Chapter 1. How the Young Master of a Dressmaker Became King and Welcomed a Princess from the North as His Bride
“As such, we will have Your Highness welcome the princess from the highest lineage on the continent as Sire’s bride.”
Ludwik was told this respectfully by his close aide Adelheid on a sultry summer afternoon.
“Eh? Marry? Me`?”
Adelheid is someone who is always calm no matter the situation. Ludwik gazes back at his grand chamberlain with wide eyes while sitting in the chair of his office.
The shortly trimmed ashen hair and the gray eyes together give others an impression of composure. The beautiful aide of unknown age answers blankly with a voice that is low for a woman and lips that are red for a man.
“Indeed, since the current King of Rhodesia is Your Highness Ludwik.”
“Adelheid… I’m still only seventeen.”
“The average age of marriage in our nation is nineteen for men and seventeen for women. Your Highness is only two years early, and if we consider the royal average instead, Sire is way past the age at which he ought to have a partner.”
“Mmm, it’s true that the previous kings married young, but hey, I’m a half-commoner and worked at a dressmaker as recently as a month ago when I was suddenly told that I’m the illegitimate child of the previous king. Just like that, I was taken to the castle and made king. I still don’t even know what kind of work a king does, and yet I’m being abruptly told to marry…”
Only three days have passed since the coronation.
During that time, all the “work” that Ludwik has done was wear a crown heavy enough to tear his neck put on him by the archbishop, wave and smile endlessly from the balcony at the populace who had gathered to celebrate, wave and smile some more during the parade at the populace who filled the roadsides, sit while wearing a gaudy mantle with pelt along the ends, and nod with a smile bewilderedly at nobles with long and tedious names as they offered their congratulations.
(I’ve done nothing but smile at people you know.)
But, Adelheid spoke intelligently and softly without a moment’s hesitation.
“The` most` important` work` of Your Highness Ludwik is to welcome a princess from a high lineage as your bride.”
So she` declared.
She’s been like this since their first meeting. With a calm expression and a composed and gentle voice, she cuts right to the heart of things.
(At that time it was the same too wasn’t it…)
One month ago— at that time, Ludwik was the young master of a dressmaker in the castle town…
“For this summer, I absolutely recommend the openwork cape! It’s a perfect fit for your nape which is slender like a swan, Berta. Let me see, yes, and for the bottom a refreshing blue dress that matches your deep blue eyes which remind me of the color of Roger’s bronze leaf. The sleeve just long enough not to be vulgar, the waist squeezed tight, and the hem boldly expansive like this.”
The small store was filled to the brim with a colorful assortment of textiles, florid laces, and lovely ribbons. The one holding a sketchbook with one arm and running a colored pencil across the page with the other all the while cheerfully speaking to a customer is a young man with impressively lustrous golden hair and bright green eyes. For a commoner, the young lad was pretty and refined.
On the blank white paper, an openwork cape made with the floral patterns of lily, a blue skirt with a lightly flourishing hem, and a girl wearing the clothes with a smile quickly took form and color.
“Look! You’re just like a queen!”
Tearing off the completed sketch from his sketchbook, Ludwik smiled with an innocent charm as he handed it over to Berta. Upon seeing the sketch, Berta beamed with her eyes and cheeks and let out a cheer.
“Wow, how lovely! This is me? If I wear Ludy’s recommendations, will I be this beautiful?”
“Berta is beautiful to begin with. But, if you wear these clothes, you’ll become even more beautiful such that everyone becomes dizzy just looking at you.”
“Oh Ludy, you’re so good at flattery. Last time I ended up buying a blouse because of that too. I have to be more economical this month.”
“It’s not flattery. I mean, you also think the clothes will fit you very well upon seeing the sketch right?”
“Mmm…”
“Only someone with an outstanding figure like Berta could pull off a dress with such a tight waistline.”
“Eh? Is, is that so? Well, my waist is the one thing I’m a little confident about.”
“Yeah, Berta is the one who suits this openwork cape and blue dress the most in the world!”
Ludwik, who is called the Prince of Red Deer Street, smiles sweetly. Seeing this, Berta blushes deeply and begins to fidget nervously.
“M-my furniture workshop is making a killing from a large amount of orders right now. It seems there will be a bonus paid out sometime soon…”
“Awesome! If we start tailoring it now, it’ll definitely be finished in time for the summer festival, and so the queen of the summer festival this year is sure to be Berta.”
“Aah, geez! Give me everything from top to bottom, Ludy!”
