“Because a distinguished guest has been staying at Cichlid recently, there are strict orders not to let in anyone of unknown status... Of course, I’m not saying that the person in the carriage is like that...”
If you are a noble person, you are probably talking about Veronica.
But I had no identification at all. Even the clothes I was wearing were still maid uniforms. Until the day I set off, I had no intention of going far from the palace.
Jacqueline glared at me.
“No, doesn’t the Princess carry around even one badge?”
“...Even without that, everyone knew just by looking at the face.”
“That only works in the capital...”
"That doesn't work in rural eastern towns like this," Jacqueline added dejectedly.
Behind, the merchants could be heard cautiously saying, 'If it's difficult to prove, please step aside for a moment.' It was true that we were blocking one of the gates.
“The maids would have delivered the luggage every few hours, so we have no choice but to wait...”
“...There’s nothing I can do about it. It’ll probably be a bit strange.”
Jacqueline took something out of his bosom with a look of utter disgust on his face.
He opened the window and showed the doorkeeper his badge. It was a silver badge, no bigger than the palm of his hand, and had an anchor design engraved in pure gold.
The gatekeeper opened his eyes wide and looked back and forth between Badge and Jacqueline. His gaze was sharp with awe and wonder.
I think I know why. Reston is the only family in the East to use an anchor as their family crest.
The pirate Marquis who has been protecting the eastern seas since Batistan betrayed and left. The only admiral family that the East reveres.
“...I’m sorry I didn’t know. Welcome back.”
The gatekeeper stepped back. As he bowed, the sound of drums rumbled across the night sky.
Blue flags and tapestries were hung at every gate of Cichlid, to welcome the prodigal son of the East, who had returned after years of wandering.
A white flag means that 'Reston' does not stay within the walls, and a blue flag means that 'Reston' stays in this city.
Having heard that far, I looked back at Jacqueline with eyes that were almost in awe. He always seemed to be just wandering around leisurely, and I wondered what kind of son could be so carefree... He was a bigger person than I had thought.
“You are the son of such a noble family, so why did you ask for money?”
“I didn’t know you would really give it to me.”
He answered calmly.
“Then why didn’t you refuse?”
“Well, the more money the better, right? I don’t even plan on living off my family.”
You should take advantage of it in advance while you can. The voice that added this was definitely that of an immature child.
Kid, kid. Here, there was a kid worse than me. I pouted.
It was almost eleven o'clock when I entered the city of Cichlid. Since I was in no position to be picky, I chose a reasonably clean inn among the open ones.
The room rate was 10 gold rirams per night, but it was spacious and clean, as expensive as it was. What impressed me the most was the promise that hot food would be prepared right away for the knights.
The door opened with a loud knock after just two knocks. Jacqueline poked her head through the open door.
It seemed that the guard at the door was temporarily absent because the knights were busy unpacking their luggage. It wasn't a problem since I was half-laid out on the sofa anyway.
“Your Highness, is there anything you need?”
“No... But, sir. Aren’t you going to wash?”
“Oh, I’ll go out for a bit.”
“Right now?”
The words, 'At this hour of the night?' were added only with his eyes.
Jacqueline answered nonchalantly.
“It’s better to go out and eat. When it comes to Cichlid, there’s a night market along the coast. If you need anything, just let me know and I’ll buy it for you.”
I thought about it carefully, but nothing in particular came to mind. I did feel a little uneasy, though, since I had been wearing only a maid's uniform for several days.
As for the dress, since the maids will be wrapping it up and sending it to me from the palace anyway, I felt it was a bit of a waste to buy it for myself now. It wasn't worth a penny or two.
"No."
“Or would you like to go out together? The night market here is really nice.”
The Cichlid night market is so famous that it would be nice to go and check it out...
I didn't think I had the stamina to keep up. I was worried that if I went along for no reason, it might affect my schedule for tomorrow.
The other knights didn't say anything, so it seemed like he was just lying down and resting. That little brat. He really has good stamina.
“I’m fine. I’ll tell them to put on some bath water on the way down.”
“Yeah.”
He gave a comical salute and closed the door.
When I was left alone, a strange sense of reality and thrill washed over me.
Finally, we've come this far.
I took out the note I had rolled up from my sleeve. Beneath the illegible letters was a small note written by Jacqueline.
[Blue Jewel.]
Is the blue gem symbolic or does it literally mean a gem?
Since it's a sign used in the East, the difficult-to-read letters in front probably mean a specific region in the East.
