Chapter 47

While the duke was changing, I decided to return to my room once. Since Tenrō didn’t want to get down from my arms, I enjoyed the feel of his soft, fluffy fur as I walked.

"You are so beautiful."

"Kuu."

"Hehe, you smell like hay."

As Tenrō rubbed against me, I let him do as he pleased. Even though I knew I shouldn’t get him too used to people, it felt too late for that.

"Then, please wait for me in the room."

"Yes."

At that moment, there was a metallic clinking sound. When I turned my face toward my room, there was Lillian standing in front of the door.

"Good morning, Lillian."

"Ah, Princess... and Tenrō’s cub?"

Lillian, who had been looking around, ran over to me. The clinking sound had come from her armor. Perhaps alarmed by the noise, Tenrō struggled and jumped down from my arms, hiding at my feet. Lillian, who had quickly scanned my appearance, looked relieved.

"Your Excellency, Chaos, good morning!"

"Indeed. Thank you for your hard work this morning."

"Lillian, are you in charge today?"

"Yes. I heard from the patrol team and rushed over!"

Lillian greeted the duke and Chaos cheerfully, then turned to me and placed her hands on her hips.

"Princess, no matter how many notes you leave, it’s not acceptable! Next time, please take one of us with you."

Lillian puffed out her cheeks and scolded me for going to the laboratory alone.

"I thought it would be fine since we’re inside the fortress."

"You’ve only just arrived. Until everyone gets used to your presence, you need an escort. And you’re up way too early!"

"I’m sorry. In Marshall Raid, it was normal, so I just did it out of habit. When do people usually wake up in Galbreath?"

"For a noble lady, around the tenth hour of the morning, I suppose? Then there’s morning grooming, breakfast, afternoon grooming, a light lunch, a nap, evening grooming, dinner, and bedtime grooming..."

Lillian counted off my daily schedule on her fingers. It seemed like I would be grooming myself all day from morning to night. I recalled that my stepmother, Seira, used to wake up late and spent the whole day changing clothes. As a duchess, she must have needed to spend a lot of time on her appearance. But I only have one body, and I want to use my time more effectively.

"It’s not necessary to change clothes so often. I’d like to request that I only change in the morning and for dinner."

After all, I can do my own bedtime grooming. When I suggested this compromise, Lillian gave me a disapproving look.

"Now, Princess, you’re saying the same thing as His Excellency."

"Yes, really."

Chaos, agreeing with Lillian, drove the point home.

"I didn’t expect the two of you to be so similar. It’s fine for daily use, but when we have guests, you both need to be properly dressed!"

The duke and I exchanged glances. The duke looked unhappy, muttering, "I’m fine, I’m fine," but I simply replied, "I’ll try my best." As a noble, the lifestyle in Galbreath is quite unique. There are differences in responsibilities, but I would prefer to spend more money on the knights’ equipment than on my dresses.

When Chaos said, "So, Princess, please get ready for the morning," I was dressed in a morning-appropriate dress by one of the three ladies-in-waiting and the newly added maids. The white dress with small red and green flowers was very cute, but it would show dirt easily.

"Princess, your dress might get caught on your nails, so you should follow closely behind."

"Kyau!"

"Good, you’re being very well-behaved."

"Kyau, kyau."

While I was getting ready, Lillian was talking to Tenrō, who chirped cutely, like a puppy.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

For a morning stroll, I was even given a white, wide-brimmed hat to match my dress, along with elbow-length gloves and an umbrella from a maid. Lillian, who usually isn’t interested in dressing up, beamed and ran over to me.

"Yes, Princess, you need to look elegant! You look very beautiful."

"Thank you. Personally, I prefer Lillian’s style."

"No, Princess, you are the symbol of Galbreath alongside His Excellency. Besides, I want to show off how adorable our princess is!"

I understood Lillian’s point. Whether or not I’m cute, the duke is very handsome, and I can understand the desire to boast, "Our lord is strong, handsome, kind, and cares for his people!"

My preparations took quite a while, and it was already past the seventh hour. The duke had moved the clock forward by an hour, so it was actually past the sixth hour.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Melfi."

The duke, who entered through the proper room door instead of the bedroom door, stopped when he saw me. He was wearing a long, deep green coat with gold embroidery, different from his usual black attire.

"...A white dress. You look very pure."

The duke narrowed his eyes, as if dazzled by something.

"I heard that you prepared this for me. Thank you. It’s very light and surprisingly easy to move in."

"Yes, it suits you well."

"Your Excellency looks very handsome too. The green coat and white pants make us look like a matching pair!"

"Is that so? I apologize for making it seem so formal for just a walk."

"White shows dirt easily, so I’ll be careful not to get it dirty."