“Thank you for your patronage! I’ll have our first-rate seamstresses begin tailoring as fast as possible.”
As Ludwik bowed reverently, now other girls who were lying in wait chime in,
“Ludy, I want an all-white outfit for this summer. Sketch me too.”
“Me too! This year seems like it will be hot, so I’m thinking it’ll be fine to show a little arm and chest. Ah, but make it in a cute way not a coarse way. Ludy, will you pick for me?”
“Ludy, draw me as well. This dress that’s laced at the waist is wonderful.”
“Ehhh. Draw me first, Ludy!”
“No way, I’ve also been waiting for sooooo long!”
Ludwik scattered his refreshing business smile toward the girls who are speaking all at once.
“Everyone, I’ll draw you all so don’t push. To make up for having you girls wait in this heat, I’ll prepare some lemon water with honey.”
Ludwik does not forget the little acts of consideration as well.
The store known as “Boris’s shop” on Red Deer Street increased its sales over ten times and is always bustling with female customers since Ludwik at age fourteen began serving customers with a sketchbook and colored pencils.
Ludwik himself felt that this job is his divine calling. He’s liked talking with people since he was a child, and he’s liked talking with girls even more. When he picks out or designs clothes that brings out a girl’s glamor, he gets really excited.
Making Rhodesia a country full of beauties by helping girls be their prettiest is Ludwik’s grand dream. It would be supreme if Rhodesia gained a reputation among neighboring countries as a country where the girls are all fashionable and beautiful.
As Ludwik was living out such a fulfilling normalfag life, she` suddenly showed up.
When the doors opened without a sound and a young man with a supple figure entered, Ludwik thought, “Huh?”
First, it is difficult to discern his age.
With his experience dealing with customers, Ludwik has confidence in his ability to discern someone’s age and occupation. Yet,
(Eh? Around twenty? No, older than that? Actually he could be in his teens. But, that level of composure is more like a forty-year old. Well, that shouldn’t be the case, but really, just how old is he?)
Ludwik struggled to figure it out.
The customer had ashen hair and gray eyes which gave off an intelligent and composed impression. Furthermore, one could tell that he is someone with high status from his clothes and accessories.
Both his cuffs and scarf ring are made of real silver! The engraving on the scarf ring’s surface is so detailed and casually stylish despite the design being reserved. It has to be the work of a first-rate artisan. His boots are something else as well.
This isn’t someone who would wander into an average dressmaker shop. The clothes and accessories he’s wearing could buy twenty dresses from this store. It’d be more accurate to say that there’s nothing this store could offer him that he’d want to buy.
Beyond that, what baffled Ludwik even more was–
(Eh… This person is a man… right?)
The red lips and the smooth throat cause Ludwik to look at the chest suspiciously before returning his gaze to a flawless face without a beard or a spot. No way! Ludwik is taken aback in shock.
(Ehh? Could this person be a woman!?)
With a height that is rather tall for a woman, one would assume that she’s a man at first glance. However, as Ludwik works as a dressmaker, he knows the difference in both the quality of skin and the bodily proportions between men and women well.
She was a woman wearing man’s clothes!
(Why is such a beautiful woman dressed up as a man? Is this kind of play in vogue among the upper class?)
Looking outside the store, there is a big carriage parked. In front and behind the carriage are men with matching uniforms waiting atop their steeds.
(Isn’t that green uniform for the king’s order of knights? Then, is this person also a knight? Or is she someone being protected by the knights?)
As Ludwik busily organized his thoughts in his head, the crossdressing beauty with refined ashen hair and intelligent gray eyes, a good posture and a look of competence walked straight towards Ludwik with a composed gaze.
As she knelt before him and cast her head downwards, her ashen hair swayed coolly. Then, she spoke reverently.
In a beautiful voice that was low and serene, she spoke the words that would change Ludwik’s life.
“I’ve come to receive you, my new king.”
This person was Adelheid, the one who is serving as Ludwik’s grand chamberlain now.
The crossdressing beauty of unknown age brought Ludwik, who remained stuck in a daze, to the castle on the hill in a bombastic carriage surrounded by knights.
According to the explanation she gave on the way there, Ludwik is the illegitimate child of King Calvin who died last year.
King Calvin had three princes, but they all succumbed to a vicious cold one after the other. In just one year three new kings have died soon after they were crowned. The townspeople had discussions on rumors about who would become the next King of Rhodesia which Ludwik also participated in.
