Chapter 1 — The Queen, the Prince Consort, the Prince, and the Princess

It was early afternoon, and a strange mood filled the audience room, a place that one might consider the palace’s center.

The people in charge of the country’s military and civil affairs were arrayed in front of Aura’s throne, looks of unease and curiosity on their faces. This was an extremely rare occurrence. The wily nobles here were the movers and shakers of the country to a man. It was rare for them to show concern in their expressions, and even rarer that they were unable to hide their curiosity. To call them careless because of it would be going a step too far, however. After all, they were faced with something that would inevitably heighten their unease and pique their curiosity: the visit of a prince and princess from the Twin Kingdoms of Sharou-Gilbelle.

That idea was enough to make the Capuan nobles lose their composure. If their nation reigned supreme over the west, the Twin Kingdoms did the same over the center of the continent.

Prince Francesco and Princess Bona were of the Sharou family. Unlike the Gilbelles, who frequently visited other countries that wished to make use of their healing powers, the enchanters fundamentally did not go beyond their borders. Official visits had not taken place for at least a century, and a sudden visit from those hidden behind this veil of mystery meant it was hardly surprising that even powerful aristocrats were unable to mask their fascination. Even those nobles who managed to keep the emotion out of their expressions had an irrepressible gleam in their eyes as they looked towards the still-closed double doors.

“I heard the rumors,” murmured one noble, “but to think they were actually true...”

“It certainly is a surprise. What could they intend, I wonder?”

“Who knows. The official reason is ‘the deepening of relations.’”

“That is an obvious pretense. And yet...”

“Indeed, things will be chaotic for a while.”

If their quiet conversations as they stood with their heads bowed had reached Aura, she would have surely sighed in relief. There was nothing in their speculations about Zenjirou sharing Sharou blood or the marbles he possessed being ideal objects for enchantment. It seemed, for the moment, that her careful restrictions on the information related to the Sharous’ visit had worked as desired.

As the mutterings continued, the double doors were pushed open with a solemn noise to reveal the forms of a man and woman.

“Oh, that’s them...”

“Prince Francesco and Princess Bona...”

Closely scrutinized by the men and women lining them on either side, the purple-clad royals stepped quietly onto the red carpet. Knights followed behind them, wearing leather armor and bearing swords at their hips. It went without saying that they had been denied offensive magic tools, but they were also forbidden to use their main weapons of war—spears and bows. Their natural gait despite this showed that they were all worthy warriors even with only a single blade at each of their sides.

That was to be expected considering they were guards selected by the Twin Kingdoms of Sharou-Gilbelle, the country reigning over a significant portion of the continent. The officers present kept their eyes on the knights with a mix of admiration and wariness as the party came to a stop in front of the throne.

Aura remained silent as she surveyed her visitors. So, this is the prince and princess we’ve been waiting for, she thought as she watched the energy rising from them. They certainly have the mana for what we need.

Princess Bona had slightly less mana than Zenjirou, but Prince Francesco had almost double his companion’s. It was an extreme amount even for a prince of a large country and significantly more than Aura—who prided herself on her large mana reserves even compared to that of other royals—possessed.

Hmm, the mana levels would seem to be in keeping with Prince Francesco being the king’s grandson and Princess Bona being further removed. That prompts additional questions, though. Why does he have no place in the line of succession in spite of possessing so much mana?

Francesco had long since matured, seemed visibly healthy, and had extraordinary amounts of mana in addition to being the first prince’s eldest son. With all that in mind, it was extremely surprising that he would have no right to the throne.

There must be some problem with his character, then? Her wariness spiking once more, she spoke in a carrying voice without revealing the slightest hint of her thoughts.

“I am Queen Aura of the Kingdom of Capua. You have traveled far, and I welcome your visit. I trust you will make yourselves comfortable.”

Such events had specific words and actions ascribed to them, but Francesco’s response defied her expectations.

“I am the eldest son of the first prince, Prince Giuseppe. My name is Francesco. My deepest thanks for allowing us to visit your lands.”

His fluent speech followed the exact wording expected as he spoke and bowed deeply. Normal royals aside, the crown prince and his eldest son, as “future kings,” would never bow in such a way to another country’s ruler. Of course, there would naturally be some level of humility in a conversation between prince and monarch, but for him to bow to her that way was unthinkable.

Predictably, the gathered nobles stirred in surprise. In contrast, not one of the knights of the Twin Kingdoms behind the prince showed any reaction.

I see, so this is nothing special for those from the Twin Kingdoms. That would imply this action was not merely a whim of his.

