Chapter 118
“From now on, your place is here. Be grateful to the princess for graciously allowing you to share the deck.”
Then he returned to his original spot and ordered the other attendants to set up the sunbed and awning.
“The princess wants to see dolphins. Hurry up and install them!”
Meanwhile, Asil made eye contact with one of the princess’s attendants.
It was a man with pure white hair and face, wearing a red bead necklace.
The man mouthed the words.
‘I’m sorry.’
But he had no choice but to turn away at Sebastian’s subsequent shout.
“What are you doing standing there instead of coming quickly!”
“Understood.”
Then he went over to where the other attendants were.
It was a strange situation where the head of the attendants used polite speech toward a mere attendant, but Asil did not think deeply about it.
As for the deck spot, she could yield it to weak humans as much as they wanted.
(‘Because I’m in a very good mood right now!’)
Asil stuck close to the railing again and gazed at the sea.
In response, the dolphins swam over this way and slapped their tails.
Asil waved to the dolphins once more.
“Hello, dolphin friends!”
“What? The dolphins came over here!”
The Sunrise princess, who had quickly run over to Asil’s side, shouted.
“Install the sunbed and awning over here right now! I want to see the dolphins!”
“Understood! Hey, you commoner over there. Come this way!”
“Okay.”
There was no reason to refuse moving from a narrow spot to a wide one.
Thanks to the large awning the princess had set up, the sun no longer came in, which was even better.
Asil moved to the wide space as Sebastian ordered.
And once again sticking to the railing, she greeted the dolphins swimming over.
“Hello, dolphin friends!”
“No, the dolphins moved over there! Can’t you people set up even one sunbed quickly?!”
“S-Sorry!”
The flustered attendants rushed to install the sunbed in the wide area. Due to time constraints, they left the one in the narrow spot as it was.
Asil went back to the narrow spot before Sebastian could even say anything.
Then she comfortably lay on the sunbed and greeted the dolphins.
“Hello, dolphin friends!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
The enraged Sunrise princess shouted loud enough to shake the deck.
She stomped her feet while hurling curses at the innocent sea.
“These damn dolphins! Are their eyes crooked? Following only a commoner! Fine! I won’t look at dolphins anymore!”
Then she flopped down on the sunbed in the wide area and ordered Sebastian.
“Recite the names of the people scheduled to come to the port!”
“Yes, yes! Young Master of Marquis Schtolen, Young Master of Marquis Belkie, Young Master of Count Ronald, Young Lady of Count Minel, and also—”
As the names poured out one after another, a satisfied smile appeared on the furious princess’s face.
“Well, it’s not a bad number for a welcome party.”
She fanned herself lightly with her fan.
“At the very least, more people came out for me than for that commoner. If not, I’ll give that commoner the diamond mine in my name.”
Asil, who had been lying on the sunbed playing with the dolphins, flinched. What? Diamond mine?
The gem Asil liked the most was diamonds.
Moreover, selling diamonds brought money, and the more money the better.
She could buy strawberries to eat, share some with her husband, and even brag to Snowa oppa.
(‘Our Asil is truly amazing!’)
The scene of being surrounded by people who knew her and receiving praise naturally came to mind.
She didn’t know how many people had come to greet that princess, but Asil had a dad who was good at magic.
Having finished her calculation, Asil turned to the princess with sparkling eyes.
“If more people come out for me than for the princess, will you really give me your diamond mine?”
“What?”
The princess sneered as if she had heard something ridiculous.
“That’s not going to happen, but sure. A noble’s basic virtue is to keep one’s word. Instead, if I win, what will you give me, commoner?”
“A one-time date ticket with my oppa.”
“What?”
The princess’s face went blank at the unexpected proposal.
But Asil was serious.
Snowa was just as popular as Asil.
Handsome, skilled at hunting, and attentive to his little sister—that appearance touched the hearts of many female beastmen.
So Asil’s female friends always staked a date with Snowa whenever they bet with Asil.
Of course, Asil had never lost even once.
Thanks to that, Snowa had no idea Asil was betting with him as the prize.
The princess replied awkwardly.
“Well…… I don’t need something like a date ticket. If I win, I’ll send your oppa to the stables and work him for life.”
