"Eid, Your Majesty. We are about to depart."
Lifting my head at the voice that came from nearby, I saw a face I had never seen before. It was a knight with wavy hair tinged with red, quite impressive.
"Oh, I apologize, Your Majesty. I am Ciro, one of the knights assigned to protect Your Majesty."
Since I had only spoken to a handful of people, excluding the servants and the uncles who took care of me, I didn't know what to say. Unconsciously, I gripped Oscar's clothes tighter.
"Oh... Did I scare Your Majesty?"
He scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. Then the other knights, whom I hadn't even noticed, started to jeer.
"Boo-! Scaring the Emperor!"
"The worst, Ciro! Go die outside!"
"Hey, speak more politely... Your Majesty is listening."
The atmosphere among the knights seemed a bit relaxed, perhaps because we were outside the palace. I could hear occasional whispers about playing 'rock-paper-scissors.' What did they do? Anyway, since he didn't seem dangerous, I greeted him while sticking close to Oscar.
"Hi, Ciro." (Hello, Ciro.)
"Heh. That's right. From now on, my name is Ciro!" (From now on, my name is Ciro.)
I was so taken aback that I stared blankly. Then I heard the other knights' voices.
"Damn, I should have won..."
"Good luck with rock-paper-scissors. I'll win next time."
'Is this some kind of penalty game...?'
Enrique, who was standing next to Oscar, smiled contentedly and said,
"Still, Your Majesty is very popular."
"......Popular?" (......Popular?)
Is this really popularity? But then, Oscar, who had been silent, added to the confusion.
"Of course. My Mabel is the cutest and most adorable in the world."
At this, not only Enrique but everyone who was paying attention to us nodded.
'Why is the shame all mine...?'
I covered my blushing cheeks with my hands, and exclamations erupted from all around.
"Look at those tiny hands!"
"I'm going crazy. I might faint..."
I had developed a tolerance to the uncles' teasing, but not to the knights'.
'I can't let this go on. I need to hear what he has to say and get rid of him!'
"Heh. Yes, Your Majesty."
"Is that all you wanted to say?" (Is that all you wanted to say?)
"Yes. I just wanted to inform you that we are about to depart. Please get into the carriage."
"Okay. Let's go now." (Okay. Let's go now.)
At this, Ciro seemed to have something he wanted to say, his mouth opening slightly, but then his shoulders slumped, and he walked away. I could see the other knights patting his back or kicking his shins.
"We're about to depart, Mabel. Should we get in the carriage?"
"I was thinking of riding a horse, but..."
"I thought you were coming with me in the carriage too." (I thought you were coming with me in the carriage.)
It was a simple misunderstanding, really. But how he interpreted it, the Emperor laughed heartily and scooped me up in his arms.
The Emperor, who had been in a bad mood, was now in a much better one.
"If my adorable Mabel wants it, we should ride together, of course!"
"Then on the way back, we'll ride together."
I smiled at the Emperor, who was looking pleased, and gestured to Enrique again. Enrique, who had been watching with a bright smile, nodded and mouthed something.
'I'll see you again later, Your Majesty.'
*** Finally, the procession set off. In the end, the Emperor did not join me in the carriage due to my objections. The seats were spacious, but it was obvious that the nursemaid and Larima would feel uncomfortable. Inside the carriage, with Oscar and the two of us, the atmosphere was as pleasant as a picnic. I propped my chin up, listening to the chattering.
'In the end, I didn't see Eidan.'
At this point, I wondered if I would even see him during the trip. The Emperor, who dislikes Eidan, wouldn't have made it easy for us to meet.
Living in the palace, I usually didn't get to see the ordinary lives of people. The carriage passed a family holding hands. I turned my head.
"Are you done looking? Not interesting?"
Oscar laughed awkwardly and pulled down the curtain. After a long ride, we finally entered the outskirts of the capital. There were no people, only a well-maintained forest path. The conversation in the carriage gradually died down, and a peaceful silence filled the air. Just as I leaned back and was about to drift into thought,
A familiar voice came from beyond the curtain. I lifted it slightly and saw a sparrow flapping its wings vigorously to keep up with the carriage.
The knights surrounding the carriage just laughed and watched, not stopping the sparrow. It landed on my lap.
"Wow. A bird came in. How cute!"
