“Oh, yes! Just moments ago, in fact!”
Karina gestured to the palace’s west wing, where the visitors’ quarters were located.
I turned my gaze to Karina’s entourage. There were two young women who seemed to be ladies’ maids, a knight for protection, and another young woman about our age, who was wearing a deep blue cape.
They’d clearly all come along to accompany Karina on her trip from Nigren to Najir.
“Princess, who is this?”
Ed’s voice was filled with concern and I jumped a little. Oh, right. Ed and Karina hadn’t met yet.
“This is Princess Karina, the first-born princess of Nigren. Princess Karina, this is my magic teacher, the Magical Researcher Edoile Licht La Boulacherie. He’s one of my brother Charles’s oldest friends.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord La Boulacherie. I am Karina Niqvist of Nigren.” Karina smiled at Ed.
Ed took Karina’s proffered hand and kissed the back of it.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our country, Princess Karina. I am Edoile Licht La Boulacherie, one of the Magical Researchers here. I will be your tour guide, of sorts, when you visit the Magical Research Laboratory the day after tomorrow.”
“A Magical Researcher? Wow, if you’re an official Royal Magician of Najir, you must really know your stuff! I’m really excited to see the Magical Research Laboratory. Ah, but what perfect timing! Here we have Nigren’s finest magician! Please, share your magical knowledge with her if it pleases you! This is Elena.”
“I’d be happy to impart whatever knowledge I can.”
Ed turned to the other young woman, Elena, in her dark blue cape.
Elena looked back at him with eyes as black as her hair, which was pulled back into a single braid.
“What field of magic do you specialize in, Elena?”
“…I dunno. I can do most stuff,” Elena muttered in a barely audible voice. Her face barely even moved as she spoke. She seemed very standoffish.
“I see.” Ed smiled wryly. “All right then, how about if I show everyone some unusual magic?”
Ed raised both hands, concentrating hard, and began to chant.
The golden particles began to swarm around him as he cast his spell. Elena and company simply stared, taken aback.
The next moment, the particles cleared, and one of the daisies that bloomed in the garden appeared, nestled on his palm. He’d used magical transference to bring one of the daisies from clear across the garden.
“Oh my, how amazing!”
Karina and her maids gasped and clapped. Clearly, they’d never seen Transference at work before. They all seemed shocked and delighted.
“Here, as a welcome gift.” Smiling, Ed offered the daisy to Elena.
Conflicted, Elena simply stared at it.
“I noticed you looking at those flowers as you walked in. Are they your favorites?” Ed tilted his head and looked kindly down at Elena.
“…Thanks…”
After a moment of tense silence, Elena reached out and tentatively took the daisy. Then she brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply.
She likes daisies? I wondered as I watched Elena enjoy the flower.
✦ ✦ ✦
TODAY was finally the day of my coming-of-age ceremony.
I was wearing a white dress like a bride, only it had fine gold embroidery all over it. Every time I moved, the skirts swayed, and the gold thread glinted in the light. The skirts clung tight to my lower body, and the bodice’s flower lacework was delicate. A red flower was in the center of the neckline, adding a single pop of color.
I reached up to feel the cool, heavy item around my neck. It was a necklace studded with diamonds, very royal.
“Here, Princess Annabel.”
“Thank you.”
Ellie held out my tiara, which was studded with the same kind of diamonds as the necklace. I lowered my head slightly, and then I could feel the heavy weight of the tiara on my head.
“You are truly beautiful, princess. The pride of Najir.”
“Hehe, you’re flattering me. But thank you, Ellie.”
“It’s the truth. I imagine many men will fall in love with you today!”
Ellie scrutinized my hair to make sure that every strand was in place. Then she smiled at me. I smiled right back at her.
Today was my coming-of-age ceremony as the first and only princess of the land of Najir. The great hall was already filled with guests, and the atmosphere was very joyful. If I listened closely, I could hear the musicians playing downstairs.
“Bel, are you ready to go?”
Charles appeared at my door with a knock.
Now that Charles was seventeen, he’d grown much taller and looked very princely indeed. In his white frock coat, he looked every inch the crown prince. I nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Then let’s go. Everyone is in the great hall, waiting to celebrate with you.”
Charles took off his gloves and held his hand out to me. Taking my hand, he smiled warmly at me. “You look adorable. I’m proud to call you my sister.”
“How many people are in the great hall?”
“Including the foreign guests and the domestic aristocracy, we’ve got about five hundred in attendance.”
“That many?”
I remembered a lot of people attending my coming-of-age ceremony in the last timeline, too. I had been so nervous that I couldn’t do anything except stare at my feet. Then Daniel had asked for my first dance. Things would be different this time.
As they saw us approaching, the knights on guard by the great hall doors dropped to their knees, lowering their heads. Then they rose and slowly pulled open the doors for us.
“Presenting Prince Charles and Princess Annabel!”
The officiary announced us. And then thunderous applause rang out. Charles escorted me right over to the king and queen—our father and mother. Seeing me resplendent in my white dress, they both broke into huge smiles.
After greeting our parents, I was besieged by guests who wanted to talk to me. I’d met some of them in the Sunruta Kingdom, and some I even remembered from my old timeline. But there were many more who I’d never seen before. Then, all of a sudden, a familiar face emerged from the crowd.
“Congratulations on your coming-of-age, Princess Annabel.”
“Thank you.”
It was Sunruta’s Prince Daniel, offering me his hand and gazing at me with his icy-blue eyes. I hadn’t seen him since his coronation ceremony.
“I am pleased to see you looking so well. You’ve bloomed like a rose in the garden. In just a few short months, your beauty has only grown.”
“Well…thank you very much.”
Was this what the world of high society was really like?
I had the feeling it was normal for men to praise the beauty of women with sophisticated metaphors, but it’d been years since I’d experienced it in my old world, and it made me blush terribly. Daniel narrowed his eyes in pleasure as he took in my reaction.
“I would like to request the honor of your first dance.”
I blinked back at Daniel.
“May I have the honor of partnering with you for your first dance?”
The phrasing was different, but I suddenly recalled how Daniel had asked me the exact same thing on our first meeting in the old timeline.
I hesitated.
This was how we became acquainted in the old world. Then Daniel had gone on to ask me to marry him. But this time, I had Ed, who’d already made his intentions known to my father and brother. So, Daniel couldn’t propose this time. There was no need for me to be so nervous.
“It would be my pleasure.”
Daniel smiled widely, pleased with my answer.