The Aloof Tsundere Princess Is Smitten with Me?!
I’m Just a Commoner Banished from the Royal Castle—So Why Are We on the Run Together, Just the Two of Us?!
Vol.6

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Chapter 1: To Steel My Own Resolve

— Tisli’s perspective —

It was the day before my birthday—with me still caught in the nonsensical situation of preparing my own birthday celebration myself—when two pieces of troubling news came flying in.

The first was from Yuinas: the gist of it being, “Lily betrayed me.”

On that front, however, nothing whatsoever came to mind, so I would simply have to hear the particulars from Yuinas herself. And since she was already on her way to the royal castle, I resolved to hear her out the moment she arrived.

And the other piece of troubling news: the newly independent nobles—the Four Duchies of Zalgatos—had torn up the treaty.

That report was delivered to me by one of my Princess’s Guard, standing before me as I took my rest on a castle terrace.

Rahful, in attendance at my side, raised her voice in surprise.

“Torn up the treaty…? What in the world is going on…!”

“Y-yes, ma’am. Strictly speaking, it takes the form of new laws to be promulgated tomorrow, so as of this moment the treaty is not yet technically broken, but…”

“Then what do these new laws say?!”

To keep abreast of the situation, I had planted agents of the Intelligence Bureau inside the Four Duchies—and this was their report.

First: harsher penalties across the board. Any citizen who violated the law would have his property confiscated.

If the offender were a farmer, for instance, his fields would revert to his lord, and he would be left to farm leased land instead—paying his lord usage fees on top of his taxes.

Second: increased corvée on the lords’ own demesnes. In other words, more forced labor—and by my rough calculation from the reports, the citizens’ days of rest would vanish.

Then, further: the clearing of new farmland. The increased corvée alone would leave them no time to spare; pile land-clearing on top, and there are simply not enough hours to be had. The people will be worked to exhaustion—that much is plain to see.

And on top of all of it: tolls on every public road. Staggering sums, at that—and not content with tolls alone, they would levy usage fees on the common lands, the markets, and more besides, the whole design built to funnel revenue from every conceivable channel into the lords’ own purses.

Hearing it all, I narrowed my eyes.

“I see… In effect, they are stripping away the freedom of movement. This is indeed tantamount to tearing up the treaty…”

Their line, no doubt, will be: “Per the treaty, the freedom of movement remains guaranteed.” But grind the people down until they can scarcely afford to live, then charge them tolls on top of it… and no citizen could possibly afford to move.

And were I to point that out… they would simply feign total ignorance, I am sure. That is precisely why they can promulgate laws like these tomorrow without a flicker of shame.

As I sat there in my mortification, Rahful spoke as well, disgust naked in her voice.

“Your Highness… at this rate, their subjects are no better than serfs…!”

“Yes… quite so…”

“And to time this outrage to Your Highness’s birthday festival—to Christmas itself…! To forget every debt of gratitude they owe you—shamelessness has its limits!”

“They will have judged it buys them a margin of time.”

Once Christmas ends, most government offices enter their year-end recess—the perfect moment, no doubt, to thrust a broken treaty in our faces.

They had kept so quiet these past months that I had half let myself hope things might simply continue down a better road… It seems my thinking was far too naive.

“Your Highness, how shall we respond? The national army stands ready.”

“Invading outright would only bleed both nations dry. We begin with diplomatic pressure.”

Though I could hardly imagine the Four Duchies—bullish enough to force matters this far—bowing to diplomatic pressure.

And of course, I cannot storm in alone and arrest the lords myself, as I once did in the former Fergana domain. Treaty violation or no, the Four Duchies are now a separate nation—and I cannot simply disregard their sovereignty.

After diplomatic pressure, then, come economic sanctions… but sanctions take time. And that course squeezes the citizens as well… I would rather not use it if I can help it.

Which leaves, in the end, force of arms—in other words, war.

I found my hands clenched into fists.

(My foresight… was far too naive…)

The me of before would have seen through so transparent a scheme from the very first. Would have written its countermeasures into the treaty’s own clauses at the signing—

—no. Before any of that: wouldn’t the me of before have crushed the Four Great Houses’ scheme of independence before it ever began?

So how—how on earth—did I fail to see this coming…?

“Your Highness?”

Rahful’s voice snapped me back to myself. I had been doing nothing but chewing over my own regret.

Enough… this is no time to be mourning the past. What matters is how we respond.

And for that, I want more information.

Not only what the Intelligence Bureau brings me—I want the raw, living word from the ground itself.

So I said to Rahful,

“Instruct the agents to continue gathering intelligence. As for me… yes. I will contact Miss Mia.”

At my words, Rahful’s brow creased slightly.

“Mia… the girl you came to know in Alde’s village?”

