Your Highness, The Lady You’ve Abandoned IS the Saintess!

Lambert kingdom has completely dove itself in the summer season.

So much so that the slightest exposure outside to the scorching rays of the sun burns one’s skin.

‘Lady! You forgot your hat and parasol! Do not blame me if you get as tanned as a wild pig by the end of summer.’

As a result, a light stroll in the garden to see its flowers earned me such rebukes from Selma, handing me a hat and a parasol.

But even so, I feel as though there are more appropriate examples than a wild pig.

“Selma, please. I’m only out a little to see the sunflowers.’

‘Even if it’s only a little! Goodness, our lady has grown really careless these days!’

Well, I’m no longer Maynard’s fiancée, after all.

In the Lambert Kingdom, women are prized more for their lighter skin. And because I thought it proper for Maynard to walk with such a fiancée, I avoided the sunlight under the protection of hats and parasols. But I am no longer so; therefore, I do not need to take such precautions earnestly anymore.’

I mean, I do have sunscreen anyways.

“Don’t blame me if your marriage passes you, Aileen.’

Brother Geofront, who is currently on a break from his work, peeked from the entranceway and laughed with a grin on his face.

Brother Orpheus serves as Maynard’s aide, while Brother Geofront was a member of the House of the Lords, which, according to him, is not so busy of a post. Hence, most of the time, he helps as our father’s assistant instead. Dearest father also said that it would be much more convenient to do so as he will be the one to inherit the house one day.

House of Lords is just a gathering bunch that keeps arguing over any happenings—or so Brother Geofront calmly describes it, which would make other lords angry if they hear it from him.

By the way, it was primarily our father who was a member of the House of the Lords, but he immediately yielded the position to Brother Geoffront when he became an adult. It was, according to him then, it was tedious.

Father was already a minister of internal affairs in the royal court anyway, and it’s understandable if he should find himself too busy to show himself in the conferences of the lords but to yield the position saying it was too tedious was a personal sentiment. Sir Geoffront who found himself suddenly in such a position under such shallow reason was quite angry at him for some time.

“It is dear brother Geoffront who should be marrying Lady Ethel already. Otherwise, she may tire of you and leave for good.’

Lady Ethel is twenty years old, four years below Brother Geoffront. She was engaged to my brother when she was sixteenth, which means they’ve retained the status quo for at least four years already.

‘Well, we’ll get there someday.’

‘That’s what you always say.’

‘I suppose I’ll think of it when she gets pregnant.’

‘You’re the worst, brother.’

‘I was joking! Stop looking at me so disdainfully!’

Brother scratches his head and excuses himself by muttering that there are so many things to consider.

‘What about you? Have you something in mind now?’

‘Non, I’m still thinking about it.’

The mountains of marriage proposals that had stopped after Lina’s debacles started flourishing again. However, my brothers said ‘what nerve they had for proposing such things again, do they really like to see the fists fly that much?’ or so, threatening them all, which stopped the letters altogether. Sir Berland also told me that Maynard followed their examples threatening these young lords by saying something like, ‘I see that you have no desire to see a bright future.’ While I should not like to see myself married to a man that turns over his favors so easily, it’s still a little sad to see myself go from being able to pick whoever I like, to find out that there’s nobody else left anymore.

I thought of putting off love for a while, which makes it all better in the end, but I cannot hide my disappointment.

‘Well, her majesty proclaimed out loud that “Aily is our wife”, so I don’t think any proposal is coming anytime soon.’

‘What on earth! I heard nothing about that!’

Outrageous words flew from my brother’s mouth, making me drop the hat that Selma handed to me.

‘Her majesty apparently said that in one of her sponsored gatherings, and the madames and ladies in attendance spread it elsewhere. Looks like it had spread all around now.’

Spread all around, my foot!

What, you’re talking about it like so nonchalantly like ‘Hey, looks like the weather is fine today,’ dear brother.

What on heavens is her majesty saying? She’s laying out the groundwork so well. I see now why Maynard’s in good humor lately. Even dear father had stopped bothering him; the silly prince now visits like it’s his own place.

‘Brother, you’ve grown awfully lenient on Maynard, lately.’

Even though he was so ready to jump on him before when Maynard had just broken things off with me. Now he only fires sarcasm at him, like, ‘I see that you came today too, sir. Have you nothing better to do?’

I picked up the hat and took the parasol from Selma.

‘Rather than tolerant, I just acquiesce to the lesser evil by the process of elimination.’

‘You mean by who can protect the saintess the most?’

‘That’s not it.’

Brother Geoffront shrugged his shoulders. It looks like he does not intend to speak of the topic anymore so I headed off to the garden with Selma, but as if suddenly remembering something, Brother spoke,

‘Ah, if you the Tommys are ripe, pick them for me.’

‘Tommys’ refers to the tomato seedlings that the children from the orphanage have grown. Huh? Naming it is so lame, you say, reader? It was Brother Geoffront who named it, not me.

As for those Tommys, they are growing well in one corner of the garden and have been bearing many fruits lately.

We’ve never really grown vegetables in our garden, but mother said that kitchen gardens have become popular lately seeming pleased with it. I suppose they will grow further in numbers soon.

The uncle gardener who was in charge of taking care of our courtyard looked sullen to see such an odd addition to the garden his tending though. If it was the uncle from our country house, he will be amused enough to create a corner for a kitchen garden immediately. I suppose that’s the difference between them.

Because I was told to pick tomatoes, I took a scissor and a basket with me and after opening the parasol went out to the garden.

Mhm, the rays of sunlight are dazzling.

I led my footsteps to where the Tommys are growing. There were two to three ripe tomatoes that immediately caught my sight and as I got closer to pick them with my scissor, something resounded around my feet and stopped me in surprise.

When I peeked through the leaves of the Tommys, I saw a white and fluffy creature beneath.

‘…, Soo cuuutee—!…’

The white and fluffy creature with some black stripes on its body completely captured my heart at the first sight.