I have revised this text on May 1, H28.
The morning after finishing my “First Night Ritual” with Edele, I awoke as the sky began to whiten to find Edele was no longer there. She is also a diligent girl… Today, I plan to take Tirna and Kirika, who helped me with Yuria’s “Slave Training,” to the Grand Market to thank them. Also, I wonder if the “Mysterious young girl” that Alicia and I found and revived has awakened yet? I quickly changed, washed my face, and got ready in the washroom before heading downstairs.
“……Good morning, Master.”
“Good morning, Freya. Can I have breakfast now?”
“Please wait a moment longer. Tirna and Edele are making it in the kitchen.”
“I see… Then I’ll go for a morning walk.” Freya bowed with beautiful grace and moved away from me. When she first regained her senses, she spoke in a commoner’s slang, but as the proverb “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” suggests, she seemed to be cultivating the dignity befitting a princess. However, Freya appears to have low blood pressure and looked a bit sleepy. I went up to the second floor and visited the bedroom where the “Mysterious young girl” slept, but she had not yet awakened. There was nothing I could do but go to my private study, summon Mimi No. 2, and kill time. This morning’s topic was Edele’s vibrator, from whom I took her virginity last night, and I thought the craftsmanship was perfect.
“Master, breakfast is ready.” Edele announced that breakfast was ready after knocking on the study door—tap, tap, tap.
“Edele, how are you feeling?”
“…Yes. Frankly, I have some discomfort in my crotch area, but the spiritual fulfillment is wonderful.” Edele replied, blushing.
“Is that so? That’s good.”
This morning’s breakfast featured thick-cut ham steak with a fried egg, served with fries. There was also a hearty consommé soup with seasonal vegetables, yogurt drizzled with blackcurrant jam, and black tea. All the dishes looked superb and delicious.
“Good morning, Master. Breakfast looks delicious again today.” Swan Hilda appeared in the dining hall.
“Good morning, Master.” Elise arrived next.
“Mornin’… Master.” Mai seemed to be behind Elise.
“Good morning, everyone. You all seem to be in good spirits today.”
“I… had a terrible time during yesterday’s ‘Health Check’…” Elise seemed to be holding a grudge about being the only one subjected to a ‘Health Check’ yesterday that involved rubber gloves and a speculum. Meanwhile, the rest of the members had gathered in the dining hall.
“Great Gods who dwell in heaven, I thank you for providing us with the sustenance to live today.” I recited the prayer before the meal, and the enjoyable meal began.
Yesterday, I drove the two-horse covered carriage that Alicia and I had ridden in to the entrance of the Base Mansion and waited on the driver’s seat for Tirna and Kirika to appear. After waiting for a while, Tirna and Kirika, who had finished cleaning up the kitchen and preparing lunch, along with Ly, came out together.
“Huh!? I didn’t call for Ly…”
“During yesterday’s ‘Health Check,’ you, Master, processed my pubic hair without my permission… Don’t you think some compensation is in order!?”
“I was also subjected to a terrible experience,” Kirika, who had undergone ‘permanent hair removal’ just like Ly, nodded in agreement. Tirna, on the other hand, seemed unaware of the situation and looked bewildered. Incidentally, Tirna also underwent ‘permanent hair removal’ when she was imprisoned at the Park-li estate, but perhaps because she didn’t have pubic hair to begin with, she didn’t seem to mind.
“…I understand. I will permit Ly’s company. By the way, Elise also seemed like she might want to come, but she’s not here, is she?”
“Elise is older, so… she seems to have exercised self-restraint. Also, she said she would go to the labyrinth to blow off steam today.” Ly informed me of Elise’s plans while peeking inside the Base Mansion.
“Then please get in the carriage. And be careful not to get carried away and reveal your true identities.”
” ” “Yes, Master.” ” ”
Thus, the two-horse covered carriage carrying the three “shaving maidens” headed for the Fountain Park in the Imperial Capital Granza, where the Grand Market was being held.
The carriage departed from the “Princess Harem” Base Mansion before noon, as I intended to have lunch at one of the Grand Market’s food stalls. However, from the time we reached the Main Road, a line of carriages presumably heading to the Grand Market had formed, and our progress became agonizingly slow.
“Master, would you like a sandwich and chilled herb tea?” Tirna opened the small window connecting the covered carriage and the driver’s seat and handed me a light meal. It seemed she had packed some lunch in a basket.
“As expected of Tirna.”
“Of course!” When I praised Tirna, Ly agreed with a smug look. The carriage traffic jam was due to stringent checkpoints being established. Our carriage was also inspected and allowed through the gate.
“It was quite thorough, wasn’t it?” Kirika, relieved that we had passed the checkpoint safely, murmured.
“It seems they are indeed maintaining a high alert under the surface…” And then, slightly late for lunchtime, our carriage arrived at the carriage parking area specially set up near the Fountain Park. The carriage was secured with chocks, and the two horses were unhitched, given water and feed, and seemed quite content. We decided to grab a bite at the food stalls first.
“What kind of meat is that large lump of meat? They’re shaving it with a knife from the roasted surface.” Surprisingly, Ly was very enthusiastic.
“Shall we try buying some?”
“Please do.”
“Boss, shave off some of that meat and give me four servings.”
