Cold War State
Lux’s Side
While I was studying in my room, there was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice.
“Master, my errands are complete. I have just returned.”
“Ah! Siana!”
Overjoyed to hear her voice, I immediately opened the door and spoke to the Siana standing there.
“Welcome back, Siana. You said it might be late at night, so I thought it would be even later. I’m relieved it was earlier than I expected.”
“I apologize for causing you unnecessary worry.”
“No, it wasn’t unnecessary at all. That’s just how important you are to me, Siana.”
“Master…! Thank you so much!”
After saying that, Siana paused briefly before continuing.
“Master, I’ve just returned and still have several things to take care of. May I return to my room for now…?”
“Of course. Thank you for letting me know you’re back, Siana.”
“Please don’t trouble yourself over something like that! Now then, I’ll excuse myself!”
Bowing her head to me, Siana walked down the hallway and returned to her room.
Feeling relieved that Siana had come back safely, I decided it was time to get ready for bed.
Siana’s Side
“Aah~! Lux-kun is so kind and cool and just absolutely wonderful~! Haah, I love you, Lux-kun… To express this love, I want to go on another date with Lux-kun, watch the beautiful night view together while we eat… But in my current state as Siana, I can’t do that, and it’s so frustrating. Aah~! Lux-kun, Lux-kun…!”
Watching Siana muttering to herself, cheeks flushed red as she sat alone in her room, Violet spoke.
“Ojou-sama, I wonder if you suffer from an illness that requires you to behave like this on a regular basis.”
When the ever-composed Violet pointed that out, Siana stopped blushing, cleared her throat once, and replied in a more composed tone.
“I-I can’t help it, okay? If I could, I’d be expressing my love to Lux-kun all day long. But right now, I can’t even convey this love to him… You too, even if you don’t say it out loud, aren’t you feeling something similar deep inside?”
“I… I feel nothing of the sort.”
“What was that pause just now?”
“It was nothing.”
“Your eyes are shifting, you know?”
“…At the very least, not to the same extent as you, Ojou-sama.”
“So you do feel something similar to me, just a little.”
“…”
Seeing Violet fall silent, Siana let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“This isn’t the time to be joking around like this. I have to go to the Duke Florence household early tomorrow morning.”
“To temporarily entrust Rodwell-sama to Florence-sama, correct?”
“I really don’t feel up to it. I hope I can think of another plan by three days from now, but regardless, I need to check Florence’s availability as soon as possible.”
“Indeed.”
If Floria happens to be unavailable in three days, this plan will fall apart.
That’s why speaking with Floria Florence as soon as possible was a top priority for Siana.
…The next morning.
Siana woke up before sunrise and boarded a carriage alone, as Felisiana, heading to the Duke Florence household.
Since there were no plans for anything dangerous this time, Violet remained behind at the estate to protect Lux.
By the time Siana arrived at the Florence residence, the sun had just started to rise, but she paid it no mind and proceeded straight to the front gate.
There, two gate guards reacted with surprise.
“Th-Third Princess Felisiana!?”
“W-We weren’t told you would be coming today. What brings you here…?”
In response to the surprised guards, Siana calmly replied in the manner of the Third Princess Felisiana.
“I have something to discuss with Floria Florence. Could you open the gate?”
“P-Please wait a moment. To open the gate, we need prior notice or permission from someone in the Duke’s household…”
As one of the guards explained while eyeing her carefully, Siana responded.
“Very well. Then could you go and get that permission?”
“Y-Yes, at once!”
With that, one of the guards hurried inside the Florence estate.
Then… after a short while.
“I-I’ve brought her!”
Along with the guard’s voice, the person he had fetched, Floria Florence, appeared at the gate where Siana stood.
“Good work.”
“Ma’am!”
With that, the two gate guards returned to their posts.
Wearing her usual soft smile, Floria looked at Siana and spoke.
“When the guard rushed in and said the Third Princess had come to speak with me, I could hardly believe it, but it seems it was true.”
“Yes, that’s right… I don’t intend to have a long conversation with you, so I’ll keep it brief.”
With that preface, Siana continued.
“To get straight to the point, I want you to travel with Lux-kun to a country I’ll designate, starting three days from now, for at least one day and at most three.”
“…You, the Third Princess, would allow me to be alone with Lux-sama?”
“It’s not as if I want to. But while I’m engaged in diplomatic negotiations starting in three days, I need someone to accompany Lux-kun and protect him in another country.”
“I see… I don’t know the full details, but I understand the general idea.”
While Siana was impressed by how quickly Floria grasped the situation, Floria continued.
“Still, you’re very kind, Third Princess.”
“In what way?”
When Siana asked, Floria smiled a bit more and replied.
“You’re giving me the honor of being the first woman to travel to another country with Lux-sama.”
“Don’t misunderstand. You’ll only be by Lux-kun’s side to protect him.”
“That may be your view, Third Princess, but I intend to fully enjoy my time with Lux-sama.”
This woman… Elizalina-nee-sama is already troublesome, but this one is just as bad in her own way.
“…”
At the very least, while I’m in negotiations with the foreign nation, I absolutely can’t be with Lux-kun… But still.
As this thought occurred to her, Siana decided to carry out a certain idea on the day of the trip, and spoke to Floria.
“In that case, I want you to invite Lux-kun to that country without using my name.”
“Yes, understood.”
After that, Siana briefly explained the details of the destination.
“…That’s about it. Was there anything unclear?”
“No, everything is clear. I’m really looking forward to three days from now.”
“…I see. Then I’ll be on my way.”
Saying that to the smiling Floria Florence, Siana turned her back and headed toward the carriage. Just then, Floria called out to her.
“Third Princess, right now we may be in a cold war, but unless you change your thinking, we will eventually clash again.”
“I’ll say the same to you. Until you change your mind, our conflict will continue.”
“I expected as much, but it seems your thoughts remain unchanged… After speaking with Lux-sama, I am more certain than ever that my conviction is correct. What about you, Third Princess? Can you truly say, without a doubt, that continuing to betray Lux-sama’s kindness and stain your hands with blood is the right path?”
To that question, Siana turned around, met Floria’s eyes, and answered.
“Of course. If it means never letting kind Lux-kun bleed, I will continue to stain these hands with the blood of those foolish enough to try and harm him.”
Leaving those final words behind, Siana turned her gaze back toward the carriage, climbed in, and departed from the Florence estate, returning to the Rodwell household.