Chapter 31
We had lunch at Konditorei Zummer which was recommended by Lotte-kun . I had sweet bread along with black tea and I had cheesecake as a dessert, and they were really good despite the price being somewhat above average . It once again reminds me of how I’m a member of the upper echelons of the society, which further drives me to avoid my bad ending .
“It’s delicious, onee-sama . ”
“It is, right? Do you want to share my cheesecake?”
I shared a part of my cheesecake to Iris who was busy stuffing her cheeks with chocolate cake .
“Can I really?”
“Of course, I’m happy just being able to see you eat it so happily . ”
Her smile is so cute so obviously I want to make her smile a lot more .
She really soothes my heart . She can really make me forget about all the minesweeper activities and allow me to relax for a spell . That minesweeping stuff with Friedrich, Adolf and Silvio can really tire me out, and even more so with me having to be extra careful not to erect my destruction flag even by accident . Annoyingly enough, those landmines aren’t the type to just sit in the ground and instead tends to home on my sole at high speed . Seriously, just leave me alone, please .
“Astrid . ”
Yeah, just listening to that voice makes my stomach churn…
“…huh? Your Highness?”
It turned out to be that Friedrich himself was standing behind us as we exited the store . Not to mention his followers Adolf and Silvio is also with him . The landmines are just lining up in front of me…
Why the hell are you guys here! It’s my day off!
“Are you also celebrating the passing of finals, Astrid?”
“M-More or less…?”
“What a coincidence . ”
What a repulsive coincidence . Whichever god rules over coincidences, I hate you .
“How about we spend our time together? The more the merrier, no?”
“Umm…We were about to go choose a dress for Miine, so it must be a bore for gentlemen…”
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But then just before I finished making the excuse, I had a flash of inspiration .
“Adolf-sama, can you help choose Miine’s dress? I believe a gentleman’s opinion would be invaluable!”
It’s a great chance to get Miine-kun closer to Adolf, and if luck on my side, I could also get Lotte-kun and Silvio closer at the same time . I’ve been neglecting Silvio recently so Lotte-kun is also pretty upset .
The problem with that plan is that someone’s gotta deal with Friedrich, and it’s likely to be me…
“Very well, let us depart . I know a store that sells nice dresses, I’ll guide you there . ”
You’re so privileged that I’m worried that Miine-kun could be turned away from it .
Either way though, I couldn’t refuse his suggestion . We all followed Friedrich and headed for the store that sold the dresses .
“…Astrid-sama, I would’ve appreciated it if you could inform us of such surprise beforehand . ”
“Surprise? I’m the one that’s surprised though…” I replied to Miine-kun’s whisper, prompting a puzzled look on her face .
“Huh? You did not plan to meet up with his Highness Friedrich?”
“I don’t like Friedrich that much you know…”
How close does she think Friedrich is with me…?
“But…I’m happy I get to choose my dress with Adolf-sama . Thank you very much, Astrid-sama . ”
“Good for you, but you have to appeal yourself to Adolf otherwise he’ll get stolen away . ”
Especially she’s gotta pay attention to Elza the heroine . Elza is the countermeasure against the nuclear landmine that is Friedrich, so Adolf and Silvio has to be dealt by Miine-kun and Lotte-kun . I need the minesweepers to do their jobs smoothly .
“This is the store . ”
Wooow, it’s really a gorgeous store for the bourgeoisie . It just oozes so much luxury that even Miine-kun is at loss for words .
“I-I’ll pay for you, so don’t worry!”
“W-We couldn’t possibly…”
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God damn it Friedrich, don’t pick stores based on your royal standard!
“I’ll pay for it, so please pick anything without holding back . ”
Oy, Friedrich, Miine-kun won’t be able to pick anything freely because of what you said! Being treated by the royalty is a huge disrespect!
“T-then…please excuse me . ”
We entered the store because of Friedrich’s overbearingness and his lack of delicacy .
“Welcome to the store . ”
The store is lined up by nothing but extravagant dresses, from dresses with open back from the recent trend to the basic, magnificent dress decorated with frills . There’s really a lot to see here . It’s really a store that would definitely be recommended by the royalties .
“Adolf-sama, what dress would suit Miine?”
“Even if you say that…I don’t know much about women’s clothing . ”
My plan to bring Miine-kun and Adolf together is turning in vain…this guy…
“This dress seems like it would look good on you though?”
