required mana to hold the position of crown prince, that was as good as telling him to step down. It was a statement that was enough to shatter Claudio’s efforts up until then.

Without a clue as to how she should initiate a conversation with him, she ended up keeping silent.

(I really wish I could say something clever to break the ice...)

She didn’t notice any symptoms like pain or discomfort in regards to her soul being fractured—a fact that made her less concerned about herself and more concerned for Claudio.

The carriage drove over a particularly big bump, rocking it more so than usual.

“Rosemarie.”

“Yes! I mean, y-yes? Would you like to put your head in my lap?” She wasn’t ready for him to address her and blurted out a nonsensical offer—one so nonsensical that it made Claudio tense his face up before responding with a wry smile.

“—Yes. That doesn’t sound half bad.”

His compliance drew the color from Rosemarie’s face. Claudio would normally refuse her proposal, but he nodded and agreed to it instead. He was probably considerably depressed, so she couldn’t let herself panic.

“Oh, um, err, it’s okay! I’ll follow you anywhere if you so decide, Prince Claudio.” Rosemarie made her appeal while leaning forward. Maybe he thought that her words were hackneyed and cliché, but it was an earnest statement.

Claudio looked at her dubiously, likely out of surprise, but soon started smiling.

“You’re thinking that I’m going to give up the position of crown prince, right?”

“Huh? Is that not correct? Well, since you said you’d lay your head upon my lap, I was convinced that you decided to give your position up and fell into despair...”

“And who said that? No way would I so easily abandon everything that I’ve built up. I have the expectations of others to consider, as well. Even if things prove difficult, if I can retrieve my mana, then I will struggle forward no matter what,” Claudio stated with a dauntless smile, his usual firm attitude in place.

“Plus, we have to fix your eyes.”

“In that case, why...” She stared at Claudio in confusion, making him lose whatever words he had. He then averted his eyes awkwardly.

“I’ve also put your through quite the harrowing set of experiences and I’m sure there’s much of the same to follow in the future. You may not want to go to Baltzar. But, as I’ve stated several times before, I do not want to send you back, nor do I have any plans to send you back.”

No desire to send her back and no plans on it, either—she had heard him say those words time and time again, yet they made her chest tighten up all the same. She had realized that, despite him being so very sincere with her, she still had not given him a concrete answer.

“... I thought that if I granted your wishes, then you wouldn’t ask to go back to Volland even after my mana went back to normal.” Claudio poured out his heart and, while he didn’t look at Rosemarie, there were no signs of him being bashful. As she wondered just how close to his wits’ end he was, she felt herself getting uncontrollably flustered.

“... Surely you haven’t been so short of words because that has been on your mind this entire time... right?”

The thought seemed ridiculous, but it still hung in the back of her head. She stared intently at Claudio and he not only turned his eyes, but his entire head, away from her gaze. His ears were gradually turning red.

“Well, excuse me for giving it thought,” said Claudio sulkily, which made Rosemarie pull on his sleeve.

“Um, but if you need me... I will stay by your side.” The last time she’d said that, he said that the sentiment pleased him; but Claudio seemed far from pleased as he continued to look out the window.

“... I’ve become a greedy man. I want those words to be enough to satisfy me, but a prejudiced part of me thinks that you’re just saying that since you feel obligated to me.”

“—It’s not out of any obligation, though.” Rosemarie shook her head, befuddled. She’d never expected that he would be under that impression.

“—Prince Claudio, I married you because your head never appeared as a beast head to me.”

“Yes, that’s right. And I took you as my wife because I wanted to retrieve the mana you stole from me.”

“Right, that is why I planned on giving my role as crown princess to someone more befitting and returning to Volland once I returned your mana.” Rosemarie squeezed the bucket that sat on her lap and dropped her gaze.

“I did, at least. But then I saw Princess Suzette by your side and I didn’t want to go back to Volland or give up my position—even if it meant that you would hate me because of it. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe how it just wasn’t like me—it frightened me, in fact.”

Feeling Claudio’s eyes cast firmly upon her, Rosemarie lifted her head. Claudio had been looking at the window the entire time, but now his eyes were focused on her, looking slightly surprised.

