Chapter 44
Our clothes got completely soaked, so we hurried back to the Princess’s Palace, took our usual clean showers, and then gathered again.
It suddenly struck me how long it had been since we’d done this.
The same soap fragrance drifting from our skin, water droplets still clinging to the tips of not-yet-dry hair, the excited tapping of feet while waiting for food, and then—
“Growl.”
“Grrroooowl.”
The adorable thunder rumbling from our bellies.
As expected, being with my favorites is when I’m happiest!
After the meal, we spent our free time however we liked. Killian was practicing sword steps, and Adele was drawing… well, not monsters, but pictures on paper. I stole a glance at the two, then secretly pulled out the report Marquis Rewendif had sent me.
What I was most curious about was whom Duke Märchen met often. If I’d known this would come up, I should have studied the original story more carefully…. Trying to figure out what shady business a bad guy has been up to is unpleasant, to say the least.
As I read through the report thoroughly, I noticed something odd—here and there, Marquis Alberto kept appearing.
“Marquis Alberto? Who’s that again?”
“Al! It’s that Al!”
Muttering to myself, I must have spoken aloud, because Adele suddenly tossed her colored pencil aside and jabbed a finger at me.
“Al? Me?”
I tilted my head, and Adele said,
“No! I told you before. That Al, Marquis Al! The one I said must have bullied His Majesty!”
“Oh! So that Al was actually Marquis Alberto’s ‘Al’?”
Killian chimed in, and Adele nodded so vigorously it was almost comical.
“Yep! That’s him!”
“Got it, Adele. Thanks for telling me!”
For a second I wondered if I should warn her not to go around blabbing about this, but I decided to leave it be and instead changed the subject.
“When I complete the task for my Crown Princess investiture and officially become the Crown Princess…”
“Yeah!”
“When that happens?”
“They said they’ll hold a celebration banquet. Since children will also be invited, is there anything you two especially want?”
“Really? That’s amazing! I absolutely want to see a circus. They say elephants roll balls!”
At Adele’s words, Killian sneaked a glance at me.
“Oooh, circus! That’s a great idea. What about you, Killian?”
The way his eyes rolled around, I thought he was going to say something groundbreaking. But—
“Well… since it’s a banquet to celebrate Tia’s investiture, maybe a portrait contest of Tia? Or a poetry contest themed on Tia? Or a singing contest to dedicate songs to Tia?”
What? What nonsense is this!
I was about to say so, but Adele clapped like a seal and cheered.
“For once, that’s a truly perfect idea, Killian!”
Killian grumbled about her saying “for once,” but in the end, her enthusiasm made his lips twitch upward.
The two of them seemed thrilled, but me? Absolutely not!
“Nobody would even participate in that.”
“Nobody? What do you mean, Tia! Everyone would join in for sure.”
“Adele’s right, Tia. I think so too.”
“That’s only because you two are my friends. Of course your arms bend inward.”
Adele, unfamiliar with the expression, started bending and straightening her own arm, staring at it.
“Arms bend inward? Oh, they really do! Huh! Can’t bend it outward? Ow, that hurts!”
Killian, meanwhile, watched my still slightly gloomy expression and spoke gently.
“Tia, becoming Crown Princess means you’ll be loved by so many people. Don’t get too discouraged.”
Just like with me, everyone won’t be able to help but like you. They won’t be able to stand it otherwise.
He carefully placed his hand on my shoulder and patted it.
“…Maybe so.”
If the original story holds, I’m supposed to be the villainess of all villainesses…. Maybe so. Maybe.
Swallowing worries I couldn’t voice, I simply smiled. That was all I could do.
After Adele and Killian went home, Liz and I were on our way to see Father. I wanted to ask if we could invite a circus to the children’s banquet.
“Elephants are huge, though. Wouldn’t they be too big to fit inside the banquet hall?”
“I’ve never seen one in real life, so I’m not sure. But they say a single foot is bigger than my face.”
“Then maybe we could hold it outdoors? The weather’s cooling off now.”
“True. Summer’s really over.”
