Request
from the Knight Order 3
「Yes, I will open it now.」
Wondering
if Mark-sama had come to check on me out of concern, the person standing
there when I opened it was someone completely unexpected.
「P-Princess Stira?」
「Shh. I told them I was taking a walk
in the garden and slipped away from my guard knights. Let me inside for a bit.」
The
Princess entered the tent somewhat forcefully. She was wearing a simpler dress
than usual, but it still had volume, making the inside of the tent feel even
more cramped.
「U-Um. Why are you here? Ah, there
are no chairs or sofas here, so...」
In
front of the flustered me, the Princess sat down next to Karin-chan and
shrugged her shoulders with a smile like a child whose prank had succeeded.
「Fufu, I just came. You sit down too, Layla.」
「...Y-Yes.」
Prompted
to do so, I sat opposite her, and Princess Stira looked around the
inside of the tent with curiosity. Since it was a first even for me, it must be
like an unknown world for Princess Stira.
「I heard you couldn't even stand up
in here, and it really is true. Oh, I brought cookies for a late-night snack,
let's eat them together.」
「...Shall I brew some tea?」
「Do you have a campfire stand by any
chance?」
「I brought the one we prepared when
we went on the field investigation. Since I don't have much strength, I have
the smallest one, so I can only boil about two cups' worth of hot water.」
A
campfire stand used for cooking consists of a stand with four legs where
firewood is placed, and a net is placed on top of it to grill ingredients or
boil pots. But mine is a simple type where an unusually large candle is placed
instead of firewood. There is little smoke, so it can be used inside a tent,
but the heat is weak, so at most it can only boil water.
「I know that kettle. It transfers
heat well and can boil water even with a weak fire, but it gets very hot to the
touch, so please be careful.」
「Yes, I heard it is made of a special
metal recently created for encampments. Apparently, it was an idea proposed by
students at the noble academy.」
In
the sparsely populated Kanista Kingdom, sword training and encampments
seem to be mandatory classes even for male students outside the knight course.
Something developed by a few enrolled students during that time caught the eyes
of the knights and supposedly spread rapidly.
Even
so, Princess Stira is awfully knowledgeable about it. Perhaps someone
she knows developed it. Whether it's the size of a tent or a kettle, these are
topics that would absolutely never come up in a noble lady's conversation. In
that case, who she talked about that with, and the fact that she isn't even
trying to hide it—that must be exactly her purpose for coming here.
...I
wanted to keep playing dumb, though, I thought as I accepted the offered cookie.
Princess
Stira also stuffed her cheeks while laughing, "Oh my, this is
delicious," and blinked her round, adorable eyes. Though her atmosphere is
different, parts like the color of her eyes and the shape of her nose and ears
are similar to Ashren-sama's, making me feel their blood connection.
When
I poured tea into two cups and handed her one, Princess Stira said,
"So, about the reason I came here," cast her eyes down somewhat
awkwardly, then swallowed hard and stared straight at me as if having made up
her mind.
「Layla, did you tell anyone about what you
saw at the medicinal herb garden the other day?」
The
face of Princess Stira, who cut straight to the chase, was stiff. So she
did come to ask about that after all.
「No, I haven't even told Ashren-sama.」
「I see. Since I was seen, I thought I
should probably explain things properly, but you and Ashren are always
together, so the timing was never right. Today, I heard from my aunt that you
were going to pitch a tent and sleep at the training grounds, so I came.」
We
do our respective jobs during work hours, so we aren't together all the
time, though.
Both
Ashren-sama and I frequently go to the medicinal herb garden, the
Pharmaceutical Department, and the Knight Order. But from Princess Stira's
perspective, she has no way of knowing when I'm going where, so she might not
have known how to approach me.
Since
this encampment is work, I naturally reported it to my boss, the Director,
beforehand, and it seems Princess Stira heard about it from her. The Director
often says, "Since I only have sons, Princess Stira is as adorable
to me as a daughter," and the two are close. For Princess Stira,
she might be a good person to consult with.
I
see,
I thought, understanding the sequence of events that led to this. However,
knowing she probably couldn't stay long, I put down the cup I was holding to
signal that I would listen to her story.
「I saw the two of you together, but I
could not see the face of your companion. I do not have many acquaintances in
this country to begin with, so I thought it was someone I did not know.」
I
implicitly tried to convey that I had nothing to do with it and knew nothing.
But she chuckled, knowing full well what I was doing.
「I thought you would say that. Even
so, I came to ask you not to tell anyone, just to be sure.」
「...Does that have to do with your
birthday party being held soon? Ah, excuse me. You don't have to answer...」
Princess
Stira dropped her gaze, took a sip from her cup, and then let out a
small sigh.
