PFPL Chapter 37

Chapter 37

“Your Highness, Princess Celestia Mond, the beautiful morning star who illuminates the Saliant Empire, I am Oz.”

“Oz? Oh! That sounds like ‘Oz the Wizard,’ that’s cute!”

I was waving the hand I held back and forth, and Liz sighed again, saying something like, “…Why are you even doing that….”

“Liz? Why have you been sighing so much lately? Even if you sigh that much, the ground won’t collapse, you know?”

“Phew… I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“There you go again. Keep it up, and I’ll make you disappear!”

“Aah, scary!”

Liz didn’t seem fazed by my threat at all.

That… that’s unusual.

I clicked my tongue. Liz said she’d go prepare the refreshments and left, and only then could I properly scrutinize the elderly man—or rather, Oz—sitting in front of me.

Honestly, I was expecting a young, long-haired, sexy, chic aide with a monocle…

“Oz, you’re the aide my father sent, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness. That’s correct.”

“So, um… your age?”

“Age, Your Highness…?”

“My age, I mean. I wasn’t sure if it would be okay for me to speak casually like this.”

Character breakdown imminent! Character breakdown imminent! But Oz looked far older than Count Tolkien, so I had no choice.

As a K-Confucian girl who knows K-manners and K-martial arts, it felt like my conscience was being ruthlessly dirtied.

“Of course, Your Highness, you may speak freely.”

“Alright. I’ll do that, thanks.”

“Yes. This Oz is your personal aide, so please treat me comfortably. The less formal, the better. How about calling me Grandfather while we’re at it?”

“Ohhh. Oz isn’t a rigid old stick, huh?”

“G-Grandfather?”

“Ah, sorry. I’ve been picking up a bit of back-alley slang recently, hahaha. But calling you Grandfather seems… a bit much. Wouldn’t it be rude to your granddaughter too?”

“That granddaughter would be… Your Highness…”

“Huh? What?”

“Oh, nothing. Hahaha.”

Oz looked slightly flustered but quickly regained his composure. But why was his forehead sweating so much…?

I slid a handkerchief toward him and continued.

“Then, I’ll tell you what you need to do from now on.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You know I’m currently completing the Princess Heir’s commissioning task, right? I didn’t know much either, but apparently, the task involves proposing bills so that new laws can be enacted.”

“Yes. It’s been that way for generations.”

“Oh! So you’re knowledgeable! Great. Anyway, here’s what I’ve planned….”

We whispered back and forth for a while, and when we finished, Oz looked at me with a very proud, approving expression.

That look… it was like a doting grandfather who just discovered his granddaughter is adorable.

Well, I guess I must look cute enough to be treated like a granddaughter. Hehe.

I told Oz,

“So, from tomorrow, I want you to investigate the current state of affairs within the Empire. If there’s a case, make sure to leave solid evidence.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Understood.”

“Good. Thank you, Oz.”

“I am the one who should be thanking you, Your Highness.”

“Then, shall we finally enjoy the snacks without worry?”

“Yes! Wonderful, Your Highness!”

Oz enjoyed the refreshments Liz had prepared together with me. He kept flinching his hand toward my mouth, as if he wanted to feed me… but surely not, right?

Recently, I’ve been receiving a lot of love from various places, but that’s because I did well, not because of the original ‘settings.’

I must not be mistaken. Of course. Hmm.

Is heaven taking a day off today?

An angel has descended.

Watching Killian panting after sword training was truly mesmerizing. Can a seven-year-old be this solid? He would have been cute enough as a soft tofu-like bean curd, but once he started using aura, he grew so terrifyingly fast.

It’s like… bean sprouts? No! Bean sprouts are too flimsy. Right! Bamboo shoots!

Do bamboo shoots even exist in this world…?

Of course, while having such useless thoughts, I worried whether Killian might have gotten additional injuries I didn’t know about…

But for now, let’s enjoy the view.

Killian, I…

want to become the sweat drops hanging from your hair.

Or maybe the dust on you? I want to stick to you so intensely.

Then Adel called me.

“Tia.”

“Hmm?”

“Since sword training ended early, how about we go out today?”

Adel rarely made suggestions first, but now he asked me.

“Go out? Outside the palace?”

“Yeah. There’s a place I really want to go with you.”

“Really? Did you tell the Marquess Lewendif? I need to get my father’s permission.”

“He already gave it. Hmm… Killian should be fine too, right?”

“Of course. He’ll be fine. Let’s wash up and have lunch first, then we’ll talk about it, Adel.”

“Okay, Tia!”

Adel nodded. Killian, having caught his breath and brushed off the dust, came over to us.

“Tia.”

“Killian! You worked hard today! You were amazing, as always! The best!”

“Oh… thank you, Tia.”

He seems more embarrassed than usual in front of Adel.

Is this all thanks to me being a love bridge? Hehe. Feeling proud.

After tidying up, I headed to the Princess’s palace with Killian and Adel. Along the way, everyone we passed gave me sparkling eyes of anticipation, saying things like, “Your Highness! You’re the best!” or “Your Highness, keep it up!” Killian, being observant, asked,

“Tia, is something going on? The palace atmosphere feels a little different today.”

“Hmm? Hahaha. Really?”

“Yeah, Tia. There seem to be so many people cheering for you today. Could it be…?”

I tried to brush it off, but Adel bluntly said it was cheering, so I couldn’t deny it. Eventually, the entire empire will know anyway, so I better handle it well.

“Well… actually…”

I am about to be commissioned as Princess Heir.

A simple, short sentence, yet for some reason, it wouldn’t come out easily.

Maybe because the Celestia in [Moonflower] I read had such a tragic end.

Or maybe because this event might ultimately turn out useless anyway.

I licked my parched lips, blew air into my cheeks, and repeated it several times.

Alright, I’ve decided.

“I’m going to be the Princess Heir this time.”

I said it. I said it.

I watched Killian and Adel, who couldn’t open or close their eyes, and…!

They covered their mouths with both hands, their eyes wide, and were stomping their feet.

“Eek! Tia!”

“Tia, congratulations! Truly!”

“Hmm? Uh, thanks.”

Later at lunch, I understood why they were so excited.

“Tia said she needs to become Princess Heir as soon as possible. Otherwise… um… Al? Al… Sorry, I don’t remember his name. Hng.”

I comforted the visibly crestfallen Adel by signaling “it’s okay” with my lips, and Adel, swallowing, nodding, and widening her eyes, continued.

“Anyway, that Al—whatever marquess or count—he apparently troubled His Majesty the Emperor.”

“How do you know that, Adel?”

“Well… I secretly listen to what Dad says to Mom. I don’t understand everything, but I focused when my name came up.”

Ah…

So that’s why I shouldn’t speak carelessly in front of kids.

I knew Marquess Lewendif talks too much, but… how much can a seven-year-old, who recently lived without parents, really understand about the empire’s situation? Still, she probably worried a lot unnecessarily.

But imagining Adel secretly listening because my name came up…

“Ugh. My heart!”

Ouch. My heart really hurts.

“Tia? Are you okay? Does it hurt much? What to do?”

“Maybe we should have a thorough check to make sure your heart is really fine.”

The starkly different reactions of F Killian and T Adel were hilarious. Hehe.

I composed my expression and said gravely,

“I didn’t know the backstory. Thanks for telling me, Adel. And thank you both for the congratulations. I’m not Princess Heir yet, but…”

I will definitely pave a flower path before Killian!

Lunch with good news and my friends’ cheerful support was far more delicious than usual.

While eating dessert, I suddenly remembered what Adel said earlier.

She wanted to go out.