Chapter 34

The forces of the Principality of Budoudarl and those of Duke Larknoll were locked in a standoff at Castle Osen.

A tense, prickling atmosphere blanketed the area.

Roughly a hundred knights from each side advanced to the front.

From among them, a pair of nobles—myself and Thor—stepped forward, each accompanied only by a single attendant knight.

"I thank you for your invitation, Princess Roselia."

Thor bowed politely to me as he spoke. He looked more dignified than before. He’d grown taller, and his magical energy had matured as well.

Trying to suppress my nerves, I returned his greeting.

"Welcome, Sir Thor. As the guardian of Osen, I extend my warmest regards."

We stepped forward and took each other's hands.

I could feel the tension begin to ease.

"Now then, please follow me. I’ll show you the way. It may be presumptuous, but we’ve arranged a modest banquet to welcome you. It’s a hastily prepared affair, so the fare may be plain, but I hope it helps relieve some of your fatigue from the battlefield."

"Thank you. Then I shall gratefully rest my wings."

Thus concluded the exchange we had prepared in advance.

From here, we would each return to our respective camps. I was to oversee the formal entry of the Duke of Larknoll’s army into the castle.

"By the way, Princess Roselia."

"Yes?"

"…You look splendid in armor."

"Oh my!"

I quickly raised a hand to cover my mouth.

Then I gave him a composed, confident smile.

"You’re quite the flatterer."

Please… don’t notice how red my ears are.

---

That evening, a welcoming banquet was held for the Duke of Larknoll’s forces.

Naturally, the guests were knights and common soldiers.

Hosting a formal party in noble society fashion would have been inappropriate for the difference in status—and hardly appreciated either.

More importantly, this was wartime, and we were in the middle of a battlefield.

So the event consisted merely of somewhat elaborate food and drink, accompanied by lively street performances from jesters.

Knight Sunbrag had been vague, but apparently, even courtesans had been arranged for.

As for what followed, the Duke of Larknoll’s army was scheduled to depart the territory of Count Osen tomorrow, passing through the County of Lazabel under the watch of the Budoudarl Principality’s forces, before returning to their home territory.

Though we had fought a common enemy, we were not allies.

In fact, not long ago, we had been on opposite sides of a battlefield.

We wanted them to move along as soon as possible—and no doubt, they felt the same.

That said, Thor, his attendant, and a few hundred soldiers assigned as guards were to remain in Count Osen’s territory for a few days.

This was to exchange information, reconcile interpretations, and discuss the handling of prisoners after the war.

Of course, not everything could be decided in a single meeting, but since they had come all this way, it made sense to lay the groundwork in advance.

"Would you tell me about your exploits on the battlefield, Sir Thor?"

I broached the subject during dinner.

My tone was as if to say, I want to hear how cool you were out there.

I batted my lashes and let my eyes sparkle with admiration, doing my best to look smitten.

…But it seemed he saw through me, realizing I was probing for military secrets.

"I see… Then may I first ask how much you already know about our movements, Princess Roselia? It would make my explanation much easier if I had that context."

In other words, if you want information, you give yours first.

He wanted to assess the extent of our intelligence gathering.

Well played.

He was nothing like the boy I first met.

That saying comes to mind—"If you haven't seen a man for three days, look at him with fresh eyes."

"I merely wanted to hear of Sir Thor’s gallant feats…"

I lowered my gaze, feigning sadness as if to say, Don’t you trust me?

Thor visibly flinched.

Not quite there yet, are you?

"Ah—no, I mean, um..."

"Hehe, I’m just teasing. Very well, let me share what I know, including some of our predictions. If any part of it is inaccurate, please feel free to correct me."

In other words: I'm being honest with you, so you be honest with me.

After saying that, I began recounting the information that Knight Sunbrag and the others had gathered, along with our conjectures about Thor and the Imperial Army’s movements.

At first, Thor seemed mildly impressed, but before long, astonishment began to show on his face.

"You knew that much? I'm surprised."

"Ufufu, I’ve been very eager to learn about you, Sir Thor."

Originally, the Duchy of Larknoll was our enemy. Precisely because of that, we had established an intelligence network within Duke Larknoll’s court.

Thanks to that, we had obtained information that likely only close associates of the ducal family would know.

That said, we had yet to set up a proper network around Thor’s own faction, so we hadn't been able to track his movements.

"Now then… would you indulge me with tales of your exploits, Sir Thor?"

"I wouldn’t call them heroic enough to be worth telling. I was merely burglarizing the place."

Despite the modesty in his words, Thor went on to share the tactical decisions, process, and outcome of his operations.

The content largely matched our earlier predictions, but...

"...I see. Impressive as always, Sir Thor. I certainly couldn’t imitate that."

I had vaguely hoped his strategies might serve as useful references in the event of future war, but… that hope was dashed.

It was like watching a speedrun video by someone way too good at games.

The techniques were on such a masterful level that they were useless as reference.

"Fortune was on my side as well."

"Fortune is part of skill, wouldn’t you say?"

Certainly, he had luck—but had it been me, I’d have missed that lucky opportunity.

To evade misfortune and seize fortune to its fullest—now that is real skill.

I could never pull that off.

In fact, I doubt anyone could.

No one in our kingdom.

Nor could Prince Bartona or Prince Bard.

When I think about it that way, I can’t help but wonder...

"But wouldn’t your father be furious about a military operation of this scale?"

"Haha... He said he'd give me a good punch later—once the reinforcements arrive."

Thor spoke with a distant look in his eyes.

