Disguised as a Town Girl

"Well then, I'm going to go get changed. I want a proper soak in the bath first, so… let's see, come back to the castle before noon."

"Before noon. Understood. Please make sure you wear something inconspicuous."

"I'll be fine. Before all this happened, I used to slip out incognito to walk around the castle town and shop. I know far more about that sort of thing than Tianis does."

Princess Yupe's guards must have had their hands full…

Ah, so now that role falls to us.

He'd planned to have the afternoon off today, but things weren't going to work out that neatly.

"Oh, and I don't need a soldier escort. They'd just get in the way. You people are strong enough that you don't even need guards, right? You did cut my head off, after all."

Princess Yupe pinched the choker around her neck with her fingers and shifted it aside.

There, a scar from where her neck had been severed still remained.

On skin as flawless and porcelain-smooth as hers, that one spot alone was painful to look at.

And yet, paradoxically, the contrast only drew the eye more.

If such a thing as bewitching allure existed, Princess Yupe undoubtedly possessed it.

"Sometimes it throbs. I'll be sleeping at night and wake up dreaming of the moment I was cut."

"That's… I don't know what to say."

"I'm not looking for an apology. That was my fault, and getting hurt badly enough to die once is probably why Tianis and Anatia went easy on me, right?"

"Is that why you drink wine?"

He'd heard that people with trouble sleeping sometimes used alcohol to force themselves to sleep.

It wasn't the healthiest way to drink, but apparently it kept the dreams at bay.

Even if she put on a cheerful front, it was only natural she'd carry scars after everything she'd been through.

"… Not really? I drink wine because I like it. If I wake up with a start, I just go back to sleep."

"I see."

Wasted worry, then.

Princess Yupe said she'd see them later and walked off.

She must have gone to get ready.

Time to take their leave.

"Your Majesty, Anatia-sama. Thank you for having us today. I'll get to work on that matter right away."

"You could take today off, you know."

"Well, Princess Yupe was so eager to tag along that I figured I'd at least go have some preliminary talks."

Apparently this was news to them; both looked a bit surprised.

Anatia covered her mouth with her right hand with a look that said oh my.

"That sister of mine… She'd been staying put and working diligently, and the moment I grant her leave to go out for the concert, she pulls this."

"Ahaha. Well, if Yohane-san is there to keep an eye on her, she probably won't do anything reckless?"

"Haah."

Queen Tianis pressed her right hand to her forehead as though nursing a headache.

The sisters looked so similar, yet their personalities couldn't be more different.

"Between the chaos after the concert, getting that resolved, then drinking herself unconscious, I didn't even have a chance to revoke her outing permission. Could that have been her plan all along?"

"Surely not. She's probably just an airhead."

Lucky was the only word for it.

For a calculated scheme, there was far too much waste and too many variables.

"As you know, she's popular and personable, so she might actually be useful. Just don't take your eyes off her. Even if Yupe-nee herself has no intention of going back, she was once connected to the Church of the Sun God, so they might target her. And if the former Secretary of Military Affairs shows up on their side… I honestly can't predict what my sister would do."

"The former Secretary of Military Affairs… He was her lover, wasn't he?"

"That's right. It was practically an open secret."

He should stay on guard.

That said, Princess Yupe had her pride.

Would a woman like her still harbor feelings for someone who'd abandoned her?

If anything, she might feel hostile toward him.

Either way, predicting that woman's behavior was all but impossible.

He thanked them once more and headed home.

He'd mentioned beforehand that the afternoon might be free, so he felt a bit awkward, but he asked some of the girls to come along as guards.

Everyone had insisted that going without an escort was absolutely out of the question, so he'd have them treat this as work.

"I'll go!"

"Pass. That woman throws me off. Can't deal with her."

Azu volunteered with enthusiasm.

Finn opted out. Apparently the free-spirited Princess Yupe wasn't her cup of tea.

Orleans offered to come as well, but she wasn't suited for guard duty, so she'd stay behind.

That left Elza and Alexia.

"I'll sit this one out. I've been meaning to inspect my equipment."

"Then I'll come along."

Elza agreed to join.

Azu and Elza should be more than enough.

"All right. Let's go with that."

They had a bit of time before noon, so they spent a relaxed post-meal break.

Then, at the appointed time, he took Azu and Elza and returned to the castle.

A woman stood at the entrance.

She wore casual, easy-to-move-in clothes, with trousers on the bottom.

A hat sat on her head, her red hair gathered up beneath it.

She wore glasses.

And, most notably, a choker around her neck.

"Oh, there you are. You're a bit late. I had to wait, you know."

"Princess Yupe, is that you?"

Her appearance was completely different from when she wore a dress.

But a closer look revealed the resemblance. Above all, she couldn't fully hide her beauty.

Princess Yupe stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"I'd blend right in walking around town like this, don't you think? It's a little snug, but pretty good, no?"

"Honestly, I expected something much flashier."

"What exactly do you take me for?"

The outfit was plain, but with her looks, it didn't come across that way.

Still, at a glance, nobody would recognize her as Princess Yupe.

Every time she moved, the scent of soap tickled his nose.

Right, she'd just come from the bath… Her hair and skin were positively glowing.

"Thank you for having me today."

"Oh, it's the little one."

"I-I'm not little! I have a name. It's Azu."

Princess Yupe flinched slightly when Azu greeted her.

After all, it was Azu who had taken her head.

She'd been reattached and forcibly revived afterward through the power of the Sun God, or so they said, but the memory seemed to have left its mark.

"Let me see the sword that cut my head off. I'd hate to think it was some dull blade."

"Um, Master…"

"Let her see it. She can't use a sword."

"All right."

"You make her call you 'Master'? Quite the taste you have. Ugh, heavy."

Princess Yupe took the Sealed Sword Grungaus from Azu and struggled to draw it from its scabbard.

The blade shone with a dazzling brilliance.

Proof that Azu maintained it with care every day.

"Not bad. Even I can tell it's no cheap piece. No good, no good. My neck's starting to itch, so I'm giving it back."

She practically shoved the sword back at Azu.

Azu took it and re-equipped it at her hip.

"Cute face, swinging a heavy sword like that. Adventurers really are something."

"Standing around chatting all day won't get the work done. Let's head to Luido."

"Right. I need to make the most of my freedom."

She stretched tall, and her shirt pulled taut against her chest.

"By the way, Princess Yupe."

"Yes? You're Elza, the priestess, right?"

"Are there any lingering effects aside from your neck? Hearing strange voices, for instance?"

Elza spoke to Princess Yupe in a tone lower than usual.

"What do you mean?"

"If there's nothing, then that's fine. You're the first person I've seen who received the power of the Sun God and then had it taken away."

"Hmm. Thanks for the concern."

Elza was smiling, but to Yohane, she didn't look like she was smiling at all.