Preparations for departure began immediately. Acting on Wein’s behalf was a significant task, but Falanya’s previous achievements silenced any complaints from the vassals. Soon enough, a carriage and delegation were ready, and the details for the stay in Delunio were finalized without incident.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the day arrived.
“Princess Falanya. It’s almost time to depart, so I shall perform one last check.”
“Thank you, Sirgis. Please do.”
“I shall return.”
Falanya watched her subordinate bow reverently from the corner of her eye. She stepped into the carriage and lightly plopped on a cushioned seat.
“…This feels so strange,” she mumbled.
“What does?” asked Nanaki, the young guardsman who boarded after her. His white hair and red eyes were evidence of his Flahm lineage.
“Leaving Wein here and visiting a foreign country on my own. I’m usually the one seeing him off.”
“He watched you leave when you went to Mealtars, right?”
“That’s true, but still…”
Falanya had visited the central merchant city of Mealtars in Wein’s stead, but she insisted that felt different.
“…Well, we never would’ve expected him to depend on you regularly a few years ago.”
“You’re right. This has always been my dream, but to think I’d be appointed as a foreign emissary so soon…”
In truth, there was another reason Falanya felt odd.
I’m really happy.
She still had questions about her brother, but his praise and trust delighted her nonetheless.
Falanya didn’t think that was a contradiction. She loved and admired Wein from the bottom of her heart.
Oh… Come to think of it, I forgot to ask Father about Wein.
She’d been so busy preparing for the journey that it slipped her mind. Still, she couldn’t rush over to the villa and ask Owen now. Wein had given her a vital duty to fulfill.
“What’s wrong, Falanya?”
“It’s nothing. I was thinking about how I want to do a good job.”
“Looks like you’ve grown up in more ways than one,” Nanaki replied quietly.
“‘Grown up…’ Am I…”
Falanya glanced down at her own body. Now a young lady, she had blossomed wonderfully in the past several years.
“…still growing?”
“…”
Nanaki silently looked away. Falanya grabbed a cushion next to her and threw it at him.
Ninym watched the carriage grow more distant from the office window. When it finally disappeared, she turned back to Wein.
“You’re not panicking this time.”
As Ninym said, Wein was calmly looking over paperwork from his chair. Normally, he would’ve been freaking out. Why the sudden change?
“It’s a ceremony in an allied nation, not hostile negotiations. Plus, she did great in Mealtars. Falanya will be just fine.”
The princess’s recent actions were splendid. Although Wein’s genius couldn’t be denied, he was still one man. Not even he could deal with all the country’s issues. He never missed a chance to give Falanya some experience as his proxy; perhaps those efforts were finally bearing fruit.
“I plan on giving her even bigger tasks from now on. Something this simple will be a walk in the park. I’m sure she’ll come home a winner.”
“…”
Wein’s genius didn’t require the help of others in most situations, so he hardly depended on anyone. Even when forced to team up, he usually had a Plan B in the event of failure.
His poised comments were obvious proof of his hope and faith in Falanya.
“…He-he.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Ninym intended to secretly relay Wein’s words to Falanya once she returned home. Undoubtedly, the princess would be pleased.
“Well, at any rate, it looks like I’ve earned myself a little more vacation time.”
Wein tossed the reports he’d been checking onto his desk. There would typically be a mountain of paperwork, but today offered only a modest pile. Although the vassals had hastily called upon Wein to help with Delunio’s sudden invite, they still intended to take care of business themselves.
“That’s true. Even so, we should be ready if something happens in Delunio.”
“No sweat. We just need some troops on standby while I leave the paperwork to my subordinates and watch everything unfold. For now, I’m nothing but a seat warmer…”
Just then…
“Pardon me, Your Highness!”
There was a frantic knock at the door, and a government official came in to deliver his report. Visceral suffering came through in his voice.
“A messenger from Princess Lowellmina has arrived! Signs of civil unrest are igniting in the Earthworld Empire…!”
Wein and Ninym exchanged a look.
“…Wein.”
The young prince sighed heavily at the rattled courier’s news.
“Well, looks like we’ve got a war in the East and the West.”
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