It was around six months after Solis had caused the incident at the tuber field. Maid volunteers were gathered in the manor’s kitchen, peeling the sweet potato vines. Ever since that day, Solis had gotten a taste for escaping, and he often made his way to the field, where he altered the soil every time. The changes he’d caused to the soil’s properties with his magic never reverted on their own, so the soil had to be prepared again from scratch. The most difficult part was consuming the massive amount of sweet potato vines that had grown out of control.
Solis keeps going after only the sweet potato patch. It might be because it’s the closest one.
Vine dishes required lengthy preparation, and things had gotten to the point where our chef Mather and her assistant maids could no longer keep up on their own. Solis was causing trouble for all of the kitchen staff. I obviously felt terribly guilty, so I’d also joined everyone and diligently peeled the vines. Lord Nazel was next to me and was also hard at work. Peeling the surface of the light green vines with a knife required concentration. I wasn’t particularly dexterous, so I was struggling to peel them properly.
“I peeled the vine too deep and it ended up really thin...” The thin insides of a vine were the only thing remaining in my hands.
When I peered next to me, I saw Lord Nazel holding the thick, plump insides of a vine, after he’d skillfully peeled only a thin layer of the skin. Lord Nazel is as deft as usual. He’s even good at peeling!
Mather was going to turn the peeled vines into delicious dishes.
“Agnes, our guest should be arriving soon.”
“Oh, you’re right. Let’s get ready.”
The maids smiled as the two of us got up.
“Take care, you two. You can leave the rest to us.”
Lord Nazel and I nodded, then went to greet our guest. Kelly and Defi joined us along the way. It seemed that these two capable individuals were going to support us.
Defi isn’t even one of our servants, though. Perhaps because of the hardworking habits he’d developed during his time in Polpystan, he kept helping out with various tasks around the estate.
As we passed through the manor’s front entrance and walked to the estate’s gate, we saw Prince Valen approaching the estate atop his gray pegasus, which was dashing through the sky. The second prince of Polpystan was today’s guest. His medium-length, light-purple hair fluttered in the wind as he waved his hand enthusiastically. Meanwhile, his pegasus kept rapidly getting closer to the estate and elegantly landed, passing through the open gate. Several people, who I assumed were the prince’s guards, were also behind him.
After Prince Valen alighted from his pegasus, Lord Nazel walked up and greeted him.
“Welcome to our estate, Your Highness.”
“It’s been a while, Nazelbart. Your assistance was invaluable during the big hopper incident and with obtaining provisions afterward.”
“I’m glad I could be of service.”
After Prince Valen finished his short exchange with Lord Nazel, he casually turned toward me and smiled.
“It’s been a while, Lady Agnes.”
“Greetings, Your Highness.” I returned Prince Valen’s smile and greeted him as he approached me.
“I’ve missed you for so long. Your smile is as soothing and lovely as always.” The prince suddenly held out his hand.
Is he offering a handshake? Thinking that, I also held out my hand. Prince Valen took it in his own, brought his face close, and was about to kiss it...until Lord Nazel stopped him by pulling me back and separating me from Prince Valen.
Kissing the back of one’s hand is a Polpystani greeting. That took me by surprise. I knew it was a formal greeting from a man to a woman, but since it wasn’t common in Desnim, I’d been a bit bewildered. Lord Nazel seemed to be in the same boat, as he furrowed his brow while staring at the back of my hand.
Prince Valen seemed to have anticipated Lord Nazel’s reaction and remained nonchalant.
“You never let your guard down, Nazelbart. By the way, Lady Agnes, how about we take a walk around town togeth—”
“Your Highness. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t so shrewdly invite my wife out on a date. I can accompany you if you’d like to tour Sutrena.” Lord Nazel pulled me farther away from Prince Valen.
Perhaps understanding Lord Nazel’s intention, Defi stood next to him protectively.
“Oh? Who is he?” Prince Valen looked at Defi curiously.
