Chapter 204 - 3-7
The Princess rushed over to our table in her excitement, set her plate of macarons and pudding down, and pointed toward the entrance of the hall.
"U-um! The person over there..."
"Eh? Where?"
"By that door! That's Theodore Camus-sama, isn't it?!"
We were all taken aback by the Princess's sudden appearance, which completely swept away the tense atmosphere. Louis-sama was the first to move. He stood up and guided Princess Margaret to sit next to Lute-sama.
Even after sitting on the sofa, the Princess remained restless, her attention fixed on the entrance as she peered intently at Theodore-sama.
"I never thought I'd get to meet Theodore-sama today!"
"You know of Theodore, Princess?"
At Louis-sama's question, the Princess nodded vigorously.
"Of course! He's just as beautiful as the rumors say!"
As she gazed at him with starry-eyed adoration, her eyes widened even further as she spotted someone else.
"W-wait... the person who came in with him, could it be?!"
"She is... Miss Anna Carroll. Our country's Saint."
Following Theodore-sama into the hall was indeed Anna-san. I knew Theodore-sama would be attending the dinner party, but Anna-san had left for a tour of local churches immediately after the graduation party. According to a letter I received from her the other day, she was supposed to return to the capital yesterday, but I had heard she might skip the party depending on her travel schedule. Despite her likely exhaustion, Anna-san wore her usual smile, and I was relieved to see her looking so well.
"She's even more than I imagined..."
I tilted my head inwardly at the Princess's cry of admiration.
The Princess's joy is just like when we toured Torsova Academy. No, it might be even more intense.
It made sense that Anna-san, as the Saint, would be known even in the distant Tratia Empire. But I hadn't expected her to know Theodore-sama as well. And to look at them with such sparkling, adoring eyes...
"...Shall I call Theodore and Miss Carroll over?"
"M-may I?!"
When Louis-sama spoke up, seeing the Princess's reaction, her face lit up with joy. Louis-sama signaled to them, and as the two approached, the Princess's cheeks flushed even more. Since the sofa area was too small for everyone, we moved to a spot near the windows.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Theodore Camus."
Theodore-sama gave a polite bow with a hand over his heart, and the Princess pressed her hands to her mouth, her eyes brimming with emotion.
"To have the real Theodore-sama right in front of me... it's like a dream."
Theodore-sama's brow twitched slightly at her reaction.
"I believe this is the first time we've met..."
"I've been looking forward to meeting you since before I even came to this country!"
"...You knew of me?"
"Yes! Not just as a genius magician, but as someone so beautiful, and above all..."
"Margaret."
Lute-sama was the one who cut in to reprimand the Princess for her over-excited behavior.
"I know you're happy to meet him, but if you speak so fast and overwhelm him, Theodore-sama will be troubled."
"No, no, I'm honored. To be spoken of in such a way by such a lovely Princess makes me feel quite bashful. More importantly, I'm very curious about how you heard rumors of me all the way in the Tratia Empire."
Theodore-sama wore a beautiful smile, but his eyes weren't entirely smiling. He was observing the person before him with a cool, probing gaze.
Of course, only Louis-sama and I would likely notice that.
"Once it was decided she would study here, we researched the Kingdom of Dutoit extensively. We heard many rumors of Theodore-sama then—that he would undoubtedly be the next Commander of the Order of Mages. ...Isn't that right, Margaret?"
"Y-yes... something... like that."
Pushed by Lute-sama's smile, the Princess nodded while awkwardly looking away. Theodore-sama gave a pleasant "I see," but I could tell he was likely clicking his tongue inwardly.
"The Princess is quite adorable, isn't she?"
Anna-san let out a little giggle, and the Princess snapped her head up.
"The Saint... Anna. You are..."
Once her eyes locked onto Anna-san, the Princess covered her mouth and stood there for a moment, her eyes welling with tears, unable to find words.
To be this happy...
Many people reacted to Anna-san this way. I had seen similar reactions from the people of Orta when I was there. It was a common response when people saw a Saint—someone they only knew from paintings or storybooks—in the flesh.
That would be normal for the people of Dutoit or Orta, who worship the Spirit Kings.
But the Princess was a citizen of the Empire. Why would she react this way? No matter how I thought about it, there were so many strange things about her.
"The Saint and Theodore-sama look wonderful together, but as I thought, Louis-sama and Anna-san look the most natural! You're a perfect match!"
"W-what?!"
Everyone present was stunned by the Princess's sudden, out-of-nowhere comment. Louis-sama in particular lost his usual mask of a smile, his brow furrowing in visible distaste. But the change lasted only a second before he smiled again, though his eyes remained cold.
"Princess, please refrain from such jokes."
"Y-yes, exactly. I'm surprised you would make such a joke, Princess."
Anna-san nodded along with Louis-sama's words, a forced laugh on her lips. But the Princess herself just tilted her head with a look of pure confusion.
"Why? This is the correct story, isn't it?"
The Princess's expression and words suggested she truly didn't understand why everyone was reacting that way. We all looked at each other in silence, struck by the sheer abnormality of it all.