Banished Villainess

40 : Locke

After that, Chloe and Shin were having a chat as they did the lodging’s morning preparations.

“Where is Locke, Lady?”

“Apparently, he is going to explore the dungeon with new individuals. I think he’ll be back around noon.”
 

‘Locke…’

The prince heard the man’s name leaking out of Momo’s mouth. Leddorio thought that perhaps the lady is having mixed feelings knowing that Chloe got to know her childhood friend, at the very least, he hoped that it was nothing more than that.

‘So they really knew each other.’

‘She hasn’t seen him yet so we do not know for sure….’
 

‘When you show such a fleeting gaze, I can’t help but feel jealous.’

Although Sei, who immediately jump towards coaxing the lady took an elbow from Leddorio, the prince felt the same way. He couldn’t help but consider the possibility that perhaps Momo might have had feelings for Locke in their hometown and only hid it when she approached them.

However, he immediately brushed those kinds of thoughts aside. No matter what past the lady may have had, Momo said that she currently doesn’t have feelings for anyone. Leddorio has to believe that.

The feelings of the entourage aside, the mirror began to show Chloe making something in the kitchen. She brought with her, wheat flour, butter, and salt, and after making a cookie batter, she put them aside.

“Are you planning to bake Cookies, lady?”

“I had the sudden urge to bake after helping the mistress cook for a while, so I decided to bake cookies for old time’s sake. I obtained permission, of course.”

“If the lady is thinking of using baked sweets to get Locke’s affection, she is mistaken. It’ll just get the same result as his highness.”

　The prince thought that Shin was unusually too direct with his words today. He considered that perhaps the young butler had already given up on coaxing his mistress. As he expected, Chloe seemed to take offense at his words as her cheeks swelled in red.

“I’ll eat them all myself if I fail, silly. In the first place, I already told you that Locke and I aren’t like that. That man wanted to become an adventurer just for Lady Momo’s sake and you–“

‘Locke…for my sake, he…’

Bothered by the mutterings of Momo, the surrounding gentlemen suddenly started trying to appeal to her one after another.

‘Miss Momo, I would do anything to grant your wish too. My feelings for you will not lose to anyone, not even to that of a childhood friend.”

‘E-Even I..’

‘Look at you Darck, saying that even though your recklessness had ruined Lady Momo’s chance of entering the noble society. Did you forget that already? Not only that, his highness was…”
 

‘Momo, just what is Locke to you?’

Leddorio barged into the conversation, interrupting the argument between Sei and Darck. Although Momo looked frightened at his sudden assertive questioning, prince thought given that she insisted on joining the observation, he had the right to ask.

“Locke…, was an orphan who had been taken in by the village chief of our hometown, Palette Village. He kindly looked after me…. and I remember him for being such a good person.”

“Do you love him?”

“Uhm, no… We have been together since childhood we are more of siblings than anything… anyhow he was a really good person so…”

“I see, whichever the case, you didn’t see him as a romantic partner.”

Although Sei said so with a bitter smile, he wasn’t unable to hide his feelings of relief. As far as the entourage of the prince are concerned, Locked wasn’t as good looking and even if he enrolled at the academy together with Momo, he wouldn’t have garnered any special attention, and it’s unlikely that they would have considered him a love rival then either.

But what of Chloe? Leddorio was certain that now that he had abandoned her, the lady would go towards the butler that she had taken in for his looks during childhood instead. However, just the thought of his former fiancée settling for a rural man who still reeks of being a country hick, just doesn’t sit for the young prince.