Reincarnated as the Villainess... Yeah, I'm Doomed

Chapter Sixty- One: Secret Message

Grey clouds formed in the sky, casting a shadow over the academy's lawn. My pace quickened as small droplets of rain began to descend from the sky, Lady Atlee following close behind on the path to the green house. Prince Louis had requested to meet with me after my return to the academy but had not been free until two weeks after. Like Philip, the Sarchian's schedule had been filled with negotiations between nobles and other delegations sent to our country. Apparently the Cynth rebels had managed to push their forces into a city close to the capital where the palace and the Queen resided. It was a key tactical point in the civil war and caused many of the Cynthian Queen's sympathizers to pressure the King to send aid. This only threatened the King's neutral stance on the matter, especially with the new discovery that Lytton had been colluding with the Cynthian rebels in order to obtain cynth ore. As a result, many of the students who should have been focused on schoolwork were being pulled from their studies in order to aid their families. 

After entering the green house, Lady Atlee joined Serge's side and the two began to quietly converse while I sat down beside Prince Louis on one of the nearby benches. Lady Atlee was quick to make friends with Serge just as Ryland had, and I was starting to believe that the three might start a support group for personal knights with difficult charges.

"Uh, what's up?" I asked, unsure of how start a conversation with someone who was almost always the first to speak. Unlike his usual temperament, Prince Louis was oddly quiet, his eyes trained on a clump of wilting flowers that had begun to suffer from the neglect of the ground keepers. I watched as cloud the size of a dinner plate formed over the flowers before turning into a small downpour identical to the one that had formed above the greenhouse.

"It is likely that I will not be able to finish out the school year in Findara." Prince Louis said as he dispersed the small rain cloud.

"I see." I responded. I wasn't surprised by his statement. Charles had caught wind from his father that two of the Sarchian princes had volunteered to lead troops into Cynth in order to aid the Queen. Naturally, someone would need to take up their duties during their absence, and it looked like that duty would fall on Prince Louis. However, even though I had predicted that something like this would happen, it was still difficult to accept.

"When will you return?" I asked.

"Probably within the next week." He answered. Another pause ensued before a grin spread to his lips, his eyes glinting the way they always did when he was about to tease me.

"Don't miss me too much, okay? I don't want your beautiful smile to be ruined by tears of loneliness."

"Yeah right," I scoffed, comforted by the return of his usual attitude. Prince Louis looked up and let out a dry chuckle. Unlike the upturned corners of his lips, the prince's eyes were still solemn.

"I would ask you to come with me if there was even a chance that you would agree, but I know that my words would only be wasted." Prince Louis said. His words were no longer laced with amusement and instead his normally light way of speaking carried an unfamiliar weight. Though I wished that I was ignorant of what this meant, I couldn't ignore it like I had his normal teasing.

"You're right." I agreed, casting my gaze on the flower garden so that I didn't have to make eye contact.

"I have a place here, in Findara. Not just due to my responsibilities, but also because there are people I wish to remain by."

"Crown Prince Philip?" Prince Louis asked with his usual neglect for what would normally be considered impolite. I nodded my head, looking at the ground with embarrassment. It was difficult to admit the feelings I had for Philip, even if I didn't have to use words when doing so.