“......”
“So... are we not going in? This is the royal palace, isn’t it?”
“...Please wait a moment. The guard has gone in to inform them of the princess’s arrival.”
“The princess returns, yet we need permission to open the gate? What kind of rule is that?”
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“...My apologies.”
“Lady Agnes, calm down. You’re making Lydia uncomfortable, and really, Lydia isn’t even the one in charge here.”
“......”
Arms crossed and clearly displeased, Agnes pouted, visibly frustrated by the current situation. Though somewhat childish, her reaction was understandable; we had been waiting here outside the palace gates for an hour.
The guard, after seeing Princess Rainy’s arrival, hadn’t opened the gates but instead went inside to deliver the news, leaving us standing in place for an hour. Breaking through or scaling the gates wouldn’t have been difficult, but causing a scene would only escalate matters.
Considering Princess Rainy’s misfortune, even minor disruptions could easily spiral into significant incidents, so waiting quietly was our only option.
...Of course, I could afford to wait calmly because I remembered this event from my past life.
“The queen °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° is on her way out now. Everyone, please bow your heads.”
“The queen? After leaving us out here without a word for an hour, she suddenly decides to come?”
“Perhaps she’s coming to personally welcome Princess Rainy back. If she went to fetch the queen, this delay makes sense.”
A woman with flowing blue hair, escorted by guards, approached the gates with an unhurried grace. She wore an extravagant dress adorned with jewels, stepping out to meet Princess Rainy.
“You’ve returned, Rainy.”
“......”
-Nod, nod.
“Did you enjoy life at the Academy?”
“......”
At the queen’s question, Princess Rainy seemed to ponder something, her gaze wandering before meeting mine by chance.
“......”
-Nod, nod.
As before, she only nodded silently in response.
“I’m glad to hear that. I worried greatly, sending you so far alone, especially with that dangerous constitution of yours.”
“......”
“So, your twentieth birthday is in just a few days, right? About a week away?”
“......”
-Shakes head.
“...Her birthday is in four days, on the twenty-first day of the twelfth month, Your Majesty.”
“I wasn’t asking you, so don’t interrupt.”
“...Apologies.”
Their reunion was anything but warm. Rainy, bound by her curse, couldn’t speak, making this a one-sided exchange where the queen asked and answered her own questions.
“You must be tired from the long journey. I’m sure you encountered many bandits and wild monsters.”
“......”
-Nod, nod.
“But I’m glad you returned safely. Truly, it’s a relief, Rainy.”
“......”
-Nod, nod.
If the queen had truly been concerned for her safety, she wouldn’t have summoned Rainy back the moment her Academy term ended. The Academy, free from the threats of bandits and monsters, was undoubtedly her safest refuge, yet the queen had forcibly pulled her out.
Sending her on a perilous journey only to express worry upon her return didn’t come across as genuine.
“After such a long trip, I’m sure you’re all eager to rest inside the palace... but.”
“......”
“It’s still difficult to allow you into the palace just yet, Rainy, as your twentieth birthday is still four days away.”
“......”
“If you were to stay here, where all sorts of people come and go, someone with ill intent might harm you... So, until after your birthday, it’s best that you stay in the royal villa.”
“......”
“I say this only for your sake. Do you understand, Rainy?”
“......”
After a brief moment, Princess Rainy gave a reluctant nod.
She must have expected this outcome. Her letter to me had invited me to the villa, not the palace itself, hinting she already knew her mother would reject her entry.
...Given that Rainy is destined to endure a lifetime of misfortune until the age of twenty, the likelihood of her parents being kind people was slim from the start.
“Very well, go on to the villa. Who knows? If you linger here too long, the kingdom’s finances might suffer from your ill luck.”
-Nod, nod.
“Merry, prepare a bath with holy water as soon as we return. I need to cleanse any misfortune I may have picked up from her.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
With those words, the queen turned away, dismissing her own daughter as a mere bearer of bad luck. Left standing beyond the closed gates, Rainy appeared momentarily lost. Lydia, sensing her cue, quietly urged us to move.
“Since the queen has instructed so, you will all be hosted at the villa for the next four days.”
“What? Are we seriously going to follow that woman’s orders...?”
“Agnes, we’re right outside the palace. Not now, later.”
“After all the fighting and walking, and then waiting here for an hour, we’re not allowed in?”
“...I have nothing to say, Lady Agnes.”
“Lady Agnes, it can’t be helped. Taking it out on Lydia won’t change anything.”
“It’s not Lydia I’m angry with... Ugh, it’s just so frustrating.”
I understood Agnes’s feelings, but defying the Queen of Defrin would only cause trouble.
Despite the hero’s party, with a few exceptions, including Ethan and me, there was no way we could fight the elite guards of the Kingdom of Defrin.
“For now, please return to the gate. The carriage is there, and if we travel by it, we can reach the villa within a day.”
“The villa isn’t within the capital?”
“...No. The queen ordered it built outside the capital from the start.”
“Well, then, let’s go back! Standing around here is only wasting time. Lady Agnes, please cheer up! At least we cleared out a lot of bad elements on the way, so the return should be faster!”
“...Fine.”
Even cheerful Natalia had to tread carefully, her attempts to lighten the mood a little forced.
And so, despite reaching the palace gates, we had no choice but to retrace our steps and head back outside the capital.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
-Clank, clank...
“......”
-Clank, clank, clank...
“......Sigh.”
Hours later, we’d exited the capital and were on the way to the villa by carriage. Agnes’s sighs of frustration filled the cramped space, but no one criticized her. Likely, everyone felt similarly, though some to a greater extent than others.
The once-luxurious carriage was now reduced to about a third of its original size, and it rattled incessantly despite the relatively smooth road.
Instead of the pair of sturdy thoroughbreds, a single common horse, barely fit to carry the weight, now struggled along with nearly ten people.
Defrin soldiers had unceremoniously taken back the carriage we arrived in, forcing us to rent one from a shop on the outskirts of a village.
“They took the carriage too? That woman’s seriously bad news.”
“......!!!”
“...I didn’t mean the princess. I meant the queen... damn it.”
Seeing Princess Rainy’s alarm, Agnes hastily corrected herself but eventually went silent, realizing the insult still implicated Rainy’s mother.
Squeezed into the carriage without enough room to sit properly, Agnes sulking on Natalia’s lap had an odd touch of endearing defiance. Rainy and I were also seated on Ethan and Silena’s laps, respectively, for the sake of space, as there was no room otherwise for food supplies and tents.
“By the way, Hero, how far do you plan to accompany us? Unlike Lilith and me, didn’t you have business in the capital?”
“That’s true, but I can’t shake the feeling I shouldn’t leave the princess’s side. Like some sort of prophecy.”
“You do seem to make good use of your ‘Hero of Prophecy’ title.”
“Well, I am the Hero of Prophecy.”
With the cramped carriage adding tension, Ethan’s wariness only grew, yet the hero maintained a shameless attitude, remaining by Princess Rainy’s side.