The Ring and the Misunderstanding
"A truly bold man." The Princess spoke as the carriage rolled back toward the palace. The moon was high now, bathing the streets in a bright, silvery glow. Her blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight filtering through the carriage window.
"At least I'm glad you didn't seem bored. Tell me, how did he appear in your eyes?" Artemisia asked, turning her gaze toward her companion sitting across from her, who was still draped in a heavy robe.
Rustle. Checking that they were alone, the companion carefully pulled back the hood that had been covering her head, revealing a beauty with hair like burning embers. Even under the blue moonlight, her red hair didn't lose its vibrancy, and her eyes were a deeper blue than those of Artemisia, the true heir to the imperial throne. A pair of small horns peeked out from her hair.
Even though she had only removed the hood of a robe enchanted with perception-dulling magic, a sudden wave of overwhelming pressure filled the cramped carriage. In terms of status, Artemisia was hardly lacking, but the woman before her was different by birth.
"It was certainly an interesting place, just as Your Highness described," said the Princess, in whose veins flowed the blood of a dragon.
"I imagine it must have been troublesome for you to have us visit so suddenly, but I have nothing to offer but my gratitude." As she bowed her head politely, Artemisia waved her hand dismissively.
"Nonsense. Are we not friends?"
"Friends..."
"I can converse with you on equal footing, and that is enough." The Princess was generous to those who possessed ability and merit, so this was truly nothing to her. It was far more enjoyable than dealing with those who always fawned over her, trying to scavenge the crumbs of influence she dropped.
"In that sense, Julian—that man was quite a find, too."
"He was indeed a unique individual."
"Ho, are you interested in him as well?"
"He is the first person, aside from my family, to maintain such composure even after noticing my presence."
"Even I was a little tense when I first encountered you," the Princess said playfully, burying the question of 'Isn't that inevitable since we are of different species?' deep in her heart.
"Then, wouldn't it be fine to become family with that man?"
"Family, you say?"
"Unfortunately, my brother has no interest in men... and he already has a lover he holds dear."
"No, what are you talking about? I meant that you should do it."
"Ah."
"Well, even so, he already has a woman he's seeing, so that wouldn't be easy either."
"Are you talking about the person who was beside him?"
"The one with the cat ears is his secretary. They said they grew up together since childhood and are like family?" The Princess chuckled, recalling the look on Shion's face as she watched Julian.
"How on earth does that look like a gaze between family members..."
"They grew up together since childhood..."
"Hmm?"
The woman, her cheeks flushed as red as her hair, cupped her face and turned her head away abruptly.
"...Please pretend you didn't hear that just now."
"I didn't know you had that kind of taste."
"It's a secret! That part just now!"
***
Arcelia, who had managed to avoid the encounter thanks to the late hour of the visit, was horrified when she heard the full story the next day.
"...So, what exactly did you ask of the Princess?"
"I asked her to promote the hotel a little."
"..."
She looked at Shion beside me, her expression clearly conveying the sentiment, 'Why didn't you stop him...?'
"The young master—no, the President—was in the middle of a conversation with an important visitor. I felt it would be presumptuous for me to interrupt that dialogue," Shion replied, leaving Arcelia with no choice but to accept it.
"That's true, too... Phew. So, is there any other information I should be aware of?" Arcelia asked with trembling hands, having regained her composure quickly despite hearing news that made her soul want to escape her body since the morning.
"Aside from that, no, there shouldn't be anything special."
"Phew, that's a relief. Do you have any idea how shocked I was to hear that the Princess had visited?"
"I didn't expect her to come either. But still, it ended well, so all's well that ends well, right?"
"I really envy your nerves of steel."
And so, the hotel continued to run without incident. The Princess, who said she liked my spirit and would gladly grant my request, had told me to look forward to it, but I hadn't actually expected customers to suddenly flock in. It wasn't like I could run ads on TV and online platforms like in my past life, and I hadn't even hoped for that. Since I had asked the Princess, not just anyone, that was enough. Even just a simple, 'This place was pretty good, you should check it out if you have time,' would have been sufficient. Considering the people the Princess dealt with, not just ordinary nobles, that was better. I had to avoid looking like I was flaunting my power by using the Imperial family as a backdrop. Otherwise, our VIP, the Prince, would get angry. That man usually just acts lazy and soft, but he’s sharp as a knife if he thinks someone has crossed the line.
Time passed, and the first weekend after the Princess's visit arrived.
"...With that, I conclude this month's regular meeting."
