Chapter 15 - The Decision ── A Turning Point ──
[Eliana's POV]
Lunchtime at the Seabreeze Inn was something of a battlefield.
I carried out grilled fish, cleared away empty plates, and delivered extra bread. Whenever someone called me from the kitchen and I turned around, another customer would be raising a hand at a different table.
By the time I saw the last customer off, the soles of my feet were throbbing with warmth.
"Here you go. Good work today."
"Thank you."
I couldn't help smiling when I saw the plate Ms. Hannah had set down in front of me.
Today, it was a mackerel sandwich.
Crispy-skinned grilled mackerel and thinly sliced onions, with a tangy sauce that had soaked slightly into the warm bread.
This was one of my favorites.
I picked it up with both hands and took a bite.
The rich juices seeped out from beneath the fragrant, crispy skin, and the onion crunched satisfyingly between my teeth.
Delicious.
Luca was out on patrol with the territory’s soldiers. When he returned, he might be jealous of today's staff meal.
That was what I was thinking when it happened.
My master, who had been sitting by the window, suddenly rose to his feet.
"Eliana, go hide in the back."
"...Huh?"
My master was already heading for the entrance.
"Something feels off. Whatever it is, it ain't particularly strong, but it's bothering me."
His voice was low and grave.
I set my mackerel sandwich back on the plate.
When my master acted like this, I couldn't very well tell him to wait just because I hadn't finished eating.
I went into the kitchen and peered out at the dining area through the doorway.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know yet."
Ms. Hannah also paused, the cloth in her hand going still.
Before long, the sound of wheels came to a halt outside the inn.
Through the window, I saw an elegant carriage.
There were few attendants accompanying it. Even so, the fittings on its doors and its polished body made it clear that it belonged to a wealthy household.
The gentleman who stepped out wore formal attire in a deep shade of green.
Subtle gold embroidery adorned his collar.
I recognized his face.
Marquis Rodney of Bly.
I had exchanged a few words with him back when I lived in the royal palace.
I remembered him as someone who would listen to what I had to say all the way to the end.
Mr. Hugo stepped out beside him.
Ah. So this was about the meeting.
I had told them I would meet with him if my conditions were accepted.
I had already told my master about it, too.
However, I hadn't received any notice telling me when they would arrive.
"If you're coming into someone else's territory, the least you could do is send a messenger ahead of time."
My master planted himself in the doorway, blocking their way.
I could only see his back.
Even so, goosebumps rose across my skin.
The air grew heavy.
His voice carried mana.
It was different from the sensation I felt during monster hunts. This was a pressure that seemed to pin its target in place, preventing them from moving.
The marquis stopped in his tracks.
But he didn't turn back.
He bowed deeply, then lowered himself onto one knee.
"Hero and Count of Coenna, please forgive my sudden arrival. My name is Marquis Rodney of Bly."
"I know."
"I should have sent word of my arrival in advance. The fault is mine. I have come today to hear what Her Highness has to say."
Her Highness.
At those words, my master's shoulders shifted ever so slightly.
"...Get the hell out of here."
His hand settled on the hilt of his sword.
I rushed out of the kitchen.
"Master, please stop!"
My master turned to look at me.
The Marquis raised his head as well.
"Oh, Your Highness...!"
"Marquis Rodney, please keep your voice down."
I hurried to speak, then looked up at my master.
"I was the one who said I would hear him out, provided he honored my conditions."
"Just because this bastard showed up doesn't mean you're obligated to meet with him."
"I know. But I'll hear him out today."
My master studied my face.
I held his gaze without looking away.
At last, his hand left the hilt of his sword.
"...Alright."
The oppressive atmosphere, so heavy that I felt like clutching my chest, finally began to ease.
◇◆◇
◇◆◇
I couldn't keep the truth hidden from Ms. Hannah.
"What did he mean by 'Your Highness'?"
She asked me after we had closed the inn's doors. I gripped the edge of my apron.
"At the royal palace, I went by the name Elias."
"...You mean the Crown Prince?"
"Yes."
Ms. Hannah fell silent, staring at me.
The person she had just been asking to carry plates was the former Crown Prince.
And the person everyone had believed to be a prince was actually a woman.
It would have been strange if she hadn't been shocked.
"There were circumstances that made me leave the royal palace. Now, I want to live as Eliana. So, about all this..."
