The Kingdom of Sharkah was full of birds.
There was a lot of grass, a lot of trees. There were a lot of people.
Every time Liene breathed, she felt the moisture lingering in her nose. The Kingdom of Sharka, which bordered the sea, also had a lot of moisture in the air.
“There’s an interesting smell in the air.”
After the unusual scenery appeared before her eyes, Liene couldn’t take her eyes off the window.
She sat with her hand on the window as if it was nailed and looked at the flowing scenery.
“It must be because it’s by the sea.”
“Ah... They say that seawater smells different from land water, so that’s why.”
“It might be because it’s humid and your skin might feel sticky or you might feel bad. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. It’s so amazing. I’ve only been here for three days, but there’s such a different place.”
Now the carriage entered the downtown area.
In terms of scale, the Kingdom of Sharka was a great nation, three or four times larger than Nauk.
Just watching the people going back and forth in the downtown area seemed like it would easily take a day.
“But it’s strange.”
“What’s this time?”
“There are so many people, but the road isn’t crowded. They must have stopped the carriage several times in Nauk.”
Black smiled vaguely at those words.
“Maybe it’s because everyone gives way to us.”
“Give way?...Ah.”
It wasn’t giving way, it was that they were supposed to get out of the way.
The large eight-headed carriage that looked like a fortress and the twenty-five-strong Tiwakan had a presence that made it hard to block the road, even in dreams.
Liene didn’t know because it was so far away, but the people of the Sharka Kingdom were wide-eyed and stealing glances at the foreign visitors.
“I think we’re almost there.”
Black turned his head to look at him for a moment, then turned back to the window at those words.
“Really? But this is still a downtown area...?”
“I’ve rented an inn. No mansion’s suitable. We’ll rest there for a while, send a message to Queen Sharka, and wait for her to invite us.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Dakgakdakgak... Knock.
The carriage stopped shortly after.
The inn that Black had rented was located at the end of a busy street.
Thanks to that, the inn was much larger than the others, and it also had a great view from the back. To the right, the high walls that served as the northern fortress were visible, and to the left, the endless blue sea was visible at a glance.
Knock knock.
After sitting in the carriage for a while in the inn yard, Randall came over and knocked on the door.
“You can get out.”
Black got out first and held out his hand to Liene. After taking her hand and stepping onto the carriage step, it felt like they had returned to a castle, not an inn.
All the inn workers were out, bowing their heads politely.
“I’m saying this in case you feel uncomfortable, but our party is the only one in the inn.”
Black rented the entire inn.
The innkeeper had been urging his workers to come out to greet him.
“Welcome. We wholeheartedly welcome you from a foreign land.”
There were quite a few workers. The inn building was large and magnificent, so it had to be that way.
...How much money did he have to spend?
I shouldn't have offered to follow you.
Liene smiled bitterly, slightly lifting the hem of her clothes and nodding slightly.
“Thank you for the welcome.”
“This way. I will take you to your room.”
The innkeeper, who was dressed much more extravagantly than most nobles of Nauk, politely waved.
The room she entered was on the top floor of the third floor, very large, with a high ceiling and a spacious terrace, offering a full view of the ocean.
“It’s a nice room.”
When Liene said this, the innkeeper’s face turned red and he bowed.
“Our inn is known to be the largest and best-equipped in the southernmost part of the country. The number of guests who visit here is also quite high, so recently, the Kingdom of Lekes...”
“You can leave now. If you need anything, my subordinates will come find you.”
Black cut off the innkeeper’s endless speech.
“...Yes, yes. Well then. Please get some rest.”
The innkeeper, who had to be several times more perceptive than others, shut his mouth and left the room.
“I almost got offended. Come here.”
Black motioned to Liene, who was looking around the room.
“Why are you offended?”
“You weren’t offended?”
“What?”
Black untied Liene’s cloak string and placed it on his arm.
“Just now.”
“The innkeeper?”
“Because he was staring too much.”
“...? Did he? I don’t know. That’s what everyone says when they talk.”
Black’s face crumpled for a moment and then cleared.
“I’m glad you didn’t feel uncomfortable.”
Liene seemed to be unaware of how and how people were looking at her. Je hoped that she would not be noticed as much as possible in the Sharka royal family, which was no different from the kingdom of beasts, but he wondered if that would be possible.
“Don’t you want to take a bath? It’s understandable, considering the long journey.”
