*Georg zu Eigel's point of view.
In the southwestern region of Flamme lies a small port town called Guarnere.
Inside a room of a mansion built atop a hill that faced the coastline, I, Georg zu Eigel, heaved a heavy sigh.
I had just spent the last three hours tediously talking to the representatives of the city and the sailors.
I intended to get this done and over with, but by bringing in commoners who never knew the etiquette for proper discussion, I was forced to be as patient as I could.
They were very adamant to justify themselves denying a royalty from a foreign land.
The villagers tried everything, from implying the fact that the princess trying to help her family was all but an elaborate lie, to ultimately questioning the legitimacy of her princess claims.
Whether it was an act to gain the upperhand or not, there was a limit to how foolish a person can get. When I challenged them about their rude attitude towards the royalty of another country, their faces turned pale and they finally kept their mouths shut.
It was an easy fight after they had exhausted their assault.
A fast horse was sent to the capital city with reports detailing a docked ship without permit, special measures regarding the emergency situation, safeguarding of the injured and the sick, and finally a request to suppress the pirates.
There were specific orders within the reports to keep the princess’ existence quiet.
The report contained nothing but courtesy and the truth of the situation, but because of current diplomatic relations, it would definitely be seen as a threat. Those in the capital that treated the princess unfairly should be having a cold sweat right now.
Most people that had realise the disadvantages had backed down and kept their objections.
When I threatened the rest with my relationship to the currently flourishing merchant, Julius zu Eigel, they immediately behaved themselves.
"I'm tired…" The small whisper was drowned out by the bustling in the room.
It seemed that no one heard me. Realising that fact, I pulled myself together. Acting so complacent right after negotiations wasn't something I would allow myself to do. If Uncle Julius saw me just now, he would surely deliver his best sarcastic smile.
I stood up, cleared my throat, and notified the staff that I wished to depart, then left the room.
There was a mountain of things still to be done, but before that I should give Mr. Belmar a quick visit. After that was to find someone to help me with my work and let Michael rest.
When Miss Mary wakes up I'll have a light meal prepared for her. She can talk after that.
Any talks from now on should be carefully discussed. Yes, I should tread carefully, I told myself.
I understood that Miss Mary was being held within Flamme and sending her back to Nabel as soon as possible would be the best course of action.
But that's not my decision to make.
Miss Mary's objective still eluded me, but I was confident that it wasn't a whimsical trip to sightsee Flamme. However, before I could ask her anything, I hesitated after seeing her unmitigated resolution.
Even so, I couldn't overlook the fact that she's in danger.
I lamented my own indecisiveness and heaved yet another sigh as I dumped those negative thoughts elsewhere.
"Um… Sir Georg?" A high-pitched voice stopped me.
I looked back over my shoulder and there stood a little girl about 12 years of age. With her wavy strawberry blonde hair and grey-blue eyes, I felt like I'd seen her somewhere before. Since she called out my name, I wouldn't be surprised if she was an acquaintance.
Whether it was thanks to my uncle's training or a talent I had, I could remember faces well. But for some reason, other details tended to slip my mind.
It would be just too rude to ask a lady where we had met, however.
What a troubling situation. I followed my training and laughed with a fake smile.
The girl didn't fall for such cheap tricks, however.
"I'm the eldest daughter of Baron Graz, Flora von Graz. It's a pleasure to meet you." With a wry smile, she bent her knees, pinched the hem of her skirt, and gave her greetings.
Suddenly, I remembered. Her great-grandmother had a close relationship with the Eigel family and there was often a girl around. So the girl I saw about a year ago when I visited her great-grandmother, Mrs. Mehrich, was Miss Flora.
I see. It's not a surprise that I didn't remember her.
She has changed.
While dumbfounded, I muttered those words in my heart.
I was always surrounded by girls her age because of my position as the next heir of the Marquis House and because of Mother's various encouragements. But not once had I truly felt happy spending time with any of them.
Every young girl was always shy at first, but do not be fooled, their eyes were that of carnivorous beasts targeting their prey. What's worse was that they feigned innocence on the surface but slaughtered each other when no one was looking. The fight between girls was intense.
Rather than cute, they were terrifying. My uncle on the other hand made sly comments like 'what a pitiful boy' while sighing.
If I were to be blunt, Miss Flora was part of the handful that were proper.
I bet husbands whose wives showed clear haughty smiles and spoke condescendingly would have their fair share of troubles.
But seeing Miss Flora's bitter smile just now didn't make me uncomfortable in the slightest. With her simple green dress on her petite body, she looked just like an ordinary girl.
The look on her face was rather modest, almost as if she had lost all her pride and haughtiness.
As if she was a different person.
When I thought she was gently observing my reactions, her shoulders lightly trembled and she suddenly gave a small laugh.
