episode_0212

After that, another five years passed, and we came to the royal road, the setting of the main part of the novel.

And what I felt when I came to the royal capital was that it was not a very nice place.

I definitely liked the city more than the countryside in my past life, but I’m not sure how my tastes changed so much.

In this world, even if it is a big city, it may be because there is nothing to do with its unique ‘country-like atmosphere’. Rather than feeling like the countryside, it is better to be completely immersed in nature, a bit like that.

It feels like the countryside, but there are too many people. Even if you want to stay quiet, it’s not easy.

Plus, there were a lot more things to bother with.

“Elsie?”

“Huh?”

I blinked when I heard a voice calling me in a whisper next to me.

This is inside the carriage. Amelia was sitting right next to me.

Actually, I could have sat across from them, because there was enough space. But I preferred sitting side by side like this.

At some point, Amelia made it a habit to lean against me.

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling like putting your arm on the shoulder of the person next to you. Rather, it seemed like he was feeling at ease as he leaned next to me, who was taller.

For me, Amelia’s weight is not that much of a problem. In fact, I felt like I could run with Amelia wrapped around me with one hand.

That’s why I felt a little sad when people didn’t rely on me like this.

… … Actually, I was leaning on Amelia’s warmth right now.

“… … I still hate it? Should I just go back?”

“No, what will happen to Adele when I return.”

“… … .”

Amelia closed her mouth in response to my answer.

“Oh, no, I’m not saying I just hate it.”

I hurriedly opened my mouth.

“We practiced our dance hard. It would be a waste if we didn’t go and dance.”

“But in the end, you practiced because of me. If we hadn’t gone to the prom, we would have just been relaxing at home.”

“If you rest at home, you’ll be in trouble. We came here under the family name.”

“… … .”

Yikes.

The more I talk, the more I feel like I’m blaming Amelia.

I didn’t want to see Amelia’s dark expression.

How can I cheer you up?

After thinking for a moment, one thing came to mind. I’m not sure if Amelia would like this or not, but—

“Kuhm.”

I cleared my throat, looked out the carriage window, and spoke.

“Well, I can dance with you though.”

“… … .”

“If you can dance with your friends, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

“… … That’s right.”

Amelia’s soft hair gently rose on my shoulder.

Of course, the feeling I felt on my exposed shoulder while wearing a dress wasn’t as great as touching it with my hand, but it was still good.

We sat there and didn’t say much until we reached the ballroom.

But I was just fine with that.

*

As she entered the brightly lit ballroom, Amelia’s appearance became even brighter.

Feminine appearance, and even more feminine body. Moreover, the dress was adjusted to fit the body perfectly, so Amelia’s waist looked much thinner than usual.

With his hand on Amelia’s waist, he escorted her to the ballroom.

Eyes were focused on both of us. Although I wasn’t as good as Amelia, I still had a pretty face.

I entered the dance hall without bothering to look around and looked up at the king’s seat in the distance.

Next to the king and queen, there were two slightly smaller chairs.

Sitting in the first seat was a prince whom I had already met once. Our eyes clearly met, but the prince slightly avoided our gaze and looked the other way.

Well, you don’t need to worry too much about this. The last time we met, he got sick of me and ran away.

What I care about is—

“… … .”

The person who caught my eye was literally golden.

No, when I thought about it again, I couldn’t say it was just golden. In fact, the dress she was wearing was closer to yellow. However, I felt like I could have mistaken it because of the golden hair that seemed to be longer than when we last met.

Her attitude hasn’t changed much since last time, but her appearance has definitely changed.

Still, her slightly boyish face could now be considered a complete beauty. If you think about it, she was older than the two of us, so it was natural that she looked a little more mature.

My breasts have definitely grown bigger too. Although not as big as Amelia’s, I don’t think I can call him a prince now even with empty words.

So, Princess Evan… … She was wearing a dress that slightly exposed her breasts.

