Today, Euphy and I were surrounded by the women from Adicilton since morning.
「 Hey, Kotori-sama, I think this one suits you better 」
「 That’s nice. But, I like this one. It reminds me of Curtis-sama 」
「 Now that you mention it. Then, let’s go with that first. How about it, Princess? 」
「 Hmm, it’s hard to make a choice, both seem good. Hmmm. I also would prefer the same haircut as Father 」
Looks like Euphy’s choice decided my hairstyle.
It’s split in the middle, half is swept back, and the other half is dropped on the front.
It’s been a while since I had my hair arranged.
I’ve been doing that when I go to work, but I haven’t used them since I was summoned.
They seem to be using some perfume oil, but it’s sticky.
I’m glad I stuck in hairdressing products from home to my magic bag.
Well, its saving grace is that it smells good.
I stood up from my seat after having my hairstyle fixed. Then Euphy’s eyes were sparkling.
「 T-That looks so fresh! Haa, haa, I want to hug 」
「 H-Hey, you’re drooling. Does it look that good? 」
「 Yes! It suits you so well! Father’s clothes suit you. I’m so happy that I’m crying 」
「 You’re excited, or crying, pick one. But if you cry, it’ll turn your makeup to waste 」
True to Euphy’s word, I’m now wearing the clothes her father wore, which the Adicilton people took with them when they fled the war.
I’m wearing a jacket on top and pants on the bottom, it’s almost like a suit of clothes, but the shape of the jacket is quite different.
The hem length goes to just above the knee.
The sleeves, shoulders, and upper abdomen are embroidered on a subdued black fabric.
So this is the shirt they wear underneath.
This one’s already covered in embroidery on the front and back.
I even looked at it before putting it on, wondering how much time and effort went into it.
Euphy is also dressed more enthusiastically than usual today.
She wears a thin, but decent amount of makeup, and her hair is up, showing her beautiful neck.
As for the hairstyle, she’s done ponytail many times, but this looks fresh.
She feels so ladylike, and I want to bury my face in that neck now.
She wears better clothes than usual.
We’re in the warm season so she’s wearing a dress exposing her shoulders.
The thin fabric reveals the silhouette of her thin and toned body, making her look sexually attractive, which isn’t appropriate for her age.
I mean, I can see the body lines on a level that I don’t want other guys to see, so I honestly want her another layer.
I tried to tell her in a roundabout way, but the ladies told me that this was also a woman’s weapon, so I had no choice but to surrender.
Still, Euphy looks good no matter what she wears.
I was wondering if we were going to a ball together, but it seems that this is Adicilton or Mugdam’s formal attire.
That’s pretty fancy.
When Euphy and I were ready, Nia, who had been sitting quietly, came running with a bright and cheerful face.
「 Daiki-nii, you look cool! Hey, make a pose 」
「 Huh? Like this? 」
「 Pfft. Ahahahaha! You look like a noble! Ahahahaha! 」
Nia’s excited to see me dressed differently than usual.
Nia blew up when I gave a quick pose.
Aren’t you laughing too much?
You’re already rolling from laughing.
「 Haa, haa, fuu. Daiki-nii look so different that it’s funny 」
「 You just said that I looked cool, isn’t it cruel that you laughed? 」
「 I mean, you made a weird pose! 」
I didn’t have a clear image, but I thought that I created a noble atmosphere, I guess I failed.
Nia’s laughing and turned towards Euphy, and she saw a longing look on the face.
「 Euphy-nee looks like a princess. Can I look like that if I get my hair the same? 」
「 I’m sure that it’ll look cute for Nia too How about we do it? 」
「 Hmm. But I don’t have long hair. Maybe I should get it long? 」
「 Why not? It’s already longer compared to when we met, just let it get longer 」
「 Daiki-nii, do you prefer longer hair? 」
「 That’s a difficult question. I like either, it depends on how it suits you Nia would look good with long or short hair, just pick whichever you like 」
「 I see. Okay, I’ll get it long! 」
Nia’s becoming more and more of a girl since meeting us and seeing Euphy in her princess look seems to have rekindled her feelings.
When we met, she had shaggy short-cut hair, but now she has a short-bob cut.
Nia with her tomboy look is cute, but I like to see her with long hair.
Hmm, I’m looking forward to that.
As we were talking, Gilbert-san came into the room and approached Euphy.
She nodded lightly and turned her gaze at me.
「 Daiki-sama, we’re ready, let’s go. Nia, please take care of the place 」
「 Yes, take care. Good luck 」
Unfortunately, Nia’s house-sitting today.
Nia’s important to me as much as Euphy, but since I’m going in as an Adicilton this time, GIlbert-san’s the other one accompanying me besides Euphy.
We’re heading to the main castle where Marquis de Blaureite, the lord of the land has returned from his territorial patrol
We’ve been talking about it for a while, but we have our visitation today.
Normally, it would’ve been fine to dress casually, but Euphy wanted to start with formal attire, so this is what we ended up with.
There isn’t much distance from the mansion to the main castle.
