"Where are you? It's time for dinner!"
My voice echoed through the courtyard in the morning.
Strawberry jam grabbed a plate and walked around calling out for you.
"... you're not coming today..."
I walked around the interior of the detached house and circled around the exterior wall...
"If strawberry jam doesn't come out, it's still close to the palace."
Lucian, who also got a plate of strawberry jam, sighed small.
"Have you forgotten the thanks you received from Leticia and run away from home?
I've been going somewhere for a while.
I was worried about where I was going, but from yesterday I finally stopped showing up for dinner.
I'm a little worried.
Ii-chan, I don't think he's here either.
"Thank you for confirming. Thank you."
Lena ran up and down.
Her face didn't shine and she chewed her lips.
"... it may be my fault if you don't have to..."
While gripping the hem of the maid's dress, Lena murmured with a trembling voice.
"I hated the melon I followed, and I left..."
Melanie, the black cat, chased me around once.
I ran around and jumped into my arm.
"... I don't think so. Sure enough, Melanie's first encounter wasn't peaceful, but since then, there hasn't been much noise, and I've been getting used to it a little bit."
"But isn't that all you've put up with?
"Uhhh, I'm sure you've put up with me a little too...."
Suppose I-chan keeps having a big frustration with Melanie or something.
I feel like I was complaining and asking for improvement once before I left home silently.
In fact, Icchan was asking me, "Please don't let Pia-chan storm me in the dark."
"Strawberry food is only available in a limited number of places in this country. At least as far as I know, there is no place other than this outhouse where strawberry dishes are likely to be served. Strawberry cuisine is just because Melanie doesn't like it, so it's hard to think of running away without even speaking to us...."
"... then, why did you run away...?
That's something I don't know either.
Unable to return the answer, Lena ran again.
"... I'm going to look for you in the outhouse again!
Lena's back is moving away.
With only the Beast, my legs looked faster than mine.
"I-chan, where did you really go...?
I'm worried, but because it's about you, I feel like I'll come back without anything.
Now that the strawberry season is over, it's time to go from early summer to summer....
"... maybe, like migratory birds, you're going to come back here again next year during the strawberry season...?
"... that greedy, delicious cat would be a very likely story."
He was a vicious Lucian, but his expression seemed to miss him somewhere.
◇ ◇ ◇
After that, two more days passed without Ikchan, and the day came when I went to Shinobi, the lower town of Wangcheng Castle.
Dress in a simple dress and dress lightly in brown-haired scissors, which are common among the country's residents.
If you wear a hat with a veil, you should be blind.
"... it's been a long time since I've disguised myself like this."
Once upon a time, Claude and oniisama used to play out of the mansion.
The past few years have been busy and wasted, but disguises have been familiar.
This is not just a civilian... no matter how you look at it.
No one should easily realize that I am the queen in the appearance of a junior noblewoman or daughter of a wealthy civilian.
Let's go, shall we?
After meeting with the guards, he got into the carriage and went out to the castle town.
Get off the carriage on the way and start watching with Lucien next door.
The windows facing the road are decorated with roses and seasonal flowers to entertain people's eyes.
As she walked lazily, she looked at the clothing and jewelry stores that were rumoured among the girls.
There's a lot of beautiful craftsmanship.
Only high-rated jewellery stores were on display, with many attractive items on display.
Gold and silver glittering ornaments are arranged on top of the velvet.
"Oh, young lady, you're very tall. Would you like to try on that hair ornament that I'm curious about?
The clerk talked to me, pointing to the silver rose.
"Rose hair decorations....."
I noticed a murmur.
Why did the rose-like hair ornament stand out from the random line-up of workmanship?
... because I subconsciously remembered the rose hair ornament given to His Majesty.
It was the first gift from His Majesty.
I don't wear it today, but I take care of it in the box.
"... I'm sorry. I'm fine trying it on. Looks like I remembered my hair decorations and saw them."
I see. Please take a look at the other items. "
Sweet to the clerk's words, I looked at the decorations in turn.
It seems that there will soon be a rose bloom, and there are a lot of objects that look like roses.
A rocket pendant with detailed drawings of roses on a rose relief brooch.
There were many small ones, but there were also three-dimensional hair decorations that resembled real large roses with metal.
"It looks expensive....."
I murmured a little.
The material is probably silver.
The limitations of processing technology or petals are thick, and it seems that a considerable amount of silver is used.
There were several other three-dimensional rose workpieces, all of which were made of metal, gold or silver, and only copper.
"Speaking of which...."
There was a metal rose that reminded me.
When I get back to the palace, I decide to check and go to the next store.
Looking at the rumored shop as a sight, it was already lunch.
"Lucian, how about lunch?
At the corner of the big street, there are a lot of stalls lined up.
I could buy it right away and it seemed good for eating and walking.
Because of her patience, it is a mystery to do something that cannot be done as a queen or a duchess.
"Is it bread with nuts? Looks like it's freshly baked."
I just got it out of a stone kiln. It's delicious.
The seller woman is speaking up.
I bought two pieces of bread and also bought another dish, a soup containing beans.
It's nice to be slightly warm.
"Yeah, it's delicious."
Thousands of slices of each of Lucien and Bread raised the water thinly.
It has a slightly rough, rustic flour flavour.
The taste of the mixed nuts was fun, and it was moist and delicious when soaked in the soup.
"Eating and walking is 50% more delicious and good value ~"
Soak and taste the last drop of bread and stroll the boulevard.
It was cobbled, vibrant, and walkable.
"Your majesty's knees alone are beautiful, and your life..."
"Master Reticcia?
I unexpectedly saw a small shadow that was out of sight twice.
The gray figure disappeared into the sidewalk.
"I-chan...?