Chapter 10

5. The Grand Duke’s Small Annex

Today was the long-awaited moving day.

As soon as we finished breakfast at the Imperial Palace, we headed to the Grand Ducal residence.

Since the Grand Duke’s mansion in the capital was relatively close to the Imperial Palace, we could have traveled by carriage, but this time, we decided to use the assistance of a mage.

Since the Princess of Total Victory was officially relocating, either the Imperial Knights or the Grand Duke’s knights would have to escort me.

And if that happened, everyone would obviously know that I was the person inside the carriage.

With such an enormous crowd likely to gather, the probability of an accident was far too high.

So we chose the safer method.

“Welcome to the Grand Duke’s residence, Princess of Total Victory.”

Everyone standing in two orderly lines along both sides of the hallway bowed their heads simultaneously.

Whoa.

I’d heard that we would be transported directly to the room containing the teleportation circle, so I hadn’t expected such an enormous welcoming ceremony.

Caught off guard, I glanced at the Hero standing beside me.

He immediately extended a helping hand.

“The Princess says you may raise your heads.”

At his words, dozens of people straightened up simultaneously and stood at attention.

An elderly gentleman at the front of the servants approached me and politely introduced himself.

“It is an honor to meet the Princess of Total Victory, the Hero who accomplished such a great feat. I am Baron Linus Delmarc, the Grand Duke’s butler.”

“I am Flur Madel Eterna.”

Hehe.

Yesterday, I had learned the Imperial-style greeting from the palace maids.

I held the sides of my skirt with both hands, slightly bowed at the waist, and then straightened again.

Considering I’d learned it through last-minute cramming, I thought I’d done a pretty good job.

Feeling rather proud of myself, I reached for the Hero’s hand.

Then the elderly butler standing in front of me suddenly burst into tears.

“My goodness! The Princess has greeted us according to Imperial etiquette! How deeply moved I am! This is the greatest day of my life!”

Was receiving a single greeting from me really such a tremendous honor that he had to cry like that?

And yet, the other servants of the Grand Ducal household were also looking at me with moist eyes, barely holding back their emotions.

Seeing my complete confusion, the Hero calmly explained.

“The old butler is somewhat excessive, but you will see scenes like this quite often from now on.”

“W-Why?”

“Because Lady Flur is the greatest Princess of Total Victory in history.”

“But nobody at the Imperial Palace acted like this.”

“Her Majesty the Empress specifically selected the maids and knights who serve you so that you could rest comfortably.”

“The butler, then, Baron Delmarc, is he perhaps…?”

“He is one of the countless devoted worshippers of the Princess spread across the continent. Still, he has enough dignity from his years of experience that he doesn’t prostrate himself or collapse in front of you.”

What was that supposed to mean?!

I hated both options!

They were scary!

So scaryyyyy!

“Ah, well. I suppose I made quite a spectacle of myself.”

Fortunately, Baron Delmarc soon stopped crying and led us to the annex.

The annex stood in a corner of the Grand Ducal residence’s spacious garden.

It was a house made of red brick with a green roof.

Various herbs and spring flowers had been planted around the front door and in the small garden beside it.

There was even a vegetable patch near the back door connected to the kitchen.

It had an atmosphere similar to my hometown home, which I could never return to now.

I loved it immediately.

There was just one thing I didn’t understand.

I’d been told it was a small annex, but now that I was standing right in front of it, it didn’t look small at all.

“How many rooms does the annex have?”

“Excluding the kitchen, bathroom, storage room, and living room, there are six rooms in total.”

Baron Delmarc subtly suggested that it might be a little cramped for a princess and that I should consider moving into the main residence instead.

I wanted to scream that a house with six rooms was hardly cramped, but I simply shook my head.

“Please, come inside.”

The interior of the annex was spacious, but fortunately, it had been decorated in a style that felt familiar to me.

The curtains hanging over the windows had a thick, checkered pattern.

A large, sturdy-looking wooden sofa had been placed in the living room, and the floor was covered with a deep navy carpet.

A glass vase filled with wildflowers stood on the dining table, and the flowers went wonderfully with the yellow tablecloth.

“It’s beautiful! It’s a wonderful house.”

“I’m glad you like it. Hahaha!”

Baron Delmarc showed me around every corner of the annex.

The dressing room, study, wardrobe, bedroom…

He had transformed the place into my own personal home in such a short amount of time that even the Hero, who was the owner of the residence, was surprised.

Best of all, there were various artifacts throughout the house that made household chores incredibly easy.

Cooking, cleaning, and laundry weren’t difficult at all.

An oven and stove whose heat could be freely controlled with mana stones!

I could cook without even having to chop firewood!

Apparently, all of these artifacts were ordinary household appliances used by common families throughout the Empire.

“I wanted to have them specially made with the Princess’s wing emblem or the Grand Duke’s crest, but we ran out of time. I apologize.”

“This is more than enough. I feel like I could live here for a thousand years.”

It was a warm home filled with thoughtful touches in every corner.

For some reason, I had a feeling I would be staying here for quite a long time.

