kscans

Chapter 9 - The Past, the Present, and the Little One, Part 1

"Frontier’s situation from back then to now?"

Before Romel, whose eyes had widened in surprise, stood a single little girl. After the midday staff meal, Chihaya had gone with Drago to learn cooking, while the food-focused Chihiro had visited Romel’s office.

The daughter of Drago, accompanied by Pochiko-san.

The young girl, who was reminiscent of the Little One of the past, had free access not only to areas related to the knight order but also to the civil officials’ quarters, thanks to Romel’s patronage and permission.

Unknowingly, the Little One had been steadily securing her network and position. Her talent for being unconsciously formidable was alive and well.

And so she had come to Romel’s office. Sipping the tea that had been served to her as a matter of course, Chihiro gave a small nod.

"I heard from Katsumi. He said things are pretty tough. I’m sorry, I was deliberately staying away."

Ever since her memories had awakened, Chihiro had not once inquired about political matters, instead spending her days as a carefree and innocent child. She wanted nothing more to do with the palace, and wishing to live as normal a life as possible, she had intentionally played the part of see-no-evil, hear-no-evil. It was what Drago and Romel had wanted as well, so there should have been no problem.

There shouldn't have been.

Looking up at Romel with a sharp, upward glance, the Little One opened her mouth.

"What happened after that? What are we lacking now, and what hardships are we facing? Tell me."

There was no need to worry about prying eyes. Romel’s subordinates here knew what was inside the Little One. This was a personal space where only those Romel trusted, his closest confidants, were allowed. Romel had brought the little girl here, and Chihiro had pulled her "I’m home" stunt again.

To this day, the Little One couldn’t forget the looks on their faces as they stood there, jaws dropped in stunned silence. Seriously, I bet that’s what people mean when they say someone looks like a pigeon shot with a pea shooter. In my not-so-long life, even counting my previous one, that was the first time I'd seen grown men make faces like that.

Because of all that, in this room, she was the same Little One she had been five years ago.

"After that? It’s a long story."

"That's fine."

As if deep in thought, Romel began to speak, his words heavy.

The fact that Chihiro, or rather Fatima, had lost her memories was not a major issue in itself.

The problem lay with those around her.

It concerned the treatment of Dorfen and Sakura, who had been exclusively assigned to Chihiro. Naturally, the royal family had intended for them to continue their service. However, the two, knowing that Chihiro was no longer inside Fatima, declined. They stated that they had been serving the daughter of a baron, and they were not qualified to serve a princess. This was coming from the son of a great marquis and a former imperial princess. Although it caused some friction, their resignations were accepted, but this apparently created a not-insignificant rift with the royal family.

Furthermore, there was the matter of the Little One brand sweets being sold at the orphanage. It was a rather profitable business. There had apparently been an attempt to interfere with that as well. Some vassals had schemed to transfer the rights to a shop with close ties to the royal family, but they were thwarted by the honeybees and Romel.

"Are these not the rights of Her Highness Princess Fatima? How she chooses to use the profits should be her own free will."

"In that case, I shall convey your message to the Queen. This confectionery cannot be made without honey."

Surveying the assembled nobles, Romel did exactly as he had said he would. The vassals who ended up getting a lecture from the Queen, along with the King who got caught in the crossfire, were apparently on the verge of tears.

Enraged, the Queen stopped supplying honey to the palace. The payment for the honey delivered to the palace had always been made to Baron Gyorgy. However, some vassals argued that it belonged to Chihiro, and therefore to the princess. Drago himself wasn't particularly interested and had been willing to transfer it, but the Queen would not have it. She had offered the honey to the Golden King, and she had no reason to offer it to Fatima. She had no complaints if Drago, Chihiro’s foster father, was the one to receive it. But for the unrelated Fatima to swoop in and take it was unforgivable.

With the honey deliveries to the palace cut off, the people who had grown accustomed to sweets fell into a great panic.

There was also an attempt to force the orphanage to supply it, but they were driven off by the guard bees and had to flee for their lives.

In the end, a strict order came down from His Majesty the King that no one was to meddle with anything related to the Little One brand, and the matter was settled.

There were other incidents too. Nobles connected to Fatima and Consort Habilus, hiding behind the authority of the royal family, came up with all sorts of unreasonable demands concerning cooking rights, the Little One’s orchard, and the transfer of the monsters that loitered around the baronial mansion.

Well, those were also resolved without issue after Romel, the Queen, and even the Lords of the Forest, who could now travel thanks to the Golden Ring, descended upon the palace and gave His Majesty the King and his court a lecture that was essentially a threat.

Ha ha ha… Ts’ett and Joker came too, huh. What a disaster that must have been. The palace must have been terrified to have those giants descending upon them.

The Little One couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.

