「Aah～ I’m exhausted.」
I collapse onto the bed and let my whole body go limp.
Ah～ The scent of Noie that’s soaked into the pillow feels so comforting.
Thanks to His Majesty’s suggestion, all the wedding gifts are now going to be sold off in an auction aimed at nobles and merchants.
The venue will stay right there, the audience chamber in the castle. The date is set for five days from now.
And as the “venue fee” and various other expenses… they took one full set of the golden armor.
Honestly, as long as it sells for a high price, I don’t really care.
More importantly, the usual tsukkomi of 「Is it really okay to sell wedding gifts?!」 never actually came up.
Apparently, the proper etiquette is that you only give gifts you won’t complain about even if the recipient sells or throws them away.
So, when there are too many unwanted items, selling them off is perfectly normal.
The invitations His Majesty sent out to various places turned this into a once-in-a-lifetime chance for collectors and enthusiasts who crave rare treasures from other countries.
…Not that I actually care, though.
Everything I decided to keep has already been carried over to the new mansion.
I left the arrangement and placement entirely to the maids, they’re far better at it than I am.
While I was at it, I also withdrew all of Noie’s accumulated salary that had been stored in the national treasury… in other words, the castle vault… and transferred every single gold bar to the mansion’s safe.
Getting paid in solid gold bars… is that really normal?
Thanks to that, from now on I’ll have to start hiring guards and escorts out of pocket too.
Well… I have no idea how many reckless fools would actually dare to break into the home of this country’s most terrifying Dragon Slayer.
Besides, that safe is protected by powerful locking magic. It won’t be opened easily.
And at my suggestion, the floor and walls around it are reinforced with iron plating, so… yeah, good luck to any thief.
knock knock
「Danna-sama」
「Hm?」
「It’s almost time?」
「Huh? Already?」
「Yes.」
Hearing the maid who stepped into the room, I slowly lift my face from the pillow.
…Ever since the moment we moved into this mansion, my title in the household has class-changed straight to 「Danna-sama」.
Back at the castle, the only person who could possibly be called 「Danna-sama」 would be the highest authority, His Majesty the King himself, so of course no one ever used it for me there.
And now, as of today, I’ve officially and gloriously become the topmost 「Danna-sama」 of the house.
It’s… insanely embarrassing, okay?
I push myself up from the bed, step out the door, and for a split second I completely forget which way to go…
But the maid doesn’t hesitate even a little. She just says 「This way, please」 and starts walking ahead.
Thank goodness. I’m seriously saved.
I leave the mansion and climb onto the horse that’s already prepared for me.
Since the sun is still up, four escort knights are waiting in full readiness.
Together with them, I head straight for the royal castle.
Noie still hasn’t memorized the location of our new home yet.
For the time being, the two of us will have to come back together every day.
And today is the very first, most memorable day of that routine.
I dismount at the main gate and hand the horse over to the guarding soldiers.
This is one of the royal family’s horses, after all.
I do plan to own my own horse someday, but there’s no rush.
Besides, if I’m going to buy one, I have to get it from Mische’s place.
I owe her a lot, she’s the one who finally got me to the point where I can ride properly without looking like a total beginner.
I wait at the main gate for a little while…
And then, just like always, Noie comes walking straight back as if on autopilot, heading directly toward the detached annex without even glancing around.
Yeah… somehow that’s exactly what I expected.
There’s zero hesitation in her steps.
「Noie」
She stops instantly and, without a moment’s confusion, turns and walks right over to me.
I’m pretty sure I wasn’t even in her line of sight just now…
How did she spot me so easily?
「Arg-sama. I have returned.」
「Welcome back.」
「Arg-sama…? Why are you here?」
「I told you this morning, didn’t I?」
That silly little ahoge of hers wobbles and then jolts upright as if she just remembered something important.
「It’s fine. I just wanted to come see if you were finished.」
「Noie?」
「……I forgot.」
「Bad girl.」
I pretend to lightly flick her forehead, then gently take her hand in mine and lace our fingers together.
Her palm is warm. My heartbeat picks up just a tiny bit from the soft contact.
「Where to?」
「Tomorrow’s your day off, so starting the day after, come straight here after work.」
「Yes.」
Side by side we head toward what used to be Noie’s squad office… now more or less turned into my personal study.
-0-
「……」
「……」
The two remaining squad members who are still inside freeze the moment they see us.
Hey, that’s kinda rude, you know?
This room is technically still part of their office too, so it’s not that strange for me to show up here.
「Arg-sama」
「What?」
「This room is…?」
Of course, the original owner of the space would say something like that.
「I’m usually here anyway, so when work’s done, just come to this room.」
「Yes.」
「……You got it?」
「I’ll ask the maids.」
「Don’t say it so smugly, okay?」
「And these two right here are my subordinates.」
「H-Hello! It’s an honor to meet you, Noie-sama!! I’m Krea von Crostpurge!!」
「And I’m Inel von Huegram.」
The two of them snap to perfect, rigid attention and greet her in unison.
For some reason, they actually seem less nervous than when they first met me…?
「Nice to meet you.」
「「Yes ma’am!!」」
They look… genuinely happy, don’t they? Their eyes are practically sparkling.
「By the way, that one with the really intense aura is Frea-san’s little sister.」
「……」
「The blonde one’s little sister.」
Noie’s ahoge gives a little ‘pon!’ bounce as if to say “Got it.”
「……I’ll be in your care.」
「No, no, please don’t mention it. Even with a sister like that… if she can be useful to Noie-sama, then… yes, really, it’s fine.」
Ever since it came out that her big sister has a thing for “aggressive black lingerie”, Krea’s been giving off these occasional dark, shadowy vibes.
So this is how kids get exposed to the scary parts of the adult world, huh…
「Inel-kun doesn’t really have any special connections or anything like that.」
「……Sorry. My house is kind of small.」
He looks apologetic, but he’s still technically from a high-ranking noble family.
It’s just that his entire clan was granted a special exception: as long as they continue to show unwavering loyalty to the royal family, they’ll never be demoted from upper nobility.
I have no idea what they did to earn that status…
All I know is that they’re pretty poor, relatively speaking.
「If I’m not here, just ask these two where I am.」
「……」
「If I’m not around and Noie comes looking, tell her where I went. And if possible, guide her there too.」
「「Yes」」
There’s no way Noie would remember the way on her own yet, so leaving it to my subordinates was definitely the smart move.
「Well then, we’re heading home now. Tomorrow’s your day off, so take it easy, okay?」
Even though Krea is shooting me a gaze that could kill, she keeps her mouth completely shut in front of Noie.
「Oh, and about five days from now… His Majesty summoned me, so I’ll probably be at the castle, but I might not make it back here right away. I’ll come straight here as soon as I’m done, so wait for me, alright?」
「!」
Krea audibly grits her back teeth, barely holding herself together.
Aww, look at Inel-kun panicking and flailing around～ so cute.
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