3
“Achoo!”
“Have you caught a cold, Princess Raynesia?”
“Has the cool wind chilled you?”
The two young ladies, Apretta and Fevel, were frowning at Raynesia in concern, and she waved her hands slightly, denying it.
“No, not at all. Water Maple Manor is warm, after all. I’m sure it was because my father and mother are gossiping about what a failure I am, back at home.”
Raynesia, who was seated on an incredibly fluffy sofa that had been made by the artisans of Akiba, gave a little smile. She didn’t have to smile very broadly. This sort would get through to fellow People of the Earth aristocrats just fine, and ladies preferred it for its refinement.
In Akiba, where the winds of early summer had begun to blow, Water Maple Manor towered majestically on the town’s main street as the guest house for foreign dignitaries and the official Akiba residence of the Eastal exchange official. In a compact, comfortable drawing room, reached by crossing a crimson carpet, three ladies had assembled and were enjoying their first animated conversation in quite some time.
Today’s guests were Apretta, the daughter of Marquis Lester, and Fevel, granddaughter of Baron Sugana. Because they were all relatives of the lords of Eastal and belonged to the same generation, they had made their society debuts at the same time the previous year, at the Lords’ Council. Since then, they’d deepened their friendship by exchanging letters. Partly as a result, the atmosphere of the visit was genial, and although she was conducting herself as though it were official business, to Raynesia, it felt like a bit of a vacation.
“And how did you find the town of Akiba?”
Feeling a little nervous even so, Raynesia asked them a careful question.
The atmosphere in Akiba was, frankly speaking, too much for her to handle.
Every day, explosions went up here and there, enigmatic fliers and booklets streamed in from who-knew-where, and even the shops opened new locations, or remodeled, or vanished before anyone knew what was happening. Having no history meant, in a way, that everything was like a dream. The face of the town changed on a daily basis.
Adventurers dressed in outlandish garb (she was told it was armor and magic equipment), would recruit companions in the square in front of the guild center or under the Great Silver-Leaved Tree, then abruptly sit down and begin selling their combat trophies, right there in the open air. This was also an everyday occurrence.
Even if she put it mildly, the town was a seething mass of lunacy, and Raynesia couldn’t possibly control or take responsibility for it.
However, on the other hand, she didn’t want people to hate it. The timid question she’d asked the aristocratic girls had been an expression of these complicated feelings.
“It’s, it’s simply—!”
“It’s wonderful!”
Whether or not they knew what Raynesia was thinking, the two began to speak, beaming and shaking their clenched fists slightly.
“What do you suppose it is? That sensational foodstuff.”
“It’s sweet. Sweeter than cream made with the finest sugar and milk.”
“Vivid herbs in a rich bouillon, supported by a soup as robust as the earth!”
“One mouthful and it feels as though you’ll melt, body and soul!”
“The full-bodied harmony of small dried sardines and safa broth!”
When what they said was mixed together, it was completely incomprehensible, but the lady-in-waiting who’d shown them around managed to guess that they probably meant Milk Pudding and Yes House Ramen, where they’d stopped while they were in Akiba. Apparently, the two of them had encountered Akiba’s gourmet foods.
Gingerly, Raynesia sent out a further probe.
“Wasn’t there anything dangerous or raucous?”
“Dangerous?”
“Raucous?”
The two girls looked at each other blankly, then began to speak, reviewing their memories of the day.
“In terms of dangerous things, I would say the number of items on the menu.”
Apretta quietly closed her eyes—which slanted down at the outer corners—in rapture, folding her small hands as if in prayer, and continued.
“Princess Raynesia. Are you familiar with ‘ramen,’ a soup dish that has four types of main ingredient, two types of broth, and three types of topping with which one can vary the flavor? On principle, one would have to eat it twenty-four times before one could understand it completely.”
Her voice was as serious as if she were speaking about territorial defenses, and Raynesia also straightened up, firing herself with enthusiasm. If she didn’t do that, she felt as though she’d fall off the sofa.
“Rather than raucous, I would say the town is lively.”
With a determined expression, Fevel smiled, her cheeks flushing until they were the color of apples.
“During this one day, I saw more Adventurers than I’ve seen since I was born. The Adventurers laugh a lot, and they like music, don’t they? No matter where you go in Akiba, little sounds reach you from some unknown source.”
Fevel praised it with a blissful expression.
When she heard that, Raynesia finally felt relieved. She’d had a lady-in-waiting whom Elissa had trained show them around the town, so if there had been any trouble, she would have contacted them promptly. She’d also been given a report that the pair had enjoyed themselves, so she hadn’t been terribly worried. Although, she hadn’t known whether the town had made a good impression on them.
Apretta and Fevel were noble girls who were Raynesia’s pen pals, after a fashion. In the course of their correspondence, the two of them had taken an interest in Akiba, and they had been wanting to visit for a while now.
Raynesia had also wanted to invite them for quite some time, but in this world, travel was a serious affair. The residents of the domain had to stay near their farmland or risk losing their livelihoods, and nobles needed to make arrangements for the formalities and security personnel, which meant that travel required large-scale plans and preparations.
