Chapter 6: Departure
After Rio and Celia finished giving the news to Christina, they finally left the fortress consulate.
“By the way, Miharu and the others are invited to Galarc’s capital as well. I originally intended on going at night, but would you like to sneak away and visit them now? We now have more things to report to them too,” Rio suggested to Celia as soon as they were off the premises.
“Sure, let’s go.” Celia nodded readily, and with Aishia, the three of them headed for the stone house in Rodania’s outskirts.
Roughly one hour later, at nearly dusk, Rio, Celia, and Aishia arrived at the stone house. Everyone gathered in the living room, sitting in the order of Latifa, Rio, Aishia, and Celia on one side, with Miharu, Orphia, Sara, and Alma on the other side facing them.
“Mmrgh.”
Latifa however, was clinging tightly to Rio’s arm, puffing up her cheeks adorably. She had a proper reason for her anger as well.
When they first arrived at the stone house, they had all greeted each other. Latifa had still been in a great mood at this point, rejoicing over her reunion with Rio.
Afterwards came a report of the recent events. As they discussed everything that had happened after leaving the stone house up until this point, Latifa began puffing up her cheeks cutely. As Rio’s adopted little sister, she seemed to have mixed feelings about him getting close to unfamiliar princesses while she wasn’t around.
However, that much would’ve merely resulted in some mild jealousy. What she couldn’t forgive was how Christina and Flora’s rapid approach to Rio after learning his identity resulted in them learning something Latifa hadn’t known yet.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your mother and father?”
Her anger was over Rio’s parents. After explaining that story, Rio had tried to explain how it was decided that Celia would be his assistant, but that was when Latifa attached herself to his arm and expressed her discontent.
“Sorry...” Rio apologized without giving an excuse. He had told them about his paternal grandmother Yuba and cousin Ruri when he returned from the Yagumo region, but he hadn’t mentioned to anyone that Ayame was royalty.
“Latifa, people have their own circumstances to consider. I’m sure it was a difficult topic for Rio to discuss as well. And he’s telling us now, isn’t he?” Sara said, soothing Latifa.
“I get that, but... Hmph.”
Latifa leaned on Rio’s arm, tightening her hold. She wanted Rio to rely on her more, to approach her more; that’s what she had always wanted. But he wasn’t very willing to do that, so she had no choice but to approach him herself.
“It’s true that I kept it a secret. Your anger is justified.”
“I’m not angry...” Latifa’s tone changed from a sulky one to a sad one.
“Sorry... I didn’t want to talk about gloomy things, and it was a matter that had to be kept secret, but I just used those circumstances as an excuse to run away. It’s not that I didn’t trust everyone, and it’s not that I didn’t value you all. I was just scared of closing that distance between us. That’s why there was probably another reason why I didn’t tell you like this...”
With his left hand, which was outside of her grasp, Rio hesitantly petted Latifa’s head in a slightly nervous manner.
“Onii-chan...?” Latifa looked up at Rio’s face in vacant confusion. Somehow, it felt like the air around Rio had changed over the course of their conversation.
“How should I put it? The things I’ve hid until now, the things I’ve kept to myself... From now on, I’ll try to say them if I think it’s better than running away. It may be a bit late, but I want to get closer to everyone, including you. That’s why...I won’t ask you to forgive me, but could you give me your understanding? I know what I’m saying is just convenient for me,” Rio pleaded awkwardly.
“...”
With the exception of Celia and Aishia, everyone else looked surprised.
“I-I will! I want to get closer to you too! I want to be close!” Latifa said after a pause. She leaned forward while still clinging to Rio’s arm, trying to push him down with her excess momentum. But Aishia, who was seated on the opposite side, promptly caught him with a hug.
“That kind of hurts. But thank you.” Rio smiled wryly at his inability to move, then thanked them shyly.
