[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 67: Ch : Apology and Reconcilement

"T-This close...are you sure you want to use it? Isn’t it usually reserved for...?"

Madam Martha sounded beyond shocked as she held the white cloth in her hand. Her reaction told Shuu that the cloth was much more precious than he could have ever expected.

He would have protested, had he not seen Prince Kaiden’s expression. His calm smile told the others not to argue with him for their own sanity.

"It is fine. I know the significance of this cloth better than anyone else. But I do feel like I need to use it right now to give Shuu his best chance at his social debut. Besides, I know I can trust you with this material since you have handled it before."

Madam Martha looked struck. She opened and closed her mouth, not sure what she should say next.

As much as she did not agree with Prince Kaiden’s decision to keep someone as gullible as Lady Sera close, she did know how much he cared about her. And this decision of his would hurt her.

But the current Prince Kaiden...felt a little different from his usual self.

"Alright, I will make your companion’s clothes. But I do want to see what his partner will be wearing. I want to make the clothes match for them."

Madam Martha wanted to see who Shuu’s partner was this time.

She knew for a fact that it wouldn’t be Prince Kaiden since he had confirmed that he would go with Lady Sera, so she felt a little curious.

But Prince Kaiden’s blank expression made her feel like she had landed on a landmine.

"Partner...? Why would Shuu need a partner? Since I cannot accompany him, he will be entering alone. After all, there is no rule that one cannot attend a tea party alone."

Madam Martha suddenly felt a small headache threatening to take over her head.

Of course, the crown prince was right when he said that there was no rule stating one had to have a partner when they came to a tea party. But in practice, no one dared to come alone because of the social pressure.

Having a partner was an unspoken rule of tea parties, and coming without one was considered an insult.

"I...can I invite Nero as my partner? Having him there with me will make me feel a little better."

Shuu suddenly spoke up, and Prince Kaiden’s sour mood became even worse. Madam Martha was sure that he would end up cursing any second.

But his words shocked her to her very core.

"You want...to come with Nero? I guess I can allow that. Nero is my familiar, and I can trust him to look after you."

Despite his discomfort, Prince Kaiden agreed to Shuu’s request, and the tense look on his face faded as Shuu smiled at him.

Madam Martha had never seen the crown prince do anything like this before. Even with Lady Sera, he usually found a way to get her to do things his way.

But for Shuu, he had not only taken his words back, but allowed him to do as he wished.

’Does Prince Kaiden...have any idea what kind of face he’s making at the moment...?’

Madam Martha questioned it, but the answer was obvious. There was no way the prince did not know what he looked like when he saw Shuu and still did not realize his feelings.

But it did mean that a new change would be coming to the imperial palace...most likely.

"I will go and call Nero here. We can get him fitted for the tea party as well. We might as well get it all out of the way before I have to go back to paperwork."

And so, Nero was quickly called, and both he and Shuu were measured for their clothes.

Prince Kaiden watched for some time before his stomach began to turn, and he decided to leave the room.

He also picked up the golden cloth Sera had been eyeing all this time and decided to visit her.

He was sure that she was upset with what had happened, and he wanted to cheer her up.

He did not like it when Sera was angry with him, but he also felt like it was time for her to learn her standing as the next queen.

__________

"Lady Sera, please calm down. I am sure Prince Kaiden did not mean to slight you like this. Prince Yunn must have said something to him that caused him to behave like this."

Becky rubbed her lady’s back as her lady kept crying.

In reality, the one who wanted to cry was her. It was her job that had been demoted and her honor that had been tarnished because she tried to take Lady Sera’s side.

But she also realized that her only lifeline here was Lady Sera, so she stuck to her side as best as she could.

"B-But Sera, this is not fair! How could Prince Kaiden do this to me? H-Has he fallen out of love? Does he not like me anymore? What should I do?"

As she cried, there was a sudden knock at her door. Becky gave her one last look before she went to open it.

A gasp escaped her mouth as she looked at Prince Kaiden’s face. He stood at the door, still mid-knock, and his eyes softened as he looked at Lady Sera.

"P-Prince Kaiden, what can I help you with?"

Becky asked, and Sera also looked at him before she pouted and turned her head away from him.

Prince Kaiden sighed and braced himself to beg for forgiveness from Lady Sera.

"I wanted to apologize to you, Sera. I was a little too harsh on you. But I only did it because I did not want people to talk badly about you. As the next queen, there will be a lot of people trying to find fault with you. So we need to make sure they keep their mouths shut."

Prince Kaiden told Sera, and she suddenly brightened up. Her eyes lit up in understanding, and she nodded at him.

"I-I see. That makes sense. I guess I misunderstood your intentions after all."

She let out a relieved sigh before wrapping her arms around Kaiden to pull him into a hug.

Prince Kaiden hugged her back, but for some reason, he did not get the same satisfaction he always got from the hug.

He felt like something was missing...