Akari (9)
When concerned, go check yourself.
Thinking that, I knocked on the door to Her Majesty's chamber. Without waiting for a reply, the door immediately opened. The excellent servants must have already known who was approaching.
I could hear Her Majesty’s cheerful voice. For the past year or so, her condition had been stable, but it was nothing like this. Recently, she had suddenly regained her former brightness.
"Excuse me. May I join you for a bit as well?"
"Of course, Miss Akari."
"Thank you."
Inside the room, Patriarch (Murashige) was holding the sleeping Naruhito, checking that nothing remained in his mouth, gently wiping around it with a cloth, and then laying him down on the bed.
Naruhito, wrapped in a luxurious blanket that looked incredibly soft, began to breathe peacefully in his sleep, looking quite content.
"He must be tired. It's rare for Little Naruhito to leave ice cream unfinished."
"He’s been running around all morning, claiming it's work. Despite having no stamina."
"He's working, is he? How admirable."
"I suggested we go shopping, and I think he believed he needed money for that..."
"That’s not unnecessary at all. It's a good thing. Thanks to you, Little Rikimaru, he’s learning about various things."
"But... it’s just, with everything that’s been going on... He's still a child, and he’s sick. We could buy anything he needs without him having to work."
"I think it's good that he has found something he wants to do. Even if he gets tired, he can just rest, so it's fine."
"... Yes, you're right."
It seemed that Her Majesty already knew about Naruhito’s unfamiliarity with shopping and the various things that had happened with Rikimaru. Despite Rikimaru’s awkward explanation, she didn’t seem confused at all and continued speaking smoothly.
"Apparently, he’s saved up quite a bit of money, so I’m thinking of going shopping with him soon."
"That sounds lovely. Where will you go?"
"A candy shop and a general store. Naruhito loves sweets, so I think he’ll be excited when he sees all the candy they have. And then, we’ll buy a treasure chest at the general store. I think it would be good for him to have a box where he can store important things. Right now, the only thing he treasures is Prince Hiiro’s ring, so he always wears it and doesn’t need a box for it, but I’m sure he’ll have more things to store soon. He also wants to hide his candy, apparently."
"That’s wonderful. Little Rikimaru, you’re such a good boy. I’m sure that chest will become essential to him."
Rikimaru shyly smiled at Her Majesty's compliment.
"Maybe I’ll go shopping with you too. Let me know when you’ve decided on a day."
Otoha, who seemed to have been enjoying her ice cream, suddenly said to Rikimaru. He nodded with a somewhat flustered expression, and Her Majesty added with a bright smile:
"I'll join as well. Let me know."
Rikimaru widened his eyes in surprise, but after a moment, he nodded. It seemed that they would be going out with an impressive group.
After some more casual conversation, with Naruhito still sleeping soundly, I left the room with Otoha and Rikimaru.
What do you think about this chapter?