"Of course. I understand."
Ms. Hannah let out a slow breath.
"I won't go spreading it around."
"Thank you."
"I'll hear the whole story whenever you're ready to tell it. For now, let's keep the inn closed to other customers until this evening."
With that, she hung a sign on the door.
As I watched her back, the tension gradually drained from my tightly clenched fingers.
We took seats at a table in the back.
My master sat beside me.
Marquis Rodney and Mr. Hugo sat across from us.
"First, please accept this as a token of our friendship."
At the Marquis's signal, a small box was placed on the table.
The lid opened.
Pearls. Bracelets adorned with precious stones. Delicate gold jewelry.
Bathed in the light streaming through the window, the dazzling colors spilled across the familiar wooden table, looking almost absurdly out of place.
"I thought there might be something else to suit your tastes as well—"
"No, thank you. I have everything I need."
The Marquis's hand froze.
Perhaps I'd been a little too blunt.
I added a few more words.
"I appreciate the thought, truly. But I'm not struggling to get by in my current life."
"...I see."
The Marquis closed the box, looking a little disappointed.
Just then, Ms. Hannah approached, carrying a large tray.
"Before you get into all that complicated talk, eat something."
Thick slices of specially prepared roast pork.
Mackerel with beautifully crisped skin.
A basket overflowing with bread and a salad of fresh, leafy greens.
The table was soon filled with the mouthwatering aromas of the meal.
"Now, don't forget, I'll be charging you for this."
Mr. Hugo held out a gold coin.
That was a lot.
There was no way that was just payment for the meal.
It probably covered the cost of reserving the entire inn, along with a little something to ensure her silence.
Ms. Hannah glanced at the gold coin, then shot me a quick look.
"Much obliged."
With nothing more than that, she headed back into the kitchen.
◇◆◇
◇◆◇
The Marquis's story was more or less what I'd expected.
Supplies for the military were arriving late.
Different departments were issuing conflicting orders.
Documents requiring decisions were piling up, until no one could even tell where the process had stalled.
As I listened, I remembered the desk I'd once worked at in the royal palace.
Urgent documents on the right.
Documents awaiting confirmation on the left.
For matters that never received a response, I'd make a note on a separate sheet of paper beside me.
Even after I cleared one item, more would have piled up by the following morning.
"Prime Minister Oswald is also doing everything he can to get things back on track. However, he cannot manage it all on his own..."
The Marquis clasped his hands together on the table.
"We need Your Highness's help."
At those words, my back almost straightened instinctively, as though my body still remembered what to do.
They needed me.
Then I had to do it.
I got that far in my thoughts before touching the apron resting on my lap.
No.
This time, I was allowed to decide for myself whether to accept the responsibility.
"I will not return to the royal palace. As I already told Mr. Hugo, that decision hasn't changed."
"I understand. However, if things continue as they are, the kingdom itself will be in danger. If necessary, we are even prepared to consider revising the royal succession laws."
"...The succession laws?"
"We would recognize a woman's right to inherit the throne and welcome Your Highness as our queen."
I raised a hand.
"W-Wait a minute. Stop, stop."
"But—"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear anything beyond that point."
Beside me, my master readjusted his crossed arms.
The Marquis fell silent, but there was not the slightest hint of a joke in his expression.
He was serious.
If he thought it necessary, this man was genuinely prepared to go that far.
A chill ran down my back.
I'd only just managed to make it here.
I was being called by my own name, buying things with the money I'd earned, and thinking about where I wanted to go on my days off.
I'd only just begun living that kind of life.
That didn't mean I wanted the people working their fields or traveling along the roads to suffer, either.
I looked at the mackerel sandwich remaining on my plate.
I needed some time to think.
Preferably, while eating something.
I took a bite.
Even cold, the mackerel was delicious.
As I swallowed the bread, I began sorting through the situation in my head.
They wanted me back at the royal palace because the work wasn't getting done.
In that case, all I had to do was find a way to deal with the work that was causing problems.
I didn't necessarily have to return to that desk myself.
That was when I suddenly remembered my previous life.
It was back when an epidemic had spread, and I'd started working from home instead of commuting to the office.
People would talk through screens, read the documents sent to them, and send their completed work back.
That was how I'd worked, too.
In the end, I'd caught that disease myself, bringing my previous life to an end.
But I hadn't forgotten that way of working.
