The Trusted One (3)

The royal capital Lutetia was a beautiful city.

In truth, I'd already gotten a rough feel for the atmosphere from seeing it in the game. Compared to the imperial capital of Rondarium, where "modernization" had progressed considerably, it was old-fashioned in many ways.

Ah, of course, even though they called it "modernized," the imperial capital was still mostly old-fashioned brick buildings compared to what "modern" meant on Earth, and electrical or internet lines hadn't been properly laid. Though, well, electricity and the internet didn't exist in this world yet anyway.

Even so, telephone lines had been installed, water and sewage were all constructed by laying them underground, and most importantly there was a massive gas-pipe system covering the entire city, so when night fell all the streetlamps lit up at a set time. Naturally, since there was no electrical system, when that time came, public employees working nearby had to go around and actually turn on each lamp.

Still, a lamp you could light the way you'd flick a lighter, and which once lit would keep burning as long as the gas wasn't cut off, was cutting-edge technology by this world's standards—compared to carrying an open flame around, anyway.

...... Honestly, to someone like me who had lived in a world powered mainly by electricity, it seemed incredibly dangerous...... but, well, supposedly streetlamps were lit like that in a similar era in real history too.

On the other hand, in Lutetia, where modernization was still lacking, a job still existed for people who went around carrying a flame to light the streetlamps, except around the train station, and the water and sewage works had only just begun and were still in progress. The railway lines were also only now spreading across the country.

Unlike the imperial capital, where automobiles were gradually being introduced, I'd heard that officially there were exactly three automobiles in the kingdom. Even those were all made in the Empire. Since every replacement part had to be imported directly, I understood it was almost impossible to use one unless you were royalty. A few companies were supposed to enter the market around next year, which was when the main story started, and that would improve things somewhat, but even so, it was true that they were far behind the imperial capital.

But, precisely because of that, Lutetia's sky was blue.

The center of the royal capital was just as densely packed with buildings as the center of the imperial capital, but there were no buildings you could call skyscrapers, the number of people hurrying about was smaller, and you couldn't see factory smoke in the distance, so it gave off a strangely rustic, small-town impression.

"It's considerably quieter than the imperial capital, isn't it?"

Seeing Alice, who was riding in the same carriage as me, say that, it seemed I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"But...... the sky is beautiful. It's a sky I've never seen in the imperial capital."

The imperial capital's sky must surely be blue as well, but with boiler smoke billowing from all over, there was almost never a chance to see a clean blue sky stretching into the distance. A portion of it was always hidden by black smoke.

For reference, the Empire took pride in that smoke. It was, after all, the very symbol of modernization.

The factories that poured out that smoke were the primary benefactors keeping the Empire fed and alive.

"The colors of the clothes are extremely diverse too. Do the people of this country all love to dress up?"

No, they simply had no substitutes.

Small-variety mass production.

The Industrial Revolution had advanced textile technology immensely, and as a result, in the Empire everyone wore similar factory-made clothes. The only people who went around in clothes painstakingly made stitch by stitch by hand were usually nobles or the wealthy upper class.

But the Kingdom didn't yet have that many factories. They said factories were only just starting to be built, and it would probably still take a long time before they could truly produce goods and distribute them to the citizens.

Therefore, in the Kingdom handmade clothing was still the norm. Of course, since sewing machines had been introduced, clothes were made far more quickly and in far greater numbers than by hand-sewing alone, but even so, the fabrics used varied from household to household, and so did the designs. It was the distinctive character of attire that hadn't been unified by industrialization.

That, too, would probably disappear in a few years.

"I've never been outside the imperial capital before."

Alice spoke quietly as she gazed out the carriage window.

"Is that so."

"Yeah."

I briefly considered what I ought to say. I wondered how to respond to the impressions of a princess who had just left the imperial capital for the first time and was seeing another country, and then I simply decided to answer as agreeably and positively as I could.

"In that case, coming to Lutetia is a stroke of luck. Since it's a country that hasn't yet undergone industrialization, there's a great deal to see."

Well, to be honest, if you went out to the Empire's grasslands you could see nature itself, far more beautiful than this.

"...... Have you been to Lutetia before?"

"...... No."

Hmm.

Emotionally, it felt as though I had.

What I'd seen was the world inside a game. And not even a game made by a AAA studio. It was a background rendered with graphics that looked two generations behind, made by a small-to-mid-sized Japanese company.

But even so, they had captured the design features well, and at the very least they'd rendered the level design from the train station all the way to the royal palace in as much detail as possible, so my surroundings felt strangely familiar.

Those people really did give it their all. That was the thought that came to me.

"This is my first time in Lutetia as well."

I'd been outside the imperial capital because of the count assassination, but going abroad was a first for me. And it wasn't as if I'd gone sightseeing in the count's territory, either.

"Then that's not something you can say, is it?"

"......."

True enough.