And so, a decree that went beyond a strict order was issued by the furious King, stating that no one was to interfere with matters concerning the baronial family.

Just hearing a small part of it revealed what a huge mess it had been.

"And, well, around the time things quieted down, Drago applied to marry Sakura-san."

Ooh, a love story. Hearing about my parents’ courtship is a little embarrassing.

Romel gave a wry smile to the Little One who had leaned forward eagerly, then lowered his voice slightly as he spoke.

What a mess.

That was Chihiro’s frank impression upon hearing the story.

Apparently, a dispute arose over whether Sakura’s status was that of a royal or a commoner. Kilfan was a fallen nation. Sakura was its princess. In terms of status, her marriage to Drago was impossible. But Kilfan was no more. In that case, wouldn’t a princess who had descended into the common world become a commoner? She had no backing and no fortune.

It was a complex problem, but then again, some strange characters stuck their noses in. Perhaps a marriage to a member of the royal family would be more appropriate for Her Highness Princess Sakura. Fortunately, there was an unmarried prince of suitable age. And with that, the nobles’ eyes turned to Romel.

Romel, who had been completely blindsided, had stared with wide eyes, but it went without saying that his expression soon twisted into a dark smile.

The fools who had spouted such nonsense were dismissed from their posts, and to resolve the issue of status, Drago was granted his current title of count.

Upon hearing the story, Sakura had apparently looked up to the heavens.

"A princess. What kind of fantasies are these old men having about a former prostitute? Honestly."

Women outgrow their dreams quickly. Sakura, who had lived a brutal quarter of a century, was a realist, sharp as a blade.

"You need not be so self-deprecating. There were unavoidable circumstances."

Romel chose his words, looking troubled.

However, Sakura and Drago looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Well, it’s true there were circumstances, isn’t it?"

"Yes. Worrying about chastity is for after you’ve pledged your future to someone. There are countless shameless ladies who carry on affairs even after marriage. At least Sakura is not that kind of woman. I know that. And that is all that matters."

Romel’s eyes widened as he watched the two of them smile at each other.

Ah, I see.

This warm atmosphere was the same as when the Little One was here. For Drago, the past was likely not a major issue. Whether she was a princess or a prostitute, what mattered was the now. That was everything. From now on, they could build their lives together.

Feeling a sense of clarity, Romel threw his full support behind Drago and the others, helping to make their marriage happen.

"So, well, that’s about everything that happened around you. You know the rest, right?"

The Little One nodded.

Romel’s eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a sharp line. The temperature in the room instantly dropped with a `saaa`, and the chilling air made even Romel’s trusted aides look up from their desks.

"Next is national politics. First, Count Ansbach."

Romel opened his mouth, his gaze sharp and his tone filled with disgust.

Apparently, they were missing.

Castrato, having marched a large army to the Frontier border, had no room for excuses. However, they feigned ignorance regarding the abduction of the Little One. Furthermore, they completely denied any connection to Count Ansbach and his men. They insisted that they had merely responded to the advance of Frontier soldiers, that it was a defensive action.

Lacking definitive proof and wanting to avoid trouble, Frontier had been willing to let the matter drop. But then Castrato started complaining.

According to them, the forest that had appeared along the border was within Castrato’s territory and therefore belonged to them. They demanded it be handed over. For a moment, the Frontier side was dumbfounded, but then they burst out laughing. They said Castrato could do as they pleased and immediately withdrew their stationed troops. And of course, Melitta as well.

That should have been the end of it, but a few days later, a complaint arrived from Castrato.

The forest had withered. They claimed Frontier must have done something.

Just as I thought, Romel had thought with a malicious smile, and he had written down a detailed explanation of the forest’s mechanics and sent it to Castrato.

Unlike the other Lords’ forests, it was a forest made solely of golden magic. It must have withered quite quickly.

It was unclear whether Castrato had let Count Ansbach and his men escape, or if the man had fled on his own. But with the person of interest gone, Frontier’s anger had shifted toward Castrato.

"You drove them off at the time. I carelessly saw them off, but later I regretted not capturing them."

The Little One sputtered her tea and cautiously glanced at Romel. He wore a dark smile, not bothering to hide his icy rage. At the time, he must have been consumed with getting Chihiro back. And after securing her, he must have been so relieved that he overlooked the smaller details. Days later, remembering this and that, Romel had apparently been seen by his subordinates roaring that he should have chopped them into mince.

Seriously, my bad about that.

Romel noticed Chihiro wiping the tea she had spit out with her sleeve. He took her arm, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the Little One’s mouth.

"You shouldn’t do that. You’ll stain your nice blouse."

He was as attentive as ever.

The Little One, letting Romel take care of her, felt a little happy.

However, the story was far from over. A short while later, the Little One would be made to truly feel the length of the past four years.