“The timing is ambiguous. Is that okay?”
“Now is the perfect time. There’s nothing to do but wait for Queen Sharka’s invitation.”
“Okay then.”
The innkeepers filled the bathtub with water and warmed it up.
Black volunteered to help Liene bathe, saying strange things about being wary of everyone.
In the meantime, the information broker hired by Fermos was very busy asking for news.
“Everyone here seems to have eaten something wrong.”
Randall, who had just met the information broker, shook his head in disgust.
“What kind of hardship are you making me endure in this humid and hot place... You obviously don’t know the way, so what if you tell me to come to a place I know? There must be a lot of people under you.”
Randall was not usually the type to joke around. He just hated this damp, sticky sea air.
Instead of listening to his joke, Black handed him the glass of water he was holding.
The glass of water the innkeeper had just brought him was sour and refreshing, with some unknown fruit and incense in it.
Aside from the fact that the innkeeper kept knocking on the door, saying he had prepared something for him and wanted to give him something, his throat felt refreshed.
“Ugh... What is this? It’s not even alcohol, but it’s incredibly delicious.”
“Go down and ask for more. What do you want to say?”
“...I think the King will be having a banquet soon. The Princess is pregnant.”
“Is that how you usually do things?”
“No way. What kind of foolish royal family would throw a banquet without knowing what would happen to the baby in their stomach? There are even rumors that the Princess was the one who made him cry. And while they’re at it, let’s invite Archduke Alito as well.”
“That must be their intention. They’re keeping in mind that we’ll negotiate with the Archduke over Dieren. They’re trying to avoid being isolated... I guess their position is more precarious than I thought.”
“The only person they can hold onto right now is the King. The Queen, who heard about the banquet, threw her plate at the servant who brought her the news while eating.”
“That’s just how she is. We should be careful.”
There’s no way Queen Sharka would show her temper in front of a foreign royal, but it wouldn’t hurt to know.
“Why is the King protecting the Archduke despite knowing the Queen’s opposition? Has anything been revealed yet?”
“There’s nothing clear. The King and Queen weren’t on good terms originally... Oh, but it’s strange. The King used to pay attention to the Queen, but now he doesn’t even do that.”
“There’s no mention of the King believing the Grand Princess’s child is his?”
“Huh? No, no matter what, that’s... No matter how bad the family is, it’s too much. How could that be possible?”
“If it’s the Grand Princess. She wouldn’t be in a position to be picky right now. She’ll be even more so when she finds out I’m here.”
Even if he needed to protect Liene, there was a reason why he showed up so conspicuously.
Princess Bliny must have heard by now that Tiwakan had arrived in Sharka. She had been terrified that the person in question had shown up in person since she had rejected the request to exchange the hostage and the ring without a word. Especially if it was Tiwakan.
“Well. There’s no way she wouldn’t know. If we contacted her directly, wouldn’t they return the item? Should I tell them to contact her?”
“No. It’s unnecessary. If she has the heart to return it, she will show up. Perhaps she doesn’t.”
“Hmm... Then I guess I’ll have to wait for the invitation as planned.”
“Did the gift reach the Queen of Sharka?”
“The ones I sent haven’t returned yet. They’ll be back soon.”
“Send them up right away when they do.”
“Yes, my lord.”
At that moment, Liene came out of the bathroom after bathing.
The clean, fragrant smell of warm water wafted in the air.
“Oh, it’s Sir Randall. Did you get any news?”
“Yes? Oh, oh... Uh...”
Randall stuttered, unable to answer strangely.
It was strange. It wasn’t a new thing that Liene was a rare beauty. Even when Black proposed, he thought it wasn’t just a rumor, even though he had seen her from afar.
However, hr swear that Liene had changed recently. Her eyes were always moist and her lips were red, and she was not a Princess from some distant land, but a beauty so close and vivid that he was often embarrassed.
The Princess who had just come out of the bathroom was wearing a sharka-style bathrobe, and although it was not something he had seen before, it was as if he had never seen it before, and he felt embarrassed.
Randall didn’t know where to look.
Black jumped up and stood in front of Liene with his arms spread out.
“I told you to call me when you were done bathing.”
“So you came out knowing someone was there?”
“Good idea. Just keep on keeping your guard up.”
Not to him, but to the other guys.
There was a lot of grass, a lot of trees. There were a lot of people.
Every time Liene breathed, she felt the moisture lingering in her nose. The Kingdom of Sharka, which bordered the sea, also had a lot of moisture in the air.