This country has a third of its territory covered by forest and is a land where fairy tales and folklore are still believed to be true. In such a tranquil and rural small country, everyone carelessly thought that their own lives wouldn’t change regardless of who becomes king as they held their mugs filled with cheap beer in one hand.
“None of the three kings had any children. Because it all happened so quickly, we have not had time to select a new king; as such, the throne of our country is currently vacant.”
Ludwik responded with a “right…” to Adelheid’s words as if the matter didn’t concern him.
“To invite a distant male relative from the royal family of another country or to extend the royal bloodline to a male from the families of the three grand dukes— while that was being discussed, it emerged that King Calvin had another child with a townsgirl. It was decided that if there is a direct descendant of the royal family, it would be best if he succeeded the throne. Once that was decided, I immediately went to receive you.”
It was at this point that Ludwik finally grasped the preposterous circumstance that he was in and began to sweat profusely.
Though he was called the Prince of Red Deer Street in jest, he never even once thought that he would actually be the illegitimate child of the king.
“Umm, Miss Adelheid, are you sure it isn’t some kind of mistake? There’s no way I have royal blood in me…”
“Did you never hear anything from your honorable mother?”
Ludwik’s mother passed away in spring last year from the virulent cold that swept the nation— strangely enough, just a few days before King Calvin died.
She married Ludwik’s stepdad who runs a dressmaker shop when Ludwik was six.
She was a forward-looking person who loved to dance and was always laughing brightly. She helped Ludwik’s stepdad with the store by serving customers cheerfully, livening up the atmosphere.
Before she married Ludwik’s stepdad, Ludwik and his mother lived by themselves and she supported him alone by working as a seamstress. Despite this, Ludwik never felt that his life was affected by lack of money growing up. On days of a festival, he would wear suits that his mom made for him and eat candy on a stick and steamy buns with filling that his mom bought for him. Whenever he asked his mom for art supplies, she would tell him, “If you are a good boy, then as a reward.” and eventually bought him all the tools for a complete set.
Thus, Ludwik never had an impression of his mother as a woman who lived in the shadows for raising a child born out of wedlock. Rather, she was a blissful and indomitable person who lived life to the fullest right up until she passed away.
(Speaking of which… I think mother did say that my father is the king.)
—Ludy, your father is, believe it or not, the King of Rhodesia!
Having young Ludwik sit on top of her knees, she told the story over and over again with a smile full of playfulness.
—That person was still the prince at that point. He snuck away from the castle to the town on the day of the Autumn Festival and fell in love with a cute townsgirl.
It felt like one of the fairy tales adults in Rhodesia told children to lull them to sleep, like the stories of the faeries who live in the green forest and their land of paradise that exists somewhere in the forest.
Ludwik’s mother’s voice and expression were both full of bliss as if she was floating in the midst of a fluffy dream, but also carried a hint of comedy and mischief as she recited the story to Ludwik.
—I’m a commoner through and through and knew I wouldn’t be able to live in a castle so we parted ways, but your father gave me a large sum of money to raise you with. I told him I couldn’t possibly need this much and returned most of it, but I kept more than enough for us to live comfortably together.
(She did say that! The story about my father being the king wasn’t a joke!)
She told the story so cheerfully that Ludwik had assumed that it had to be his mom’s creation. To think it would be real—
As Ludwik was taking in this earth-shattering revelation, Adelheid inquired with a composed voice.
“Your Highness Ludwik has a birthmark on the left arm in the shape of a honeywort right?”
“Y-yes.”
“That’s something hereditary to those of the royal bloodline. The king before King Calvin— Your Highness Ludwik’s grandfather also had such a birthmark but on his chest.”
“Is that so!”
“Yes, and aside from this, Your Highness Ludwik should also have the Grand Jade Seal which is the proof of being King Calvin’s son.”
Being told this, Ludwik thought of the jade seal that his mother gave him before dying. It was about as big as an egg and had the shape of a linden tree engraved onto it. Ludwik had been using it as a makeshift paperweight…
(Ehhhhhhhh! That seal is the royal seal? Now that I think about it, the linden tree is also featured on Rhodesia’s flag. I’ve been using it as a paperweight though as I don’t sign my name much in daily life and when I do it seems more trouble to use than just to use a pen… Geh!)
The amount of sweat spurting out of Ludwik increased even more.
“I-I have it… the paperweight— I mean, the seal.”
Ludwik responded with a stiff voice, to which Adelheid gave a refined nod.
“From the proofs above, it is unmistakable that Your Highness Ludwik is the son of King Calvin. Above all, Sire’s face bears a striking resemblance to King Calvin.
