Chapter 36: Have You Come to Like Saripa, Even Just a Little?

"Then, as per our pact, let us begin the invasion of Yaiban. King of Saripa."

"Oh, thank you very much, Prince Jalpha."

The main forces of Yaiban had shown themselves in Saripa.

This report finally spurred the Deken Empire into action, forcing them to lift their heavy backs from their thrones.

"Let’s discuss the size and composition of the army back in the homeland."

"Understood."

That decision brought joy to Father the King and my older brothers alike.

They shook hands firmly with Prince Jalpha, expressing their gratitude for his resolution.

And thus, the Deken Empire's operation to annex Yaiban was officially set into motion.

"Princess Rishali, may I speak with you?"

"Prince Jalpha!"

That evening.

Prince Jalpha approached me during the banquet, smiling as he spoke.

"Have you heard the news about the invasion of Yaiban?"

"Yes. I’m truly grateful for your decision, Prince."

"I'm glad I could be of help to you. However, it seems this is where we part ways, Princess Rishali."

Once negotiations are over, all that remains is his return home.

Chances are, I won’t have another opportunity to speak with Prince Jalpha again.

"I enjoyed our conversations. …If only things weren’t as they are now, I would’ve liked to talk more."

"The honor is mine, Prince Jalpha."

Prince Jalpha grasped my hand, looking genuinely regretful.

I felt the same.

I, too, had enjoyed talking with Prince Jalpha.

Our conversation about insects had really taken off, and I felt we shared similar interests.

Even if that was just the persona of Prince Jalpha—hidden behind his princely mask.

"Would you talk to me again someday… about armored birds?"

"Of course. I’d be delighted."

Prince Jalpha never removed the mask of royalty until the very end.

Even to me—a princess of a subordinate state—he never showed a single moment of vulnerability.

"Farewell, Princess Rishali. Radiant flower of Saripa."

"Until we meet again, Prince Jalpha."

To me, he became the first man I couldn’t speak openly with.

As we parted, he gently kissed the back of my hand with perfect courtesy.

…He really pulled it off, thanks to his good looks.

---

"Though it may be unworthy of me, I shall humbly take on the duty of your escort."

"Sir Paulik, you’ll be guarding us again? That’s very reassuring."

The king and Prince Jalpha boarded a carriage from the Deken Empire and departed at first light.

Apparently, the two were sharing the same carriage, guarded by Paulik, en route to Deken.

Riding alone with Father, a middle-aged man, might be a bit rough—but hang in there, Prince.

"…They’ve gone, huh."

"Feeling a little sentimental, Rishali?"

The royal family of Saripa turned out in full to see the pair off.

Once the prince left, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

By the time the carriage and escorting knights had disappeared from sight, I found myself sighing softly.

"Could it be that… you’re into that type, Rishali?"

"Well, maybe? I did want to talk with Prince Jalpha a bit more, that’s true."

In the end, I never figured out what Prince Jalpha was really thinking.

…But at least when we talked about bugs, he seemed to be laughing from the heart.

I didn’t feel anything romantic, but I suppose it’s like the loneliness of losing a friend.

"What about you, Lululu-nee-sama? What did you think?"

"He wasn’t bad. Seemed like a capable prince. Bit shady, though."

Even Lululu-nee-sama apparently found Prince Jalpha acceptable.

At the very least, he seemed intelligent, handsome, and had the strength to back it up—qualities she respects.

"Not that either of us could ever be a proper match for him, status-wise."

"Yes, that’s true."

Realistically speaking, neither of us could become his fiancée.

Both Lululu-nee-sama and I are princesses of a subordinate kingdom. To Deken, we’re just provincial noble girls from the countryside.

We might stand a chance as concubines, but certainly not as the main wife.

"Well, it’s back to normal now, I guess."

"Back to days filled with social events and training again."

With Prince Jalpha’s departure, our usual routine returned.

Endless boring lessons, bridal training, and social parties day in and day out.

"Ugh, I can’t stand it. Starting tomorrow, everything’s going to get busy again."

"Today is our last day off, after all. What will you do with your time, Sister?"

"I’m going to have tea with Jikei. For once, that slacker actually did some work, so I thought I’d praise him a little."

"Sounds nice."

"Want to come too?"

Truth is, Lululu-nee-sama and Jikei-nii-sama get along really well.

Maybe it's because they're both geniuses, or maybe because they're both habitual rule-breakers—they just click.

Even Jikei-nii-sama, usually so aloof, apparently gets all soft when he's around Lululu.

