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Volume 6 Chapter 2 Part 6

Translation: Kurehashi Aiko
Editing: Team Foxsunes

At the same time, the pretty boy looked towards the horizon, as if trying to track the bandits that have fled in that general direction. I could see it in his eyes that he most probably wanted to give chase after them as well, but he never voiced that out loud in front of everyone present. Then he turned towards the Princess. After a brief moment of silence, he placed his right hand onto his chest and bowed down to the Princess.

「I sincerely apologize that we could not arrive with help sooner. Recently, there are more and more bandit attacks all across the Azure Desert. The bandits are growing more and more bold by the day, attacking merchant caravans, kidnapping people and raiding small settlements and villages. I am sorry that you had to experience something like that for yourself.」

「Ara, that would most certainly explain why they were so noisy all the time.」

The Princess put her hand to her mouth and laughed in a happy manner, doing her best to dismiss this whole situation. However, looking at this situation from the Palace officials’ side, this matter was hardly something you could laugh or scoff at. I thought so as well. Looking at the way that cute boy was behaving, it surely must not have been the first time he was greeting officials who had come for an official visit, but his words alone were not enough to convince me.

He says that was one of many bandit groups? What’s with that excuse? And it was indeed like that and they knew about the bandits, then should it not occur to them that the appropriate course of action would be to send an escort group to meet the Princess’s entourage from the very first moment we entered the desert? If they knew that none other than the Princess herself was coming here with a delegation, then should it not have been a matter of course to do that? Something so obvious that it should not even be debated over? Fortunately for them, the Princess was not hurt during the bandit attack, but some of the knights and maids were not so lucky as the Princess. I wonder what they would have done if the outcome of this encounter was not so favorable?

This time around the cute boy’s group happened to arrive just in time to save the day, but what if they did not? What if they were too late? And what if something like that happens again in the future, and they won’t be around to intervene? Are they even aware of the responsibility they would have to take for allowing something like that to happen? The fault would surely lie on their side exclusively.

In addition, I could not shake off the feeling that the way in which the cute boy was addressing the Princess was way too casual? The Princess here is the heiress to the throne, so it would be most appropriate to address her with proper manners and respect. I wonder if I am the only one who feels that way? Surely that cannot be the case. Although the knights and maids were all kneeling down and I could not see their expressions all that well, the air about them was more than enough of a proof. Those who treat the Princess with respect were not approving of someone who does not act accordingly in front of the Princess and acts overly familiar with her. And that was the sort of feeling you could get from watching the boy and the Princess’s short exchange right about now. Maybe it is the cultural difference, but there are some behaviors that should be quite obvious, especially with dealing with someone as precious as the Princess.

But even in a place like that, in a situation we were currently it, it surely felt to me that this cute boy seemed somewhat out of place. It was really bugging me. Or maybe it was just me being paranoid? Oh well, surely it must have been something trivial, and I was once again getting myself worried for nothing. With everyone else staying silent and just watching the two, the cute boy smiled broadly in a cute way, which somehow felt contrasting to his words and tone of voice from just a moment ago.

「Please allow me to welcome you once more. And thank you for finding the time to come and visit our land. Especially since our land is so remote and so far away that coming here must have been especially taxing.」

Once again, even though his looks were cute and stunning, I was getting a feeling that his attitude was of someone of high position, used to dealing with high-ranking guests and foreign officials. But the over-familiarity was still there. However, since the boy was so cute and petite, I was also getting a feeling that behavior like that would quite easily be forgiven for him. The Princess was also smiling all the time, so she probably did not mind that at all.  

「Yes, I am glad that you understand. It makes matters much easier for us both. I hope that the both of us will do our very best during this year’s ritual. With that said, it will be a pleasure to work with you, ‘Miko’-dono.」

The tone of the Princess’s voice was soft and gentle, like a breeze in the spring morning. While I was thinking that that side of her was also quite wonderful, I also could not help myself but think about the meaning of the words she just spoke.

The Princess mentioned a ‘Ritual’. Aside from being a member of the royal family, the Princess was born with the protection of the Goddess, which was the ultimate sign of divine favor. So it can be said that even amongst the entire royal family the Princess was quite special to begin with. And being graced by the Goddess also made the Princess a priestess, which means she can take part in religious rituals. So this must be the ‘official business’ that was the excuse for the Princess to come here in the first place. Since she is also a priestess, the Princess can take part in the ritual meant to gather the favor of the water spirits upon this land. What I do not understand is that ‘Miko’ word that the Princess used just now. I understand that it refers to the boy somehow, but the exact meaning is what escapes me. Being a male, the cute boy surely cannot be given the role of a shrine maiden. What does ‘Miko’ even mean? A prince? A priest? Or maybe something else that I do not know about? While I was busy trying to imagine what it could possibly mean, the cute boy nodded his head to the Princess’s words.

「On behalf of my family, I wanted to thank you for coming to visit us. Tonight there will surely be a feast prepared.」

The gentle wind suddenly blows, carrying with it small particles of sand. It made the outfits of the riders flutter gently, and in that exact moment the cute boy that I decided to call Miko, for now, looked even more magnificent, looking like a character taken straight out of a fairy tale.

* * *

I was wondering what the purpose of this visit was supposed to be. And it soon occurred to me that it was probably for the sole purpose of warming up the relations between two sides before the pre-marital meeting.

 At least that is what Heinrich said to me earlier. Right about now, I was gently seeping a warm liquor that was apparently a staple drink of this region, all the while thinking about such things as ‘promotional acts’, ‘propaganda’, and ‘mutual benefit’. Things like that would always leave a foul taste in my mouth, one that even the finest food and the most exquisite drink would not be able to wash up.

Right about now we were in a small town at the edge of the Azure Desert, built around one of the oases that were scarcely scattered throughout the region. The spring in the middle of the village was surrounded by a high and sturdy wall that was built to prevent the spring from being destroyed, and the water from it was regularly carried by the villagers to use as a source of domestic water.

After the group of raiders led by Miko escorted us to this town and I saw it for the first time, I could not find the words to describe just how breathtakingly beautiful it was. Right now the sun was already set and what hung high in the night sky was a huge and bright moon. We have decided to stay the night here, inside of a small mansion at the outskirts of the village and near the outer wall. The mansion was built with white blocks made out of sand, the same material that the other buildings were using. From there, we could see a sea of sand as far as the eye could see, illuminated with the silvery glow of the moon.  

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