Chapter 68 · The Laselles Estate (1)

“Count Caesar, what on earth is the meaning of this?”

Under the king’s pressure, Alfredo broke into a cold sweat and hesitated over his answer.

“I… seem to have made a mistake when transferring the princess’s formula into the report.”

“Good heavens, how could you make such a mistake! This excellent achievement nearly never saw the light of day!”

You despicable wretch! Compared to Lady Rania’s, it wasn’t even a very complicated form—and that’s your flimsy excuse?

“Then might we be able to check the formula Count Caesar transferred? If someone like you made a mistake, I think we need to know where he drew it wrong.”

“…I have already discarded it.”

At his answer, the other royal mages murmured.

“Discarded? You know full well that no submitted research document should ever be discarded!”

“That makes no sense. If you had shared the review process, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Did you not exchange a single word with Princess Anastasia?”

Alfredo could only gnaw at his lips without answering.

“I believe this may not be the first or second formula buried this way. This is a matter that more than warrants disciplinary action, Count Caesar!”

Marquis Laselles took my side and relentlessly pressed him.

“…I am sorry.”

In the end, he bowed his head and muttered.

“Count Caesar’s punishment will be discussed later with the Magic Ethics Committee. For now, let us first discuss compensation for the princess’s achievement.”

After giving Alfredo a uncomfortable look, the king spoke to Dean Roktania.

“Yes. From now on, the princess will receive one hundred arum per month from Naritas as a formula achievement reward. We will also prepare a medal ceremony soon.”

“Anastasia, you still aren’t receiving a dignity allowance from the royal family, are you? This is a good opportunity to select someone to manage your personal finances.”

I quickly calculated in my head.

‘My palace finances are managed by Aquila, so she’ll surely send one of her people.’

Even if there’s a financial manager, it won’t be my person, so I can’t feel safe hoarding money. No matter how much money piles up in my vault, it can’t truly be called mine. If I withdraw a large sum at once, surveillance will inevitably be placed on me to find out what I’m using it for.

I need at least six thousand arum for the Eldina defection cost, and the more money I have to live on comfortably there, the better.

‘To build safe assets, I need to siphon this money away little by little and grow it large behind the scenes.’

From now on, I’ll have to think about how to create secret funds.

The project to make one hundred thousand arum in four years from one hundred arum a month—I’m going to start it now!

As I grinned, inflated with a burning sense of purpose, Marquis Laselles approached.

“Princess, do you have time on your day off next week? We’ve finished tidying up the estate in Salus, and I’d like to invite you.”

“Um…”

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, thank you for the invitation, Marquis Laselles.”

Thinking about the betrothal issue made my head complicated, but there was no reason to refuse outright. It was my first time being invited to a noble’s estate, so I was curious too.

Gasp… But this old man, surely he isn’t planning to leave me alone with his grandson? I haven’t known Melvian that long, and it couldn’t get more awkward than that.

“But may I come with my friends? They’re people who get along very well with Melvian too.”

“Ah… I understand. The princess’s friends are welcome.”

But despite his words, he looked slightly disappointed. So that was the plan after all? I let out a small sigh, thinking about how to persuade Rizen and Ark.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Whoa…”

Rizen and I couldn’t stop marveling from the moment our carriage passed through the entrance of the Laselles estate. It might seem strange that we, who had seen the royal palace and the temple until we were sick of them, would be amazed by a noble’s residence, but the Laselles estate had a different charm from those places.

A vast main garden blended with a dense, well-maintained forest, and through the garden, a small stream wound its way along an artificially made valley. When we finished climbing the slope, a dignified, luxurious stone building came into view at a glance.

“Princess, look at that! Swans!”

As I leaned out to see the swans floating on the pond more clearly, the fresh forest scent, mingled with the fragrances of flowers and various grasses carried on the wind, cleared my head.

‘To think there’s land like this in the capital!’

I felt good at the beautiful scenery I was seeing for the first time.

“The estate is truly beautiful, Melvian.”

“The estate in the western territory is larger and more splendid than this.”

Melvian said softly, looking somewhat proud.

“I never expected to be invited to such a wonderful place. Thank you, Melvian!”

Mila said with a bright smile. Having only ever seen her in the academy uniform, it was refreshing to see her dressed up in a pretty purple dress.

“Haa… I’m so happy seeing the princess in that dress… As expected, my eye for these things isn’t wrong.”

I grinned and fiddled with the dress she had given me. It was a lovely muslin dress in deep green with tiny white ribbons and lace densely attached.

“It really suits the princess’s eye color! And that beautiful dark forest over there too.”

Rizen joined in the praise relay. You people, do you know I’ll be happy if you say things like that? Of course I’m happy. Hehe. Sweet words I’d never once heard in my past lives were always welcome, no matter when I heard them.

But Ark wasn’t saying much, so I turned my head and saw he wasn’t paying any attention to the scenery around him—he was staring blankly at Freesia, who was sitting in front of him.

‘Honey might as well be dripping from his eyes…’

Freesia too was wearing a beautiful cream-colored dress Mila had given her, and a hat adorned with abundant roses. If not for her restless expression, she would have looked every bit the noble young lady.

“Princess, shouldn’t I go back right now? How dare I set foot in the marquis’s estate…”

“Fwee, don’t fowget! Fwee is the academy’s vice president. That means you’we an amazing pewson.”

