Chapter 62 Princess Cress And Rune Gaia
"Nice to meet you again. I am Princess Cress Rune Gaia."
After the dinner party at the Silver Apple Inn ended, we found ourselves in a separate room with Princess Cress, who appeared as a new client.
Standing beside her was an elderly man who seemed to be her attendant, introducing himself simply as "Halim" and standing silently upright.
As Maia, Teti, and Fran gazed at the princess with interest, I spoke up.
"But Cress-sama... why are you here?"
"No need to be so formal, Executor-sama. Please treat me like everyone else."
"...Understood."
Cress nodded satisfactorily upon hearing my words.
With her straight golden hair falling to her waist and her well-defined features, she exuded a sense of elegance.
Because she had sneaked out, even though she was dressed plainly, I could sense nobility from Cress's behavior and manners.
"Besides, there shouldn't be any difference in status between you and me. The Seventh Prince, Adel Vandale-sama."
"...Why is that? We should be meeting for the first time, right?"
"Thanks to my Job ability, shall we say?"
Taking a sip of the tea prepared by Maia, Cress said with a composed expression.
Well, let's leave the discussion about Cress's Job ability for now.
"So, you can also call me by my first name. Please just call me 'Cress'."
"Understood. But in that case, just call me by my name without any honorifics. I'm not the Seventh Prince right now."
"Got it. In that case, Adel-san."
Cress smiled a little happily.
――She's quite an unusual princess, isn't she?
When we exchanged words, the impression I had of Cress was just that.
In my mind, when it came to royalty, it was common to have an authoritative and arrogant attitude, much like my father Charles.
Furthermore, the neighboring country of Rune Gaia is considered a closed-off nation, having long severed ties with other countries.
Being a member of the royal family of such a country, I had an even stricter image in mind, but...
"The princess is originally a cheerful person... Despite being royalty, she treats the people and us servants with kindness."
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Halim, who had been silent next to Cress until then, spoke up.
A slightly troubled smile peeked out from behind his well-groomed white beard.
Though Halim's words were indirect, I somehow imagined, "Ah, she must be feeling troubled by something in her usual life."
"Besides, the princess seemed very excited to meet Adel-sama. She was determined to have Adel-sama address her by name when they meet."
"Are you looking forward to meeting me?"
"Whoa! Halim! Why would you say that!?"
Cress quickly turns to look at Halim.
The corner of Halim's white beard lifts, as if it's payback for something.
It seems there is a strong bond of trust between Cress and Halim that goes beyond just being master and servant.
I had already guessed this from the fact that Cress brought only Halim with her to the neighboring country and from Halim's actions, which a normal servant wouldn't do.
"Oh, by the way, this shop was really lovely, wasn't it? There were so many cute flowers—"
Cress hurriedly changes the subject.
Maia is the one who reacts to those words.
"...Princess, you have a good eye!"
"Haha, Maia-san, I told you it's okay to call me 'Cress,' right?"
"Uh... um, Cress-san, you like flowers too, don't you?"
"Yes, I love them. I've always had a weakness for cute things..."
"I totally get it...!"
Cress and Maia both sparkled with excitement, bonding instantly.
"Speaking of cute, Teti-san, I've been fascinated by your ears and tail since earlier."
"Huh? M-me...?"
"Yes. It's my first time seeing someone from the beastmen race, and I didn't expect them to be this adorable. Um... could I maybe touch them a little later?"
"Princess, that's rather impolite. It's not proper to ask such things to someone you've just met."
"Teti-chan is very warm to cuddle with at night."
"Maia, really..."
"..."
――It felt strangely relaxed, considering we had a royal visitor...
Fran, observing the atmosphere, couldn't help but crack a dry laugh.
"The princess sure is an interesting one."
"It seems so..."
Cress, perhaps noticing our gazes, cleared her throat lightly.
"Oh, pardon me... Right, I suppose I should explain why I came here."
Cress returned to a serious expression, straightening her posture.
"Actually, recently, some strange incidents have been happening in our country..."
"Strange incidents... Can you be more specific?"
"Yes. There have been many people going missing."
"I see..."
"Although it may not be ideal for a princess like me to have preconceptions, I believe it's the work of a certain organization."
Upon hearing Cress's words, I recalled what hero Ibur had said after the recent incident.
――It's an organization with a suspicious name like some new religious group called the (Apostles of Salvation). Suspicious just from the name, right?
"...Cress. Is that organization perhaps the (Apostles of Salvation)?"
"Oh, yes. Just as Adel-san mentioned. You were quite well-informed."
"Ah, there were various things that happened before."
"...?"
I explained to Cress and Halim about the recent event - where there was a demon in the hero party, and we fought against the monsters she controlled.
"I see, so that's what happened..."
"It's a strange story, isn't it?"
"The girl named Sicily seemed to know about Cress, and she even foresaw coming here. Do you know about her?"
"No..."
"I don't know either... I remember everyone related to the princess, but not this person."
Cress looked down, deep in thought.
A stranger to me, and a demon at that, predicting my actions; it's definitely unsettling.
――Well, we can't verify the truth of that right away, so let's start with the incident Cress was talking about and the organization called the 'Apostles of Salvation'...
"However, it's about a neighboring country. It's concerning that many people are going missing, but since we're not in Rune Gaia, it's difficult for us to offer help..."
"Adel-san makes a valid point. So, I have a suggestion."
"A suggestion?"
Cress looked at all of us, then smiled and said,
"Soon, I would like to invite all of you to our country, Rune Gaia, known as the Kingdom of Pure Waters."
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