To think he could get away with just one punch…

At the very least, it didn't seem like Thor would be stripped of his succession rights.

"In that case, allow me to write a letter to your father."

I wasn’t sure how much effect a letter from me would have, but if it could lighten Thor’s punishment even slightly, all the better.

If his house arrest dragged on, it would start to hinder my own movements.

"...No, that won’t be necessary. This deployment was entirely of my own accord. The blame and the punishment are mine alone. I intend to take full responsibility."

How noble. Truly manly.

Still… wouldn’t it be better if the punishment were a little lighter?

"Besides… well, it might just make things worse. He could take offense at the idea of me being protected by a woman…"

"Ah… I see."

Yeah, he would definitely say that.

And honestly, if I think about it rationally, sending a letter to weigh in on Thor’s punishment could be considered domestic interference.

It would be diplomatically inappropriate.

Better not do it.

"If that’s how you feel, Sir Thor, then I’ll refrain. But at the very least, allow me to send a letter of gratitude. I won’t mention anything about your punishment."

As the governor of Budoudarl, I had a duty to send a thank-you letter.

Of course, I wouldn’t write anything like "thank you" outright—no telling what kind of demands that might invite.

"Understood. ...In that case, as a souvenir story for my father, would you mind telling me about your own exploits, Princess Roselia?"

"Oh? My exploits pale in comparison to yours, Sir Thor, but… if you insist."

Needless to say, I made sure to leave out the part where I was crying my eyes out in Castle Torunia.

Our exchange of information continued afterward, including discussions on the handling of prisoners.

Fortunately, Thor never brought up anything about compensation for his participation in the war.

Well, from our position, it would be hard to respond even if they did demand something.

After all, from our perspective, the Duke of Larknoll simply took it upon himself to jump into the conflict uninvited.

"Sir Thor."

"Yes?"

"After this... may I have a moment of your time?"

I wanted to speak with him alone.

When I said this, Thor seemed a little surprised but nodded in agreement.

---

After the dinner party, I led Thor to a room set aside for private meetings.

It was a small room with only a sofa and a small table.

The only ones who entered were Thor, myself, and a few of his attendants.

"Sir Thor... I want to thank you for your assistance. As one of the people living in Budoudarl, I am truly grateful."

I gently took the hem of my skirt and bowed deeply.

It was the deepest courtesy a noble could offer another noble.

"Furthermore, I ask for your forgiveness for my failure to offer a proper thanks as the governor."

At my sudden words of thanks and apology, Thor and his attendants looked up in surprise.

And perhaps even Knight Sunbrag and Delawear behind me were taken aback.

I hadn’t discussed this in advance with them, after all.

"…Ah! P-Please, raise your head, Princess Roselia. This battle was one I personally interfered in. There's no need for such gratitude or apology."

Thor hurriedly urged me to lift my head.

As expected.

If it had been Prince Bartona or Prince Bard, they would’ve likely seized the opportunity to demand something right away…

But for Thor to say, "I don’t need any thanks"—he still lacks some polish as a noble.

Though, on a personal level, it’s quite endearing.

Thanks to that, I had managed to get something out of him.

This way, he wouldn't be able to demand land or money from me.

Even if Duke Larknoll brought something up, I could simply reply, "Your son said he didn’t want anything."

"I understand."

...Of course, I would still give him a reward, but in a way that wouldn’t be immediately obvious.

Now, let’s set aside the political talk for a bit.

Well, it's still a bit of politics, but...

"However, it doesn’t sit right with me to offer no reward. If there’s anything I, personally—Roselia El Budoudarl—can do, please feel free to ask."

"Anything...?"

"Yes."

I said this with a wide, beaming smile.

The expression on the face of the knight standing behind Thor shifted from astonishment to wariness.

He was clearly thinking, What is this fox woman scheming?

His name was... Cautrail, if I remember correctly.

I had heard he was a knight who used to be a pirate.

Knight Sunbrag and Delawear were probably in a state of panic as well.

There would be a lecture later, but... heh.

This tightrope walk is actually quite fun.

"…Anything, truly?"

"If it's something I can personally give."

Well, there’s something, right?

Something you want.

Right here, in front of you.

"Then... this may be an incredibly rude request, but..."

"Yes?"

"Please, Princess Roselia... grant me your love."

Love.

In other words, he means he wants to be a platonic lover.

It’s the request I had expected.

"Love, you say…"

I already knew how to respond.

But I intentionally made a show of hesitation.

Ah, this is so thrilling… Heh.

"Well then… if it’s within the time before I marry, I’ll grant it."

I said this and gently extended my hand.

Thor’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

"…I am grateful."

Thor knelt and kissed the back of my hand.

A shiver ran down my spine.

"Then, from today onwards, I am your princess."

"Yes, my beautiful princess. From today onwards, I am your knight."

Thor said this with a joyful expression.

Hmm...

He’s still not getting it, huh.

sigh…

As expected.

If it were Prince Bartona, he would have understood immediately.

"Hehe..."

I’ll tease him a bit more, just for fun.

"By the way... Sir Thor. Actually, the County of Osen is famous for its hot springs. Did you know?"

"Yes... I’ve heard that Emperor Cartema used it for his healing."

So he knows the stories about heroes, huh.

In that case, I’d like him to learn a bit more about courtly love.

Oh well.

I’ll teach him tomorrow.

"How about it? Would you like to join me tomorrow morning?"

"Ah! Thank you for the invitation. I’ve been wanting to try it... Wait! Together!?"

"Yes, together."

Oh, and just to clarify—it's the foot bath, okay?