77話 説明の前に恋バナでも
先だってと同じ部屋に再び入り、しばらくして店の者が酒とちょっとしたつまみとお茶を運んでくる。
「それでは、ごゆっくりどうぞ」
店の者がそう言って退出し三人のみになると、利民が口を開く。
「まずは頼みがある。
そう言って深々と頭を下げられ、驚いた雨妹は立勇を見る。
するとこちらも驚いた顔をしていた。
「何故、と聞くべきでしょうね」
硬い声で尋ねる立勇に、「そんなもん、決まっているだろうが」と利民が話す。
ここ佳は最近がちぃっと物騒なだけで、普段は平穏で賑やかなところだし......せっかく海を気に入ってくれているみてぇなのに」
利民は俯き加減で、後半を小声でボソッと呟く。
――おぉ?
予想外の利民の反応に、雨妹は目を瞬かせる。
これはまるで、お年頃の青春する若者のようではないか。
どうもはっきり言い過ぎたかと、雨妹が内心で反省すると。
「雨妹、そういう内容はもう少し遠回しに尋ねるものではないか?」
立勇がそう口を挟むので、雨妹はムッとして口を尖らせる。
「そんな技能を、この私に求めないでください」
そもそも、雨妹は下っ端掃除係に過ぎないのだから。
「遠慮のなさは、てめぇらどっちもどっちだ」
「はぁ、なるほど」
要するに潘公主との距離感がわからないというわけか。
生活環境が全く異なる二人なのだから、分からなくもない。
「でもそういうのって、毎日の生活の繰り返しの中で埋めていくものだと思うんですけど」
それを生活で分けていたら、埋まりようがないのではなかろうか。
雨妹がそう語ると、またもや立勇が口を挟む。
「雨妹よ、おそらくは利民殿だとて理解しておられても、気恥ずかしくて実行するのが難しいのだろう。
「いやそれ、立勇の方がよっぽど追い込んでいませんか?」
立勇は利民を助けているようで、できていない気がする。
この遠慮のなさは、太子付きとしての必須技能だろうか?
――太子殿下って、結構マイペースだもんね。
黙って従っているようでは、太子付きはできないのかもしれない。
雨妹がそんな風なことを考えていると。
「てめぇら、俺をもうちっと敬えよ」
利民から苦情が入る。
これではまるで恋のお悩み相談のようではないか。
「ごほん! 利民様の恋のお話は、また後日に聞くとしてですね」
「誰が恋だ!? ってかそもそも俺らは夫婦なんだよ!」
話を仕切り直そうとする雨妹に、利民が顔を赤くして反論する。
そもそも利民と潘公主は政略結婚だったのだから、気持ちが伴っていないのは当然のことで。
今恋の気持ちが育っているのならばいいことではないか。
この利民、身体は大きくてもそのあたりが初心なのかもしれない。
またもや脱線しそうになっていたところに、立勇が割り入った。
「利民殿、あの海賊は本当にただの海賊なのでしょうか?」
こんな港に近くに出るなんて驚きなんですけど」
立勇と雨妹の疑問に、利民が「はっ」と鼻で笑う。
「てめぇら、海賊を山賊と同じに考えているな?
「違い、ですか?」
「海賊って奴らは、いつだって陸を得たい、自分の領地を持ちたいのさ」
これに、立勇が「なるほど」と頷く。
「人は一生海の上で生きていけるわけではないからな」
「そっ、陸の食いもんを補給しなきゃなんねぇからな。
ここまで話した利民が、深くため息を吐く。
「けど、現実にこうして襲ってきているんですね」
雨妹が現状を伝えると、利民が難しい顔で頷く。
「おぅよ、それも襲撃がここのところ立て続けにあるもんで、兵たちも疲れてきている。
そう言って利民が酒を煽る。
立勇が眉をひそめる。
Chapter 77
They entered the room they previously stayed in, and the staff brought some alcohol, snacks and tea.
"Please enjoy your stay."
The staff said, and they withdrew. Li Min started to talk after they were gone.
"I have a request before everything else. Please don't say anything about this to Lady Princess, alright?"
Li Min then bowed deeply, while Yui Mei glanced at Li Yong in surprise.
He also looked startled.
"We should ask why, right."
Li Yong's tone was hard, so Li Min replied with "Of course, that's only natural".
"See, I don't want to scare her. Yeah, it's been messy around here recently, but it's a peaceful and bustling place on normal days... She's starting to like the sea, you know..."
Li Min hanged his head down, and he mumbled the later part.
'Oooh?'
Yui Mei was taken aback by Li Min's unexpected reaction.
It was like a youth experiencing spring for the first time.
Yui Mei also realized that she said too much, so she reflected inwardly.
"Yui Mei, you should go a more round-about way with those kinds of things, you know."
Li Yong interjected, so Yui Mei grimaced and retorted back.
"Don't expect such skill from me please."
Anyway, Yui Mei was just a mere housekeeper, after all.
"Hey, both of you don't know how to hold back, you know."
"Ohh, so that's what it is."
In other words, he didn't know how to close the gap between them.
They have been living in a completely different world, so that's only natural.
"But, you know, you can get closer to each other by living together and spending time with each other every day."
There's no way they won't close the gap between them if they understood how each of them lived.
Li Yong interjected once again when Yui Mei said that.
"Hey Yui Mei, I'm afraid that even if Lord Li Min understands that, he is probably too shy to make a move. Don't go driving him into a corner by being too direct."
"Eh, no, you're the one driving him to a corner, Li Yong."
Li Yong was trying to help Li Min, but he didn't seem to be cut for this.
Is tactlessness an indispensable ability that an attendant to the Crown Prince must have?
'His Highness the Crown Prince likes doing things at his own pace, after all.'
A meek person probably won't do as the crown prince's attendant.
Yui Mei contemplated this.
"Hey you guys, show some respect to me."
Li Min voiced out his grievance.
It seems like they're having 'girl talk' at this rate, consulting each other about the matters of love.
"Let's eat! Lord Li Min, we're going to listen to your love story on another day, okay."
"Who said anything about love! I mean, we're husband and wife in the first place!!!"
Li Min retorted while blushing furiously when Yui Mei tried to redirect their conversation.
Li Min and Princess Pan's marriage was a political one, so it was only a matter of course that their feelings were not connected to each other.
It would be a good thing if they nurtured love in their relationship.
This Li Min, he was already a grown man, but he might still be wet behind the ears regarding this matter.
Li Yong once again interjected when they seemed to derail again from their purpose.
"Lord Li Min, are those pirates really just that?"
"Oh, yeah. I was surprised that they're venturing so close to the harbor, though."
Li Min snorted when he heard Li Yong and Yui Mei's questions.
"Hey you guys, you're probably thinking that mountain bandits and pirates are the same, right. Well, that's true in a sense, they're doing the same stuff, after all, but they got definite differences, you know."
"Differences?"
"Pirates want to possess the land. They want to claim their own territories."
Li Yong nodded in understanding, saying 'I see'.
"There's no way people would spend their entire lives living in the sea alone."
"Yup, they have to get their food on the land, after all. But there's no way we're gonna give up the land like that, so we stationed strong soldiers around here. That's the reason why those guys avoided Kai."
Li Min then sighed after explaining this.
"But, the reality is that they came attacking like this."
Li Min had a complicated expression when Yui Mei commented on their present condition.
"Yeah, and the raids have been going on and on, so the soldiers are also tired. Huge ships are also in danger, so there's less of them coming into Kai."
Li Min then gulped his wine.
Li Yong furrowed his brows.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