THAT CHILD MUST HAVE BEEN HURT...
OH DEAR! PLEASE FORGIVE US, LORD REGENT!
I WILL MAKE SURE TO STRICTLY DISCIPLINE THIS BOY FOR HIS MANNERS.
LAINEL! YOU MUSTN'T APPROACH YOUR BETTERS SO CARELESSLY!
AND WHAT IS WITH THAT WAY OF SPEAKING?! 'Girlfriend,' you say?! Since when is Lord Regent your friend?!
DIDN'T DAD TELL YOU THAT LORD REGENT IS A FORMER PALADIN, SO HE'S SUPER STRICT AND SCARY?
That he can easily take on a hundred gargoyles all by himself~
'Girlfriend,' you say?! Since when is Lord Regent your friend?!
...HE WAS A PALADIN?
That's a lie! There's no way a Paladin would be in a country village like this! Those are all just false rumors, right?
THAT'S WHY I SAID HE'S A FORMER PALADIN.
THE CARRIAGE IS READY.
Those are all just false rumors, right?
A Paladin.
TWELVE HOLY KNIGHTS SAID TO HARBOR FROST IN THEIR VEINS INSTEAD OF BLOOD,
ALLOWING NOTHING INTO THEIR HEARTS SAVE FOR THE WILL OF GOD.
UNLIKE THE DIVINE ROYAL GUARD, THEY DO NOT SWEAR OATHS OF FEALTY TO THE KING.
FOR THEY ARE PERMITTED TO ACT SOLELY TO SAFEGUARD DIVINITY ITSELF.
WAS HE TRULY A PALADIN?
SURELY... THAT CAN'T BE...
NOT THIS MAN, WHO IS SO EFFORTLESSLY KIND.
I APOLOGIZE FOR PUTTING YOU IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION JUST NOW.
FROM NOW ON, I SHALL TAKE CARE TO ENSURE THAT NO ONE APPROACHES YOU SO CARELESSLY, PRINCESS.
...HE'S JUST A CHILD...
WITH YOUR GRACE BY MY SIDE, THERE IS NO WAY SUCH A SMALL CHILD COULD HARM ME...
YOU NEEDN'T BE SO HARSH ON HIM ON MY ACCOUNT...
...AH...
...WERE YOU NOT STARTLED BY A STRANGER SUDDENLY APPROACHING YOU...?
I AM NOT ONE TO MINGLE CASUALLY WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE TERRITORY,
SO PLEASE DO LET ME KNOW IF ANYTHING MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.
YET JUDGING BY HOW BRIGHTLY THAT CHILD SMILED AS HE RAN UP TO YOU,
IT DOESN'T SEEM AS THOUGH YOUR GRACE HAS ALWAYS DRAWN SUCH A STRICT LINE...
SOME TIME AGO, A KITE THAT CHILD WAS FLYING GOT CAUGHT ON A WINDMILL BLADE,
AND I RETRIEVED IT FOR HIM ONCE.
NOW THAT WAS RATHER UNKIND OF YOU!
IF YOU INTENDED TO DRAW A LINE, YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE SO PROPERLY FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!
THAT CHILD MUST HAVE OPENED HIS HEART TO YOUR GRACE'S THOUGHTFUL KINDNESS,
YOU ARE THE ONE WHO GOT HIS HOPES UP!
...IF YOU WERE GOING TO KEEP HIM AT ARM'S LENGTH LIKE THAT, YOU MIGHT AS WELL...
HAVE CUT THE STRING AND LET THE KITE BLOW AWAY INSTEAD...
I SHALL MAKE SURE TO DO JUST THAT NEXT TIME.
WH-WHAT IS WITH THIS MAN...
I DIDN'T MEAN HE SHOULD ACTUALLY DO THAT!
lord regent! my kite got caught on the windmill!
THAT IS
YOUR OWN FAULT FOR FLYING A KITE NEAR THE WINDMILL.
YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO FLY A KITE.
UM...!
PLEASE PRETEND YOU DIDN'T HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID...!
MY APOLOGIES!
THIS ROAD IS ALWAYS WELL- MAINTAINED...
PERHAPS BECAUSE OF THE WIND, IT'S A BIT ROUGH TODAY!
I'LL STEP DOWN AND CHECK THE ROAD AHEAD FOR A MOMENT!
THAT STARTLED ME...
HUH...?
WHY... WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE HE'S PULLING ME IN EVEN CLOSER...
IS IT MY IMAGINATION...?
ARE YOU ALRIGHT?
PARDON? Y-YES, I AM...
I WILL STEP OUT AND CHECK IF THERE IS ANY ISSUE WITH THE CARRIAGE.
OKAY...
WHAT WAS THAT...
DID HE JUST PUSH ME AWAY...?
I WAS SO FLUSTERED EARLIER THAT I MISTOOK IT FOR HIM EMBRACING ME...
...WHICH IS THE ONLY REASON I STAYED STILL...
I WAS ABOUT TO PULL AWAY RIGHT AFTER, YOU KNOW...?
THE MOMENT WE PASSED THROUGH THE LONG FOREST AND CAME UPON THE DAZZLING SCENERY,
FOR SOME REASON,
I FELT AS THOUGH I MIGHT CRY.
TOO AFRAID OF THE SHARP GAZES OF OTHERS TO STEP BEYOND MY CLOSED DOORS,
I HAD FORGOTTEN EVEN THE FACT THAT I HAD TURNED MY BACK ON THE LIGHT.
PERHAPS THE PRICE OF HIDING AWAY IN THE DARK
WAS NEITHER SOLITUDE NOR SORROW,
BUT IGNORANCE OF OTHER SOULS
WHO WOULD NEITHER SUFFOCATE ME NOR JUDGE ME CARELESSLY.
AND THAT THE COURAGE OFFERED BY THAT UNKNOWN WORLD
COULD ONLY BE GAINED BY TAKING AT LEAST A SINGLE STEP FORWARD.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH...
"IT COULD BE AN OBSESSION BORN OF DOUBT, AFTER ALL."
"IN ORDER TO FINALLY AND COMPLETELY DENY IT."
LEAKING OUT FROM WITHIN THE PRECARIOUSLY TREMBLING VIBRATIONS
WAS A FIERCE, DESPERATE VOICE.
Clockwork Lovers Chapter 9 tells of the tension that begins as the Princess and His Excellency the Regent are approached by a child named Lainel. As the villagers apologize for the child, the Princess thinks he is hurt and criticizes the Regent's harsh attitude. The rumor that the Regent is a former Paladin, the jolt in the carriage and the moment of closeness, along with the awakening in the Princess's inner world, form the emotional turning point of the chapter.
