Chapter 019
Everything Just as Always
He had a beautiful face.
The mage Yuri Laraan Lu—his cat-like eyes, the prettily upturned corners of his lips, and the beauty mark under his left eye made him strikingly attractive. His white face, white hair, and the vivid violet eyes that contrasted with them were lovely. Truly, pretty was the word that suited him best.
At times, he even looked prettier than Nanesha Linzherg, Dameond’s other friend who was famed across the Kingdom of Rundra for her beauty. Yes—if Nanesha was beautiful, Yuri was pretty.
“You’re so pretty.”
The thought slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. After spending time among Owen people—who never hesitated to voice their thoughts—I’d grown careless about choosing my words. Thankfully, this was Owen, so no one would feel uncomfortable with me casually commenting on someone’s appearance.
“He must be beautiful!”
“No, he’s a gentleman.”
“A… pretty man?”
The maid looked puzzled. I didn’t explain further—I didn’t want to keep talking about his looks anyway, and besides, there were no words that described Yuri better than pretty.
“Your Highness.”
I turned at the voice behind me and found Cedric standing there. He was dressed a bit lighter than usual.
“Good morning, Your Grace.”
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
Just then, the carriage arrived.
“I’m going to the communication center to speak with my family via magical call. Should I bring you some cookies from the pastry shop?”
“I’m fine.”
Even if he refused, I was going to buy them. The maids said the new pastry shop’s sweets were excellent. I planned to buy a lot—eat some myself, and share the rest with the mansion’s owner.
“I overheard you mentioning that you were close with a mage.”
“You mean Yuri. He’s my brother Dameond’s friend. He’ll probably be the one connecting the magical call today.”
“I see.”
He stared quietly at my face. I thought he had something more to say, so I waited—but he didn’t continue.
“Are you interested in mages, Your Grace?”
Maybe Cedric was curious about mages, like the maid who had never seen one before. His lounge also contained books about magic. As a knight in a knightly nation like Owen, Cedric probably had few opportunities to meet mages.
“I am not.”
“I see.”
Usually our conversations flowed like a ritual: I spoke, and Cedric would respond with ‘That is correct.’
But this time I had said his line.
“Mm, then I’ll be on my way now, Your Grace.”
In the quiet—not quite awkward, but close—I spoke carefully. I had to leave now to make it just in time for the scheduled call.
“Take care, Your Highness.”
Cedric gave a polite Rundran-style farewell. With Sir Mathis’s help, I boarded the carriage. I waved gently to Cedric as he shrank from view outside the window.
At the Communication Center
A mage connected the magical call for me. Usually, a mage had to stay in the room the entire time to maintain the connection.
But Yuri had claimed that once he established the connection, it would remain stable without another mage’s presence.
“White-haired ones who break common sense…” the center’s mage muttered as he left the room.
To give me privacy, the knights and maid also stepped out.
[Daisy!]
The magically projected screen appeared in the air. Dameond shouted my name excitedly. In the image were Dameond, Yuri, and Nanesha.
Nanesha immediately scolded him.
[Dameond, please maintain composure.]
She stopped him from waving his arms wildly. If we were meeting in person, he would’ve been shaking me, not his own arms.
Ah, familiar faces. I smiled brightly.
“Dameond, Nanesha, Yuri! It’s been so long!”
Yuri, who was the same age as Nanesha, never cared about what title I used for him.
[Daisy, are you well? Are you uncomfortable in any way?]
Dameond asked.
“I’m well. The Duke treats me very kindly. There’s lots of delicious food and many interesting things. Everything is fine in the kingdom, right?”
[Everything is the same—except that you’re not here. Father and Mother are busy, and so is our older brother. Of course, I’m busy too.]
“Mm. You’re busy too.”
Dameond’s face leaned closer to the screen.
[Daisy! Father and Mother worry about you greatly. They had an important luncheon today, so they couldn’t join the magical call. They were disappointed and ordered me to confirm that you’re healthy with my own eyes.]
