Celebrity Lady

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

“Princess, why do you look like that? Are you okay?”

Lark’s friendly voice resounded and reminded me of my long memories.

***

Rubetria Diollus, eight years old.

The day that young Rubette went out to see the festival and got lost.

“G-Grandma. Ricky, Lilli... Ack!”

It was too daunting for an eight-year-old child to navigate through the crowded crowds that it was difficult even to take a step.

‘I-I got lost like an idiot.’

Rubette was terrified.

It was scarier to lose Molga’s hand like a fool than to simply get lost.

“Why are you so stupid? Look at your brother and the twins. They’re so smart.”

“You know why your father hates you, don’t you?”

Because she heard that every day.

“Wh-wh-what...”

Standing with her back against the stone wall of the old building, Rubette looked around, trembling.

It was evening, but the street was lit with street vendors’ lights.

“I’m scared... Hicc!”

However, the scenery of people taller than her wearing bizarre masks to hide their faces and filling the streets came to her as an unfamiliar horror.

Rubette kept cringing as she grabbed the little butterfly mask that covered her eyes.

Even the sad gaze of some passing people felt scary.

“Ugh. Hicc...”

“Why are you crying here alone?”

At that moment, someone’s hand suddenly reached out in front of Rubette.

Where she looked up after that hand.

“Uwaaagh!”

“Oooh, calm down.”

There stood a dreadful lion with jagged manes stretching.

No, to be exact, a boy with a lion mask.

He was about an inch taller than Rubette, and his voice was young but quite soft.

“Why are you crying? Did you lose your mom?”

“Uugh. Hicc, hicc...”

“Oh dear.”

The boy was perplexed in front of the frightened and weeping Rubette, leading her into a narrow alley.

The boy sat quietly and watched her while she cried for over 30 minutes in the alley where the loud noises had subsided.

“Have you calmed down?”

“...”

“In case you got lost-”

“Hicc, I‘m not lost! I was crying because I had lost my grandmother’s hand like a fool! I know the way! I’m not a fool!”

“... Pfft. All right.”

She wants to go home.

But she’s afraid she’ll be treated like a fool and scolded if it was known that she had lost her way after returning with someone’s help.

The boy said very kindly as if he had read Rubette’s mind.

“I’ll take you home.”

“I’m not lost-”

“Yes, yes. I know. But it’s dark at night, so I must help a lady get home safely. I was taught that was gentlemanly manners.”

“...”

The boy, who was giggling and staring intently at Rubette’s face, stopped suddenly.

“Your eyes...”

“...”

“They’re gold. How pretty.”

Rubette squealed, “Ah, no,” and bowed her head.

Unlike the boy’s mask, where his face could not be recognized, let alone his pupils, Rubette’s butterfly mask exposed her eyes.

The boy might be able to guess her identity because he had seen her summoner’s golden eyes directly.

‘No, no. If Rubetria Diollus is rumored to be a fool who cries because she can’t find her way, Grandma will get mad again. And Dad, Dad...’

“You’re Princess Rubetria, right?”

“D-Don’t tell anyone!”

“Mm?”

Rubette couldn’t let go of the boy’s hand and wished him to sleep at Diollus Duchy.

“Hey, big brother.”

“Mm.”

“Would you like to sleep at my house today?”

“What?”

“My house is huge!”

“No, it’s not a matter of size.”

“I don’t want to say goodbye...”

No one in the house was as kind to Rubette as the boy.

Molga would scold her for being stupid, and the twins would tease her and bother her.

Dad was always holed up in his room, and the eldest brother was always busy. The second brother was focused only on swinging a wooden sword from morning to evening...

“Huwaaa...!”

“Oooh, don’t cry. Stop.”

“D-d-don’t go! Let’s live together in my house, all right?!”

The boy was perplexed by the Rubette, who was holding his arm.

“I have to go home, too.”

“You can tell your parents and live in my house.”

“Um, that’s not possible.”

“Why not?!”

How can you not know why it’s impossible?

Rubette even acted like a rascal. That’s how much she didn’t want to separate from him.

Despite Rubette’s absurd complaint, the boy tenderly stroked her hair to comfort her.

“You live in one house only with your family. We’re not a family.”

“We can be family. Be my brother.”

“But our parents are different...”

“Huwaaaa...!”

“Shh, shh. It can’t be done.”

At the boy’s relatively firm voice, Rubette was frightened and swallowed her tears.

The boy, hesitant because Rubette looked so sad, spoke again in a friendly yet stern voice.

“Listen. Only married couples, parents, children, and siblings live together in the same house, okay? You should be glad I’m not a suspicious person. You can’t just let anyone sleep at home or live with you.”

“Then you can never, ever live with me?”

“That’s right. We are not siblings, parents, husband and wife-”

“We can be a couple!”

“What?”

“You’re not my father nor my brother. But you can be my couple!”

“...”

“That’s enough, right? Let’s go to sleep!”

In front of Rubette, the boy was just laughing out of absurdity.

“Just because a couple is doing this doesn’t mean they’ll be seduced overnight...”

“Huwaaa...! You’re a liar! You said a couple lives together! You said that!”

“Rubette.”

When the boy called her name for the first time with a chuckle.

Rubette stopped crying because she was embarrassed by the pleasant sound.

The boy, who must have been smiling under his mask, carefully removed the butterfly mask Rubette was wearing and met her eyes.

“Ah.”

“...”

The boy said, smoothing the area around Rubette’s left eye.

“There’s tearstain. It seems that you’ve cried a lot.”

“...”

“It’s a pity, but it’s time to say goodbye. I have to go home. We’ll see each other again.”

“Ouh... but didn’t you say we can live together...”

“Wow, do you like me that much?”

“Mm!”

Looking at Rubette, who answered without hesitation, the boy paused and then laughed loudly.

“Okay, then let’s do this.”

“...?”

“Later when you grow up, I’ll go propose.”