In other words, the kingdom as a whole recognized that Francesco would not be a ruler.

“Likewise, I am Bona of the Sharou family. I am immensely honored to be granted the opportunity to make...”

She continued her introduction, bowing lower than Francesco had, clearly nervous as she spoke, but Aura was only half listening.

What exactly is the reason he has no place in their line of succession? His personality, perhaps? He seems to be able to conduct himself well enough in formal situations like this...

Though her expression didn’t flinch in the slightest, Aura’s thoughts ran through the possible consequences of the visit and what might happen next.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

The general rule for evening events held in the palace was that the higher one’s status, the later one arrived. If one was the host, a certain amount of putting on airs was permitted, but if the host was royalty, they were practically required to arrive last of all.

It was, of course, not written into law, so a royal would receive no punishment for arriving earlier, but it would lead to resentment from nobles who had arrived later, so it was best to avoid such a situation where possible.

This evening’s event, a welcome party for the Twin Kingdoms’ delegation, was being hosted by the royal family. That meant that being both the hosts and royalty, Aura and her husband would have to show up last.

However, this world didn’t have mechanical clocks like Earth did, and while they could rely on sundials during the day, all they had during the darker hours were their own biological clocks. This meant that the queen and her husband were to remain in a neighboring waiting room until it was confirmed that everyone who would be in attendance had arrived.

“Ugh, I’m bored...” Zenjirou complained, accidentally revealing his true feelings as he sat on a cushioned sofa.

He had been beside himself with worry when he’d first entered the room, nervous about needing to speak with the foreign royals, but even those nerves had been unable to weather the long wait.

“Guh...” he let out, moving to slump onto the sofa now that he felt more relaxed. Then, remembering what he was wearing, he suddenly sat up straight again. “Whoops, that was close; I could have ruined my outfit.”

He was clad in traditional Capuan dress, with a focus on red. While it was less extreme than what he had been required to wear for the Sharous’ original welcome a few days earlier, it was by no means comfortable.

“Zenjirou, if you are struggling, why not remove a layer? I imagine it will be some time yet before we are called,” Aura suggested from the opposite sofa.

Zenjirou, however, was too fastidious to take her up on the offer. The outfit was rather like traditional Japanese clothing, fastened in front and held in place by a belt, with a waistcoat-like layer on top of it. Pathetic though it may have been, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to put it back on properly if he took any of it off, and he didn’t want to bother the maids with it when they were already so busy.

“Nah, best not. We might get called any minute,” he replied with a shake of his head.

It was boring to wait in silence, but he’d rather not be foolish and invite more trouble. Aware as he was of his poor social skills off the cuff, he wanted to avoid anything he hadn’t fully prepared for.

“Still, it is rather dark...” he commented, more for something to say than anything else as he carefully maintained his posture and glared at the oil lamp next to the table.

The ballroom was lit with many candles on chandeliers, so it was quite well illuminated, but the waiting room was far from that. The four oil lamps around the sofas weren’t bright by any means. Even his wife, who was only on the opposite couch, was little more than a silhouette, her features unclear.

Suddenly, her face was lit from underneath. Zenjirou realized that she was fiddling with something in her lap as she sat there, and he soon figured out what it was.

“Huh? You brought it here?”

Gripped in her right hand was a portable music player that she was operating with familiar motions. It was one that he’d originally used to fill his time on the train during his commute to work. Recent models were called “smartphones without the phone,” but Zenjirou’s was nothing fancy. It was tiny, and while it had a screen and was technically capable of video playback, it was really only ideal for listening to music.

“I did, to stave off the boredom. Would you like to listen too?”

Their year together had left her extremely familiar with its usage, so as she manipulated the player with familiarity, she took an earbud out and patted the space next to her on the sofa.

“Not a bad idea,” he answered. He had more time than he knew what to do with and had no reason to refuse, so he moved next to her and took the free earbud, putting it into his left ear.

The player had a speaker, so they could remove the earphones and listen that way, but they had decided not to be so overt about using his appliances outside of the inner palace. Besides, sitting side by side and enjoying the music together wasn’t so bad.

Then an upbeat piano melody came through the earbud.

“Ack, classic piano, huh?” he said in slight disappointment.

The music was from a “fill your bag for a hundred yen” offer at a rental store. The case had something like “Pollini: The Complete Collection” or “Chopin’s Nocturnes” written on it, if he remembered right, but he’d tossed out the discs themselves as soon as he’d ripped them to his computer, so he couldn’t really remember. The fact that his wife preferred songs he didn’t hold much affection for over his favorite pop tracks made him a little sad.