I thought that the dress might not have been chosen by me. I don’t know why, but I wonder if it was because I was trying to choose ‘clothes that were a little more masculine’ or, conversely, ‘clothes that revealed more of my body’, but was dissuaded by the people around me. I’m thinking about it.

“Elsie.”

ah.

It was only for a moment, but my eyes were taken by Princess Evan.

… … Princess Evan. As far as the name goes, it really sounds like a man. In fact, it seems like they gave her that name in the first place to raise her as a man.

How did they plan to succeed the heir?

I moved my gaze back to Amelia. Amelia looked a little sulky.

“… … Where are you looking at me like that?”

“No, nothing.”

Amelia’s gaze also looked in the direction where Van was for a moment, but it soon returned to me.

“This way. Still, since I came this far, I have to go say hello.”

“Yes. If you tell me, I will escort you there.”

“Thank you.”

When I saw Amelia’s brightly blooming smile, my heart pounded.

*

When I was greeting some nobles—

“Oh my, Lady Carlins.”

I heard that voice.

Both Amelia and I reacted sensitively to that voice. Not because it was a familiar voice, but because of the name of the person calling us.

“Why did you come to this place?”

Her hair was perfectly rolled up in a bun, and her mouth was covered by a fan.

By all accounts, she was an aristocratic daughter of great design who would be great to play as a villainess in a novel like this.

Well, in the original work, the villainess was Amelia, and that young lady was just a supporting character.

“… … I received an invitation and visited, of course.”

As we walked towards that direction, the conversation between the two people continued.

“To whom—”

“Daughter Carlins.”

It was rude to interrupt the conversation, but Amelia didn’t care at all. Anyway, the other person would see us and humble themselves.

“You came. It’s nice to meet you again.”

I could hear the sound of someone breathing around me.

“This is an invitation from the Grand Duchess. I thought I couldn’t just waste it.”

The Lady with the Bun Hair—Lady Hoover looked at us and Adele alternately and finally opened her mouth.

“So, the invitation that Lady Carlins brought was—”

“Of course, I gave it to you. We had a chance to talk when we met last time.”

“Ah, yes.”

Diane, who had been waiting for Adele to fall into a trap after sending out a fabricated invitation, seems not to have expected it at all.

When I was about to start a more serious conversation with her who was ignoring me without even being able to say anything—

“Hmm.”

Lady, what a surprise.

It was fortunate that I didn’t say those words out loud.

When I turned my gaze, there was a young lady standing there who was noticeably taller than me, who was taller than me.

In terms of centimeters, it seems like it’s less than 5 centimeters, but that alone makes me look up clearly when I’m standing face to face.

“… … Princess.”

“You can call me prince.”

Evan responded that way to the title that came out of my mouth.

I slightly bent my knees towards her. Amelia, who was next to me, did the same.

“Have you been at peace so far?”

“Of course it was peaceful. Thanks to the two families working hard in the north.”

As Evan said that, he placed his hand on his chest and bowed lightly.

“By the way, you two haven’t been here for a while, but it looks like you’ve already made friends?”

As Evan’s eyes closed on her, Adele shrugged her shoulders. The same happened to Young Ae Huber, who was preparing to disparage Adele right next to her.

Even though she became a woman, her unique spirit was still there… … No, it’s not that I became a woman. I was a woman in the first place, so I have no choice but to remain the same.

“This is Adele, the eldest daughter of the Carlins family.”

“A knightly family?”

“Yes.”

Evan looked at Adele as if judging her for a moment, then turned his gaze towards Lady Hoover.

“This is the Young Lady of Huber.”

“Long time no see, princess.”

Evan did not say, ‘You can call me prince.’

“Anyway.”

Without saying anything to Lady Hoover, Evan turned to me and said,

“It looks like you haven’t danced yet, have you?”

“Uh, yes, that’s right.”

“Is there a man you like?”

“No, not yet… … .”

“Well, I guess that’s true since I just arrived in the capital.”

Evan nodded, muttered to himself as if he understood, and then looked straight at me.

“By any chance, what do you think about dancing with women?”

… … yes?