“I think that the only person I’ll ever have feelings for like this is you, Prince Claudio.” Never before did she ever think that she would feel this way by the time she got to know Claudio’s true character. It caused her some discomfort and fear, yet it also brought her happiness.

“Prince Claudio, you make me... Huh?” Just as Rosemarie was about to finish her sentence, a sound hit her ears and made her stop partway. It was a beautiful sound; a rustle of something light yet solid, making a jingling of sorts.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, um, There’s just this peculiar sound...”

“Sound? Oh... right.” Claudio’s face snapped directly from a perplexed stare to a disappointed scowl.

“What utterly lousy timing,” he uttered under his breath in dissatisfaction at the same time the carriage stopped in its steady tracks.

“Your Highness! We have arrived at your requested location!”

“Yes, appreciated.” Claudio responded to Alto’s call with a thanks before opening the door.

“Prince Claudio, where are you...?”

“I’m going to show you what you’ve been wanting to see. Come along.”

Rosemarie cocked her head in confusion at Claudio and his mischievous smile, but left the carriage, regardless. Once she set foot on the ground, she went to Claudio’s side, just as she had a few days prior when they took a break on the hill overlooking the Holy Land. He put her shawl over her shoulders.

“Why did we stop here?”

“Oh, it is a surprise, milady,” said Heidi with a suggestive smile.

“You know, your husband can be so shrewd that it’s scary,” said the person standing beside Heidi with a deep sigh—that person was the pigtailed chambermaid, Adelina. Adelina had borne witness to everything, so leaving her behind in the Holy Land wasn’t an option. That was why they decided to take her with them—especially considering she was originally from Baltzar.

Rosemarie pondered those statements as she saw Claudio beckon for her on the other side of the carriage.

“What in the world could it be...? Huh? But, this is...”

Covering the beach like a blanket, flowers with transparent petals tinged with blue were in bloom. The petals were similar to violets’, and every time they waved in the sea breeze, a comforting jingling noise resounded.

“You wanted to see these before we left for the Holy Land, right? You said that they only bloom near beaches.”

“Yes, that is true, but that was such a small mention...” She never would have thought he would remember something like that.

“We were on the way, anyway. And so much has happened this time around. Consider it my treat to you.”

There was no way this was on the way. If they passed by here on the way to the Holy Land, she would have realized based on this sound alone, even if the curtains were down in the carriage. He went out of his way to bring her out here.

Rosemarie squatted and touched the petals as she listened to Claudio’s tender voice. They proved to be far more delicate than expected, so she pulled her hand away quickly to avoid crushing them.

“Prince Claudio, this is not fair. If you do things like this, it will make me fall deeper in...” She bit her lip and quickly stood up. Then, she turned herself around and tugged on Claudio’s ears. He staggered a bit, the look of satisfaction disappearing from his face.

“—Even if you do things like this, I love you.”

As soon as she whispered those words into his ear, he took it back and blushed a sudden, bright red. It was just as she’d suspected: when she initiated, Claudio was on the back foot.

“Y-You... What do you think you’re...?!” Claudio shouted with a beet-red face as something suddenly latched onto it.

“Momo!”

The squirrel with the flower emblem on its forehead stuck itself to Claudio’s face, just as it had a few days prior. Rosemarie rushed to pull it off, but the squirrel was easily removed this time and ran up Rosemarie’s arm to her shoulder.

It was strange to see it there, considering they had released it back into the forest on the hill overlooking the Holy Land.

“We took that squirrel back to the forest. What is it doing here? We’ve got no more Kaola.” Claudio rubbed at his face from the possible scratch he suffered, glaring in an annoyed manner at the squirrel. The squirrel then squeaked, threatened, wagging its body left and right.

“You are angry, so I believe it’s feeling threatened.”

“No, that isn’t it. It doesn’t like the fact that I’m coming close to you.”

“...Prince Claudio, I implore you not to be jealous over a mere squirrel.”

“It may be a squirrel, but it’s a Sacred Beast, I’ll have you know.”

Claudio’s brows drooped, and he turned away to hide his awkward expression.

“And, please, don’t sulk.”

“I’m not sulking.” Claudio obstinately refuted, a gesture Rosemarie considered just a bit charming as she gently tugged on his sleeve in consolation and gave him a smile.