“Indeed. We have music of our own, and I have had countless musicians within the palace, but I have never heard the likes of this ‘piano’ instrument before. It is a very pleasant sound.”

Classical piano music was Aura’s favorite from the many types of tunes that Zenjirou had brought with him, and her lips curved into a smile as she spoke. The kingdom’s traditional instruments generally fell into the percussion, strings, and woodwinds categories. They had no pitched percussion instruments like glockenspiels or xylophones, which meant the piano solos were a completely new type of sound for her.

Conversely, Zenjirou’s favorite bands were too alien to her, and she couldn’t follow them, so she didn’t particularly enjoy the songs. The reasoning might have been even simpler, though, with her merely preferring an instrumental to a song that she didn’t understand the lyrics to.

Whatever the case, the music was helpful to pass the time, even if he wasn’t fond of the genre.

“You seem to enjoy the piano quite a bit. Actually, I think Zenkichi might be in a better mood when there are classics playing in his room.”

Aura caught his mutterings through her free ear and grinned triumphantly. “Indeed, it would appear that Carlos’s tastes are similar to my own. Hmhmhmm.”

Having said her piece, she shot a challenging look his way. Even their usually amiable relationship turned competitive when their son came into the picture.

“Mrgh... No, it’s fine. There are still plenty of my favorites on the computer. The true challenge begins here. I’ve even got ballads,” he declared, his fist tightening on his lap.

“Oh-ho, interesting. Do your best. Regardless, you cannot play him songs in your own language until he has learned ours.”

“Argh, that’s right! No, I can still turn it around after that. Just you wait.”

“Ho ho ho, good luck. Do your best, papa. But when he is five, he will have to leave the inner palace.”

The ban on males in the inner palace made no exceptions for royalty. The only exceptions were the master of the inner palace (the king, or in Zenjirou’s case, the prince consort) and children under five, who were treated as sexless.

“Urgh...”

Their conversation was now full of aggressive statements and combative behavior. Contrary to the content of the exchange, however, there was a distinct impression that they enjoyed the light banter.

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully, “the quicker-paced stuff doesn’t look promising, so I’ll focus on ballads close to a cappellas. Actually, wait a minute, I’m sure I’ve got some instrumental bands too. I can use those right now...”

“So willing to throw down the gauntlet despite knowing it is hopeless. I rather like that.”

They remained shoulder to shoulder, sharing the music and jests as they waited for a maid to fetch them.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Now announcing Her Majesty Queen Aura and Sir Zenjirou!”

Zenjirou felt the eyes of everyone in the room turn their way as the booming voice called their names. Aware of the gazes on him, he took his wife’s hand and slowly walked forward.

The hall was lit with several chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, along with tall, evenly spaced candlesticks. The light from each one individually was unreliable, but with so many arranged together, even this huge space could be called brightly lit. Of course, it was by no means as bright as the living room in the inner palace with its LED lamps, but it was far brighter than any of the other rooms he’d been in up to that point.

As the sparkling silver and crystal of the chandelier made him blink, Zenjirou had to give a rueful smile in his mind at his internal lack of response to so much attention being on him.

I guess when you experience it over and over, you get somewhat used to this sort of thing, he thought.

He had been married to Aura for over a year now and had been in quite a number of similar situations. It had been difficult to even walk in a straight line in the beginning, but now he only had a vague sense of being watched.

Becoming excessively used to things could lead to complacency, which was certainly not something he wanted, but he had definitely grown since the time he had been forced to rely on his wife for help with crossing the room.

Uh, so...I need to go talk to the main guests first.

With the warmth of his wife on his arm, he glanced around, looking for someone suitable to greet.

There, perfect.

His targets appeared without him having to search, although given the loud announcement of their entrance, it was hardly surprising that they would come to exchange greetings.

Zenjirou and Aura stopped on the red carpet and awaited the pair approaching them. The blond man looked about the same age as Zenjirou, while the girl had chestnut-brown hair and looked to be in her teens.

The other attendees parted in response to the guests of honor as the pair headed for the queen. Eventually, the two visitors reached them, the man speaking first on their behalf.

“Greetings, Your Majesties. I offer my deepest thanks for arranging such a wonderful welcome for the two of us.” Upon completing his statement, he gave a bow with such exaggerated movements that it seemed almost theatrical.

“I also wish to offer my thanks, Your Majesties,” the brunette added from a step behind, politely lowering her head.

Their initial audience upon the Sharous’ arrival had allowed them to greet each other several days prior, so this wasn’t their first encounter. However, Zenjirou had essentially watched the affair from his own throne in silence, so this was the first time they were meeting properly.

