How To Train the Wolf King – Accidentally Spending the Night Together and Triggering the Death Flag,

Chapter 24: Rough treatment is sometimes necessary (1)

The promised day had perfect weather with not a single cloud in the sky. 

efinsterwald manifested a day out o...

The temperature was just right, making it the perfect day for a picnic. The sunlight filtered through the trees, and the birds chirped happily. The situation was perfect.

In the midst of it all,

“Wow! What a beautiful lake!”

Flora’s voice rang out as she saw the clear lake reflecting the color of the blue sky beyond the green path. She wore a casual style with a large ribbon on her chestnut-colored hair and a white dress. 

“The lake surface is like a mirror reflecting the forest. That’s why it’s called Mirror Pond.”

Margaery smiled in response to Flora’s sparkling eyes. She wore a lavender-colored dress with a wide-brimmed white hat, making it easy to move around. The amethyst necklace peeking out from her chest matched perfectly.

The small azure flowers that resembled her eyes swayed gently in the wind, like a blue carpet.

Taking a deep breath and feeling comfortable, Margaery turned around with a smile.

“The Lapis Lazuli flowers seem to be in full bloom too… I’m glad we came. Serge-sama? Yuri-sama?”

However, unlike the two happy girls, the reactions of the two men behind them were not so great.

“…Huh? Y-Yeah!”

Serge was clearly distracted by something other than the flowers.

“…Yeah.”

Julius was no longer even looking at the flowers. By the way, Julius had turned his face away with a stern expression and Serge was glancing at his brother with concern.

Despite the refreshing scenery, an awkward atmosphere filled the air.

With a smile on her face, Margaery gently moved away from the half-brothers. She then grabbed Flora’s arm, who was absentmindedly munching on almonds that she had taken out of her pocket, and pulled her towards a shady spot.

In a hushed voice, Margaery pleaded with her friend, who was casually eating almonds.

“This is bad, Flora-sama! Wasn’t the picnic too much of a hurdle for those two?! They didn’t say a word to each other on the way here!”

“Hahaha, it’s okay. They both seem a little nervous, but they’ll get used to it eventually.”

“It’s not just a little nervousness, they’re practically staring at each other!”

Julius’ frown deepened, and Serge kept glancing at his brother. They seemed to be stuck in a stalemate, unable to find a way out.

(Setting the stage for reconciliation at a picnic was too much of a rough treatment…)

Margaery groaned as she held her aching stomach.

Even she didn’t expect to go on a picnic with the half-brothers. So she hastily put together a conversation plan, but judging from their behavior on the way here, it didn’t seem to be very helpful.

As she leaned against a tree with her head down, Flora smiled calmly.

“Well, well. We succeeded in taking the two of them out of the castle. Let’s just patiently observe their behavior.”

“Well, yes, that’s true, but…”

“Oh! Margaery-sama, that spot over there seems perfect for the four of us to sit together. I’ll go spread out the sheet!”

Flora ran happily, looking like she was having the time of her life. Margaery couldn’t help but feel relaxed watching her and reluctantly followed her.

Now then, why did these four people decide to go on a picnic in the first place?

It turned out that Flora was the one who came up with the idea.

After calming down Julius, who had run away after arguing with Serge and returning, Flora, who was supposed to be receiving queen education, was waiting for Margaery.

To Margaery’s surprise, Flora asked if there was anything wrong with Serge and Julius and said that she wanted to help if there was any trouble. She suddenly said such a thing.

At first, Margaery was confused about what to do. However, upon further thought, Flora was the one who mediated between the half-brothers in the novel and was successful, albeit temporarily. If she was willing to cooperate, she would be an invaluable ally.

So she decided to tell Flora that she wanted to reconcile King Julius and Prince Serge. Then Flora suggested, “Why don’t the four of us, you, me, and those two, go out together?” Margaery agreed to it.

(I hope this child didn’t just want to have a simple picnic…)

Margaery watched Flora humming and arranging things on the sheet with a suspicious look.

Certainly, Julius had many enemies, and was not well-liked by Serge’s mother. Because of these two, it was impossible to have a frank conversation without being bothered by the eyes and ears around them.

Therefore, it might be a good idea to escape outside the castle. That’s why Margaery decided to carry out the double date plan, which could be considered reckless in a way.

(…No, no. It’s enough that they cooperated with me. I can’t blame them! I have to think about how to break the stalemate!)

Regaining her composure, Margaery tightly squeezed her hand.

――Despite her determination, Julius and Serge were still standing awkwardly behind her, but she decided not to think about it at this point.

Then, Flora, who had finished arranging the lunch boxes, approached them quietly.

“I met His Majesty up close again, and he’s such a wonderful person.”

“Huh?”

“I had a bit of a scary impression of him… He’s different from Serge-sama, but he’s so beautiful.”

Margaery looked back at Flora, who was gazing at the back of the group. As soon as she saw Julius, she immediately understood what Flora was trying to say.

Did he give up talking to Serge? Julius was alone, standing and looking up at the trees.

Just leaning against the tree with his arms crossed, he looked like a painting. The way he was illuminated by the sunlight filtering through the trees and squinting his eyes was almost like a fantasy.

Margaery felt proud for some reason when she saw Flora, who seemed to be fascinated by him.

“That’s right, that’s right. And His Majesty is not just good-looking. When you talk to him directly, he shows a mischievous side, which is surprisingly cute.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh yes! And it’s not scary at all. Yuri-sama may not be good at socializing, but it’s just because he’s clumsy. He’s actually a very kind person, with a quick mind that makes him anticipate things and become cowardly. Margaery-sama knows this very well.”

“I see, I see. Margaery-sama knows that side of him too.”

Flora looked at Margaery, who was speaking passionately, with a lukewarm expression. But suddenly, she smiled like the sun.

And then, she dropped a bombshell.

“By the way, Margaery-sama, you really love His Majesty, don’t you?”