episode_0034

No matter how much you think about it, there are very few things in this world that go your way.

Realizing that fact once again today, I looked out the window with distant eyes.

“Burr, my heart is already pounding… … .”

“Hmm. The carriage is shaking quite a bit.”

Instead of me not saying a word, the people who made sure there was no silence inside the carriage were people I was very familiar with.

Aira is looking at each other with a somewhat intimidated look, and Estelle is commenting on the carriage without paying any attention to those around her.

And Rachel is looking at them with sharp eyes.

A situation that had never existed in my plan was now happening inside the carriage.

Rachel was an existence that was assumed from the beginning.

However, as for the other two, I did not know how they ended up here.

I just went out to the place I agreed with Mary in the morning, and there were two people standing there.

And that too with a clearly visible baggage in hand.

Since I wasn’t stupid enough not to notice his intention in that situation, I was horrified and tried to find out what was going on, but I couldn’t.

Because Mary showed up at just the right time.

Before I could do anything, Estelle and Ira asked if they could come along, and Mary’s response was… … .

─ “Good!”

… It was.

That was almost like a predetermined answer.

Mary is not the kind of person who would refuse a request like that in the first place.

Rather, it is obvious that they thought that the vacation would be more enjoyable with more people in their group.

So, Estelle and Aira were added to our group against my will.

It can be seen as a victory of a strategy that well understood and targeted Mary’s personality.

Of course for me… It wasn’t a very happy ending, though.

“You’ve been so quiet since a while ago.”

As I was thinking about how I got to this point, Estelle spoke to me.

“… I have something to think about.”

“Hmm. I’ll think about it. Looking at your expression, you don’t seem to be a very happy type.”

“… Yeah, well.”

If you were to ask whether it was pleasant or not pleasant, it was definitely not pleasant.

Even when the person who made me think about it asked me this, I felt even more unpleasant.

“Huh. That really bothers me. What on earth is causing you so much pain?”

“… … .”

It may sound like you are worried about me, but in reality, you are not.

That playful smile on his face proved that fact.

Although there was no evidence, he seemed to have a vague idea of where my agony was coming from.

“… Why did you follow me?”

I thought about just pretending not to know, but I couldn’t bear the question, so I decided to boldly ask.

“I thought that your Majesty would return to the empire right away, since you have died.”

Estelle is the next emperor of Reinberg.

There’s no way a person in that position wouldn’t be busy.

Rather, during the vacation period, he would be busy dealing with internal issues within the empire that he had not been able to deal with while attending the academy.

This is especially true considering an incident that occurred not long ago.

Honestly, it didn’t seem like I had the luxury of going to a foreign country like this.

“Because I’m a human too. Don’t you need to rest sometimes?”

Estelle answered my question with a smile.

… If it comes out with this logic, I have nothing to say.

You can’t tell someone to go to work when they say they’re going to rest.

However, it is still too early to give up.

“… But why are you here? I believe it will be a somewhat uncomfortable trip for someone like you… Is it really necessary to go this far and endure such inconvenience?”

“I’m tired of ordinary vacations. I thought I needed some freshness.”

“… … .”

Wrong.

If you take it like this, there is no way for me.

I just gave up and tried to look out the window again.

“… Well, I originally had no intention of following along. As you said, things within the empire were quite busy, so I had no choice but to deal with that.”

However, Estelle’s next words caught me.

That’s what I was originally going to do. So why did my thoughts change?

“Perhaps it would have happened if I hadn’t heard one thing.”

Estelle said that and turned her head.

The thing in the direction the gaze is facing is… It was Rachel.

“Unless I hear that you invited someone to your hometown.”

“… … .”

I ended up making a puzzled expression.

Because what that meant was clear.

no way… This is what happened… … .

‘It was all my fault… ?’

How could something done with good intentions, without any ulterior motive, lead to such disaster? .

Why is the world so harsh?

I held back tears of sorrow inside.

“Well, it won’t be a big problem since you can contact me remotely and handle it through the crystal ball.”

… These are my tears. Anyway, this isn’t a lie.

Estelle is a very responsible type.

If it was going to interfere with work, I wouldn’t have followed along at all.

“But why are you asking that of just me?”

Estelle, who had been continuing the conversation with a smile, suddenly opened her eyes and looked at me.

“If you ask me, the daughter of the Guardian Knight suddenly participated.”

“… … .”

At those words, I slowly turned my gaze to look at Ira.

“… … ! just… sorry… .”

Perhaps because she was looking this way, I immediately made eye contact with Aira, and she looked at me and repeatedly bowed her head and apologized.

“… Let’s stop talking about this.”

After seeing that reaction, I ended the conversation rather hastily.

Then he immediately turned his head towards the window.

“This is clear discrimination.”

I felt Estelle looking at me with a pouty look on her face, but I pretended not to notice.

As Estelle said, when it comes to children, they are no different from Estelle.

Because you suddenly joined the group.

However, I didn’t think of pressing her and questioning her.

Why is that?

Was it because I knew she was timid, or was it because I knew she would apologize in a very intimidated manner after just saying a few words?

The exact reason was unknown, but it was clear that there was resistance to speaking bitterly toward Aira.

That’s why I decided to end the topic quickly.

… But Estelle has great intelligence, so even so, how did Aira find out about this incident?

