Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Ulstro Kingdom - Princess Knight (6)
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Her little sister Marie said with a serious face.
"Sister, what if Mother is interested in Valdes too?"
It was so absurd that Mercedes barely held back the urge to say, 'You only just realized that?'
Outside, when dealing with nobles, she was so sly and full of petty tricks, yet at home with family, she acted so oblivious and childish. Mercedes just couldn't understand it.
Normally, even this side of her would be endearing, but Mercedes wasn't in the best mood right now.
"...I think so too."
Still, she was the big sister. Mercedes did her best to smile gently and empathize.
"Right? No matter how I think about it, that's exactly the vibe."
"Hahaha..."
Mercedes could only give an awkward laugh at her sister acting like she'd uncovered some great secret.
"Sister."
"Yes."
"What do you think of Valdes?"
The question was so blunt that her response came half a beat late.
"...What do you mean? If you're asking about him, it's just like what I reported to Mother."
"No, I mean besides that. Like, do you like him or...?"
"I'm not really sure."
Her tone came out a bit prickly. But she couldn't help it—not when Marie was prying so openly.
"I see... Ah! Should I ask Serennia to assign Valdes as my escort for this afternoon's trip?"
"No!"
Caught off guard by Marie's crafty idea, Mercedes slammed her pen down on the desk mid-signature and shot up from her chair. The outburst surprised not just Marie, who flinched back, but Mercedes herself as well.
"S-sor, uh, sorry."
"N-no, it's fine... You just startled me. But why not?"
"...Valdes is my squire. Squires aren't supposed to take separate missions from the knights they serve. And besides, we have a mission coming up that we need to do together."
Calming herself down, she explained patiently.
The first part was common knowledge in the knight order, and for the second, she hadn't mentioned it to him yet—but she trusted Valdes would gladly agree.
"Oh... That's too bad. Guess there's no helping it."
Marie propped her small chin on the table and let out a long "Hmmm," lost in thought.
"...Why don't you just go visit him?"
Mercedes would prefer Marie not show any interest in him at all, but she didn't want to just ignore her pestering in the office like this.
Marie wasn't exactly busy, and she must have had some free time here and there—yet she hadn't gone to see him until now. That was odd.
"But!"
At those words, Marie's head snapped up as she cried out.
"I want our first meeting to be romantic! Like, he gets assigned to my escort duty by chance! Or he saves me when I'm in danger!"
"......"
Mercedes was left speechless by the ridiculous response.
She knew her sister was into romance novels, but she hadn't realized it was this bad. She was glad she'd sent Amy out earlier, just in case. Marie probably wouldn't have said this with her in the room, but still, you never knew.
"Sigh, fine. Do whatever you want."
"Help me brainstorm too, Sister!"
"Sorry, I'm not good with this stuff..."
"Huh? But..."
Marie's gaze drifted to the corner of the desk where Mercedes was working.
"!!"
"Isn't that a novel too?"
"N-no, th-that's..."
There was a single book sitting there. The cover was face-down, so Marie couldn't see the title from her angle. Mercedes wanted to snatch it away and hide it, but that would only make her more suspicious.
"Huh?"
"Th-that's... n-not my book."
"Huh? Then whose is it?"
"O-one of my squires lent it to me to read, but I, uh, haven't gotten to it yet. Too busy."
It was a lie.
No matter how busy she was, she could have spared time for a novel. But there was no way she could tell her sister why she couldn't read it. How could a 22-year-old princess admit to her little sister that the book was too steamy?
If she'd known it would come to this, she would have stuffed it deep in a drawer instead of leaving it on the desk. She'd hoped leaving it out in plain sight might build some immunity, but now she wanted to shove her head in the drawer instead if anyone else saw it.
"Hmmm, really?"
"I-it's true."
And that part really was true. Amy was the one who'd given her the book.
She'd recommended it so cheerfully. Mercedes, who had recently become aware of her feelings for love and started paying attention to men and women relations, had reluctantly accepted it. She thought a popular novel might offer some insights.
In reality, Amy had never even read it. Glet had given it to Amy, under Valdes's orders to pass along the raunchiest novel she could find—but Mercedes had no way of knowing that.
"What's the title?"
Thankfully, Marie didn't come over to check for herself.
"...Later. I'll let you know if it's good once I finish it."
"Hmph. Okay."
Mercedes sighed inwardly in relief.
'Why did Amy give me a book like this...?'
She'd never even read a standard romance novel. Jumping straight to something this sensual? But Mercedes couldn't bring herself to blame Amy, who had smiled so brightly while handing it over.
"Aah, I wanna meet Valdes too~."
Marie shifted her attention away from the book and started gushing about Valdes again.
And strangely, that put Mercedes in a good mood.
What was bothering her was Marie's interest in Valdes. Now that she'd acknowledged her own feelings as love, she had no idea what to do if her sister got involved.
Ideally, she'd wrap things up before Marie even had a proper meeting with him. Of course, she lacked the courage to act on it.
Still, in the current situation, she had the overwhelming advantage. Marie hadn't even exchanged greetings with him, and Mother's interest wasn't romantic.
"Hehe."
A little hum escaped her lips.
Click.
"Hm?"
The door opened without warning. Only one person would enter a princess's office without knocking.