"Miss Flora? Is there something on my face?"
Her smile deepened. She was looking at me like a compassionate mother watching an infant's blunder.
"No… I just didn't expect that you would be showing such an expression."
"Eh?"
"'As if she was a different person.'"
"It's written all over your face." Miss Flora said teasingly as my mouth was wide agape.
I thought my facial expressions were just as tough as an iron mask, but the facade fell so easily. I swore in my uncle’s name that I would do extra training when I get home.
"Do you mind if I walk with you for a little while?"
Like a young girl who caught her brother in his uncool moments, I had no choice and gave a small nod.
The conversation continued as we walked down the long corridor. There weren’t many common topics we could talk about, so we settled with Mrs. Mehrich and my mother’s health.
"…And why did you come all the way to Flamme, Miss Flora?"
As the talks died down, I wanted to fill in a new topic.
"That’s…"
However, Miss Flora went quiet.
I had thought she was here for a sightseeing trip, but apparently I was wrong. I had realised my blunder when I saw her face full of sorrow.
When I was pondering of a way to cheer her up, I caught Miss Flora with a smile.
"What about Sir Georg? What brought you all the way here to Flamme?" Miss Flora returned my question and dismissed the awkward atmosphere.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I will answer you honestly.
"I came here to find something."
"A search? Is it for your business-… No, I’m sorry for asking foolish questions."
Miss Flora recognised she was out of line and withdrew her question.
"No, it’s fine. The thing I’m searching for isn’t for my own sake, so I don’t know much about it."
"So you travelled to Flamme… All for someone else?"
Once I saw Miss Flora's surprised expression, I realised that what I did wasn’t normal. Taking the vast effort to travel far away to Flamme for another person wouldn't be seen as mere goodwill.
If I saw someone else do what I did, I would be shocked as well. Most would have given up already.
But it couldn’t be helped.
After all, I wanted to do something.
"Do you regret your actions?" Miss Flora pushed out those words with a faint, bitter smile. She looked up at my face and shook her head after a few seconds.
"No, that couldn’t be. You must cherish that person very much, right?"
"I can tell just by the look on your face."
I quickly cupped my mouth with my hand.
Although I had noticed that my cheeks had begun to flush, it was still embarrassing to have other people point it out.
When I remembered her crying face, my cheeks unwillingly became hotter.
Ugh, now that I think about it, I've been making all sorts of awkward expressions during this entire conversation, haven't I? The fact that I couldn’t even hold a conversation with a girl was rather pitiful. With all my stuttering and hesitations, I wondered what Miss Flora's impression of me was. I wish she could forget about it, but that would be too convenient.
"Please don't stare too much." Miss Flora lowered her gaze and spoke in a tiny voice as she smiled.
Her teasing voice was lively, but somehow those grey-blue eyes were filled with loneliness.
"Miss Flora…?"
'Are you alright.' The words that I was supposed to say were interrupted by a loud noise. It sounded like something made of glass had shattered.
We turned towards where the sound came from.
"I believe the princess is over there…"
Miss Flora muttered something as she stared at the room at the end of the corridor. I caught on to her words and started running.
I reached the door with momentum but stopped myself before I could barge in. A girl's room… Not only that, but I would be entering Her Highness' quarters during the nighttime. It would be beyond rude to intrude. However, this was an emergency.
My hesitation lasted for only a few seconds.
"Excuse me!" I slammed the door open wide.
I had imagined some thug would be raiding the room, but there was no one in sight. Everything was in its place as it should be. The only thing wrong was the shattered glass near the walnut chest that was placed under the window.
The wet rug, scattered blue flowers, and pieces of broken pottery told me the vase was broken. Perhaps it got caught in the fluttering curtains.
I heaved a relieved sigh. But when I looked around the room, something was not right. There was no one here. Not a single soul. Only a thin blanket was covering the sofa where she was supposed to be sleeping.
"…Miss Mary?" No one responded to my call.
I stood dumbfounded as the cold breeze sent the curtains flying.
TN: Hey look, it's still not main plot. I'm gonna be very busy this month so expect slower releases. Like, slow slow, not just your typical slow. After August I would also be out of the country, so I won't know what will happen, but until then it will be a crawling pace. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I think it will be.
Oh and yeah, Discord:
EN: Hey, kiddos. God, this chapter was so weird, but perhaps it's just another day for The Housewives of Nabel. Also, Georg, go abort the mission. Flora's a frickin' mind-reader, you don't stand a chance! Leave to Jamaica; there are other fishes in the sea! What I found really funny this chapter was how Georg sees literally all girls (except for Rose, probably) as rabid animals in the jungle, lol.
Another thing I noticed was how Georg was blushing and sputtering like a high school girl. For this chapter, I imagined him as a blushing tomato (with an iron mask, don't forget that).