That evening, Mikage was introduced as Mia’s bodyguard.
Towa suddenly remembered something and asked Floria.
“By the way, Mother. Was the only reason you predicted the need for a bodyguard Father’s words?”
“No, certainly not. Aside from going to and from school, it’s unthinkable not to have a single bodyguard for royalty, isn’t it? We were going to prepare a bodyguard from the start.”
“Really?!”
Mia’s expression turned surprised at her mother and brother’s conversation.
“That’s only natural. Besides, I could have anticipated a situation like the one Mia heard about at the academy.”
“You… could have anticipated it?”
Mia, who hadn’t expected it at all, looked regretful.
“Don’t make that face. I could only anticipate it because I had a similar experience in the past.”
“In the past?”
Floria added an explanation to Mia, who tilted her head.
Floria, having learned from a private tutor, had not attended an educational institution like an academy like Mia.
However, after being introduced to the nobles as royalty, she had also experienced social events.
At that time, she had gone through a similar experience to Mia, which is why she could anticipate it.
She hadn’t expected them to bring up a nonexistent engagement, though.
When she heard Mia’s story, she remembered that time and thought, “Couldn’t they have come up with a slightly more decent way to invite her?”
“From what I’ve heard, those born as princesses seem to have similar experiences, so it would be strange if you couldn’t predict it.”
“Is that so? Then you listened well to what Mia said.”
In response to Towa’s words, Floria shrugged.
“Everything is an experience.”
Floria said it casually, but she scowled at the giggling sound.
It was Alec who had laughed.
Alec and Sonia were also participating in the meal today.
Since they had been having a somewhat serious conversation up until then, the two of them were enjoying their conversation with Riku.
“Father. I feel it’s a bit rude to laugh there, don’t you think?”
“No, I’m sorry. I just remembered something from the past.”
“……The past?”
“What, you don’t remember?”
Alec seemed amused as Floria tilted her head.
“……What is it? I have a bad feeling about this.”
Floria felt a premonition from his expression, but it was too late to stop him.
Rather, the attack came from an unexpected direction.
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“Oh, Floria. Have you forgotten? I remember it clearly.”
“Mother, what are you talking about?”
Sonia, who had been looking at Riku, turned her gaze to Floria and joined the conversation.
“It was shortly after you made your debut into high society, wasn’t it? You argued with Alec, saying you didn’t need an escort for your comings and goings, didn’t you?”
“Ah. That was a sight to behold. I ruminated on how I would persuade Father. In the end, it was all for naught.”
The two of them began to tell stories from the past, one after another.
Hearing them, Floria finally remembered that time.
Floria, who was now in the position of having her past failures recounted by her parents in front of her children, wore a grimace.
“Ah, that was, well… I suppose I was young at the time.”
In fact, when Floria first debuted into society, she had a similar experience.
Unlike Mia, she wasn’t attacked on her way to and from social events, but when she encountered people within the castle or in public places, she received passionate advances.
Floria’s position as a princess was that attractive.
Of course, Floria’s own charm contributed as well.
However, not knowing that such a thing would happen, Floria, like Mia, had been reluctant to have a bodyguard.
Ultimately, Floria herself capitulated.
Setting aside Floria’s original personality, when acting in a public capacity, she couldn’t forcefully brush people off.
It was precisely the same situation Mia was in.
However, once Floria’s true personality became known, she began to refuse outright and clearly. Alec and Sonia, for the sake of their honor as parents, did not mention this.
Mia listened to her mother’s story with shining eyes.
“Wow. You went through that too, Mother?”
“Of course, I did. Perhaps everyone in the position of a princess experiences it?”
Sonia said it cheerfully, but Alec, listening to her, thought to himself that this was unlikely.
Most people accept bodyguards readily, and Sonia’s family line was likely a minority.
Alec thought this but never voiced it.
He could see Sonia launching a brilliant barrage of words the moment he did.
This was a self-preservation technique honed by years of experience as a couple.
Towa looked at Alec, as if wanting to say something.
Towa silently shook her head from side to side to Towa, but the wise Towa seemed to grasp what Alec wanted to convey just from that.
Towa then began to eat her soup without saying anything further.
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“Still, to fabricate a nonexistent engagement… is the social level of this country alright?”
Floria gave Mia a wry smile in response to her blunt observation.
Frankly, it wasn’t alright.
If the same thing were done in another country, it could even lead to the revocation of one’s noble title.
In Razek Amamiya, since they did not use noble titles bestowed by royalty, Floria could not directly revoke them.
What she could do was, as royalty, merely “request” it from the lord of the town.
“Well, it’s not alright. I’m truly glad there’s an academy.”
The academy also teaches the basics of socializing.
There were strict penalties for nobles, such as those who did not achieve a passing grade in each academic year being barred from attending royal social events.
Furthermore, when meeting foreign dignitaries, they are not met as nobles of Razek Amamiya.
They are always dealt with as officials of Razek Amamiya.
The unique political system of Razek Amamiya is known throughout the world, so no country complains about it.
Even if there were, they would simply end the negotiation by saying, “Then shall we call off the negotiation?”
This is possible not because Razek Amamiya is a powerful nation… but because the products and processed goods that come out of its towers are highly attractive.
“This is a valuable opportunity. Towa and Mia, you should both learn well while you can.”
“Yes. If you fail in real social situations, everything will come back to you.”
Towa and Mia nodded with serious expressions at their grandmother’s and mother’s words.
Both Towa and Mia had personally experienced how their words and actions could cause changes in their surroundings.
Towa, in particular, who had attended the academy for a year, had keenly felt this.
Instead of being thrust into the adult world all at once, a certain amount of failure could be recovered within the world of children.
Mia still had her main ordeal ahead of her, but even so, she had gained much from the academy.
Both of them realized that there were many things they could never have gained from a life surrounded by maids within the castle walls.
I used up one chapter with the Floria family’s conversation.
Originally, I planned to finish it in half and use the other half for Mikage’s story at the academy, but…
So, in the next chapter, we will return to the academy.