“Is that so… I see.”
Ludwik only saw the king’s face once or twice from afar, so he couldn’t recall an image even if he tried. Ludwik’s late mother would sometimes gaze intently at Ludwik’s face and say,
“Your face really is elegant. And when you laugh it’s simply charming. You have to be thankful to your father for having been born with such a pretty face.”
As she brushed Ludwik’s golden hair with her fingers, she would look upon Ludwik fondly with her eyes gently narrowed. This was all Ludwik had to work with as far as what his father’s face looked like.
However, with this much evidence gathered up, Ludwik had no choice but to give up. As he traveled toward the castle inside the horse carriage, he thought in a daze,
(If I become king I won’t be able to work even part-time at stepfather’s store, huh. Even though it was my dream to make Rhodesia into a country full of fashionable beauties…)
“Fortunately, Your Highness Ludwik’s reputation is superb. To be fair, it is in comparison to the three previous kings who were all a bit eccentric. Even so, the level of eloquence and refinement despite being half-commoner along with the humility Sire has displayed has caused Sire’s approval rating to swell among the nobles. The populace on the other hand feels a sense of closeness precisely because Sire is half-commoner. Sire is highly reputed as a golden-haired Adonis among the women.”
“I-I don’t think my looks are good enough to be called an Adonis.”
Ludwik had fairly good looks with his golden hair and green eyes, so he was called names like the handsome young master or the Prince of Red Deer Street in jest when he worked as the young master of Boris’s Shop. However, he could only be called an Adonis on a regional level at most.
Ludwik thinks that to be called an Adonis on a national level would demand the appearance of someone like Adelheid (though she’s a woman).
“If looked upon from afar, Your Highness is more than equipped to be called an Adonis. After all, if looked upon from afar, one would not be able to clearly make out Sire’s face. Indeed, if looked upon from afar, one would only be able to see Sire’s golden hair.”
“…Thank you.”
You didn’t have to say “if looked upon from afar” three times… Ludwik thought but was unable to retort.
“Besides Your Highness’s looks, remember the female knight on guard at the parade? Being pushed around by the crowd, she fell off her horse and tumbled onto the road, landing flat on her butt. To help her up, Sire personally got off the carriage and lent a hand to her. That was exceedingly swell; it truly hit the spot. It was a great production that sold Sire’s kind and refreshing style.”
“It wasn’t a production. Seeing a proud knight who wore her uniform with dignity stuck on the ground with a flushed face was a pitiful sight so I just felt like I had to give her a follow-up.”
Without thinking, Ludwik had casually opened the door and stuck his foot out from the carriage as if he was still a commoner.
Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere? Ludwik asked while taking her hand and helping her up. This made the female knight, who was similar in age to Ludwik, even redder as she became flustered.
Seeing that, the populace who crammed the parade course full heightened their cheers more than ever, fervently singing praises like “Long live King Ludwik!” and “How wonderful, Your Highness.” and “What a kind person His Majesty must be.”
Ludwik really had no intention to help her as a PR stunt.
“Your Highness need not keep up the act around me, but please answer as such around others.”
“I mean it though…”
Adelheid coolly ignored Ludwik’s grumble. To serve as the king’s close aide despite being a woman must mean she’s exceptionally talented, but her calculating tendency makes Ludwik nervous every now and then.
Adelheid calmly informs Ludwik,
“There is a faction in Rhodesia who are displeased with the fact that Your Highness ascended the throne. The faction includes the head of the Walter family, who is one of the Three Grand Dukes. It seems he had intended to make his third year old grandson, a cousin of the royal family, into the king and wield power as the prime minister. From various entanglements of interests among the affluent, the number of those who support the Walter family is not trivial. Therefore, the fact that Sire was able to present Sire’s self as a monarch with qualities that can gain the heart of the people is very thankful. I wouldn’t mind giving a reward to that female knight for her help in that. But, that alone is not enough. Sire needs powerful backers behind him and an heir born between Sire and a queen with a noble bloodline. To achieve both those goals at once, the quickest way is to welcome a bride from a powerful country. This is why I have been saying that the most important job of Your Highness is to do just that.”
Having this explained to him cogently in a gentle voice left no room for Ludwik to protest by saying something like “I still think it’s too early for me to marry.” or “To begin with I want to marry someone I love.”.
“I’d like to confirm just in case– Does Your Highness have any unique sexual fetishes?”
“Sexu– what’d you say?”