Being addressed as “Majesty” made him unintentionally flinch, but he saw Aura standing there unresponsive, so he decided to continue his own interaction with them in the same vein. There was no precedent in Capua’s history for a prince consort like Zenjirou, so his title was not definitively either “Majesty” or “Highness.” Thus the domestic nobles all addressed him as “sir” in both official and unofficial contexts. It would be too much to expect foreign dignitaries to be aware of such intricacies in just a few days, however.

“I do hope the both of you enjoy it,” Aura said, prompting Zenjirou to add his own comment.

“There can be no greater honor as one of the organizers of this event than to see both of Your Highnesses enjoy it.” As he spoke, Zenjirou took in the two young royals in front of him.

“We are enjoying it indeed,” answered Francesco. “Though it shames me to admit it, this is my first time going abroad despite my age, so everything is an utterly new experience. All of the food and drink here are things I have never sampled before.”

He was a young man with a sunny voice and expressive, fair features. He was taller than Zenjirou, but not by much as their eyes were roughly level—maybe 175 centimeters. He had a good figure, though, with his limbs and neck being significantly longer than Zenjirou’s, and just the right amount of muscle to draw the eye. Because of that, the formal attire of the Sharou family (a sort of cross between a tuxedo and military dress in a rich purple) didn’t look out of place on him. If Zenjirou wore it, he would look like someone with too much confidence playing dress-up, but the handsome blond, green-eyed man was more than a match for the outfit.

Hmm, putting it nicely, he’s sociable. Putting it less nicely, he seems like a bit of a dandy, Zenjirou decided, allowing Aura to continue the conversation as he turned his attention to Francesco’s companion, Princess Bona. His first impression of her was, in a word, “plain,” despite its rudeness.

“Indeed, I am honored and humbled to be able to witness the prosperity of Capua with my own eyes,” she continued.

The princess remained ramrod straight as she answered briskly, hands lightly clasped in front of her. Her smile was clearly forced, being stiff from the tension she was under. Her dress was a lighter shade of purple than the prince’s outfit. It might have been a way of showing her rank as royalty, but in her case, the lighter color actually suited her well. She was slender and had relatively plain features, so she’d have been overshadowed by a richer shade.

She left less of an impression on Zenjirou than Francesco, and the feature that most drew his eye was her hair. It was chestnut in color and reached halfway down her back. None of this was particularly noteworthy, but perhaps in rebellion against that lack of remarkability, she had sprinkled silver powder through it that made her locks sparkle in the light of the chandeliers.

The style in which she wore her hair was also unique. It seemed to be naturally straight, but halfway down, it flared out into a wide wave. While it wasn’t as refined as a modern perm, the practice of purposefully curling one’s hair was present in this world. Her current style could be seen as merely one variation of the theme, but there were no other women in the room wearing their hair in a similar fashion. Paired with the sparkling silver dust, it led to quite a bit of interest in that particular feature of hers. Given her generally positive reception, some of the nobles present were likely to adopt the look in the future.

Aura had kept the conversation flowing while Zenjirou studied their guests.

“Oh, so both of you have come based on your own desires?” she asked.

“Indeed. You are aware that our family has precious few opportunities to leave our kingdom, so I took advantage of the opportunity. An unexpected windfall, I suppose, aha ha ha!”

“Prince Francesco, we stand before Queen Aura. Please choose your words more prudently. Our apologies, Your Majesty. The prince’s words are no falsehood, however; this visit is of our own choice and something we have looked forward to.”

The prince showed no signs of concern as he chattered on, the princess growing increasingly flustered as he did and trying to cover for him. Aura was the one handling most of the conversation, but Zenjirou couldn’t remain an observer indefinitely.

“Right, a large part of the reason was also that I wanted to meet you, Your Majesty Zenjirou. It may be presumptuous of me, but you seem rather like myself,” Francesco remarked.

“It is an honor, Prince Francesco. I am also pleased about the chance to speak with you,” Zenjirou replied with a false smile at the almost overly friendly comment.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Approximately an hour later, a red-faced Francesco was singing his heart out in the middle of the hall, the party around him in full swing.

“Ohhhh, life is a jooooyyyy! Siiing to the golden seeeeaaaa!”

Singing, as well as playing instruments and dancing, were often considered a given talent for a noble, but there was rarely someone who would offer up a solo at a normal party like this. Then again, it was of course possible that, while not the norm in Capua, such performances were commonplace in the Twin Kingdoms.

