Chapter 9

The day after the wedding, Sara had a lot more free time in her schedule.

However, there was hardly any official duty for Sara to perform; it seemed that as long as she behaved like a hostage and remained quiet, that would be enough.

(I saw letters from His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, but they seem like decent people...)

After getting ready in the morning, Sara, waiting for breakfast, propped her cheek on her hand at the desk and thought.

The letters read, "Thank you for becoming Richard's bride," "The palace is yours, so please feel at ease," and "I will come to greet you again, so please let me know how things are." The letters were filled with words of concern for Sara, who had become the bride of the difficult-tempered royal brother, rather than showing any annoyance towards the princess of the defeated country. Sara even began to doubt, "Is this really okay?"

(It's much better than being disliked, though...)

Sighing, she stood up and looked at the tightly closed white door. That door led to Richard's bedroom, but it was locked from the other side and showed no signs of being opened.

(Of course, Prince Richard doesn't intend to spend the night with me.)

The night before had been the first night after the wedding, but they had only said "goodnight" to each other. After getting into bed, Sara had listened for a while, but the door to the next room never opened until she fell asleep.

(It seems he's still not up this morning... Maybe he's a late sleeper both at night and in the morning.)

She wanted to have breakfast with Richard to get along better, but she thought he would probably dislike it.

Soon, a maid pushing a breakfast cart arrived. The palace had a few maids, and this one had introduced herself to Sara the day before.

"Good morning, Lady Elmine. Shall we have breakfast?"

"Yes, I'll have it."

As Sara stood up and walked to the table, the maid quickly set the table and began preparing breakfast... but then, as she touched the surface of the water in the pot, it immediately began to boil with a bubbling sound.

(The first time I saw this, I was surprised... but the ability is really amazing.)

"...Claire's ability is really convenient, isn't it?"

As Sara gazed at the pot and sighed, the maid Claire looked at her and smiled.

"Thank you. This power is very useful in daily life, and I'm glad I can be of service to Lady Elmine."

Claire was from a minor noble family and had the ability to change the temperature of objects she touched. When she touched something, water would instantly boil, ice would melt into water, and lukewarm soup could be heated to a comfortable temperature. While it was surprising to Sara, people with this ability were not that rare. They were often trained from a young age and worked in places like restaurants if they were commoners, or as servants in the royal palace if they were from minor noble families.

The night before, Claire had adjusted the temperature of the bath water to make it comfortable for Sara, and when she got into bed, she had warmed the blanket to a pleasant temperature. Indeed, this ability was perfect for a noble girl working as a maid in the royal palace.

"I thought abilities would be more frightening... but they're not."

As Sara murmured, Claire, who had been setting the cutlery, paused for a moment before hesitantly spoke.

"...It's complicated. I was born with an ability that is useful in daily life. However, as Lady Elmine knows, there are also those with abilities specialized for combat. They are trained in training facilities and join the national army. Both men and women can volunteer and serve in the military, defending the country in times of need."

Sara blinked at Claire's quiet words.

(...That's true. In the previous border war, even though Sareil had a numerical advantage, they were defeated by the ability users...)

Realizing she had said something careless, she fell silent, but Claire's face turned pale.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Lady Elmine..."

"No, it's fine. I think I need to learn more about abilities... and it's probably a good reminder for those with abilities. Thank you, Claire."

"...You're too kind."

Despite her words, Claire still looked a bit sad, so Sara forced a smile and said, "Come on, let's get the breakfast ready."

Sara had already eaten several meals in this country, and the food itself was not much different from Sareil and Feria. The main cutlery was forks, knives, and spoons, and most of the ingredients were familiar to Sara. As a baron's daughter, she had walked through the market with her parents and knew the names of vegetables, fruits, and certain seasonings.

Still, there were cultural differences.

"...Oh? How do you eat this?"

Sara held a long, thin skewer with various ingredients skewered on it. The skewer was about the length of a finger, with round fruits, fried bread, rolled leafy vegetables, and meat skewered on the end.

(It reminds me of the skewers I ate in the lower town as a child...)

For those, it was correct to bite into them boldly, but this was the royal palace, and a different country. Moreover, a princess raised in the palace would not have seen skewered food before.

"Oh, you can eat it just like that."

"Really?"

"Yes. This is a traditional Ferian dish called Shurish. It's eaten by everyone from common families to the royal family, but what is skewered varies by household, season, and what is in season."

Sara looked closely at the Shurish on her skewer. With only two types of ingredients on each skewer, it seemed she could eat it without holding it parallel to her teeth and tearing off the meat like with skewers. The colorful Shurish on the plate looked quite cute, and it seemed like a dish that could be enjoyed with various arrangements.

As Claire explained, Sara enjoyed the Shurish, bread, and fresh fruit juice. Then, voices from the next room could be heard.

"Has His Highness woken up?"

"It seems so. He was working late last night."

"Does His Highness usually stay up late and sleep in?"

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Sara asked, and Claire nodded with a wry smile.

"Yes, usually. The King prepares documents during the day, and His Highness reads them at night, returning them to the King by morning. It's quite efficient. Also, His Highness dislikes being in public, so he sometimes takes walks at night."

"I see..."

In other words, while not completely nocturnal, Richard's daily schedule was slightly different from Sara's.

(If that's the case, it might be difficult to have meals together...)

She asked tentatively, but as expected, Claire looked doubtful.

"It would be difficult. His Highness prefers to eat alone. After all, it's impossible to eat with a mask on."

"That's true."

Richard always wore a mask. Even though the portrait in Sara's bedroom showed a handsome face, it was unlikely she would see the real one.

Sara slumped in her chair.

"...I was hoping to have some interaction, but it seems difficult."

"Well... Lady Elmine wants to get along with His Highness, doesn't she?"

As Claire cleared the dishes, she looked a bit surprised, and Sara tilted her head to look at her.

"Is that so strange?"

"No... but on the first day, His Highness said not to interfere and not to expect anything. It's surprising that you still want to have some interaction."

(...Indeed, that might be true.)

On the first day, Richard had told her not to interfere and not to expect anything. He had essentially warned her not to try to become a close couple, even though she would be treated as a hostage princess.

(...But if possible, I want to have some interaction, even if we can't be a loving couple. I want to be friendly neighbors. And... I want to be a little happy in this country. If possible... with His Highness.)

She couldn't force it, and she didn't want to.

But if the stubborn Richard would allow her to be seen and to get closer, even a little...

She should be able to think that coming to this country and leaving Sareil was a good decision.