How About a Refill? ~The Elegant Tea Party of the Grand Witches~ - Chapter 35

Head in the Clouds

“Ouch!”

“Are you alright, miss!?”

“Yes, thank you. I just lost my concentration for a moment.”

Miriam had spent the past few days devoting herself to embroidering.

She had to do something to distract herself from always thinking about that day.

However, even when she tried to distract herself with something she would unconsciously begin thinking about Emilio. However, it was better than doing nothing at all.

Her maid began tending to the finger she had just pierced with her needle. Without realising, Miriam’s mind began wandering again.

‘What should I embroider next after I’m done with this handkerchief? Ah, this blue thread is the same colour as Prince Emilio’s eyes… should I use this to embroider something for him? Ah, I wonder what he is doing right now… oh I’m thinking about him again…’

She shook herself out of her thoughts and let out a long sigh.

“At any rate, I’ve embroidered quite a lot.”

She extended her hand upwards and studied it. Her left hand was covered in places where she had pricked herself with the needle. 

“Ah, I keep losing my mind and stabbing myself… I’m hopeless… The stitches on this side are crooked.”

She studied the embroidery on the handkerchief. She had embroidered some small birds sitting on a branch budding with fresh leaves, but the stitches were crooked in some places so it ended up looking distorted.

“I can’t give this to anyone…”

As she sighed a dawn coloured magic circle appeared around her. It engulfed her fully, and when it dispersed she had disappeared. It was Beatrice’s teleportation magic circle.

　◇

“Oh, you look a bit sad. What’s wrong?”

Beatrice called out to Miriam who was still holding the embroidery in her hand.

Valeria leaned closer to look at it. Robin, who was also with her, leaned in too with curiosity brimming on his face.

“Wow, what an excellently embroidered mess.”

“This bird looks very cute, but this one’s eyes are a bit weird! The feathers are also different sizes on the left and right!”

The boy said frankly. Sitting in front of her, he dexterously pointed out all the mistakes in the embroidery. Miriam groaned in embarrassment.

“Hmm, you seem to have gotten the basics right. But this part looks like it was embroidered with your head in the clouds.”

“You’re right.”

Eleonora had grabbed the embroidered handkerchief and was studying it in detail.

“Hey, sister Ria, what’s head in the clouds?”

“Hm? Well it’s when you get distracted by some other thing and lose focus on what you’re actually doing.”

“Oh. Sister Millie, what did you get distracted by?”

“Obviously, it must be Emilio”

“N-n-n-no! Th-that’s not it!”

Miriam blushed red at the sudden mention of Emilio and fervently tried to deny it.

Seeing her red face, all three witches’ eyes lit up and they leaned towards her excitedly.

“Ooooo, what’s this reaction!”

“Hey! Tell us everything that happened!”

“I take it you made some progress?”

Surrounded by the witches, Miriam recalled the events that happened at the lake a few days ago. Her face heated up even more.

“N-no-nothing happened!”

“Don’t lie! Emilio has also been acting strange. We already know something is going on!”

“That’s right! I saw him walking around restlessly, then he suddenly covered his face as if he had recalled something and then started rolling on the sofa. Then Lord Caparoni walked in and gave him a cold glare. I just knew it had something to do with Millie!”

“Hehe, I never get tired of watching that!”

Miriam thought of escaping but she was trapped on the round table surrounded by the witches from all sides. In the end, she had no choice but to tell them everything.

“Ah! How bittersweet! As I thought talking about love is the best!”

“Oooh so Emilio has still got it! His courting was so slow I thought he was just a useless lazy prince!”

“SO? What about your feelings, Millie? You still haven’t replied to him?”

Miriam looked at the excited witches and thought about her feelings.

“About that. I have never been in love before so, to be honest, I don’t know what to do. I thought Prince Emilio was in love with my sister… But, thinking back over the last few days my head is always in the clouds thinking of Prince Emilio.”

“Eh? Say what?”

“Hahaha. I wonder if you’re oblivious even when it comes to your own feelings?”

　◇

Emilio was once again buried in paperwork. As he’d promised, the day after Emilio had confessed to Miriam, Leonardo had gone to the assembly and brought him paperwork that was meant for the king. He’d placed them, bit by bit, on Emilio’s desk making a huge tower of paper.

“Hey, leo.”

“What?”

Leonardo’s desk was beside Emilio’s. He was sitting there also working as he sorted the documents and letters, and took care of those that he could.

“It’s about Miriam…”

His hand stopped at the mention of his beloved little sister, and he turned to look at Emilio.

“I’m seriously considering asking for her hand in marriage.”

At his unusually serious behaviour, Leonardo also changed his attitude.

“To be honest, I would prefer you a hundred times over instead of some other random man that I do not know of. I know you really are an honest and faithful man, and I know you would cherish Millie. But… you are the First Prince.”

“Yeah.”

“And there is no doubt the Caparoni family is an influential one that can be a support for you politically.”

“… that’s right.”

“If you and Millie get married, Millie will be the crown princess. In other words, she’s going to be the Queen someday. Apart from making her choose this difficult path, are you prepared to protect her until the end?”

At Leonardo’s words, Emilio got up and walked to his aide. He looked down at him with a serious expression on his face.

“Of course I would. I swear I would only love Miriam for the rest of my life, and I will protect her from all kinds of danger and malice!”

At Emilio’s earnest words, Leonardo let out a sigh and shrugged.

“I understand your feelings. But Millie’s feelings are what’s important. If Millie is willing to accept you as well then you have my blessings.”

Emilio smiled in relief when Leonardo finished speaking, but then frowned as his friend continued, “I can’t say the same for my father though. You’ll have to work hard to win him.”