With that possibility in mind, Zenjirou looked over at the princess and the knights escorting them. He could see the guards exchanging despairing looks or hiding grimaces under their beards. Based on their reactions, he figured the customs of the two countries likely weren’t all that different.

“I apologize. His Highness means no harm...” Princess Bona said, seeming to feel responsible for failing to stop her companion as she cringed pitifully, the apology far from the first she had offered.

“You need not worry so much; he is causing no trouble,” Zenjirou assured her with a forced smile, unable to avoid feeling somewhat guilty about her state.

At some point, Francesco had shed his purple jacket and started singing joyously, but his reddened cheeks made it clear that he was quite drunk, undoubtedly due to how many cocktails he had consumed that had used Zenjirou’s distilled spirits in the drink.

The fruit liqueurs that the southern continent favored were around ten percent alcohol, but drinking cocktails based on distilled spirits at the same pace would obviously have a much stronger and faster effect.

I did warn him it was pretty strong stuff, but I guess it’s hard to tell until you’ve actually had some.

“A ballad of looooove! To the silver mooooonn!”

The prince, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Zenjirou felt a little bad for Bona as she trembled with nowhere to hide, but the cheerful singing made it feel almost like a victory. In truth, now that the other attendees were somewhat over their initial surprise, most wore affable smiles as they stood around the guest of honor from a respectful distance.

On top of that, Zenjirou could hear some sort of accompaniment playing along with the prince’s singing.

Huh? He looked around for the source. What he found was a group of men and women wearing traditional dress, playing instruments. Oh, the palace musicians. Right, Aura must have arranged that.

He remembered that when Francesco had first started belting out his song, the queen had called over an attendant and given them instructions. One person singing on their own could get out of hand, but with musical backing, it became a form of entertainment. Of course, there was no hiding the fact that Francesco had let himself go, but by having her musicians accompany him, it showed that Aura, as the host, had allowed it.

The nobles in the hall had quickly picked up on her intention, and the air of confusion had been swept away and replaced by an honest enjoyment of and applause for the foreign prince’s antics.

“Prince Francesco,” Zenjirou said to Bona, pausing ever so slightly, “certainly does not lack confidence.”

“I-Indeed, um... Thank you.”

She was evidently relieved by the care that Zenjirou had taken in choosing his description, but her smile remained strained with an apologetic air.

“Zenjirou,” Aura prompted, conveying with a glance that she would go and support their jovial visitor.

“Got it,” he answered, indicating that he would deal with the princess. He watched his love glide away before turning back to Bona. “Princess Bona,” he said, signaling a maid as he did, “would you perhaps care for a drink?”

The maid caught his gesture and quickly came over with a silver tray of drinks in hand, offering its contents respectfully to the princess.

“Ah, I would. My thanks.”

Bona took the proffered silver cup and took a cautious sip. The vessel contained a fairly prevalent sweet wine. Zenjirou would hardly offer the spirit-based cocktails to her during their first meeting, especially after it had ended so badly for the prince.

“Phew...” she sighed.

The drink, or possibly the slight amount of alcohol within, had an immediate effect, her nerves abating somewhat as she spared the prince another look.

“Ohhhh, the fair capitaaaaal! Jewel of the saands, its naaaaame!” he sang.

Francesco, with the backing of the palace musicians, barreled into his second song. The country’s current king and heir to the throne had appointed Bona to the role of caretaker, which meant that this was a burden for her, but Aura had provided a stage, so there was now no room to interfere. The one saving grace was that Aura and the surrounding nobles were clearly going to keep it from becoming an issue, yet that in itself made her feel helpless as a caretaker, and rather pathetic too.

That said, continuing to observe the situation would only exhaust her mentally, so she pulled her attention fully away from the prince for the first time that night. It was that action that allowed her to notice the mana-wreathed ring on Zenjirou’s left hand as he held his own goblet.

“Your Majesty, that ring!” she began, her demeanor changing as she leaned forward to examine it.

“Ah, yes, the ring that your family enchanted for me,” he said, shifting his cup to the other hand and holding his left up to her face for her to see.

Anyone with the ability to view mana could see that the ring had its own aura, separate from Zenjirou’s. The wedding bands that he and Aura had were finely detailed and would draw a lot of attention, so they didn’t wear them outside of the inner palace, but tonight was, of course, an exception. Francesco himself had been the one to enchant it, so failing to wear it to the evening’s event would be rude.

Considering the prince’s extravagant nature, however, it was probably an unnecessary concern. Regardless, it had broken the ice with Bona, and Zenjirou could see it working as a conversation topic, so he continued.