“The very one. I gave her a Ring of Guardianship, so communication is possible. I only hope she is wearing it now.”

“Your Highness, pardon my impertinence… but may I ask a question?”

“Yes, you may.”

“Why is it that you would contact that village girl?”

“I wish to know how the citizens will feel, should these new laws be promulgated. A small sample will suffice.”

“I see… You mean that ‘no better than serfdom’ is, in the end, no more than our own conjecture?”

“Yes… I expect the people’s hearts will sour regardless—but even so, I want to know.”

“I see. Your Highness’s thinking commands nothing but my admiration.”

“…It is nothing so grand as that.”

For if I wish to hear Miss Mia’s voice—the people’s living voice—it is only for this:

—to steel my own resolve. The resolve that will not shrink even from war.

Chapter 2: ………Augh

— Mia’s perspective —

“Hah… hah… hah…!”

I had bolted out of the restaurant and chased Yuinas for a while—but in a dress and high heels there was never any catching her, and now I stood at the edge of the main street, hands braced on my knees, fighting to get my breath back.

(Th-this is bad… what do I do…?!)

Without even pausing to wipe away the sweat, I set my mind racing.

Today—Christmas Eve—I had been about to share a meal with Alde, behind Yuinas’s back. And the one who had arranged it all was Lady Lily.

But somehow Yuinas had caught us in the act… We tried to talk it through, it collapsed into a shouting match, and Yuinas stormed out of the restaurant.

Yuinas had called Lady Lily a “traitor.” Of every ending I could have imagined, that was the worst one—and none of it was Lady Lily’s fault…

Lady Lily had only ever indulged my selfishness.

The one at fault was me.

So a falling-out between Lady Lily and Yuinas was the one thing I absolutely had to prevent…!

But no solution would come.

And I couldn’t simply leave Yuinas to her own devices, either.

First things first—I had to talk to her, face to face…

In that case, where on earth had Yuinas gone?

Going by her parting shot as she stormed out, most likely…

“The royal castle… is that where she went…?”

Yuinas had said something about telling on Lily to Her Highness. If she actually did, Lady Lily’s standing would only grow worse—and since the real fault was mine, I owed Her Highness an explanation in any case.

Besides, on foot, it would surely take her quite some time to reach the castle from here.

“I might still get there ahead of her…!”

With that thought, I doubled back to the restaurant.

Inside, I found Lady Lily looking utterly lost to the world.

Lady Lily—always so sure of herself—reduced to this…!

Startled as I was, I called out to her.

“Lady Lily! I believe Yuinas is headed for the royal castle!”

“…Huh?”

“So we should go too!”

I took the still-dazed Lady Lily by the hand, pulled her along, and we boarded the carriage. Then I asked the driver to make for the castle with all possible speed.

Inside the carriage… how shall I put it… the air was very awkward… but I scraped together what nerve I had and spoke.

“Um… I am so sorry, Lady Lily! This is all because of me…”

I bowed low, and Lady Lily’s answer reached me, thin and frail.

“It is not… your fault at all…”

“B-but…”

I raised my head, timid—and found Lady Lily gazing at something far beyond the carriage window, looking somehow… a little ashen…!

“It is as Yuinas says… Nothing changes the fact that I am a traitor…”

“B-but that was—! You only ever listened to my selfish wish…!”

“It was never for your sake… If you and Alde ended up together, there was profit in it for me—that is the only reason I did any of it…”

“Even so—I knew you were hesitating, Lady Lily, and I was the one who tempted you into it anyway!”

“Even then… the decision, in the end, was mine…”

Wh-what do I do…

The truth is, I had never imagined Lady Lily taking it this hard.

I had pictured her going hammer and tongs with Yuinas, or else me being the one scolded—one or the other…

While I floundered for any way at all to console her—suddenly, a little bell chimed inside my head. Rrrriiing…!

“Wh-what?!”

Not knowing what the sound even was, I looked around the carriage—but Lady Lily hadn’t so much as stirred. Which is when it dawned on me: this was the ring of a communication-magic call.

So I recited the incantation Her Highness had taught me, and received the call.

Miss Mia? This is Tisli.

“Y-Your Highness?!”

The sudden call from Her Highness pulled the cry right out of me. And—perhaps reacting to the words “Your Highness”—Lady Lily jolted where she sat!

“C-can it be… dear Sister knows already too…”

“Ah—wait, Lady Lily?! It’s far too soon to say that—I mean—!”

Lily? Er… why does Lily’s name enter into this…?

Lady Lily’s eyes brimmed; I panicked; and Her Highness, finding my panicked reaction suspicious, began asking questions.

Head spinning, I decided the first order of business was to tell Her Highness where things stood.

“A-actually, I… I’m with Lady Lily right now…!”

With Lily? Are you not back home in the village, Miss Mia?