Larima clapped her hands in admiration. I laughed and covered my mouth, trying to show a similar reaction.
I immediately asked in my mind.
'How did it go with the favor I asked?'
[The stork said that the other country is fine, chirp.]
I had asked the birds to keep an eye on Abellard. Just in case he had some ulterior motives while the Emperor was away for the rain ceremony. The information from the birds might be limited, but it was better than nothing.
[Then give me food, chirp!]
At that moment, I realized I hadn't brought any birdseed. I hadn't expected the sparrow to come find me. It looked up at me with bright eyes.
"Larima, Nursemaid. Do you... have food for Chirp?"
Their reactions were not what I expected.
"That's right, madam. Our Majesty loves animals, truly excellent."
I had clearly asked if they had food, but they only praised me.
I felt a tremendous sense of guilt from the sparrow's teary eyes. I might even be considered a traitor if I didn't feed it. Or worse, my relationship with the birds might sour!
Larima still didn't get the situation. I grabbed Oscar's clothes and shook them.
"Chirp is hungry. Food, okay! Please...!"
The nursemaid saved me from the crisis.
"I don't have birdseed, but I brought some snacks. Will this do?"
Fortunately, the sparrow took the cookie crumbs and left, satisfied. I let out a sigh of relief.
'Do I really need to carry food for animals...?'
Life as a scapegoat is tough. *** After a few days' journey, we arrived at the altar where the rain ceremony has been held for generations. Although it was far from the capital, many people from nearby small and medium-sized fiefs came to watch the ceremony. Preparations were made quickly. The long-unused altar was cleaned, torches were lit on both sides, and a white carpet was laid on the path leading to the altar, with blue flower petals scattered on it. When I tilted my head at the flower petals, Oscar explained.
"Those petals symbolize rain."
Watching the smooth preparations for the rain ceremony, I looked around again. But, as expected, Eidan was nowhere to be seen.
"Who are you looking for, Mabel?"
"Eidan? ...The Devil of Deverin?"
Because I called him by his name so often, the nickname 'Devil of Deverin' sounded strange.
"Uh-huh. He said he would come, but he's not here." (Yes. He said he would come, but he's not here.)
I looked around for a long time but couldn't find him. Feeling a bit disappointed, I slumped, and Oscar asked me.
"Are you... close to the Devil of Deverin?"
"Not really." (Not really.)
Oscar, who seemed to be in a better mood, smiled brightly and patted my head. Why was he acting like this? Soon, a large crowd gathered, apparently from nearby fiefs. I was waiting inside a temporary tent to avoid the crowd's gaze.
"Mabel. You just need to stand at the end. I'll take care of everything, so don't worry."
'I wasn't planning to do anything anyway.'
Dong, dong-! The sound of drums signaled the start of the rain ceremony. Outside the tent, a huge crowd filled the area below the altar.
Even though all I had to do was stand still, the thought of standing in front of them made me nervous. But... my gaze fell on Duke Xavier, who was standing beside the altar. He looked quite pleased. No wonder, given that the sky was clear and cloudless, making it impossible for rain to fall. If the ceremony didn't bring rain, it would be a waste of effort, and he would be happy.
'I won't let that happen.'
I clenched my fists, determined. I had saved my divine power for today. My goal was to make it rain, even if only for a few seconds. The Emperor appeared first before the crowd, ascending the altar and starting the ceremony.
"Your Majesty. It's time for you to go up."
Dressed in ceremonial robes, I was carried out of the tent by the nursemaid. The people's gazes on me were intense.
"The Emperor we've only heard about...!"
Occasional voices from the crowd reached my ears. Unintentionally famous, I stood in the center of the altar. The ceremony was almost over. The Emperor would extinguish the torches at both ends of the altar to conclude the rain ceremony. Glancing to the side, I met Duke Xavier's eyes. I smiled at him.
'Shall I make it rain just a little?'
Talking to animals or making plants grow didn't require much skill. All it took was a firm belief that it would happen. I glanced at the clear sky and thought intensely.
And then... whoosh-! A sudden downpour began.
"Rain, it's raining. It's rain...!"
"The gods have answered our prayers!"
Hearing the crowd's cheers, I opened my mouth wide.
'I didn't mean for it to rain this much...!'
I was much stronger than I thought!