Outaishihi ni Nante Naritakunai!! 464

She and the Outing 4

“Lidi, what medicine is that?”

When I cheerfully put away the medicine in my breast pocket, Freed had stood up and asked me that question.
Crap. I’d forgotten he was there.

“Uh… Er…”
“Lidi?”
“Um… That is to say…”

I was so flustered that I couldn’t think of anything.
I had no idea how to answer. After all, it was the only secret I had from Freed. Because it was that stamina recovery medicine.
Why did I have to keep quiet about it?
That was very simple. Since it’s Freed, if he had known I had something like that, he would definitely say, “So, you can last longer, right?”
Even now, we were doing it so many times that anyone would call it strange. I absolutely wanted to avoid anything more than that.

— Freed, I love you, but I’m sorry. Let me at least keep this one thing a secret!

This was for the sake of us keeping our happy life together.
It’s why I had decided not to tell Freed about the medicine, and why I continued not to mention it…

— M-Ms. Delris!

She gave me the medicine at the worst possible moment.
When I looked at her, my eyes pleading for help, Ms. Delris winked.
She was smirking, totally aware of what trouble she’d brought me.
And since she’d started this whole mess, I couldn’t expect help from her.

— W-What do I do?

How in the world should I answer?
I was frantically doing mental gymnastics trying to figure it out.
It was out of the question to come clean. If he learned about it, he would know I’d survived only thanks to that medicine. I didn’t want him to know I’d been keeping it a secret for so long in order to protect myself. It was by no means due to malicious intent, or anything.
Then, how could I get out of this predicament?
At the very least, I didn’t want to lie.
That was because Freed hated lies. I’d promised to never lie to him, and since it was a sensitive topic for him, I knew I shouldn’t do it.

— Uaaaaaaa! What, just what in the world, should I say?

I had to talk my way out of it without lying.
Wasn’t there a good way to do that?!
While I was figuratively scratching my head, I was extended a helping hand by an unexpected person.

“I’ve heard it’s a medicine to keep Princess in good health. You’ve been using it for quite a while now, right?”
“Eh?”

The voice was Cain’s, so I looked at him. He was resting his chin in his hands, and nodded in a way that was only visible to me, as if saying to leave it to him.
He appeared to have sensed my anxiety and came to my rescue.
Good lord, my ninja was so reliable.

— Thanks! Thanks, Cain!

I was grateful to Cain from the bottom of my heart, but Freed just looked surprised and asked me about it.

“Is that so, Lidi? I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“Er. Y-Yeah. It’s something of that nature.”

I quickly nodded. Cain then added calmly,

“Look, it’s difficult being the Crown Princess, right? And the Princess is new at this. Granny prescribed her medicine in advance to prevent her condition from deteriorating. You’d also be worried if the Princess collapsed, right?”

I was impressed by how smoothly everything came from Cain’s mouth. They were all technically true.
Certainly, saying that it kept me in good health wasn’t a lie.
I was prescribed medication (to recover stamina) to prevent my condition from deteriorating (because Freed embraced me too much).
How amazing. I didn’t have to lie at all.
I was deeply moved by Cain’s superb quick thinking.

“E-Exactly! Thanks to that, my physical health is always in top condition. Even in Irvine (even though Freed kept embracing me) I was in good health!”
“So that’s what it is. I wish you had told me…”
“I-I thought it wasn’t something worth talking about. As you can see… It’s not like I’m unwell at all. It’s like a nutritional supplement.”
“Hmm… You’ve got a point.”

Freed seemed convinced, so I had no choice but to go with the flow.
When I looked at Ms. Delris, she was stifling her laughter. She looked like she found my desperation fun. Then she stopped laughing and told Freed.

“Well, that’s how it is. It’s not a strange medicine, so don’t worry.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t doubt Lidi’s friend, but… From what I understand, she’ll be taking this for an extended period of time. It’s medicine, right? Won’t there be problems with long-term usage?”
“There won’t be a problem if she takes it a few times a week. Lidi, how often do you take it?”
“Uh, hmm… About once a week, maybe?”

I used to take that medicine every time he embraced me, but ever since the Royal Flower had changed, I only ever used it when Freed went all out.
I wanted to retort that it still happened once a week, but… well, sometimes it was once every two weeks, so the frequency at which I used it seemed to be decreasing.
Ms. Delris nodded at my reply.

“There’s no need to worry, then. Though, if you were using it every day, I’d have to change the formula…”
“I-I don’t use it that much!”

I wanted to be spared from having to take the stamina recovery medicine daily.
When I vigorously shook my head, Ms. Delris laughed out, “Then, it’s fine.” Freed looked relieved.

“I’m glad.”
“Ah, that’s right, the medicine can be used even when you’re pregnant, so don’t worry.”
“Pft!”

She added something completely unnecessary.
However, I was grateful. It was a very useful piece of information, but it was extremely embarrassing to hear it in front of everyone.
While I was trembling with embarrassment, Freed answered seriously.

