Chapter 43

Lilica, lost in thought, said, "Ah!"

"Then the people who gathered at the Sun Palace earlier...?"

"They are the southern nobles. They probably wanted to say something to you, but they didn't because you were with me."

"To me?"

"Because you're despicable."

Lilica frowned, and Athil continued.

"They would have gathered even more in the Sky Palace. Now that the news has spread, the area around the Sandar residence must be in an uproar."

Athil's explanation made Lilica remember that Lat had not been seen in his office recently.

"Pai isn't around either."

Muttering this, Athil smiled coldly.

"That's right."

Lilica wanted to defend Pai somehow.

"Pai has his own reasons. He must be trying hard to stay by your side."

Athil tapped the edge of his glass with his finger.

"Try to."

Lilica frowned but said nothing more. Instead, she crossed her arms. Athil stared at her, wondering how such a small person could cross her arms, but Lilica spoke quite seriously.

"Then the northern nobles won't just sit still, right? It's a chance to make a lot of money. If the south is Sandar, then the north is...?"

"Wolf."

"Ah!"

Lilica's expression became complicated. Would the relationship between Lat and Tan worsen?

Come to think of it, when she visited last time, they seemed to be having a serious conversation.

Athil stretched out his finger and pinched her nose.

"Anthe!"

A muffled cry came out automatically. Athil laughed at Lilica's exclamation.

"That's not your concern."

"Still—"

"Trust Uncle and Aunt."

Lilica thought of her mother and His Majesty. Although she was a bit uneasy, her mother would be safe with His Majesty.

Athil said,

"It will take a long time to start producing sugar seriously. If they're not stupid, they'll calm down. And the Sandars aren't stupid."

Lilica's shoulders relaxed at his words. Athil was right. Farming can't be done overnight.

"Is Diale your companion?"

"Yes."

"Call her and go together."

"?"

Although puzzled, Lilica nodded.

* * *

Diale, dressed neatly in her squire's uniform, was as lovely as ever.

With her round eyes and dusty pink hair, she smiled adorably. It seemed like she belonged in the extreme theater with Raub.

"Would you like to go to the stream in the garden for some water play today?"

Lilica nodded, delighted with the suggestion. Brin prepared a picnic basket, and the group left the Sun Palace.

As they walked down the corridor, they encountered a group of people. While they received greetings and passed by, a loud voice came from behind.

"A dirty thing has come in and is clouding the sun!"

Lilica involuntarily flinched. Her steps were not particularly fast, so she heard everything the people behind her were saying.

"How vulgar, where is that stench coming from?"

"Perhaps, the smell you might have noticed when passing through the slums."

They laughed loudly, and Lilica pondered. If she turned around and responded, it would be like engaging them in conversation. They would likely claim it was just a private conversation. And the conversation would continue.

But if she ignored them, it would be like ignoring Takar—

"Princess, where is that foul smell coming from?"

Lilica was surprised and looked at Diale. Her voice was high and cheerful, spreading well.

"Where is that musky smell coming from? It seems like the strange smell is coming from the desert rats. It's best to get out of here quickly."

Diale smiled and pulled Lilica along, her voice still spreading well.

"The countryside people do have a strong musky smell, it seems. Oh, their breath smells musky too. Ugh, I hate it. I can't breathe, I feel like I'm going to die, yuck, I'm dying. Is this a smell attack?! We need to run, Princess. Diale, save me, let's get out of here quickly."

The southern nobles, being from a hot region, were very sensitive to smell. The place where the most perfumes were sold was the south.

They would often tease those who didn't wear perfume as 'stinky.'

No one would openly make such remarks in front of them because they were so sensitive about it.

"Wh-what...!"

"What...!"

Some people behind them were red-faced and sputtering, but Diale ignored them, pinching her nose and offering a handkerchief to Lilica.

"Let's get out of here quickly."

And they quickly passed through the corridor. The moment they left the Sun Palace, Lilica burst into laughter.

Diale took a deep breath.

"Now I can breathe. Isn't it? The air is so fresh."