"I’ll pass for today~"

"Suit yourself."

I imagine spending time with Lululu-nee-sama helps Jikei-nii-sama blow off steam.

If I’m there too, he probably wouldn’t be able to fully relax.

Despite how I might look, I can read the room.

"Well then, stop by if you feel like it. See ya."

"Thank you for everything, Sister."

And so I saw Lululu off as she went to her tea party with Jikei.

Now that Sister is off having her tea party, I’ve suddenly got nothing to do.

"Well then, maybe I’ll enjoy a little time in the garden for once…"

"Rishali-sama!"

Just as I was thinking of spending a quiet moment in the palace gardens for the first time in a while…

A flustered maid came hurrying over, her footsteps quick and light, her face troubled.

"Rishali-sama, you have visitors requesting an audience."

"Visitors? For me?"

"They’re… two commoners."

Apparently, a pair of commoners had come to request a meeting with me.

But I don’t exactly have many acquaintances among commoners.

"They said if you heard their names, you’d recognize them and allow them through."

"I see. And who exactly are they?"

Which means… the identities of those two are—?

---

"Princess Rishali is arriving!"

"Excuse me for intruding."

I adjusted my dress and made my way to the palace's reception room.

It was a refined space with elegant windows and a table draped in a white cloth.

Surrounded by maids, I gracefully entered the room when—

"Yo, long time no see, Princess."

"My, my, it's been a while indeed!"

There they were—Berka and little Luri, seated and clearly uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of the palace knights.

As I suspected, the two commoners requesting an audience were them.

"Good day to you both. I’m glad to see you’re looking well."

"...So you really were a princess."

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

Berka was just as rude as ever, even after all this time.

The palace knights glared sharply at him, but I just waved it off to signal that I didn’t mind.

"What brings you two here today?"

"We were summoned to be rewarded for what we did in Byuredesto. They just handed us a fat payment."

"Nii-san was nervous for once, too."

From what they told me, it seems the two of them had been called to the capital to receive an official reward.

Maybe my personal recommendation helped too, but it sounds like Berka received a decent sum.

He did kidnap me, and now look at him—getting compensated like it’s nothing.

"Take whatever you’re offered. Just be sure to share it with your men."

"Of course."

Still, it's true they defended Byuredesto for two years straight.

Even if you subtract the crime of kidnapping me, their actions were more than worthy of reward.

"Also, my subordinates are going to be hired as official soldiers now."

"Oh?"

"They’ll even be issued equipment. Honestly, that’s the most helpful part."

The whole Byuredesto vigilante corps had been recognized for their efforts.

To be blunt, they’re elite fighters—it’d be a waste to let them sit idle.

"And until a new lord is appointed, I’m acting as the temporary governor of Byuredesto."

"Oh my, so Berka is becoming a lord?"

"...It’s just temporary. They’ll be sending a noble soon enough."

In this country, holding land equates to becoming nobility.

Even Takeru, who became a royal knight, was only granted "authority equivalent to nobility"—he wasn’t made a noble himself.

Only by receiving territory in recognition of deeds like slaying a dragon can one officially become a noble.

"Are you disappointed you couldn’t become the official lord?"

"No. Honestly, I’m glad. I’ve no interest in that sort of thing. I’m only good at fighting."

"You don’t want to become a noble?"

"If it’s to protect my homeland, I’m willing to handle politics too. But I doubt I’m suited for it."

Managing a domain isn’t something one can do with strength alone.

Berka, at least, seems very aware of his own limits.

"Embarrassing as it is, I’m not good with numbers. Just thinking about budgets, expenses, and tax calculations gives me a headache."

"I understand the feeling! That stuff is so incredibly annoying."

"You don’t get to complain. You’re royalty."

Well, that's true. But still, if you're bad at something, you're bad at it.

"Best to leave that sort of thing to someone who's good at it. If I try to get involved, I'll only drag everyone down."

"Then you have no intention of becoming a noble, Berka-san?"

"Spare me. ...Why would the head of a local vigilante group need a domain?"

Berka seemed to mean that from the bottom of his heart.

...He probably just dislikes nobles in general.

"In the end, it's the same as always—it's up to us to protect Byuredesto."

"I'm happy we're getting salaries now."

"Yeah. The fact that we’ve got more budget for gear—that's the biggest win this time."

They gave Berka authority and funding, and in return, he'll continue to defend Byuredesto.

Later, once things stabilize, a proper noble will be sent to manage the territory.