Ludwik peeled his eyes wide open at suddenly being asked such a terrible question. Seeing this, Adelheid replied coolly,
“With all due respect, I’m asking whether Your Highness prefers making love normally or not. Speaking confidentially, Clovis, the eldest son of King Calvin, loved horses; he told his wife he wanted to divorce her and marry a horse, causing her to return to her family in indignation. Martias, the second son, had mysophobia and said he didn’t want to touch women as they are dirty. Miltruss, the third son, loved men and declared that he wasn’t interested in any brides that were women; he courted me when I first came to serve him, but scolded me upon finding out I’m a woman, saying ‘So you tried to fool me by pretending to be a man huh, you slut!’… That’s why I was wondering about Sire’s preferences.”
“I like human girls` like any other man! Yes!”
“I’m relieved to hear that. Then, there should be no problem in welcoming our new queen.
Adelheid nonchalantly informs Ludwik,
“The truth is, Your Highness’s fiancee has already been prepared.”
***
Your Highness’s partner is the Third Princess of the Endrish Empire.
Coming from the Grand Empire of the North is a country several dozen times bigger than our country, she is someone with extremely high status. In two months, she will be coming to Rhodesia to join Your Highness in marriage.
Ludwik was left in a daze when Adelheid had finished briefing him of his fiancee with a poker face. Adelheid then put on a pointlessly seductive smile as she pulled out an Endrish dictionary and handed it to Ludwik.
“Now that you know that, let’s study together.”
“S-study?”
Ludwik looked down at the dictionary with a magnificent binding and the title engraved in gold.
Endrish has been around since the beginning of human history and has also been called the world’s most beautiful and refined language. The citizens of the Endrish Empire are immensely proud of their country’s history and culture. Even when they travel to foreign countries, they obstinately insist on speaking their own language.
“So, in order to be able to hold a basic conversation with Princess Katerina, please memorize the following lines.
Adelheid handed a handwritten text to Ludwik in addition.
“Ar (Yes).”
“Noi (No).”
In addition to these simple words, there was also the greeting
“Monis dehra (Nice to meet you).”
and
“El stella revarnya toris bela (It is my honor to meet you. How beautiful you are.)”
“Rui elma amalose (Please accept my love.)”
“Toris desta erma lowarne (Please let me touch your lovely lips.)”
“Toris falna luua el silranu stee (I want to smell your skin’s aroma more closely.)”
“Toris folia chichaery kees el pharma (I want to listen to your heartbeat directly.)”
Seductive lines like these are also listed.
Furthermore, nauseatingly sweet sentences like the above covered more than half of the text. The further down the list one goes, the more unrestrained the lines become.
“Erma ruise coalea silmuddrard (Please have my children.)”
It was way too direct.
“Just what part of this teaches me the necessary vocabulary for a basic conversation, Adelheid! Telling a girl “Please have my children.” right after you meet her will make her shrink back in horror, understand?”
However, Adelheid replied with a face that couldn’t be cooler,
“Princess Katerina is coming to our country as Your Highness’s fiancee.” To bear an heir is a duty that Princess Katerina must promptly fulfill as well. Therefore, if Sire whispers these lines passionately into her ears, I’m sure she’ll be so touched that she’ll jump right into your arms.”
“You think so–?”
Ludwik is skeptical.
However, it’s no question that Adelheid knows more about noblewomen than Ludwik, who has lived a town life up to now, does. While considering that that might really be how political marriages play out, Ludwik read the text aloud as he was told.
“E-el stella revarnya t-toris bela (It is my honor to meet you. How beautiful you are.)”
“It’s toris, not totoris. Instead of saying “you” you ended up saying “wild boar.” If you would like that kind of play, it can’t be helped, but please restrain yourself until you have an heir at least.”
“Toris falna …luua …luua el s-silranu s-s-s-stee (I want to smell your skin’s aroma more closely.)”
“Please pour more emotion into luua and say it passionately.”
“Oi, how am I supposed to seduce someone looking at me with an apathetic face like that? It’s impossible.”
Upon hearing Ludwik complain, Adelheid’s expression turned even more subdued.
“My face has always been like this. Actually, I think it’s perfect to practice on someone who’s completely uninterested just in case so that Your Highness will be hardened enough to whisper sweet nothings continuously without faltering on the real deal.”
“I don’t want to do something so unproductive.”
“If Your Highness can melt the other party’s heart, it won’t end up being unproductive. I hear that Sire is supposed to be adept at seducing women.”
“What are you talking about?”
“From the government report, it is said that you had your hands full of women all the way from a five year old little girl on one end to a retired granny on the other. Well done.”