“There’s an interesting smell in the air.”
After the unusual scenery appeared before her eyes, Liene couldn’t take her eyes off the window.
She sat with her hand on the window as if it was nailed and looked at the flowing scenery.
“It must be because it’s by the sea.”
“Ah... They say that seawater smells different from land water, so that’s why.”
“It might be because it’s humid and your skin might feel sticky or you might feel bad. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. It’s so amazing. I’ve only been here for three days, but there’s such a different place.”
Now the carriage entered the downtown area.
In terms of scale, the Kingdom of Sharka was a great nation, three or four times larger than Nauk.
Just watching the people going back and forth in the downtown area seemed like it would easily take a day.
“But it’s strange.”
“What’s this time?”
“There are so many people, but the road isn’t crowded. They must have stopped the carriage several times in Nauk.”
Black smiled vaguely at those words.
“Maybe it’s because everyone gives way to us.”
“Give way?...Ah.”
It wasn’t giving way, it was that they were supposed to get out of the way.
The large eight-headed carriage that looked like a fortress and the twenty-five-strong Tiwakan had a presence that made it hard to block the road, even in dreams.
Liene didn’t know because it was so far away, but the people of the Sharka Kingdom were wide-eyed and stealing glances at the foreign visitors.
“I think we’re almost there.”
Black turned his head to look at him for a moment, then turned back to the window at those words.
“Really? But this is still a downtown area...?”
“I’ve rented an inn. No mansion’s suitable. We’ll rest there for a while, send a message to Queen Sharka, and wait for her to invite us.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Dakgakdakgak... Knock.
The carriage stopped shortly after.
The inn that Black had rented was located at the end of a busy street.
Thanks to that, the inn was much larger than the others, and it also had a great view from the back. To the right, the high walls that served as the northern fortress were visible, and to the left, the endless blue sea was visible at a glance.
Knock knock.
After sitting in the carriage for a while in the inn yard, Randall came over and knocked on the door.
“You can get out.”
Black got out first and held out his hand to Liene. After taking her hand and stepping onto the carriage step, it felt like they had returned to a castle, not an inn.
All the inn workers were out, bowing their heads politely.
“I’m saying this in case you feel uncomfortable, but our party is the only one in the inn.”
Black rented the entire inn.
The innkeeper had been urging his workers to come out to greet him.
“Welcome. We wholeheartedly welcome you from a foreign land.”
There were quite a few workers. The inn building was large and magnificent, so it had to be that way.
...How much money did he have to spend?
I shouldn't have offered to follow you.
Liene smiled bitterly, slightly lifting the hem of her clothes and nodding slightly.
“Thank you for the welcome.”
“This way. I will take you to your room.”
The innkeeper, who was dressed much more extravagantly than most nobles of Nauk, politely waved.
The room she entered was on the top floor of the third floor, very large, with a high ceiling and a spacious terrace, offering a full view of the ocean.
“It’s a nice room.”
When Liene said this, the innkeeper’s face turned red and he bowed.
“Our inn is known to be the largest and best-equipped in the southernmost part of the country. The number of guests who visit here is also quite high, so recently, the Kingdom of Lekes...”
“You can leave now. If you need anything, my subordinates will come find you.”
Black cut off the innkeeper’s endless speech.
“...Yes, yes. Well then. Please get some rest.”
The innkeeper, who had to be several times more perceptive than others, shut his mouth and left the room.
“I almost got offended. Come here.”
Black motioned to Liene, who was looking around the room.
“Why are you offended?”
“You weren’t offended?”
“What?”
Black untied Liene’s cloak string and placed it on his arm.
“Just now.”
“The innkeeper?”
“Because he was staring too much.”
“...? Did he? I don’t know. That’s what everyone says when they talk.”
Black’s face crumpled for a moment and then cleared.
“I’m glad you didn’t feel uncomfortable.”
Liene seemed to be unaware of how and how people were looking at her. Je hoped that she would not be noticed as much as possible in the Sharka royal family, which was no different from the kingdom of beasts, but he wondered if that would be possible.
“Don’t you want to take a bath? It’s understandable, considering the long journey.”
“The timing is ambiguous. Is that okay?”
“Now is the perfect time. There’s nothing to do but wait for Queen Sharka’s invitation.”
“Okay then.”
The innkeepers filled the bathtub with water and warmed it up.