Haha—just like always.
I realized I had missed the Kingdom of Rundra more than I thought. The way Dameond described our family came to mind vividly, as though I had seen them only yesterday.
[And our brother said to thank you for the gift. It was wonderful, even in my opinion.]
“I’m glad.”
I smiled. Dameond changed the topic.
[Daisy, you look healthy. Do Owen foods suit your taste? For you, that’s important.]
“They’re all good. But the scents here are a little strong for me. So His Grace hired a Rundran chef. He’s especially good at raspberry pies.”
[Hahaha! As long as the food suits you, Daisy has nothing to fear!]
[Princess, what fun things have you been up to?]
Nanesha asked. Yuri briefly looked at her before turning back to the screen.
“I went to an art museum and a café. I was invited to a tea party too! Ah, and I went to a dress shop—I bought an Owen-style dress. A pretty purple one.”
[I can’t believe Her Highness Daisy has been going out so much in just one month.]
Nanesha’s expression was soft. Gentle as always, she seemed relieved I was well.
“It’s all thanks to Rachel. She introduced me to everything—and everyone—I’ve met here.”
I spoke excitedly. Seeing their faces after so long made me happy, and I wanted to show them I was doing well.
[Rachel?]
Nanesha asked, and Dameond froze. Nanesha started to say something, then glanced at Dameond and stopped.
I realized I had made a mistake.
I had gotten more excited than I realized and exposed something I shouldn’t have. I calmed my breath.
Nanesha and Yuri would not know about the treaty between Rundra and Owen. They also didn’t know that Rachel had once weighed Dameond’s life on a scale—or even that she was the Imperial Princess.
The treaty was a secret. However, Rachel’s identity as a princess wasn’t related to the treaty. As nobles, Nanesha and Yuri would learn who Owen’s imperial princess was sooner or later.
[Your Highness, Rachel disappeared after graduation.]
“Rachel is in Owen.”
Even if it was something they’d learn eventually, it wasn’t my place to explain. I offered only the simple truth and saved her identity for later.
[Ah… so Rachel is really in Owen…]
Nanesha trailed off—unusual for her.
Dameond said nothing, lips tightly pressed. He clearly didn’t intend to explain further either. Nanesha continued.
[That’s good. When we arrive in Owen, we can ask her directly. I’ll be seeing two familiar faces there.]
“Huh? What do you mean?”
[Ah! I should’ve said this first. Hahaha—Daisy, the three of us are coming to Owen!]
Dameond’s face brightened instantly.
“You’re… traveling?”
[Not a trip. Recently, Roneis has been investing heavily in magi-engineering. The development seems rapid, so we have to inspect it. I heard Owen will soon be importing magi-engineering airships too.]
Without a proper pretext, a prince cannot visit foreign nations freely. Travel isn’t impossible, but among Rundrans, travel culture is not very common.
Especially for Rundran royalty—leaving the kingdom without a clear reason was rare.
[Since it’s official duty, we’ll go to Roneis first. Then we’ll visit a duchy on the way and arrive in Owen last. It’s an official delegation authorized by each country.]
“Nanesha and Yuri are both delegates?”
[Yuri is coming as a mage to inspect magi-engineering, and Nanesha is coming as a scribe because she’s good at art and writing.]
[His Highness handpicked the two of us, so we look like nobles exploiting personal connections.]
Nanesha grumbled. They might not have gone through a formal selection process, but principled Nanesha surely insisted on receiving the proper appointment documents.
“As a palace official, Nanesha, you are more than qualified to be a delegate.”
[I work for the Treasury Department, Your Highness.]
My attempt at comforting her didn’t help at all.
[We should arrive before midsummer! I’ll send you the exact date in a letter.]
Dameond said he had another engagement after this. That ended the magical call.
Still—soon, I would see Dameond in person.
My heart swelled with excitement.