Lilica stopped laughing and looked at Diale. Diale smiled like a sugar cookie.

"Breathing fresh air makes it better, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, much better."

Lilica nodded. Like two playful girls, they looked at each other and laughed again, holding hands.

'Now I understand why Athil told me to go with Diale.'

Still, out of concern, Lilica asked,

"Diale, will you be okay later?"

Because of what she did, would something happen to Diale later? Diale tilted her head and asked,

"But I only said that there was a strange smell because there was a strange smell. Did I do something wrong?"

"That's true."

Lilica laughed.

Whether they were southern nobles or not, she had repaid them in the same way they had treated her.

If Lilica had said something like that, they might have said, 'As expected, the tone of someone from the slums.'

But what about Diale?

Diale smiled.

"I'm the 'Diale who doesn't tolerate.'"

Seeing Diale's smile, Lilica also smiled. The two of them shook hands excitedly and walked on.

The spacious garden had many streams, but the best spots were reserved for the royal family.

A low wooden bridge was placed over a fairly wide stream, allowing them to splash water.

After submerging the brought juice and milk bottles in the stream, Lilica took off her shoes and silk stockings.

"Refreshing!"

As soon as she sat down and put her feet in, the cold stream water hit her calves.

Splashing water, Lilica sighed. Diale, sitting next to her, asked,

"Why the sigh?"

"Well, it's refreshing, but I bet it would feel even better if I jumped in."

"That's true. Oh, by the way, we're not going to the summer palace this year."

"Summer palace?"

"Yes, this is the main palace in the capital, and in summer, we usually go to the summer palace, and in winter, to the winter palace for fun. Or to a villa. I heard the royal summer villa is on an island."

"On an island?"

"Yes, have you ever seen the sea? They say you can freely enter the sea."

"No."

Lilica shook her head. She had never seen the sea. She only knew that a vast body of water stretched endlessly.

"I've seen it in illustrations."

In an encyclopedia, she added, and Diale laughed.

"Actually, I've never seen it either. The sea. It would be nice to go together someday."

"Sure, if I go, Diale should definitely come with me."

At Lilica's words, Diale smiled.

"Right?"

Diale jumped into the water.

Splash

A cold, refreshing sound of water. The water was quite deep, reaching up to Diale's waist. She didn't care about her uniform getting wet.

"Definitely refreshing when you get in. Princess, come in, quickly."

Lilica hesitated for a moment, looking at her clothes, then said, "Ah," and jumped in.

"Refreshing!"

Lilica burst into laughter. Diale splashed water at her.

"Diale!"

"Isn't it refreshing?"

"Really!"

Shouting, Lilica also splashed water. She had already given up on her clothes. It was also enjoyable to feel her body float lightly in the water.

At Diale's suggestion that the water made it easier to curtsy, the two of them tried curtsying a few times.

Useless things were very enjoyable.

In the end, the two of them, drenched from head to toe, climbed onto the warm stones.

"My body feels heavy."

At Lilica's words, Brin brought a large towel and covered her, smiling.

"Wet clothes are heavy when you come out."

Diale wrapped herself in a towel and wrung out her hair. Her gaze occasionally darted to the basket.

Brin brought out food from the basket and also the drinks that had been submerged in the stream. The hungry girls quickly devoured the food.

Brin worriedly said,

"It's best to change your clothes as soon as you get back. You might catch a cold."

"Really? I feel fine."

Diale's eyes widened.

"No, you're shivering. Princess."

At Diale's words, Brin quickly approached. Feeling Lilica's cheeks, she exclaimed,

"Princess, you're so cold. Let's go back quickly."

Wrapping her in a towel, Brin lifted her up.

Before she knew it, she was submerged in a warm bathtub.

'Feels good...'

Even in summer, the warm water felt welcoming, indicating her body temperature had dropped.

Feeling her energy drained from the water play, she was quite tired after washing and getting out. Brin, dressing the princess whose cheeks were as red as an apple, said,

"A friend is here."

"Friend?"

