Chapter 71 - First Visit to the Royal Castle
"Dahlia-san, are you perhaps nervous?"
"...Well, a little, no, quite a lot?"
What was meant to be a response to Ivano ended up turning into a question halfway through.
Inside the carriage, Ivano, sitting across from her, gave a wry smile. He had swept all his mustard-colored hair back and was wearing a dark navy suit, matching both top and bottom.
The friendly, approachable atmosphere he had had as a guild member until yesterday was gone, replaced by the appearance of a reliable merchant. In fact, he looked far more like a company chairman than she did.
For a moment, she wondered if he could take her place on this trip to the royal castle. She seriously considered the idea.
Dahlia, letting out a sigh, was dressed in a teal green dress paired with a jacket of the same color. Her shoes were a shade darker, in deep green. To be honest, it was a bit too warm for her.
Her red hair was tied back into a single bundle, and her makeup, though subdued in color, was well done.
Her accessories consisted of the detoxification ring given to her by Volf, and the unicorn pendant with a long chain, hidden from view.
In truth, she hadn’t worn them to adorn herself, but rather to prevent stomach pains.
Even the finest, most delicious tea could turn into poison for her stomach under the current circumstances.
By the way, yesterday, she had spent two hours just picking out clothes and shoes, mostly because of the disagreements between the rental shop staff and Gabriella.
Dahlia had hoped for something understated in order to remain respectful, but apparently, being too plain was also seen as disrespectful.
The shop staff had recommended a dress in a lighter shade of green, two tones brighter than the one she was wearing, while Gabriella had suggested a cream-colored top and bottom.
In the end, the store clerk called out the shop owner’s wife—a former viscount’s daughter—from the back, which led to the choice of this deep green dress.
When Dahlia explained that her visit was on behalf of her company, she was advised that, even as an unmarried woman and especially for a first visit, a more composed outfit would be appropriate.
Following that, they discussed how the royal castle had many stairs, and the corridors were long, so it was best to avoid skirts that were too long or shoes that were hard to walk in. The knights were tolerant of women’s clothing, so there was no need to be overly concerned about that.
As Dahlia marveled at the detailed advice, the woman smiled and revealed that she had once worked at the royal castle before marrying the shop owner and becoming a commoner. It made Dahlia reflect on how surprisingly small the world could be.
Incidentally, the woman also shared some extra knowledge, such as how wearing warm or bright colors and having long hair were more effective if one wished to catch someone's eye at the royal castle.
Dahlia would likely never need this advice, but she listened with a smile from beginning to end.
After the dress shop, they went to the cosmetics shop they had visited before, where she consulted on her hairstyle and makeup. In the end, they arranged for it to be done at the Merchant Guild in the morning.
Given the tight schedule, it was impossible for her to learn how to do it herself, so she had gratefully bowed her head and made the request.
Later, in the guild's conference room, she spent an endless amount of time learning aristocratic table manners from Gabriella, alongside Ivano. When it came to dinner, she practiced her manners while eating with Gabriella, but she had no recollection of the taste at all.
By the time everything was finished and she was sent back to the tower by a delivery carriage, it was around the time the date changed.
Gabriella had given her a tentative approval, but Dahlia felt extremely anxious, like a glass of water filled to the brim, afraid it might spill at any moment.
"I wish I could accompany you inside the castle as well."
As Dahlia was recalling yesterday's events, Ivano let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders.
If it were a company with officially recognized access, it would be possible to bring subordinates as needed, but the Rossetti Company operated through the Merchant Guild.
And this time it was just Dahlia who was invited, a personal summons of sorts. It wouldn't be appropriate to increase the number of people as she pleased.
"But really, what could this be about...?"
"Five-toed socks, insoles, shoe dryer—I'm pretty sure Volf didn’t mention that one... Could it be the bracelet?"
"...Could it be that the Captain also misunderstood and just wants to see your face, Dahlia-san?"
"I... I don’t think that’s it."
Normally, engagement bracelets are given to one’s partner with stones of one’s colors on it.
For Dahlia, it would probably be a ruby for her red hair, or an emerald for her green eyes.
The bracelet she had given to Volf was silver with a golden shine, and it didn’t have a stone.
Yet, this man in front of her had misunderstood as well. She didn't think so, but she couldn't say for certain.
As she thought about the possibility of a misunderstanding, her cheeks flushed with heat.
"Sorry, I shouldn’t have talked about this before your visit."
"No, it’s fine."
At Ivano's words, she quickly shook her head and turned her gaze towards the window.
Through the carriage window, the white, towering walls of the royal castle came into view.
・・・・・・・
Upon passing through the massive stone gates of the royal castle in the northern part of the capital, the scenery changed dramatically. It felt as though this place were an entirely different city.
