Chapter 12
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Translator: Diva
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: They Say Huge Age Gaps Don't Even Check Compatibility
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Just as I finally came to my senses and was about to ask why he'd moved my sleeping bag, Elhart spoke first.
"We were moving until dawn, so I'm starving and have no energy left."
Then, instead of burying his face in the pillow again...
I ended up leaving the room without asking a single question.
"......"
It wasn't until I was stepping out of the annex that my mind finally started working again.
'What was that?'
Did he just move me to the bed because the floor looked uncomfortable?
Connecting it to our conversation last night would be ridiculous, right?
'...He was just being nice. I shouldn't overthink it.'
In the end, nothing happened.
We didn't even hold hands; we just shared the bed.
More importantly, there was something else I needed to worry about right now.
'Iserna, you've let your guard down around Elhart this much already.'
No matter how much his mana scent matched, he wasn't Mikhail.
Yet I'd slept soundly while he approached me in my sleep and carried me to the bed. It was unbelievable.
Had I already given him the level of trust I'd built with my expedition teammates?
'What the hell is wrong with me.'
I swallowed a sigh and busied my hands.
My hands...
'Huh...?'
When did I get to the central palace kitchen?
"The prince must eat really well..."
The kitchen maid's voice trembled as I looked down at the basket—it was already filled to the brim with the food I'd packed.
"Yeah, well. He hasn't eaten properly in a while."
I brushed it off vaguely and quickly left the kitchen.
'Get it together. This isn't the time.'
I needed to think about when the crown prince would use that 'love potion' synthetic poison, and where I'd get the antidote if I was too late...
'Damn.'
As I reached the dining hall entrance, I let out a hollow chuckle.
"He's sending it again."
The crown prince was standing in the exact same spot as yesterday.
'No way that's a coincidence...'
I tried not to show my wariness and greeted him with a curtsy.
"Good day, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Yesterday was a coincidence, but today it's not."
"......?"
What? Did he read my mind?
"You're attending the banquet, right? I heard you need a dress."
"That's true, but..."
The crown prince beckoned to a passing attendant in the corridor.
"Deliver this basket to the guest in the annex."
"Ah, I'll take it there myself."
"Ser."
He smiled gently at me.
"Even if you start getting ready right now, you won't have enough time."
It was odd for the crown prince to personally handle a maid's dress.
He could have just sent an attendant or maid. Why was he doing this?
Combined with yesterday's events, it felt incredibly suspicious...
'He has no intention of backing down.'
I read the resolve in his eyes and expression.
Fine, then. No choice.
I'd have to yield to his power.
'He won't make his move right away.'
The location was practically pinned down already, thanks to the clue about the 'western corridor lockdown'.
I silently handed the basket to the attendant.
"......?!"
The attendant flinched at the unexpected weight of the basket, but I just smiled innocently.
After the attendant left with the food basket, I followed the crown prince.
He led me straight to the crown prince's palace.
'I figured it wouldn't be easy to get in here.'
But the opportunity came this quickly. Was I lucky?
I busily scanned the crown prince's palace layout and security setup.
'Doesn't look as easy to infiltrate as the central palace.'
The face of an expedition teammate expert in stealth and infiltration flashed through my mind.
'That guy could probably steal the emperor's seal.'
Not that it would mean much.
"You seem to like that tapestry."
As I was checking the positions of the defensive magic circles fortifying the outer walls, the crown prince spoke up.
"Could I have it?"
"Hm...?"
The crown prince's painted-on smile faltered for a moment.
"The annex feels so drab. Hanging something like that would brighten it up."
After a brief silence, as if at a loss for words, he ordered his attendant.
"Have it delivered to the annex."
"Thank you, Your Highness. It's Cradion imperial property anyway, so it won't hurt your wallet, right?"
He chuckled lightly and nodded as I smiled brightly.
"Of course. It's been so long since I invited a guest that I overlooked a lot. Request anything you need anytime."
"Wow, you're so generous it's almost wasteful. I'll make sure to return it the day I leave the country."
As I said that, I thought to myself.
'You'll regret those words soon enough.'
The crown prince's palace was full of valuable and precious items.
Picking out exactly what I wanted was incredibly enjoyable.
The steward who came running midway grew darker in expression, but the crown prince remained nonchalant throughout.
'Is he just pretending, or does he really not care? Hard to tell.'
By the time I'd crossed off about half the list of necessities for a comfortable life, the crown prince stopped walking.
"Here, pick one."
As he stepped aside, a vast room filled with dresses of every kind came into view.
"......?!"
The jewels on the dresses sparkled brilliantly, each vying for attention—it was dazzling.
"I've called in maids with excellent taste, so if it's hard to choose, you can get their help."
Did an empire like this keep spare dresses on this scale?
Or...
'No way—the dresses of his late crown princess?'
Picking the wrong one could get me in trouble. Assuming it was a trap made for a plausible theory.
'Well, believing it's pure kindness would be foolish anyway.'
Not like I had any good intentions toward him either.
"See you at the banquet later, then."
Having already wasted quite a bit of time on me, the crown prince left first, and I leisurely began browsing the dresses.
The maids he'd specially selected watched me with tense eyes.
'Is there something I shouldn't touch?'
I subtly observed their expressions and finally picked the one that got the funniest reaction.
"I'll go with this one. Is that okay?"
"Y-yes, of course."
Her face paled as if a disaster had struck, but she didn't try to stop me.
Come to think of it, the attendants here acted the same way.
I hadn't done anything to them this time. I hadn't had the chance.
Yet no one tried to stop a Bardia-born maid like me from acting freely.
'The crown prince has them tightly under control.'
Elhart had said to be careful around him too.
It probably meant the man who treated people so kindly it could be mistaken for debauchery was far more terrifying than he seemed.
"I'll help you get ready."
Letting the maids handle it, soaking in fragrant water and getting a massage felt way better than expected.
'Do maids normally do massages too? Should I give Elhart one?'
I also requested they send various types of massage oils to the annex.
And while they were at it, a massage bed and a few soft gowns.
'This is exactly the post-return daily life I was looking forward to.'
Why was I enjoying it in the heart of enemy territory?
Makeup and hair styling were a bit boring.
The dress felt cumbersome since it had been so long.
Surprisingly, it barely needed any alterations.
It fit like it was made for me, so the tailoring didn't take long.
Of course, the whole preparation process still took a ton of time, so by the end, it was late afternoon.
'Ugh, no good. I can't live like this.'
I'll limit it to baths and massages from now on.
Anything more aristocratic didn't suit me.
"Ahh, perfect. It suits you so well."
Someone must have notified him, because the crown prince came to inspect me.
"May I pick the accessories?"
Like I'm a doll for playing with.
"Don't I already have enough? I'm just a maid, after all."
"No."
The crown prince replied firmly.
"I don't know how it was in Bardia, but tonight, Ser is attending the banquet as a guest of the Cradion imperial family."
So don't refuse, he said, as he started trying pieces on me.
"Oh dear. They're all so pretty. It's like they were prepared just for Ser."
'...W-what did he just say?!'
Hearing such creepy words from a face that resembled Mikhail made it hard to hold back.
'Hurry up and finish while I'm still smiling.'