As I rode in the carriage, I leisurely glanced outside.
A total of four carriages were prepared. The Prince and Princess board their favorite carriage, and the other carriages have selected escorts boarding them. It’s hard to say that it’s a mess, but the other Knights and escorts walk along with them outside and then secure the places they plan to visit.
By the way, I’m the only man inside my carriage. The only one aside from me is the coachman.
So, although I was working as an escort, I decided to look at the lively North District and Central District till noon, it was a really laid-back time.
“Kuah…” I yawned. “I really am free…”
The Prince and Princess’s movements, being some of the most powerful people in their countries, are essentially limited to riding their carriage.
Of course, there are times when they get off the carriage to have lunch or stop by a store they planned to visit, but if you look at the whole process, they spend much longer in their vehicle than walking outside.
In short, I’ve got a surprisingly short time standing with the royals. Everything else was travel time, so I had nothing to do except look at the noisy city in the midst of a festival.
Alexia and Henblitz are walking at full attention to escort the carriage. For some reason, I was the only decoy in my carriage. I have no idea what kind of plan they decided for me. Well, it’s easier to sit in a carriage than to walk beside one.
Maybe it’s because I have no armor, just a jacket. I wouldn’t know.
Ah, well, I can’t come out to the public with a face and attitude like “I’ve got free time”, so I’m going to be at full focus here.
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However, it is also true that there is nothing to do while riding the carriage. I’d like you to forgive me for rambling like this.
In a nutshell, the cityscape was more crowded than usual.
As Princess Salacia said, Baltrain is now in the middle of a festival. I don’t even know what the festival is about. However, it seems that it is done at this time every year, so it seems that the history is not particularly short.
The North District is mainly about the royal palace and a high-class residential area, so there are fewer shops than in the Central District and the West District. Even so, the whole city is alive and well, and you can see various stalls lined up at the eaves even from inside the carriage.
Oh, that meat looks delicious. By the way, where are we having lunch? From an escort’s point of view, I think it’s the same store as the royals.
“… Hmm?”
And while I was thinking about that, the carriage stopped.
I looked outside for some reason, but other carriages were also stopped. Then, following their attendants, the royals came out of the carriage.
That’s weird, we shouldn’t have planned to stop here.
However, if the escort target gets out of the vehicle, we follow, too. When I opened the carriage door in a hurry and went outside, escorts such as Alexia, Henblitz, Gatoga, and Rose appeared in the same way.
“What happened?” Alexia asked Princess Salacia, on behalf of all of us.
Then, Salacia smiled, and then Prince Glen smiled as well, a bit shy and awkward.
“No, nothing so serious, it’s just that I’m curious about the hair ornaments on display at this store…” Glen said.
“Yes, they were beautiful, even from a distance,” Salacia continues.
Hmm, it seems that they were sightseeing together, then noticed the accessory store’s display. It’s just hair accessories, so there are probably no items for men. Maybe Glen wants to give it to Salacia.
“… Understood,” Alexia said. “Please, leave the escorting to me.”
“Yes, go ahead,” Salacia said.
Alexia had a moment of hesitation but she can’t go against the royal families here. She obediently follows and comes to the front of the store with Henblitz.
Gatoga and Rose also looked like they were wondering what was going on, but when they heard the conversation, they both smiled.
Well, I’m not the one who thinks they’re idiots for shifting the schedule without prior warning. No one can say anything because we’re dealing with the most powerful people in two countries.
“However, please refrain from doing so in the future,” Alexia said. “Or, if you tell the person in charge of the convoy in advance, we will do our best to accommodate your wish.”
Still, Alexia did not change her voice and expression at all, giving her usual gentle tone and utmost care.
It’s a little better than behaving authoritatively, but it’s probably not good to suddenly insert an unplanned visit. You could say this caution was reasonable. If you could just move it without warning, the escorts can’t protect you.
Well, it’s not a completely dangerous move, they’re still surrounded by knights of two orders. It would be impossible to break through this line without a great deal of skill. It’s probably difficult, even for me. I had no choice but to overlook it as a bit of youthful folly for this time only.
“My, oh my, it really was beautiful, wasn’t it?” Salacia asked.
“Yes. I think it looks good on you, Princess,” Glen replied.
“Mhm-hm-hmm…” Salacia giggled.
While those two were spending a lovely time together, I felt turmoil everywhere else.
I looked toward Alexia, she noticed me, and her shoulders slumped slightly. She wouldn’t say anything about the people she’s protecting.
I haven’t heard about anything like the royal’s lives being threatened. If there were such rumors, this tour would have been canceled to begin with.
So, at present, I am vigilant, but I do not have to worry so much.
If you take your eyes off, you’ll find a crowd of spectators, trying to see the Prince and Princess who they wouldn’t normally see. However, the distance was strictly maintained by the knights who protected the outer edge.
Yeah, in the end, the effect of the royal family arriving is amazing. Baltrain is certainly a crowded city, but even this is a huge number of people for it.
At first glance, the knights seem to cover the whole area well, but if it’s so crowded, it’s scary that a gap could be created somewhere.
“I believe it does indeed look good on you,” Glen said. “I’m glad we got off the carriage here.”
“Hm-hm, thank you very much,” Salacia replied, now wearing the accessory and smiling at him.
Seems they found what they’re looking for.
Ah, yeah, things are heating up.
It’s an intimate exchange where they don’t look like royalty.
I wonder what these two are, and are they married to each other? Or did the Prince like the Princess because they’d already met?
Well, I’m not afraid to think about it, but if they can show it to the public, my thoughts will move in that direction.
I wonder if I’ll ask Alexia about it later.
“Prince Glen, please take this seriously,” Gatoga said, holding back the bystanders with a bitter smile.
“Yes, forgive me. I won’t do this again,” Glen replied.
He seems franker than my first impressions of him. I wonder if the Knights of the Faith and the Royal Family of Supheniardvania have always been so friendly.
“…… Hmm?”
A lot of people are rushing to see the royal family, even just a glimpse.
Most of the gazes directed at them were due to the newness of it all and plain curiosity, but for a moment I felt that troubling emotions were mixed in it.
“… Master? What’s wrong?” Alexia asked as she looked in a different direction.
“Ah, no…” I started.
The moment I turned to look at her, the disturbing feeling disappeared.
“Maybe it was in my imagination. Never mind,” I finished.
“I see…” Alexia said.
More likely than not, I mistook it.
I may have been a little nervous because I was assigned to escorting the royal family. It wouldn’t be good to confuse the signals so long as an incident isn’t presently, objectively happening.
“…”
After seeing the royals board their carriage again, I also go to my carriage.
If I made a mistake, that’s fine. Some people may not be happy with the royal family, and it’s not surprising that they attract these sorts of gazes.
But, even though I decided to dismiss it because of probability:
The discomfort I felt earlier could be called “murderous.”