“Her Royal Highness of the Kingdom of Tristain, Princess Henrietta has arrived.”
The first out the door, however, was Cardinal Mazarin.
The students grunted, but Mazarin paid no attention, standing at the side of the carriage, holding the Princess’s hand as she alighted. The students finally applauded. A youthful, flowery smile emerged from the Princess’s face as she elegantly waved.
“That’s the Princess of Tristain? Heh... I’m better looking than that.” Kirche mumbled. “Oh my dear, who do you think is prettier?” She turned to Saito, locked tight and lying flat on the ground.
“Woof.”
“I can’t understand you if you just woof! Who is it?”
Saito looked towards Louise, who was attentively looking at the Princess. If only she could stay quiet like that, she is a very pure, moving, and quite beautiful. No matter how mad she gets, how cold she treats him, and even if he is treated like a dog, this soft look and such a stunning appearance can put Saito in a trance.
Louise suddenly blushed, which Saito saw. What is this about? He turned towards whatever she was facing. A hat-wearing, rather cool-looking noble, riding on a magical beast with an eagle’s head and a lion’s body. Louise was watching him enthralled.
Saito found it weird. That noble seems like a nice guy, but that’s no reason to look at him so deeply and even blush like that. Am I being jealous? He thought. No, that can’t be. I don’t have that kind of relationship with Louise. He rebutted himself.
No matter, Saito thought. I still have Kirche. A brunette with a well-endowed cleavage. A passionate beauty. If it turns out like that, I might as well go for perfect Kirche.He thought rather excitedly. But Kirche was blushing and watching that noble as well. Saito lowered his head, suddenly feeling the heaviness of all the chains on him, weighing him to the ground. Tabitha simply read her book as if the Princess’s arrival meant nothing to her.
“And you just stay like that.” He said to Tabitha. She raised her head and looked at what Louise and Kirche saw, looked at Saito again, and simply mumbled, “Just three days.”
That night...
Saito laid in his straw bed, watching Louise. It seemed like she couldn’t calm down. She would stand up one moment, and sit down the next, worrying about something while hugging her pillow. She had been like that ever since she had seen that noble that day. After that, she had said nothing, returning to her room like a ghost, and since then she had been sitting on her bed just like that.
“You’re... acting weird.” Saito started, but Louise made no answer.
He stood up, and waved in front of her eyes. She didn’t move.
“A bit too weird.” He then pulled on her hair. Louise’s hair was very delicate, very soft, as if even pulling them slightly would break them off, that kind of soft. He put in some force to the pull, and she still made no reaction. Same for when he pulled on her face.
“Time to change to your pajamas.” He grandly saluted to Louise, and reached for her blouse, slowly unbuttoning it. Now she had only her underwear left. Still, she did not move, as if in a spell. Boring... what’s wrong with her? Geez... Saito coughed.
“Louise-sama. From my world there’s this art called ‘breast-expanding massage’.”
He made that up, of course. Saito blushed.
“You rub it like this, and then it’ll slowly get bigger. You can say it’s a kind of magic.” Saito extended his hands, reached around as if to hug her, and started rubbing her back. “What’s this? Where are they? Why aren’t they there? Oh... this is the back.” And then he shook his head on purpose. “Geez... I got it wrong. They’re both flat, that’s why.”
Louise still didn’t move, not even to this rather disgusting act from Saito.
“I... what am I...IDIOT! WHAT DID I JUST DO?!” After realizing that, he forcefully shook his head, and beat it with his own hands on the bed. He was visibly embarrassed that he actually did that. And then he was depressed. He knew that as a person, being scolded and yelled at is sometimes glory. But if it only hurts if someone says something, then he isn’t worth being noticed.
Just as he was thrashing about, somebody knocked on the door.
“Who could it be?” Saito asked Louise.
The knocks were very orderly. It started with two long knocks, and then three short ones...
Louise suddenly woke up from her trance. She put on her clothes, stood up, and opened the door.
Standing there was a girl, covered entirely in a black veil.
She looked around, and then walked in, closing the door behind her.
“...you are?” A shocked Louise barely managed to voice.
The veiled girl made a ‘shh’ gesture with a finger on her mouth, and took out a staff from her black cape, lightly waving it while chanting a short spell. Glowing powder filled the room.
“A silencing spell?” Louise asked. The veiled girl nodded.
“There might be extra ears and eyes around.”
After making sure the room had no magical ears and no peeping holes, she slowly removed her veil.
In front of them was really Princess Henrietta. Saito held his breath. Louise was already very cute, but this Princess could match her in cuteness, and still have this admirable elegance.
Louise frantically went down on her knees. Saito didn’t know what to do, and just stood there, with no idea what was going on.
Henrietta coolly, and gently spoke. “It has been a while, Vallière.”
Chapter Three: A Childhood Friend's Request
Princess Henrietta, who had just appeared in Louise's room, looked like she had been overcome with emotion, and hugged the kneeling girl.
“Oh, Louise, Louise, my dear Louise!”
“This won't do, Your Highness. Coming to a humble place like this.......”
Louise said ceremoniously.
“Oh! Louise! Louise Françoise! Please stop acting so formally! You and I are friends! We are friends, are we not?”
“I am not worthy of such kind words. Your Highness.”
Louise replied with a steely, strained voice. Saito, stupefied, just stared as the pair of beautiful girls embraced.
“Stop that, please! Neither the Cardinal, my Mother, or those greedy court aristocrats who buzz around wearing friendly faces are here! Oh, don't I have any friends who will open up to me? If even Louise Françoise, my old friend whom I've missed dearly, acts so distant, I would just die!”
“Your Highness......”
Louise lifted her face.
“When we were little children, didn't we get together and chase butterflies at the palace courtyard? And got all muddy?”
With a shy face, Louise answered.
“......Yes, and La Porte-sama the chamberlain told us off for getting our clothes so dirty.”
“Yes! That's right, Louise! We were arguing over those puffy cream cakes, and ended up having a real scuffle! Oh, whenever we fought, it was me who always lost. You would grab my hair, and I'd just start crying.”
“Not at all, Princess achieved victory on at least one occasion.”
Louise said, looking sentimental.
“You remembered! Looking at the two of us, one could call that battle the Siege of Amiens!”
“That was when we were fighting over a dress in Princess' bedroom, wasn't it?”
“Yes, in the middle of our 'Make-Believe Royal Court', we ended up fighting over who would play princess! And it was my blow to your stomach, Louise Françoise, that successfully decided it.”
“I fainted in the presence of Princess.”
After that, the two of them exchanged glances and broke out in laughter. Saito, amazed, just kept watching them in that state. The princess may have looked like a lady, but she was actually a tomboy.