Tears

Author: Unicoon
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8138gc/17/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

“Charlotte~, we’re here~”

The day after the exam.
Lady Ulrika and Olivia had been summoned to Princess Charlotte’s private rooms.
Lady Ulrika opened the door and went in.

“Welcome. We’ve been waiting.”

Inside, Princess Charlotte and Natasha were waiting.

“Natasha, isn’t it. You look well!”

“Yes. Thank you for yesterday. And Olivia, thank you for treating me. I’m grateful.”

“No, no, no thanks needed!”

Natasha bowed.
Olivia bowed even deeper than Natasha.

“No, no, no, please let me thank you.”

“No, no, no, no, I’m only a maid.”

Natasha bowed deeper still.
Olivia bowed deeper, and deeper still.

“How long will you keep that up? You’ll sink into the floor.”

“Ah, you’re right…”

“Pardon us…”

“Fufufu. You two are two of a kind. Come, please sit.”

Lady Ulrika perched on a chair.
Olivia stood diagonally behind her.

“Ulrika, Olivia. Please let me thank you again.”

“Mm?”

“Thank you so much for saving us yesterday.”

Princess Charlotte bowed in a clean, proper posture.
At the sudden event, Natasha’s eyes went round.
Olivia’s face went pale with shock.

“And please let me apologize for everything until now. Ulrika, Olivia, I’m truly sorry.”

Princess Charlotte bowed again.
From Olivia, shocked past her limit, came an “eek.”

“Natasha, thank you so much for saving me yesterday as well. And for the awful way I treated you, I’m sor—”

“This is bad! Lady Charlotte may have caught a strange illness!”

“Please wait! She might be a fake princess!!”

Natasha put a hand to Princess Charlotte’s forehead, looking ready to cry from worry.
Olivia squished and pulled at Princess Charlotte’s cheeks.
Both of them were seriously concerned.

“You two… that actually hurts…”

“”Ah!””

Natasha and Olivia hurriedly let go.

“We’re sorry! Lady Charlotte was behaving abnormally, so we thought it was a strange illness…”

“It was behavior unthinkable from the real Lady Charlotte, so we thought she was a fake… sorry…”

Neither of them meant any harm.
Princess Charlotte wilted.

“I… I see… I was that awful…”

“Hmm. Charlotte is like a different person. As if something possessing her has fallen off…”

“Yes. I think something possessing me did fall off. The possession called jealousy…”

Princess Charlotte smiled gently.
She had been told terrible things, and showed no anger at all.
She truly seemed like someone else.

“By the way, Ulrika, may I have you explain about yesterday?”

“No need. You meant to set the dragon on me, didn’t you?”

“Eh… how do you know?”

“It happens often.”

“It happens often…?”

Princess Charlotte tilted her head, not understanding “it happens often.”
Lady Ulrika, however, pushed the conversation on.

“More importantly, why did you do such a thing? That’s what I want to know.”

“That’s… as I said a moment ago, jealousy.”

Princess Charlotte went on.

“I have siblings.”

“One brother and two sisters, was it?”

“That’s right. All three of them overflow with talent. They’re highly regarded by those around them, and loved by the people…”

“You said they were splendid siblings.”

“Yes… compared to them, I wasn’t blessed with any talent… whatever I did, I was a jack of all trades…”

A painful look on her face, she still continued.

“I used my royal blood to gather people and got carried away… but deep in my heart, I always felt inferior…”

“I see. That’s the jealousy.”

“Yes… I think I had gone strange with jealousy. I couldn’t stand anything not going my way… Ulrika, so free, made me unreasonably angry… and I envied that too…”

“Bloodline and status and such, I don’t care about them at all!”

From Olivia came a mutter: “Please care a little…”

“I was jealous of my brother and sisters, and of Ulrika… truly foolish… an ugly feeling…”

“I understand the circumstances. Even so, Charlotte, you’re amazing.”

“Eh?”

An unexpected remark from Lady Ulrika.
Not only Princess Charlotte—Olivia and Natasha were surprised too.

“You faced your own weakness and spoke honestly. That isn’t something easily done.”

Lady Ulrika patted Princess Charlotte’s head.

“You did well. That’s admirable!”

“U… uuh… hic… I’m truly sorry…”

Princess Charlotte broke down crying.
Held by Natasha, she managed to sit back in her chair.

“Ulrika… thank you, truly… thank you…”

Tears kept welling from Princess Charlotte’s eyes.
Then a cute sound went grr~.

“Oops. I’m hungry.”

Outside, it had grown fully dark.
They had talked so long that Lady Ulrika’s stomach was empty.

“Is it about time to go back?”

“Ah, please wait a moment.”

“Hn? What is it?”

“Tonight, might I have a little of your time?”