The carriage headed for the Midwinterre high-speed airship station. Even in the Penrotta Empire, which had excellent magic education and technology, few cities had a high-speed airship station. A high-speed ship was a kind of mobile magic tool that was operated by more than three magician captains and a large number of refined magic stones.
Of course, ticket prices were too high for ordinary citizens to even think about it. And more than expensive, tickets were scarce and hard to get, since the distance traveled in 4 days by train could be covered in 6 hours. It used to be more expensive. The price has dropped a lot. It means that technology has advanced significantly in just four years.
"...Wait." Staring out the window, I asked the coachman (who was, of course, the assassin butler) to stop. I got out while Rue focused again on "The Seven Mysterious Treasures of the Continent for Children."
The old potato seller who used to sell in the alley was setting up his seat in the market at dawn. I stood in front of the old man who was busy organizing potatoes in the basket. And I demanded, "I want to buy all the potatoes here at the highest price." Because today was the day I was paid my first salary and I received a huge amount of money to maintain the dignity of Viscount Weatherwoods.
I didn't know how such a large sum came out of a house that seemed stingier than a flea's liver, but... Since you gave me the money anyway, it's okay to use it however I want. The old man, who looked at my face with open eyes, greeted me with a bright smile.
"Eh? Oh, is the young lady here again? The quality of the potatoes is good these days. Oh! Is that your real face? Either way, you're both handsome and pretty. People are very mean nowadays, but I'm sure you're popular!"
"How... did you know?" To be honest, I was very embarrassed. I touched my face and hair just in case, but I was definitely wearing the face of Viscount Weatherwoods. I was not Daisy Fager at this moment. How did you know? That it's me. I look different. Why did the old man recognize me?
The old man, who laughed in vain, replied with warm eyes. "I always sit here and watch people's backs. You don't know how many people walk this path. And people walk differently. It varies by gender, occupation, personality, and illness."
Did you recognize me just by my way of walking? It was very shocking. Now that I think about it, Rue pointed out my habits and correlated them with being a knight before too. Were the habits engraved in the soul and not in the body? I was very lucky.
Thanks to these two, I realized what to keep in mind in the aristocratic council. My habits of walking and posture of being a left-handed knight. If I'm careful with these two, they won't recognize me, no matter how cunning Duke Berkley Gratten is. I wasn't attending the aristocratic society without thinking.
It was clear good news that Raphael would be absent from this year's aristocratic council meeting, but with the presence of the Duke of Sword, Berkley Gratten, you could never relax. He was a sword master. When you reached the level of a sword master, the sensitivity of the sixth sense surpassed the five senses, so you could see through the soul, not the body. The sixth sense was basically a sense disciplined by experience and knowledge. Therefore, no matter how carefully I acted, a sword master would surely feel an "unknown familiarity" with me. This also meant my identity could be revealed.
So, even if it's a small habit, I must hide it. Left-handed knights were rare. Since all the swordsmanship of famous knight families is a game for right-handers, all left-handed knights had been corrected to be right-handed. However, I didn't correct myself as a right-handed person because I had no master and hadn't been taught the swordsmanship of a famous family. Let's be careful. With a firm mind, I looked at the old potato seller again.
Initially I intended to buy all the old man's potatoes, but I changed my mind. Few people had eyes that distinguished people by their way of walking. If I made the right use of this sharpness... "Grandfather, do you have any ideas about having a secondary job?" Our conversation wasn't long.
I returned to the carriage after discussing the secondary job with the old potato seller. I didn't buy all the potatoes. If the old man wants to continue his "secondary job" of monitoring the Midwinterre market, his basket would always have to be full of potatoes.
"Let's move." Just before getting off at the station, I handed a note from the cart to the assassin butler. The gray-blue eyes under his hat shone brightly. I didn't forget the matter he had asked me to do in secret. Furthermore, he would now be able to use the old potato seller's sharpness in the right place and pay the right price. Shortly after, a high-speed aircraft carrying Rue and me floated over Midwinterre.
It was then that rumors began to spread throughout the Penrotta Empire that Viscount Weatherwoods, with his wife, had escaped confinement and was starting to work.
The Imperial City of Ragel. Located in the middle of the Penrotta Empire, it was a large city with the Pen River to the north and the Rotta Plain to the south. As could be deduced from the names of the place, the name of the Penrotta Empire originated from the Pen River and the Rotta Plains. Ragel, situated on flat ground, was magnificent seen from the sky. The landscape of the big city spread like wings around the Royal Place Fortress and looked like a labyrinth.
I was immersed in old feelings, gazing at the castle like a pearl in the center of Ragel. The first and last day I came here... was it 9 years ago? It was also the day the Penrotta royal family introduced a high-speed mobile aircraft for the first time. I flew twelve hours from the front and arrived at the Imperial City. It was to participate in the ceremony of the crown princess, my comrade Natasha.
Natasha Mili Penrotta. As a member of the Penrotta royal family, known for its lineage of magicians, Natasha was a great magician who made a great name for herself in the Magic War. As the moment required, the crown princess's ceremony was carried out simply. I grew up in the countryside and even that felt so splendid my eyes hurt.
However, this day was not remembered by people as the "coronation ceremony of Princess Natasha's successor."
"Andert." It was still clear. It had snowed that day and the surroundings were all white. Natasha, whom the emperor had given a small token of being the successor at the end of the long red carpet, approached me as soon as she took a step back and asked me, "You said you'd offer me everything I wanted if I became the crown princess, right?"
All eyes were on me. I wondered if this was okay, but I was convinced Natasha had something planned in mind. I replied, kneeling in front of Natasha, who had the great dignity and honor of being the heir to the throne, not the dust rolling on the battlefield. "Of course, your highness. As long as the task is not as difficult as picking stars from the night sky, I'll get you anything."
"Then marry me."
Wait a minute. "What?"
"Andert Fager." She knelt in front of me and confessed. "If you tell me to choose a star, I will. Be my rain and the treasure of the Penrotta Empire, the future father of the empire. I'll spend my whole life protecting and appreciating you."
That day. Natasha was not remembered as the crown princess who had become the successor to the throne. It had remained engraved in the people's eyes as the day the heir to the throne desperately announced her courtship to a common man. Ha, ha, ha. Ha ha. Natasha... she was a very interesting friend.
But two months ago, when I reopened my eyes on Queen Island, the heir to the throne was no longer Natasha. I wonder where she is and what she's doing. Sometimes Natasha's beautiful face came to mind, but I couldn't find any trace of feeling other than wanting confirmation of life and death. If you're alive, it's enough.
"Dear." Cold and soft fingers slipped between mine. My body went stiff with surprise, but I turned my head as if nothing had happened. Rue, who rested his face on my arm with his fingers crossed with mine, looked at me with languid eyes. "What are you thinking so deeply about? You don't look good."
"Did I get nervous without knowing it?"
"Nervous?" Rue, who let out a small laugh, slowly closed his eyes as if he were sleeping. "That's such a cute lie."
I pretended not to hear him and turned to the window. As the high-speed ship slowly descended, the Regal landscape approached quickly. Shortly after, we set foot on the ground. As the capital of the empire, Regal was crowded from the high-speed aircraft stop. When we emerged from the gate after a simple procedure, two men standing nearby approached us. Surprised at seeing Rue's beauty up close, they swallowed dry saliva.
"Ah, are you two Viscount Weatherwoods and his wife? We're here to pick you up by order of Black Ragel."
I did it as Viscount Weatherwoods! They looked at me and took me for him!