“He was a prisoner of his past. He knows the fear of losing someone precious, so he tried to draw a line between himself and everyone else. But now he’s trying to change,” Aishia said, giving her accurate analysis while clinging to Rio.
You really see through everything, Aishia... That made Rio embarrassed.
“Typical of Aishia... But I do think you’re clinging a little too tightly to Rio... Rio said he’s in pain. Come on.” Celia pouted sullenly, grabbing Aishia’s body in an attempt to pull her away, but Aishia had a firm hold on him.
“I’m replenishing my magic essence from him. It’s been a while, so I’m using this chance as much as I can,” she insisted.
“That’s unfair, Aishia! I want to hug him more too! I’m gonna receive his energy too!” Latifa resolutely clung tighter to Rio on his other side.
“C-Could you let go of me already?” Rio objected with a frown.
“No! I won’t! Oh, but if you sleep with me today, I’ll let you go!” Latifa giggled, acting spoiled.
“H-Hey now. What are you trying to say in the confusion of the moment, Latifa?” Sara warned in exasperation.
“Aww, do you want to sleep with us as well, Sara?”
“I-I do not!”
It had been a while since Rio last witnessed this kind of exchange between Latifa and Sara.
“Hee hee.”
“You’re blushing, Sara.”
Miharu and Orphia were all smiles, while Alma started teasing Sara.
“Aha ha...”
Rio was happy; it was like he had finally returned to where he belonged. He laughed as though he was upset, but he was smiling warmly.
“Goodness... I guess that’s how it is.”
Perhaps it was because of Rio’s expression, but Celia stopped trying to pull Aishia away and sighed gently with a smile.
“Oh? You seem rather composed today, Celia,” said Alma, who was seated exactly across from her.
Taken by surprise, Celia tilted her head. “Huh? What do you mean?”
“I just expected you to start a back-and-forth with Aishia like always,” Alma replied honestly.
“Celia’s become Haruto’s caretaker, so she’s gained the upper hand,” Aishia casually stated.
“C-Caretaker?”
“Wh-What’s that meant to imply?”
“What?! What are you taking care of for Onii-chan, Celia?!”
Miharu and the others seated on the opposite side, as well as Latifa seated on the other side of Rio and Aishia, suddenly froze on the spot and turned their attention to Celia.
“Th-That’s wrong. I’m not a caretaker; I’m an assistant! An assistant!” Celia pointed out in a fluster.
“Is that because Haruto’s more like your caretaker, always taking care of you?”
“I-I can’t deny that...” Celia had no means to refute Aishia’s puzzled question.
“More importantly! What’s the meaning of Celia becoming your assistant, Onii-chan?!” Latifa impatiently pressed Rio for answers.
“Erm... I meant to mention this earlier, but from now on, Celia will be leaving the Restoration and staying by my side. It was more convenient for the Restoration this way too.”
“Hmm...? Does that mean Celia is free to live in this house again?”
“In short, yes.”
“Really? Yay!” Latifa rejoiced. The others were also smiling.
“However, I have a suggestion for everyone with regards to the future. It especially concerns Miharu, though,” Rio began to say, looking at the girl in question.
“Me?” Miharu blinked.
“Yes. It involves Satsuki and Liselotte as well.”
“Satsuki and Liselotte?” Miharu looked happy to hear their names.
“Yes. I’ve told you about how I was given a mansion on the Galarc Castle grounds, right? A proposal was actually made to hold a sleepover there,” Rio said.
“Sleepover?! And Satsuki and Liselotte are going too?!” Latifa was the first to latch onto the topic.
“Yeah. The Second Princess Charlotte wanted to invite you...and everyone else here, actually, to attend as well. Of course, Princess Charlotte will be in attendance, and, well, it’s possible Princess Christina and Princess Flora may participate too...” Rio explained.
“Hmm... In other words, we’ll be meeting those princesses if we attend...?” Orphia asked with a hint of curiosity.
