Chapter 16….
“Oh right, come to think of it, I heard that starting the day after tomorrow, Oliven’s atelier will begin taking orders for the fall season dresses. Did you hear about it?”
“No! How did you even find out something like that?”
“You know my mother is a regular at Jante Jewelry. Jante and Oliven are very close. That’s how she found out and told me.”
“Woooow!”
Vivian, excited to share the news, and Jurena, deeply moved by it.
And Ellie, watching them.
Ellie’s eyes grew heavy with boredom.
“Did I talk too much? I thought it might be useful information for Your Highness, so I just…”
“Oh, no! Thank you!”
It was information she should know.
But knowing something out of necessity and enjoying listening to it were two different things.
The more Ellie talked with the two, the more distant she felt.
‘When I was with Cleares, time just flew by…’
She wanted to stay with him longer, talk with him more…
They were the same age, yet so different.
“Your Highness… are you bored talking with us…?”
In the end, her boredom showed on her face.
Jurena asked, her voice trembling.
Vivian, too, closed her mouth that had been so lively a moment ago.
“Oh, n-no, I’m having fun…”
But if she said it was fun, they’d keep going, wouldn’t they?!
She couldn’t endure it any longer.
“…Yeah.”
It was about as fun as when her brother rambled on about things she couldn’t understand a single word of.
‘Why can’t I get this, seriously?!’
‘Ellie, sorry, but can you just listen for a bit? You don’t need to answer.’
‘So, the Axen value came out as 8 here, and the Ruta line maintained a longitude of 23. If I apply gravity of 7, then surely a Munrat of 12 should appear for it to work properly, but why, why isn’t it working? Ah, am I an idiot?! No, I’m a super-genius archmage! I can do this!’
At least back then her brother was funny.
These two, though, were so serious it wasn’t even funny.
“We should have made the story more entertaining for you…”
“At first it must all be confusing, right?”
“Unlike us, Your Highness has a royal tailor to handle everything anyway. Maybe it was pointless for us to say anything.”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
Their apologies went on and on.
At this rate, they’d probably be apologizing all the way home.
If they weren’t going to keep talking about dresses, Ellie had to lead the conversation herself.
After all, today wasn’t just for talking about dresses.
“So, do you two want to become tailors in the future?”
“Whaaat?”
The two were startled by Ellie’s question.
Was it really that shocking a question? Ellie was surprised too.
Her brother always asked her that when he was bored, so she had just asked without thinking.
‘Ellie, what do you want to be when you grow up?’
‘A tomato!’
‘What a splendid dream. May you become delicious ketchup.’
When Ellie was younger, they had conversations like that.
But because her brother kept asking, Ellie eventually found a dream of her own.
‘I want to be a genius archmage like you, brother!’
‘A genius archmage, huh… well, with you, it’s possible. Though, someone like me… that’s a different matter. I’m not just any archmage, you see. Still, compared to being a tomato, your chances are much higher. Go for it.’
And so, Ellie’s dream became: “Maybe not as great as my brother, but still a genius archmage.”
For now though, her goal was simply to survive as Princess Ellia.
Cleares had spoken of leading the Berndt Knights into the future.
So Ellie naturally assumed these two would also have dreams. But… why were they so surprised?
“A tailor? How could we ever do such a lowly job?”
“You’re joking, right, Your Highness?”
Vivian and Jurena forced awkward smiles.
If it had been anyone but a princess asking, they might have snapped in offense.
“It just seemed like you were really interested in dresses…”
Their love for dresses wasn’t just about “what should I wear today” or “I want that pretty outfit.”
They knew so much it even seemed like they might want to make dresses themselves. Ellie had just said it lightly.
“All noble young ladies are like this.”
Vivian, the older one, raised her chin and spoke sternly.
Even a princess needed to be taught such things.
“You need to properly know and manage your dresses and accessories to shine in society. That’s how you can secure a good marriage.”
“…Huh?”
So their interest wasn’t just because they liked dresses?
Dresses were a means to an end.
A way to secure a good marriage.
“M-marriage?!”
Vivian was only nine. And she was already talking about marriage.
Ellie covered her flushed face with both hands.
“Your Highness should also start preparing early. There aren’t many good candidates. Of course, for you… you’ll surely meet the best one. But even for a princess, if you give your heart away wrongly, you won’t be able to marry well.”
“So… your dream is to get married?”
“Yes, my dream is to become a duchess!”
Ellie frowned deeply.
…She didn’t understand.
A duchess was just someone who married a duke. How could that be a dream?
So it wasn’t about marrying someone you liked, but just marrying a duke?
The more she thought, the more tangled her thoughts became.
“…I don’t get it…”
“…Ah…”
“So what does a duchess do?”
“Do? Umm…”
Even though she was older than Ellie, Vivian was still just a child.
She didn’t actually know what a duchess did. She only vaguely thought, “Duchess is the best,” because that’s what she always heard.
“Well… at parties, she can wear the most splendid jeweled necklaces!”
“And?”
“She can have lots of maids!”
“Mm.”
“And I heard she can get oil massages every night!”
Vivian listed the fanciest things she’d heard.
But the more Ellie listened, the less sense it made.
“So a duchess doesn’t actually do anything, then?”
The title “wife” itself just meant “someone’s spouse.” Since “being a wife” wasn’t really a job, it made sense.
“Uh… but noble ladies aren’t supposed to work…”
Vivian was now starting to get confused about what Ellie was trying to say.
“But I’m going to be king.”
“The king…”
The king was both a status and a job.
Kings did work. But then… did that mean Ellie wasn’t a noble lady?
Vivian’s head began to spin.
Work? What even was work?
“I’ll be king, and I’ll study hard so I can become a mage too!”
Ellie’s determination made Vivian’s eyes widen.
“A mage?”
“Yep! I’ll become a mage and save the world!”
Vivian had never once thought about becoming something.
She thought all she had to do was live prettily and gracefully. But hearing Ellie say this made her heart pound.
“T-that’s amazing!”
Vivian’s heart stirred.
Her old way of seeing the world crumbled, replaced by something new.
A duchess couldn’t save the world.
“I want to be something that saves the world too!”
“Of course you can!”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course! Let’s do it together!”
Vivian’s chest swelled.
It was like a bell ringing in her head, as if heaven itself had given her a revelation.
“Then… could I be a mage too?”
Ellie hesitated.
Cleares had told her not everyone could become a mage.
Could Vivian really?
But there was no reason to give up before even trying.
“I think you can!”
No one knew until you tried.
“Then I want to be a mage too!”
Jurena joined in, excited.
Finally, Ellie felt thrilled.
The awkward friends suddenly felt like comrades—close and reliable.
“Of course!”
“Let’s all become mages, and make something like a knight order!”
“Kyaa! That sounds amazing!”
“Then it’ll be a Mage Order?”
A Mage Order!
The word from Jurena’s mouth made Ellie’s heart race.
Knight Order, Mage Order.
It was as splendid a word as the Berndt Knights.
“Yes! From now on, we’re the future Mage Order!”
The children’s eyes sparkled.
“We’ll become mages, and one day we’ll make a Mage Order that saves the world!”
“Yes!”
The three joined hands and vowed firmly.
The boring dress talk had completely flown away.
