247 - The Horned Owl Princess and the Owl Spirit 1
Felicia's 'Henrietta' was apparently the name of a horned owl that Felicia kept. I do not know why she wanted me to call her by her pet's name, but it did seem certain that the curl in Felicia's bangs was an imitation of a horned owl's ear-tufts. Felicia, who had taken up residence in the detached palace's guest room, had even gone so far as to have Henrietta the horned owl brought to the detached palace, showing every sign of truly settling in for a long stay.
...I should be grateful, should not I
She was supposed to be staying at the detached palace as a show of force, to demonstrate that I had royal backing. But with the glamorous Felicia in residence, the number of visitors increased. They were all Felicia's devotees, so I did not have to entertain them myself, which was a relief. But I was still called to the garden pavilion where tea parties were held, so that I could give the impression of being cherished by Felicia. As a result, I had made more noble acquaintances since coming to the capital, despite having spent most of my time holed up.
...But really, the way people look at Felicia-sama, it is not with lecherous eyes at all, is it
Felicia's devotees, regardless of age or even gender, seemed utterly devoted to her. I would think a young man would harbor improper desires toward such an attractive body, but there was not a hint of that sort of lewdness at Felicia's tea parties. They were apparently satisfied simply to praise beautiful Felicia, to kneel before her beauty and be fulfilled.
...They say Felicia-sama rules people's hearts with her beauty, but is this not just a queen and her subjects relationship
I thought so, but I kept quiet and maintained a polite smile. I was a former Japanese who could read the room. As long as the garden did not turn into some weird orgy, a crowd of old and young, men and women kneeling before a beautiful woman was nothing at all.
"Please observe carefully how to read the atmosphere of a room."
"Yes, sensei."
Naturally I could not bring a maid to a royal tea party, so today Hermine was dressed in attire befitting a tutor, as before. She was stationed at my side on the pretext of watching over me to ensure I did not commit any rudeness toward Felicia.
"Felicia-sama is a free-spirited person, but she has never once caused any problematic behavior. She rules others with a single glance and manipulates them at will."
Hermine said to observe well and learn to command a room. Though she did add the caveat not to be influenced by her clothing choices.
"Ish nudity not considered problematic behavior, deshu"
"Personally, I find it questionable. However, Felicia-sama, like Alfred-sama, clearly separates public and private matters, so I do not believe it is something for outsiders to interfere with."
I certainly had my thoughts on the matter, but clothing was a matter of personal freedom. In a way, I thought Hermine was amazing for being able to draw such a clear line and accept others' freedom as a right. Even I had grown accustomed to Felicia's nudity, but I still thought she should wear clothes. Even if her body was as flawlessly beautiful and perfectly sculpted as a work of art.
"Hermine-sensei, you clearly separate your true feelings from your public face. I deshu deeply respect you for that."
"Felicia-sama is a Royal Peerage, after all. As one of her subjects, I hold both respect and reverence for her."
...Fully nude, though
She must have noticed that my thoughts had wandered. Hermine warned me not to let my smile falter during the tea party.
...But really, beauty really can be a weapon, can it not
In my previous life, people used to sneer that 'beauty can be manufactured,' but Felicia is different. She is beautiful even without any makeup, she shines even without wearing expensive jewels. It must truly be the goddess-like beauty bestowed by the gods, as she herself claims. There are probably people who would throw away their lives just to be reflected in those blue eyes.
Understanding one's own appearance correctly and using it as a weapon. In this life, where my mother had given me a cute face, this was definitely a necessary skill.
The reason I came to be called the 'Owl Princess' was clearly Felicia's doing. I understood the nobles found it strange that I lived in a detached palace usually reserved for royalty, and that could not be helped. But still, 'owl' was a bit much, I thought. It was Felicia herself who made me call her 'Henrietta,' but then Felicia, finding it amusing, introduced me to one of the nobles as an owl spirit. She said I was an owl spirit who mistook her ear-tufts for a fellow horned owl and wandered into the human world.
...Well, I suppose having minor mistakes laughed off as 'it cannot be helped, she is a spirit' is helpful
Moreover, this origin story as a spirit apparently had strange credibility, given that I was a Spirit's Favored Child. Everyone must know deep down that it could not possibly be true, but for some reason, they seemed to have accepted my origins as an owl spirit.
...Well, some people are probably just pretending to accept it and investigating later
There were nobles who secretly tried to investigate the detached palace, but those attempts were caught by Valerier and Ulrika, and reports came to me and Nadine. Most of those investigating me were from the Loyalty Peerage. The Staff Peerage seemed to swallow their suspicions whole because Felicia said so, and the Flower Peerage had been quiet, perhaps due to the influence of Nicola Woodon's earlier failure.
"I am grateful deshu she dotes on me like a little shishter, but is deshu this a flag for Leonyaldo Big Brother to marry into the family"
"...Flag"
I had accidentally let slip a word from my previous life, and Leonardo's eyes went slightly round. Realizing my mistake, I searched for different words.
"Um... a shtephing stone, or foreshadowing... or laying the groundwork, perhapshu Like, is deshu it Felicia-shama's shtrategy to make Leonyaldo Big Brother her husband by doting on me like a little shishter"
"Please do not say such frightening things with such a cute face."
Leonardo said that marrying into Felicia's family was unthinkable and clutched his head. I had not expected him to dislike it so much, so even if it was just a passing thought, I might have said something bad.
"Felicia-shama is beautiful, you know. I do not think it is as frightening as all that."