The dress he picked was a dress that exposed little skin . The corset brings out variety and balance, and it looks like a dress that could stay lovely even against the constantly changing trend, though as an 8-year-old there’s not going to be a lot of varieties anyways .
“What do you think, Miine?”
“I’ll take that! Adolf-sama chose it for me after all!”
Adolf really excites this girl a lot, huh .
In the meantime, Adolf looked embarrassed as he averted his gaze with his cheeks turning red . What an innocent reaction . Seems like there’s hope in this .
Do your best, Miine-kun . I need your effort to avoid my destruction flag .
“Since we’re at it, how about you ask Silvio-sama to choose a dress for you, Lotte?”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
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Of course, of course . Friedrich is going to pay for it, so you can help circulate the finance of the Prussian Empire .
“Silvio-sama, is there any dresses that you think would suit me?”
“Let me see…I think a vermilion-colored dress would suit you best . Vivid color would be good, and a ribbon could accentuate the loveliness . It seems like open-back dresses are the trend recently, so I think you should follow that trend as well . ”
Silvio explained with his usual explanatory tone .
Still though, Silvio looks a lot different than from before the test . He looks tired, but he doesn’t seem as frantic as he was from back then .
“I think it’s a nice one if Silvio-sama chooses it . ”
“…no, it’s the only thing I could do, so it’s nothing big . ”
Aaand he immediately shifts back to negative mode . Did your relationship with your dad get that much worse? In the game you’re going to enter a mini rebellious phase and turn into a pain in the ass . I wonder if Lotte-kun can handle it .
Well, alright then . I’ll lend her a hand just a bit .
“Silvio-sama, please have confidence in yourself . I do not understand what sort of prime minister your father is, but I believe you would be a good prime minister for you are earnestly thinking about becoming a proper prime minister . ”
“But…I’m…”
“Do you not think that if the prime minister is the position that would regulate the Emperor, it means that it falls under you to stop the prime minister to run wildly? You are still 8 years old, Silvio-sama . There is no need for you to bear that responsibility . You should focus on your studies for now, and you should build your ideals for later when you become the prime minister . ”
Get your shit together, please .
“I understand . I shall think about it for now . ”
Silvio showed a faint smile, but it doesn’t seem that he’s fully convinced .
“Are you not going to pick a dress, Astrid?”
“I…I do not have a chance to wear a dress for now, so…no” I replied to Friedrich’s question .
Our current age of 8 years old is the phase when we grow up in no time . If I buy a dress now, I will quickly grow out of it . Besides, being treated by Friedrich looks like a quick way to set my death flag, so I refuse .
“I think this dress would suit you well though”, Friedrich said, pointing at a dress from the most recent trend . It’s a dress with indigo and white color .
Well, honestly, it’s not bad, but I’ve no use for it .
“Astrid-sama, if it’s okay with you, will you come to the banquet to celebrate my father’s birthday? I believe you will look very pretty in that dress . ”
“No, it’s your father’s birthday so I shouldn’t be in the center of attention . ”
Looks like Miine-kun is still strongly suggesting that I should get closer to Friedrich, which brings more trouble for me since she’s actually doing it out of goodwill .
“Either way, I’m fine with not buying a dress for now . I will pick a similar dress when the time of need comes . ”
“Is that so…that’s truly a shame…” said Friedrich, dejected . Not that I sympathize with him though . Your destiny is to be lovey dovey with Elza the Heroine .
“Iris, is there any dresses that interests you?”
“That dress over there looks cute and nice”, she said, pointing at an indigo-colored dress with ribbons on its back, seemingly designed for children .
You’re choosing the same color Friedrich chose, huh…
“Okay, I’ll buy it for you then . ”
I couldn’t let Friedrich pay for the dress Iris picks since it seems like Iris greatly dislikes Friedrich .
“Thank you very much, onee-sama . ”
“Don’t mention it . ”
And just like that, I bought the dress Iris loved, and Friedrich paid for the dresses Adolf and Silvio picked for Miine-kunand Lotte-kun . The sum was quite a lot, but it doesn’t seem to shake Friedrich .
Thus, with four intruders outside of our expectation joining our celebration, the tranquil holiday comes to a close .
“Are you not going to buy casual dresses to use in your days?”
“No, I can do it myself . ”
Until the very end, Friedrich kept trying to buy me a dress, but I managed to carefully reject his insistence .
…he’s not mad, is he?