Marius, making no effort to hide his displeasure, was met with Bernhard III’s constant apologies and pleas for forgiveness within the carriage.
Marius felt like his tongue–in–cheek apology in front of Lovisa and the others was so blatant he wanted to click his tongue, and he decided to seek revenge.
“Princess Lovisa, I have won as promised, so please fulfill our agreement.”
“Yes.”
Lovisa, seemingly prepared, accepted without hesitation.
Marius, whose eyes were wide with confusion, explained to the King what he meant.
“It’s a date. You promised that if I did well in the Demonplay, we could go on one.”
“Wh-!”
His father, caught off guard, couldn’t hide his shock in both his voice and expression.
Seeing this, Marius felt a sense of triumph, his irritation somewhat soothed.
Bernhard III reacted like a “suffocating goldfish” for a while but eventually sighed and gave his permission.
Marius had only been able to do this because he had sensed the King’s affection for his daughter, yet he seemed surprisingly shocked.
“I thought he’d be more detached, considering he sees her as a pawn for a strategic marriage…”
It seemed that a strategic marriage for the sake of the country and the royal family could coexist with a parent’s love for their child.
To Marius, it was simply bizarre.
“So, where would you like to go? I’ve already taken you around the Royal Capital, so I’d prefer somewhere else.”
“Oh? Isn’t the Royal Capital about as far as you can escort me, Prince Marius?”
Did she expect him to escort her?
Marius looked intently at Lovisa in surprise.
“You’ve been courting me, haven’t you, Prince Marius?” she said, tilting her head with a mischievous smile.
Despite witnessing Marius’s overwhelming strength, her unchanging demeanor earned his favor. Had she suddenly become fawning, he surely would have been disillusioned.
Enjoying the flustered reactions of the King and Lucas, Marius brought up something Asteria had told him.
“It’s sudden, but isn’t there a high possibility that Demon King Zagan is sealed within Filat? I’d like to investigate suspicious locations.”
“You can do as you please, but whether the Demon Lord will revive…”
“The Demons have been active for a long time, but whether the Demon Lord will truly resurface…”
Their reactions to Marius’s proposal were decidedly sluggish. It seemed the threat of Demons was very real, but they treated the idea of a Demon Lord’s revival as if it were a fairy tale. Despite the legend of the Founding King having defeated him, it didn’t resonate.
“Aren’t they far too unconcerned?” Marius thought, more bewildered than surprised.
Given that Samuel had targeted him, Marius assumed the Demons were genuinely plotting the Demon Lord’s resurrection. More accurately, perhaps they were blindly trusting the seals placed by past heroes. They believed that seals set by heroes capable of defeating a Demon Lord wouldn’t break so easily. It seemed he was the only one who thought, “After several hundred years, it’s not impossible for them to break.” It was a miscalculation that their values would differ so greatly.
“Wait… is Asteria at least somewhat concerned?” He felt no joy at the memory of her, only emotions on the opposite end of the spectrum, despite her beauty. If Asteria was the only one genuinely concerned, he couldn’t carelessly eliminate her. A situation where a concerned individual governed a nation was preferable. He contemplated if he should showcase her cunning beauty and warn her not to act rashly while he was on her side. Filat’s King seemed far from radical, and he was confident he could curb any aggressive actions towards Hordia if he opposed them. But what about other countries?
“Why do I have to defend Asteria…” Marius clicked his tongue and shifted his focus to planning their date.
***
“Let’s browse the street stalls.”
Three days after returning to the Royal Capital, Marius said this and took Lovisa out. The Royal Guard offered to escort them, but the King’s remark, “Why would Marius want to increase the number of people he has to protect?” vetoed the offer.
Marius cast the disguise magic “Camouflage” on Lovisa. He had worn a hood during his triumphant return, so changing his clothes would make him unrecognizable. The convenience of “Camouflage” extended to clothing as well. Lovisa’s private attire, at best, consisted of garments befitting a noble or wealthy daughter.