Perhaps it was a town small enough to be a pirate symbol, or perhaps it had a strong connection to pirates. Or perhaps it was just a familiar idiom.
While I was engrossed in the note, there was a knock on the door. I was startled and stuffed the note back into the pocket of my maid's uniform.
“Who are you?”
“He asked me to bring some warm radish and water.”
Warm water? Oh, I asked Jacqueline for bath water. Without a moment's hesitation, I opened the door.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw three faces. While I was blinking and trying to figure out what was going on, an older man grabbed the shoulder of the waitress who had knocked on the door and pushed her out of my way.
“Please forgive my rudeness.”
It was as if he knew me, even though I was extremely reluctant to do anything that would expose my identity when I left the capital.
He also seemed to know that I would be wearing a maid's uniform.
Although he glanced up and down, there was no trace of suspicion on his face that I was not the person he was looking for.
“...Who are you?”
The servant standing next to the man began to speak loudly and at length.
“If I may speak to you, he is the guardian of the Bilbrin Sea and the Kisavr Reef region, the captain of the Cyclioton, and the greatest salt driller in the Empire...”
I knew it just from hearing those words. The nickname of the Empire's Greatest Salt Driller refers to just one person.
The man's wrinkled face showed signs of age, and his red hair was streaked with gray.
The middle-aged man smiled faintly at my surprised expression and added his last words.
“Yes. I greet Your Highness the Princess, the Admiral of the Eastern Sea.”
It was the appearance of the famous Admiral Reston, Jacqueline's father.
The strength in my hand that was holding the doorknob naturally released itself. An enormous figure jumped out from the entrance.
While I was panicking and panicking, Enoch, who arrived late, intervened and pushed the admiral away from me.
“It is rude of you to Her Highness without even requesting an audience.”
“It seems like the Princess is okay.”
The admiral glanced down at me and continued speaking.
“Then I will make my request now. I request a private meeting with Your Highness the Princess.”
“...There is no such case.”
Enoch gritted his teeth and said, “That was right." The request for an audience with the admiral was not only out of order but also out of manners.
It was now nearly twelve o'clock at night, and only a very limited number of people could ask for a private conversation with the Princess so late at night. They were either members of the royal family or maids who followed them nearby.
So it was one of three things. Either the admiral had no regard for etiquette to begin with, or he was belittling me, or... the situation was so dire that it was hard to be concerned about etiquette.
He seemed relaxed, but judging by the way he repeatedly opened and closed the pocket watch in his hand, it seemed most likely that it would be the last.
“I will accept your request for an exclusive interview. However, I cannot close the door. I cannot give in to that.”
“I will do that. But I would like to be assured that the secrets in this room will not leak out.”
“Sir Enoch. Please leave the door open and wait at a distance where your voice cannot be heard. The rest of the knights are ordered to stay below the stairs, and no one except Sir Enoch is allowed on this floor.”
I looked back at him.
“Is this okay?”
“That’s enough.”
There was a rustling sound of the knights retreating. The admiral and I were the only people on this entire floor, except for Enoch, who was glaring into the room from the bottom of the stairs.
As I stepped aside, he stepped gently into the room. The admiral was so tall that his head almost touched the ceiling.
He walked around in a circle and then continued talking.
“This room is too shabby to be fit for Your Highness.”
You acted so urgently, and then suddenly started talking about the room? I squinted my eyes, not hiding my suspicious expression.
“My modest mansion is two hours away by carriage. I would like to advise you to move into the Admiral’s residence.”
“Why should I do that?”
“When the royal family visits your jurisdiction, the nobles have to accommodate them without inconvenience.”
It was a principle that was difficult to refute. It was precisely because of this obligation that I had pressured Jacqueline.
But there was no way the admiral would have requested a private meeting for that. And he had come running in the middle of the night.
“I refuse.”
“Can I ask why?”
“I will be the one to ask. Admiral, tell me what your true purpose is.”
“...”
“I forgot to mention that I came all the way here because I was worried about the environment where I would be staying.”
He put his gloved hand to his temple as if he was tired. He seemed unsure of where to start or how to start talking.
He moved his lips for a long time before finally opening his mouth.
“...I know that Your Highness has my son with you.”
The business I had guessed was correct. Cichlid was a gateway city to the East, and everything in the East was under Reston's control. The Admiral would have heard straight away that someone had used Reston's token.
Jacqueline was the only Reston outside of the East, so it was no wonder he noticed the return of his troublemaking youngest son.