“Indeed. Princess Charlotte has promised to minimize the contact you’ll have with the royalty and nobility within the castle. If you can’t attend, I was thinking of bringing Miharu and Celia, as well as Aishia to at least hold a shorter event...” he said to Sara and the others.
“Yes! I want to go!” She had seemed a little hesitant when she heard there’d be unfamiliar princesses there, but Latifa was the first to raise her hand enthusiastically.
“In that case, as long as Sara gives her permission on behalf of the village for you to go, I’ll be introducing you as my little sister.”
“As your little sister...” Latifa’s eyes were sparkling.
“However, like I said before, you have Duke Huguenot to worry about, so you’ll need to think about giving an alias when you name yourself. For your family name, you’ll be using the same as mine, though,” Rio said, raising several points of concern.
“By family name, you mean Amakawa, right?”
“Right. It would make you ‘Latifa Amakawa.’” Rio tried saying it out loud.
“Yes! I’m going! I’m definitely going! I’m going to have the same family name as you! Latifa Amakawa! Latifa Amakawa! I-If I’m going to change my name, it’ll probably be Suzune Amakawa, I guess? Eheh heh... Eheh heh...” Latifa was so deeply overjoyed that she ended up entering her own world. Only Rio, Miharu, and Aishia knew that Latifa’s name in her past life had been Suzune, but she ended up saying that name out loud.
She looked so pleased with herself that Celia giggled. “You look really happy, Latifa.”
“Hmm... Sara,” Alma suddenly called out.
Sara stiffened. “I-I’m not envious or anything!”
“I haven’t said anything yet,” Alma chuckled.
“Hmm... There’s no culture around family names in the village, so it doesn’t really hit home for me. I suppose I feel a little envious at the idea of having the same family name as Rio. How about you, Miharu? You have your own family name already.” Orphia looked at Miharu beside her.
“In the country where I’m from, family names only changed after marrying. I’ve heard that some people feel happy when they marry the person they love and change their family name. I wouldn’t know myself though, since I’ve never married...” Miharu explained. She’d also heard of some people who disliked it because of the annoying paperwork involved, but she didn’t feel that was necessary to mention in this world.
“I see, I see... So for example, if you and Rio married, you’d go from Miharu Ayase to Miharu Amakawa. How does it make you feel? Happy?” Orphia asked again with an impish grin.
“U-Umm...? I-In my world, it wouldn’t be M-Miharu Amakawa, but Amakawa Miharu...” Just saying that name out loud made Miharu blush bright red.
“Mhmm, I can see how happy it makes you.” Orphia grinned cheerfully.
Miharu was so embarrassed she ducked her head with nothing more to say.
“Umm, the conversation’s gotten rather off track, but you guys don’t have to come if it doesn’t seem possible. However, I do believe having the hero, Satsuki, and Second Princess Charlotte on our side will prevent unwelcome royalty and nobility from interfering. I also intend on providing as much support as I can. What do you think?” Rio steered the conversation back on topic and checked whether Sara and the others were willing to participate.
“Well... I-If it’s for the purpose of studying society, it should be fine.” Sara moved her tail restlessly as she answered in a high-pitched voice.
“Hee hee, it gets lonely watching the house with just the three of us.”
“We were absent from the last sleepover, after all. It should be fine this time.”
Orphia and Alma agreed.
“Great. Then it’s decided. Departure will be in a week’s time, and we’ll be going by enchanted airship.”
Thus, it was decided that Rio would bring all the residents of the stone house to visit the Galarc Castle.
One week later, the day had finally arrived for the group to depart for the Galarc Kingdom. Miharu, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Aishia in her materialized form, Rio, and Celia made it a total of eight that were visiting the airship port in the noble district of Rodania.
They traveled to the harbor in the horse-drawn carriage that had come to pick them up at the mansion, and alighted at where Christina and the others were waiting outside the airship for their arrival. They were surrounded by escorting knights and accompanying nobles, as well as nobles who were mostly likely there to see them off. Rei and Kouta were among the latter group.
