Duke's Daughter VS Second Princess?

The Second Princess and the duke's daughter.

Which one ranked higher?

Neither held the title in her own right; it came from their parents.

And between those parents, the king outranked the duke.

But as Second Princess, she was far from the throne, which lowered her standing.

The duke's daughter, on the other hand, was the presumptive heir to her house's holdings, and she also had royal blood.

If every member of the royal family were to meet with some misfortune, she could even establish a new dynasty.

It was all terribly complicated, but when it came to the dynamic between these two, Lady Anatia might actually have the upper hand.

The two of them approached each other, hands clasped before them.

In height and figure, Lady Anatia, the older of the two, won handily.

Princess Tianis would have to pin her hopes on the future.

"How long are you going to stay behind me?"

"I was thinking a noble might make a good shield."

"A former noble. And an imperial one at that, so I'm no use here."

"Honestly, I'd rather not stand in front of those two."

"This sort of thing is everyday in high society."

"I'm so glad I wasn't born into nobility."

I watched the bristling pair from behind Alexia, my makeshift shield.

Smiling faces, yet somehow generating this atmosphere.

I felt that unfathomable depth again, like dealing with a seasoned merchant.

"So, dear Anatia-oneesama, why are you in a place like this?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm working."

"Oh, for — think about your position!"

Princess Tianis shed her pretenses in an instant.

There was clearly some history between them.

"You didn't show up at the castle forever, so I searched around, only to find you at a cheap inn. Who would have expected that?"

"Sorry about the cheap inn."

"You be quiet! And you, you know her face and her house. Why did you let her work? What if something happened? I'd be the one held responsible!"

I'd interjected, and the fire turned on me. "Still the same as ever," came Alexia's murmur.

The princess's behavior: was she worried, or just concerned about consequences? Probably half and half.

"If she wants to work, I don't see a problem. Her maid seems to be handling her security."

"Being too rigid is one thing, but too flexible is another…"

She sighed, sounding exhausted.

"This job is actually pretty fun, though."

"That's only because nobody realizes you're from a ducal house. Once they do, how do you think the commoners will feel? The reason we and the common folk stay separate isn't just to protect our authority; it protects them too. If some commoner injured you, what do you think would happen to them?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

Even if the victim forgave them, those around her wouldn't.

Accountability mattered to nobles.

It was because they commanded authority that nobles remained nobles.

What would happen if no one feared or respected nobility?

The privileged class was vastly outnumbered by commoners.

Nobles did tend to be stronger, whether through magical talent inherited by blood or by hiring capable people with money and power to enhance their strength, but if commoners ever truly revolted en masse, the nobles would fall.

"Why not just say honestly that you came to get her because you were worried?"

"Be quiet, Kanon…"

"My, my."

Princess Tianis coughed to cover her embarrassment.

So they actually got along quite well.

I'd been bracing for a fight; this was a relief.

"At least let me have today, alright? It's my first outing in ages."

"Haah… Fine. When you're done, I'm taking you to the castle. Duke Baroba told me to."

"Oh my, Father really doesn't miss a thing."

And so the princess ended up standing guard in the corner, making sure Lady Anatia didn't slip away.

Surely she had other things to do.

When they reopened for lunch, customers kept glancing toward the princess.

Both were dressed in obviously noble attire, and even sitting in a corner they were extremely conspicuous.

The novelty, perhaps. Princess Tianis sat there, utterly unfazed, as if she owned the place.

Lady Anatia, meanwhile, worked as happily as she had in the morning.

Both had nerves of steel, unflinching under scrutiny.

For nobles, who lost face by letting emotions show, that was a necessary skill.

Well, the princess did seem to be getting a bit restless. She was growing irritated.

She apparently couldn't keep her feelings in check when it came to Lady Anatia.

If I could get them on good terms, it might make future dealings a little easier.

Couldn't hurt to try asking.

They beat yesterday's sales again, and the day's service ended.

Word had spread that there were beauties on staff.

Handling the gawkers who came just to catch a glimpse was a bit of a chore.

Business was good, but attracting the wrong kind of crowd would hurt quality. I'd rather avoid that.

One man even tried hitting on Lady Anatia, which nearly gave me a heart attack.

I chased them off while watching Princess Tianis's smile freeze into ice. My lifespan was definitely shorter now.

Once cleanup was done, Princess Tianis finally stood.

"That's enough now… I'll walk around with you a bit, so let's go."

"Can't be helped, then. Well, let's meet again. Yohane-san."

Lady Anatia, now changed back into her own clothes, waved goodbye and left.

The attendant maid bowed politely as well.

I'd like to meet again and exchange detailed information about Alsarm.

"She's gone. That was really something."

"She's got drive… or maybe courage. Today was fine, but we still haven't solved the staffing issue, so we need to think about it."

"Oh, that's right."

I chatted with Azu while tidying up.

If only she could have stayed on, that would've solved everything, but that was wishful thinking.

Finn and Alexia had been more on edge than usual; it only worked because it was short-term.

Still, I had to bring in more people, or my next moves would be limited.

"Um, owner? I've been thinking it over, and I might have a way to deal with the staffing."

"Really? I didn't think you had any leads."

"This city's population has shot up recently, hasn't it? There are more kids doing odd jobs than I expected."

"That's… true."

Given how cheap their labor was, a certain number of children worked for low wages.

As Kazusa said, the rapid influx of people had led to the city expanding, houses going up at a breakneck pace. The demand for building materials had been good for my company, but it had also meant more children joining the workforce.

"If I hire adults, they might look down on me. But if I pay a little extra, those kids would probably work for us."

"That might work."

The plan to hire from the orphanage had failed, but that was because I'd tried to hire kids who weren't already working. They'd gotten used to easy money.

If the children already had experience working and understood the value of money, there was a good chance they'd work diligently.

And Kazusa was still practically a kid herself. Bringing in adults risked them undermining her authority.