Black volunteered to help Liene bathe, saying strange things about being wary of everyone.
In the meantime, the information broker hired by Fermos was very busy asking for news.
***
“Everyone here seems to have eaten something wrong.”
Randall, who had just met the information broker, shook his head in disgust.
“What kind of hardship are you making me endure in this humid and hot place... You obviously don’t know the way, so what if you tell me to come to a place I know? There must be a lot of people under you.”
Randall was not usually the type to joke around. He just hated this damp, sticky sea air.
Instead of listening to his joke, Black handed him the glass of water he was holding.
The glass of water the innkeeper had just brought him was sour and refreshing, with some unknown fruit and incense in it.
Aside from the fact that the innkeeper kept knocking on the door, saying he had prepared something for him and wanted to give him something, his throat felt refreshed.
“Ugh... What is this? It’s not even alcohol, but it’s incredibly delicious.”
“Go down and ask for more. What do you want to say?”
“...I think the King will be having a banquet soon. The Princess is pregnant.”
“Is that how you usually do things?”
“No way. What kind of foolish royal family would throw a banquet without knowing what would happen to the baby in their stomach? There are even rumors that the Princess was the one who made him cry. And while they’re at it, let’s invite Archduke Alito as well.”
“That must be their intention. They’re keeping in mind that we’ll negotiate with the Archduke over Dieren. They’re trying to avoid being isolated... I guess their position is more precarious than I thought.”
“The only person they can hold onto right now is the King. The Queen, who heard about the banquet, threw her plate at the servant who brought her the news while eating.”
“That’s just how she is. We should be careful.”
There’s no way Queen Sharka would show her temper in front of a foreign royal, but it wouldn’t hurt to know.
“Why is the King protecting the Archduke despite knowing the Queen’s opposition? Has anything been revealed yet?”
“There’s nothing clear. The King and Queen weren’t on good terms originally... Oh, but it’s strange. The King used to pay attention to the Queen, but now he doesn’t even do that.”
“There’s no mention of the King believing the Grand Princess’s child is his?”
“Huh? No, no matter what, that’s... No matter how bad the family is, it’s too much. How could that be possible?”
“If it’s the Grand Princess. She wouldn’t be in a position to be picky right now. She’ll be even more so when she finds out I’m here.”
Even if he needed to protect Liene, there was a reason why he showed up so conspicuously.
Princess Bliny must have heard by now that Tiwakan had arrived in Sharka. She had been terrified that the person in question had shown up in person since she had rejected the request to exchange the hostage and the ring without a word. Especially if it was Tiwakan.
“Well. There’s no way she wouldn’t know. If we contacted her directly, wouldn’t they return the item? Should I tell them to contact her?”
“No. It’s unnecessary. If she has the heart to return it, she will show up. Perhaps she doesn’t.”
“Hmm... Then I guess I’ll have to wait for the invitation as planned.”
“Did the gift reach the Queen of Sharka?”
“The ones I sent haven’t returned yet. They’ll be back soon.”
“Send them up right away when they do.”
“Yes, my lord.”
At that moment, Liene came out of the bathroom after bathing.
The clean, fragrant smell of warm water wafted in the air.
“Oh, it’s Sir Randall. Did you get any news?”
“Yes? Oh, oh... Uh...”
Randall stuttered, unable to answer strangely.
It was strange. It wasn’t a new thing that Liene was a rare beauty. Even when Black proposed, he thought it wasn’t just a rumor, even though he had seen her from afar.
However, hr swear that Liene had changed recently. Her eyes were always moist and her lips were red, and she was not a Princess from some distant land, but a beauty so close and vivid that he was often embarrassed.
The Princess who had just come out of the bathroom was wearing a sharka-style bathrobe, and although it was not something he had seen before, it was as if he had never seen it before, and he felt embarrassed.
Randall didn’t know where to look.
Black jumped up and stood in front of Liene with his arms spread out.
“I told you to call me when you were done bathing.”
“I was going to do that, but I heard you talking."
“So you came out knowing someone was there?”
“Was it a secret that I was here?”
“That’s not it...”
Black swallowed a sigh that he couldn’t let out.
“Get out.”
So it was Randall who was hit by the arrow.
“Yes, yes...? Oh, yes. Yes!”
Randall left the room in a hurry without even greeting Liene.
“Are you done talking?”
Liene asked as if she didn’t know anything.
