Chapter 30
May I Join You?
“I can’t be very active in Owen right now. The official reason for my visit this time is the magical engineering floating ship. If I start acting for other reasons, it’ll draw attention from Owen and the international community.”
With Owen’s cooperation, Daimond’s delegation had been granted permission to inspect the floating ship prior to its departure.
If word got out that Daimond—who had come to Owen on official magical engineering business—was investigating Owen’s imperial citizens without Owen’s consent, it would become an international issue.
Moreover, even if imperial supremacism was an extreme ideology, that judgment came from the perspective of the foreign Kingdom of Rundra.
Without knowing how much the Owen imperial family knew about imperial supremacism—or how they felt about it—Daimond could not act rashly.
“I understand, brother.”
“So for now, I’ll just observe the situation at the market. As planned, we’ll tour Owen’s magical engineering facilities first. The imperial supremacist issue can be discussed after we return.”
Daimond would choose the best option available to him.
“This time, we’ll stick to the official schedule—and then do some sightseeing as well.”
Daimond pointed at the Arsen sightseeing list in my hand and continued.
“So, Daisy—shall we go sightseeing together?”
During my time in Owen, I had never once thought of Arsen as having sightseeing spots.
To me, sightseeing locations were merely words found in books while studying at the academy. I didn’t know enough to think about them, and no one in Owen had ever talked to me about such things.
I looked down at the paper in my hand. This felt like another new experience.
The first sightseeing destination was a historical ruin. Daimond and Nanesha eagerly took turns explaining what they knew to me—Daimond about the history, and Nanesha about its monetary value.
Daimond’s group was staying at a hotel in the city near the ducal residence. Before returning to the hotel, they used a hired carriage to drop me off in front of the ducal estate.
When I stepped down from the carriage, Yuri did not extend his hand to escort me. Instead, magical trajectories scattered through the air as he strengthened his spell, helping me descend from the high carriage. He said it was magic that allowed one to walk on air.
Even as a princess of a nation of mages, this was my first time experiencing such an escort. Normally, attendants or knights would lend their strength. I wobbled slightly as I got down and gave Yuri a small smile of thanks.
The next sightseeing stop was a museum.
We visited a museum that Owen had built to house exhibits from the era of the Conquering King—the first emperor. All the foreign relics gathered by the Conquering King while subjugating nations and conquering lands were displayed there.
In front of familiar yet unfamiliar relics from the Kingdom of Rundra, Daimond fell silent for a moment.
When the carriage arrived at the ducal residence after the tour, Yuri escorted me again. This time, during Yuri’s second magical escort, I wobbled a little less.
Yes—progress!
Today again, we were preparing to go sightseeing. It was already my fifth or sixth outing.
“Princess.”
I was about to step out of the entrance after seeing Daimond’s hired carriage waiting in front of the estate when Cedric called out to me.
“Good morning, Duke!”
“Good morning, Princess.”
Cedric continued.
“How about having dinner here at the ducal residence this evening, together with the others?”
“Thank you for the invitation. I’ll ask them, and if there’s no other schedule, I’ll come along!”
I hadn’t heard of any separate dinner plans. Dining with the Duke of Owen wouldn’t be a bad thing for the second prince or the other nobles.
When I conveyed Cedric’s dinner invitation after another sightseeing trip, everyone responded positively. Surprisingly, Yuri—who usually found everything bothersome—reacted first.
“It sounds like it will be a very pleasant meal, Princess.”
The group’s hired carriage entered the ducal grounds, crossed the garden along the carriage path, and stopped near the entrance. I saw Butler Mason standing there. Through the carriage window, I also saw Cedric waiting outside.
When I got out of the carriage, Cedric extended his hand toward me. I descended while being escorted by him. Once again, I thought that receiving help from a knight was more comfortable than magic.
Daimond jumped down from the carriage after me. Yuri stepped down by walking on air with magic, then immediately took Nanesha’s hand and helped her descend.
We dined in the first-floor dining room. The dishes prepared by the Rundra chef for the Rundra guests were excellent. Even though I wasn’t the host, I felt oddly happy seeing the guests at the ducal residence enjoying their meal.
I felt proud.