“I believe the last time I met Miharu was at the banquet, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen Sara, Orphia, and Alma. Thank you so much for the other time,” Christina said, greeting the people she knew already first. Flora wasn’t acquainted with the four of them, but she could recognize their faces.
“We’re just glad to see you’re well. Thank you for sending us to the Galarc Kingdom on this occasion,” Sara replied on behalf of their group, bowing her head with everyone else. They had been staying in Rio’s Rodania mansion from the day before, but they couldn’t allow Christina and Flora to personally visit them, so they were greeting each other for the first time here.
“I believe those two over there are new faces, yes?” Christina looked at Latifa and Aishia.
“This is Suzune Amakawa, my adopted daughter, and Aishia. I believe Princess Flora has met Aishia once before in Amande.”
Incidentally, Latifa had chosen to use her name from her past life as an alias, just like Rio.
“Yes, thank you for what happened back then. I heard Sir Haruto had a little sister, but you’re terribly adorable.” Flora nodded her head at Aishia, then looked at Latifa with deep interest.
“N-Nice to meet you. I’m Suzune.” Latifa nodded her head in greeting, then grasped Rio’s sleeve tightly. At a glance, she appeared to be acting shy, but Rio knew it was because she was frightened of Duke Huguenot beside Christina and Flora.
Based on Latifa’s reaction... There’s no doubt it was Duke Huguenot who sent her after me as an assassin.
Rio briefly glanced at Duke Huguenot.
“Yes. I’m proud to call her my sister,” he said with pride, touching Latifa’s back gently.
“Goodness me, to think Sir Amakawa had such a charming little sister. My foolish sons could learn a thing or two from you.”
Duke Huguenot displayed his forte of speaking in a highly sociable manner. Latifa’s fox ears and tail were currently hidden with a magic artifact, and that seemed to be enough to hinder him from recognizing her by her face.
“No, not at all,” Rio replied to Duke Huguenot with a cold smile.
Christina intervened to stop Duke Huguenot from speaking further. “We don’t have time to stand around talking, but just one thing: as you can see, Vanessa has recovered.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve recovered, but is it all right for you to be back at work so soon?” Rio asked Vanessa, who was standing beside Christina.
“Yes. Lying down all the time will only stiffen my body, so I’ve returned to my post as of today. It’s all thanks to you, Sir Amakawa. I’m grateful to you from the bottom of my heart.”
Vanessa bowed her head deeply. She then exchanged some words with Sara’s group, who she was acquainted with from last time.
“Please board the ship. Flora and I will entertain you all.”
The entire group moved to a parlor of the enchanted airship. There, they mingled with Christina and Flora until they arrived at Galarc.
Meanwhile, in the Galarc Castle, Charlotte had invited Satsuki and Liselotte to a drawing room within the castle.
“Sir Haruto and his friends are scheduled to arrive this afternoon. Lady Miharu, Lady Celia, Lady Aishia, Lady Suzune, Lady Sara, Lady Orphia, and Lady Alma. Everyone who lives together with Sir Haruto will be coming— Oh, I’m looking forward to it so much.” Charlotte beamed in delight.
At those words, Satsuki and Liselotte realized Latifa’s name had been quietly changed to Suzune. Because she didn’t want to use an alias when meeting Satsuki and Liselotte, Latifa had used her real name when attending the sleepover at Liselotte’s home. However, at the time, it had been mentioned that she might need to use an alias when appearing in public in the future, so they immediately comprehended the situation.
“None of them will have had much interaction with the noble class, so go easy on them, Char,” Satsuki said, urging Charlotte to be considerate.
“Naturally. If they find Sir Haruto’s mansion to be comfortable, they’ll be more likely to visit the castle more. I’ve completely blocked off all nobles from attending, with the exception of my father and us,” Charlotte declared happily. “And so, the reason why I’ve arranged for us to have some time together before they arrive is because I’d like to confirm something with you two.”