“Fine.”
And so the bet was decided in an instant.
The two wrote up the document on the spot and stamped it.
The princess fanned herself and laughed mockingly.
“If even one more person comes out for you than for me, I’ll consider it your win.”
“Okay.”
Now the princess’s diamond mine was hers.
Asil nodded confidently and immediately ran down to the cabin.
Then she took out her mother’s communication orb and called Count Arcian.
“Daddy! When I arrive at the port, cast a welcome magic to make it look like a lot of people came out to greet me!”
— Hm? There’s no need for that…… But all right. I’ll make it look like as many as possible.
At that time, Asil should have realized why Count Arcian ended his sentence so meaningfully.
And so, on the day the ship arrived at the port.
“Gasp!”
Asil covered her mouth at the sight of the buzzing crowd as if a festival were taking place.
Goodness, why are there so many humans?!
Moreover, due to Count Arcian’s magic, it looked three times more than the actual number gathered.
In contrast, the Sunrise princess, Princess Sunrise —who had not yet grasped the situation—disembarked first with a triumphant smile.
“Looks like everyone spent some money because I was coming? Did you see, commoner? This is the difference in our levels!”
With her back straight, she led her attendants toward the waiting crowd.
Then, as she was about to greet them elegantly.
“Hey, there’s Young Lady Erzébet over there!”
“Young Lady Erzébet!”
“Welcome back after your recuperation!”
“Young Lady!!!”
Everyone rushed toward Asil.
They rolled out a red carpet toward Asil, scattered flower petals, played instruments, and began a truly grand welcome ceremony.
“Hey, don’t push!”
“What’s going on here? Is this Young Lady Erzébet’s welcome ceremony?”
“I just want to see what Young Lady Erzébet looks like once!”
As the crowd called more crowd, Asil’s already massive welcome ceremony grew even larger.
Meanwhile, beside it, Princess Sunrise gathering—with only about twenty people—became even more modest.
“Young Lady Erzébet?”
“That girl?”
The nobles who had come to see Princess Sunrise craned their necks to glance at Asil.
The running onlookers, not recognizing Princess Sunrise , pushed her aside while shouting to move.
“Hey, stop blocking the way and move!”
“……!”
Utterly dumbfounded, Princess Sunrise’s mouth fell open.
Then her eyes met Asil’s, who was walking the red carpet with her mouth agape in a different sense.
Asil remembered what she had forgotten.
(‘Ah, right.’)
No matter how hectic it was, she had to take care of what needed to be taken care of.
Asil mouthed silently toward Princess Sunrise .
‘Diamond mine.’
“Ah…….”
Having boasted thinking she was a commoner, she was about to lose something huge.
Her legs gave out, and Princess Sunrise collapsed onto the spot.
* * *
The welcome ceremony was so splendid that she was completely out of it.
Looking around in all directions, waving her hands countless times and bowing, when she came to her senses, she was already inside the carriage heading to the Erzébet count residence.
Only after passing through the warp gate did Asil’s group finally catch their breath.
“What on earth happened?”
Briana muttered, completely drained.
When the humans rushed in as a group, she thought a war had broken out.
If she had not been holding the motion-sick rabbit and Snowa in both arms, she would have thought it was an attack and punched them.
Count Arcian, who had been brushing off his disheveled hair from pushing through the crowd, said.
“More importantly, about the room you’ll stay in. The construction isn’t fully finished yet. I was going to give you the room farthest from mine, but that one turned out to be a storage room.”
“So?”
“Sleep outside until the construction is done. Asil and Snowa’s rooms are ready, so leave the kids here.”
“You’re just using that as an excuse to not give me a room until you leave.”
……Damn, she’s too perceptive for her own good. Count Arcian cursed inwardly.
“Then sleep in the garden. The garden is wide.”
“No thanks? You go out. I’ll use your room.”
“What nonsense is that? As the guest, you should be the one to go out.”
The two beastmen growled at each other the moment they reunited after so long.
Then, at Asil’s earth-shattering words, they hurriedly turned toward her.
“Can’t Mom and Dad just sleep together?”
Asil, unaware that the two beastmen were divorced, tilted her head innocently.
“The teachers said that husbands and wives share the same room.”
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