It takes a dozen minutes, but you start to feel a little comfortable being rocked in a carriage dressed like this.
「 Haa, I’m getting a little nervous now that I’m about to meet someone important 」
I casually blurted that out, and then Euphy who was sitting next to me gently pats my thighs,.
「 Worry not, Daiki-sama. The Marquis is a kind man who treats people kindly regardless of status. Besides, don’t you usually meet people with a higher rank than the Marquis? 」
「 It is as the Princess says. Be confident, you’re the man who contested the man who was the prime minister of a big country 」
Gilbert-san, who knows my relationship with the prime minister, also told me.
Well, right.
My impression of the prime minister is that he’s just a watch-loving senior perverted father, but that guy’s so high up on the ladder that even the king of the country would bow to him.
Furthermore, there’s always tension when I talk to him, not knowing what he would do.
Thinking about that time, I feel like I could make it even if it’s the Marquis.
「 You’re right. We just have to do our best to turn the tides in Adicilton’s favor.
「 Haha, most people would put their wishes into words if they could meet the Marquis, but to think that you prioritize us first. I’m impressed, Kotori-sama. Also, our princess is wise to choose Kotori-dono. Wonderful! 」
Gilbert-san is in a good mood about the turnaround in the situation that Euphy will be having an audience with the Marquis.
He’s almost like a drunkard dad.
The smile of an old good-looking man gives off a suspicious stench.
Looking out at the window of the carriage, I see the entire main castle.
I’m not sure if it’s originally a small hill or if it has been filled in, but there’s a strong-looking castle perched on top.
Although it looks small compared to the castle of Nyhied kingdom, it’s still probably the second largest castle or fortress I’ve seen in this world.
As for the style, it appears to be more about function than appearance.
There are no decorations on the walls, and the appearance is just a pile of formed stones.
The words fortress or citadel would be more appropriate than a castle.
The carriage approaches the castle gate between two narrow towers.
The knight of Adicilton, our coach for today, seemed to have visited the place to give martial arts instructions, and so the passage was smooth.
After passing through a short tunnel in the castle wall, I found a place surrounded by a wall with a missing ceiling.
Seems like you can only enter the castle through the entrance seen at the building.
The entrance was surprisingly clean, unlike its rugged exterior, and was decorated with botanical designs favored by elves, similar to the atmosphere of our current residents.
As we proceed inside, we don’t just see the design, but also the plants.
The atmosphere here is nice.
An elderly elf, who seems like a butler, leads me to the parlor.
After knocking, the door opened, revealing a calm but luxurious room.
Two men are sitting on the sofa of the room.
Both sides turned their gaze towards us in response to opening the door, and one of them stood up.
「 Ooh… Is that Euphilite? You were cute when you were young, but to think that you’ve grown so beautifully. Seeing you again makes me happy 」
Is that the Marquis, the ruler of this land and one of the five great nobles of this country?
he’s an elven man who looks like someone in his late twenties.
He has a sweet mask that’s an example of a good-looking elf.
But the one over there is sixty years old.
For elves, whose lifespan is said to be almost twice that of humans, do they still feel like youngsters?
I heard about them beforehand, but they look so young.
Euphy responds calmly to the Marquis who has a loud reaction.
「 It has been a while indeed, Marquis. Thank you for giving us time 」
「 Why are you being a stranger? As Curtis’s daughter, I can give you as much time as you want. I’m glad you lived. When I heard that you had been captured, I was heartbroken. I thought not only the Mugdam royal family but also the Adicilton blood had been destroyed.
The Marquis seems genuinely happy for Euphy’s survival.
That’s probably also because the Marquis and Euphy’s dad were friends.
I don’t know how their relationship went, but what started out as a trade in the Adicilton’s industry of silk spinning, over time became a good friendship when Curtis-san that they would drink until they collapsed.
Normally, when nobles are socializing, they tend to think of their own face and interests, which leads to a grievous feud, but because they were from other countries, and several countries in between, they were able to build a relationship.
The Marquis removed his hand from Euphy’s shoulder and looked at Gilbert-san, then me.
「 I’m Loic Blaureite. The head of the Blaureite house and the ruler of the land was their Marquis. Could I ask for yours? 」
「 It is our first time meeting. I’m Kotori. It’s an honor to meet you, Marquis 」
According to the etiquette of greeting that I had once learned, it’s not considered rude to lower your eyes and bow lightly, even if the person you’re addressing is a noble of a high rank.
This means that if a superior asks for a handshake, it will have been accepted.
「 So you’re Kotori. I hear stories about you. Thank you for coming here with Euphilite. Well done 」
The Marquis asked for a handshake, I responded, and he nodded strongly.
The words come from a high place, but there was gratitude in his eyes as he smiled calmly.
「 I’d like to get started, but let’s introduce this man first 」
After the greetings, the other elf man, who had been sitting quietly until now stood up.
「 He’s Maruis Karlitz, head of the Dukes of Karlitz house. He came to talk to you today. Will you let him join us? 」
We took our seats for the conversation while confused by the appearance of an unknown person.