"Captain?"
"Serennia!"
"Ah, so you were here after all."
It was Knight Commander Serennia Banstead.
Her shoulder-length orange hair swayed as she smiled. A bit of dust on her armor suggested she'd come straight from the training grounds.
"What brings you here?"
"Are you here to see me?"
"I have business with both of you."
Serennia held up her palm to Mercedes—wait a moment—and turned to Marie.
"Second Princess, since you visited the knight order, I've called the escort for your afternoon departure."
"Oh, really?"
"Would you like to meet them?"
"Sure."
At Marie's ready agreement, the knight commander nodded and asked her to wait outside briefly.
She'd called her "Marie" instead of "Your Highness," speaking as a close aunt, so Marie accepted happily. Besides, other knights were waiting outside anyway—no issues there.
Once Marie was gone, Serennia approached Mercedes's desk. Even in her private office, it seemed official business, so Mercedes stood to greet her.
"Is it about the mission?"
"Yes. The one leaving in three days—you haven't submitted the personnel report yet."
She meant the mission Mercedes had proposed to Elza that morning.
"Sorry. I'll go with Squire Valdes."
"Ho?"
"......"
Mercedes's face flushed red. Serennia was the only one who knew she liked the boy. No wonder she reacted this way—she had no idea how to handle it.
"W-what are you thinking? It's not like that."
"Do you know what I'm thinking?"
"......"
Her hasty excuse fell flat against Serennia's feigned innocence. Mercedes sighed, realizing arguments were pointless.
"Hoo, I haven't told Valdes yet, but he'll probably be the most help."
"Well, true enough. It's an important mission."
"Yes."
Right. It was an important mission.
That's why they were going alone—just her and one squire—in secret.
"Still, it'll take a few days. You okay traveling alone with a guy?"
"...I trust him."
"Hmm."
Serennia inwardly clicked her tongue. How many days had passed since she'd decided to get close to Valdes to look out for Mercedes? Yet here they were. Still, changing her squire now would complicate the mission details.
"If you've decided, then so be it. Prepare well."
"Understood."
"Then I'll be off... Hm?"
Serennia glanced at the desk—specifically, the book on it.
'...Oh, Goddess.'
Mercedes wasn't devout, but right now she wanted to pray. She really should have buried that book in a drawer.
"Hmm, you read books like this too?"
Unlike the princess, the knight commander reached right out and checked the cover.
Retired Knight and Male Disciple.
Curious, she flipped through the opening pages. It seemed to be about a female knight who retired young and took in a village boy as her disciple. Serennia assumed it was about training him into a hero.
"A book you're reading... looks pretty interesting. Mind if I borrow it?"
"P-pardon? Oh, uh, y-yes, p-please take it..."
Flustered, Mercedes stammered and handed it over. She panicked at the thought of Serennia stumbling on the steamy parts.
She regretted it the moment she snapped out of it, but surely Serennia would get bored after a few pages and return it.
"I'll read it quick and give it back. By the way... you burning incense or something?"
"Incense? No."
"Perfume then? Hmm, smells nice... Ah, this must be it."
Sniffing around the room, Serennia picked up a small pouch delicately placed in the corner.
"A sachet?"
"Seems like it... but that's weird. First time I've seen it. It's not mine... My squires always ask permission before leaving things in my room."
"Huh. Well, mind if I take it? I like the scent."
"Oh, sure."
Her mind was on the book; she barely noticed the sachet. She just wanted Serennia to get bored and return it soon.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Y-yes. Take care."
And so, two of Valdes's schemes unwittingly fizzled out thanks to Serennia.
Mercedes paced her room restlessly.
"Haa..."
The time had finally come.
She'd desperately tried not to think about it, but by dinnertime, her anxiety had been off the charts.
Especially during her bath attendants' service—her body was so heated, she worried Elza and Amy might notice something. They'd gotten away with it, but if the massages continued, she feared her body might heat up like a well-trained dog every time the hour approached.
'No, that won't happen.'
She was just getting massages to loosen her muscles and improve circulation.
A couple more times, and she'd be fine.
...That's what she told herself.
Knock knock.
"It's me, Lady Mercedes."
The sudden knock made her jolt. She quickly invited him in. A male squire entering a female knight's room late at night—and a princess's, no less—would spell trouble if seen.
"No one in the hall...?"
"The hall? Uh..."
Valdes's hesitation nearly made her jump.
"Kidding. No one's there."
"Ah... R-right?"
His grinning face was adorable—like looking at her little sister Marie.
'...Sorry, Marie.'
It was just a massage, but Mercedes silently apologized to her sister in her mind. It eased her conscience a bit.
"By the way..."
She brought up the mission in three days.
Work had kept her too busy to see his face today—the first time since yesterday. Seeing him made her a little happy. She wanted to see him more, but their paths just weren't crossing, like he was avoiding her.
"Sounds great to me! ...But you sure about me?"
"Of course. You're stronger than a regular knight, and your mercenary days make you good at travel prep and camping, right?"
She deliberately omitted one thing. Not on purpose, of course.
But mentioning it'd just be the two of them felt like a line she couldn't cross without excuses.
"Mm, got it. Shall we... start?"
At the boy's words, Mercedes slowly lay face-down on the bed.
"Yes...♡"