Although Marius had interacted with Lovisa for some time, their relationship wasn’t intimate. He decided their first date should be brief, viewing it as a means to increase intimacy and encourage a second date. It was better not to take unnecessary risks. A successful date would leave her wanting more, making her eager for the next encounter.
Marius went to ask Helka about Lovisa’s favorite foods. He couldn’t think of anyone else who knew Lovisa so well and wouldn’t betray his prior information gathering. He communicated with Helka, whom he had met secretly before, through telepathy.
“It’s so lively,” Lovisa said, seeming delighted to see the expressions of the common people up close. Despite her beauty, which he couldn’t significantly alter, she attracted the gazes of the men on the street, though no one seemed to realize she was the Princess.
“That’s a decoration shop, this one’s jewels, and oh, is that a carving?” Lovisa, with a surprising and energetic pace, moved from stall to stall. Helka’s advice seemed to have been spot on.
“That’s a Hippogriff feather ornament, this is a black diamond, and that’s a wooden Griffin statue.” Fortunately, Marius recognized most of the items and explained them sequentially. They occasionally saw what appeared to be guards.
“You know a lot,” Lovisa remarked. Her comment made Marius break out in a cold sweat, remembering that she was supposed to see him as someone ignorant of this continent’s customs. However, Lovisa just seemed genuinely impressed.
“Bro, you know a lot. Buy something nice for your cute girlfriend,” the stall owner selling ornaments called out cheerfully. Perhaps it was because it was a date, but Lovisa didn’t react and glanced at Marius meaningfully. Marius’s entire military fund came from taxes. He hadn’t yet received royalties from Nungaro, so he was penniless, but Bernhard III had given him some pocket money. Marius concluded that the proper use of this money was to give it back to the people as tax refunds. He immediately made this decision and asked Lovisa which item she preferred.
Lovisa chose a small bird feather hat, which cost fifteen hundred Deel. Neither of them could judge if it was expensive or cheap, but the shop owner, toasting to “a girlfriend with good taste and a generous boyfriend,” placed it on Lovisa’s head.
“Does it suit me?” Marius nodded repeatedly at Lovisa’s bashful question. The hat suited her original appearance and her disguised form equally well, a rather terrifying result that left him momentarily speechless. After a few seconds, he managed to say, “It suits you very well. So well, in fact, that I was momentarily at a loss for words.” He praised her a bit exaggeratedly, and Lovisa bashfully thanked him. Whether it was because it was a date or because they were seeing the lives of the common people up close, her reaction was different from usual, and Marius found it refreshing.
They continued to buy several items, pretending to fall for the stall owners’ sales pitches. Marius didn’t mind because it didn’t cost him anything; in fact, he felt he was contributing to the economy. Lovisa, it turned out, had a rather strong desire to purchase things, though not to the point of outright extravagance. When Marius expressed his surprise, she replied, “If it contributes to economic revitalization.” While this was certainly more appealing than her simply being a spendthrift, Marius was disappointed that she hadn’t forgotten her position as a Princess.
“Let’s get something to eat soon.” With that, Marius bought five skewers from a street vendor and handed two to the Princess, who was looking at them as if they were exotic creatures.
“What is this…?”
“Yakitori. It’s roasted meat from a bird called a Four-Colored Chicken. Is this your first time?” The vendor asked Marius with a puzzled look at Lovisa’s curious expression. Marius quickly intervened.
“Yes. We’ve actually never tried Four-Colored Chicken before…”
“Hmm. You must have come from a really rural area these days,” the vendor said as he eyed them curiously. After a quick thank you, Marius and Lovisa hurried away. Lovisa quietly apologized, but Marius told her not to worry about it and began to think. Five skewers for five hundred Deel seemed quite cheap. He didn’t know the price of cockatrice or rainbow chicken, which were regularly served in the royal palace, but it was considerably more affordable. The freshly grilled meat was sprinkled with what seemed to be spices. The taste was similar to yakitori from his previous world, which made Marius a little happy. Lovisa, after watching Marius eat, hesitantly followed his example and took a bite of the meat.