She giggled and looked at the two of them with profound meaning.
“Confirm something?”
“What is it?”
Satsuki and Liselotte tilted their heads and looked at each other.
“To get straight to the point, do either of you have any intention of forming a marital relationship with Sir Haruto?” Charlotte asked nonchalantly.
“Wh-What are you saying, Char?” Satsuki nearly choked on the tea she had lifted up to her mouth and placed the teacup down on the table in a fluster.
“I asked whether you have any intention of marrying Sir Haruto.”
“No, I heard it...”
Wasn’t there, you know, more that needed to be explained than that? It was so sudden that there was no way for her to understand. Satsuki protested her approach with a pointed look
Liselotte seemed to have guessed what had caused Charlotte to say such a thing and held her tongue, reading the room.
“Liselotte will be faintly aware of it already, but the fact that her father bestowed a castle mansion to Sir Haruto is a tremendous thing. To call it an exception among exceptions would be putting it lightly, even.”
“Well, residence within the castle is normally restricted to royals, I guess.”
If she were to compare it to Japan, it would be like a commoner being given the ownership and living rights to a building within the imperial palace, Satsuki thought.
“Exactly. In other words, father is saying he wouldn’t mind welcoming Sir Haruto as royalty in the future. Wouldn’t this be the correct way of looking at it?”
Although he didn’t say it out loud... Charlotte thought.
“Haruto will become Galarc royalty...? Does that mean he’ll marry someone from the royal family?”
For example, Char, Satsuki was implying.
“I cannot say for sure, but...” Charlotte chuckled to herself.
That, or Lady Satsuki will be married to Sir Haruto, and their child will be made into Galarc royalty—it’s a possibility, but I won’t say that to her. I’d be troubled if that fulfilled the goal and removed my chance of marrying Sir Haruto, after all, Charlotte thought to herself.
“So why are you asking if Liselotte and I have any intention of marrying him?”
“Because you two are the closest women to Sir Haruto from Galarc. As I have stated before, I am enamored with Sir Haruto.”
“In other words, you want us to keep our hands off Haruto...?” Satsuki suspected that Charlotte’s intention was to keep them in check.
“No. High ranked and powerful nobles naturally have multiple wives, so I wouldn’t say something so narrow minded. If the two of you are in love with Sir Haruto, I won’t stop you from that.”
“Huh...? So you want the three of us to marry Haruto?”
Satsuki was confused, having not expected the topic to turn to polygamy. From her point of view as a Japanese person, monogamy was her natural assumption of how things were.
“I don’t plan on forcing you into anything—I just don’t want to fight between friends. To be honest, I would be at a disadvantage if I went up against you two as rivals.” Charlotte had grown up in a world where polygamy was natural, so she spoke calmly under the premise of becoming wives along with Satsuki and Liselotte.
“I-I thought this kind of talk was meant to be more muddled than this... Isn’t it, like, normal to want to monopolize the person you love?” Satsuki felt an indescribable feeling of discomfort. She couldn’t explain that feeling well, but she tried to do so through asking a question.
“Of course, there are some wives that act unsightly with each other in order to monopolize their husband’s affection, but I do not wish to do that with you and Liselotte. I love you, and Liselotte too.” Charlotte unashamedly expressed her fondness for the two of them.
“Aha ha, thank you very much,” Liselotte thanked her awkwardly.
“Hmm... I really like you too, Char, but...” Satsuki hummed to herself in anxious thought. Whereas someone else would normally feel embarrassment or hesitation, Charlotte would step forward boldly to form a personal relationship. Satsuki found that part of her fairly likeable, but that didn’t mean she was willing to share a husband with her.
“Did I say something offensive?”
“I believe I’ve told you before, but...I was born and raised in a country where it’s natural to have only one wife. I don’t know how to react when you suddenly ask me to accept being one of many wives.”