“What! From a little girl to a retired g-granny! All I did was treat my customers sincerely– I didn’t have my hands full of anything! That government report is wrong okay!”
Rather, even though he was entirely encircled by women, he didn’t have a single lover.
“It’s true that lots of women came to the store whether it be young girls or alluring married women. Everyone wanted to talk to me privately, but all I did was listen to their love problems and give advice!”
Ludwik confessed the truth behind his playboy image.
“For some reason, everyone assumed I was well-versed in relationships. Seeing girls act despondently or even outright cry in front of me, a sense of duty swelled within me and made me feel like I had to do something for them.”
And so, it was the usual pattern that as Ludwik listened intimately to the girls’ troubles and gave them advice, he would end up falling in love with them.
—Can’t it be me?
When Ludwik said that, the girls would always say,
—Oh stop teasing. I know how crazy popular you are Ludy. Thanks, I can see that you’re trying to console me. After all, there’s no way Ludy can be serious about an average girl like me. In the end, I think someone like him is just right for me. He’s not as handsome as Ludy nor as considerate, but I think he’s the best match for me.
Like that, they either didn’t take Ludwik seriously at all, or even if they did take him seriously and leaned toward him for a moment, they always went back to their original lovers in the end.
—I love that person. You have a whole bunch of girls who like you Ludy, but he only has me.
And so, whether it be artless youthful girls or sophisticated married women, the girls that Ludwik loved would all smile and say without exception when they left,
—Thanks, Ludy. You really are a good person!
Good person!
Is there any other title as pathetic as this for a man?
The expression indicates that one isn’t seen as a romantic interest. As such, even if someone calls him a prince or popular enough to be encircled by girls, Ludwik will feel no joy.
Because the truth is, he’s just a “good person.”
To Ludwik who was whining about his past that he recalled, Adelheid pointed out reposefully,
“But, there are a few good memories mixed in there as well no?”
“Ugh.”
“For example, Anabel, the daughter of an apple orchard; Matilda, the daughter of a blacksmith; Birgitte, the daughter of a ribbon shop; Ulrika, who married a shoemaker this spr—”
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
Ludwik lifted his bottom from the chair and shouted.
(Why is she speaking as if she saw what happened? With Anabel it was just a little kiss; as for Matilda I just hugged her shoulders close when we took shelter from the rain; similarly for Birgitte I simply embraced her from behind when I told her “I’ll wish for your happiness with him”; and for Ulrika who became a shoemaker’s wife it was also just…)
“Aaaaaadelheid, that’s a state secret so keep it to yourself. All those girls reconciled with their lovers and are getting along well, so don’t create a storm!”
Adelheid answers calmly while staring back at Ludwik with her sagacious gray eyes,
“Understood. Your Highness need say no more. To begin with, it’s not my intention to criticize Sire. I only meant to say that if Sire gets serious about seducing, I think any woman would end up melting.”
“Is that so? Have you melted, Adelheid?”
“No, not at all.”
Being told this with a blank expression, Ludwik feels dejected.
Adelheid’s family couldn’t give birth to a male successor, so Adelheid’s been educated as a boy since the age of ten. Despite her competence, Ludwik can’t help but think something went awry in her emotional development. But then, when he previously said in sympathy,
“I see… to become a worthy successor, you stifle your emotions and conduct yourself calmly.”
Adelheid gazed at him sagaciously,
“No, this was my personality to begin with. I think it’s precisely because I’m like this that my father decided to let me succeed the house.”
She answered.
(It’s such a shame given her beauty. Her age remains a mystery though.)
To Ludwik, who has dropped his shoulders and left them drooping forward, Adelheid says calmly, “Now then, let’s continue.”
“If Your Highness falters from just this it would be problematic. Princess Katerina is seventeen years old. For an imperial daughter, her age is that of an unsold leftover. Because of that, we were able to successfully arrange to have her marry into the royal family of such a small rural country. We must have her bear us a magnificent heir by all means. As a side note, the other candidates were a five year old princess and a thirty-five year old noblewoman who was widowed three times.”
“A five year old!”
That’s the same age as Ida from the florist next door! Marrying such a little child is unthinkable.
“Leaving aside the widow, the five year old princess would have needed some time before she could give birth so I was troubled as well.”
“Trouble yourself on other matters! After all, it was wrong at the point that a five year old was chosen as a candidate!”
