Up close, he was definitely young, perhaps the same age as Lord Simeon. His hair, which fell down to his shoulders, was a dark-gray color, and his body was even more toned than I’d thought. He’d been talking with the embassy staff at the entrance, but once he spotted us, he hurried over.
“Your Highness! Are you going back now?”
“Yes. Did something happen?”
There were traces of panic on his face. It seemed he and the staff had not merely been chatting.
“My apologies, but we found an issue with the wheel installation on your carriage as we were inspecting it.”
His face, which was serious while not being outstandingly beautiful, elegantly stiffened as he made his diligent report. As expected of an attendant of a crown princess, he hadn’t slacked on ensuring her safety. He’d managed to find a defect before she’d gotten into the carriage.
Just as I was feeling relieved about that, the princess’s face clouded over. “Can it not be fixed without delay?”
“I’ve requested just that, but it will take time no matter what.”
“I see...” She must not have had time to waste. She turned back to the ambassador. “Ambassador Van Rail, please let me use one of the embassy’s carriages. I don’t have time to wait for the repairs. I have to hurry back immediately.”
“Er...” The ambassador took a moment to think, then looked to another staff member who came near us. “Aren’t our carriages out right now?”
“Yes sir,” the staff member replied.
Princess Mira raised an eyebrow, so the ambassador explained. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but both of our carriages are in use at the moment. The councilors took them.”
“You only have two? No more?”
“None.”
“No...”
One would perhaps have felt that two carriages was a small number for an embassy with its own building, but this was standard practice. Maintenance fees for carriages were high, and they took up space. The horses that drew them were living beings, so they required daily care and health checkups. In other words, carriages were very luxurious items that required money, space, and human effort.
The staff themselves couldn’t own personal carriages, as they were dispatched from their own kingdoms and were only residing in this one temporarily. Their living spaces already had high rents, so they took communal carriages to work, only using the embassy carriages for official outings. If events overlapped and the carriages were filled up, then they rented carriages from a third party or even used fiacres. As for Ambassador Van Rail, he had someone pick him up at the same time every day to go to work, meaning he also didn’t have a carriage of his own.
“This is a real problem...” lamented the princess. “What should I do? I already snuck out without telling anyone. If I don’t make it in time, it would be terribly rude of me. Mace, I know the carriage is damaged, but it was able to make it here, right? It’s not like it can’t travel. Can’t I still use it to get to the palace?”
She asked this of her attendant in a slightly sweet voice, like a child making a selfish request of a family member. So his name is Mace. He must be particularly close to her.
He shook his head. “We don’t know if it will hold out until the palace. Worst-case scenario, it’ll break down en route. It could be dangerous depending on the situation, so you cannot use that carriage.”
“No...” She really must have been out of time. Her expression was deeply troubled.
Ambassador Van Rail tried to console her. “I’ll rent a carriage for you. We should be able to get one quickly, since the shop is right nearby.”
Mr. Mace spoke up. “Actually, why don’t we have her use Mrs. Flaubert’s carriage?”
His words made everyone recall my existence. They all turned at once to stare at me, which made me wince.
He gestured at me. “We wouldn’t want anyone to find Her Highness, so I don’t want her to use a rental carriage. And if we use Mrs. Flaubert’s, she can depart right away. Won’t you let her?”
His dark eyes shot straight through me, almost making me crack under the pressure. His skin was rather tan, so he certainly had different features than that of the typical Visselian.
“I don’t mind,” I replied. “But it only seats two, so only one person can accompany her. Is that all right?”
I’d gone out by myself this day, so I’d used the smaller, one-horse carriage, thinking I wouldn’t need a larger one. I was worried about whether that would be enough for the princess and her entourage, but—
“I’m the only one accompanying Her Highness today.”
I was taken aback. “Really? No guards?”
Princess Mira confirmed. “Mace used to be part of the military, so he doubles as a guard.”
“Is that so...?” So he really does have military experience.
That aside, I still wanted to ask if a single guard would really be enough. The princess might have snuck out, but only one attendant? I’d have still been worried, even if her original carriage hadn’t been defective. Even Lord Simeon, who was treated as a superhuman by his subordinates, wouldn’t agree to be the sole guard of royalty.
I glanced at the ambassador, who gave me a wry smile. He was surprised as well. This princess truly made bold decisions that belied her lovely appearance. There was no time to think it over, however.
“Then there aren’t any issues.” I nodded. “I’ll have my carriage brought over here immediately.”
I called for the manservant who’d driven me here. He’d been in one of the waiting rooms having tea and sweets, probably not expecting to leave so quickly. He hurried over to me, his cheeks puffed up like a squirrel’s with snacks.
I laughed. “Seems they treated you well.”
“Heh heh!” This boy, who was still in his mid-teens, gulped down his mouthful and giggled. “I was waiting by the carriage when they called me inside!”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but hurry and get the carriage ready.”
“Yes ma’am!”
With crumbs still stuck to his face, he ran off without even a single complaint. I’ll be sure to give him some sweets myself later.
Princess Mira fidgeted. “Um, thank you... What will you do, Mrs. Marielle?”
“I’ll go home by fiacre. They should be able to pick me up quickly from here.”
“I’d feel bad if I let you do that. If it’s all right with you, let’s go together. If I recall, House Flaubert is in the same direction as the palace, is it not?”
“Yes, it’s near the palace, but then Mr. Mace wouldn’t be able to ride with you.”
Mr. Mace didn’t hesitate to answer. “I will ride in the driver’s seat.”
“Only one person can sit there.”
“I’m sorry to that boy, but can’t he get home on his own? I’ll take the reins.”
Ah, right. If Mr. Mace is the princess’s only attendant, then he drove her here too. I figured it would be all right in that case, and it would’ve bothered me to just send him and Princess Mira off without making sure they made it to their destination. It was best for me to ride with them.