Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Imperial Princess (2)
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I had no choice but to admit it.
I had been greatly mistaken about the Imperial Princess.
She smiled brightly at Ceria.
“You must be the Hero’s fiancée, correct?”
“Yes, I am, but…”
“You must feel like you have the whole world. How happy you must be.”
“—??”
Ugh, I’m so jealous…
To have such a wonderful man all to yourself!
She seemed at a loss, overwhelmed by that feeling.
I was quite surprised myself, but Ceria’s reaction was visibly pronounced.
*Huh? She’s not an enemy?*
*Why is she being so friendly?*
*This isn’t the worst-case scenario I imagined, but it feels strange!*
Her ceaselessly trembling pupils said it all.
“It’s a relief to see such a lovely couple.”
“…”
She smiled sweetly, as if genuinely relieved.
The princess’s sudden words and actions threw everyone into confusion.
*Wait, why are you relieved?*
*Shouldn’t it be the opposite?*
I needed to know her true intentions to respond, but I just wished someone would ask her outright.
“Excuse me, but may I ask a few questions?”
Luciel, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.
The Saintess held a position that was by no means inferior to the Imperial Princess.
It seemed she was about to do something without much hesitation.
*Well, the Saintess is quite peculiar herself…*
I felt a little doubtful, but I decided to watch for now.
“By all means.”
“Alright. I’ll be honest. I thought if you were to get involved, you’d come secretly. With the intention of going after the Hero.”
As expected, she really went for it.
Despite the slightly aggressive tone, the princess’s demeanor remained calm.
She simply listened quietly, as if she understood everything.
“But it seems I was mistaken. I’m sorry for making such assumptions.”
“Um, just a moment. That’s not entirely untrue…”
“—??”
“I mean… it’s true that I like the Hero.”
“—!!”
It was a statement that couldn’t help but startle.
And to top it off, she glanced my way, looking shy.
The moment she finished speaking, the group reacted instantly.
Luciel smiled with her eyes.
Those narrowed eyes seemed to say, *‘Gotcha!’*
Ceria adopted a combat stance, as if convinced, *‘Finally, she reveals her true colors!’*
Meanwhile, our little cutie nodded as if it were only natural.
The elven lady had a similar attitude, but the other princess remained neutral, perhaps because the Imperial Princess had cheered her on.
It was truly a hair-trigger situation.
But the Imperial Princess paid it no mind, simply maintaining her composure.
“You thought I would try to seduce him?”
“Mhm. I thought you’d act all foxy. Like this.”
The fox beastkin showed her tail and swished it back and forth.
The princess’s face bloomed into a wide smile at the cute gesture.
Perhaps because the demonstration from an actual fox-like girl was so fitting, she finally burst into laughter.
“Ahaha, ahahaha!”
She laughed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes.
The atmosphere suddenly lightened.
The two girls who had been looking for a chance to pounce on the princess couldn’t help but pause.
“It’s just as I expected.”
“—??”
“All of you like the Hero. No, it seems you treasure him more than that.”
“…”
“It might be different if there was even a small chance, but…”
The girl’s voice lowered.
She subtly added that she had no right to intrude.
“To be honest, the First Prince… my older brother, did make a certain proposal. I can’t reveal the details of the Imperial Family’s situation, but his intention was to ride on the coattails of the Hero’s authority.”
A rivalry for the throne.
The First Prince wasn’t the only one to blame. The Second Prince had already visited us in person.
Their methods differed, but their goal was ultimately the same: to use us.
“I have no such intention. You are all destined to fight against the enemies of humanity.”
The Hero and his party deserve special treatment.
Bothering them with unrelated matters is not the right thing to do.
The Imperial Princess presented her argument, showing consideration for our perspective.
*Hmm, by all accounts, she’s being sincere.*
Despite spending her entire life in the Imperial Palace, a den of schemes and intrigues, the girl’s heart was remarkably pure.
*Wait a minute…*
*Then what does that make me?*
I had expected her to propose a political marriage. This was just needless worry on my part.
It was certainly the best possible outcome, but for various reasons, I felt a bit strange.
*Was my charm less effective because she’s a princess?*
*I feel kind of disappointed. Wouldn’t it be fine if she pursued me a little more?*
Now that things had turned out this way, all sorts of thoughts were popping into my head.
“What I wish for is simple. A shining star has meaning just by being gazed upon. Please, be that existence for me.”
How should I put it?
Her words had a strangely romantic ring to them.
The girl made her request with the utmost politeness.
This was the wish of none other than the noble Imperial Princess.
Though it was merely a few words of encouragement, everyone became solemn.
This made it certain.
The Imperial Princess simply admired the Hero in a pure way.
“There’s not much I can do to help you all, but I hope you can at least be comfortable during your stay at the Imperial Palace.”
At this point, I was starting to feel sorry.
I should remove her from the list of people to be wary of.
The intensity from Ceria and Luciel also subsided.
*Ah, so she wasn’t an enemy.*
*It’s a bit ambiguous to call her an ally, but…*
*I think it would be fine to be friends with her.*
A harmonious atmosphere began to form.
And in fact, that’s what happened.
It was a situation with a group of girls of similar age gathered together.
For the Imperial Princess, it was an exciting experience.
For an ordinary royal, it might be different, but for princes and princesses, making friends is difficult.
“Actually… I’ve always dreamed of a moment like this!”
She was moved, truly moved.
Well, it was a reaction I had somewhat expected.
Like a proper sub-heroine, she was talented in many ways and had a good heart.
The girls’ social gathering began naturally.
They all possessed a certain level of grace, so they got along well.
Amid the cheerful flow of conversation, the princess peeked at Aruru.