“That’s great. I’ve heard pregnancy is a very delicate thing, so I don’t want this medicine to affect Lidi or our unborn child.”
“Freed…”

I was very moved by the look on Freed’s face as he was seriously worrying over my body.
I didn’t know when I’d get pregnant, but with my husband being like this, I hoped to conceive soon.

— The child will surely be happy, after all.

Freed was so worried even before the child was born, so I was sure he’d make a considerate father.

— I married a good person.

Although it didn’t really matter anymore, I was grateful that my father had pushed for Freed.
My father had a good eye for men.
While I was reflecting on how fortunate I was, Ms. Delris looked at me.

“Lidi, your face is flushed.”
“… Oh.”

I covered my cheeks when she pointed that out. Sure enough, they were hot.
When I noticed that, Ms. Delris continued in an exasperated tone.

“You don’t seem to have realized this, so let me tell you – you’ve been smiling non-stop for a while now.”
“Ah.”

I touched around my mouth, and certainly, the corners were raised. It seemed like I was making quite a carefree face. How embarrassing.

— Is that what it means when happiness shows on a person’s face?

Even though I was married, it seemed like I’d love my husband no matter how much time had passed. Even so, I was very happy. I married the person I wanted, and he continued to love me. Wasn’t that a miracle for me, someone who had been born a high-ranking noble?
Freed looked at me.

“Lidi?”
“… I was just thinking that I’m happy that you love me, Freed.”
“Is that why you were making such a cute expression?”
“Cute, you say…”

Didn’t I make a mistake by being sloppy? But Freed was all smiles.

“You’re cute. You turned bright red, and your mouth relaxed. You’re so happy that I love you. It’s an indescribable feeling.”
“Freed.”

Freed reached out his hand and gently touched my hot cheek.
I shivered at the feeling of his fingers.

“It’s true, your cheek is really hot.”

His voice was so bewitchingly sweet that my whole body became hot. Freed looked fondly at my simple reaction.

“Ahh… Lidi, you’re really cute.”
“… It’s started up again.”

While I was spellbound by Freed, Cain sighed and said.

“They are like that all the time, Granny.”
“Isn’t it wonderful they’re so close? Your master is happy, so what’s the problem?”
“There’s no problem, but… how should I say it? It’s like they enter a world of their own…”
“Couples in love are like that. Especially newlyweds. Just turn a blind eye to it.”
“I feel like in the Princess’s case, nothing will change even after they stop being newlyweds…”
“Oh dear.”

Ms. Delris chuckled to herself.

“Certainly, their interactions are pure saccharine sweetness, and that will definitely never change. It’s amusing, so I never get tired of watching them, but is it still too much for a youngling like you?”
“No, even I got used to it. Or rather, I had to get used to it. How to put it… Their interactions feel as if you poured honey and condensed milk over sugar and, on top of that, sprinkled that with powdered sugar. Like adding more sugar to something already sickly sweet. Even without tasting any of it, you can feel the sweetness in your mouth.”
“Then how about I brew another tea? Your favorite bitter one. I’m sure you won’t suffer from this sugary feeling anymore then.”

Although Ms. Delris said that jokingly, Cain nodded seriously.

“… I’d never want it under normal circumstances, but I feel like I need it now.”
“Haha, it must be really severe if you’re asking for my tea.”

Cain and Ms. Delris were cracking jokes together. Speaking of me, I realized what I’d been doing and looked upwards.

“Uu…. Sorry, Cain. I’ll be careful.”

I didn’t mean to flirt. But, I couldn’t describe what I’d been doing as anything but flirting no matter how much I tried. I could only apologize when I noticed that.
Cain smiled wryly and told me.

“Don’t mind. I’m used to it. Besides, Princess, you’re doing it unconsciously, right? Won’t it be hard to be careful?”
“Ugh.”

He was so right that I could only agree.

— After all… I can’t help it! Freed is cool and wonderful, and his smile is gentle and… What I want to say is, I love him!

“Lidi, don’t worry.”

Even though Freed should’ve been equally as guilty, he comforted me.

“You aren’t doing this on purpose, so you can’t help it. But Lidi, if it bothers you, I’ll be careful too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”

If Freed is careful, we might manage somehow.
When I looked at him expectantly, Freed smiled gently.

“Of course I will do it for my cute wife.”
“Freed, I love you.”

I was so moved by his beautiful smile that highlighted how dear he was to me that I impulsively clung to Freed. He spread his arms then caught me in his embrace.
Ahh, my husband is so lovely and cool today too. I love him.

“Immediately after we pointed it out, of course this happens. Being careful or whatever is just a pipe dream, isn’t it?”

Ms. Delris burst out laughing. Then Cain pressed down on his forehead and muttered, “… It’s hopeless.”

---

Editor: Alexis

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