Suddenly such a question arose, but I quickly brushed it away.

It’s already happened anyway, and it can’t be undone just because we care about it now.

Then I just stared out the window blankly for a while.

I had a feeling that the vacation would be less comfortable than I expected, and I felt a corner of my heart become bitter.

***

Regardless of my distraught mind, the carriage ran steadily, and eventually we arrived at the first city on our journey.

Because the horses needed time to rest, and because there were women in the group, conditions were not good for sleeping on the street, so a stop in the city was essential.

Since it was getting late, we decided to stay in this city today.

Since there were so many people and everyone was so crowded, our group decided to rent an entire inn and parked a carriage next to the inn.

Since I was the one sitting on the edge, I naturally opened the carriage door and got out first.

Then, the first thing that caught my eye was a group of people getting out of another carriage.

Mary, the maid Del and the knight Carlson who came to meet us… And Alexis and Cedric,

Alexis and Cedric joined the group as I expected.

Those guys showed up at the meeting place not long after Mary appeared. And he seemed quite surprised to see the faces of the group.

Rachel and Ira were only a little surprised, but their eyes widened when they saw Estelle’s face. Even that Cedric.

In a way, it was a natural reaction.

I don’t know about the other two, but Estelle probably had an unexpected face.

Anyway, since there were more people than originally planned, Del quickly arranged for one more wagon, and that was the wagon I rode in.

“… … .”

I looked around at the group with new eyes.

Until now, I couldn’t pay attention because I was so confused, but looking at it again, I realized that the group’s side was truly gorgeous.

Alexis is the prince of a country, and Cedric is the disciple of the famous swordsman.

And Rachel is the daughter of a prestigious Elbrent family, and Ira is the only daughter of a guardian knight.

Lastly, Estelle is the next emperor of Reinberg.

If you look at them face to face, it seems strange to see them all together in one place.

If the lord of this city had known that they had entered the city, he would have rushed out barefoot and in a cold sweat.

No, I would have contacted the capital immediately.

They had that much influence and weight.

When I thought about it that way, I realized that it was a good idea to hide the group’s identity from Dell and Carlson.

Perhaps, if they had known their true identity, they wouldn’t have been as peaceful as they are now.

He must have kept his head down with a stern face the entire time.

“… … .”

As I was looking at the group again, my eyes soon became fixed on one point.

Right to Estelle.

She has a weight that sets her apart even in a place where such great faces gather.

In fact, should we say that he is a person who is in a position to move continents with a single wave of his hand?

Now that I was able to become acquainted with someone like that in my own way, it felt amazing.

… As such, I also thought that it might be too careless to go on a trip to another country like this.

‘… No, I’m not careful.’

On the way, I checked and found that there were people following us at a certain distance.

Fortunately, it didn’t feel like they were hostile towards us, but rather they seemed protective.

Considering the nature and level of their energy, it was not difficult to guess who they were.

‘It must be Estelle’s escort.’

She is in too important a position to move as she pleases.

That level of preparation is absolutely necessary.

“Why are you looking at me so intently?”

At that time, Estelle noticed my gaze and asked.

“Ah, it looks like this hair color is bothering you.”

While thinking about what answer to give, Estelle came to a conclusion on her own and brushed off her long hair.

The color of the hair that was scattered along her fingertips was not the silver we always saw, but a somewhat ordinary brown.

And as for the eyes, the commonly seen brown color replaced the mysterious purple color.

This change was caused by magic tools.

Considering her position and popularity, she thought that someone might recognize her, so she changed it for the purpose of disguise.

“How do you feel? Does it suit you well?”

While asking that question, Estelle spun around in place with a playful smile.

“… Yeah, whatever. It suits you well.”

“Hmm. The way you speak gives the impression that it is being said quite ceremonially. Do you like the original color?”

Estelle stroked her hair with an expression that showed she was not excited.

… Well, if I were to be honest, I think the original color suits me better.

Those unique colors make Estelle’s atmosphere even more unrealistic and mysterious.

However, that doesn’t mean the current color doesn’t suit you.

Although he said it in a hesitant tone, it wasn’t a lie when he said that it suited him.

“Maybe I chose the wrong color.”

In a rare case, Estelle showed signs of concern.

That sight bothered me, so I offered words of comfort.

“No matter what color your hair or eyes are, Jeon Ha is beautiful, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

In the first place, when it comes to Estelle’s appearance, hair or eye color are not a big problem.

Even if they change to any common color, it won’t mar her beauty.

So I don’t think there’s a need to worry that much.

“That, that, that… Do you think? Umm… okay. That’s right… Thank goodness.”

“Hmm? Are you okay?”

I offered my sincere words of comfort, but Estelle’s reaction was a bit strange.

On rare occasions, he stuttered and even avoided eye contact.

Perhaps due to his mood, his ears seemed to turn red.

“Trigram, it’s okay… ! Don’t worry… !”

“… Yes, well, I’m glad if that’s the case.”

It was obviously strange, but since he said it was okay, it must have been okay.

If things continue to look strange, you can check again then.

With that thought in mind, I took my eyes off Estelle and turned my head.

“… … .”

“… … .”

For some reason, Rachel and Aira were looking at me with deeply sunken eyes.

“… … ?”

Why are they suddenly like this again?