Unknowingly, Lyudmila, who had chased after Asha, realized too late how foolish she must have looked running indoors. Blushing, she smoothed down her hair with embarrassment.
“I… I showed a shameful side to Baroness Saratov.”
“Aren’t you ashamed in front of me?”
Lyudmila looked at Asha with resentment. Asha had a small cough. Baroness Saratov, who was watching the girls, smiled and showed Asha a bundle of documents she had placed on the chest.
Lyudmila had been gathering information about Prince Nothea and the Kirelete royal family. Asha sat leaning against the chest, read it, and raised her head.
“Prince Nothea’s mother seems to have a strong influence. Shouldn’t we discuss this with her?”
The report prepared by Lyuda contained detailed information about that aspect. Avoiding eye contact with Lyuda, Asha shook her head.
“Even if that’s the case, if he harbored interest toward Your Royal Highness, working with his family would be impossible…”
Asha shook her head.
“No! Lyuda, no. That won’t do. Business must be conducted with a clear mind.”
Baroness Saratov, who had been listening nearby, coughed lightly. Lyudmila widened her eyes.
“Never mind such a thing, just make a good contract and spread the Linum linen all the way to the south!”
“But…”
Standing upright, Asha leaned back, tossing her long hair over her shoulder and raising her chin.
“Muse of the one and only Meura! Anastasia! Could there possibly be anyone in the world not interested in me? I can’t be bothered with such things. No, no, it’s not right.”
Although initially confident, the embarrassment came a beat late, and eventually, Asha blushed and fanned herself, trailing off her words.
“Please, someone say something…”
“No, your words are too correct.”
“Indeed, your words are right from beginning to end. I’m learning from you again today.”
“You’re making fun of me.”
“Oh no! Who dares make fun of the princess?”
“Indeed. Who dares?”
“You! It’s you right now!”
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“Pick only the ripest and plumpest blueberries. Got it?”
Ivan nodded silently at Asha’s words as he held the basket then suddenly turned around. His movement caught Bethelnic’s attention.
“Your Highness, it’s Prince Nothea.”
There were two people next to Asha, who was taking a walk in the garden. It was Bethelnic Terevo and Ivan. They had been assigned as escorts at least until the coronation. As everyone in the palace was concerned about the princess’s safety.
– Everyone in the palace is concerned about the safety of the princess.
Initially, Asha had thought it unnecessary. But if everyone in the palace, including Karnov and Alyosha, agreed, then why not?
– Appointing one who achieved a great deed as a knight is one of the long-standing traditions of the empire. Where else can you find a deed as great as protecting the princess’s safety?
She accepted it just thinking that it would have made it easier for Ivan to become a formal knight, but after thinking about it, it was surprisingly good manpower. Wasn’t it perfect for manpower during the blueberry harvest season? That’s why she brought the basket with her…
“I can’t pick blueberries in front of the princess, can I?”
At Bethelnic’s words, Asha glanced at him and handed the basket she was holding over to Bethelnic. Bethelnic turned around, overlapping his basket with hers on his back.
“It’s an honor to meet the princess here!”
Prince Nothea recognized Asha from across the garden and approached her waving with a bright face. In the garden adorned with white summer flowers and blue leaves, the Kirelettian prince, with his reddish hair cascading over his tanned skin, was quite eye-catching.
“Indeed. Was the prince out for a stroll?”
“Yes. I’ve never seen such an elegant and beautiful garden before. I was wandering around in amazement, and then I happened to meet the princess.”
“I also love this garden. In spring, it’s filled with primroses and white daisies… But as summer approaches, they all wither away.”
As Asha walked alongside Prince Nothea, they exchanged small talk. Then, she chuckled softly and gestured to Bethelnic, who stood behind them.
“Your Highness?”
“Please take off your coat.”
“Yes?”
“It’s June, but it seems a bit chilly for Prince Nothea who came from the south.”
‘I’ve become quite skilled without realizing it. Now I understand even things like this.’
Small blue particles fluttered around Prince Nothea, and it felt like he was shivering from the cold, no matter how you looked at it.
<Hahaha! My power is gradually awakening!>
Asha’s shoulder-bird, Phoebe, chirped proudly and flapped her wings boldly.
‘But why hasn’t Karnov awakened yet?’
At Asha’s subsequent murmurs, Phoebe sat quietly again on Asha’s shoulder.
<That’s… That’s not our fault! If he’s been fed enough, it’s only natural for people to do something!>
Prince Nothea shook his hand in amazement as Asha rubbed the top of Phoebe’s head.
“N, no!”
Bethelnic, trying to conceal his amusement, took off the light coat he was wearing and handed it over. Lorenzo, who was behind Prince Nothea, looked like he wanted to die.
Prince Nothea, who rolled up the coat Bethelnic handed him, and exchanged eyes with Lorenzo with a troubled expression, eventually put the coat on his shoulder.
“A…Ahem. The knights of the Imperial Palace are attentive. Um, isn’t that knight closer to our side?”
Prince Nothea’s gaze was directed toward Ivan. Ivan’s dark complexion did stand out compared to the people of the empire. Asha grinned and gestured with her hand.
“Prince Nothea is the sunset and Ivan… Oh, my knight. Ivan is more like the dawn?”
“Is that so? Isn’t it similar?”
“But both of you excel in swordsmanship, so you seem to have something in common.”
At that moment, Prince Nothea flinched. He clenched and unclenched his fist, then awkwardly chuckled.