The meeting, attended by the heads of the various businesses I was involved in, including the hotel, came to an end.
"Oh, if you have any personal requests or requirements you couldn't mention earlier, feel free to come see me."
Nairin had seemed a bit nervous as it was her first meeting as the security team leader, but she did well... In the first place, the security team was always at the hotel or by my and Arcelia's side, so they weren't in a position where they had to do much in the meetings. They were in a position to speak directly to me or Shion if there was something to say. In a way, they were close aides? I suppose you could call them that.
"Captain, so how do you make that 'washing machine' thing? You said you'd tell us!"
"When did I say I'd tell you? I just said I'd give you the idea!"
"Ah, that's the same thing! You keep making people curious and holding back like that?!"
"Hehe, I'll send it to you once the new perfume I'm making is finished."
"We'll be going first. It's about time for the guests to start pouring in..."
"Weekend evenings are really busy. I think weekdays are actually more comfortable."
After saying goodbye to those who left after having their say, the only ones left in the meeting room were me, Arcelia, Shion, and Nairin.
"Oh, Nairin."
"Yes, President."
She seemed exhausted from her first meeting, but she straightened her back immediately when I called her name. I told her she didn't have to go that far.
"No, relax. Like I said before, it's fine if you only work the morning tomorrow."
"Thank you!"
"You had a hard time when the Princess visited a few days ago."
"President..."
"As for me, well, the pressure? I don't really feel those things, so it was just tiring dealing with a high-ranking person, but I heard it wasn't like that for others."
Even Shion, who would usually say it was nothing, nodded, as it seemed it had been quite a burden for her at the time.
"People get tired if they only work. You need to rest properly for your efficiency to be good when you work."
I took a ticket out of my jacket pocket.
"This is...?"
"A good place to go for a date on the weekend. My name is on it, so you probably won't have to wait long."
Seeing Nairin carefully take the ticket with both hands and tuck it into her chest as if storing something precious, I stood up.
"Then I'll be off."
"Have a good evening!"
Because the meeting ended earlier than expected, it was still too early to call it evening. It felt like the perfect timing, so I casually asked Arcelia as we rode the elevator down together.
"How about leaving work a little early today?"
"Of course, I'd love to. Shall we go get some fresh air together for the first time in a while?"
The answer came back immediately, as if she had been waiting for it. Since we had been busy during the weekdays after our date last weekend, we had been lacking time for just the two of us. And there was something I needed to give her.
There was still some time before I had to swap shifts with Delphi, so we left the hotel and started walking down the street.
"Where shall we go?"
"Hmm, let's see... Ah!"
Arcelia, who had been pondering with her hand to her lips, let out a small exclamation as if she had thought of something.
"Do you remember the restaurant we went to last time? The one where the dessert was good!"
"Ah, that place is great. Shall we go there then?"
"I'd love to!"
Walking down the street stuck together for the first time in a while, I felt, 'This is what dating is for.' When I lightly placed my hand on Arcelia's shoulder and pulled her toward me, she came into my arms without resistance. Even though we worked in the same building, we couldn't stay close often, so we tended to stick together without caring about others' gazes when we were on a date.
"So, the thing I'm worried about lately is..."
"Ah, I hadn't thought of that point either."
"Hmm, for that, maybe we could try approaching it this way..."
Even after arriving at the restaurant, we didn't stop talking, fidgeting with each other's hands until the food arrived. Her hands were smaller than mine, long and soft, with a charm that made me want to keep touching them. Thanks to that, it was a good time to make my move.
As we finished our meal and it was time for dessert, I pulled out the ring case I had prepared in advance in front of Arcelia, who was smiling brightly and looking forward to it.
"Oh? Julian, this is...?"
A dark navy blue box. As I carefully opened the lid, the ring inside revealed itself with a 'click.'
"Hup...!"
Seeing the ring suddenly appear, she blinked her large eyes as if her brain had stopped working. She covered her mouth with her hands to stifle the scream that was about to burst out, but she couldn't stop the sound from leaking through. Looking back and forth between me and the ring as if she couldn't believe it, Arcelia asked in a trembling voice.
"A-are you really giving this to me...?"
Hmm, seeing this reaction, I thought it was a good idea to prepare it.
"Then who else would I give it to? Here."
As I took the sparkling silver ring out of the case, she carefully held out her hand. Her ears were already flushed red, and her breathing had become ragged.
"...But why are there two rings?"
The light vanished from Arcelia's eyes.