Baron Delmarc was one of the few retainers who knew that the Hero was bound by the subordinate contract.

For security reasons, Richt couldn’t explain the circumstances surrounding the forbidden technique, so all he had told Baron Delmarc was to choose the largest possible bed for the annex.

After all, he and I would be sleeping together.

Once we had finished moving our belongings into the annex, we dismissed the servants and explained the details of the situation.

“Good heavens. Four hours a day. That’s long and short at the same time.”

“If we violate it, the side effects are terrible. According to the Hero, it feels like his soul is being squeezed out.”

“Hmm. In that case, I will arrange for Lord Richt’s schedule to consist entirely of same-day trips for the time being. And whenever he absolutely must travel far from the capital, I will make arrangements for the Princess to accompany him.”

“Because of the subordinate contract, the Hero often behaves toward me in ways that aren’t very Grand Duke-like. I’m worried people might start spreading strange rumors.”

“Ah, I don’t think you need to worry too much about that. Whatever Lord Richt does for the Princess, most people will naturally assume it is appropriate.”

“Huh?”

“Although Lord Richt has spent more time on the battlefield fighting monsters than participating in high society because he is the Hero, he is still a member of the imperial bloodline. Court etiquette is ingrained in his very bones. A true gentleman is expected to make sure that the person he is escorting never feels uncomfortable.”

“I haven’t cut a single steak with my own hands since I woke up.”

Even today’s beef sirloin steak had been cut into bite-sized pieces by the Hero in an instant.

All I had to do was pick up the pieces with my fork and eat them.

“His Majesty the Emperor also always cuts food for Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Gasp! Really?”

“Yes. That’s simply how things are. Besides, as the Princess knows, Lord Richt is exceptionally handsome, isn’t he?”

That was true, so I nodded vigorously.

“He is so handsome that everything he does looks like a picture. So as long as the Princess acts naturally, everyone will simply take it in stride without thinking too much about it.”

In other words, the important thing was for me to act naturally.

Sigh.

“More importantly, Princess, you said you wanted to visit the Adventurer’s Guild, correct? There are several guild branches in the capital, and the branch closest to the Grand Ducal residence is only ten minutes away by carriage.”

“That’s close!”

“Honestly, it is close enough to walk. However, if you go out looking exactly as you do now, there will be chaos. You’ll need a disguise.”

“I heard that my portrait is displayed in museums. Is my face really that famous?”

“Your hair is actually fairly common. Many people who admire the Princess dye their hair navy blue, and dark colors are relatively easy to dye. But your eyes…”

My eyes were purple, similar to the color of violets.

I had inherited them from my father, although his eyes were closer to a lighter pink.

The Hero continued explaining.

Apparently, people with purple eyes were extremely rare to begin with.

“Technology has advanced dramatically compared to five hundred years ago, but there still isn’t an artifact capable of naturally changing the color of one’s eyes. In other words, no matter how well you disguise yourself, your eye color remains your own.”

“So even if I change my hair color, there’s a high chance I’ll be recognized because of my eyes.”

“Yes. And your eyes aren’t an ordinary shade of purple, either.”

“They’re jewel-like eyes that sparkle like amethysts.”

Jewel Eyes were one of the characteristics of the Princess of Total Victory.

The moment a goddess chose someone to become the Princess, their eyes would begin to hold a radiance that made them sparkle like precious gemstones.

“I thought my eyes became Jewel Eyes because of the tremendous divine power I gained when I became the Princess.”

“But even though your divine power has diminished, your eyes have remained the same.”

I was beginning to think I’d have no choice but to wear glasses or a hat.

Seeing me deep in thought, the capable Baron Delmarc suggested that I wear glasses made with lightly tinted lenses.

“If we choose the right tint, they should make your eyes appear almost black.”

“It won’t hide them from the side, but it should be better than walking around with my bare eyes.”

“I’ll call our regular optician. As for your hair, you could use one of the artifacts owned by the Grand Ducal household. We have earrings that can adjust both color and length.”

I’d only ever used artifacts designed as weapons—things like magical bombs, land mines, and lightning arrows—so I didn’t know much about disguise artifacts.

But both the Hero and his butler, Baron Delmarc, seemed remarkably knowledgeable about disguises.

Curious, I asked why.

Apparently, they had become experts at disguise because of the Hero’s excessively handsome face.

“Lord Richt is the lord of the Grand Duke’s territory. There are times when he needs to secretly inspect his lands or conduct audits.”

“So if he’s recognized, the whole point becomes meaningless. He needs to look like a completely different person.”

“Precisely. Using an artifact that activates recognition-obstruction magic would make things easier, but obtaining permission to use one is rather complicated.”

“Huh? They were illegal five hundred years ago.”

“They are conditionally legal in the Empire. However, in other countries, they are still illegal in many places because of concerns that they could be abused.”

Moreover, even in the Groxdel Empire, anyone wearing an artifact that obstructed recognition couldn’t enter the Imperial Castle or various other important facilities.

Since even the most convenient method came with numerous restrictions, the Hero had become an expert at disguises.

Once the disguise glasses were ready, we decided to leave the Grand Ducal residence.