Perhaps it was because Daimond would know that I hadn’t suffered greatly over food while abroad, and that made me happy.
After dinner, we moved to an outdoor table in the rear garden to enjoy tea together. Cedric, who had briefly excused himself after receiving a request from Baron Hudson, the chief administrator, said he would join us after finishing a small matter.
“Princess, you’ll be helping prepare Daimond’s birthday present again this year, right?”
Yuri spoke up.
Daimond’s birthday was in autumn. And for over ten years now, his friends had lovingly and mischievously begun preparing his birthday gifts as early as summer.
At some point, I had joined in their pranks and helped prepare his presents as well.
Yuri and Nanesha discussed what kind of prank they would pull this time—right in front of the birthday boy himself. The conversation drifted to amusing gifts from the past. Everyone laughed while reminiscing about the fun memories.
I covered my mouth and laughed as well, when Yuri—who had been looking elsewhere—suddenly turned his gaze to me. When our eyes met, he smiled.
The corners of Yuri’s eyes and lips stretched wide. Beautiful Yuri’s smile looked like a work of art. I wondered how Yuri appeared in the eyes of art-loving Nanesha.
“Yuri, you must have a reason for smiling at me?”
Yuri’s gaze returned briefly to the scenery of the rear garden behind me, then came back to me.
“Because I’m happy, Princess.”
Yuri was sitting beside me. He picked up a cookie plate that was far from me and placed it in front of me.
Good heavens—Yuri moved a plate for me, yet no one commented on this strange behavior.
Everyone, Yuri just moved for my sake, you know?
I had heard that as Daimond’s friend, he was proactive about things he found entertaining—but it had been a very long time since I’d seen Yuri move out of consideration for someone else.
“Yuri, not long ago I wondered whether suffering from the heat might make one’s head burn up. Forgive me, but perhaps you’ve suffered from the heat too.”
It might sound extremely rude depending on how one heard it—but not to these people. Nanesha had known me since I was a baby I couldn’t even remember, and Yuri had also known me from when I was very young as Daimond’s friend. I knew that Daimond’s friends treated me like a younger sibling.
Yuri smiled again. He leaned his face closer to mine and brushed his bangs back with one hand.
“Would you like to place your hand on my forehead and check? If I have a fever, please call a doctor, Princess.”
I leaned my body sharply backward.
“Why is Yuri acting like this?”
“I know why Yuri is happy, Princess. And since I’m happy too, I’d like to let it be.”
Nanesha said gracefully as she sipped her tea.
Yuri looked at Nanesha, then turned his head back to me. Perhaps Nanesha’s words sounded like permission to him—Yuri smiled again. He took my hand and placed it on his forehead.
“Well? How is it, Princess Daisy?”
“I think Yuri Larraen’s head has burned so much that he’s forgotten I’m a princess.”
I tilted my head as I spoke.
Yuri tended to act comfortably rather than strictly by rules wherever he went. Among his friends, he was the only one who spoke freely to Daimond. Whether or not to use honorifics was entirely up to Yuri.
For a count’s son, his free-spirited personality was permitted precisely because he knew when etiquette was required.
So I didn’t think Yuri was acting with genuine rudeness. Still, I was curious why he had changed.
“Hahaha! Yuri, don’t tease her.”
That was Daimond’s laughter. Despite telling him not to tease me, he made no effort to help me at all. Truly, a terrible older brother.
Daimond was leaning crookedly against the back of his chair, legs crossed—laughing loudly in a posture even less dignified.
“Prince Daimond, you saw it earlier in the dining room, didn’t you?”
Yuri chuckled as he said something cryptic, still holding my hand firmly in his cool grasp.
Do they not know that I came of age this year? Even Nanesha?
Well… Nanesha was, in the end, also one of Daimond’s troublemaking friends.
“May I join you?”
Then Cedric’s voice sounded from behind us.
I hadn’t heard him approach at all. I turned awkwardly to look back. Cedric was standing there with an extremely impassive expression.
Cedric’s eyes slowly moved from my face, to Yuri, and then to my hand—still held by Yuri.
Embarrassment washed over me, thinking that I must look uncouth in front of a foreign duke. I put strength into my hand—and it slipped free far more easily than I expected.