I answered in a stiff voice.
“I won’t deny it.”
If you are a noble person, you are probably talking about Veronica.
But I had no identification at all. Even the clothes I was wearing were still maid uniforms. Until the day I set off, I had no intention of going far from the palace.
Jacqueline glared at me.
“No, doesn’t the Princess carry around even one badge?”
“...Even without that, everyone knew just by looking at the face.”
“That only works in the capital...”
"That doesn't work in rural eastern towns like this," Jacqueline added dejectedly.
Behind, the merchants could be heard cautiously saying, 'If it's difficult to prove, please step aside for a moment.' It was true that we were blocking one of the gates.
“The maids would have delivered the luggage every few hours, so we have no choice but to wait...”
“...There’s nothing I can do about it. It’ll probably be a bit strange.”
Jacqueline took something out of his bosom with a look of utter disgust on his face.
He opened the window and showed the doorkeeper his badge. It was a silver badge, no bigger than the palm of his hand, and had an anchor design engraved in pure gold.
The gatekeeper opened his eyes wide and looked back and forth between Badge and Jacqueline. His gaze was sharp with awe and wonder.
I think I know why. Reston is the only family in the East to use an anchor as their family crest.
The pirate Marquis who has been protecting the eastern seas since Batistan betrayed and left. The only admiral family that the East reveres.
“...I’m sorry I didn’t know. Welcome back.”
The gatekeeper stepped back. As he bowed, the sound of drums rumbled across the night sky.
Blue flags and tapestries were hung at every gate of Cichlid, to welcome the prodigal son of the East, who had returned after years of wandering.
***
A white flag means that 'Reston' does not stay within the walls, and a blue flag means that 'Reston' stays in this city.
Having heard that far, I looked back at Jacqueline with eyes that were almost in awe. He always seemed to be just wandering around leisurely, and I wondered what kind of son could be so carefree... He was a bigger person than I had thought.
“You are the son of such a noble family, so why did you ask for money?”
“I didn’t know you would really give it to me.”
He answered calmly.
“Then why didn’t you refuse?”
“Well, the more money the better, right? I don’t even plan on living off my family.”
You should take advantage of it in advance while you can. The voice that added this was definitely that of an immature child.
Kid, kid. Here, there was a kid worse than me. I pouted.
It was almost eleven o'clock when I entered the city of Cichlid. Since I was in no position to be picky, I chose a reasonably clean inn among the open ones.
The room rate was 10 gold rirams per night, but it was spacious and clean, as expensive as it was. What impressed me the most was the promise that hot food would be prepared right away for the knights.
The door opened with a loud knock after just two knocks. Jacqueline poked her head through the open door.
It seemed that the guard at the door was temporarily absent because the knights were busy unpacking their luggage. It wasn't a problem since I was half-laid out on the sofa anyway.
“Your Highness, is there anything you need?”
“No... But, sir. Aren’t you going to wash?”
“Oh, I’ll go out for a bit.”
“Right now?”
The words, 'At this hour of the night?' were added only with his eyes.
Jacqueline answered nonchalantly.
“It’s better to go out and eat. When it comes to Cichlid, there’s a night market along the coast. If you need anything, just let me know and I’ll buy it for you.”
I thought about it carefully, but nothing in particular came to mind. I did feel a little uneasy, though, since I had been wearing only a maid's uniform for several days.
As for the dress, since the maids will be wrapping it up and sending it to me from the palace anyway, I felt it was a bit of a waste to buy it for myself now. It wasn't worth a penny or two.
"No."
“Or would you like to go out together? The night market here is really nice.”
The Cichlid night market is so famous that it would be nice to go and check it out...
I didn't think I had the stamina to keep up. I was worried that if I went along for no reason, it might affect my schedule for tomorrow.
The other knights didn't say anything, so it seemed like he was just lying down and resting. That little brat. He really has good stamina.
“I’m fine. I’ll tell them to put on some bath water on the way down.”
“Yeah.”
He gave a comical salute and closed the door.
When I was left alone, a strange sense of reality and thrill washed over me.
Finally, we've come this far.
I took out the note I had rolled up from my sleeve. Beneath the illegible letters was a small note written by Jacqueline.
[Blue Jewel.]
Is the blue gem symbolic or does it literally mean a gem?
Since it's a sign used in the East, the difficult-to-read letters in front probably mean a specific region in the East.
Perhaps it was a town small enough to be a pirate symbol, or perhaps it had a strong connection to pirates. Or perhaps it was just a familiar idiom.