“In other words, you’d consider marrying Sir Haruto if you were the only wife?”
“Well, I guess... Wait, no, no, why are we talking under the assumption that I’m in love with Haruto?!” Satsuki’s honest personality made her imagine a future marrying Rio, but she came to her senses midway and retorted in a fluster.
“Oh, was I wrong? You seemed unusually natural when you were imagining your future with Sir Haruto, but doesn’t that mean you don’t feel any resistance to seeing him in such a way?”
Back in the day, Lady Satsuki’s desire to return to her old world was so strong that marrying someone from this world would’ve been out of the question.
The fact Satsuki wasn’t trying to reject the marriage talks with some excuse about her old world was very revealing in itself, Charlotte thought secretly.
“I-I do have objections! I want Haruto to get together with Miharu, after all,” Satsuki said in a shrill voice.
“Then you’re willing to forgo your own happiness for the sake of Lady Miharu?”
“L-Like I said, why are we assuming I’m in love with Haruto here?!”
“You say that, but in my eyes, it looks as though you think of Sir Haruto rather fondly.”
“W-Well, I don’t hate him, that’s for sure. And it’s true that there aren’t many men like him out there...but that’s a different matter to liking him as a man!” It almost looked like Satsuki had hesitated for a moment, as she strongly emphasized her point as though to convince herself.
“Hmm... I suppose that’s fine as well, but if you believe Sir Haruto should get together with Lady Miharu, that means you don’t believe there’s any issue in Lady Miharu living the rest of her life in this world. Is that correct?” Charlotte asked, suddenly changing the topic.
“I guess, yeah...”
“Then what about yourself? You said you wanted to return to your old world before, but do you still feel that way right now?” At this point, Charlotte had stopped mentioning marriage as she questioned Satsuki.
“That’s... Well... It’s not like I’ve given up on returning to Earth, nor have I stopped wanting to go home,” Satsuki answered with difficulty.
It probably started when I reunited with Miharu and the others at the banquet. Until then, the future was so unclear, and I panicked. But now that I’ve calmed down...
Satsuki had grown more accustomed to this world than she was before, and at worst...she’d be able to accept it if she had to live the rest of her life here.
“You may have to live the rest of your life in this world. If such thoughts have budded within you, wouldn’t it be better to think about your marriage partner?”
“Y-You’re going to return to that topic here? After changing the flow to let my guard down?” Satsuki’s face twitched.
“I am. Because I’m the princess of the Galarc Kingdom. If it was Sir Haruto, father would agree to it as well, so I believe he’d be a realistic choice for you, you know?” Charlotte had a truly pleased smile on her face.
“Well, I suppose, but you’re strangely insistent on Haruto...”
“That’s because it’s highly unlikely that someone better than Sir Haruto will show up in the future.”
“You sure are confident...” Charlotte’s declaration made Satsuki laugh, half exasperated.
“It’s the truth. In reality, I’d say you’d have a lot of rivals. I plan on inquiring into that at the sleepover with everyone, since it’s the perfect chance for it.”
“Keep it in moderation...”
“I will decide based on the flow of the conversation.” Charlotte smiled sweetly.
It sure is difficult being targeted by Princess Charlotte... Liselotte thought. The bitter reality of a vertically structured society meant the daughter of a duke could never defy the Second Princess. Just as she thought that—
“That’s right. I wanted to ask for your thoughts before the sleepover as well. How do you feel about Sir Haruto?” At that very moment, Charlotte set her sights on Liselotte.
“H-Huh? Me?” Liselotte flinched.
“Yes. I know you were keeping silent to prevent yourself from digging your own grave, but I won’t overlook such things.” Charlotte looked at Liselotte like an animal watching its prey.
“Right. I’m also interested in hearing how you feel about Haruto.” Satsuki jumped on the bandwagon, amused.
