I Will Quit the Entourage of the Villainess

I Will Quit the Entourage of the Villainess 56

44

After school.

I didn’t really know how to look at Remy and Angie anymore, and so I found myself sitting alone in the garden with a blank expression.

I was sure to keep an eye on Angie now, but I did not see her with Master Alfred at all.

I did want to talk with Remias, but it was a difficult subject, and I was unable to bring it up.

And so I sat there, feeling very uncomfortable as I nibbled on some nukazuke pickles.

“Cosette, you’re snacking on…vegetables today?”

I looked behind me and saw that Remias was walking this way.

Remias once hated vegetables but had grown into quite the enthusiast.

Oh, you make your mother proud!

I began to explain to him about the nukazuke pickles.

“This is a dish called nukazuke. I type of pickled vegetable! It is a little salty, but it is an acquired taste! Now, try some of it.”

Remias looked at the nukazuke pickles with a strange expression as I pushed it into his face.

“Today I have pickled some bamboo shoots and potatoes! The salted rice bran is finally ready, and the taste is delicious! Now here, here, here.”

Nukazuke pickles were usually made from cucumbers or eggplants, but potatoes were also very good as a spring vegetable.

I had even given some to the head cook and received approval. ‘De-delicious…!’

The pickles were now on the menu at the house. You could say that they were on the verge of becoming hugely popular.

The nukazuke pickles would be served with sandwiches instead of normal pickles.

It could also be used as a palate cleanser during a meal.

I was stunned by the new possibilities when I happened to eat it with some bread and ham.

The possibilities were really endless.

I would try having it with mayonnaise next.

Remias cautiously brought the nukazuke pickles to his mouth. Then his expression changed.

“Oh, this is good! I have never tasted it before, but it is both refreshing and somehow rich. How very strange…”

“I am happy that you enjoy it. I am very proud of my work with these pickles! What I did to those leaves to increase the richness…oh!”

That was close.

I almost told him how I made it.

That being said, I was now alone with Remias.

It was a great opportunity to talk about a certain matter.

And luckily, there was no one around.

Recently, I have been trying to find out how Remias felt about Duke Dolanju, but it seemed like Remias was purposely avoiding any subject that had anything to do with him.

And ultimately, I have been unable to find out how he feels.

So today was my chance. I would try and dig a little deeper this time.

“Remias…”

I looked straight into his eyes.

There were no signs of that once scrawny and unhealthy boy now.

It was as if he were reborn, with pretty lines that shaped his cheeks and golden hair that fell like silk.

His lips that ate the pickles were a light peach color, which went well with his pale skin.

…This may not have been the best time to give him the pickles.

His picturesque beauty did not quite match the dirty-looking pickles.

But at least it helped me stay calm.

“Cosette? What is it?”

Remias smiled and looked back at me.

“Um…Remias, I was just wondering, what is your father like…”

Remias froze.

Of course, he would! I had very little idea of how to broach the subject, but this was still very bad.

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It was far too straightforward!

“Yes…I see…I, I do not agree with him… You might say that we are incompatible.”

I was remorsefully holding my head when Remias’ soft voice spoke. I raised my head.

“Incompatible…”

“Father…wants to war with Rumerica. He says that the war will greatly benefit us and that it is for the best for this country. But I cannot agree with him. While Rumerica is a small country, there is no guarantee that we will win. And war will hurt civilians and exhaust the country. But more than anything, people will…die. Any benefits from that will only be temporary!”

Remias looked pained as if he was trying to bear something.

It hurt me to watch, and so I took his shaking hand in my own.

Remias looked at his enveloped hand and continued.

“I would rather see this country’s culture grow rich while we have peace, rather than go to war. Peace is what allows new cultures and art to thrive. I…I want to be a painter.”

“Yes, Remias. You have always loved to paint pictures.”

The four of us had gone out for picnics many times as children.

We all did what we wanted, and Remias would often spend the time painting.

He said that he was not usually allowed to paint at home, so he kept his painting tools with us…and even when we wanted to play hide and seek, he would refuse.

When we played with kites, George had laughed at my awful drawings on them, and after that, I would always draw with Remias.

His skill increased, and eventually, it felt like a waste to have his art on kites that blew in the wind.

“I still have all of the kites that you painted for me.”

“Hehe… I saw that you put them in frames. Thanks to you, Cosette…I was able to draw to my heart’s content. But at home…”

Remias’ father saw his paintings as a weakness, and he tore them up and discarded them.

“It is so unthinkable to me, that someone would tear up such a beautiful painting.”

“I would like to avoid war at all costs. …Yes, even if it meant exposing my father of his crimes.”

Remias’ strong eyes looked right through me.

“Isn’t that what you wanted to ask me about?”

“…Yes.”

Remias had realized what it was that I wanted to ask.

I felt rather cowardly now, and so I looked away from him. Remias squeezed my hand tightly.

“I will find proof of what he is doing. I believe that I am the only one who can do it.”

“Remias…”

“Even if he cannot put Remy in the position of queen, my father will not give up on this war. Even the others at the top are starting to lean towards his way of thinking. We do not have much time.”

Duke Dolanju was gaining support among the nobles.

Aiming for the position of the queen was just extra insurance for him.

“But…Remy, I want to help her at least. I do not care about what happens to me. I will die with my father if I must. However, Remy, she does not know anything. She is just infatuated with his highness.”

Remias bit his lip bitterly.

Now it is my turn to squeeze his hand.

“Don’t worry. Both of you. Of course, you will not die. I do not know if there is anything that I can do, but I won’t let you two suffer from this!”

Translations by AsianHobbyist Website

I would never allow that to happen.

His Majesty would not want that either.

I was not sure about how harsh the punishments were in this world, but surely the death penalty was not given so easily.

…surely?

“Cosette…thank you.”

I wiped the tear that threatened to fall from his eyes with my handkerchief, and then Remias pulled me into an embrace.

And like that, we held each other’s shaking bodies for a long time.

Neither of us noticed the shadow that was watching us.