Black stared silently at Liene, who was dressed differently than when he was in Nauk.
Why did I tell you to wear this robe? A robe without buttons.
He had been feeling it every day lately.
He seemed to have drunk the peach wine that the gods made. Liene had already been the prettiest face in the world in his eyes, but these days, her beauty was so intense that it was almost exploding.
What on earth was going on?
A person’s face can’t suddenly change, but small things like expressions and complexions must have changed.
He swore that Liene didn’t need to become prettier at all. It was already difficult.
Even guys like Randall would change their complexions as soon as they made eye contact, so it goes without saying that other humans didn’t need to.
“The Princess needs to be aware of how you look to others.”
Black pulled up the hem of her gown, which didn’t need any more cinching.
“Why? Oh... can’t I wear this gown instead of clothes? It’s similar to the clothes I wear in the evenings in Nauk, except that it’s easy to put on and take off because it doesn’t have buttons.”
From Black’s perspective, it was different. Very different.
First of all, it was a completely different outfit in that it was easy to put on and take off.
The difference between the thick and heavy Nauk-style cloth and the Sharka-style cloth was that it was thin, light, and colorful, which was a secondary problem.
On top of that, if she came out with a moist expression after bathing, he would be a narrow-minded man who would chase away his poor subordinate.
“From now on, call me when you’re done bathing.”
Don’t just come out because someone is there. At least Black wants to kick him out where the Princess isn’t looking.
“I don’t want to bother you. It’s not like I always have to have the ladies take care of my bath in Nauk.”
“I want to do it. I really want to.”
Fortunately, Liene believed his words.
Well, it wasn’t a lie.
He really didn’t want to show this appearance to other guys.
“If that’s what you want.”
Liene smiled slightly embarrassedly and patted his chest.
“You’re saying that it’s not like you came to do something very important that will determine the future of Nauk, but rather a honeymoon. It’s nice to be affectionate, but at least make sure you’re nervous. I told you that I came with a firm resolve.”
Nervous.
Those were the words he needed at that moment.
“That’s not it...”
Black swallowed a sigh that he couldn’t let out.
“Get out.”
So it was Randall who was hit by the arrow.
“Yes, yes...? Oh, yes. Yes!”
Randall left the room in a hurry without even greeting Liene.
“Are you done talking?”
Liene asked as if she didn’t know anything.
Black stared silently at Liene, who was dressed differently than when he was in Nauk.
Why did I tell you to wear this robe? A robe without buttons.
He had been feeling it every day lately.
He seemed to have drunk the peach wine that the gods made. Liene had already been the prettiest face in the world in his eyes, but these days, her beauty was so intense that it was almost exploding.
What on earth was going on?
A person’s face can’t suddenly change, but small things like expressions and complexions must have changed.
He swore that Liene didn’t need to become prettier at all. It was already difficult.
Even guys like Randall would change their complexions as soon as they made eye contact, so it goes without saying that other humans didn’t need to.
“The Princess needs to be aware of how you look to others.”
Black pulled up the hem of her gown, which didn’t need any more cinching.
“Why? Oh... can’t I wear this gown instead of clothes? It’s similar to the clothes I wear in the evenings in Nauk, except that it’s easy to put on and take off because it doesn’t have buttons.”
From Black’s perspective, it was different. Very different.
First of all, it was a completely different outfit in that it was easy to put on and take off.
The difference between the thick and heavy Nauk-style cloth and the Sharka-style cloth was that it was thin, light, and colorful, which was a secondary problem.
On top of that, if she came out with a moist expression after bathing, he would be a narrow-minded man who would chase away his poor subordinate.
“From now on, call me when you’re done bathing.”
Don’t just come out because someone is there. At least Black wants to kick him out where the Princess isn’t looking.
“I don’t want to bother you. It’s not like I always have to have the ladies take care of my bath in Nauk.”
“I want to do it. I really want to.”
Fortunately, Liene believed his words.
Well, it wasn’t a lie.
He really didn’t want to show this appearance to other guys.
“If that’s what you want.”
Liene smiled slightly embarrassedly and patted his chest.
“You’re saying that it’s not like you came to do something very important that will determine the future of Nauk, but rather a honeymoon. It’s nice to be affectionate, but at least make sure you’re nervous. I told you that I came with a firm resolve.”
Nervous.
Those were the words he needed at that moment.
“Good idea. Just keep on keeping your guard up.”
Not to him, but to the other guys.
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