Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Princess's New Style
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Understood.”
The princess's impish little smile.
That smile made me chuckle despite myself.
“But in the future, if something like this happens again, please keep your knights close by.”
I lowered myself to eye level with the princess.
And offered her some serious advice.
“The idea of the sovereign who will one day command the Empire facing any threat—well, I can't allow that either.”
To be honest, just moments ago when Orn's arm had swung toward Lydia.
I'd nearly unleashed my sword aura right in front of her eyes.
If the princess got hurt while we were traveling together.
Far from taking it easy, I'd end up straight in prison.
Sure, that would mean no more entanglements with the imperial family.
But it'd be a noose around my neck instead.
So, it would be great if Lydia acted a bit more prudently.
“...”
Was she thinking back to Orn's arm that had threatened her just now?
Lydia stared at me blankly.
“A guy from some backwater who's got no business sticking his nose in—talk about nosy.”
The princess snatched the hat I'd given her.
And muttered as she turned her head away.
“If you're going to say that, then watch over me yourself...”
“I didn't quite catch that.”
When I asked her to repeat it, Lydia shook her head and said shamelessly,
“No, I'm off now. The mood's all ruined anyway, and it's clearly not the atmosphere for a meal.”
Lydia crossed her arms by herself.
And ordered her knights to bring the carriage around.
“I'm sorry. You've gone through all this needless trouble because of me.”
I bowed my head deeply in apology.
But she didn't reprimand me at all.
Instead, right before leaving...
“Well, it's fine. Thanks to you, I got to see the city streets, and it was pretty fun in its own way.”
The princess patted my shoulder.
And whispered in a chilling voice.
“You showed me around the city this time, so next time, I'll show you around my imperial palace.”
“Yes...?”
Her tone made me jerk my head up.
And meet those menacing red eyes.
“When you've received fine hospitality, it's only proper for a ruler to offer fitting compensation, isn't it?”
My eye twitched beneath the surface.
Tying me down like this again!
The princess boarded the arriving carriage with light steps.
“See you then.”
And drove the promise of our next meeting firmly into my chest.
“Understood...”
I replied with a formal service smile.
Lydia grinned at me and said,
“Oh, before I go, I'll leave you with an imperial command.”
Her sudden order made me tilt my head.
“What is it?”
The princess rested her hand on the window.
Propped her chin on it, and commanded,
“Next time we meet, put on a bit more bulk.”
“Pardon...?”
Her abrupt words made me furrow my brow.
“You're just too scrawny, that's all. What use is an imperial knight who's all skin and bones?”
The princess giggled and hid her face inside the carriage.
I stared at her in bewilderment.
And simply waited until the departing carriage was completely out of sight.
* * * *
The imperial carriage cut through Noston.
It wasn't long before it entered the eastern part of the capital.
Well-paved roads.
Thanks to them, the carriage could pick up far more speed than it had in Noston.
Which allowed Lydia to return swiftly to her grand mansion.
As the doors opened, dozens of lined-up servants awaited.
The princess dismissed them all and stood alone in front of the lobby.
The now-silent mansion.
Lydia took a long, held-back breath.
“Haa...”
Perhaps because of the deep breath.
Her calmed mind turned to the massive full-length mirror in the lobby.
Her reflection there.
Unlike when she'd first gone out to see the veil, she looked utterly plain now.
Heading out in princess attire and returning as an ordinary young lady.
Finding the situation amusing, she chuckled and stepped closer to the mirror.
Then, hands clasped behind her back, she closely examined herself.
“The guy said he likes this look, huh...”
Navy suspenders skirt.
And a plain white shirt with a necktie.
No matter how she looked at it, it was no different from standard academy uniform.
Yet the guy preferred the pure, student vibe?
The princess tried gently moving her stiff body.
She, who was far from the graceful dances or elegant lady poses she usually struck.
Realizing the veil's ideal leaned that way, she attempted to mimic the dances she'd learned at the imperial academy.
“Ugh...”
But no matter how much she'd learned, without familiarity, it strained her body.
She clutched her rigid waist and furrowed her brow.
And in that moment, as she glanced around hurriedly...
Her eyes met those of the chief secretary watching from afar.
“...”
A brief silence followed.
The princess, her face flushing red, broke it first.
“W-what are you staring at so creepily!!”
“My apologies.”
The chief secretary bowed his head deeply at her shout.
But even he couldn't help his lips twitching at the sight of a girl young enough to be his granddaughter awkwardly dancing in uniform-like clothes.
“D-don't get the wrong idea. I was just practicing my debutante routine for the upcoming coming-of-age ceremony!”
“Understood...”
The chief secretary replied in as even a tone as he could manage.