“Welcome! That’s 5 iron plates per piece (equivalent to 500 yen)!” The stall owner expertly shaved off a well-roasted portion from the meat block with his knife, placed it on a thin, unleavened flatbread, topped it with vegetables and a brown sauce, rolled it up, and handed it to us.
“Thank you. Here are 2 copper plates (equivalent to 2,000 yen).”
“Thank you for your business!!”
“Master, this sweet and savory sauce goes wonderfully with the meat.”
“Hmm… It’s quite delicious.” Ly and Kirika had never bought street food before coming to “Princess Harem.” They used to frown when they saw Elise eating street food happily, but finding it bothersome to just watch Elise eat happily, they decided to try it and were unexpectedly delighted, becoming hooked. Tirna, who had been sneaking out of the Count’s mansion to work part-time since she was young, ate silently.
“That confectionery also looks delicious.” Kirika pointed to a stall a little further ahead. There, a stout old man was elaborating on melted colored candy into animal and craft shapes.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Shall we buy some?”
“I like this flower.”
“I… like this cute little cat.”
“I’ll take this dog.”
“Then… I’ll take this wolf?”
“Thank you for your purchase. Young Master? The total is 12 iron plates, but I’ll give you a big discount and charge you 10 iron plates (equivalent to 1,000 yen).”
“Thank you. I’ll pay with one copper plate (equivalent to 1,000 yen).” I paid the candy craftsman and we each received our desired candy art.
“Mmm, it’s really sweet.”
“Indeed… Eating on the go is so decadent and addictive.”
“Master, thank you.” We continued to eat at various stalls for a while longer and, feeling full, sat on a bench in the Fountain Park to rest.
“What should we do now?”
“I’m curious about the performance in the traveling circus tent I saw earlier.”
“I’d like to browse the jewelry stalls.”
“I… I’m fine with whatever Ly wants.” After all, we watched the play Kirika requested, and then browsed some cheap jewelry at the stalls. By the way, the traveling circus tent was the very place where the “Slave Auction” took place the other day.
“This glass bead necklace with a pattern like a blue flame is beautiful.” Kirika, with her keen eyes, picked up a necklace from a stall.
“Miss has excellent taste. This necklace was very popular recently.” The old woman at the stall provided the product description. “It is said to be inspired by Ly, the most beautiful princess of the Wahl Imperial Kingdom, which was annexed by the Espana Imperial Kingdom.” The old woman’s description continued. It seemed she was quite talkative.
“Princess Ly was very popular, wasn’t she?” I interjected. Actually, I wanted to hear about Ly’s reputation in general society.
“Yes. It was rumored that pleas for her life never ceased until she met her end on the executioner’s block, and various products imitating the princess were made. Look, this portrait is also a likeness of Princess Ly.” We were shown the portrait, but it seemed to be based on imagination and, apart from the distinctive golden vertical rolls of hair, bore no resemblance to her at all. The old woman would never realize that the person herself was standing right here. And Ly was fidgeting shyly.
“Hey, Ly. It’s nice that you got to hear a lot of interesting stories, isn’t it?” Kirika teased.
“…I…” Ly lowered her head. Incidentally, Tirna, Ly’s former head maid, stood behind Ly silently. By the way, when I asked if selling items related to executed enemy royals wouldn’t cause trouble with officials, I was told that since they were individuals executed in the past, they were overlooked. Thus, we had a pleasant time, and the objective of rewarding them seemed to have been achieved.
Having enjoyed the Grand Market, we were on our way back to the “Princess Harem” Base Mansion when someone called out to us from behind as we were returning to the carriage parking area.
“Hey you, won’t you sell that slave to me, little boy?” Turning around, I saw a stout young man dressed in flashy, wealthy attire, pointing at Ly. In his other hand, he held a thin scarlet cord connected to the Slave Bands worn around the necks of three girls dressed in alluring maid outfits.
“I’m sorry, but she is not for sale.” Although Ly and the others were wearing hooded robes over their outing clothes and “Valkyrie” masks, their posture and the occasional glimpse of their features from under their hoods made it clear they were beautiful girls.
“I am Eckart Hoier. The Young Master of the Hoier Trading Company. If you cross me, you’ll suffer greatly!!” The Hoier Trading Company… I believe they are a major weapons dealer. Still, to think someone like this is a Young Master… how pitiful. Moreover, the three girls he had with him appear to be “Level 2 Slaves,” but their eyes are all dead… they must be treated terribly.
“You desire me!? Do you think someone like you can control me?” Even through the “Valkyrie” mask, Ly’s icy gaze, once known as the ‘Beautiful Ice Flame’ in the Wahl Imperial Kingdom’s social circles, was still potent. Furthermore, given the incident at the stall earlier, Ly was in a foul mood.
“I… I’m sorry!!” Defeated by Ly’s gaze, Eckart, with a face like a sweating toad, turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
“Damn it, I don’t need such a ferocious woman!!” And his parting shot was also a form of ritual.
“What was that just now!?”
“I have no idea, Master.” Ly said this, but it seemed she was already making a preparatory movement to draw her rapier from beneath her robe. If the “little boy” had stubbornly insisted on buying Ly, he probably would have been stabbed to death.
“There’s no way we could be bothered by such a vulgar person…” Kirika sighed.
“Ly, you were very patient. I was worried about when you would just cut him down.” Tirna also seemed to notice Ly’s bad mood. After this, we returned to the “Princess Harem” Base Mansion without any further trouble.
