Chapter v4ex6: V4 Extra 6

A Story About Arnold Touching Rishe's Hair

* This happened between Chapters 3 and 4.

Rishe was currently living as a Crown Princess. It would be more convenient for her to let her hair grow long if she wanted to dress up for evening parties.

However, this could sometimes lead to unexpected situations. For example, the afternoon of a certain day.

"――So we're expecting a harvest soon."

At this moment, Rishe's coral hair was tied into a single knot high behind her head.

She wore it in a ponytail because she was working in the fields. On her way back to the palace, she bumped into Arnold, and they had a brief conversation while walking side by side.

"The leaves are used for medicinal purposes, but the berries are delicious and sweet and sour. If we harvest a lot of them, I'll ask the maids to make jam!"

"But those are the berries of a medicinal herb, aren't they? Don't the fruits have medicinal properties? Are they safe for consumption?"

"Don't worry. They lose their medicinal properties when cooked."

Rishe stuck her chest out and answered Arnold's question with a smile.

A pleasant spring breeze blew through the trees. The sunrays were twinkling through the trees, and the branches that grew close by swayed.

"I have a lady-in-waiting in the palace who is proficient at baking. I'll ask her not to make it too sweet, so that Your Highness can join...A-A-achooo!"

"!"

Rishe covered her face with her hand and let out a small sneeze.

It was a bit windy that day, so her sneeze might have been due to the dust in the air. But what made it worse was that the wind was blowing particularly strong at the moment she sneezed.

"――Ahh..."

"Rishe."

Just as she was about to look up, she felt a tug on her hair.

As the movement of her neck was restricted, Rishe somehow knew what happened.

"...Is my hair caught on a branch?"

"..."

Arnold affirmed me with a look, and she lowered her eyes.

She tried to reach out to the tangled part, but it was hard to see because it was behind her. She gave up trying to untangle it herself, as it got snarled even more.

"Your Highness, can you close your eyes for a moment?"

"...I don't mind."

While Arnold closed his eyes, she plucked the hem of her dress. Rishe's legs, which were usually hidden, were immediately exposed to almost half of her thighs.

I can't let His Highness see me in such an unsightly state, can I?

She unclasped the belted dagger attached to her thigh and let go of the hem of her dress.

"Thank you, Your Highness. You can open your eyes now."

She said as she unsheathed the dagger. Arnold opened his eyes and frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"I...I'm going to cut off my hair because I don't think I can unravel it."

"――..."

The crease on Arnold's brows deepened.

"'You don't have to do that."

"Ah!"

Arnold divested her of the dagger.

"Wouldn't it be better if I cut off this branch than your hair?"

"No, you can't do that!

Rishe hurriedly stopped Arnold as he moved to put words into action.

"This tree is so delicate that even the best gardeners have trouble pruning it! If it gets sick from a branch cut, it might just die!"

"That doesn't mean you have to cut your hair.

"But..."

Rishe told Arnold, who looked unwilling to return her dagger.

"There's no other way, please untangle my hair then, Your Highness.

"..."

She could tell what kind of a mess it was, but it was hard to untangle hair that's tangled in natural objects.

Arnold would surely find it best to cut her hair. But then he looked at Rishe and said readily...

"――Okay."

"Uh?"

Arnold then sheathed Rishe's dagger, and after returning it to her, he stretched his hand.

"Ah, Your Highness?!"

"Stay still for a while."

She could feel Arnold's hand on the ends of her hair.

It was high for Rishe, but for Arnold it was on eye level. Perhaps that was why Arnold looked like it was really nothing.

......Although......

The serious problem here was that Arnold was standing in front of Rishe.

....Rather, his face is too close to mine....?!

At any rate, they were facing each other, with Arnold's hands behind Rishe's back.

It was an indescribable position, like right before a hug.

Ummm...

Rishe bowed so as not to get in his way, but even if she didn't, she probably couldn't look up. Meanwhile, Arnold carefully untangled Rishe's hair with a serious look on his face.

"Look down a little more."

"O-Okay..."

When she did as she was told, she leaned forward and got even closer to him. She felt like her forehead was going to rest on Arnold's body.

I wonder if he can smell my sweat.

She had been working in the fields, and couldn't stop worrying about it. As she squeezed herself together, she heard Arnolt's voice from above.

"...Your hair is so fine."

"I-I'm sorry."

"And so soft."

"Sorry..."

That was why it got tangled up like this.

She felt sorry for troubling him so much. Just then, Arnold said in a quizzical voice.

"I don't think it's anything to apologize for."

"...But."

"And I meant that as a compliment."

"Huh?"

To Rishe's surprise, she looked up.

Then Arnold, who had been looking up at close range, looked straight down at her and said...

"I think you have beautiful hair."

"Um, my...?!"

The frank compliment made her feel shy all at once.

Arnold narrowed his eyes in front of Rishe, who was rendered speechless, and then added,

"...I thought you'd get upset if I touch your hair, but I guess that's not always the case."

"That, w-what do you mean..."

"――Am I wrong?"

Given the smirk and wicked grin he directed at her, Rishe felt her cheeks burning.

He's teasing me again!!"

"There you go. I got it."

"!"

When I felt my hair freed, he stroked my hair as if he were combing it.

She could feel her hair in a ponytail swaying softly behind her. Rishe pressed the tail behind her head with a bright red face.

"Oh, yes, thank you very much!"

"...I'd be glad to do something like this any day."

Rishe felt increasintly flustered as he directed gentle words towards her. But Arnold started walking again, and she hurried to follow him.

"It looks like the tree is undamaged. That being the case, I'm sure it will bloom beautifully in the summer..."

"That's not important."

Arnold pointed at Rishe's hand, looking as if he didn't care about flowers.

"I'm more interested in knowing where that dagger came from."

"!!!"

When he pointed out the hidden weapon, Rishe looked the other way as best she could.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Do you really think that hiding it behind your back is going to make any sense now?"

Even Arnold would have seen through the dagger anyway.

With that in mind, Rishe pawed the ground in an attempt to deceive him. Then she casually pinched the end of her hair that Arnold had complimented with her fingertips.