With the white dress and the deep green coat, holding Tenrō would make it dirty or get fur on it. Tenrō was busy playing with Lillian, so I decided to bring him along. Chaos wasn’t joining us for the walk. As we were seen off at the door,

"Well, shall we go?"

"Yes, please take care of me."

I placed my hand on the duke’s outstretched arm and set off on our walk, feeling excited.

Even though it was the height of autumn, a slightly chilly breeze caressed my skin. The duke and I walked slowly along the path to the dragon stable, where the duke had landed the Grisshel Dragon when I first arrived.

Along the way, various plants were planted everywhere. On closer inspection, they were not flowers but fresh vegetables.

"I thought those were flower beds, but they’re actually vegetable gardens!"

"The land is limited. The kitchen staff is in charge of these gardens."

"Then, were the vegetables we had yesterday harvested from here?"

"Half from the market and half from here. We’re far from self-sufficiency, but thanks to you, we might find a way."

I blushed at the duke’s unexpected praise, but my heart felt warm. Everything, from the subtle inclusion of monster ingredients in the cafeteria to the interest shown by the kitchen staff, was due to the duke’s support. I heard that the head of the small kitchen, the woman who had eaten the Scrimwood fruit through Captain Blanche, was particularly interested in monster fruits. She wanted to try other fruits if I could get them.

"First, we need to select which magic trees and plants are edible. We also need to investigate if we can have a stable supply."

"A stable supply. Monster hunts happen almost daily. If we can harvest something along the way, it shouldn’t be too much of a burden on the knights."

Galbreath is vast, but the soil’s magical properties make it a habitat for monsters everywhere. The fortress can only expand so much, so we import what we lack from the royal city across the Galbath River and the Lars Canyon.

Lillian and Tenrō were running and playing happily. After the vegetable gardens, there was an open square. It seemed that the night shift knights had just returned, and many of them were bustling about. I saw some familiar faces, and Ambry stepped forward.

"Your Excellency, Princess Melfi, you’re up early."

"Ambry, good morning. It’s a refreshing and pleasant morning. Everyone, thank you for your hard work."

Ambry’s armor was dirty in places. A little further away, the knights were disassembling a monster they had hunted.

"Ambry, is that a monster?"

"One of them is alive. It’s making a sharp noise. It’s also growling and Lillian is trying to calm it down."

"Is that... did you capture a Backhorn alive?"

The duke, as expected, recognized the monster from its noise. The Backhorn, a memorable monster from the banquet, is a hoofed quadruped. If it’s not berserk, it should be tasty. Ambry scratched the back of his head, looking like a child caught in mischief.

"Well, last night’s Roymoodler stew was very delicious, according to Mylan. Unfortunately, I missed it. I heard the Backhorn is also delicious, so I thought Princess could help with the preparation."

A knight ran over from the direction of the noise. It was Zeph, who had been a picky eater, but he looked excited and lively despite just finishing his night shift.

"Your Excellency, Princess Melfi! We’ll take full responsibility for disassembling this Backhorn, so please let us have a delicious meal!"

"Yes, I’ll help too."

"Ambry too. You guys... is that one not berserk?"

"It’s on the verge of berserking, but it’s still okay. We can do it now. We also collected various magic plants, so could you look at those too?"

Zeph, who answered confidently, made me laugh. He had been hesitant to eat the Roymoodler, but it seemed his picky eating had improved.

"Your Excellency, can I disassemble this Backhorn?"

"Is it better to age the meat?"

"Fresh meat is good, but aging it a bit makes it richer and incredibly delicious."

I had no reason to refuse the knights’ request, and if the duke gave permission, it would be fine. Besides, the Backhorn’s meat is similar to beef. The knights, who had gathered behind Ambry and Zeph, were eagerly waiting for the duke’s answer. Yes, I want everyone to try it.

"Melfi, can Ambry and the others handle the disassembly?"

"I’ll do my best! I’m a bit disappointed I won’t see your ‘beheading’ technique, though."

Ambry and Zeph said they couldn’t do the beheading, but regular disassembly would be fine. The key is the magic circle I use.

"Wait, wait, only you can draw the magic circle. I’ll prepare a proper outdoor space instead of the west wing laboratory. Until then, we’ll have to wait."

That’s right. Drawing a magic circle every time I dissect a monster is a hassle, and the dye I use includes my own blood to prevent others from using it. I’ll have to wait until the duke prepares the space.

"Melfi, take your time. Do it step by step."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Ambry, keep the Backhorn penned up for now. Fatten it up."

The duke patted my back lightly, and I realized I had been putting too much pressure on myself. Yes, rushing is not good. There’s also the matter of the byproducts from my research, so it’s not too late to prepare properly.

The knights were a bit disappointed, but I can process the magic plants and herbs in the west wing laboratory, so I’ll have them bring them over later.