But he couldn't stop the tremor at the end of his words.
“Whew...”
The princess pressed a hand to her chest and finally calmed her anger.
Then, with a somewhat serious expression, she asked him,
“Um, Chief Secretary?”
He approached calmly in response.
“You know, how do I look right now? Appearance-wise.”
“Pardon...?”
Lydia had always dressed as her head maid instructed.
He'd thought she'd never cared about clothes or adornments her whole life.
At this question he'd never heard from her before, the chief secretary's mustache twitched.
“I went around in cheap commoner clothes, so how do you think people saw me?”
“Oh, that's what you meant?”
The middle-aged mage nodded with a 'that makes sense' expression.
There was no way the usually fierce princess would suddenly care about her looks like a girl.
“Well, you looked quite refined. No commoner's garb can hide the dignity of imperial blood.”
The chief secretary followed up with plausible flattery to encourage her.
“In fact, Your Highness's beauty made even those city-bought clothes feel luxurious.”
“Right? So it should be perfectly natural if I wear stuff like this from now on?”
“Of course.”
The chief secretary meekly agreed with her.
Lydia lightly placed the hat Veil had given her atop her head.
Gazing at her shadowed face, she asked the chief secretary,
“How many imperial tailors are in the palace right now?”
“Five, Your Highness.”
“Summon them to my mansion immediately.”
The chief secretary bowed in acknowledgment.
The princess paced the living room with hands behind her back until they arrived.
After about twenty laps.
The tailors dropped everything and rushed to the palace.
“We greet Your Highness the Princess.”
Four men and one woman declared in unison.
Lydia nodded with a cold expression.
“Come in, sorry for calling you so urgently.”
Her speech shifted upon meeting people other than the chief secretary or Veil.
The tailors tensed up at once.
She lined them up in a row.
And questioned them in an icy tone, as if interrogating.
“So, what do you think of my current outfit?”
A terrifying question for any tailor.
At her words, the five artisans froze solid.
“What, is it that hard a question that you need to think so long?”
Lydia furrowed her brows in disappointment.
Then, the quick-witted female tailor stepped forward.
“I think it's beautiful.”
The other male artisans hurriedly nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. The simplicity and neatness make Your Highness Lydia's features stand out even more!”
“Whoever the tailor was, they must be highly skilled...”
Satisfied with their reactions, Lydia chuckled.
Her shoulders shook with the flood of praise.
“Indeed—Veil has a great eye. He picked out clothes worthy of such acclaim from master artisans.”
The princess placed her hands on her hips.
And commanded them with a relaxed expression.
“Now, make sure to etch this outfit firmly in your minds.”
Lydia spun around once to show off her clothes.
She rose onto her tiptoes, flaunting her lovely figure.
“Then, each of you make ten outfits in the same fabric and style.”
The command came from unfocused red eyes.
The tailors' eyes went wide.
But this was just the beginning.
“You have one month. Plenty of time, right?”
Ten outfits in a month.
At her words, the tailors jumped in shock and pulled out their papers and quill pens.
They hurriedly sketched the outfit on the princess before them.
“Um... Your Highness, might we know which great tailor made that garment?”
Violet, the female tailor who'd spent decades studying fashion.
She asked while eyeing the uniform-style skirt Lydia so proudly displayed.
The princess declared confidently,
“Noston's northern market.”
Market.
At those two short words, the tailors' smiling faces froze.
Lydia giggled and patted the tailor.
“What's wrong? Want me to send you there for a field trip?”
“No, no... We'll present garments in a similar design, but even more beautiful.”
“You'd better. I'm expecting great things.”
With that, the princess dismissed the tailors.
To relieve the fatigue built up while they sketched her and her outfit, she headed to her bedroom.
The servants tried to help her change and collect the clothes.
Lydia shot them a fiercely warning glare.
“Be extra careful when washing it. Not a single tear or damage.”
“Yes, Your Highness...”
“Oh, and this is fine.”
Now in nightclothes, Lydia clutched the hat Veil had bought her tightly.
She flopped onto the massive bed and stared blankly at the ceiling light.
“Hmm...”
The princess slowly reached out with her hand.
Casting a shadow over her face.
As if someone were shielding her with their arm.
Soon, she recalled a memory from the past.
In it stood a sturdy-built man.
Wearing a crown, he'd protected her with a reliable arm when she was in danger.
“Be even more careful from now on. One day, you'll be the sovereign commanding the Empire, won't you?”
Coincidence?
The words the knight she'd met today had said, and what her father had once told her, were eerily similar.
“If he were just a bit bigger in build, they'd be alike...”
The princess closed her eyes, thinking of the overlapping words of the two men.