Chapter 104

With the chilly rainy season behind us, the mornings were starting to warm up. Feeling an altogether different kind of warmth, I relaxed my cheeks. “…This is unusual. Looks like I woke up first today, Euphie.” Still slumbering soundly beside me was the person who mattered most to me in the whole world—Euphyllia Fez Palettia. I stared at my beloved’s sleeping face, and that alone was enough to inspire a fresh wellspring of affection deep in my chest. She clung to my arm, so I reached out with the other, brushing her hair away from her face. She let out a soft moan at the small touch but showed no sign of waking up. “Upper Light isn’t too far off, so you’ll have to start getting up on time, you know?” The month of Upper Light was one of the most important in the calendar of the Kingdom of Palettia, heralding the beginning of the new year. Nobles who had returned to their own territories during the rainy season would make their way back to the royal capital for it, and Euphie would be kept busy with her official duties as queen. Truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to pamper my hardworking darling to my heart’s content. Considering our respective social positions, however, life wasn’t quite so easy. “I’ve got to spoil you as much as I can before then…” It was incumbent on any member of the royal family to always be aware of how they were viewed by others and to conduct themselves accordingly. For the longest time, I had abandoned that responsibility, but now that I had taken it on once again, I felt almost suffocated under its oppressive weight. “There’s still some time before we have to get up, so I might as well let her sleep a bit longer…,” I murmured under my breath. “…Then can I occupy some of your time?” I wasn’t expecting that response. Euphie, not as asleep as I had assumed, slowly opened her eyes to stare back at me with a languid look. “Ah, sorry. Did I wake you, Euphie?” “No, it’s okay. In any event, it’s time to get up…” “You can take it a little slower, you know?” “Of course. Which is why I wanted to take some of your time.” Still watching me with sleepy eyes, Euphie reached out to touch my neck. We were so close that we could bask in each other’s body heat, and we remained that way for a short while. I was happy just with that physical contact, but Euphie slowly pulled away, fixing me with a mischievous smile. I decided to lean in for a kiss, when— “Good morning, Queen Euphyllia! Good morning, Princess Anisphia! May I come inside?” A brisk knock was followed by an energetic greeting. Euphie placed a devilish finger on my lips, preventing me from getting any closer. “Next time.” “Ugh, where did the time go?! I woke up early and everything…” “Well, shall we get up? We have another busy day ahead of us, Anis.” “…Yeah. Let’s give it our all, Euphie.” We exchanged just the one kiss—barely a touch—as we pressed our foreheads together lightly before rising to our feet. “Good morning, Charnée,” I answered. “You can come in!” “Excuse me!” she called from behind the door, and a cheerful girl in a maid uniform stepped inside. Upon learning that we were looking to employ more staff, Charnée, from the Persimmon family, whose territory we had visited a while back, had volunteered to leave her home and join us at the detached palace. We were already familiar with each other, we got along well, and Charnée was naturally hardworking and diligent, so Ilia had assigned her as my personal maid. I couldn’t be more grateful. “Good morning, Charnée. You seem as lively as ever,” Euphie said. “Yes! That’s my forte, Your Majesty! Your clothes are ready whenever you are!” “Then I’ll go get changed. See you later, Anis,” Euphie said with a light wave as she slipped on a gown and left the room. “Bye, Euphie,” I called after her. Charnée offered Euphie a polite bow, then jolted upright like a spring-loaded doll. It was so comical that I almost burst out in laughter. “Now then, Princess Anisphia! Let’s get you ready, shall we?” “Of course. Thanks again.” “Leave it to me! I’m confident I’ll meet Lady Ilia’s every expectation!” Watching Charnée enthusiastically set about her duties, I could tell she was in higher spirits now that her family estate was faring better. It was a wonderful transformation to see firsthand. While she helped me get dressed, I counted the days since she had started working here. “It’s been what, six months since you came to the detached palace, Charnée?” I asked. “Yes, that’s right!” “You didn’t go home during the rainy season, did you? Is everything all right back there?” “I’ve only just started working here, so it’s too early to take a vacation! And don’t you worry about my family, Lady Anisphia! Thanks to Queen Euphyllia’s support, things are picking up—and of course, that’s also thanks to you! You defeated that Fenrir before it could do any major damage!” “You don’t need to praise me like that… So your father is hard at work, I take it?” Viscount Persimmon’s holdings had been so heavily ravaged by monster attacks that he had even considered relinquishing his noble title. Given the value of his territories to the kingdom, Euphie had decided to aid in their recovery.