by Yu Sakurai
It was four years ago that his father, the Ilegar duke, brought Sumia into their home.
He told them that she was to be raised as the daughter of a baron they controlled, since the girl was one of the few wielders of Light Magic ever discovered. His father wanted Sumia to grow into a useful pawn, so he arranged for Ilius to educate her in secret.
Sumia was never fit for a commoner’s life of poverty—she was a girl able to play the part of a baron’s daughter.
On top of that, she was always eager to learn and improve, making her a wonderful student.
Sumia began her studies with only basic reading and writing skills, but she passed as the perfect noblewoman after only three short years of work. This was no doubt the result of both her talent and hard work.
But now, she’s acting like this…
Ilius stared at Sumia with bittersweet emotions inside him.
She was supposed to have memorized proper etiquette as a noblewoman, but it appeared to have been shallow knowledge all along. Ilius guessed the readiness and pride that all nobles needed to carry deep in their souls wasn’t something he could just teach her.
Is she acting this way because she finally won His Highness’s heart?
The commoner girl had faked her way into high society and made the prince fall for her. He could hardly imagine a more extreme boost to one’s self-esteem. Sumia had grown more and more arrogant, and all traces of that hard work and aspiration she’d once shown were long gone.
Even worse, Sumia had begun to harass Laetitia, her biggest threat, even more than before. She made up the lie about Laetitia pushing her down the stairs, shared it with Fritz, and forced him to end his engagement for no good reason.
And on top of it all, she’d called Laetitia out in the middle of the night after that and made ridiculous demands of the woman.
This was entirely out of line for any noblewoman. Twice now, she’d threatened the politics of their kingdom with her blunders. Sumia, along with her guardian, Ilius, was now the target of Duke Ilegar’s fury.
Ilius’s role was to make Sumia the crown princess and be sure not to leave any trace of their plot. To that end, he had been instructed to give Sumia more lessons on etiquette, which he was doing his best to carry out now.
He watched Sumia resist her homework, crying about how unfair it was, while on the inside, Ilius’s heart was roaming in different directions.
This was the day Laetitia left for her new home.
He first met the girl two years earlier when they’d entered the academy together.
When it came time for their entrance examinations, Laetitia was the one who took the title of top student, beating Ilius by only one point.
As he never imagined he would lose that spot, much less to a woman, Ilius took it as quite a shock. The two developed a rivalry as fellow honor students and began to drop their prim and proper facade when they interacted.
Between Laetitia’s menacing smile, her title as a duke’s daughter, and her beautiful yet stern amethyst eyes, the other students at the academy all did their best to avoid her.
But Ilius knew the truth.
He knew that every now and then, like when she’d solved a difficult problem or found joy in something around her, those eyes would soften and sparkle like violets in bloom.
She was a talented student, with an intellect rivaling Ilius’s, who hid away those tender eyes from the world.
The more he thought of her that way, the more Ilius began to feel that Fritz wasn’t good enough for Laetitia.
Fritz and Ilius were close enough that they spent time together at the academy. Ilius respected Fritz’s title as the crown prince, but that was about it. The boy’s personality was another matter. He completely lacked the desire to improve himself in any way and seemed only motivated by jealousy of others. It was hard to find any real appeal in the future king’s character.
Fritz was an ordinary man who just happened to hold the title of prince. Laetitia deserved a better husband than him.
Those feelings might have been why Ilius hesitantly agreed to participate in his father’s schemes. A year ago, his father approached him with the plan to set Sumia up with Fritz to become his future wife.
After that, Ilius spent his days busy with the work of pushing Sumia and Fritz together. The original plan was to wait a few years before spreading the news of their relationship, gather allies, and have Laetitia give up her engagement in a peaceful manner.
Now that she’s not the prince’s fiancée anymore, what’s going to happen to her?
Who would she marry? Was there anyone worthy of her in the kingdom?
Ilius had been trying not to think about any of it too much.
After all, Laetitia could even end up engaged to himself, the third son of the Ilegar family…and Ilius had no choice but to acknowledge that this might have been part of his calculations all along.
“…Maybe I deserved my punishment for that evil deed.”
Sumia looked at him suspiciously when she heard him murmur this.
Ilius ignored her, looking off a bit to his right—the direction of the kingdom of Wolfvarte, where Laetitia was already heading.
With their plot collapsed because of Sumia’s recklessness, Ilius and his father were now under the Gramwells’ thumb, and on top of it all, Laetitia was going to a foreign country to marry a king.
All that was left for Ilius was his duty to babysit Sumia, who had lost all sense of motivation, and his role of protecting Fritz, the empty-headed prince.
Though these consequences were the result of his own actions, he was surrounded by nothing but nuisances.
Ilius pushed up his glasses to hide the expression on his face.
Chapter 3: Campground Pot-au-feu and the Land of Fuzzy Friends
AFTER I left the capital city, my journey proceeded at a smooth pace.
Aside from having to swap horses once, after ours sprained its leg, the trip itself went without a hitch.