“I believe it was Prince Francesco who enchanted the ring, was it not?”

“It was. His Highness is one of the foremost users of enchantment magic in the family. I offered my own abilities but was not chosen for the task. Though I have a fair amount of confidence when it comes to creating a new object, I lack the mana to enchant something that already exists,” she admitted with a self-deprecating smile.

Seeing the mana rising from her body, Zenjirou noted that she did have a rather small amount for a royal—certainly less than Zenjirou himself, and he was already on the lower end when it came to the mana capacity of royals. So her mana pool was probably minimal. It appeared that the comments about lower levels of bloodline magic as a result of skipping generations were true.

And Francesco is much more what I’d expect in that regard, maybe even more than what Aura has, he mused with a brief glance at the blond prince as the performers launched into their third song.

The young man was wrapped in a vast amount of mana, quite suitable for a direct royal descendant. Aura had nothing to be ashamed of in terms of her own mana capacity, but Francesco possessed even more, to the extent that it was visible at a glance. If Zenjirou were to compare the two foreign dignitaries, he would say that the prince had easily double that of the princess.

Whoa, that might be about as much as Zenkichi. Hiding his thoughts, he shifted his attention from the prince back to Bona.

“I see, so you specialize in crafting? I’ve heard the Twin Kingdoms’ jewelry is among the finest on the continent.”

“Indeed. My skills still require refinement, of course, but I have more confidence in my crafting than in my magic,” she confirmed with a nod, her expression belying more conviction than her words would suggest.

For such a diligent—some might say, reserved—princess to specifically mention her skills, she was likely a fully-fledged craftswoman despite her youth. It was at the very least clear that she was far more passionate about jewelry than the average person.

“Princess Isabella showed it to me once. It is something you brought from your home country, is it not, Your Majesty?” Although she maintained her manners, the ardent gaze that she directed towards his ring seemed almost dangerous. It was the kind of look one might call “hungry.”

While Zenjirou stalled mentally, faced with a far greater level of zeal than he had expected, he managed to keep a smile on his face, and then answered. “That is correct. It is a custom in my homeland that when a couple is to marry, the man gives the woman a ring and dons a matching one himself.”

Despite the simple explanation, Bona let it pass without comment, interested solely in the object itself.

“Oh, then such rings are common in your homeland? With diamonds cut to sparkle with so many facets, three of them the exact same size and even shape...”

“Th-They are. They are by no means cheap, but I wouldn’t refute the claim that they are common.”

“In that case, are you aware of how they created these jewels? Gold is easy to work with, but I cannot fathom how one would shape it so finely, with no blemishes. If you know the process, I would be greatly appreciative if you would tell me.”

The alcohol likely had some influence on her open enthusiasm, but considering her earlier reticence, this complete emotional reversal showed just how passionate she was about the art.

“Ah, my deepest apologies, but I lack any such knowledge.”

“Completely? You do not know even the smallest amount on the subject? I do not mind how inconsequential it is.”

“I do not entirely know what to tell you. Unfortunately, it is far from my specialty. All I have is a smattering of basic knowledge, more likely to hinder than help.”

“That is no matter. It may still be of some use.”

Zenjirou couldn’t hide his surprise at her pleas and the complete one-eighty from her earlier demeanor. Well, I guess I was well off with my first impression. Is she a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Actually, no, it feels more like she’s just a different person as far as jewelry is concerned; maybe that’s it?

Truthfully, he was quite fond of people who got that excited about their hobbies. “Very well, then,” he said eventually. “Should the opportunity arise, we will discuss it.”

“Thank you so much!”

The conversation ended there as her persistence overwhelmed him enough to extract what could well be called a promise.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Zenjirou and Aura, having washed off the sweat, dirt, and perfumed oils from the evening, were spending what remained of their time before bed in their room with the air conditioner on.

“Ahh, I’m so tired. I really wish we’d been able to see Zenkichi before bed, though,” Zenjirou lamented.

Aura gave a slight chuckle before answering. “That is simply how it must be. It would inconvenience his wet-nurse and the maid if we visited at this time of night. If we enter, we will need to awaken them.”

“I know,” he said with a sigh, understanding the reasoning but still saddened by it as he leaned back.

The two were seated in wooden chairs in the corner of the room. As soon as the air conditioner had been set up, Aura had had a small (at least by royal sensibilities) table and two chairs brought into the room. Following that, two of the lamps had been moved from the bedside to that same corner. Since then, not only had their evening relaxation taken place in the bedroom, but also most of their breakfasts and lunches...when they were actually able to eat in the inner palace.