The Adventurers, who set off for far-flung places that would take weeks to reach without even giving it much thought, were exceptional beings.
The girls’ visit had finally happened because Adventurers from Silver Sword had volunteered to escort them here, and they would be able to meet up with the Lords’ Council on the way back. Naturally, the fact that Marquis Lester and Baron Sugana had been moved by the girls’ entreaties had been a significant factor as well.
“I’m very pleased you found it to your liking.”
Raynesia thanked them, feeling a strange delight.
She wasn’t the one who’d created this town, and as a rule, the Adventurers wouldn’t listen to her. Still, she’d lived here for more than half a year now. She’d experienced their kindness, just as much as their outlandishness.
Even if they were her pen pals, these girls were related to lords by blood, and it was possible this would influence imports to Akiba. They might affect the town, either positively or adversely.
To Raynesia, the Adventurers of Akiba were unbelievable epicureans. She’d heard that quite a few of them spent over half of what they earned on meals. The marine products and rice that came from Marquis Lester’s and Baron Sugana’s territories were probably important to the Adventurers as well.
Aside from these political motives, she hadn’t wanted the two of them to dislike this town. No, not just these two: anyone. This was the first place Raynesia had ever been posted to.
“By the way, Princess Raynesia.”
With a smile like a flower, Fevel enthusiastically changed the subject. Beside her, Apretta was chuckling in a way that, while adorable, wasn’t suitable for an aristocratic young lady.
Feeling apprehensive for no real reason, Raynesia stiffened on the sofa and tilted her head. “What is it?” Being able to respond elegantly on reflex in absolutely any given situation was her specialty. In aristocratic society, this ability was both a powerful weapon and armor, but right now, it was no help to her at all.
Raynesia knew. They were jewelry known as “rings,” meant to be worn on a finger.
Elissa, who’d been waiting by the windows, nodded once, keeping her eyes downcast. From the way she looked, she seemed to be saying, You’ve spotted something good, Princess.
“Is it possible that, um…you two are…?”
“Hmm? Oh. Um.”
Dusk was approaching in Akiba, and golden lamplight streamed into the now-silent drawing room.
In the space of a breath, Apretta flushed bright red. Next to her, Fevel was squirming, her hands pressed to her cheeks. The silver rings on their fingers were unmistakable proof that they were engaged.
“Yes. That’s right. Erm… No, no, no, no, this isn’t, um, it isn’t much of a ring, you know? He isn’t a great general like Sir Krusty, or a great hero; he’s merely one of the domain’s lowly knights. Exactly! Because we struck a deal close to home, and this was the result.”
“You say that, Apretta, but I seem to recall you splitting that pudding with him.”
Not only that, but apparently, he’d traveled here with them.
“You were boasting about your fiancé, too, Fevel! About how he was wonderful, and how soft his hair was. About how he was the strongest in the domain. And on top of that, he even gave you a cape!”
Hers as well, then.
“Yours picked out a hair fastener for you, didn’t he, Apretta? Here, Princess Raynesia, this is the one. ‘Pearls suit your hair,’ he said.”
This was not in the report, Raynesia thought, but that probably wasn’t because the lady-in-waiting had been remiss. Nobody would think to report lovers’ sweet nothings. Especially not if the contents were the sort that would cause heartburn.
The strength was draining out of her.
Raynesia felt like praying. Why am I the only one who has to end up in a situation like this?
Her expression grew sad, for a reason that had nothing to do with Krusty’s disappearance. When they saw her, possibly because even they regretted what they’d done, the other two ended their conversation instantly. Relieved, Raynesia forced a smile and raised her head.
The way she looked seemed to have been interpreted in a way that was absolutely unrelated to her internal state. Even Raynesia didn’t really understand, but it was the reaction described as “the noble silver princess, enduring sorrow.”
Apretta and Fevel began apologizing: “I’m terribly sorry, Princess Raynesia.” “We’ve made you witness such a shameless fuss, when you’re unable to contact Sir Krusty.” “No war god of his caliber would lose easily. Do cheer up, Princess Raynesia, please.” “If you lose heart, Sir Krusty will be too worried to kick the enemy to pieces.”
That would never happen, all right? Master Krusty, losing. Or being troubled. And on top of that, there’s absolutely no way whatsoever that he’d be concerned about me!
Looking down, Raynesia was assailed by that sort of irritation, and an odd loneliness. She didn’t really understand, but it was probably the stress of conducting official business all on her own. Her chest had begun to hurt, and she stopped being able to give responses that befitted the daughter of a noble family.
Why did she have to feel this unfair emotion? Princess Raynesia of the dukedom of Maihama just couldn’t understand it. In all the time since she was born, up to the present, she’d never felt like this, not during any sort of party or strict lesson, or even during the hectic whirl of official business in Akiba.
It was a wretched, dreary feeling that prickled at the inside of her nose and stuck in her chest, making it ache.
The only thing she understood was that all the blame lay squarely with that mind-reading menace.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login