I didn’t get it. That was why it bothered me.
I lay down on my side. Liscia frowned at me, but I didn’t care.
“You’re getting your clothes dirty, you realize?” she commented.
“They can be washed. Besides, considering my position, I can get someone else to wash them for me.”
“A king can’t let himself get dirty all over,” she said.
“Yeah, I’m sure dignity is important and all, but… it’s a pain in the butt.”
“As one of the people who forced this on you, it’s not my place to say it, but give up and accept it.”
“Right, right. Whew, having time where I’m off completely sure is nice.” I stretched my arms and legs wide. How relaxing it was to not have a single part of my spirit working.
Now that I thought about it, I had been working constantly since coming to this world. There were things to do, things I ought to do, things I had no choice but to do, piles and piles of them, and so I had been using my head all the time. Having this sort of time where I didn’t need to think about anything… it was the best.
“Ahh… I wish I could just melt away and return to the soil,” I murmured.
Liscia was silent. After seeing me like that, she seemed to think for a moment, then hesitantly said, “Do you want… to rest your head in my lap?”
I sat with my knees bent, resting Souma’s head on my thighs.
When someone rests their head in your lap, they can either do it with their body lying horizontally or vertically from your perspective. This was the vertical variety.
When I peeked down at him, my face was reflected upside-down in his eyes. Souma’s head was lying between my two thighs, and it tickled a little.
“Th-This is… kind of embarrassing, you know.” Souma’s face was a deep shade of red.
…I was sure mine was, too.
“Who do you think this is most embarrassing for?” I asked him. “The person giving the lap pillow, or the person using it?”
“I don’t know… Maybe it’s ‘for the people watching,’ don’t you think?” he said.
“Ha ha ha! You could be right.”
If Aisha hadn’t been asleep, what expression would she have made?
When she saw us looking like a couple who were engaged, would her face have turned red? Or would she have said, “Princess, I’ll not allow you to do that! If anyone is to be his pillow, it will be me!” or something oblique like that?
When I saw the fondness that girl showed Souma, sometimes I felt there was something more than just loyalty there…
Somehow, I suspected that out of those two options, it would have been the latter of the two.
“…Do you think we look like we’re engaged?” I asked.
“Well, in name only,” he said.
“In name only…”
Any time it came up, Souma always told those close to him that our engagement was just temporary, and he was only holding onto the crown for a little while. Once the kingdom was reasonably stable, he probably planned to abdicate the throne to me. I felt like that was the reason he always carefully explained the reforms he was carrying out to me. I think I understood enough of who Souma was as a person to figure out his intentions there.
Souma didn’t desire excessive wealth or fame. He just wanted to live in peace and quiet. For Souma, being a “king” bound by “noblesse oblige” was the exact opposite of his calling in life. Even though my father had made the decision, I felt awful that we had pushed this burden off onto him.
…But, right now, this kingdom was changing to center around Souma.
This country, which had been thought of by the surrounding nations as a moldy old kingdom that never changed, was now changing. It was thanks to Souma that we had been able to cope with the deepening food crisis. As for Hakuya, Poncho and the others, they had only volunteered to serve because Souma was there. Even if the throne were abdicated to me, could I keep them all tied down here?
But besides that, more than anything, I myself wanted Souma to stay in the kingdom. And so…
“Souma… Does it bother you to have me as your fiancée?” Those words naturally came to my lips.
Souma’s eyes went wide, and he turned his bright red face to the side. “…It’s not fair for you to put it like that.”
“O-Oh, yeah?” I stammered.
“Then are you fine with it, Liscia? Having me as your fiancé?”
“I don’t mind.” I was a little surprised myself that I was able to say it so clearly. Though, after I did, I felt just a little embarrassed. “You know, I think you’re better suited to rule this country than I am, Souma.”
“Even if I’m suited for it… are you going to get engaged to someone you don’t love?”
“Isn’t that what it means to be royalty?” I asked.
“I’m not royalty. Besides… I’d rather marry for love.”
“Then… do you hate me, Souma? Can you say for sure that you’ll never fall in love with me?” I asked.
“Urgh… I told you, it’s not fair when you say stuff like that. The thing about men is, if a girl shows even the slightest hint of liking them, they’ll fall for her. That’s the sort of creatures we are. If a beauty like you says that to me, Liscia… there’s no way I wouldn’t start to feel conscious of you.”
Souma had said something that sounded like an excuse. He was surprisingly calm and realistic in his duties, so it was funny to see him flustered in a situation like this.
I giggled. “You can make the country move, but you’re hopeless when it comes to this.”
“…I lack the experience. In so many ways.”
“I spend all my time in my studies and military duties, so I haven’t had much experience either, you know?” I said.
“Don’t act like it’s the same for guys and girls. Our base specs when it comes to love are completely different.”
While we were talking about that, a hesitant voice spoke up. “Um…”
When I turned around, Aisha had woken up at some point, and she was looking at us with a wry smile that looked like it had been concentrated to three times the usual intensity.
“How much longer do I need to pretend I’m asleep for?” she asked.
““…””
We both leapt into the air.
After leaving the park, we walked around the castle town some more. It was noon and we were getting hungry, so the three of us decided to head to the singing cafe where Juna worked.
As we walked down a cobblestone path, Liscia said, “So, about what we were talking about earlier…” and asked me a question. “You mentioned changing the laws, as well. What was that about?”
“Oh. What I did was convert the smaller roads into pedestrian paradises and nationalize garbage disposal.”
“…I’m sorry. I have no idea what that means.”
Well, no, I suppose she wouldn’t have. They both tied back into the hygiene and sanitation problem, though.
“Well, first, let me explain the pedestrian paradise thing. This one’s simple. I prohibited carriages from using anything but the largest of thoroughfares. Carriages that carry merchandise receive a special exemption, but only for a few hours in the morning. We’ve been walking in the middle of the street all this time, and nobody’s run us over yet, right?”
“Now that you mention it…” Liscia looked all around, not spotting a single horse.
“This provides an easy reduction in the number of horse accidents, creating a safe environment for people to shop, which helps to stimulate the economy, but… the main goal was to clean up all the horse dung.”