"It is true that Felicia-sama is beautiful, but I cannot see that person as a woman. It is presumptuous of me to say this, but I think of her more as a friend, or like a comrade."
"A comrade"
I prompted him to continue, wondering what kind of comrade, but he did not seem willing to talk about it further. The word 'groom' must have been quite shocking, as Leonardo was vigorously massaging his temples. I did not press, but when I kept looking up at him, he must have realized I was not satisfied. After thinking for a moment, he said with a solemn face
"I think even you would feel strange about a groom with the same face as Mirshe."
"A boy with the same face as Mirshe-chan... Teo That would certainly be unpleasant, I shuppose."
But I felt I understood what Leonardo meant. Alfred and Felicia were good-looking siblings. And Alfred and Alf had almost the same face. No matter how womanly and soft her figure, no matter how nice her breasts, if she had a face similar to a male friend, it might be hard to have a romantic relationship.
"Well, I am grateful that she dotes on you, but her way of interacting with her sisters is not as cute as you might think."
Surprisingly, Felicia, considered the strongest candidate for the next king, apparently had a character that, as a public figure, well understood the responsibilities and duties of being born a child of the king, and was strict with herself. Consequently, her treatment of her sisters who, despite being the king's children, did not seek Royal Peerage, was apparently harsh.
...Come to think of it, Nadine might have said something about that on the day I arrived at the detached palace
When I greeted Felicia for the first time, Nadine had said with a beaming smile that I was a well-behaved child, unlike the princesses. Those words must have been meant literally. Thinking calmly, there was no way Alfred's older and younger sisters would be demure.
...Come to think of it, this detached palace was originally used by Felicia-shama's younger shister, was it not And Felicia-shama seems to hold absolutely no grudge against me, the one who caused her shishter's exile
Felicia called my name with a bright, radiant smile. She had never once blamed me for her sister's exile. In front of guests, she called me the owl spirit and doted on me, and when it was just family, she asked about Japan. Her face was so beautiful it took time to get used to, but inside, she was a princess with a playful side too.
"...Speaking of which, there is a martial arts tournament in three days."
"Ish it not that season already... no. The martial arts tournament in the city of Grenore is half a month later. ...Oh"
For me, the summer martial arts tournament was the one held at Grenore Fortress. Due to Leonardo's somewhat special position, the tournament at Grenore was half a month later than at other fortresses. But this was the capital. Even if they held a tournament, the Black Knights should not have that many members.
"Do the Black Knights also have a martial arts tournament in the capital, Leonyaldo-san"
"The Black Knights in the capital belong to the Ronyore Knights, so the tournament is held at Ronyore Fortress. The tournament held in the capital is by the Silver-White Knights."
"Do the Silver-White Knights also decide their commander and vice commander based on merit"
"That is how it works."
There was no way the Silver-White Knights, chosen from the elite of elites, would not select their leaders based on strength. Leonardo, who served as a Silver-White Knight in the capital before coming to Grenore, apparently never ranked higher than seventh. I had never met anyone stronger than Leonardo, but as Siegwald had told me, there really did seem to be people in the capital stronger than him.
"I will not be able to stay by your side for most of the day during the tournament, so it would help if you stayed with Felicia-sama."
"May I ask why"
"...Due to various circumstances, I ended up having to participate in the tournament."
As he recalled those circumstances, Leonardo's face looked haggard and clouded over. I knew letters had been arriving for him from time to time, but I had not imagined they would make him look this tired. But I understood why he would have to leave my side for a day. If it was a tournament of the Silver-White Knights who also guarded royalty, it meant each person's guard duty would be thinned out. Rather than staying by Felicia's side, he probably wanted to gather the royalty together in the VIP seats and reduce the burden of security.
"Perhapshu I could just shtay home at the detached palace, you know"
"Considering my and Aaron's movements, I would like you to be at the arena."
I thought there would not be much problem as long as I did not leave the detached palace. But Leonardo thought differently. It seemed he could not abandon my protection entirely, and if I stayed at the palace, he would have to return between matches to guard me. Even if it was within the same royal castle grounds, there was a distance that required a carriage. I still was not very interested in the tournament itself, but considering the trouble for Leonardo and Aaron, it would be more rational for me to go to the arena.
"The sound of clashing swords at tournnaments ish s scary, sho I am not good with them."
"Do not say that. I will show you your big brother's coolest form."
"Leonyaldo Big Brother's cool form"
That is precious, I let slip honestly, and Leonardo made an oddly complicated face. It was like being told by his beloved little sister that she had hardly ever seen her brother look cool, so it could not be helped.
...Because I cannot immediately recall any time Leonyaldo-san looked cool, after all
I tried to remember a time Leonardo looked cool, but the memories that came to mind were hard to piece together. I could easily recall his pathetic face when he said something nonsensical and made me angry, or when he was troubled by my pranks. But when I added the condition of 'cool,' nothing came to mind. Perhaps I should once have him show me this self-proclaimed 'coolest' form.
...And as expected, Giselle is not counted among the guards
Even if Leonardo and Aaron left my side, Giselle would technically remain as a guard. But apparently they could not rely on her. From start to finish, the idea of keeping Giselle by my side at all times and holing up in the detached palace never came up.
Tina finds battles and such scary, so she probably will not remember no matter how cool a heroic figure Leonardo cuts. And only the usual useless big brother gets remembered.
Typos and omissions for another time. I found some typos and fixed them.