She yawned softly, then Lilica exclaimed, "Ah!"

"Is it Fjord?"

"Yes."

Brin smiled and added,

"Diale is also waiting with him."

"Then I should go out quickly."

Lilica wondered if it would be awkward for the two to meet for the first time and sped up.

With her still damp hair, she headed to the reception room, where Diale and Fjord were sitting at opposite ends of the sofa.

Diale seemed to have borrowed clothes from somewhere, wearing a loose shirt and tightly cinched pants, with water still dripping from her hair. In contrast, Fjord was as always, dressed elaborately from head to toe, with his hair neatly groomed.

When Lilica entered, the two naturally stood up. Diale, with an adorable smile, spoke first.

"Princess, is it true that Barat, who is only good for his face, is your friend?"

Lilica was momentarily flustered, but Fjord smiled brightly.

"Poor Wolf, who is only good for barking and growling. He always has to make dog sounds."

"Ah, I learned that you should make dog sounds to dogs. But thinking about it, he's worse than a dog. He wouldn't understand even if I made dog sounds. Oh, Princess."

Before Fjord could counter, Diale ran over and firmly held Lilica's hand.

"Sit here."

Just as she was about to sit, her other arm was grabbed. Fjord, with an elegant smile, said,

"I'm worried about dog hair getting on your clothes."

Just as Diale was about to say something, Lilica said in a low tone,

"Stop."

Diale quickly lowered her head and looked teary-eyed.

"But, Princess—"

"No buts."

Lilica said sternly.

"Fjord is my friend."

Diale looked dejected.

"Really, only good for his face—"

"Yes, he's my friend."

Before Diale could continue, Lilica firmly stated. Fjord felt a strange mix of emotions, unsure whether to be pleased or not.

Diale suddenly lifted her head and said sharply,

"If you hurt Princess, I won't let it go."

"I agree."

Fjord said, and Lilica sighed deeply. The two quickly shut their mouths at the sound of her sigh.

Despite this, they didn't seem to want to let go of the hands they were holding, still looking at each other.

Finally, Lilica raised her hands and said,

"Hands!"

The two obediently held hands, and Lilica trotted over to the sofa and plopped down.

Sitting side by side, holding hands, a silence fell over the three.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Lilica kept her mouth tightly shut and said nothing. Diale's mouth itched, but she held back.

Lilica was always smiling and affectionate, so they wondered if she was angry and just watched her.

Meanwhile, Brin seemed oblivious to the situation, placing three teacups and continuously pouring tea.

"To warm you up inside, I prepared warm tea. Ginger cinnamon tea."

A unique fragrance filled the air. Simple pastries were also placed.

"I heard they recently made a new pastry. It's called 'gold nugget' because it resembles a gold nugget."

The smell of almond flour, butter, and sugar was sweet.

Even with the pastries placed, Lilica didn't move. Her tightly pursed lips were visible.

'So cute.'

Diale thought and glanced at Fjord. His gaze was fixed on the hand Lilica was holding.

His golden-red eyes seemed to have a wick that was burning with heat. The gaze fixed on Princess was affectionate.

'This brat...?'

Diale's eyes narrowed.

'Princess's hand should only be held by me!'

Diale instinctively realized. This guy was a rival. Someone who would fight for the position of Princess's best friend.

If she saw Princess petting this guy's head, she wouldn't be able to hold back.

'But attacking now would only backfire.'

Princess continued to say nothing. She seemed like she would stay silent until the tea cooled.

Or perhaps even until nightfall.

Diale was happy to see a new side of Princess, but she needed to resolve this situation.

She knew what Princess wanted.

And she had indeed made a mistake. Fjord Barat wasn't someone who approached to harm Princess.

'I saw the same thing as I did.'

Taking a deep breath, Diale said,

"I'm sorry, Fjord. I made a mistake."

Fjord was surprised and looked at Diale. Diale looked straight at him.

"I shouldn't have spoken ill of your friend in front of Princess. I was rude."

Acknowledging the mistake, the apology came quickly.