I had Lucian with me and two maids from home I was particularly fond of. I was also accompanied by a small platoon of royal guards to escort me to the new kingdom. It was a conservative escort party for a duke’s daughter on her way to become the queen of a neighboring kingdom.
The reason for this was our hasty departure, in addition to King Glenreed’s request that we arrive quietly. The mere idea of my trip turning into a whole procession seemed tiring, so this arrangement suited me better too.
At the king’s demand, we journeyed without stopping longer than needed at the various inns. Unfortunately, this was necessary for my safety.
And just as we were prepared to arrive in the Wolfvarte capital in one day’s time…
“Your scout caught wind of demons, so now we have to take a detour?”
I exited my carriage to listen to the royal guard commander’s report.
“Yes, m’lady! The scout received this information from a village up ahead. It appears there’s been a demon sighting near the main road… Do we have your permission to change course?”
The commander towered over me with a guilty look on his face. As I watched him shrink away in fear, my past life as a corporate drone came back to me and made me pity the man. I stood and thought about our best option.
Demons.
Since ancient times, these creatures have existed in our world and are said to harbor an intense hatred for humans. They sound more like something out of a fantasy story, and even after spending seventeen years in this world, I’ve never once laid eyes on a real one.
There was a simple reason for that: demons have long since been driven off into a small sliver of our continent, where they remain separated from humans.
However, there are always exceptions to every rule. Unfortunately, my future home was one such exception.
The Kingdom of Wolfvarte was occasionally referred to as “the Great Shield.” That name had a very regal sound to it…but the real reason for it was the demon-infested region just to the northeast o
f its border.
Fortunately, the Wolfvartian army was a powerful force. Demons had no reign over any territory within the actual kingdom…but from what I’d heard, it was nearly impossible to keep them out entirely. The demons would penetrate the borders and be spotted on Wolfvartian land at least once per year.
Just like animals and bugs, these demons became much more active during springtime. Another reason my marriage plans were finalized so quickly was to avoid the demon season peak.
“…Demons move in ways we can’t predict. We shouldn’t risk an encounter. Can’t we just take the other course?”
“Yes, m’lady. We’d certainly like to do that just the same…”
“Is something troubling you?”
I tried to smile gently at the commander, who seemed hesitant to speak. I only hoped that I was successful in avoiding my overbearing, evil-looking smile.
“I just don’t know where we might stay for the night. From what I’ve gathered, other travelers have also been forced to take shelter, so even if we take the other route, there’ll be no room at the lodge for any of us.”
“I see. Then could we make do with camping for tonight?”
We could take the horses and camp out beside the main road. Sleeping outdoors was something I rarely got to experience, so it actually sounded like fun to me.
“I appreciate the suggestion…but, Lady Laetitia, are you sure you’d be quite all right with that? Asking a noblewoman to rough it in the wild just doesn’t sit well with me…”
“I’ll be perfectly fine. The inns we’ve stayed at so far have all prepared exquisite meals for us, but if I’m being honest, I’m a bit tired of that kind of food. I’d like to try something new for today.”
I once again spoke of my desire to camp outside. The commander looked a little relieved to have my approval.
Well, that much was natural.
As a duke’s daughter, if I felt like it, I could wave my family’s name in the innkeepers’ faces and force them to make room for me. However, even if I gave such an order, the commander would have to be the one to carry it out. He’d be the target of all the cold stares from the displaced lodgers if he secured my spot by force.
I watched the commander’s back when he turned to leave, his posture now relaxed. It reminded me of the middle managers back at work and their visible relief whenever they avoided a disaster brought on by a careless boss.
◇ ◇ ◇
IT was settled. Our group would camp along the roadside.
Since this was a deviation from our plans, it took us a while to prepare, and soon it was even getting late for dinner.
A few of the guards were placed in charge of cooking, and as I watched them, it didn’t look too promising.
Many of these guards escorting me to my new kingdom were the sons of noble families themselves. This was meant to ensure proper social etiquette between us. When it came to cooking, these were the kinds of people who would leave the task to the commoner troops or their servants. I doubted they’d done any kitchen work in years. But surely there had to be some form of outdoor meal prep as part of their military training…
It was like watching a person who’d only ever cooked during their elementary school Home Ec classes suddenly trying to prepare a meal as an adult—not an ideal situation for anyone.
“YEOW…!”
Blood trickled down the tip of the guard’s finger, perhaps from a slip of his knife. It was the first blood shed on our otherwise peaceful journey. Seeing them struggle, I decided to intervene.
“Commander, may I help with the dinner preparations?”
“You, m’lady? I wouldn’t dream of asking you to do our job for us.”
“I’d like to try it for myself. I’m to become the queen of a kingdom where noblewomen participate in cooking, so I think it’d be a good idea to get some practice in. Isn’t it my duty to adapt to their culture?”
“…Very well. I wasn’t aware of the circumstances. Just please be careful not to injure yourself with any of the knives.”
“It’ll be my head if you end up getting hurt.”
Those words were written all over his face.
I sympathized, but really, I was at the end of my rope.