“N-Not you too, Lady Satsuki...” Liselotte winced.
“You’ve heard plenty about me, so I think we can hear the whole story from you before they arrive.”
Satsuki’s delighted voice echoed in the room. Elsewhere, Rio and the others arrived at the Galarc Castle several hours later.
Several hours passed, and soon it was the afternoon, when the sun was still up in the sky.
Rio and the others had arrived at Galarc and were on their way from the harbor to the castle grounds. The horse-drawn carriage they were riding in passed through the castle gate, setting them down inside the grounds.
“Welcome, everyone. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Charlotte, Satsuki, and Liselotte were waiting. They had received advanced notice before their arrival, so they had been standing outside. Satsuki spotted Miharu and gave her a small wave. Miharu smiled happily in return.
“Thank you for personally meeting us. It’s good to see you again, though it hasn’t been that long since we last met.”
Christina greeted Charlotte on behalf of the group. They had been away for a week, so it wasn’t really that long at all.
“I was waiting impatiently to see everyone as soon as possible, so it felt extremely long to me... I’m sure there’s much to talk about, so let us all move to Sir Haruto’s mansion right away. My father will be present in the beginning just to greet you, so if Princess Christina and Princess Flora could come along...? With the exception of the minimum number of attendants, all others are asked to stay away,” Charlotte said, selecting only Christina and Flora from the Restoration and prompting them towards the mansion, along with Rio and the residents from the stone house.
“I understand.” Christina glanced at Rei and Kouta, who had accompanied them there, then gave her orders to the rest of the Restoration members led by Duke Huguenot. “Flora and I are being summoned to Sir Amakawa’s mansion. I will contact you later, so head inside the castle first. I’m leaving things to you, Duke Huguenot.”
“Understood... Let us go.” Duke Huguenot bowed his head, then left with his followers.
This left Rio, Miharu, Celia, Aishia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Christina, and Flora remaining behind. Facing them was Charlotte, Satsuki, Liselotte, and guards from the Galarc Kingdom.
“Follow me,” Charlotte instructed, leading the way to Rio’s mansion.
After that, some simple greetings were exchanged between those who hadn’t seen each other in a while before they arrived at Rio’s mansion.
A very small number of attendants—including Vanessa—went through the door to stand by the lounge. Once Rio and the others entered, those waiting by the lounge bowed their heads respectfully. Among them were Liselotte’s attendants, including Aria. Rio’s group opened one of the doors in the lounge and went through the door. It led to a meeting room roughly fifty meters in size.
“Oh, father. You’re here already?” Charlotte said. King Francois was seated on a sofa, waiting.
“Yes. Since I was going to be here anyway, I thought I’d take a brief tour of the mansion before Haruto begins living in it for real,” Francois replied.
“Come to think of it, you used to live in this estate before inheriting the throne, right father?” Charlotte commented in understanding.
“I-Is that true?” Rio was shocked to hear that Francois had lived in the building before.
“The building isn’t too old, so it shouldn’t have any defects, but if you find anything you dislike, you may speak to Charlotte and remodel accordingly,” Francois said to Rio.
“I shall live in it gratefully...” Rio placed his right hand over his chest and lowered his head at Francois respectfully.
“Indeed. Now, I shall be on my way.” Francois nodded deeply, then stood up.
“Oh my, are you leaving already?” Charlotte asked.
“My presence will only prevent any lively conversation from taking place. Just being able to see your faces is enough for today. If there’s a later chance to speak again, we can do so then.”
With those words, Francois briskly started walking.
“As expected of the king.”
Having witnessed the consideration of one who stood above others, Satsuki muttered in awe of how fast Francois had excused himself.
“Now, please seat yourselves wherever you like. Let me preface this by saying there’ll be no standing on ceremony today, as I wish to drop all pretenses with everyone.”
