Ch.3029. Conferment Ceremony (2)

# 29. Conferment Ceremony (2)

‘I wonder if Senior Riel will come too…’

It wouldn’t be a problem if she did, but I’d prefer to go with just the two of us.

Though realistically speaking, that didn’t make much sense.

Of course, in my head…

‘Shopping alone with the Imperial Princess… But she’ll be disguised as a commoner, so it should be fine, right?’

Such happy thoughts were circulating in my mind.

Suddenly, a question related to this matter popped up.

“Chris.”

“Huh?”

“If a guy and a girl go shopping alone together, is that a date?”

“Of course it is. Why? Don’t tell me you’re going shopping for clothes to wear next week?”

I was so taken aback by Chris’s “Of course it is” that I didn’t quite catch what he said afterward.

‘A date…’

Once again, the happiness circuit in my brain started running.

But it was quickly shut down by Chris calling out to me.

“So who are you going with?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

Chris was surprised by my serious tone and gave me an incredulous look.

“Why so serious?”

“I can’t tell you. But is it still a date if there are two girls?”

“You’re going with two girls? Wow… you lucky bastard.”

I wanted a quick answer, so I pressed him.

“So is it a date or not?”

“I don’t know, but if neither of them has any special feelings for you, then it’s probably just shopping for clothes? That’s what I think anyway.”

“Is that so? Thanks anyway.”

I thanked him for his honest answer.

I was somewhat touched by his behavior, befitting my best friend.

I said goodbye to him and headed to the train station to go home.

“See you next week.”

“Yeah, take care.”

I might run into him over the weekend, but I hoped I wouldn’t.

I pondered the reason as I boarded the train.

***

Three hours later.

A similar situation was unfolding elsewhere.

Having removed her disguise and returned to her original appearance, she asked her maid:

“Riel, are you really not coming?”

“Just go, the two of you.”

Riel seemed to be tactfully stepping aside.

“You two had fun last time, just do it like that again.”

“That was different from now.”

“How is it different? I don’t see any difference.”

“But Riel…”

Riel replied with a displeased expression.

“If you’re asking me to join, I’ll have to decline.”

“That’s not it… If a man and woman go shopping alone, is that a date?”

Riel slowly nodded.

And as if that wasn’t enough, she added:

“And you should buy clothes, have a meal together, watch a movie too, you know?”

“T-that would make it a real date…”

“So what? If you like him, why not?”

She blushed at Riel’s words “if you like him.”

Riel looked at her with satisfaction.

Then she stammered:

“I-I don’t particularly like…”

“It’s written all over your face. Besides, he’s exactly Your Highness’s type.”

Riel recounted what she had heard about the princess’s ideal type.

“He looks a bit cold, but he’s actually not, and he’s passionate about everything he does… And above all…”

Riel stared directly at her increasingly reddening face.

“It’s obvious he likes Your Highness. Whatever the reason, he matches your ideal type, and he doesn’t seem to have any power-hungry ambitions either.”

“Well… that’s true.”

He was remarkably compatible with her ideal type in every aspect.

It was as if he was born for her.

Others might not think so, but at least Riel did.

“And being a count, his status isn’t an issue, and his abilities are proven. Why not just confess? I don’t see any reason to wait.”

“Still, that’s… a bit…”

“You’re so frustrating.”

“I don’t have experience with this sort of thing…”

Riel asked the princess who kept making excuses:

“Your Highness, you do intend to get married, right?”

She replied in a timid voice:

“Of course…”

Most people, including herself, would dislike the idea of a political marriage to a nobleman from a neighboring country whose face they’ve never seen.

“Then it would be better to decide quickly before graduating from the academy.”

Recently, the atmosphere between neighboring countries hadn’t been good.

The Emperor of the Empire had already declared war against the Kingdom of Babylon over the recent incident.

In such situations, fostering friendships with other countries becomes important.

Of course, political marriages are the most reliable method for this.

“You’re running out of time, really. You have at most 10 months.”

Still, the Emperor didn’t want his daughter to be married off in such a way.

So he made a promise with his daughter.

If she brought a lover before him prior to her academy graduation, he wouldn’t force her into a political marriage.

Of course, there were a few conditions for that lover.

“I know.”

She was well aware that time was running short.

However, the conditions her father had mentioned made her even more cautious.

“Is it because of the conditions?”

She quietly nodded.

“Don’t you think he can do it?”

The Emperor’s proposal was challenging, but it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

“Even I can’t land a blow on Father.”

That’s right.

The proposal was that the man had to be acknowledged by the Emperor himself.

And he had added:

-If he can land a blow on me, I’ll acknowledge and permit it.-

But landing that blow was an extremely difficult task.

The Emperor is known as the strongest in the current Empire.

Moreover, he’s not that old and is in his prime, at the peak of his form.

“That’s true.”

“Even though Albert’s growth rate is exceptionally fast, I don’t think it’s possible within a year…”

“Then he’ll have to gain acknowledgment.”

She was dumbfounded by Riel’s brazenness.

“Why are you already assuming that Albert and I will be dating and I’ll take him to meet Father?”

“Just have a good date tomorrow, you two.”

Riel smoothly changed the subject.

She was quite the slick one.

Before leaving the princess’s room, Riel said:

“Tomorrow, don’t just buy clothes, have a meal and watch a movie too, okay?”

Riel deliberately repeated what she had said earlier.

“I got it, now hurry and leave.”

“Really? Keep your promise.”

Riel gave her a skeptical look as she left the room.

Once Riel had left, the princess quietly murmured:

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow…”

She thought of Albert, whom she would meet tomorrow.

She felt something different about him compared to others.

When he first saw her and first spoke with her, he acted as if it wasn’t the first time.

It was as if he had known her for a long time.

He knew a lot about her, and above all, she felt as if he wasn’t a stranger to her either.

There was a sense of familiarity with him, as if they had known each other all along.

That familiarity gradually narrowed the gap between them.

And as they grew closer, she was able to see many sides of him.

His consideration for others and his dedication to his goals were impressive.

But when she thought of Albert Veros, one image came to mind first.

‘The way he was willing to sacrifice his life to protect Mother…’

And he had said that action was for her future.

“My future…”

She wasn’t sure what that meant.

But through that incident, she came to understand his feelings well.

‘He really does like me…’

Until then, she hadn’t been this certain.

But after seeing him like that, it was impossible to deny it.

She remembered his smile when he looked at her, even though he was covered in blood.

And in the hospital, despite being in tremendous pain from his unhealed wounds, he gritted his teeth and pretended to be fine so she wouldn’t worry.

‘He certainly has pride in strange places.’

She smiled as she thought of these endearing traits.

He also showed humility, asking her for guidance when he recognized his shortcomings.

And for some reason, perhaps having learned some heart-related skill, he had recently been displaying a barrage of skills.

‘It might be good for him to learn a bit of magic too…’

But it seemed there was a reason he didn’t want to learn.

She continued to think about him, spending her time this way.

Even until she went to bed…

***

I was now waiting at the meeting place where I had arranged to meet her.

‘Delicious.’

Since we agreed to meet at a café, I was sitting here, sipping an iced vanilla latte while fiddling with my phone.

I arrived about 20 minutes early, so I just came in and ordered coffee.

I don’t usually drink coffee often, but this time it was on Ellin’s recommendation.

I remembered Ellin always going on about “Aba this, Aba that.”

“It is tasty.”

I could understand why she liked it.

So I continued to sip my coffee.

About 10 minutes passed like that.

As the appointed time approached, I spotted her outside the café, the one I had been waiting for.

I gestured with my hand, beckoning her to come over.