Every meal we’d eaten on our journey had been rich and savory. I knew that the innkeepers had pulled out all the stops in their cooking when it came to serving a duke’s daughter, but the number of spices was starting to get to me. And tomorrow, I’d be welcomed into the capital city. I had a feeling all my upcoming meals would be full of sumptuous, rich dishes. I wanted a delicious meal made to my liking, even if just for now.
One of the guards handed me a knife, and I held it in my hand for a moment to take in its weight. The handle was made of wood and had a bit of heft to it, while the blade was just like the ones I used back on Earth.
Next, I picked up vegetables from the basket and quickly took to peeling them with the knife. It started to get easier after a few attempts, and soon, I was peeling their skins with ease.
“Very well done, my lady.”
“Hehe! I’m more impressed with your work, Lucian.”
Lucian stood next to me, peeling one vegetable after the next. From what I’d heard, Lucian used to help out in the kitchen back when he lived at the orphanage, and he was an excellent assistant.
After making quick work of the vegetables, we started to dish out orders to the guards.
Our campsite meal would be a warm pot-au-feu packed full of vegetables.
I’d overheard them say the only seasoning they were going to use was salt—typical of soldiers inexperienced with cooking—so I wanted to add something special for the occasion.
“Could you please retrieve the dried meat from my luggage carriage and add it to the stew?”
“What? Are you sure? That meat’s meant for you, so it must be quite expensive.”
“It’s perfectly fine. Dried meat needs to be eaten quickly anyway, or it’ll lose its flavor. I’d like to use it all before it goes to waste.”
“…Yes, m’lady. We’re very grateful to hear you’ll share such a valuable ingredient with us.”
The commander bowed his head. Behind him, I saw the faces of the other guards light up.
After a full day of travel, riding their horses while clad in iron suits, it was only natural that they’d worked up a large appetite. Since we’d suddenly changed plans and decided to camp out, they’d had no time to prepare any meat for dinner either.
But my escort couldn’t hide their delight at this turn of events—they would be able to have meat tonight after all.
I knew I’d have to take great care with it so as not to let them down.
All the meat was specially prepared for me specifically, and that meant it was, once again, doused in spices and seasonings. But I decided a pot-au-feu would be a good opportunity to put it to use.
That is, I felt that its rich flavor might turn out better when diluted with water.
I filled the pot with water and added one strip of meat as a test.
Once the liquid came to a simmer and the meat became more tender, the mouthwatering scent of spices started to reach our noses.
“Mmm! It tastes as good as it smells.”
I scooped up some broth with a ladle and took a sip. My tongue was greeted by the savory flavor of the meat.
Satisfied with the taste, it was now time for me to complete the stew.
I added the onions, potatoes, and carrots into the pot and let the contents reach a good simmer.
The vegetables all started to slowly change color. I cut up the rest of the dried meat and added it to the pot. Finally, after letting it simmer for a while, I scooped up a spoonful to taste, then added a bit more salt, and then it was ready.
“It’s delicious…!”
“You can still taste the nice seasoning from the meat!”
“I’d have never thought you could make food this good over a campfire…”
The guards took sip
after sip of the piping-hot stew. I was pleased to see that they liked the meal.
Finally, I joined them, putting my lips to the fragrant bowl of pot-au-feu.
“So warm…”
The amber soup entered my mouth and immediately filled it with the hearty taste of broth. The onions were just slightly sweet, while the other vegetables dissolved in my mouth, and the heavily seasoned meat had been watered down enough to make for a nice accent.
I felt relief flood my body as the pot-au-feu warmed me from the inside out. Our party feasted as nighttime fell upon the spring campgrounds.
◇ ◇ ◇
THE next morning, we heated up the leftover pot-au-feu and ate it with bread before heading out early.
When we finally arrived in the capital city, I was greeted by an extravagant carriage meant for me. The sides and ceiling of the passenger car were completely open, allowing me to see the world around me. It was unlike any carriage I’d ever been in.
“Wow…”
It was my first look at the Wolfvarte capital.
The streets were lined with rows of white houses, framed with dark wood and topped by slanted roofs. On each side of the road, the people of Wolfvarte were gathered to catch a glimpse of my face on the way to the castle.
Human. Human. Human. Beastfolk, and then an animal.
I spotted a young girl with droopy, doglike ears, alongside an actual dog with ears of the same shape. Both of them had their eyes fixed on me.
Beastfolk in this world have the same faces, hands, and feet as humans. They also possess animal ears and tails.
Though they vary in appearance, beastfolk, at the end of the day, still walk on two legs like everyone else. They can’t just transform into actual animals or anything like that, from what I’ve heard. Beastfolk only retain certain features of those animals. Werewolves transforming into hounds under the light of the full moon are nothing but fairy tales in our world.
With these thoughts, I tried waving to the beast girl as I passed, but she flinched and turned red in response.
The dog sensed her sudden distress and began to lick the back of the girl’s hand. I saw her turn to stroke the dog’s head in return, realizing his concern for her.