Adelheid replied earnestly to what Ludwik pointed out,
“It is not an unusual age for royal marriages. Well, it’s a problem that our country has no heirs at the moment, so I’m really glad that we were able to get Princess Katerina to come. Given that Your Highness is half commoner, I figured we had to find a candidate with high blood. I asked around here and there hunting for big fish with low expectations. I was beginning to give up after being rejected from all corners when I received an affirmative reply from the biggest fish among the big fish. It’s a miracle no doubt.”
“…I’m glad the five year old princess isn’t the one coming to marry me.”
To Ludwik’s mutterance, Adelheid nodded deeply as if to say, “I know right?”.
“Princess Katerina has the divine blood of the emperor of the grand empire with three thousand years of history. Being at the top of high lineage on the continent as well, she’s more than qualified to keep the Duke Walter’s faction in check. To Your Highness, she is as magnificent a partner as can be. Even if she’s a bit of a leftover, and her features are a bit, you know, and her figure is a bit, you know, and her fetishes are a bit, you know, we must have you whisper words of love into her ears wholeheartedly.”
“Is Princess Katerina so bad that you had to ominously omit the details three times over!?”
Ludwik couldn’t help but retort upon hearing Adelheid’s description.
Ludwik is by no means someone who focuses on physical appearance.
He believes that all girls are lovely and that there’s no such thing as an unattractive woman in this world. He feels joy when he helps accentuate a woman’s natural charm by picking out clothes and accessories for her.
But just how bad is she to be described so ambiguously?
The image of an incredibly fuzzy white creature, much bigger than a bear, that inhabits the northern lands formed murkily in Ludwik’s mind.
The dress that suits her`…
It’s no good! Nothing comes to mind!
“Please rest assured. I hear that Princess Katerina is an exceptional beauty with brilliant golden hair, noble violet eyes, and white porcelain-like skin.
Feeling relieved, Ludwik thinks,
(I see, so the princess is an exceptional beauty.)
As he filled his heart with sweet and sour expectations,
“It’s just that-”
Adelheid gently lowered her eyebrows, which had the same ashen color as her hair.
As Ludwik anxiously awaits her next words,
“Never mind… It is best left unsaid.”
“Ehh! You’re stopping there? Don’t leave me hanging! Pray tell. It’s just– what?”
“It’s not an important matter. Besides, it often happens that rumors and reality are unalike. Again, even if she is you know, you know, you know, as the monarch of a country Your Highness must keep a resolute heart.”
“Just which is it!?”
Is the princess an exceptional beauty? Or is she you know, you know, you know?
Adelheid coolly ignores Ludwik’s retort.
“Now, seduce me once again while visualizing a you know, you know, you know princess.”
“Grr”
After letting out a groan, Ludwik returned back to his assignment of whispering sweet nothings in Endrish.
It seems that Ludwik won’t know what Princess Katerina looks like until he meets her.
But, as long as she isn’t covered full of bushy white hair, there must be a part of her that’s charming.
Right. Rather than her looks, it’d be great if she is kind and cheery.
And if Ludwik could ask for just one thing—.
(It’d be great if she likes dancing.)
When Ludwik’s mother invited him to dance with her, she would have a smile as airy as a wildflower as she danced. Remembering that, Ludwik naturally released the tension around his mouth.
“Adelheid, can you teach me how to say, “Please have a dance with me.” in Endrish?”
***
After two months had passed in that manner, autumn came, and the carriage carrying the princess finally arrived at Rhodesia’s castle.
Ludwik tried to restrain his pounding heart as he waited for the moment Princess Katerina disembarks the carriage.
Behind him, Adelheid, other important retainers, and knights also lie in wait.
(I can finally meet the princess.)
What kind of person could she be?
Someone that’s you know, you know, you know?
Or an exceptional beauty as rumored?
The carriage, bathing in the piercing rays of the morning sun, reflected a silver luster. With its footstep covered with red velvet and unicorn-shaped crest engraved onto the doors, the carriage felt like something that jumped out of the world of stories. As the two doors were opened reverently by two members of the entourage, astonishingly dainty feet covered by silver shoes came first to sight.
Small feet are said to be a sign of nobility.
Next, expensive laces that generously covered the hem of a dress appears. A blue skirt that puffed up fluffily can be seen. A waistline slender enough to snap is reflected in Ludwik’s eyes. An elegantly shaped chest, a supple white neck– these features jumped into Ludwik’s sight one after another.
Lastly, golden hair elegantly done-up and a small, well-proportioned face surrounding violet eyes that shined coolly were taken in.
That everyone at the spot, including Ludwik, was at a loss for words must be because they were all entranced by Princess Katerina.
