I thought doggies liked to run around outside even on cold days, but is Keel different? He’s just like a kitty. There’d been plenty of watchdogs at the palace, along with cats they’d had as pets, so even as a secluded princess, Elysia knew things about them.
Even so, there was probably no point in comparing Keel to the dogs and cats there. He was hardly a normal white wolf, after all, with his three-meter-long body and mysterious voice that resounded in the heads of humans when he spoke.
“You’ve been with Sir Zen for around twelve years by now, right? Don’t you at least know what his type is?” she persisted, not letting Keel sleep until he humored her.
Keel hesitated. Then, as if giving up, he responded in a sleepy voice. “I wonder. I only know of one girl who Zen liked.”
“You’re talking about my mother, Aness, right? So that means he prefers a girl who focuses on her career instead of family?” In that case, endeavoring to study political economics would get her closer to being Zen’s type after all, not improving her embroidery.
“I wonder. He’s an easygoing person. I don’t think he cares about superficial things like whether someone can sew or has good practical skills.”
“So he really just loved mother for who she was?”
He thought for a moment. “Indeed. It wasn’t any one thing that made her match up with Zen’s tastes. Her personality, her talents, the way she was raised—even how she and Zen met and the relationship they had was all part of it. That’s how you should think, at least.”
“Hmm. You’ve given me much food for thought, Keel.” Keel had actually been keeping the fact that he could talk a secret from Elysia until not too long ago, so they’d only started exchanging words like this very recently. The more they talked, the more Elysia understood how smart this white wolf was. “But then doesn’t that mean I’m nowhere close to being Sir Zen’s type? I’ve often been told I look just like my mother when she was younger, but I don’t think there’s much else that’s similar about me...”
“It’s too soon to come to that conclusion. I told you it’s about the organic mixture of several complex components, didn’t I? You’re your own person. That doesn’t mean your charm won’t be to Zen’s taste.”
“So that means I have a chance!”
“However, your age difference is a clear factor that works against you. That kind of superficial thing is considered important in human society, right? Zen does tend to be bound by social norms in some regards.”
“Oh, Keel, you’re so mean. You bring me up only to push me back down again.” She pouted, puffing out her cheeks. If she were to have made a facial expression like that back at the inner palace, the court ladies around her would have angrily scolded her for being rude. But there was no need to worry about that in this village. “If I don’t know what I should do to become Sir Zen’s type, then don’t you think I might as well work hard at sewing? There’s no reason he should be so adamant about stopping me, right? It’s like he’s limiting my potential.”
“Well, that’s probably because he wants you to focus on your future as an empress,” Keel responded like it was obvious.
Elysia knew that too, of course. She had also been the one who first wanted Zen to teach her the basics of how to govern a country. She didn’t intend to neglect that, and yet she insisted, “Right now I’m only a village girl. Coco is going to laugh at me if I can’t mend a single thing.” She’d brought up her more experienced, six-year-old peer who was learning housework from the same teacher.
Keel nodded as if to say, Indeed.
“Oh, Sir Zen is just so stubborn.” Elysia kept up her grumblings since, conveniently, she had someone here willing to listen to them. Internally, though, she was thinking, But to put it another way, his stubbornness means he has a strong will. That’s yet another one of Sir Zen’s wonderful qualities.
The phrase “love is blind” totally applied to this situation, but Elysia, who was a maiden who loved the idea of love, didn’t realize that yet.
In any case, it was only for now that Elysia could live a carefree life as a simple village girl. Whether it was in five or ten years, she’d one day have to return to the imperial capital.
The leading figures and bureaucrats who supported her, including the Leadon family, were all powerful people worthy of her trust. They would stir up political strife to expel the current prime minister’s party from the imperial court, and then they’d undoubtedly come to retrieve her.
When that happened, Elysia would be crowned empress. She would no longer have freedom. She’d have to muster the full power of her limited abilities and work diligently in the government to put the empire at ease. Marriage would definitely not go according to her wishes either. She’d probably be stuck in a loveless political marriage with a partner who was chosen based on his usefulness to the empire. As someone who’d been born as the imperial princess, she’d already long prepared herself for that.
But that’s why...at least for now, I... She wanted to live freely while she was in Todd Village. And if she could, she wanted to try being in a relationship with a man she loved. You would think five or ten years would feel long, but it was actually very short. Elysia, who was only fourteen, hadn’t really experienced it for herself, but that was what all her predecessors had said.
When she’d finished sweeping the house and was taking a breather, someone dropped by for a visit.
“It’s another beautiful day out, Elysia. Perfect laundry weather.” The next-door neighbor Donna had come to invite her. She was a very caring woman with a large build who was an expert at housework. It was all thanks to her that Elysia had somehow acquired the ability to cook and clean. She honestly thought of Donna as her master.