This would probably continue until the hottest months had passed. The current season saw temperatures well above body temperature, even at night, so of course, anyone aware of the air conditioner’s existence would be unable to escape its charms.

Zenjirou gulped down a glass of ice water and returned the empty cup to the table with a sigh. His usual drink after a bath had been the low-malt beer from Japan, but that was all finished now. He’d started off drinking it sparingly, but the taste had begun to change as time went by, so he’d ended up consuming it all before it went bad.

Seeing that he was done, Aura folded her hands and placed them on the table before speaking. “Let us begin, then. We have an early start, so we can ill afford to waste time. Zenjirou, what are your opinions of the prince and princess? Your pure impressions, anything that bothered you, and whatever else comes to mind.”

“Right, well, hmm...” he replied with a nod, thinking back on the events of the night and choosing his words carefully.

“Let’s start with my first impression of Prince Francesco,” he decided. “It probably goes without saying, but he’s a carefree moron if there is no deeper meaning to his actions.”

“Indeed.”

Aura could only nod with a reluctant smile at his assessment of the man’s character. “Lacking in wisdom” was certainly an apt description of the prince based on his actions that evening. The event they had hosted may have allowed for a little impropriety as a rule, but drinking so much that he lost his sense along with starting to sing loudly was not something an aristocrat should have done. Those actions, were they not simply an affectation, would explain why he still lacked a position in the line of succession despite being twenty-four years old.

However, Zenjirou’s face grew uncertain as he continued. “If that’s true, though, the lack of unhappiness there bothers me. If that’s how he was to begin with, he wouldn’t have such a guileless and silly personality.”

“Oh, I see. You find it strange?”

“If you think about it, if the prince had a personality where he was really so lighthearted and irresponsible, he’d have been subjected to constant disapproval in the palace from a young age. ’Cause he’d have betrayed the expectations they would have had for the descendant of the crown prince. Would anyone brought up in such an environment really be that carefree and unaware of it?”

Zenjirou was of the opinion that the environment a person grew up in had a huge influence on their personality, and Aura had no dissenting views on the matter. It was too unilateral for her to agree in full, though.

“I have only heard rumors, but his parents, Prince Giuseppe and his wife, are both spoken of as outstanding people. If they brought him up with love, is it not possible for him to have ended up...straightforward, to a certain extent?”

Her rebuttal was something that Zenjirou could agree with. “Yeah, that seems likely. Plus I heard from Princess Bona that he’s one of the most gifted royals with enchantment magic. Having that trait of refusing to back down is a big part of it. I don’t think it’s unlikely that it’s his true personality; there just wasn’t enough of a sense of dissonance for it to be an act. That still leaves questions, though. Why would the Sharou family break their isolation of decades to allow an amiable idiot to visit us?”

“Maybe it isn’t as important to them as we think? Perhaps they simply used the process of elimination to send the prince, who has no place in the line of succession, along with a princess who barely holds the title,” Aura suggested, more to get her husband’s thought process than to actually offer her opinion.

His reaction was precisely what she expected. “Definitely not. I mean, he’s one of their strongest enchanters, right? He’s at least useful for making magic tools, so there would need to be some benefit to his absence, otherwise it doesn’t make sense.”

Their opinions were much the same, and her expression relaxed slightly. The fact that their thoughts were aligned, even when faced with this difficulty, was something to celebrate.

“So, if there is no further depth to Prince Francesco’s personality, there certainly is to his selection. Whatever the case may be, it will be dangerous to proceed based on official information.”

“Yup, I’d say that,” Zenjirou agreed.

Either way, this was only Zenjirou’s first interaction with the man, and he didn’t consider himself perceptive enough to get a full understanding of their guest from a single meeting after exchanging a few words.

It was much the same for Aura, although to a slightly lesser extent. “Very well, then let us take a reactionary approach to the prince for now,” she decided, shifting her focus to the other royal. “And what of Princess Bona?”

“Well, I’d say my first impression is that she’s a diligent hard worker? I’m pretty sure that’s accurate. It looks like she’s here as some sort of chaperone, and she was almost painfully tense the whole time.”

The comparison wouldn’t mean anything to Aura, but his impression was that Bona was “a weak-willed but diligent class representative.” Someone who got good grades and was popular with the teachers, which resulted in her having the role foisted upon her. A girl who wasn’t sociable and lacked the strength to pull the class together, but was also all too serious and therefore couldn’t just let the responsibility go, doing her best until she was on the verge of tears. That was the image he had of her.

“Indeed, she was constantly nervous and watching Prince Francesco. She seemed much more animated when speaking with you, though.”