She had received the vice president’s badge because she caught the second most game. Normally, she who had defeated five monsters would have become president, but since those weren’t put into the portal, they weren’t counted. The vice president has authority similar to the president, but since she lacked the backbone to get back at the nobles, the hot revenge was my job.

Instead, Freesia had publicly earned the title at the academy of ‘the vice president who caught an A-rank monster barehanded,’ and no one could treat her carelessly anymore. Everyone didn’t know she had defeated the Baranus with mental magic, so the rumors had become distorted.

They said she finished off a Baranus that even Dinitas knights couldn’t cut with aura with a single lightning strike, that she was drenched in blood…

Whatever it was, such a fearsome image was better for her. As expected, overwhelming power seems to be something that transcends class. Even Paeon, though disliked, was rarely openly disregarded by nobles.

“But I didn’t expect Sir Parsiel to follow along.”

Melvian whispered to me. Paeon and Marquis Laselles were following right behind us in the same carriage.

“Is it uncomfowtable?”

“No, it’s just very unexpected. I thought that man was always loyal only to the temple, but when it comes to the princess, he seems to hold nothing back.”

“Haha…”

Actually, I’d broken into a cold sweat getting Paeon’s permission to come here. Having brought up the betrothal issue not long ago, it was only natural he’d be concerned about me going to the Laselles estate.

“Didn’t you say you would refuse?”

“Um… I said I’d put it off as wong as possible. Not wefuse.”

“If you keep growing closer, they’ll end up forcing the matter.”

“I’m only going this once. And I’m bwinging Wizen and Awk too, you know?”

“…Then I will come as well.”

“Papa?!”

“A guard is necessary anyway.”

I was a little taken aback. I could understand if it were something dangerous like the hunting competition, but I hadn’t expected him to tag along just to visit a noble’s estate.

What on earth would Marquis Laselles and Paeon talk about? Thinking of the suffocating silence that would unfold in that cramped space, I felt a little sorry for Marquis Laselles.

“We’ve arrived.”

We were already before the entrance. Melvian got out of the carriage first and held out his hand to me, but suddenly Paeon appeared, abruptly blocking him and lifting me up.

“!”

I let out a startled gasp. As expected of a knight, his movements were incredibly fast. It was a little strange to realize it this way.

“Th-thank you, Papa.”

Melvian awkwardly lowered his hand, lost as to where to put it, and I stared at Paeon, puzzled by his uncharacteristic behavior. He avoided my gaze and gently set me down on the ground.

“This way, Princess.”

Even though an awkward situation had unfolded, Melvian resolutely guided me. His effort to play the role of the little master of this estate was quite cute. His shoulders were tenser than usual, and his cheeks were slightly flushed.

At the entrance, the head maid and numerous servants had come out to greet us. After their booming greetings, we entered the doorway, and right ahead was a quiet, beautiful reception room with light coming through the windows.

“Would you like a tour of the estate? If it’s not rude, I will guide the gentlemen myself.”

An elderly butler with a dignified appearance spoke to Paeon. Paeon seemed startled at being called a gentleman.

Normally Paeon wore his knight’s uniform fully armed, but at my insistence that visiting someone’s estate in such attire would be a nuisance, today he was in a neat suit. Perhaps that was why the butler mistook him for a noble.

“Melvian, you escort the princess yourself.”

Marquis Laselles gently pushed Melvian toward me, and the head maid led the four boys and girls away. Before we knew it, we had been split into pieces and separated.

‘He really is a sly old man!’

Melvian, looking a little nervous, took me upstairs.

“There’s a gallery on this floor. There are many wonderful paintings, so let me introduce them to you.”

As he said, the long gallery stretching before me had numerous masterpieces hanging on both sides.

“This is a personal work by Mr. Nolz, who was our family’s exclusive painter, and this is a sacred painting by Mr. Courat, whom we sponsored.”

He introduced the paintings one by one in a gentle voice. They were beautiful paintings that drew involuntary gasps of admiration.

“This is such a wonderful place!”

I said with all sincerity. It was the first time in my life I had seen so many paintings.

“…You’ll be able to come often from now on.”

His face as he said that grew redder and redder like a beet.

‘Aaaah!’

Somehow the atmosphere was flowing in a strange direction.

“Um, Melvian! I’m… going to step out to the washroom for a moment! Will you wait for me?”

“Ah, yes. It’s right next door. At the end of the corridor.”

The moment I heard that, I dashed out of the room and walked quickly toward the opposite end of the corridor.

‘If I run into anyone, I’ll casually join them and get them to take me to where Melvian is.’

But I heard raised voices from somewhere. Wondering if it was my companions, I pricked up my ears, and it sounded like Marquis Laselles’s voice. What would make Marquis Laselles raise his voice? Curious, I searched this way and that for the source of the sound. When I went up one more floor, the sound grew louder.

‘It’s somewhere around here.’

Just then, Paeon came walking from the opposite side. What, did that man run away too?! He opened his mouth to call me.

“Prin—”

I instinctively put my hand to my lips—shh. And I crept toward the door where the voices were coming from. Beyond the door, a young lady’s sharp voice could be heard.

“How could you think of selling my son to a bastard?”