Chapter 8

I returned to my warm room after making that promise with Lord Dean Dayne and sorted through the letters which had been delivered to me.

I got a letter from the dress shop that Princess Primera patronises, stating that they had new material. I also got mail from the jewellery shop and the hat maker. Well, in short, they’re like newsletters.

It’s important to check this frequently because this world didn’t have internet like my previous one, and I have to keep in contact with the shopkeepers so they will give us preferential treatment.

Well, they wouldn’t treat someone of the ‘royal’ family badly, but they would be honest to people who are kind and have a good relationship with them.

Of course, I don’t forget to haggle. They’re veteran merchants after all.

The rest are of the letters are from my favourite coffee and tea shop, a famous confectionery shop, a bookstore, stationery shop, and my aunt (my father’s sister. She doesn’t have a good relationship with father, but she does with me).

And one from father.

It was a letter requesting for money.

I made an expression like a Tibetan fox.

“Hey, hey. Why’re you making that face when you’re a woman?!”

“Royal Prince, you’re not allowed to enter a woman’s room without permission. And from the window even…”

“My bad. I ran away because my brother brought up arranged marriages again. I promised Aralbert Daum that I would train with him after this.”

“Is that so? You can find your way out over there.”

“You’re as cold as ever! … How about you come with me?”

“Why do I have to?”

“Aralbert Daum wants to talk to you. No one approaches us when I train with him, so accompany us for a bit.” The Royal Prince grabbed my arm and didn’t let go as he said ‘accompany’.

This man might not be used to noble’s common sense because he can do things like easily grabbing an unmarried woman’s arm.

I should prepare dinner first before going out because it was evening, but it wasn’t good to keep the Royal Prince waiting, so I gave up on that idea.

I was going to make pork chops…

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

I hadn’t seen His Highness in a long time, so naturally, I bowed deeply as if staring at the ground where I kneeled.

Of course, I’m only an ordinary person with a noble title, the other person is royalty.

His Highness Aralbert Daum is the main target in the game.

He’s cool, smart, comes from a great lineage, and his sword skills are first class.

In the game settings, his father only had expectations of him and his mother was always strict because he was the Crown Prince, so he had to be the perfect child and wasn’t good at expressing his emotions. The only people he would open his heart up to was his uncle, the Royal Prince, and he felt sympathy towards his pitiful and fair sister who was neglected by his mother and whose marriage was also dubious.

Then, he met the Heroine, a naïve countryside noble who doesn’t act like a noble. He was shocked because he had never met someone like her before and he became attracted to her because she expressed a lot of emotions or something like that.

But the current Princess Primera has grown beautifully, and although she hated studying in the game, she is an outstanding student now, and her teachers are proud of her.

If he isn’t careful, then she might become smarter than the Crown Prince, who is three years older than her, and she can even use magic…

Well, all members of the royal family seem to be amazing magicians.

Everyone has magic in this world, and the size of it can only be described as talent.

I can only do trivial magic such as boiling water, floating things with wind and lifting up the ground to make a place to put a bucket.

Princess Primera’s basic abilities with the four major attributes are somewhat high, and she’s good at summoning magic.

His Highness Aralbert Daum abilities with the four major attributes are high, and he is especially good with fire magic.

I don’t know about Their Majesties magic.

Apparently, the Royal Prince is great at body strengthening magic. I say apparently because the person himself hasn’t said this.

Me? … I would say that my four major attributes are a little weaker than mediocre.

It’s fine. I won’t be tormented by this.

It’s useful for boiling tea!! Isn’t that great?!?!?!

“I’m sorry for calling you here. You don’t have to humble yourself that much. Lift your face.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

“But was it your day off? You look different from when you’re wearing the uniform, but you’re still plain–!!”

“Uncle, that’s rude. Shouldn’t you calm down?”

“But, she’s still young, you know?”

The Royal Prince, who was giggling, wasn’t looking down on me.

He’s just laughing because I still look the same. He doesn’t mean anything bad by it. I learnt that this was a very different thing at this den of devils known as the palace.

But am I that plain?