“Who said I’m skilled with a sword? It’s just a mediocre talent.”
“But when you grabbed my hand to read the report on the first day, your hand was calloused.”
Asha pointed to her own hand as she spoke, Prince Nothea seemed to have managed to suppress his desire to open his hand. Asha noticed that Prince Nothea was in trouble and decided to change the subject.
“Ah! I’ve been enjoying my time reading and reviewing the things the prince gave me lately. Since the kitchen is under construction, I’ve had free time.”
“That’s fortunate. May I ask what you found enjoyable?”
“I liked <The Queen of Darkness and the Bastard of the Moon>. The title was a bit odd.”
“Oh! It’s been a bestseller in our kingdom for twenty years, but the content is somewhat regrettable. It’s about the queen of darkness and her unfulfilled love for a human.”
“It was saddest when the queen didn’t even know about her child’s existence.”
Prince Nothea squinted one eye.
“I admit I teared up the first time I read it. It’s been adapted into a play in our kingdom, and the audience goes wild with tears at every performance.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
Asha touched her cheek thoughtfully, her expression filled with contemplation. Prince Nothea tilted his head.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”
“If that’s the case, it might be nice to compose an opera based on it. If the kingdom doesn’t produce it, I’d like to buy the rights.”
A hint of surprise crossed the usually smiling face of Prince Nothea.
“Oh! An opera. I’ve heard that operas are very popular in the empire.”
Prince Nothea said, motioning to Lorenzo, who was following behind. Lorenzo lightly cleared his throat and approached.
“If Your Highness wishes, we can contact the writer separately.”
“Our kingdom prefers plays much more, so no one has thought about making it into an opera. I’m curious about the empire’s opera.”
“Is that so? Um, then…”
“Since I introduced you to a wonderful work, can you show me a wonderful work of the empire?”
Asha rolled her eyes, then recalled the opera currently in production and nodded.
“All right. There’s an opera with my favorite actor starring in it that’s currently playing.”
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“So, let me get this straight. Prince Nothea asked to watch the opera after you mentioned wanting to turn that book into one, right?”
“Oh! Exactly.”
“So you and Prince Nothea are going to see an opera now?”
It was at the end of the day that Karnov and Asha met in the garden. Karnov was the one who suggested assigning guards to Asha during the day because of the various matters keeping him occupied, including the presence of foreign guests.
As Karnov was about to leave after finishing his work, Asha, who had detained him to have a cup of tea, poured milk tea into his cup with care and denied the statement.
“No.”
“No?”
“Yes. Lyuda and Natasha decided to join us.”
Karnov, who was wiping his face with a dry hand, paused.
“…Why? What? How?”
“Seems like Lyuda isn’t fond of Prince Nothea. She kept saying he seems to have ulterior motives.”
“…Hmm. Lady Lyudmila has a discerning eye.”
“So, I thought if I mentioned later that the two of us went to the opera together, the sky might split into two, so I mentioned it first…”
“She agreed to go together?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to Lady Natalya? She doesn’t seem like she’d be worried about such high-level concerns.”
“Natasha doesn’t have any interest in that prince, so what’s the use of playing games with him? Anyway, it seems like she’s more inclined toward Lyudmila.”
“Hmmm.”
“Why are you only focusing on Lyudmila… So I just asked everyone to go with me.”
Karnov laughed as he noticed roughly what had happened.
“Does Prince Nothea know that you’re all supposed to go together?”
“Huh? I haven’t talked about it yet. It was decided suddenly today. But there are many seats in the theater, so wouldn’t it be okay?”
As Asha said so, she poured the remaining milk tea roughly into her teacup and sipped it.
“So… Tomorrow evening is the opera. Karnov, since you’re taking care of the imperial army, you can take the day off tomorrow… Do you want to come with us? Tomorrow’s performance features Zoya as the lead, and you haven’t seen her yet.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you busy tomorrow?”
“Hmmm.”
“Five, four, three, two…”
“Let’s go.”
“Anyway, Karnov is coming too, so it’s settled.”
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When Prince Nothea suggested to Princess Anastasia about attending the opera, Lorenzo secretly pumped his fists behind his back.
Princess Anastasia was not someone who could be easily persuaded with a simple, ‘Oh, I don’t think I can do it.’ How relieved he felt when he saw the prince’s efforts despite her verbal denials, showing how determined he was.
In the garden, the two seemed to have a decent conversation, and he wondered if watching the opera together would bring them closer.
The two of them…
“Oh… Natalya Bagration on the left and Lyudmila Shchedrin on the right?”
Prince Nothea, looking somewhat surprised as he watched the princess and the noble ladies disembarking from the carriage, muttered aimlessly, as if lost in thought. Lorenzo wanted to hit his chest at that moment.
“No… No, did you hear about them coming along?”
“I brought you along too, didn’t I?”
“Is it the same as me! I’m supposed to stay in the carriage!”
“You could come with a friend too, you know. Might as well join us and watch the opera.”
As Prince Nothea waved his hand toward Asha and chuckled, Lorenzo found himself involuntarily hitting his chest before quickly lowering his hand. But soon after, he thought it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to hit his chest a couple more times.
The gilded carriage adorned with decorations came to a halt in front of the theater. At that moment, Princess Anastasia looked at the carriage with a bright smile on her face. It was clear that she recognized the occupants inside.
As a man with black hair stepped out of the carriage, Prince Nothea continued to look at them with a smiling face and spoke in a voice only Lorenzio could hear.
“We’re done for.”
“Yes, we are…”