The vast grounds, surrounded by white stone fortifications, housed various buildings: the king’s residence, buildings related to the knights and magic, training fields, and more.
True to its name, the royal castle boasted a particularly large building at the back of the central area, which could be seen from a distance.
Though it had what was known as a medieval atmosphere from her past life, the building was not a narrow-roofed, triangular tower but a structure with three towers built in a square formation. Rather than graceful, it gave off a sturdy impression.
The surrounding buildings were also so large that the Merchant Guild appeared small in comparison. All of them were primarily white stone constructions.
The road the carriage traveled on was a pale gray, with no visible seams. It was remarkably smooth, almost reminiscent of the concrete from her previous life. She found herself curious about the materials and techniques used.
Though she was trying hard not to look around too much, everything in her sight felt new and fascinating.
After passing through the castle gates, she alighted at the carriage stop.
Ivano escorted her as she stepped down from the carriage, but the height of his outstretched hand was different from Volf’s, which made her hesitate for a moment.
Perhaps mistaking her hesitation for nervousness, the man smiled warmly. His lips moved, saying "Good luck," to which she responded with a smile and a nod.
They walked along a path from the carriage stop toward a single exit. Along the way, they passed several knights, and Dahlia nodded politely each time.
Ivano could accompany her only to the edge of the exit; after that, he would wait either at the carriage or in a waiting room.
Beyond the exit, the path split again.
They were directed to separate rooms according to gender, where identification and belongings were checked.
When she showed the direct invitation from the Monster Subjugation Force's captain, it seemed the arrangements had already been made. A female knight gave a brief baggage check before allowing her to proceed.
"You will be escorted by someone from the Monster Subjugation Force, so please wait here for a while."
Dahlia had assumed she would be walking, but was told a carriage would be arriving to take her.
She wondered if they would be traveling by carriage even though they were inside the royal castle, or if she even needed an escort in the first place. Her mind spun with these questions, but she decided to wait with a forced smile.
She was led into a small, elegantly furnished room to wait, but her tension did not ease at all. When she sat on the black leather sofa, its softness almost made her topple over.
She took deep breaths, and when her oxygen intake became a bit too much, she finally heard a knock.
"I’ve come to greet you on behalf of the Monster Subjugation Force... Dahlia, sorry, but I'll explain in the carriage..."
The connection of the greeting and the follow-up sentence were a bit off, but Dahlia felt relieved to see Volf.
The man spoke in a whisper-like voice, taking Dahlia's belongings before offering his escorting hand.
She placed her hand in his, which had become familiar, and got into the carriage.
"Sorry, I was only told this morning that the captain had called for you. If I had known yesterday, I could have sent a messenger..."
As the carriage carrying the two of them began to move, Volf apologized again.
"No, it’s not your fault, Volf, so don’t worry about it. Um, may I ask why I was summoned?"
"He said he just wanted to thank you for the socks and insoles. The ones who wrote the report from that time are going to gather today, and we’ll just be talking. The captain is a Marquis, so he must have felt comfortable summoning you directly."
Thinking about it, the captain of the Monster Subjugation Force was indeed a Marquis. It was normal for them to summon merchants directly when there were things to discuss or confirm.
Perhaps he was planning to speak directly to the supplier before the initial deliveries. With that thought, Dahlia felt much more at ease.
"I’m relieved. I didn’t understand why I was called..."
"Don’t worry. I haven’t said anything about the shoe dryer, and I’m keeping the bracelet hidden."
Feeling a sense of relief at Volf's words, Dahlia decided to ask about something that had been bothering her.
"How was the training yesterday? Did the bracelet make things inconvenient or difficult?"
"No, I think I’m getting more used to it. I didn’t even use half of its enchantment in training, but it was fun. Being able to easily jump over my opponent’s head opens up new strategies."
Wait, he's saying 'half,' but isn't he doing something quite dangerous?
Wouldn't people think something was strange? Wouldn’t they feel it’s a little bit odd?
"You jumped over your opponent's head..."
"No, it’s something I could do from the start. It’s just that I’ve been doing it more often now."
"Uhm, did any of the other squad members say anything?"
"They laughed and said things like, 'Volf, you have too much pent up strength,' 'Hurry up and let the monsters come,' 'You're jumping more than usual'..."
It seemed that Dahlia’s worries were unfounded after all.
Dahlia couldn’t help but laugh at the slightly displeased look on the young man’s face.
As her laughter subsided, the carriage came to a stop.
Honestly, she felt that if it was only at this distance, it would have been better to walk at this time of day, but since she was able to talk to Volf first, she decided it was fine.
"When it’s just the members of the unit, we don’t act too much like nobles, but we do make a bit of an effort... Lady Dahlia, welcome to the Monster Subjugation Force."
"Thank you, Volfred-sama."
He offered his hand once again, and Dahlia placed hers in his with a smile.
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