"...Remote work, huh?"
"What did you just say?"
The Marquis leaned forward.
I set down my mackerel sandwich and brushed the bread crumbs from my fingers.
"Could you bring only the royal palace matters that are causing serious problems here to Coenna?"
"Here?"
"Yes. Instead of me going to the royal palace, the work would come to me."
The Marquis stared intently at me.
"Please put together an explanation of each situation along with the relevant documents. I'll read them, come up with solutions, and send them back. I can do that from here."
Little by little, the Marquis's expression brightened.
"Oh... I see! We could seek Your Highness's advice here, then have the cabinet review your proposals."
"Exactly. I'll leave the decisions and their implementation to you."
That part was important.
I couldn't possibly know everything that was happening on the ground from so far away.
Nor could I go around looking for stalled projects the way I used to.
"Also, I can't have you bringing me every problem as it comes. Please sort things out on your end first. Only bring me the matters you still have trouble deciding on after that."
"Understood."
Mr. Hugo began taking notes.
I watched the tip of his pen for a moment, then added one more thing.
"I have my own work and life here, too. I'll need to discuss how much I can take on and when I can return my answers each time."
The Marquis didn't answer immediately.
However, he didn't pressure me for an answer, either.
After giving it some thought, he nodded deeply.
"Of course. I understand that these are obligations we must respect as the ones asking for your help."
I felt a little relieved.
"But will the cabinet agree to working this way?"
"The prime minister shares my view. The ministers are also eager to find solutions. I believe this arrangement could garner their support."
They would rather use the proposals I came up with from outside the palace than wait for the royal family's decisions.
Were there really enough people who felt that way to form a majority?
It seemed that those supporting the royal palace had grown more disillusioned with it than I'd realized.
"All right. Then when you bring me work, I'd like us to discuss payment as well."
"Payment, you say."
"Yes. An amount appropriate for the work I take on. I don't want gifts. I want to be paid for the work I do."
I pointed to the closed jewelry box.
"So, for now, please put those treasures away."
The Marquis looked down at the box, then smiled faintly.
"Understood."
This time, he didn't look disappointed.
◇◆◇
◇◆◇
By the time our discussion ended, the Marquis looked far more cheerful than he had when he arrived.
He said he would first consult with the prime minister to establish how the work should be organized and handed over.
He also promised that next time, he would make sure to notify us of his visit in advance.
"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today."
"Take care on your way back."
"Yes. I hope we can continue working together."
The Marquis bowed several times before climbing into his carriage.
Mr. Hugo gave one final, deep bow as well.
The carriage, still carrying its treasures, rolled away down the harbor street.
Only after the sound of its wheels had faded did my master speak.
"You sure about making a deal like that?"
I stood at the entrance of the Seabreeze Inn and thought for a moment.
"If I could get away with doing nothing, that would certainly be easier."
"Figured as much."
"But if the kingdom falls into civil war, you might end up charging straight into the royal army, Master."
My master made no attempt to hide his displeasure.
"Ugh... Please, no civil wars."
"I'm with you."
"Fighting demons is one thing, but I don't wanna use stuff like Earthsplitter, Gale Slash, or Flame Sword against other humans."
I looked up at my master.
Hadn't he just casually rattled off some terrifyingly destructive-sounding attack names?
I'd never seen my master fight at full strength.
If possible, I'd like to go my entire life without ever seeing him use those three techniques against another human being.
"...Then I'll do a little work to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Make sure it’s just a little, okay?"
"I will."
My master rested a hand on my head and gently ruffled my hair.
"Tell me before you take on too much."
"I know."
When I returned inside, Ms. Hannah was clearing the tables.
I picked up a tray and began stacking the empty plates, too.
The aroma of the stew being prepared for dinner drifted through the kitchen.
From now on, I might have a few more things to think about while eating my staff meals.
There would probably be days when I furrowed my brow over complicated documents, too.
Even so, I'd still work here in the evenings.
On my days off, I'd go out with Luca and my master.
I also had promises to keep: teaching the children how to use swords and meeting the friend waiting for us in the forest.
I'd fit only as much work as I could handle into that life.
"Eliana, could you take care of those plates over there?"
"Coming!"
I adjusted my grip on the tray.
For now, it was all for the sake of peace in human society.
And so, the Seabreeze Inn's star waitress was about to take up remote work as a side job.
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