Part 1: Saintess Candidate Arc

4. Recruitment of the Saintess (4)

Translated by: S3

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—Why did things turn out this way?

She had been silently repeating this question every five minutes for a while now.

The beautiful garden was adorned with pastel-colored spring flowers. Tea and an afternoon tea set were arranged on the table, and Arthur was seated across from her.

—Why did things turn out this way?

「Don’t hesitate to eat. You must be hungry after the long briefing, were you not?」

It seemed he had spotted her trying to sneak a piece of candy.

It was too late to try and cover it up now. Besides, since he had gone to the trouble of preparing it, refusing might also be considered rude.

Lily opted for the convenient choice. In other words, she decided to eat without reservation.

「Yes. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Your Highness.」

Though not perfect, the manners her mother, Emma, had drilled into her just in case, proved useful. After sipping her tea, she took a bite of the sandwich in front of her.

「It is delicious.」

That phrasing, which she would never normally use, was part of the noble behavior her mother, the Count’s daughter, had taught her.

At the time, she had reluctantly listened, finding it tedious, but now she was nothing but grateful.

「Speaking of which, you forgot to pick this up earlier when you dropped it.」

Saying that, Arthur picked up a piece of candy and examined it with an expression of curiosity.

「Ah, that’s a Blessed Candy…-chan.」

「Blessed… Candy-chan?」

The strange name piqued Arthur’s interest. Lily pulled the wrapper apart with both hands to reveal a glossy golden sphere inside.

「That's what it was called at the Western Fortress. It’s homemade; I make it using medicinal herbs and seasonal fruits.」

「Hoh. It sounds good for the body.」

Arthur then popped the candy into his mouth, and seeing this, a small shriek escaped Lily's lips. She was sure that food for the royal family needed to be tasted for poison beforehand.

「A-Um. Since the medicinal herbs give it a bit of bitterness, it tastes inferior compared to other luxury candies, so please feel free to spit it out.」

「—It tastes sweet.」

「I do make it to meet that minimum condition for a candy. But, as expected, it doesn’t suit your taste, does it?」

It was something she made to resupply sugar to her tired brain or to stave off light hunger, and she always carried it with her.

Moreover, since she thought she would be the only one eating it, it was a test batch using a new herb, so the bitterness of the medicinal herb was a bit stronger than usual.

The Crown Prince, of all people, had put something she had casually made for herself into his mouth.

Lily’s body temperature steadily dropped at that realization.

Contradicting Lily’s worries, Arthur finished the candy and then spoke an unexpected request.

「Could I have a few more?」

He seemed to like it.

When Lily reluctantly lined up the candies she had left on the desk, Arthur drew them over to his side one by one.

「Let me know when you make a new batch.」

「Yes. I will introduce it to you when I make it again.」

She had agreed on the spot because she couldn't flatly refuse to his face, but she secretly resolved to consult Noah afterward and have him decline for her.

From then until Noah returned, Lily continued to talk about safe and inoffensive topics, trying to keep the conversation going.

However, Lily had never left the Western Fortress in her life. Her topics consisted of recounting the top extraordinary incidents that had happened at the Western Fortress over the years.

「Hoh. I only had simple reports because there were no problems at the Western Fortress, but there are many interesting stories.」

「Yes. Everyone there is skilled but also very amusing, so many incidents occur. It’s lively every day.」

The soldiers at the Western Fortress were all good-natured old guys. They were reckless and funny.

Incidents included things like when she was sorting and cooking the mushrooms they had picked, they secretly stole and ate the remainder, collapsing with foam at their mouths, or picking up a tanuki they mistook for a dog and caring for it. No matter how much she pointed out the difference, they insisted it was a dog and even took it for walks every day in shifts. In short, there was an endless supply of silly anecdotes, so she wasn't short of topics.

She was worried if such trivial stories were alright, but Arthur occasionally covered his mouth slightly and chuckled, so it seemed to be well-received.

(Thank you for being so clumsy, everyone!)

Lily was grateful to her comrades. She had never appreciated them this much before.

While she was killing time like this, Noah, who had escorted Poppy, finally came to retrieve her.

「Lily. Why are you enjoying tea with His Highness? And Arthur-denka. On my way here, the Chancellor scolded me, saying you refused an audience with him, citing a tea party.」

Lily heard a statement she couldn't ignore. Had the Crown Prince skipped work because of this tea party? She was stunned.

「It wasn’t on the original schedule. Besides, I couldn't leave Noah's cousin unattended, could I? You have no right to complain.」

「~~~. Thank you for keeping Lily company. I heard the matter from the Chancellor on your behalf, so I will inform you later.」

「Understood. Well then, let’s bring this to a close. Thank you for the entertaining stories, Lily.」

Lily returned the gentle smile directed at her with a beaming one. Having finally been released, Lily's face shone even brighter.

