Chapter 22 – Seriously, what's wrong? (お前は、本当にどうした)

A/N: I decided to end this chapter at a suitable cutoff point, so it's shorter than usual.

The greenhouse that my mother endlessly praised was tremendously large.

Almost like one you'd find in those fancy botanical gardens that charge entrance fees, and with set routes to follow for visitors.

There's a greenhouse just for tropical plants~

There's a greenhouse specially for water plants~

And there's a separate greenhouse for popular flowers such as lilies, orchids, and roses.

Of course, a wide range of varieties were being grown.

I've never seen a lily dotted with blue sparkles before. Woah~

Wouldn't this greenhouse be around the size of a school gym?

They definitely have loads of gardeners on hand whose skills relate to "growing plants well". I'm even willing to bet on it.

By the way, the tea party is held in the favourite of all Rosereale citizens, the exclusive rosereale greenhouse.

Rosereale is the flower for which the country is named after, and of course, our national flower.

It looks like a rose with colour added and split in two.

Huh? You can't imagine it?

I don't know how to describe it either.

If I had to give another description of it, I guess it looks like a mermaid dress with a large slit and an abundance of lace and frills, but flipped upside down?

Incidentally, its colour consists of warm hues such as yellow, orange, pink and red.

There is no such thing as a blue rosereale.

Hm? Then what about the "Blue Rosereale in Ice" in my Closet, you ask?

Yep. I have it, but in actuality, blue rosereales shouldn't exist.

Even I have no idea why it exists, so please forward any questions you may have to the maker—the game's Ursch-kun.

Now then, I'm currently gathering information at the tea party, while using 《Presence Obfuscation》just enough to avoid leaving a lasting impression.

If I used my 《Presence Obfuscation》at full strength, I would go completely unnoticed, which is in itself a problem. So, I'll be using it at around half power.

I'm aiming to seamlessly blend into the conversation, and only after they'll go "Huh? Who was I talking with earlier? I can't even recall what they looked like".

Of course, I learned how to do this from Ursch-kun.

I call it, the "Secret Technique: Nurarihyon".

Remember when Ursch-kun said he could sneak into others' homes and eat meals with them without being suspected whatsoever? It's that technique.

Even when he possesses a large amount of skills that would make one suspect him of being a spy or a ninja, he uses them on pranks like sneaking into a stranger's home and eating dinner with them.

Somehow, that side of Ursch-kun who wastes his skills on pranks like that is cute too...

...Ah!! Leaving that aside, it's time for the tea party.

While being wary of the queen, I gave my greetings while thinning my presence so as to not leave a lasting impression, safely making it through the first challenge.

As for the Second Prince.... yeah. Just as Ursch-kun predicted, he's here too.

However, as the adults, young girls, and young boys were each separated into different tables, there's no point of contact at the moment.

But there was also something unexpected.

Whether it was an excuse to get me and the Second Prince to join...

The age requirement for this time's tea party was changed to 6 years and above...

Yes, they're here as well....... the other 2 Love Interests, that is.

Aaaaaahhh I didn't prepare myself physically nor mentally for the other two!!

For now, I'm quietly drinking tea at the table for young girls, trying to get information from all the little ladies. But on the inside, I'm drenched in cold sweat!!

While listening to the young girls' conversations, I snuck a glance at the Love Interests.

First off, the second prince, Christopher.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed prince had an attractive face that resembled a beautiful girl even at the age of six.

On the other hand.....

His eyes had no light in them, as though he had already fallen into the darkness even at the age of six.

That's right. His empty eyes were missing of their light.

Although the Second Prince can be said to be the main Love Interest for Ver. 1 of the game, his eyes....

You know, it's the one you see in animes and the like.

When the character gets brainwashed, manipulated, turns into a yandere, or falls into despair, the light disappears from their eyes. Those are the eyes I'm talking about.

Those eyes void of light, are included in his default appearance.

Sometimes, in between interactions with the heroine, there are scenes where the light returns into his eyes, but even until the ending of Ver 3, those eyes of his remain empty.

What in the world happened?

That very same Second Prince currently has a tiny smile plastered on his face, as he stares at the center of the table with empty eyes.

This is just my thoughts after seeing the second prince in person, but...

This... isn't a matter of being indifferent and uninterested in everything, is it?

Seriously, what in the world happened?

... Back to the topic at hand.

The other Love Interest, the son of the head of the Mage’s Order, Gijs.

He, who possesses light blue hair and blue eyes which makes one curious about the genes he inherited...

Dove into the bushes with some kind of encyclopedia in hand and hasn't returned ever since. That is all.

Finally, the last Love Interest of Ver 1, the son of the Knight Corps' Leader, Brian.

A boy of red hair with emerald eyes, and a fairly big body for a 6 year old.

Like the 6 year old he is, he's currently being rowdy with the other young boys, running around and shouting "Wow!!" at everything he sees. All while being given disapproving looks by the noble girls.

Yeah. Even if he's a noble, he's still just a kid after all.

It's normal for 6-year-old kids to be as free and spirited as that☆

Even Mozart, when he was six years old, ran around the palace before falling down.

And I heard that led to him proposing to Marie Antoinette (7 years old) after she helped him up.

Even if they were children who could freely enter the royal palace, and received education befitting of their wealth and status as an aristocrat,

That's what childhood is all about.

With the second prince as an exception.

Seriously, what's wrong?

※Rosereale: This is an imaginary flower. I did do a search to make sure there weren't any flowers of the same name, but if there are any, please consider it to be different from this one.

※The story about Mozart: Although such a tale is told, the truth of it is unknown. Incidentally, it seems Marie Antoinette was annoyed by the proposal, and took a harsh attitude towards Mozart even after she grew up.

winter: Second Prince!!! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ☆
Tbh I'm imagining him with dead fish eyes, n wake me up inside as bgm