“There are so many people here, princ- I mean, Lady Rosemarie!” Half out of excitement, Heidi came rushing into the waiting room with flushed cheeks, causing Rosemarie to rise from her seat.
“Huh? Is it already my cue? Wait, h-hold on...”
“No, you still have a while to go. Please, calm down, Your Highness.” Rosemarie’s eyes darted around the room without an ounce of composure. There, she saw Alto waiting by the door with a wry smile drawn across his trustworthy face. She sank back into her chair as if drained of her energy.
Night had passed, and it was now the day of the Imperial Bout.
Apparently, the preliminaries had been going on for a few days, but once it came time for the main contest, the number of spectators skyrocketed. Alto had told her that in Baltzar, where sorcerers were sprinkled all across the land, battles conducted between blades without the use of magic were quite popular.
The cheers and fervor of the crowd could even be felt from the waiting room facing the arena—so much, in fact, that it made Heidi restlessly ask permission to go and check how it was outside.
Having returned, Heidi patted her chest and caught her breath.
“...Don’t startle me like that, Heidi.”
“My apologies. The excitement of it all got to me. Oh, Prince Claudio seems to be on a tear through the competition.”
“—I see,” Rosemarie said and awkwardly nodded upon hearing Claudio’s name.
Ever since last night, she hadn’t been able to clear her mind, and was barely able to get any sleep. It was almost like she had contracted Claudio’s insomnia. However, it seemed that Claudio had a good night’s rest, and had gone off to the Imperial Bout in high spirits. It also seemed that since Claudio was so skilled, even though he was a last-minute entry, he was put into the main bracket.
Rosemarie’s unenthusiastic reply prompted Heidi to furrow her brow in concern.
“Are you nervous? It will be fine. All you need to do is, boop, gently toss the handkerchief to the victor.”
“Good maid, a simple, uh, ‘boop’ will not do. She needs to properly hand off the handkerchief—from one hand to another.”
“Oh, bother. You’re so uptight. Well, princess? A boop into the hand will do, right?” Alto sternly rebuked Heidi as she spoke in a tone brighter and cheerier than usual. Upon seeing this, Rosemarie chuckled a tad.
Relieved by that gesture, Heidi offered to make some tea and excused herself to the tea set already prepared in one corner of the room. Rosemarie turned her gaze from Heidi and suddenly called out to Alto, who was standing at attention by the door.
“Um, I do apologize for making you act as my bodyguard, Squire Clausen. I know you wanted to participate in the Imperial Bout...”
“Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary, milady. There would be some slight complications if I were to enter, so I abstain from participating every year,” Alto said, smiling over his dubious statement. Rosemarie blinked, perplexed, and Alto’s smile grew troubled.
“Rather embarrassingly, my sword techniques are not up to snuff. I also have somewhat of a habit of getting riled easily in the heat of battle, which contributes to me being all thumbs, so I wouldn’t stand much of a chance.”
For a knight whose convictions lie in the concept of fair-and-square combat, that was a bit of a problem. He was right, he couldn’t participate given all that, but it was incredible that he managed to rise through the ranks to Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard in spite of that. Perhaps seeing the doubt written on Rosemarie’s face, Alto smiled gently.
“I am ever so grateful to His Highness for deeming me as an invaluable resource despite my obvious flaws. Seeing as how you are held near and dear by His Highness, I have absolutely no objections to serving as your bodyguard. So please, rest assured it is not an issue, Your Highness.” Alto gave his knightly salute by putting his hand to his chest. Rosemarie stared at him with mixed feelings. Since his head was still human, she could be sure his words came from the heart. That same thing rang true even for Fritz, that clergyman who remained carefree even around Claudio.
Claudio must have been a good master to all of his aides and retainers—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been this well-loved.
She thought about how envious that made her—envious over building bonds so strong that you earn that much of an individual’s trust.
(Still, who do I envy out of the two—the prince or Squire Clausen?)
Rosemarie wasn’t sure which it was.
“Princess, here is your tea. It was quite hot, so I’ve let it cool off a tad. Unfortunately, I’ve run out of my stock of Kaola, so I had to settle for regular tea this time around.” Rosemarie was suddenly presented with a cup of moderately warm tea.
“—Thank you, Heidi.” After seeing Heidi’s smile, Rosemarie felt her sinking mood resurface. She responded with a smile of gratitude toward the maid, the one person who had never once abandoned her despite her flaws.