“But after going to the Empire, my husband told me that was wrong,” she continued. “Little by little, I learned to accept my thoughts and feelings and express them as my own emotions.”
“So that’s what happened.”
“That’s why, when you first called me ‘Your Highness,’ I was so sad that I nearly cried. I couldn’t break in front of the delegation, though, so I desperately held back my tears.”
It seemed that I hadn’t imagined the lonely expression on her face at the time.
“Adele, thank you for being angry on my behalf,” I said. “That’s more than enough for me, so please don’t let it torment you any longer.”
“Francette...you really are a kind girl.”
“Not as kind as you, Adele.”
When she heard that, her frown finally left her face.
I whispered in her ear, “Can we continue to act as normal sisters when it’s just the two of us?”
“Of course, Francette. You’re my one and only precious little sister,” she said, flashing me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.
With all of the misgivings between us ironed out, we excitedly chatted about recent events. My sister wanted to know more about my husband-to-be, Gabriel.
“When I read in your letter that you were engaged to the slime duke, I was shocked beyond belief,” she said. “Um, to be honest, I had assumed that you would marry Prince Axel. Before I left for the Empire, he said to entrust you to his care.”
“Oh. Well, he did keep his promise. Right after you left, he offered to become my guardian, but I immediately declined.”
“What?! Why would you do that?!”
“Prince Axel had already protected us from losing our noble status. I couldn’t possibly impose on him further.”
“I see...”
“But it’s because I lived in the old part of town that I was able to meet Gabriel and Wibble. I believe that my current happiness is a reward for my past efforts, so I’m going to keep working as hard as I can.”
“Your past efforts led to your current happiness... Yes, you’re right.”
Misfortune was unavoidable, but if all you did was complain about it, you wouldn’t find fortune. I had faith that if I stayed optimistic, good things would happen.
“Even at my age, I still have so much to learn from you,” my sister said.
“And I’ve learned a lot from you!” Even the way I carried myself was based on her. Without my sister as a role model, I wouldn’t have appeared dignified in front of others.
“Let’s keep inspiring each other to grow.”
“Yes!”
We reflected on the years we’d been apart. There was no shortage of stories to tell.
“By the way, what kind of person is the slime duke?” my sister asked.
“He’s very sensitive and gentle.”
“Oh? I had the impression that he was the stoic and flawless type.”
I giggled, remembering my first encounter with Gabriel at my home in the old part of town.
“Did I say something funny, Francette?”
“Ah, I was just reminded of our first meeting.” A group of thugs had shown up at my house, and just as they had been about to attack me, Gabriel had come to my rescue, emerging from the hedge with leaves in his hair.
“Is he an amusing person?”
“Yes, he’s always making me laugh.”
“I see. He seemed sort of unapproachable, but I suppose that isn’t the case.”
“Indeed, he’s very friendly.”
Personally, I was curious about the imperial prince who had asked for my sister’s hand in marriage. Apparently I’d once exchanged words with him when I was a child, but I couldn’t recall a single thing about him.
“What about your husband?” I asked. “What is he like?”
“Well...he’s cheerful and intelligent, but I have no idea what he’s really thinking. I suppose you could say he’s good at communicating while obfuscating his true intentions? To be honest, I still don’t know why he chose me.”
“Maybe he developed affection for you back when you were young?”
“That seems unlikely...”
“But normally, it wouldn’t make sense for a future emperor to remain unengaged for as long as he was.”
“You have a point. Thinking back on it, we met when I was six or seven years old, I believe... I remember holding hands and running around the garden. He taught me how to climb a tree.”
“You climbed a tree?”
“Yes, but he fell and— Oh!” My sister’s hand slapped over her mouth.
“Did you recall something?”
“Yes. He got a cut on his forehead when he fell. It wasn’t a serious injury, but I was panicking and crying, and I shouted, ‘I’ll take responsibility!’ without understanding what it meant.”
In situations like that, taking responsibility meant marriage.
“Perhaps my husband remembered that, and that’s why he wanted to marry me?” my sister mused.
“But you were already engaged to Prince Mael at the time, weren’t you?”
“Indeed.”
“So...” What if the honey trap was set up by the imperial prince? Prince Mael breaking off the engagement could easily be considered an act of disrespect towards the imperial family, yet they did not object. Could that be because the imperial prince had planned everything?
“Were you going to say something, Francette?”
“N-No, it’s nothing!” Surely he wouldn’t go that far, I thought, dismissing the possibility. “A-Anyway, a lot has happened, but I’m really glad I’m able to talk to you like this now.”
“Me too.”
My sister explained that it had taken a long time to convince her husband to allow her to stay in Triste for a week.
“Don’t you think he was being unreasonable?” she complained. “I just wanted to spend time with my sister after being separated for so long.”
“He must’ve been worried about you.”
“Even if that were the case, he’s too overprotective. He normally doesn’t even let me go out unless I have a very good reason.”
“I’m surprised he permitted it this time, then.”
“The emperor, the empress, and mother supported me in persuading him.”
“Th-That’s impressive.” It seemed that my sister had powerful allies in the Empire.
“Now that I’m finally free, I plan to truly let loose. I’d like to attend the village festival tomorrow, Francette.”
“Yes, please do! I’ll show you around.”
Our enjoyable conversation continued through the afternoon.
Many royal diplomats arrived in the early evening, and a banquet was held. It was the first time such a large number of dignitaries had gathered at the slime duke’s estate. Gabriel and his mother claimed to be extremely nervous, but if they were, it wasn’t outwardly noticeable.