She looked like she desperately wanted to hug the fox beastkin.
Finally, as if she could bear it no longer, she spoke up cautiously.
“Um, Miss Aruru. Is it alright if I call you by your name?”
“No, call me ‘big sister.’ I’m older, you see.”
“—??”
“Then I’ll give you a chance to pet me for a bit.”
“—!!”
It was a sudden offer.
But the princess accepted it in a flash, without a second thought.
*Wow! How can I resist this?*
*I can’t miss this chance!*
She radiated pure joy, as if this were the luckiest moment of her life.
“Big Sister Aruru…”
“Mhm, what is it?”
“I absolutely love you!”
She seemed happy enough to shout a confession.
The princess’s touch was unrestrained, but Aruru didn’t seem bothered.
If anything, she looked proud.
Judging by her attitude so far, she seemed to enjoy being called ‘big sister.’
And now she had become the big sister to a noble Imperial Princess.
For a tiny beastkin, this might be a tremendous achievement.
“You all have such nice skin. What kind of cosmetics do you use?”
The princess asked suddenly while stroking Aruru’s tail.
It was a topic that always came up when women gathered.
Naturally, cosmetics were a luxury item.
Given the era, they were almost exclusively for the wealthy.
Perhaps because of that, the dominant answer was, ‘Occasionally, just whatever…’
Ceria, as the young lady of a great family, seemed to pay some attention to it.
But the others seemed to make do, and our little cutie…
“Huh? I don’t use any. Do I really need to take care of it?”
“…”
She brought up the characteristic of beastkin aging slowly.
That remark drew the ire of the sensitive girls.
In my opinion, having baby skin until middle age was definitely crossing a line.
*It’s fine since we’re still young, but…*
*We need to start taking proper care of it now, right?*
*Otherwise, it’ll be irreversible later!*
Just as the girls were feeling that sense of crisis, the princess made an irresistible offer.
“Oh, you can’t do that! For a woman, skin is life. I’ll send you the cosmetics I use. The new products that just came out are quite good.”
“—!!”
Everyone except Aruru was astonished.
Even the elven lady joined in.
Elves also aged slowly.
But maintaining the condition of one’s skin seemed to be a separate issue.
*Cosmetics used by the Imperial Princess?*
*Of course they’d be top-of-the-line. How can anyone resist that!*
The price wasn’t the issue.
It was the ultimate luxury, something not easily obtainable even with a lot of money.
As if even the last shred of caution had crumbled.
Even Ceria, who had been watching the princess warily, expressed overwhelming gratitude.
Luciel, too, seemed to be eyeing the princess’s cosmetics, thinking it was all for the best.
*Well, they were all won over in an instant.*
I wasn’t sure if this was right, but it was a reasonably good development.
Much better than some unforeseen disaster.
Soon, the topic shifted to the upcoming ball.
It was a girl’s instinct to want to look her best.
Once again, the princess generously offered her favor.
Her handmaidens in charge of adornment…
In other words, she would lend them the Imperial Family’s personal coordinators.
At this gesture of consideration, they couldn’t hide their joy.
*Oh my, how can we thank you?*
*We’re guests, so it’s not entirely strange, but this is a bit much!*
Toward the girls showing such signs, the princess just smiled warmly, looking pleased.
“Not at all. I’m doing it because I want to. The more you all shine, the more my heart will be filled with pride. So please, accept without any burden.”
How could she be so kind?
Louise might not be the most magnificent girl.
But it seemed impossible to deny that she was the best Imperial Princess.
Soon after, the girls’ chatter began in earnest.
All sorts of stories came up, enough to make one’s head spin.
In the end, the princess even stayed for dinner.
She watched our little cutie eat with gusto.
It seemed just watching her was enough to make her feel full.
But as time went on, a certain look of bewilderment appeared on the princess’s face.
“—??”
*Huh? Is that physically possible?*
*She’s already emptied 30 large plates?*
*Are beastkin a race that gets cuter the more they eat?*
Thus, she became entangled in a difficult problem to which even I hadn’t found an answer.
I had already half-given up, but with the princess’s intelligence, there was a non-zero chance she might figure it out.
After the meal came teatime.
The princess happily partook in that as well.
The sun was already setting when she finally rose from her seat.
“It’s a great shame… but I should get going now.”
She said she doubted there would be another day as happy as this one.
The satisfaction of someone who had spent a fulfilling day was palpable.
“May I invite you to my palace later?”
How could anyone refuse her invitation?
They were already set to receive various bribes(?), like high-end cosmetics.
A hint of greed appeared in some of the girls’ eyes.
They must be thinking that a visit to the princess’s palace might yield something even greater.
*Wait a minute…*
*Isn’t this a bit strange for the Hero’s companions?*
*Ah, whatever.*
*I’ll just let them get what they can while they can.*
Before someone could run their mouth, Ceria stepped forward as the representative and showed her courtesy.
“How could we refuse such an honor? If you call for us, we will surely visit.”
The Imperial Princess’s eyes sparkled.
She looked as happy as a child whose friends promised to come to their birthday party.
But that was only for a moment. She wiped the smile from her face and put on a serious expression.
“Lastly… could you spare me a moment?”
She looked straight at me, not Ceria.
She didn’t say it, but her meaning was clear: she wanted to talk to me alone.
The atmosphere made it impossible to refuse.
If I said it was inconvenient, she looked like she might start to cry.
*No way… was this all a build-up?*
*She probably paid less attention to me for this very moment.*
“…”
*Well, she said it would be brief.*
*Maybe ten minutes would be okay?*
In the end…
Faced with the girl’s pleading expression, I found myself nodding.