While I was engrossed in the note, there was a knock on the door. I was startled and stuffed the note back into the pocket of my maid's uniform.
“Who are you?”
“He asked me to bring some warm radish and water.”
Warm water? Oh, I asked Jacqueline for bath water. Without a moment's hesitation, I opened the door.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw three faces. While I was blinking and trying to figure out what was going on, an older man grabbed the shoulder of the waitress who had knocked on the door and pushed her out of my way.
“Please forgive my rudeness.”
It was as if he knew me, even though I was extremely reluctant to do anything that would expose my identity when I left the capital.
He also seemed to know that I would be wearing a maid's uniform.
Although he glanced up and down, there was no trace of suspicion on his face that I was not the person he was looking for.
“...Who are you?”
The servant standing next to the man began to speak loudly and at length.
“If I may speak to you, he is the guardian of the Bilbrin Sea and the Kisavr Reef region, the captain of the Cyclioton, and the greatest salt driller in the Empire...”
I knew it just from hearing those words. The nickname of the Empire's Greatest Salt Driller refers to just one person.
The man's wrinkled face showed signs of age, and his red hair was streaked with gray.
The middle-aged man smiled faintly at my surprised expression and added his last words.
“Yes. I greet Your Highness the Princess, the Admiral of the Eastern Sea.”
It was the appearance of the famous Admiral Reston, Jacqueline's father.
***
The strength in my hand that was holding the doorknob naturally released itself. An enormous figure jumped out from the entrance.
While I was panicking and panicking, Enoch, who arrived late, intervened and pushed the admiral away from me.
“It is rude of you to Her Highness without even requesting an audience.”
“It seems like the Princess is okay.”
The admiral glanced down at me and continued speaking.
“Then I will make my request now. I request a private meeting with Your Highness the Princess.”
“...There is no such case.”
Enoch gritted his teeth and said, “That was right." The request for an audience with the admiral was not only out of order but also out of manners.
It was now nearly twelve o'clock at night, and only a very limited number of people could ask for a private conversation with the Princess so late at night. They were either members of the royal family or maids who followed them nearby.
So it was one of three things. Either the admiral had no regard for etiquette to begin with, or he was belittling me, or... the situation was so dire that it was hard to be concerned about etiquette.
He seemed relaxed, but judging by the way he repeatedly opened and closed the pocket watch in his hand, it seemed most likely that it would be the last.
“I will accept your request for an exclusive interview. However, I cannot close the door. I cannot give in to that.”
“I will do that. But I would like to be assured that the secrets in this room will not leak out.”
“Sir Enoch. Please leave the door open and wait at a distance where your voice cannot be heard. The rest of the knights are ordered to stay below the stairs, and no one except Sir Enoch is allowed on this floor.”
I looked back at him.
“Is this okay?”
“That’s enough.”
There was a rustling sound of the knights retreating. The admiral and I were the only people on this entire floor, except for Enoch, who was glaring into the room from the bottom of the stairs.
As I stepped aside, he stepped gently into the room. The admiral was so tall that his head almost touched the ceiling.
He walked around in a circle and then continued talking.
“This room is too shabby to be fit for Your Highness.”
You acted so urgently, and then suddenly started talking about the room? I squinted my eyes, not hiding my suspicious expression.
“My modest mansion is two hours away by carriage. I would like to advise you to move into the Admiral’s residence.”
“Why should I do that?”
“When the royal family visits your jurisdiction, the nobles have to accommodate them without inconvenience.”
It was a principle that was difficult to refute. It was precisely because of this obligation that I had pressured Jacqueline.
But there was no way the admiral would have requested a private meeting for that. And he had come running in the middle of the night.
“I refuse.”
“Can I ask why?”
“I will be the one to ask. Admiral, tell me what your true purpose is.”
“...”
“I forgot to mention that I came all the way here because I was worried about the environment where I would be staying.”
He put his gloved hand to his temple as if he was tired. He seemed unsure of where to start or how to start talking.
He moved his lips for a long time before finally opening his mouth.
“...I know that Your Highness has my son with you.”
The business I had guessed was correct. Cichlid was a gateway city to the East, and everything in the East was under Reston's control. The Admiral would have heard straight away that someone had used Reston's token.
Jacqueline was the only Reston outside of the East, so it was no wonder he noticed the return of his troublemaking youngest son.
I answered in a stiff voice.
“I won’t deny it.”
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