“A guest of ours.”
“He isn’t a Desnimer, is he? He looks like a Myzahni.”
Myzahnis tended to have somewhat darker complexions than Polpystanis, so they were easy to tell apart. The situation had gotten tense. Polpystan and Myzahn had been hostile with each other for a long time, and even now had a standoff along their shared border.
Defi looked at Prince Valen a bit awkwardly—a former aide of the Myzahni prince and a Polpystani prince. Although Prince Valen was unaware of Defi’s true identity, the two of them were in complicated positions.
✦ ✦ ✦
Hmm, I should change the topic. There was no need to reveal Defi’s background. I decided to tell Prince Valen something I’d been thinking for some time.
“Your Highness, we’ve actually founded a school here in Sutrena. I’d like to hear your impressions.” I wanted to know his opinion as the current chairman of Polpystan’s Masroono National School.
Prince Valen’s expression relaxed in response.
“Oh, of course, Lady Agnes.”
“Thank you very much.”
“The two of us can take our time touring the school you built.”
“The three of us,” Lord Nazel interjected. I also thought it would be better that way. Lord Nazel had been wary of Prince Valen for a long time, so I didn’t want to make my husband worry.
“Let’s go with all three of us, Your Highness. Oh, should we call Paul and Ryuk too? I’m sure they’d like to see you,” I suggested. With this and that, we’d soon decided to tour Sutrena’s school with a rather big group.
“Come to think of it, how has the soil in the Duchy of Masroono fared since our visit, Your Highness?” Lord Nazel asked.
“There haven’t been any major changes; the land is still barren. It should take much longer for it to recover. Although we’re currently looking for solutions we can implement even in Polpystan, we don’t have anyone like you with vegetation magic, so there are many challenges ahead of us. We also have tensions with Myzahn, so I’d like to resolve the problem as soon as possible.”
“Myzahn, huh?”
“Yes, things have gotten tenser than before. It seems that the Myzahni side is plotting something. The reason for my visit to Desnim is to ask for support.”
I remained quiet and listened carefully to Lord Nazel and Prince Valen’s conversation.
I’m sure that’s why Queen Latriche married into the Desnim royal family.
Desnim didn’t want to get directly involved in the conflict, but without Polpystan acting like a breakwater, so to speak, Myzahn could reach Desnim directly; it was quite the conundrum. Sutrena was located in the southern part of Desnim, so it couldn’t remain unrelated to all this.
I’m also worried.
Matters with Master Robin had long since been resolved, but one thing after another kept cropping up.
“You two will head for the capital soon, right? Could you please put in a good word for me with King Bertrand?” Prince Valen asked.
“I doubt Desnim intends to take direct part in an attack on Myzahn...but since Queen Latriche has married into the royal family, Desnim should be planning on offering support. There shouldn’t be any need for a good word from the Margrave of Sutrena.”
“It would be reassuring to have your help, Nazelbart.”
“You can leave assistance with food up to me. Lately, Sutrena has been thriving not only in stock raising but agriculture too.” Lord Nazel was being noncommittal. The final decision was up to King Bertrand, so Lord Nazel was unlikely to intervene directly unless Sutrena was facing a crisis. In fact, he already had his hands full with his own territory’s problems.
“I’ve also heard that a Myzahni helped Robin—the former princess’s partner—escape...”
Defi flinched at Prince Valen’s words and quietly averted his gaze. I casually hid him behind me.
“K-Kelly, get ready to welcome our visitors from Polpystan...”
“As you wish, Lady Agnes.”
“Defi, I’d be happy if you could help Kelly.”
“Of course. I was already planning to.”
As Kelly quietly returned to the manor, Defi discreetly took his leave with her.
Good, Defi wasn’t exposed, I thought as I watched the two of them leave. The whole incident around Master Robin was set aside for now. After checking on Prince Valen, I felt relieved.
With that settled, the welcome party for Prince Valen and his entourage was held without any issues.