“Yeah, although she was pretty tense at the start with constant apologies and the like. But as soon as she noticed the ring, she really opened up,” he answered as a grimace made its way onto his face at the memory of their conversation. “It was like it was the most important thing in her life. She was so into it, it kind of took me by surprise.”

“The ring? Oh, your wedding ring? That is hardly surprising.”

Her immediate understanding was a shock to him.

“Hardly surprising?”

Aura nodded easily. “Indeed, the Sharou family made their success by creating magic tools. The men forge weapons and armor, and the women fashion decorative items as a rule. It is only natural that her demeanor would change upon seeing the ring,” she explained casually.

The three diamonds set in gold, when viewed by someone with a discerning eye, shone shockingly brightly. If the observer was a specialist like Bona, they would also know that the fine details and the uniformity of the stones were utterly irreplicable in this world.

“Hmm, but it didn’t feel like it was because it was her job, more like she was totally overcome by passion. She was asking repeatedly to see it, to talk about how it was made even once. She wore me down in the end, and I ended up promising to tell her about it if there’s a chance.”

As he scratched his head, Aura’s face creased into a frown for the first time that night before she reprimanded him. “Zenjirou, that was rather rash. It sounds like you avoided promising any specific date or conditions, but take care when saying things that might be construed as a commitment.”

“Sorry,” he said with a rueful shrug at her rare remonstration, “it’s just that she’s a princess from a large kingdom, at least technically, so it ended up happening while I was trying to avoid being rude. How do we deal with that? I didn’t specifically promise anything, so if it comes to it, I can probably play dumb.”

“Hmm,” Aura mused, resting her chin in her hand. The promise itself isn’t the issue. After all, it was made on a night of merriment, so I doubt even she expects it to be upheld. We can certainly play it off. The problem is that this is the first time he has erred in this way.

If the mistake was simply due to him growing used to the environment, that was fine. His meek expression made it obvious that he would recenter himself and not make the same kind of mistake for some time. It would be another matter, however, if it was due to any compatibility he felt with the princess. Another way to put it would be that if he simply found it easy to talk with her, or if his wariness waned without reason around her. Aura may have been overthinking things, but they had seemed too close for a first meeting.

Zenjirou is usually careful and reserved. Thus far he has managed to maintain an appropriate distance with Lady Octavia. With Fatima too, even as she pursues him. In comparison, Bona had wrangled a promise to meet again from their first real conversation. It is no issue if it is simply my own imagination or jealousy, but if not, this could become bothersome.

Aura was aware that she had few pleasant emotions when it came to women approaching her husband, and she couldn’t definitively say that jealousy was playing no role in her judgment. She decided to avoid interfering for the moment.

“Very well, she certainly is hard to be too unkind towards. Take care in the future. Now then, shall we leave things there and retire for the night?”

Her question prompted him to check the time on his phone where it lay on the table before rising from the chair and walking to his wife’s side.

“I didn’t realize it was so late. Let’s.”

He offered his hand without thinking about it.

“Indeed,” she answered, taking it and standing as well.

They remained hand in hand as they approached the bed, but Zenjirou suddenly had a thought and stopped.

“Oh? What is wrong?” Aura asked in puzzlement.

He scratched his head with his free hand as he answered vaguely, “I mean, it’s nothing big, I just thought the situation suited taking you to bed in a princess carry.”

“A princess carry?”

“Yeah, well, how do I describe it? I put my arm under your knees and behind your back and carry you. It’s called a ‘princess carry’ in my country.”

“I see,” she said, thinking over the explanation for a moment before a grin spread across her face. “Hmm, then you should leave that to me. I have been somewhat stiff recently, so I am not yet confident in it. But I believe that with a little training, I can give you your princess carry.”

“Huh? A role reversal?! That’s less something to yearn for and more painful! Hang on, you know that, don’t you?!”

Halfway through his protest, he noticed her teasing grin and finished off his reply with an exaggerated expression of distress. For a man from this world, such a suggestion, no matter how good-natured, would have ended in anger. The norm here was for the dominance and strength of a man to be extolled. This past year had taught Aura that Zenjirou wouldn’t be hurt by some teasing on that level, so she couldn’t help but play a joke. One might call it a type of flirting.

“C’mon, let’s get to bed,” he said, reacting much as she had expected, lightly tapping her on the head with his empty hand and keeping his other tightly gripping hers.

“Ow, ha ha, very well,” she answered sweetly, pulling her arms around his own to make it sink into her cleavage as she rested her head on his shoulder.

The two of them fell silent as they moved practically as one to the bed.