The maid’s uniform is dark indigo, but I’m off-duty today, so I was wearing a dark bronze dress which looked calming. There aren’t really any patterns on it that look like patterns, but I like the subtle embroidery on this dress. But, is it plain, after all?

But, I look plain, so I wouldn’t suit gaudy dresses!

“Well, it looks good on you. It might look better than you dressing up. Should I pick something for you next time?”

“I’ll have to refuse. Your Highness has been calling you.”

“Oh. Well, where should I start…? Do you know about Reed Marc Ridill?”

“… I know that he’s the only son of the Ridill Company, and he’s a friend of His Highness.”

The nobles angrily say, “I can’t believe that he’s the Crown Prince’s friend when he’s the son of a mere merchant!” But unfortunately, the Ridill Company has raised national interest, and it made people think that it would be okay for the King to give them peerage.

They’re a company, so of course, they’re merchants, but they’re wealthy merchants who contribute to the wealth of this kingdom. So there aren’t many who would openly act hostile towards them.

And without exception, this Reed Marc Ridill is a capture target in the game.

By the way, this is the sequel, noble sons are the ones who receive two first names, and it isn’t generally seen in commoners.

Some say that the Ridill family is challenging nobility.

Well, that aside. This Reed Marc is the Crown Prince’s friend and is the same age as him.

He has light brown hair and an attractive face. He looks like a cat. I’m sure he was a tsundere character.

He showed his tsundere side at the royal ending. 『I thought the Princess looked better, but I was deceived. Love makes the other person look so wonderful…!!』

In the dark ending, 『I want to make you cuter, my beloved. Say, won’t you change yourself for me?』It was an ending where he was actually a chubby chaser… it was something that made one want to ask exactly what kind of hobbies the scenario supervisor had.

I haven’t met him yet because I’m the Princess’s maid, but the Ridill Company is a purveyor to the royal family, so they visit quite often.

“I see, then this will be fast. Actually, he informed me the other day that your father, Viscount Vandeid, has been going in and out of the money lending and jewellery departments.”

“…?!”

“Well, there are many nobles who are neck-deep in debt, so it isn’t much worry… but, do you know why the Vandeid family would go in and out of the head office of the Ridill Company when they don’t even plan on setting up a building near the palace?”

“… I’m sorry. I’ve been disowned…”

“I see, come to think of it, you are. So no difficulties will fall on you even if something were to happen to that man?”

“I don’t know. But do you think something would happen to him?”

“Probably.”

“… My goodness!”

“Primera can laugh like that because you’re here. So, I want you to always be with her. I’m not saying this as the Crown Prince, but as her brother.”

“That’s gracious of you.”

I was a little surprised that the Crown Prince turned away as if he was embarrassed and began practising swings.

Because he’s supposed to not think well of his younger sister. He looked disgusted in the game when his sister showed a portion of her excellence.

However, the person in front of me looks like a boy who thinks of his little sister.

“… The other day, I was able to talk to Primera after a long time. It isn’t like I’m friendly, and my mother is like that, so I thought she didn’t like me much. But Primera smiled at me. I was a little surprised… She’s a good girl.”

“…”

I nearly said, “You’re a good brother, too,” but I remained silent.

Capable maids can read between the lines.

The Royal Prince grinned as he looked at his nephew.

“Father favours her, mother is obstinate, and I don’t know how to act… Even if it’s ungratified as a royal, she calls me brother, and even though she’s better than me and hardly interacts with me, she told me a lot of my good points. I was honestly embarrassed, but I was also happy.”

“…”

Woooooooooaaaahhh, my Princess is seriously an angeeeeellllll!!!

And I regret that I wasn’t there!

She embarrassed Aralbert Daum and attacked her brother with love. Isn’t Princess Primera already an angel?!

Wouldn’t that make me want to use the camera in my brain and save it in my album?!

“You were the one who raised her like that, right?”

”The honour is more than I deserve.”

“Don’t be modest… That’s why I want you to avoid a situation where you will have to leave the palace because of your relative’s problems. If you need my cooperation, then I’ll talk to Ridill Company. That’s all I had to say.”

“Thank you very much.”

… That’s weird. I can’t believe that there’s an event like this!