*

The protocol for Alice and for me was identical. It went without saying, but Lucas and Jaden were also treated just like real sons of the emperor. In that sense, it was actually rather absurd that the two of them were attached as "escorts."

Being treated differently from Alice, the emperor's actual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠daughter, was something that only applied within the Empire. The emperor himself, unlike the other nobles, treated us all as equal beings, and therefore we could only be treated the same way abroad.

We were guests from a foreign country, so making comparisons like that would be preposterous to begin with. They had no idea how they might be called out if they didn't.

Thanks to that, a commotion broke out in the Kingdom.

"Our apologies. We hadn't imagined that there would be one more imperial princess arriving......"

The Kingdom's diplomat said that while breaking out in a cold sweat. Inside, he was no doubt burning with the urge to demand, "Why don't you people do as you've said?"

Since everyone involved was far too important for their protocol to be neglected, merely accommodating them cost an enormous sum, and now one more person had suddenly been added.

"Sorr......"

Realizing what she'd just done, Alice's face flushed, and just as she was about to apologize to the diplomat, I quickly raised a hand to stop that apology.

I'd never been a diplomat. I'd never done work in that field in the first place, and I didn't have the ability for it.

But even so, I had at least the bare minimum of common sense about this sort of thing.

Alice hadn't yet formally received the title of crown princess, but she was someone who would eventually ascend to the imperial throne. No matter how much she was treated the same as me right now, strictly speaking it meant she occupied a position so exalted she couldn't even be compared to me.

Therefore, she must not "apologize" to a mere diplomat who stood far beneath her. Naturally, simply bulldozing through a mistake was also problematic, but if she intended to apologize, she should do it not to a civil servant through an official channel like this, but rather convey it privately to someone of at least equal standing, and have that person accept it personally.

Because for people in our position, even a "personal matter" functioned as an "official matter."

Besides, the Empire was a hegemonic power. The fact that the emperor sent not himself, not his chancellor, but a single one of his daughters as a representative to the Trilateral Summit, where the heads of state gathered, could practically be seen as officially displaying an attitude of "I am not on an equal footing with you people."

Thus, the correct answer, in accordance with the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠emperor's wishes, was for us to show arrogance befitting representatives of a hegemonic state. Showing the future emperor bowing her head was, naturally, something that must not happen.

And if not, so what? If he didn't like it, he shouldn't have sent me. He should have come himself.

I signaled with my eyes for the bewildered princess, who was looking at me as if to ask what I thought I was doing, to stay quiet, and then I spoke to the diplomat.

"Is there a room available of the same standard as the one prepared for me?"

"Ah, yes. We've rented the entire hotel, so a room does exist."

"In that case, please prepare an empty room immediately. I would also ask that you allocate an escort force of equal measure to mine. In both quality and quantity. All of it."

"Ah, understood. I'll notify them to have it ready at once......!"

Under normal circumstances, this would genuinely be a breach of protocol. A breach practically bordering on tyranny.

But, if he hadn't wanted something like this, the emperor would not have sent me in the first place.

And, I'd say it once more: if he didn't like it, he should've come himself.

*

While Alice's room was being prepared, she temporarily joined me in mine.

As she often did, Alice took the seat opposite me on the sofa in the center of the spacious room.

And then she stared at me intently.

"......."

"......."

Without a single word.

Honestly, that gaze was a little overwhelming.

Had my behavior earlier really looked that excessive?

Certainly, Alice was a textbook iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove type. Early on, she was prideful and looked down on others like the original Claire, but she was a character who gradually opened her heart to the protagonist and his party. And in reality, she was also a character who was always earnestly contemplating the future of the empire and its people.

Alice's personal narrative was the story of her opposing her father (the emperor who sought to seize the entire world and drive countless people to their deaths) and... presumably, ultimately triumphing.

The reason I said "presumably" was because I had crossed over into this world before I could finish that game. Of course, since the company favored a classical, righteous ending, I assumed that was a given, but... it did make me wonder whether I even needed to be on this side.

The world would be saved without me anyway.

The only thing I could try to do was save characters who might otherwise die. And I didn't even know what ultimate good that would do for the world.

There was no god introducing itself with "Hello, I am God," and no status window neatly summarizing my abilities. I really had no idea what I was supposed to do.

"How can you be so confident?"

Alice asked me, so I raised my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes from the book I had been staring at without reading and looked at her.

"No matter what happens, you're always so poised. As if you could never possibly be wrong. You were the same a moment ago. What if the kingdom's people had protested after hearing that?"

Hmm.

Truthfully, the reason I could act that boldly was my confidence that I could fix things if I was wrong.

And honestly, a little while ago, it wouldn't have mattered even if I had been wrong.

I hesitated for a moment. I couldn't discuss my ability right here and now, and if I gave an inadequate reason, Alice wouldn't understand.

While I wondered what to do, I decided that since things had already come to this, I'd just push through with an answer anyone could give.

