I explained as much to the Flaubert manservant and pulled some money out. “Use this for a fiacre.”
“I can just walk back at this distance.”
“It’s too far.”
“I’ll go slowly. This is the perfect opportunity for me to slack off from work!”
“Are you sure you should be telling me that?” This boy did his job well, but he had quirky moments like this. I laughed again and handed him the money. “Oh well. Do as you please. If you won’t take a fiacre, then take this as your allowance.”
“Thank you very much! This is why I like you, Young Madam. You understand me so well!”
“Yes, yes. The city gets dangerous at night though, so try not to take too many detours.”
“Yes ma’aaaaam.”
As I lectured the manservant, Mr. Mace checked the wheels of the Flaubert carriage.
He turned to the boy. “You’ve conducted maintenance inspections on this carriage, yes?”
“Of course, sir! I made sure to do so before today’s outing as well,” our manservant said with pride. Everyone in House Flaubert is a hard worker, so they never cut corners, I’ll have you know.
The princess and I got into the carriage while Mr. Mace skillfully climbed onto the driver’s seat and gripped the reins. The ambassador, the manservant, and the staff waved us goodbye as we set off. We soon passed through the embassy gate.
“That child seems to get along well with you,” whispered Princess Mira as she gazed out at the buildings. It seemed she’d found my chatter with the manservant curious. Her expression wasn’t one of warmth, but ambivalence.
“He’s a bright child who’s carefree around everyone,” I assured her. “He said he’d slack off today, but he usually works very hard.”
“I see...”
Mr. Mace was rushing our horse, so the carriage was picking up speed. We rode on the road leading north.
“I was surprised that he was talking that way to his master, but he didn’t seem to be looking down on you, so I assumed you are on good terms.”
“Yes, everyone in House Flaubert is rather close. Conflict is unavoidable with so many people, but the butler and the head maid keep all the staff in line. My mother-in-law also keeps a close eye on the household. She takes care of everything that comes up. She’s a very capable madam—I’ve learned so much from her.”
“You live in a very nice house, then.”
Princess Mira didn’t speak of Lord Simeon, perhaps not wanting to bring up the previous topic in such a narrow space. I could tell she was feeling awkward. I’d prepared myself to part ways with her earlier, but to think we’d end up going home together...
I wondered about the reasons behind the princess’s actions, but I didn’t try to force it out of her and instead opted for harmless topics. Though her expression had been rigid before, Princess Mira gradually opened up as we talked, becoming brighter.
“Where is the Flaubert estate? Let Mace know once we get near.”
“Ah, you don’t have to stop there first. I’ll see you off to the palace, then head home.”
She sighed for a moment. “I’ve caused you so much trouble. Indeed, sneaking out and taking only Mace was rude to Lagrange.”
“That’s not quite what I meant...” I wasn’t trying to blame her. I really just wanted to see her arrive safely at the palace—I wouldn’t be able to rest easy otherwise. Lord Simeon wouldn’t be pleased if I let her go free either. “You’ll get there faster that way. Do you think you’ll make it in time for your next appointment?”
“At this pace, yes. Really, thank you. You were a huge help.”
Our carriage made it to the suburbs quickly. The government buildings and offices faded into the distance, and the view opened up around us. Though this area was primarily residential, there weren’t too many buildings, so the natural scenery was on show. The road angled up a hill, and after crossing it, the mansion district lay below.
We’d dropped in speed for a period, but we picked up again once we began our descent. I usually crossed this road at a slow pace, so the scenery passing us by so swiftly frightened me a bit. We might have been in a hurry, but I couldn’t help but feel we were going too fast.
The princess must have had the same notion, for she called out the window. “Mace, you can go a little slower.”
I heard a “yes ma’am” from the driver’s seat, but the carriage’s speed did not lessen at all. There was a river ahead, and the bridge was rather narrow, so it would be dangerous for us to cross it going so quickly.
“Mr. Mace,” I signaled. “It would be risky to get near the bridge at this speed. Please hit the brakes.”
“Yes ma’am... But I’ve been stepping on them since earlier...” His voice was laced with panic. “They won’t work. The carriage isn’t responding at all—we aren’t slowing down.”
“Huh?” I’d heard his words, but they didn’t register for several seconds.
The brakes aren’t working? We aren’t slowing down?!
Those ideas were terrifying. We wouldn’t have needed the brakes had we been going slower—the carriage could be stopped without them. But we were on a hill, accelerating at an alarming rate.
I leaned out of the windowsill and checked what was in front of us. The bridge was drawing closer. To make things worse, an oncoming carriage was crossing it. It was almost fully across, so it couldn’t move over. Surely that carriage was panicking too. Even if we changed our direction, buildings and objects were stationed on either side of the road, so we could only go straight.
With the brakes not working, our only hope was our horse. Mr. Mace yanked on the reins. At this rate, stopping suddenly would make us flip over, so he was trying to get us to decelerate gradually and doing a good job with what he had to work with. Unfortunately, the bridge was upon us. There was a very high chance we wouldn’t make it.
“Mr. Mace! There’s an open space along the river! Once you pass the last building, please turn left!”
I made this decision on the spot and issued him an order. A sudden turn was also dangerous, but it would most likely be safer than hitting an oncoming carriage. I prayed that we wouldn’t fall into the river as I took my seat, pushing Princess Mira’s head down and covering her with my body.
“Mrs. Mari—”
“Get as low as you can!”
I prepared myself for impact and used my entire body to cover her, as if to push her farther into her seat.
A moment later, our carriage veered left. Centrifugal force slammed me into the right wall, then the whole carriage shook violently. A whinny from the Flaubert horse pierced the air. I ground my teeth together and desperately held on to Princess Mira. We were being thrown around within this narrow space, so my body hit the walls several times. Tears welled up in my eyes from the pain and fear.
Stop, please, stop!
After one lunge that was noticeably larger than the rest, the carriage body spun and tilted. Are we going to flip after all? And into the river?!
✦ ✦ ✦
