After finishing the talk with the former slaves and returning to the inn, Liliana and the others had already finished preparing.
「O-oh…」
I couldn’t help but stare in surprise at everyone dressed so elegantly.
Liliana wore a deep crimson dress that left her back daringly exposed, the pure white of her skin glowing beautifully against the rich color.
Amilia, meanwhile, was in a deep indigo gown adorned with an abundance of sparkling jewels and a glittering necklace that caught the light with every small movement.
Selene was dressed in something very much like a dancer’s outfit from our world, scandalously revealing, yet accented with golden ornaments that highlighted her curves in all the right places.
「Yuuki-sama! What do you think!?」
「Yuuki, say something…」
「Yuuki-saaan! This outfit is so embarrassing!!」
「Yeah… you all look absolutely stunning. I couldn’t take my eyes off any of you.」
At my words, their faces flushed bright red and they froze in place. I really wanted to compliment each one individually… but we didn’t have time right now…
「Sorry… I’d love to praise you all more properly, but…」
「Fufu, we’re in a hurry today after all. You can take your time telling us later.」
「Right… it’s a bit unsatisfying, but we have to stick to the schedule this time.」
「Hau!? Y-yes… now I’m getting nervous!!」
「Okay, let me get changed too.」
I quickly put on the formal suit Noctarl-san had given me and styled my hair with some pomade.
「Alright… does this look okay? Everyone, sorry to keep you wai….ting?」
When I turned around, they were all staring at me in stunned silence.
「W-what’s wrong?」
「N-no… it’s just… a little overwhelming…」
「Y-yes… it’s wonderful! I never imagined you could look this handsome… (mumble)」
「Yuuki-san, you look so cool!!」
Selene threw herself against me in a tight hug, pressing her soft body close.
「Ah, wait! The clothes! They’ll get wrinkled!」
「Ah, no fair!」
「M-me too!」
「Wait! Stop! I just fixed everything, aaaaah!?」
The three of them mobbed me playfully, turning me into a flustered mess and delaying our departure quite a bit.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
「Alright then, let’s head out.」
「「「Yes!」」」
「Auuu～ Everyone’s so unfair～ A party at the castle～!」
This time we couldn’t leave Lopple-san alone at the inn, so she was helping out with odd jobs at Regil and the others’ mansion.
「It’s not a party… it’s a meeting.」
「Eh? Really?」
「Didn’t you listen to yesterday’s explanation?」
「Ehe♪ I drank too much and forgot♪」
「Seriously…」
「Well well, I’ll be selling jewelry and accessories too. Any profit will go straight to Lopple-san’s pocket money.」
「For real!? Then sell tons and tons!!」
Lopple-san’s eyes turned into sparkling coin symbols. Come to think of it, since coming to this era she hasn’t had much chance to spend money, so she probably has quite a bit saved up…
「Did you… run out of money?」
Liliana asked gently, looking a little apologetic.
「Ah, no… I’m not that low yet… but having more is always better, right?」
「Well, yeah… having extra never hurts.」
Amilia nodded firmly. She had a point, there was that time Amilia barely had enough to eat.
「So then, Holy Knight-sama, Princess, Saintess-sama, Selene-chan! We’re counting on you!!」
Regil gave a big thumbs-up and climbed into the carriage.
「Alright, boss! We’ll take good care of her for the day!」
「Thanks, Regil.」
「No no, it helps us too! Now everyone can earn a little extra on their days off!」
With a light crack of the reins, the carriage carrying Lopple-san rolled away.
「Then, Kaminagi-sama, ladies. Please board.」
Degin-san had come to pick us up and was serving as coachman today.
「Thank you, Degin-san. We really appreciate it.」
「No need. It’s my job.」
I thanked him while sitting beside him. He looked a little embarrassed.
「Still, thanks to you I don’t have to handle the horses in this stiff formal wear.」
「I’m glad I could help. And this morning, your wife and your brother seemed quite close and happy together.」
「That’s… good to hear…」
That was probably the reason. But well… if they’re getting along so well, that’s good enough for me.
「Then let’s hurry. We’re almost out of time.」
「Sorry about that. Thank you.」
「We’re off!」
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Upon arriving at the castle and being led to the venue, we found ourselves surrounded by nobles openly opposed to the current royal government.
「Welcome, Yuuki-dono!」
「Thank you very much for inviting me today, Ulberick-sama.」
「No need to stand on ceremony. This is a private gathering. Make yourself comfortable. And my wife has been waiting eagerly for Lilina-dono.」
「Thank you. In that case, darling, I’ll go join Natalia-sama. Please follow me, both of you.」
Murmurs rippled through the crowd around us. 「Is that a Carbuncle?」 「That beautiful wife and her lovely little maid attendant… how enviable…」 and similar whispers floated by.
「Hahaha, it seems everyone’s eyes are glued to your wives.」
「Yes, my wives are treasures more precious than any gem. But even the rarest jewels pale beside Natalia-sama’s moonlit beauty.」
「Hahaha! As expected from a merchant, your silver tongue is impressive.」
「If you’d like, today my wives are wearing jewelry from our company. Should anything catch your eye, we’d be happy to prepare it for you.」
「I see. Then could you select a few pieces that would suit Natalia?」
「Of course. Though I leave the finer details of jewelry to my wife.」
「Understood. Natalia, I’ll leave the rest to you.」
With that, Natalia and several noble ladies slipped away to a separate room.
(Alright… Phase one of the setup is complete.)
With that thought in mind, I smoothly joined the circle of conversation.
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