“…It’s delicious,” she murmured softly. He felt relieved that she had a palate that could appreciate the taste of commoners’ food. Watching her slowly and elegantly eat, in a manner far removed from the refined dining of the royal palace, Marius finished his own portion. The next item was boiled black sweet potato. He broke it in half and put the white flesh into his mouth. It tasted similar to sweet potatoes from his previous world. Lovisa ate it without complaint, even looking happy. According to Helka, “Lovisa has no dislikes,” but this seemingly applied not just to the types of food but also to the seasoning. Next were grilled sausages, which Lovisa devoured with somewhat unrefined gusto. They had only spent a thousand Deel so far. Marius thought it was an inexpensive meal for two. Noticing Lovisa was starting to feel full, he suggested dessert. Since her favorite fruits were apples and grapes, they ordered two pies from a shop that used them generously. After paying two hundred Deel, they each took a bite almost simultaneously. Although Marius ate half of his in one go, Lovisa ate hers delicately, taking only a small bite at a time. Marius realized that people, even in this world, could be bathed in happiness when eating delicious food. Though they hadn’t exchanged many words, walking the same path, seeing the same sights, and eating the same food together to share a modest happiness was a wonderful experience. He could tell Lovisa was satisfied without needing magic to confirm it.
“She might be a bit of a glutton, perhaps…?” Marius found the thought amusing. He recalled that meals within the royal palace were refined and followed strict etiquette, and Lovisa had never seemed as voracious as she was today. Of course, the lively atmosphere created by the common people might have lowered her inhibitions. They returned to the castle in a tranquil mood, their first date concluded. Though it had only lasted about two hours, it felt much longer to Marius. Despite walking with Lovisa, who drew the eyes of men, they were not bothered by anyone. The Royal Capital’s security was apparently quite good.
“If you’d like, shall we go out again sometime?” He didn’t forget to ask her out for a second date before they parted. Lovisa readily agreed. Not a moment of awkwardness arose between them, so he considered the outing a success. Satisfied, Marius retired to his room.
“How was it?” Emma asked. Lovisa replied without hesitation.
“It was much more fun than I imagined. I thought he might be a simpleton, but he’s surprisingly adept at dating.” Lovisa spoke her honest feelings. It was a good opportunity to learn about the daily lives and foods of the common people, which she was curious about. Marius had thoughtfully avoided foods difficult to eat or likely to cause spills or stains. The dessert, a pie made with her favorite apples and grapes, was also excellent. Since she had never dated another man, she couldn’t precisely gauge Marius’s escorting abilities, but for Lovisa personally, it was sufficiently satisfying. Marius had mistakenly believed Lovisa was a Princess to the bone, but she had merely been putting on an act due to the embarrassment of a first date. While she did have a sense of duty, she had been forced to learn to mask her true feelings from a young age. In that regard, she was still more skilled than Marius.
“Prince Marius is indeed a peculiar person… but he wouldn’t be a bad choice for a husband.” It was natural for Lovisa, like anyone else, to prefer marrying someone she knew and in a place she was familiar with. However, her value and standing had skyrocketed due to the Demonplay and the subsequent battle against the Demons, making her a target for foreign diplomatic strategies. If she wished to marry Marius, she would have to work to win him over. While polygamy was permitted in Filat for someone of Marius’s status, Lovisa still possessed a maiden’s heart, making her unwilling to volunteer the information.
“Even though I’ve been so cold to him until now, to suddenly change my tune…” She was aware of how base this was, but Lovisa had no intention of stopping. She had lived her life on the populace’s taxes. It was precisely because they worked so hard that she existed today. Considering that, wasn’t it only natural for her, as a person, to contribute to the nation’s interests and make their lives a little easier? She truly believed this.
“Emma, please cooperate with me.” Her loyal maid, two years her senior, nodded without hesitation. The thought that she was never alone, that she didn’t live solely for herself, served as Lovisa’s support.