Charlotte made her suggestion with a friendly smile, hoping for the party to be relaxed. In reality, Celia and the spirit folk girls who were unfamiliar with Charlotte lowered their guard a little at her words.
“Now then, Sir Haruto shall sit beside me.”
Charlotte suddenly made the first strike. She boldly entangled her arm around Rio’s and led him to a three-seater sofa, where she sat him down.
“Wha...?!”
The residents of the stone house all raised their voices together, eyes wide.
“I want to sit beside Onii-chan too!”
Among them, Latifa was also quick to move. She secured the seat on the other side of Rio.
“Hee hee. I wanted to talk to Lady Suzune as well, so that works out perfectly,” Charlotte said, smiling as she used Latifa’s alias.
“It seems like I have lots to say as well,” Latifa replied, lightly puffing up her cheeks.
“Why, I’m pleased to hear we’ll get along well. If it’s Sir Haruto’s little sister, then I’m sure we’ll be interacting with each other for the rest of our lives. Hee hee.”
Charlotte’s carefree smile didn’t waver.
“Hee hee hee.”
Latifa also giggled undauntedly.
I... I want to change seats... Rio thought to himself, feeling an odd pressure from both sides.
“You sure act fast, Char.”
“Aha ha... Shall we sit too, then?”
“Yes, let’s. Everyone, please sit down. This is an informal gathering, so don’t worry about your seating order. Right? Miharu, come sit beside me.”
Satsuki and Liselotte looked at Rio sandwiched between the two of them and smiled wryly. Then, at the suggestion from the hero to sit wherever, the party seated themselves.
“Okay. Want to sit with me, Ai?”
“Okay.”
Miharu sat beside Satsuki as suggested, and Aishia sat beside her.
“Then we’ll sit on the opposite side.”
Sara, Orphia, and Alma sat on the opposite side of Miharu and Satsuki. That placed them at the end of a U shape with Charlotte, Rio, and Latifa. Meanwhile, Celia, Liselotte, Christina, and Flora were still standing.
“Then if you don’t mind, may I sit beside you, Princess Christina?” Liselotte asked Christina.
“Of course.” Christina immediately nodded. Thus, Liselotte and Christina took the seats beside Sara, Orphia, and Alma.
“Princess Flora, we can sit on the opposite side of Princess Christina.”
“Okay, Professor Celia.”
Celia and Flora sat down facing Christina and Liselotte, beside Aishia, Satsuki, and Miharu. As a result, everyone was seated, forming a long U shape with Charlotte, Rio, and Latifa as the base point. The table was lined with snacks and tea already, so the preparations were complete.
“Now that everyone’s seated, allow me to give a brief greeting as representative of the Galarc Kingdom and the host of this gathering.”
Charlotte looked around at everyone, then got to her feet to make a speech. Everyone’s gazes naturally gathered on her.
“This is just a feeling, or perhaps my own wish, but I believe I’ll be seeing everyone here more often through Sir Haruto. After all, I’m meeting everyone here right now thanks to him,” she continued.
“...”
Everyone looked at each other. Indeed, they wouldn’t have met each other without Rio.
“There’s a hero, princesses, a duke’s daughter, and a count’s daughter here today, but status does not matter. The people who have connected to Sir Haruto have gathered here regardless of country borders. I believe that is something wonderful. That’s why I would love to use this opportunity to deepen my friendship with everyone. Let’s have fun talking to each other and mingling together. It’s an honor to be meeting you all.”
Charlotte spoke eloquently, like a true woman of royalty, ending her speech with a courteous bow.
Sara was the first to widen her eyes and return the bow. “It’s nice to be able to meet you too.” She and the other spirit folk girls were taken aback by the way Charlotte had immediately taken the seat beside Rio, but they were impressed by how she could act like a proper royal too. Following her lead, Orphia and Alma bowed, as well as the others around them.
“That should do for greetings. Shall we begin?”
Thus, the tea party at Rio’s mansion commenced.
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