Preparations for the Founding Festival (2)
I let out a long sigh as I watched Emilia leaping around in excitement.
“Hah. I knew it would turn out like this.”
“U-um, what should we do? Shouldn’t we stop her?”
“Stop her from doing what, exactly?”
Catherine covered her mouth with both hands, looking completely at a loss.
“But they’re all noble young ladies from respectable families. No matter that she’s Her Highness the Princess, making them play horsey is just too…”
“It is rather inhumane.”
“Exactly!”
It wasn’t easy for a bipedal human to be forced onto all fours, carrying a small child on their fragile back while crawling across the floor.
Not physically, and certainly not mentally.
“Well, it should be fine.”
Fortunately, the new maids before us weren’t actually people.
“Horsey sounds fun!”
“Shall we get down on all fours right away?”
After hearing the explanation of the game, the maids immediately dropped to their knees.
They didn’t seem to care at all that their silk uniforms were getting wrinkled.
“There are five of us, so how about one acts as the carriage?”
“That’s a good idea. Sola, you carry Her Highness the Princess.”
“Understood.”
The maids whispered among themselves, then lined up on the floor and assumed formation.
“W-wait, what are you all doing right n—”
“Just let them be.”
I held Catherine back as she tried to intervene and simply watched in silence.
“All ready now.”
“Princess Emilia, please climb on!”
Four maids in front, one in the back.
Emilia clambered onto the back of the rearmost maid.
The child grabbed the waist sashes of the maids in front with both hands and let out a delighted cheer.
“Kyaaaaaaa!”
“Hihihihiin!”
It seemed Somnia’s dolls had instantly read their new owner’s tastes and wishes.
They began moving forward on their own, even making realistic horse sounds.
“A four-horse carriage, I see.”
“This is not the time for observations like that, Nanny!”
“If it pleases Her Highness the Princess, isn’t that all that matters?”
Catherine trailed off, her eyes wide with horror as she watched the princess riding a human-drawn carriage.
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Then I’ll leave the maids’ training to you.”
“Nanny? Where are you going?”
“I’m going to write a letter to the person who sent these maids.”
I curled one corner of my mouth into a smirk.
“She sent such excessively talented individuals. The least I can do is greet her properly.”
* * *
An old, signless inn near the imperial palace.
I met Somnia face-to-face inside a cramped guest room.
“So? Did you like the girls I sent? You called me all the way to the capital the moment they arrived.”
Today marked exactly the third day since the new maids had entered the 3rd Prince’s Palace.
“I clearly told you to come see me right away. I see you still haven’t broken that habit of only half-listening to people.”
“Come on, Nanny. I’m the owner of the greatest merchant coalition on the continent. If I came running the second someone called me, wouldn’t that make me a dog, not a person?”
Hiss.
The acrid smell of burning tobacco filled the room.
Somnia put a long pipe to her lips and chuckled lightly.
“Anyway, since this great one has come all this way, cut me some slack.”
What a slippery old fox.
I crossed my arms and frowned.
“What are you scheming?”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked you to send maids. I never asked for the magical dolls you created.”
Somnia reclined lazily on the bed that looked ready to collapse at any moment and tilted her head.
“If you’re unhappy, just ask for a refund.”
Those sly eyes were brimming with confidence that I would never actually complain.
“I’m not unhappy. I’m simply asking because I want to know your true intentions.”
When I straightened up from where I’d been leaning against the wall, I sensed movement.
I could feel Somnia’s guards outside the door and windows tensing up.
“My true intentions, huh.”
Somnia lightly tapped out her pipe.
Ash fluttered down onto the floor.
“Let’s call it a kind of insurance.”
“Insurance?”
“Yes. Insurance for the promises you made.”
The promises I made.
She must be referring to my vow to grant her a noble title once the 3rd Prince became emperor.
“Do you think I’ll break my word?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Somnia wrinkled her nose.
“For a truly successful deal, it’s surprisingly effective to start by giving a little more than necessary.”
Her long, narrow eyes curved into crescents.
“Those magical dolls? Each one is worth an entire castle, you know?”
This crazy woman.
No wonder when I asked for ten maids, she’d insisted she could only send five even if it killed her. So this was why.
“You’re just going to tack on debt however you please?”
“If our deal somehow falls through due to unforeseen circumstances, I wouldn’t be able to collect any penalty fees.”
Somnia shook her pipe and laughed.
“I’m a merchant. You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”
“…So those dolls will take back everything they see and hear inside the 3rd Prince’s Palace?”
Unlike humans, who had limits and distortions in their memories, magical dolls recorded and stored everything they witnessed.
The precise internal information of the imperial family would easily be worth more than a single castle—perhaps even the value of a small kingdom.
