“Farah, the topic of your marriage into the imperial family of Magnolia will come up soon. You must be ready.”
“Yes, mother,” I said, nodding in response.
Eltia, my mother, had informed me, Farah Lenarute, long ago that I would be marrying into the imperial family of Magnolia in order to strengthen the relationship between our kingdom and the empire. As a result, I seemed to be learning a lot more than others my age. I’d always had lots to study, so I wasn’t too bothered by it.
According to Asuna, my personal bodyguard, I was forced to do too much, and I appeared to be working too hard. I told her that it didn’t bother me, and she seemed a bit saddened by that. Rather than giving me some slack, I would have preferred that my mother and father praised me.
Today, I was in my mother’s room. She’d summoned me because she had something important to discuss.
“You will eventually move to the imperial capital, Farah. To prepare for your future, I think you should first visit the closest territory in the empire, the Valdia Mark. Make any preparations you need for the trip.”
“What? Understood, mother. I will speak to my ladies-in-waiting and pack what I need.”
I was hiding it, but I was shocked by this. I’d never visited the castle town, let alone another country. I never would have expected to be visiting the empire out of the blue.
“That is all I wanted to speak to you about,” she said. “You may be excused.”
“Very well,” I answered, bowing to her before leaving with Asuna.
We returned to my room, where I urged Asuna to take a seat and sat across from her. Asuna was an incredibly skilled swordswoman who’d agreed to become my personal bodyguard. Since I was little, everyone had known that I would eventually be marrying into a Magnolian family. I had memories of hearing someone say that they were having a hard time finding someone who would agree to be my bodyguard. As the person who’d accepted that role, Asuna was one of my very few allies.
“Have you ever been to the Valdia Mark, Asuna?”
“No, unfortunately I have not,” she replied apologetically. “I have traveled a bit within the kingdom, but I haven’t had many journeys beyond Lenarute.”
The Valdia Mark...
According to a lesson I’d had on the Magnolian Empire, the Valdia Mark was known as “the sword of the empire.” It was governed by Margrave Valdia, who was said to be one of the greatest warriors in the empire.
“Your Highness, I am sure you are quite curious about the Valdia Mark, but I have heard that long-distance travel by carriage requires a significant amount of stamina. If it is possible, it may be good for you to exercise a bit in preparation.”
“Is that so? Why would someone need stamina to simply ride in a carriage?”
Asuna let out a wry chuckle as she answered. “Apparently, the roads leading there aren’t well maintained, so the carriage will sway quite a bit and cause severe nausea.”
“That sounds terrible...”
I couldn’t imagine how bad the situation Asuna was describing might be. But despite her warnings, my heart was fluttering with excitement over my first foray into the outside world.
✦ ✦ ✦
Several days later, we secretly made our way to the Valdia Mark, visiting the empire just as my mother said we would. On the day of our departure, she and I traveled in the same carriage.
“The goal of this trip is to learn as much as you can about the atmosphere of Magnolia. You must keep that in mind.”
“I understand, mother,” I said, nodding.
Our carriage began moving. I’d barely ever stepped foot outside of the castle, so the view from the carriage window was all so new to me. I was completely enchanted by the view passing by, which seemed to protect me from the nausea that Asuna had warned me about.