“You think things are gonna be okay with us making such a sudden entrance?” Norbert asked.
“We’re fine,” said Seiichirou. “We sent a notice via magic ahead of time.”
However, given that they only sent a message before they left and another one the day before they arrived, it was certainly possible that the Egorovan side would refuse to trust it.
When they announced to the palace gatekeeper that the Holy Maiden had arrived, he looked like he’d been bowled over for a second before he hurriedly scampered off. The group entrusted their carriages to palace staff and were escorted to a small room that looked like a lobby.
Normally, VIPs would have been given their own rooms in the palace immediately upon arrival, but the wires had gotten crossed, it seemed. Seeing an obviously noble lady sitting in a room meant for merchants to make deals with the palace made for quite an amusing picture.
“Oh, right, Mist—er, I mean, Sir,” said Sigma, breaking the awkward silence in the room. “I forgot to give you that thing you asked for. Here it is.”
The boy who looked most comfortable in their current surroundings seemed to have relaxed a little because he pulled a small box out of his bag and handed it to Seiichirou.
“Ah, so it’s done. Great timing.”
“Yeah, I told you it was simple. I was gonna give it to you straight away, but I forgot after all the stuff that happened. Sorry.”
True, he did get pulled along into the Holy Maiden’s impromptu courtesy call to a foreign nation in a magic-enhanced carriage that practically zipped them to their destination. Little wonder he was confused.
“What’s that?” Seemingly unruffled about being in a foreign palace, Norbert peered over Seiichirou’s shoulder at the box on his palm.
It was purple, square, and sturdy-looking.
“A secret,” Seiichirou said.
“What?! C’mon, tell meeeee!”
As this kerfuffle was going on, there was a loud metal clanking sound, accompanied by the hasty entrance of several armored knights. Behind them was a familiar slender man who seemed out of breath.
“Phew… Th-that’s them, all right! The Romany court magician, the knight, and the civil official…” The wheezing man was Donato, the sorcerer from the Egorovan delegation. Apparently, the palace had gotten someone who had actually been to Romany to identify them.
“So that’s the actual Holy Maiden…?”
“B-but how’d she get here so fast?!”
Even after receiving confirmation, the Egorovans were still flabbergasted. They could not hide their confusion over how Seiichirou’s group had shown up a mere day after them.
Just when Seiichirou was thinking that they were wasting their time sitting around, Erene elegantly stood up from the stone chair that had looked so out of place against her class.
“I am Erene Rein, member of Count Rein’s house and daughter of Marquess Indolark of the Romany Kingdom. I understand your need to confirm our identities, though I was wondering how long you were planning on keeping us cooped up here. The Holy Maiden is weary from her journey. I pray you welcome her in haste.”
Her voice rang out with authority.
Silence came over the room, so heavy that one could hear a pin drop, and then the Egorovans practically fell over themselves to show their guests through the palace.
Oh, so that’s what she meant by ‘we need a noble’, thought Seiichirou as he gazed at Norbert, supposedly also a member of a count’s family.
They were ushered into a lavish reception room that could not have been more different from their previous accommodations. The ceiling was decorated in golden patterns, and the furniture was awash in yellow and red. The chandeliers were also beautiful in their intricacy. Judging by how the light beamed at unnatural angles, they might have been magic tools.
Although the Egorovan palace was made of stone, giving it a more rustic look than Romany’s, the interior was sparkling. Seiichirou had gotten the impression from the fine detail in the Egorovans’ clothing that their magic tools and technology allowed for impressive advancements in their handicrafts and manual work. Perhaps that only made sense for a cold, mountain-locked country.
Several sofas and chairs surrounded a table. Yua and Erene took the front sofa while Seiichirou, Orjef, and Norbert sat on the chairs. Sigma insisted on standing with the attendants at first, but when Seiichirou asked him to catch Ist who was scurrying about the room, they both sat down on the back sofa.
After a round of tea, a manservant opened the door and Lars strode in, clad in an even more resplendent outfit than what he wore in Romany. He had a feeling that this clothing probably featured a traditional design native to Egorova.
A girl in a black shirt and dress came in after him. The shirt had red and gold embroidery, while the skirt was laced with red and green. Her luscious, neatly trimmed black hair fell past her shoulders. And she had the same jade green eyes as Lars.
“Wait? What? Whaaat?!”
Unsurprisingly, Sigma’s eyes went wide as saucers.
Because that face belonged to Luciano, the boy who came to Romany as an Egorovan envoy. There were no two ways about it.
Lars smiled awkwardly at the gaping visitors.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting. It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Holiness. And you as well, Lady Rein. I am Lars Eric Egorova, third prince of Egorova. And this is…”
Gently, he nudged Luciano’s back. The boy…er, girl, took a step forward, clutched the ends of her skirt, and curtsied elegantly.
“I am Lufina Cujeltika Egorova, third princess of Egorova.”
“Wha—?!”
Seiichirou could tell that Sigma had turned to stone behind him, though he wasn’t particularly shaken himself. The other adults were surprised, though a look of understanding came over their faces. Yua, who was seeing the girl for the first time, simply nodded.
They’d been told initially that Luciano was a boy with blood ties to the royal family. It wasn’t a huge leap for her to be bona fide royalty. Given that she was at an androgynous-looking age, concealing her gender was the easiest way to go incognito.
“I knew I’d seen her somewhere before…,” Orjef muttered.
“Did you not realize when you met her?” Erene needled him. Apparently, it was typical for members of a marquess family to study the portraits and family trees of foreign royalty.
Norbert, who was technically royalty himself, quickly looked away when Seiichirou glanced at him. He hadn’t clocked it, either, it seemed.
“But I must say, I never imagined that Romany’s Holy Maiden would visit our kingdom on such short notice.”
Lars was questioning why the Holy Maiden would suddenly choose to make her first foreign visit, as well as her uncanny travel speed.
“Well, our nations will be collaborating on magic technology,” Yua said. “I would love to lend my assistance.”
“Consider it a testament to the great trust Egorova has earned within Romany,” said Erene.
“High praise, indeed.” Lars’s gaze swept over the guests from Romany once more, briefly stopping at Norbert, but when he spotted the masked Seiichirou further along, his eyes widened ever so slightly. “In any case, I am sure you are weary from your travels. Please, do take your time to rest. Romany’s Holy Maiden will always be welcome in Egorova. His Majesty and many others would love to extend their greetings, so I hope that you stay the night.”
He was all but saying that things were in a rush at the moment and they needed time to prepare. Seiichirou felt bad for him, but he was in a hurry, too.