Chatting like that, we reached Father’s office. Wanting to surprise him, I opened the door quietly—and overheard voices.
“Her Majesty the Empress is still not in her right mind.”
“Whether it’s a physician or a priest, provide whatever the Empress’s Palace requests. We mustn’t give the Marquis an excuse to plant his own people.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
…This felt like something I really shouldn’t have heard. Could my dad actually be the protagonist of a palace-intrigue or confinement-drama story?!
I rolled my eyes, and Liz gently closed the door.
…No way. Surely not.
But still—sometimes those ‘surely nots’ get people killed!
No, calm down. I’ll be fine.
I rapped lightly on the door. Knock, knock! Then I peeked my face through the crack.
“Daddy! Tia’s here!”
“Your Highness, you’ve come! You’re so cute and lovely and beautiful today as always, Princess.”
“From head to toe, absolutely perfect—my daughter Tia has arrived!”
Father scooped me up before Sir Ain even had a chance to greet me. Over his shoulder, I waved at Ain, who covered his mouth in awe.
He muttered something about a doll come to life.
As always, after bouncing gleefully on Father’s knee and stuffing myself with the snacks he fed me, I wriggled to get down.
“Daddy, put me down. I actually came here because I have something to say.”
“Goo-goo, my sweet Tia.”
“I’m ready, Your Highness.”
Father pressed his cheek against mine, squishing me, while Ain flipped open his notebook, pen in hand, ready to immortalize every word.
“Ugh! Daddy! Stop!”
“Alright, Tia. Hey, Ain—doesn’t she sound like a feisty kitten when she yells? I wish I could carry her around in my pocket. Any ideas?”
“Actually, what if we make a doll modeled after Her Highness, to commemorate the investiture? Perfect pocket size.”
“That’s brilliant! Let’s do it. Use diamonds for the materials.”
Seriously, what is wrong with these people!
Why does this always happen every time I come here? Again I clapped a hand over Father’s mouth and glared at Ain.
“Stop!!!”
Ain hid behind his notebook, while Father sneakily planted kisses all over my palm.
“No dolls! And also! I came here to say something—why are you two just talking to yourselves? If you’re not going to listen, I’ll leave! I will!”
I shoved Father’s face hard and jumped free from his arms. He tried to grab me, flustered, but missed.
“Will you listen to me?”
“Of course, Tia. I’m sorry. Please, come back here.”
“My apologies as well, Your Highness. Please forgive me.”
They both looked sincere enough, so I nodded, accepting their apologies. Finally—twenty minutes after arriving at Father’s office—I could bring up my actual business.
Of course, I didn’t climb back onto his lap. Otherwise it would all start over again.
“About the investiture banquet. You said there’ll be a children’s banquet, right?”
“Yes, of course, Tia. It’s all for you. First day, the ceremony. Second day, the nobles’ banquet. Third day, the children’s banquet.”
“Then, for the children’s banquet, can we invite a circus, Daddy?”
“A circus?”
“Uh-huh. I asked Killian and Adele what they wanted. Adele wanted to see a circus. And I thought—if we bring one, all the kids would love it.”
“Hm. And what did Prince Märchen say?”
“Killian? Oh, he just, um, said some nonsense…”
“What? What nonsense did he dare say to corrupt my Tia’s ears? We’ll summon him immediately for questioning. Ain!”
“I’ll dispatch the knights to the Märchen residence at once.”
“What are you talking about! It wasn’t corrupting, just… nonsense.”
“Ain! This won’t do.”
Why are you two taking this so seriously?!
With a deep sigh, I finally relayed what Killian had actually said.
“Well… he suggested maybe a portrait contest of me, or a poetry contest with me as the theme, or a singing contest to dedicate songs to me. That’s all. But it’s ridiculous—”
“Ridiculous? Not at all! That’s wonderful! Absolutely brilliant! Ain, we must award young Prince Märchen a medal. For once he’s had a proper, noble, and magnificent idea!”
Haaaaa…
Really, there’s no stopping my dad.