Seems like a reasonable compromise.

"Ah... so what should I do, then?"

"Why the hesitation, Rishali?"

"Oh, it’s just—well, maybe I should go ahead and tell you."

Since Berka would now be responsible for defending Byuredesto going forward...

Even though it's technically a military secret, it might be best to inform him of the situation at the front lines.

"The Yaiban army’s main force has apparently arrived at Draznest."

"Hm? What did you say? The main force? Don’t tell me—Levigdard is there?"

"Yes, that Levigdard."

I decided to share as much as I safely could.

Enemy troop movements shouldn’t be too much of a problem to disclose.

"Though it seems Levigdard was defeated by Takeru."

"Yeah, figures. That guy’s something else."

"Takeru really is amazing. They say Deken has ‘Dragon Slayers’ too, but… the lowest number of people needed to kill one over there is five, apparently."

"As it should be. Actually, if I recall, the title of 'Dragon Slayer' in Deken is..."

"What about it? Is there something more to it?"

"No… well, yeah. But I think it’s better if you didn’t know."

Berka’s expression turned a little awkward when the subject of Dragon Slayers came up.

Huh? Did I misunderstand something?

"In any case, there’s no one alive who could beat Takeru head-on in a fair fight. That, I can guarantee."

"In a fair fight, huh?"

Something about the way Berka said that caught my attention.

"In an unfair fight, then—could you beat him, Berka-san?"

"...Takeru’s got that personality, and he’s easy to talk to. If you don’t mind playing dirty, sure, he can be taken down."

"Meaning?"

"That guy’s the type who gets tricked pretty easily."

If it's Berka—the embodiment of cheating, sneakiness, and underhanded tactics—then maybe Takeru really could be taken down.

I mean, Ruri-chan’s stealth skills alone are probably the perfect counter to him.

"Just so you know—apparently Levigdard’s daughter challenged Takeru to a direct fight."

"Poor girl. Not even scraps of her body must’ve been left."

"Surprisingly, she endured Takeru’s blows and even managed to wound him."

"...What?"

So, it turns out Yaiban also has someone with strength close to Takeru’s.

When I told him that, for some reason, Berka started chuckling to himself.

"Heh... Heh heh heh. Don’t be ridiculous, Princess! There’s no way such a monster exists in this world!"

"I’m being serious, actually."

"Wait—what?"

Then what the hell is Takeru?

"No jokes—it's true. Be on your guard around Levigdard’s daughter."

"U-Understood. Man, there really are some terrifying people out there."

Well, you're one of them too, Berka. Two years of defense with zero casualties is no small feat.

You just look a little less outrageous next to someone like Takeru.

"I doubt Takeru or Rouga would lose, but... just in case, I’m counting on you to defend Byuredesto."

"Yeah, leave it to me. You don’t even need to ask."

Berka nodded firmly at my request.

His desire to protect his homeland was something I could trust.

"One more thing, Princess Rishali—mind if I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"What’s the Deken Empire’s current stance? Are they going to move? Has there been any negotiation?"

Ah, I figured he'd bring that up.

I really do want to tell him, but...

"Oh, I wouldn’t know anything about that~"

"...Right. Got it."

Sorry. That part’s actual state-level classified info—I can’t give a straight answer.

It’s not that I don’t trust Berka—it’s just a matter of compliance and protocol.

"O-hohohohohoho!"

"Right, I’ll just keep doing my job. That’s what it comes down to."

"Precisely."

Berka seemed to pick up on my roundabout answer just fine.

If Deken weren’t planning to act, I would’ve told him outright.

Smart men are easy to work with—subtle cues are all it takes.

"I was happy to see both of you today. If you ever feel like it, do come visit again."

"Yeah."

I think I’ve said all I need to say to him for now.

There isn’t much I can do myself. All I can do is use what influence I have to gather information, and pass it along to the right people.

And once the war begins, I can only pray for the success of Takeru, Rouga, Berka, and the others.

"Berka-san... have you come to like Saripa even a little?"

"...In the sense that it’s the country you protect—I suppose I’ve come to want to keep it safe."

As he was leaving, Berka turned slightly red in the face.

"Well, um… a lot’s happened, but… I am grateful to you, Princess Rishali."

"Oh?"

He murmured the words quietly, almost as if embarrassed.

"Thank you."

"You’re very welcome!!"

After that, the two of them bowed politely and exited the room.

…Berka might actually have a bit of a tsundere streak in him.