[Marius’s POV]

Ever since I can remember, I have been surrounded by expectant eyes.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Your Royal Highness,” everyone called me by honorific titles longer than my real name. That title was what I was called by almost everyone. The only people who called me by my real name were my parents, who gave it to me, and my two younger brothers.

So the shock of meeting Lisha was something I would never forget.

“Nice to meet you, Lord Marius!”

I fell in love with her the moment she greeted me with her fresh black hair and carefree smile.

She is very simpleminded, I thought to myself. She was just like the heroine of the novel that is very famous these days.

In the novel .... “The Sacred Maiden Sends Down Stars into the Night Sky,” a clumsy Crown Prince who had been living the boring life of a royal gets attracted to a pure and innocent Baroness and strives to become a true human being again.

I can’t remember if I’ve ever taken advantage of my position as the Crown Prince in any way. However, I felt that I deserved to be called the clumsy Crown Prince.

A crown prince who is ashamed to stand in front of people can only be called a clunker.

Me, who bore all the expectations of those around him, was always being pursued. The obsession to perform perfectly and not to make any mistakes made me feel depressed over the slightest thing.

For example, the Marquis of Acteau, who claimed to be on my side. His habit of saying, “Of course, the throne must go to the Crown Prince.” His serpentine gaze. The way he always said, “It is for the Crown Prince’s sake,” and the way he behaves. All of these things bothers me and tortures my sensitive heart.

I continued to be anxious about the future, and so my body, which had been rejecting me from doing all the hard work for some time, began to resist showing emotion. In addition, when I tried not to show my emotions, I was mistakenly accused of being displeased and called a ruthless prince.

Although I was making efforts to cure my fear of other people, I could not shake off the dark pain of my efforts.

All of this vanished into thin air in front of Lisha’s sparkling black eyes. The sick feeling was gone. .... No, in terms of abnormality, an overly raging heartbeat did rose up.

The blistering heat in her cheeks was not unpleasant at any moment. The reason is that Lisha seemed to show emotions more than me and unable to hide her excitement.

“I was surprised to see you here. I have seen you once at a garden party. I thought ‘he was as pretty as if he has came out of a picture’. .... Oh, I’m sorry!”

“I am so sorry for my rude words. ....!　Please forgive me for my rude behaviour. We are all diligent in the management of the estate, and just recently we had a bumper pumpkin crop..”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the vigorous chatter, even as she apologized for her rudeness.

There was not a trace of deceit in Lisha’s heart. On the surface, she praises the Crown Prince, but behind his back, she also admires him.

It was a terribly comfortable feeling.

“It was very pleasant to meet you. I’m not the kind of person who needs to be so revered.”

After I said it, I was disgusted by the tone I had answered. The fact that I can’t stand up in front of people showing my weaknesses was firmly rooted in my mind.

But Lisha didn’t care about that.

She breathed a sigh of relief with a relieved expression on her face.

“Your Highness Marius is a kind and gentle man, aren’t you?”

“Kind and gentle ....? Me?”

“Yes, you immediately forgave me for my rudeness.”

After all, there was no lie in my words. Is there something strange to forgive her? The fire in my face, which had begun to calm down, returned.

I now understood the feelings of the Crown Prince in the story.

This is how he fell in love.

Trapped in the eyes that looked at him as I was.

****

Marius and Lisha’s friendship continued from then on.

It would have been difficult for a royal Prince and a Baroness to meet, but her brother, Leohardt, arranged it so that they could meet frequently.

Leohardt was like an angel, always taking Marius’ side and cheering him up. This time, too, Leohart knew about Lisha and encouraged him, saying, “I think she would be a good match for my brother Marius.”

When Marius told Lisha about his brother, Leohardt, she was very happy.

Then she told him about her own family.

Her father, who is a lowly aristocrat but earnestly devoted to the management of the estate, is well-liked by the people of the estate. A mother who raised many children and was always cheerful and energetic. Four brothers and two sisters.

“I was the youngest, and I am ashamed to admit that I preferred to work in the fields or gather nuts in the forest rather than study. My parents didn’t seem to have the energy to nag me, and my manners were learnt half-heartedly ....”

“But you have a wonderful heart. You can try to cover up the top, but you can’t compete with someone who has a tender heart.”

“Oh, Marius-sama, too, Marius-sama also has a beautiful heart.”

Lisha dismissed the praising words as a matter-of-fact. Marius thanked her, stifling the words that were about to come out of his mouth, saying that it was not true.

As he leaned a little closer to Lisha, he could smell the earth and greenery coming from her, which calmed him.

Marius wished he could be a man worthy of her.

Risha preferred “Otohoshi”.

Although she did not compare the novel to their relationship, Marius could sense the sadness in her heart.

He wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to give up.

He dreamed of his grown-up self smiling at her like the Crown Prince and telling her how he felt for her.

But reality did not turn out as well as the story.

The feelings never went away, nor did his self-confidence. He wanted to be worthy of Lisha, but he kept feeling sorry for himself and her.

Some even suggested that Leohardt should be the Crown Prince. Marius was not indignant at the suggestion, but rather, he was ashamed of himself for thinking that it would be a good idea to do so.

If he were to give up his position as Crown Prince and become his brother’s vassal, he would not have to worry so much about Lisha’s status.

This was when he was dreaming of such a timid life plan.

He heard that Leohardt had taken Lisha to a neighboring country to study.

“I will train to become a person worthy of becoming the Crown Princess.”

Leohardt’s letter contained a message from Lisha.