An exceptional beauty.
It’s not an overstatement to describe the dazzlingly beautiful princess standing before Ludwik as such at all.
Her skin is white and cool like fallen snow, her violet eyes lustrous like a gem, and her hair golden like melted gold.
(This person is Princess Katerina!)
She looked like she could be the queen of the faeries who ruled the realm deep within the forests.
Drawn in by her exquisite face, Ludwik blushed as he began to walk towards the carriage; however, he quickly realized something was wrong.
Princess Katerina looks terribly unwell.
Her small face is ghastly pale.
Furthermore, with her fine golden eyebrows furrowed, her cheeks stiff, and her temples cramped, she looked extremely displeased.
As soon as she saw Ludwik with her cool violet eyes, she suddenly cast her eyes downward and turned away, muttering,
“…Zloth”
Ludwik didn’t know what the princess just said.
(Eh? Huh? What does zloth mean?)
Ludwik recalls the “Collection of Romantic Phrases to Melt the Princess’s Heart” that Adelheid created, but nothing like zloth comes to mind.
Zlothtiaron—Are you not feeling well? Ludwik feels there was an expression like that in there, but the moment Princess Katerina verbalized the word, the Endrish entourage shook visibly then froze like a statue made of ice. Judging from that reaction, it definitely doesn’t mean something good.
Looking towards Adelheid who speaks Endrish, Ludwik sees that she too has her eyebrows furrowed.
Above all, Ludwik can’t help but be bothered by how Princess Katerina is scowling awfully with her faced turned away.
(I don’t really know what’s going on, but she seems very upset and angry.)
At the very least, she definitely doesn’t harbor any good will.
(No, perhaps she’s just nervous.)
Ludwik puts on his business smile that he cultivated during his time as the young master of a dressmaker and says with an intimate voice,
“Monis dehra (Nice to meet you.)”
When Ludwik finished speaking, this time the princess suddenly covered her mouth with her slender hands.
(Huh?)
Her gestures signal that she finds unpleasant not only Ludwik’s face but also his voice, and that she is offended just to be close to him. Ludwik was left dumbfounded for no woman regardless of age had ever reacted to him like this in his life before.
Usually if Ludwik smiled at a girl, most girls would blush and immediately smile back at him to show they harbored good will towards him. And if Ludwik started a conversation with a girl, she would engage him earnestly.
Yet, the princess who came from the north is turning her face away while covering her mouth!
The Endrish entourage seems about to faint, and the Rhodesian entourage is also dead silent.
In this atmosphere, the princess speaks with her face facing downward,
“El voost darel…”
It was a beautiful voice that sounded like the sound that rings when transparent ice and a glass cup strike each other.
However, it was also very cold and disturbing.
Once again, Ludwik didn’t know what the princess had said.
(Adelheid said that if I memorize this text, my married life with the queen will be as smooth as butter, but that’s not the case.)
Ludwik considers himself well-versed in how to deal with someone who’s upset from his years of experience serving customers; however, he did not expect that not speaking the same language would be this much of a handicap.
Adelheid whispered to a flustered Ludwik from behind,
“It seems that Princess Katerina is not feeling well.”
“Eh, ah, you’re feeling ill, right?”
Because Ludwik was too nervous, he accidentally spoke in Rhodesian to the princess, upon which she pointed her face, which had been facing downward, sharply towards Ludwik and said something rapidly in Endrish.
The sound of ice shards hitting each other rings inside Ludwik’s head.
(Eh? Eh? What’s she saying? I don’t know, but she’s definitely mad. What should I do? Should I apologize?)
Adelheid couldn’t bear to watch this any longer.
“Excuse me.”
Adelheid forced herself between the two and spoke directly with Princess Katerina. She exchanged words fluently in Endrish with the princess’s attendants as well. After awhile,
“The princess says she is tired from the long journey and wishes to rest at once, so I will guide her to her room.”
Adelheid explained. She then began to lead Princess Katerina and her entourage into the castle.
“Eh, aah.”
How does one say, “Get well soon.” in Endrish again?
While Ludwik was still thinking about that, Princess Katerina passed right by him like the cold northern winds with her pale face sharply pointed downward.
When Ludwik returned to his room and looked up the definition of “Zloth” in his Endrish dictionary, he was shocked.
Zloth, a shortened form of Zlothtis (disgusting) used as slang. Gross. Used mainly as an insult.
“G-gross…?”
So I was called gross by the person who will become my wife! In our first meeting!