“Exactly. As expected of the former assassin leader.”
The corners of Somnia’s mouth drew a gentle arc, like the curve of an overturned boat.
“I had no choice. You were the one who made an absurd request first.”
She let out a disbelieving snort, as if the memory still stunned her.
“Find ten women between the ages of twenty and thirty who perfectly understand imperial etiquette, possess noble surnames, and have enough self-defense skills to protect a princess.”
“…I thought the Golden Goose could manage it.”
“I appreciate that you think so highly of my abilities, but that’s something no one could do.”
Somnia stretched her large frame and yawned.
“Noble surnames can be bought, but finding women who meet all the other conditions? Do you have any idea how difficult that is? And not just one or two—ten of them all at once? Impossible. Utterly impossible.”
I stared at her with a displeased expression.
When she noticed, she gave me a bright smile.
“Still, dolls are better than those black-haired beasts. No matter what anyone says, they only carry out their orders.”
Unlike people, dolls didn’t betray you or let emotions ruin their work.
“Plus, they have combat capabilities. They could probably take down ten knights by themselves and still have energy to spare…”
Somnia stopped mid-sentence and raised both hands.
I had grabbed her by the collar.
“It’s fine. Everyone stand down.”
At her words, the guards who had drawn their swords hesitated before returning to their positions.
“Fine, I admit it. I did set an unreasonable condition. But I’m certain I added this as well.”
I ground my teeth and spoke in a low voice.
“Even if they don’t meet every condition, make sure you only send humans who pose absolutely no risk of harming the princess.”
“Whoa, look at that face. It’s so scary my legs are going numb.”
Somnia wrapped her hands around mine where I gripped her collar.
“Don’t worry. Those children will never harm the princess. I swear it.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that right now?”
“Ugh, I’m telling you to believe me!”
She shouted in frustration.
“If those things ever harm the princess, I’ll hand over my entire fortune to the 3rd Prince, call off the deal, and kill myself. Is that good enough for you?”
She was willing to give up the fortune she had risked her life to build.
Somnia was a woman who never lied when money was on the line.
I slowly loosened my grip.
“…There had better be no lies in those words.”
“Ugh, I already told you it’s the truth.”
Somnia straightened her crumpled collar.
“Besides, if I lied, you’d come to kill me, wouldn’t you?”
“It’s good that you understand.”
“Honestly, so violent.”
She grumbled under her breath and called her guards back inside.
“Well, now that the explanation is over, I’ll be on my way.”
At her gesture, one of the guards set a large travel bag down in front of me.
“These are the items you asked me to prepare before. From the looks of it, you really do plan to join the subjugation force.”
Somnia gave me a mischievous grin.
“I sincerely hope you return safely.”
This woman even had a talent for making her concern sound annoying.
“Don’t worry.”
I lifted the heavy bag with one hand and headed for the door first.
“I won’t die until I’ve kept my promise.”
“How very reassuring.”
Somnia waved at my back.
“See you next time!”
Surrounded by her guards, she wore an intrigued smile.
“Good luck, Nanny.”
* * *
There were ten days left until the subjugation campaign.
Every prince’s palace was bustling with preparations to send off their masters.
“You’re really going?”
Sage asked, adjusting his straw hat.
“What if you die?”
“Death holds no fear for me.”
I had already died once, after all.
I swallowed the rest of the thought and bowed my head.
“Is this everything?”
“Yes.”
Sage pointed at the medicine bottles on the table one by one as he explained.
“This is an ultra-strong dye. Once you use it, you won’t have to worry for a whole month. Just don’t forget to touch it up every time your hair grows out.”
“What about the medicine to delay my cycle?”
“The yellow bottle next to it. Take one drop a day whenever you want and it’ll keep postponing things. But if you skip even a single day, it won’t work, so be careful.”
Besides that, he handed over ointments and emergency medicines good for scrapes and bruises.
“You said you didn’t need the body-altering drugs, right?”
I nodded instead of answering.
If I used body-altering drugs, no one would suspect I was a woman even if I stripped naked.
But the side effects were far too severe.
“Yes. It would be troublesome if I fainted in the middle of a fight or suddenly started vomiting.”
Changing my voice would be enough.
With armor on, no one would notice my chest, and there were plenty of short men in the world.
“Well, I suppose this is all the preparation I can offer you.”
Sage brushed off his hands and plopped down on a chair.
“By the way, did you solve that problem?”
“What problem?”
The old sage frowned and scratched under his nose.
“The mage.”
He twisted his long beard between his fingers.
“All the other princes will each bring at least one mage for the monster subjugation. What does Edwin plan to do?”