「I think I just wanted someone to
listen to me. But I couldn't tell anyone about this. You saw my secret meeting,
Layla, and you seem like you can keep a secret, so I came here thinking
I might as well have you listen to everything.」
It's
not "just came here." Now I have no choice but to listen, and after
hearing it, I'll have to carry a secret I can't tell anyone... The burden is a
bit too heavy, and I felt like crying.
When
I nodded with a troubled face, though resigning myself that it couldn't be
helped, Princess Stira's face completely turned into that of a girl her
age. Thinking she's cute at a time like this might mean I'm unexpectedly
soft-hearted.
「I met him at the academy. He's a
person with a strong spirit of inquiry and curiosity, and he's the one who made
this highly heat-conductive kettle.」
「Is that so? Then, is he a craftsman?」
「No, he told me that he and several
friends came up with the idea, and then searched for a craftsman who could make
it. He's repeatedly looking into various other things and making them too. He's
not someone who can make something by excelling in a single field of knowledge
like you or Ashren. He's the type who comes up with various ideas, finds
people who can realize them, gets their cooperation, and gives them form.」
「He is a talented person, isn't he.」
At
my words, Princess Stira nodded deeply.
「Right! He himself says he can't do
anything alone, but if you say that, it's the same for His Majesty the King.」
Being
brought His Majesty the King's name into this, I was troubled over whether I
should honestly nod 'yes', so I just smiled vaguely. Inwardly, however, I was
nodding vigorously. He is probably the type to stand at the top.
This
might just be my bias, but I don't think expertise is necessary for a person
standing at the top. What is required is the ability to broaden one's
knowledge, involve the people around them, push ideas through, and realize
them. The Director is more that type, isn't she.
It
seems that man and Princess Stira met mainly in the library and grew
close. As Princess Stira talked with sparkling eyes about other things
like, "He's trying to develop this next," her face was unmistakably
that of someone in love.
「I am sorry for suddenly talking
about something like this. But before I erase these feelings, I think I wanted
someone to hear about them.」
「...Do you have to erase them?」
「You have heard too, haven't you, Layla?
My birthday party being held in a month and a half is also a matchmaking event.
I have been told by His Majesty the King to find a prince consort soon.」
Because
the Kanista Kingdom's land area is small, the agricultural products it
can export are limited. There are mines, and iron and gold can be extracted,
but it's not abundant. In particular, imports account for almost all of its
coal.
「The one His Majesty the King named
as the most promising candidate is the Third Prince of the Tarteria Kingdom.
But both His Majesty and I find that person a little...」
「So that person really is the top
candidate...」
Recalling
the frivolous-looking face I saw three days ago, a sigh slipped out of me
involuntarily. Ashren-sama also looked frivolous at first glance, but
Prince Elliot seems just as shallow on the inside as he looks on the
outside.
「Do you know him, Layla?」
「Prince Elliot, correct? He
visited Ashren-sama and came to the laboratory a few days ago. ...I
perceived him to be a person with a unique personality.」
「I see... That's a very Layla-like
way of putting it. He is someone with flashy female relations, and I heard he
is... more intimate than necessary even with his own maids. Apparently, there
are many other such women.」
「Someone like that is the top
candidate? What is His Majesty the King saying?」
「To be honest, His Majesty does not
harbor good feelings toward him. But my marriage carries great significance in
how the country will steer its course, so he probably cannot just push through
his feelings as a father.」
It
is true that if ties with the Tarteria Kingdom deepen, the national
power will increase. But thinking that it would be at the sacrifice of the
Princess makes me feel complicated.
「I am sorry. I don't know what to
say.」
「It is fine, I just wanted someone to
listen. I know I have to put a lid on these feelings. But I wanted someone to
know the fact that I was having a wonderful romance. Before it disappears
completely, that it certainly existed.」
Princess
Stira had a complex expression—somewhat resolved, yet looking sad as if
she were about to cry. I want to do something for her, but I am bad at romance,
and I don't understand anything at all when it comes to talks between
countries.
「Layla, I think being able to stay with
the person you love forever is a miracle. Ashren is a lucky person.」
「...If you say that, I am the lucky
one. I am who I am today because Ashren-sama brought me to this country.」
「Let's have tea leisurely during the
day next time. Since there will be maids and guards around then, we won't be
able to talk about things like tonight, but I'm sure it will be fun.」
「Yes. Please invite me anytime.」
Princess Stira stood up, purposefully furrowed her brows saying, "I'm sure my guards are going to be angry at me," and then left.
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