Chapter 10

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“Huh? Called by the prince?”

“Yes…”

It was a peaceful afternoon. After finishing my martial arts training in the courtyard, I was elegantly drinking tea. Across from me, Zaha was also drinking tea.

(You’ve gotten quite familiar with me in just a few days, haven’t you, this man…)

Since then, Zaha has shown up every time I train, challenging me and getting thrown around. At first, he was openly hostile, but after a few days, he began to recognize me and even declared me a good rival.

(Being declared a rival by a girl, are you okay with that?)

Through our interactions over the past few days, I’ve come to understand his personality. To put it nicely, he doesn’t hold grudges and doesn’t think too deeply about things; to put it bluntly, he’s just a fool. He’s only interested in fighting and is indifferent to everything else.

“In two days, I need to prepare the dress.”

Tuyte, who was standing by my side, poured more tea into my empty cup and joined the conversation.

“Lady Mary, did you do something to the prince?”

“Zaha… I’ve been telling you, use either formal or informal speech, can’t you decide? It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“What’s informal speech?”

“It’s when you talk to someone in a casual tone. I thought you were using informal speech, but you call me 'Lady Mary'…”

“I only call you 'Lady Mary' because my father told me to. I’m just following his orders.”

Zaha tilted his head, genuinely wondering what the big deal was.

“Fine… do as you please.”

I sighed deeply and put my hand on my forehead. Talking to someone my age in formal speech feels like they’re putting up a wall, but this man calls me 'Lady Mary' while using informal speech, which is confusing. It seems he hasn’t thought much about it.

(I’ll stop thinking too much about it. This muscle-brained fool is best left alone.)

“So? Do you have any idea why you were called? Being summoned to the palace is a big deal.”

The conversation was redirected, and my mood sank. Indeed, in this country, it’s not common for commoners to be summoned to the palace. If it happens, it’s usually because they’ve done something wrong. For me, it feels like being told to report to the police station, and my spirits are plummeting.

“Maybe it’s about the oracle ceremony? That was the only time I interacted with the prince.”

It’s not hard to imagine.

“Hmm, I was sleeping outside after my turn, but I heard something happened when the prince came later.”

(You were there too? Well, we’re the same age, so it makes sense.)

“Did you say anything rude at that time?”

“Rude? I didn’t… say anything…”

That’s when I realized something was wrong. I hadn’t said anything at all. No apologies, no thanks, nothing.

(Oh no! That’s terrible! I disturbed a royal and didn’t apologize, and I didn’t even thank him for helping me! Ahhhh! I’m such an idiot, such an idiot!)

I clutched my head in despair.

“Lady, are you okay?”

“Oh, it seems you have an idea, huh♪”

One person was worried about my distress, while the other was mocking me. The latter will be thrown around in the next training session.

“Anyway, I need to apologize… maybe I should practice prostrating myself…”

“What’s prostrating?”

By Tuyte’s reaction, it seems this country doesn’t have the concept of prostration. I thought it was the most sincere form of apology.

“Then, I’ll have to bring some pastries… or something.”

“Are you bringing pastries? It’s not a tea party, so it might not make sense.”

“The pastries are just a formality. The important thing is the money hidden underneath. How much should I bring? My allowance might not be enough.”

“Oh, Lady…”

“You… are…”

As I was seriously considering this, the two people around me were completely taken aback and frozen in place.

(Did this concept not exist in this country? I thought it did.)

I cleared my throat and straightened my posture.

“Oh, just kidding.”

I sipped my tea calmly, and the two of them sighed in relief, relaxing their stiff bodies.

(Anyway, I need to apologize and thank the prince when I go to the palace… and then run away like a rabbit before anything else happens. That’s the only way.)

I drank my tea while planning my next move and preparing for the moment.

---

The day finally came for me to report to the palace. The servants were bustling around, and I was being dressed and undressed by the maid team, including Tuyte. Not knowing what the best outfit was for meeting royalty, I left it to them. I ended up in a white dress with gold embroidery, featuring a puffy skirt. I got into the carriage waiting at the entrance. Inside the carriage, only Tuyte and I were present. As the carriage started, I took out a piece of paper and began reciting the apology I had written.

“Lady, what is that?”

“It’s the apology I wrote for the prince. I’m practicing so I can say it properly… I get nervous and can’t think straight in the moment.”

“I don’t think you were called to apologize.”

I didn’t hear Tuyte’s words; I was too tense and anxious.

---

The palace was located in the center of the capital, surrounded by sturdy walls. The carriage I was in crossed a large bridge over a moat and entered the palace. Listening to the conversation between the guards and the driver, I was taken deeper into the palace until the carriage stopped.

“We’ve arrived. From here, we’ll walk.”

As usual, Tuyte got out first to prepare, and I followed when the time was right. A few palace servants were waiting in a neat line. Guided by a palace maid, I was led to a room.

“Please wait here.”

The maid opened the door, and I entered hesitantly.

Splash!

Suddenly, a bucket of water poured down from the ceiling near the entrance, drenching me completely.

(What is this… like a blackboard eraser falling on your head when you enter a classroom…)

After the water curtain disappeared, I was standing there, completely soaked. A bucket of water was more than enough to drench a small person like me.

(What? Could I use this to escape without meeting the prince?)

Before I could fully grasp the situation, this thought popped into my head. How insensitive of me.

(Calm down, Mary… From the shock of everyone around me, it seems they didn’t know about this. So, it’s a lone culprit? The prince alone? No, the sudden appearance of water suggests magic. We can’t use magic at our age… so, an adult? But that’s too childish for an adult.)

With water literally on my head, I calmed down and thought for a moment.

(Ah, right, I can nullify attack magic. So, this must be life magic. If so, we might be able to do it, but the amount of water suggests a highly skilled user…)

The more I thought, the more confused I became.

“Lady! Are you okay!”

Tuyte was the first to recover. She approached me, realized there was nothing to dry me with, and angrily ordered the servants to bring towels.

(Thank you for getting so upset on my behalf, Tuyte.)

I was grateful to her, but I decided to stop looking for the culprit and take this chance to leave.

“Tuyte… let’s go. I can’t meet the prince in this state…”

I lowered my head and spoke softly but loud enough for everyone to hear, then turned and left.

(It might be rude to the prince, but I don’t have a change of clothes, so this is a reasonable decision.)

Before the palace servants could recover and stop me, I walked out of the room.

(Well, anyway… whoever you are, thank you for giving me a chance to escape!)

I made a mental fist pump while maintaining a slightly melancholic appearance as I left the palace.

That night, my father, who heard the details, stormed to the palace in a rage. I’ll pretend I didn’t see that. He wouldn’t barge into the palace and search for the culprit, right, my father?

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