"Your Highness. Who is your father?"

"Huh?"

Alice flinched for a moment at my sudden question, then,

"Well, His Imperial Majesty, obviously!"

she answered, sounding a little indignant. That was fair. I had asked as if I didn't know.

"Then who is my father?"

"Uh, well, that's...."

She didn't want to acknowledge it.

Because the only child properly tied to him by blood was Alice. She probably didn't want to admit it at all.

But even so, on paper, I was the emperor's daughter. No one thought of me that way, and everyone knew the blood relation didn't exist, yet officially, I was still his daughter, and the emperor, at least, treated me as one for now. He'd even sent me in his place, as he just had.

So who would dare say openly to my face, "You are not the emperor's daughter"?

Even the blood-related imperial princess couldn't deny it outright in front of me right now.

"I don't know what Your Highness thinks, but I am established as His Imperial Majesty's daughter. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Either way, I possess as much authority as Your Highness does. Authority that will never vanish, no matter how much anyone denies it."

"......."

To Alice, who was biting her lip, I said,

"Borrow His Imperial Majesty's authority openly. If anyone says anything, reveal and prove that you are the imperial princess yourself. No one can ever look down on Your Highness. Not a single person living in this world."

"St, still...."

Alice stammered a little and asked again.

"What if I make a mistake...?"

"A mistake? Simply carry yourself with confidence. No one can say anything to you anyway. The emperor is not a being who rules a nation alone. If you make a mistake, there will be people around you to correct it, and if Your Highness intends to accomplish something, there will be people by your side to carry it out. On the contrary, the more Your Highness lowers your head, the more people will look down on you, and by extension, the empire."

Alice raised her head and looked at me with a slightly dazed expression.

"Even if Your Highness makes a mistake, you are still the imperial princess and the future emperor. Who would dare scold you? Well, a cautious piece of advice might be a different matter."

"B, but, if I become emperor someday...."

"When Your Highness becomes emperor, you will be standing at the very apex of the empire. At that point, who could possibly say anything?"

"......."

I gazed steadily at Alice and spoke.

"Of course, you must become the empire's greatest powerhouse. No, even if not the greatest, you must be able to excel in every field. The emperor's authority permeates every corner of the empire, and if you are lacking in any single area, someone may raise their head to betray you. But in that process, if it is necessary, wield your authority freely. That is the greatest weapon Your Highness possesses."

I gathered whatever encouraging-sounding words came to mind and offered them, piece by piece.

Seeing the slightly admiring expression on Alice's face as she looked at me made me feel a little proud too.

Well, once she went to the academy, she would meet friends far better than me and learn far more important things than she ever had at my side.

"......I see. So, basically, I just have to act that way, right?"

"Yes. If there's something you don't know in that process, you can simply learn it then. The truly shameful act is not to be confident while knowing nothing, but to refuse to learn while knowing nothing. No one knows everything in the world. So—"

"Not even you?"

"Pardon?"

Alice suddenly cut in at the part about no one knowing everything in the world, and for a moment, I reflexively asked back like that.

Fortunately, Alice, who was staring at me quietly, didn't seem particularly bothered by my reaction.

"Not even you? Don't you know everything in the world?"

"......I believe that's a given."

When I answered while trying my hardest not to let any bewilderment show on my face, Alice looked at me as if she were looking at something fascinating.

"But no matter what happens, you just handle everything in a flash. As if you already knew exactly what was going to happen. Isn't that something you can only do if you already know it all?"

"That happened because my knowledge, skill, and luck overlapped. I'm not a prophet, after all."

"Is that so?"

Alice wore a slightly ambiguous expression, but since it felt like pressing further would make me say all sorts of things, I hurriedly continued my explanation.

"—Anyway, so if there's anyone who mocks Your Highness for not knowing something, they are the ones who should be ashamed. Because they're the sort who think they know everything in the world. Such people get angry when they encounter facts they don't know. They don't even feel embarrassed, unlike Your Highness. So there's no need to envy people like that. On the contrary, Your Highness can be even more confident, precisely because you can acknowledge when something is wrong."

Actually, I knew this from experience.

There were people who kept picking fights with me over lore, even though I had played the game over and over and had every nook and cranny memorized by heart. Whenever that happened, my hobby was to refute them with excerpts from the setting guide, which had never been officially translated, and if they kept clinging to the argument, I'd snipe them and get them pile-on ratioed into oblivion.

...... Of course, later on, there were times I got ratioed myself because I turned out to be wrong about something. But what could you do? I was the only one who went so far as to translate even the most niche parts, summarize them, and post them in writing. If they didn't like it, they could translate it themselves.

Though now that I had come completely inside that world I'd been summarizing, I couldn't even do that anymore.

"I see...."

Having heard my words, Alice nodded as if slightly impressed.

And seeing Alice's expression like that made my heart swell with pride.

Of course, I had to struggle not to let it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠show on my face.