The Royal Capital of Archlesia Empire is bustling with people during the Founding Festival. In the Founding Festival where the closer one is to the central plaza where the ceremony is held, the more crowded the stores are, two women were walking away from such a plaza.
Both were dressed in civilian clothes and looked like sisters…… but the young woman walking in front of the other, wearing clothes that looked simple, but of good quality, had an air of nobility to her.
[……Milady, the Master will scold you again.]
[Don’t worry. I’ll be back in time for the ceremony. Besides, we nobles should know more about the lives of our citizens. As the young lady of the innovative nobility, I need to see and learn about the city with my own eyes.]
[The words you said were admirable, but it’s greatly perplexing that you’re simply just acting out of curiosity. No one knows what danger there is for the daughter of a Marquis to be walking around a place like this……][That’s why the maid that you are is escorting me. Don’t worry, we won’t be here long.]
The woman is the daughter of a Marquis and walking behind her is the maid who serves as her guard. This daughter of a Marquis who belongs to the innovative faction has always been interested in the life of the common people and often travels incognito with her maid.
[The conservatives have lost momentum recently, so it’s easier to take action. Seriously, those conservatives are hard-headed…… Even when they don’t have overwhelming power like the Six Kings, they think they’re superior only because of their past glory and bloodlines.]
[Well, bloodlines are important after all. That’s what makes you nobility.]
[That’s just an old way of thinking. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that politics should be citizen-centric just like they do there in Hydra Kingdom, it’s about time for the nobility of Archlesia Empire to undergo some changes……. but there are a lot of hard-headed people out there. That’s why people say we’re behind compared to Hydra and Symphonia.]
[Those things basically change depending on who’s on top. The previous emperor was a staunch conservative, and since the current Emperor Her Majesty Chris sat on the throne, reforms are progressing steadily, so I think in the not-too-distant future, the Empire will be in the form that Milady envisions.]
[You’re right. That would be great…… Ohh, we’ve gone all the way here to enjoy our time for the Founding Festival, so let’s not talk politics. Come on, let’s go and look around the stalls!]After giving a small smile at the maid’s words, the young lady smiles, as if to regain her composure, and begins to look around.
[Speaking of, wouldn’t it be better if we were closer to the center of the city? It would have made it easier for us to return……]
[The stalls near the central plaza are just those I’m somewhat familiar with, and there are so many people that it’s hard to move around. It’s in places like this, off the beaten path, that we can find the eccentric stalls and such.]
[You sure are having fun……]
[Yes, we’re at a festival after all…… Ara? I’ve already discovered an unusual stall over there.]
The young lady, moving her gaze around, noticed a certain stall. She couldn’t quite describe what stall it was, as she was even feeling something ominous from it, but in any case, it was a stall with too many decorations and it stood out in a strange way.
[……D- Doesn’t that place look suspicious? From a distance, it looks like a general store, but doesn’t it have lots of strange things in it?]
[It’s stalls like that where we can find the best bargains. Come on, let’s check it out!]
The young lady went to the stall with great enthusiasm, and her eyes lit up when she saw the unique items lined up on the storefront.
[Excuse me, I’d like to take a look around. They all look unusual and quite interesting……]
[Ahh, I bid you welcome, Guided One. You may select to your heart’s content.]
[……Ah, yes.]
The young lady stiffened and her eyes opened wide when she saw the one manning the stall, bidding her welcome with theatrical exaggeration.
(……Eh? Isn’t she…… the Wingeds’ Chief, Amel-sama? T- There’s no mistaking it. Even though she’s hiding her wings…… There’s no way I, a daughter of a Marquis, would mistake the face of an important person in our country. W- W- W- W- Why would the Wingeds’ Chief open a stall in a place like this? Ah, n- no, that aside, I must not be rude! If by any chance I offended the Wingeds’ Chief, it would cause a lot of trouble to Father……)
The general public isn’t very familiar with Amel, and without her wings, she would be unnoticeable to most people since few have seen her face, but the daughter of a high-ranking noble would have seen her before, and although she was trying desperately to maintain her composure, perhaps because of her ladylike education, she was inwardly flustered.
[If there is something you don’t understand, I’ll explain it to you, so please feel free to ask us.]
[Eh? Yes, thank you very…… much……]
As if being guided by a newly heard voice, her gaze quickly moved to the other person standing next to Amel…… and the young lady’s face paled.
(Ababababa…… I- I- I- Isn’t that Miyama Kaito-sama? T- T- T- There’s no way I’d be mistaking this. The same face I saw in his portrait…… N- No, if it was merely his face, there was a possibility that it was just someone else who happened to resemble him, but the fact that he is with Amel-sama, he’s definitely the real one…… Awawawawa, w- w- why is such a person opening a stall here!?)
Kaito is also famous among the nobles, and as he was someone considered amongst the most important people in the world, the young lady’s parents showed her his appearance over and over again, and she was repeatedly told not to make any careless mistake around him.
(C- C- C- Calm down! I- I am the daughter of a Marquis…… I- I must not show how shaken I am! If I were to displease Miyama Kaito-sama, wouldn’t our Marquisate disappear the next day!?)
Desperately telling herself in her heart to keep her composure, so as not to appear unnatural, the young lady gently put her hand on her aching stomach.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [I’ll tell you exactly what just happened…… Just as everyone thought the Stomachache Warrior from the Demon Realm would now make her appearance, a nameless mob lady ended up getting bodyblowed instead……]
