Erdene was dreaming.
In her dream, she was only nine years old.
At that age, she was the first among the many royals to put down her wooden sword and pick up a real sword to practice swordsmanship with her master.
[Master! I can now fight on horseback!]
Young Erdene, who was sparring with her master, was somehow sitting on a running horse.
She lifted her legs over the back of the horse that was picking up speed, and straightened her body as if performing a dangerous acrobatics.
No. Part of her consciousness thought.
I couldn’t do this when I was nine. I only managed to do this when I was twelve.
[Erdene!]
[Father!]
Tiny Erdene’s body flew through the air. The sword she was holding had disappeared somewhere.
Erdene, who landed lightly in her father’s broad embrace, like a bird, touched the emperor’s crown that no one dared to touch and giggled.
[Indeed, you are my daughter. With such spirit at a young age, there is nothing you cannot do.]
[Father! I’m going to be the emperor of Hirschstein, right?]
[Of course, Erdene. Do you know the meaning of your name? It means the nine gems. Gold and silver, coral, pearls, turquoise and lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl and steel, and copper. All are precious, beautiful and strong. You are my daughter who lives up to her glorious name.]
[Father, I will be a great emperor like Father. I will become a strong and wise emperor and carry on the glory of Hirschstein for ten thousand years.]
[Of course! Of course you will.]
The officials who were watching them smiled warmly.
What a happiness…….
The young Erdene in the dream felt it very clearly.
This is what true happiness is.
It was so clear and vivid that she could even make out the color and shape of happiness if she looked a little closer.
* * *
Awakened from her light slumber by the rattling of the wheels, Erdene abruptly opened her eyes.
It took her a moment to realize that she was dreaming.
The unfamiliar maid riding in the same carriage to serve her was leaning against the window and had fallen asleep, oblivious to the world.
Her slightly messy hair, visible under the loose headcap, revealed a cute face, but she was extremely quiet.
Erdene didn’t ask or even care whether she was scared or just naturally quiet.
She was in a carriage heading towards Vetor.
Despite being told that the journey would be quick, she had been forced to endure the discomfort of the carriage for four whole days.
Accustomed to riding horses and galloping at full speed, the carriage’s pace felt unbearably slow to her, making it even more difficult to adjust.
Once they crossed the border between the empire and the inland, the rough roads stretched endlessly, making it difficult to pick up speed.
To Erdene, it felt like an eternity, but the coachman and the other porters had a different perspective.
They all agreed that it was unbelievable that it only took four days to get here from the imperial border.
This was because Erdene would stop the carriage every time she felt hungry, had to drink tea every hour, wanted to wash herself, or claimed she got motion sickness.
She would only nibble on the battle rations she had packed separately, treating it like some kind of fasting challenge.
Of course, Erdene wasn’t resorting to a hunger strike to express her dissatisfaction.
Would she really express her displeasure in such a cute way when something was wrong?
‘I won’t have to eat this kind of thing anymore.’
Erdene simply liked the battle rations.
The carriage’s speed seemed to slow down, and then it came to a sudden halt, as if it had hit a rock.
The girl who had been fast asleep only then woke up with a start, her lips smeared with drool.
Erdene thought about telling her, but then let it go.
The official who had accompanied the party to manage them and serve Erdene opened the door and said,
“Your Highness, we have arrived at the border of Vetor. You may alight and transfer to another carriage.”
“Why don’t we just continue in this carriage?”
The official looked dumbfounded for a moment and then said seriously,
“This is a travel carriage. Isn’t it too shabby for Your Highness to enter the city in?”
Although it didn’t matter much to her, Erdene responded by letting out a short sigh and then getting out of the carriage.
After all, he wasn’t wrong.
She was once the heir to the imperial throne.
Even though she wasn’t anymore, she was still a princess who had come to marry the king of another country.
She had no intention of being underestimated because of her mismatched attire and appearance.
There was a makeshift tent set up in the middle of the forest. Two women who looked like noble ladies were standing outside, both taller than Erdene.
In fact, Erdene was not particularly tall, despite her impressive fighting skills.
Those who had only heard of her through rumors thought that Erdene was as big and fierce as two men combined, but…
In reality, her physique was average, and she even looked a little slim when she took off her armor.
The two ladies exchanged surprised looks at Erdene and forgot to greet her for a moment, before belatedly bowing their heads.
As Erdene entered the barracks, the two followed her.
Seeing that nothing was prepared, it was clear that they had only come out to greet her.
The older of the two ladies, even from her facial features, was clearly a tough character.
The younger one had a plump, round face that gave her a cute impression.
If she had applied less blush, it would have looked much better, but…
Erdene did not speak even this time.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. You must have had a hard time coming all this way. I am Lady Mor Wickes, wife of Viscount Wickes. My husband is Viscount Wickes. This is Lady Lacey Fiddlers, wife of Marquis Fiddlers.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
Lady Fiddlers said in a stiff voice. Erdene immediately noticed that she didn’t like her at all.
“Nice to meet you.”
After a long while, Erdene gave a short reply, and Lady Wickes visibly relaxed.
However, Lady Fiddlers moved her eyes back and forth, scanning Erdene up and down.
Then, she suddenly said this,
“You’re smaller than I thought, Your Highness. That’s a relief.”
Did that make Erdene’s heart happy?
It was the last thing she wanted to hear.
Erdene, who had been looking around nonchalantly, looked straight at her.
“What do you mean by ‘relief,’ Marchioness?”
Lacey, or rather, Lady Fiddlers, raised the tip of her sharp chin and looked down at Erdene.
If someone in Hirschstein had looked at her that way, especially in the barracks, their head would have been off before they could even bow again…
“Can’t you hear me?”
Lady Mor Wickes hurriedly stepped in between them.
“Marchioness, Her Highness asked a question, so you should answer. Oh, dear. You said you weren’t hearing well lately, are you having trouble hearing again?”
Lady Fiddlers’ hooked nose twitched slightly.
“My ears are fine, Mor. It’s just that I’m not fluent in the northern accent. I just didn’t understand what Her Highness was saying.”
Then she very slowly made a gesture to bow.
“Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
Erdene chuckled to herself.
‘This old woman is trying to underestimate me.’
She had fully anticipated this. They wouldn’t want a foreign woman to marry into the royal family…
It wasn’t that Vetor was especially conservative. It was the same in any country.
But she was the heir to the imperial throne.
Even now that she was no longer that, she was still the only princess of Hirschstein.
Erdene’s pride in her homeland and her position was immense.
If Lady Fiddlers had realized that sooner, her later years might have been very different.
Lady Wickes fidgeted again and said,
“I heard that Your Highness is a great warrior on the battlefield. The nobles of Vetor stayed up all night listening to the tales of Your Highness’s bravery! So, I heard that Your Highness is very tall and bulk. But when I actually see you, it’s all just a rumor. You’re such a lovely lady! Your skin is as white as snow and your eyes are so blue.”
However, Erdene, still ignoring More Wickes’ desperate efforts, continued to stare at Lacey Fiddlers.
“Anyway, you still haven’t answered my question. Why is it ‘a relief’ that I am smaller than you thought?”
Now, even Mor gave up intervening and just watched Lacey and Erdene’s faces.
Lacey Fiddlers lowered the corners of her drawn mouth even more and said,
“It was just a thought I had when I thought of Your Highness standing next to His Majesty. As when you become Queen of Vetor, you will often attend official events with His Majesty. If you are too tall, Your Majesty’s dignity will be diminished. That’s all I meant by ‘relief.’ I have no other intention.”
* * * *
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