「The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for a lovely time.」

Noah widened his eyes at the sight. That Crown Prince was smiling.

Not just Arthur, but nobles in general rarely showed their emotions openly. And the Aurum Royal Family was famous for no one ever smiling.

He instinctively rubbed his eyes, and Arthur had returned to his usual impassive expression.

(Was it my imagination? Well, it must have been.)

Even Noah, who had served him for a long time, hadn't seen it yet. He didn't press the matter further and bowed his head.

「Then, I will take my leave of your presence. Blessings to the Holy Aurum Kingdom.」

Noah finished his greeting and led Lily away from the spot.

*****

For the next few days, Lily enjoyed sightseeing in the royal capital with her parents.

The bustling city of the royal capital was exceptional. Lily was led by her parents, eating local specialties and buying new clothes to wear when reporting to the castle.

She also begged for new pots and mortars to boil medicinal herbs, replacing the ones she already owned. Normally she would be refused, but today they agreed immediately.

Feeling emboldened, Lily then visited a store that dealt with medicinal herbs. Every store carried a wide variety of herbs; she found familiar ones and rare ones, but when it came to those imported from the Eastern Nations, every store had a sign posted: 'Out of Stock. Resupply Date Undetermined.'

The effects of the growing rift with the Eastern Nations seemed to be visibly manifesting.

Lily sighed lightly, then recovered and begged Emma for the medicinal herbs she wanted.

The day for their departure to the Eastern Fortress finally arrived, and when they headed to the main gate of the royal capital for the send-off, she was reunited with the soldiers she was close with at the Western Fortress.

Her comrades, whom she hadn't seen for days, introduced their families to Lily.

「She's the Angel of Healing at the Western Fortress. It’s thanks to Lily and Emma-san that we’re alive and haven’t gotten sick or injured!」

「Oh, my. Thank you for taking care of my son.」

「My husband is a lot of trouble, I’m afraid.」

Introduced with great exaggeration and thanked profusely, Lily turned bright red with embarrassment.

Emma covered for Lily, who could only stammer, 「That's not true,」 and couldn't speak properly.

Recovering her composure, Lily spoke to her comrades heading to the Eastern Fortress without reserve, making them a promise while she was at it.

「Be well. Don’t overdo it. Stay alive until I get there. It’s a promise.」

It was incredibly lonely to say goodbye to their bashfully smiling faces, which replied, 「We will,」 and 「We know.」

By the time she said goodbye to Adam and Emma last, a thick film of tears had gathered in Lily’s eyes, spilling over every time she blinked.

「Wait for us in the royal capital and be a good girl. Don't you dare come to the Eastern Fortress.」

Lily did not nod to Adam's command. She was absolutely determined to go.

「Lily. You must obey your father’s command. It’s a promise to your mother.」

Emma held Lily’s hand and tried to lecture her, but her hand was shaken off and put behind Lily’s back.

Seeing this, Adam knew what his daughter was thinking and scratched his head.

He exchanged a look with Emma, and she shook her head, indicating there was nothing to be done.

「We’ll all come back to the royal capital alive before you come to the Eastern Fortress, so wait assuredly. You can agree to that, can't you?」

In other words, if they were late in returning, Lily would be allowed to go to the Eastern Fortress. She could agree to that, giving in a hundred paces.

「…Okay. If you're late, I’ll come get you.」

Hearing that, Adam gave up on persuading Lily. Since she was going to come anyway, he spoke to Lily in a firmer tone.

「Don't act rashly. When you come, be completely prepared and come as a fighting force. And of course, follow the official procedures. Understand?」

「Yes.」

Sighing at his stubborn daughter, who finally replied, he embraced her small body.

Lingering over the goodbye would only increase the pain. She knew that, but Lily gripped Adam’s clothes, sobbing and whimpering.

She truly wanted to go with them. She didn't want to be apart. Her heart screamed, Don't leave me behind, but she desperately suppressed it, telling herself, It can’t be helped. She had to punch, beat, and seal her heart shut. If she didn't, the pain was so overwhelming that she would throw a tantrum and plead with them.

(It’s okay. I’ll definitely go to the Eastern Fortress—I have to endure this small goodbye.)

And so, she somehow managed to calm her heart and forced a smile to deceive them.

After hugging Emma and somehow finishing her farewell, she waved vigorously until the departing carriage was out of sight.

「Shall we head back now?」

She tried hard to smile at Noah, who spoke to her, but tears streamed down her eyes relentlessly.

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