“W-well… not exactly… I’m in the capital at the moment…”

…I see. So that is what Yuinas…

From those few scraps alone, Her Highness seemed to have pieced it together—I could hear it in her murmur. Don’t tell me she’s already spoken with Yuinas?!

“U-u-um, Your Highness?! Did Yuinas say something to you?!”

Only one line came through: “Lily betrayed me.”

“?!”

Beyond that I have heard no details—I had no notion what it referred to.

“Y-Your Highness! Lady Lily has betrayed no one!”

It slipped out of me aloud—and Lady Lily, hearing every word of it, looked closer to tears than ever!

Th-this is bad!

Talking any further here would only tangle everything worse!

“A-anyway, Your Highness! Lady Lily and I are on our way to the castle this very moment—could you possibly grant us an audience?!”

A commoner like me, begging an audience with no notice at all—madness by any sane measure. But Her Highness, kind as ever, granted it without a moment’s fuss.

Yes… as it happens, there was something I wished to ask you as well, Miss Mia.

“Er… to ask me?”

Which reminded me—I had never even asked why Her Highness had called in the first place. I tilted my head.

But if you are coming to the castle regardless, so much the better. We will speak then—Yuinas’s matter included.

“U-understood…”

Also, my business concerns Alde as well, so I will call Alde in too.

Ah…

Now that she mentioned him.

Only then did it hit me that we had left Alde sitting in that restaurant.

I had been the one to invite him—and then I never even showed my face. I’d stood him up…

…I-I’m the worst…

And now our next meeting would be at the royal castle, of all places—awkward beyond words. But there was no dodging it now, so I managed only an “Understood,” and cut the call.

And then I looked at the girl right in front of me—Lady Lily, who seemed for all the world to be awaiting the Last Judgment itself.

“Um, Lady Lily… it seems Her Highness has summoned me, for some reason… In any case, we were bound for the castle anyway, so—for now, let’s simply carry on as we are.”

“And dear Sister… what did she say… about me…?”

“O-only that we would… speak of it then…”

“………Augh.”

“L-Lady Lily?! Stay with me!!”

Lady Lily went white as paper and toppled sideways onto the carriage seat—and all I could do was try, desperately, to coax the life back into her…

Chapter 3: See? You Are Mad…

— Alde’s perspective —

I had just polished off both servings at the restaurant—and at that exact moment, a communication-magic call came in.

Probably Mia, I figured—rotten timing, though, seeing as the food was already in my stomach… But when I answered, it was, for some reason, Tisli.

From what she told me, it seemed things had turned grim. So: could I come to the castle? She even added, “I do apologize—on your day off, no less…” Tisli, sounding sheepish for once.

So I nodded along and said—inside my head only,

Sure, I can come. But first there’s something I want to pass along to Mia real quick—except I forgot the incantation. Mind teaching me?

At that, Tisli’s voice dropped a little—for some reason.

………And what business do you have with Miss Mia?

Er, well… th-that is…

Is it something you cannot tell me?

N-not that I can’t tell you, it’s just, y’know—kind of a private thing, sorta…

………Ohh? A private thing.

U-um… Tisli?

Such as, for instance—a promise to have a meal with Miss Mia on the Eve?

“Wha—?!”

And what is more—juuust the two of you.

“How do you know that…?!”

I’d blurred it into “a private thing,” and she’d skewered the truth dead center anyway—the words jumped straight out of my actual mouth.

And so—in a luxury restaurant wall-to-wall with couples, where polishing off a solo dinner for two had already made me a spectacle (sob)—that pitiful outburst at nobody drew even more of the room’s attention onto me…

So, shrugging, I went back to my inner voice.

A-and how, exactly, would you happen to know all that…?

Who can say. How indeed.

U-um… Miss Tisli…? Are you… mad about something?

Mad? Not in the least. While I was having my heart run ragged by the Four Great Houses, you were having a meal alone with Miss Mia—and why, pray, should that make me mad?

D-don’t ask me…

Furthermore, tomorrow happens to be my birthday—but whether or not you spend the day before it dining with some other woman is no concern of mine whatsoever, none at all!

Er… u-um…

Therefore I am not mad!

See? You are mad…

How many times must I tell you I am not?!

Ah. Crap.

I forgot—unlike talking out loud, this communication magic lets a good deal of one’s inner voice slip straight through…!

By the time I remembered, it was far too late, and Tisli tore into me something fierce.

And in the first place, if I am angry, it is because you keep deciding that I am “angry”—that is what is making me angry! Being presumed angry when one is not would anger anyone—as a human being, would it not?! And while we are at it, Alde, you—

And the sermon rolled on and on…

Letting it wash over me, I beat a brisk retreat out of the restaurant.

(Continued in the Kindle edition)

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