Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 4
Dad’s laughter made me smile too. He looked at me with warmth and pride.
“You look really good in that formal outfit today! You’ve grown up so well; I’m really proud of you.”
Dad didn’t know I had ordered a dress. Mom, on the other hand, was aware of it and glanced at my clothes looking a bit confused.
‘She probably wants to ask why I didn’t wear the dress.’
Mom couldn’t voice her thoughts. She suffered from the aftermath of prolonged exposure to magic on the battlefield. Despite receiving the blessing of the Divine Regency directly, Mom’s voice never returned.
Even though Mom seemed curious, she smiled slightly as I smiled back, walking hand in hand with my parents toward where the carriage awaited us.
“By the way, are many local nobles attending today?”
“I think it’s about the same as last year.”
“It’s a special day, so let’s only focus on the good things, Yen. You know that, right?”
“Of course, Dad. I know that both of you love me more than anything else.”
As we arrived at the front of the carriage, my parents let go of my hand.
“Have a good time.”
“Yes, bye!”
I confidently waved goodbye and climbed into the carriage. I was the only one inside.
As the carriage moved away, I leaned out of the window waving to my parents until the carriage was out of sight. Only when they were some distance away did I sit down and lean back.
***
The palace came into view outside the carriage. The city was bustling with energy, and hearing the voices of people enjoying themselves and celebrating gradually lifted my spirits.
Today, on behalf of the royal family, bread and flowers were distributed to everyone. It’s a congratulatory gesture, as it’s impossible to invite everyone to the imperial coming-of-age banquet.
Every time a carriage headed towards the palace, people scattered flowers. This was to congratulate the nobles attending the coming-of-age ceremony.
The petals fluttering outside the window were beautiful. As I watched, I heard cheers from outside the carriage.
“Congratulations, Lady Staedt!”
Someone recognized the carriage’s design.
“Long live the Duke’s daughter!”
“Hail to the Grand Magus Staedt, Archmage of Salvation!”
They even shouted praises for my father, which were usually heard whenever I went out by carriage.
Congratulations and greetings spread like waves. Although I wanted to open the door and thank them, I decided to receive their greetings in my heart. I had always done it that way. The first time I arrived in the Capital, I made the mistake of nodding my head and waving my hand, resulting in a commotion.
‘The guards were called because they saw a monster.’
Fortunately, I knew some of the people in the crowd. Otherwise, I certainly would have been imprisoned.
The carriage I rode in passed through the commoners’ dwellings and through the gates of the inner city. I could see other carriages heading for the palace. The path from the inner gate to the palace itself was pretty straightforward. Among the nobles getting off the carriages far away, there didn’t seem to be anyone who came alone.
‘No, wait a minute…?’
I thought coming-of-age ceremonies were supposed to be attended by family, but for some reason, more people seemed to be accompanied by their partners than by their parents. In a way, it seemed obvious. If I were in the same situation, if my partner became an adult and had to attend the palace banquet, I would never let them go alone.
‘It’s an ideal environment for flirtation, I can’t let them go by themselves.’
If I had known, I would have brought a partner too.
‘I’ve never been to a coming-of-age ceremony before!’
I tried to think of someone I could have brought along but quickly gave up.
‘Oh, right. There isn’t anyone who would have been my partner.’
Upon reflection, there’s no one I would have wanted to accompany me.
‘There were no rules about who you could bring as a partner, but…’
I do have some friends of the opposite s*x that I’ve been talking to since I was a kid.
‘But Ken and Sean…’
They also disliked socializing for the same reasons my parents did.
Ken was an oracle warrior, and when the Emperor tried to force him to marry the princess, he refused and was accused of being a traitor.
‘He did everything to make amends.’
So now, he lives a simple rural life on the Staedt estate.
As for Sean, at the age of five, he faced a god and became the youngest High Priest. The temple had recently sent him to the countryside to rest after all his hard work. They gave him no attendants, no escort, just a modest log cabin. There were several nobles who intruded on his retreat because they wanted to get something from Sean.
‘They only came to him for his visions.’
And there was one more.
‘Carnelian.’
Carnelian Latropole. The Crown Prince of this country. However, he was popular and busy.
‘Why are all my relationships with the same kinds of people?’
Since childhood, he had been involved in politics with middle-aged people, and as a result, he lacked interaction with peers.
‘Ah, should I get a contract partner or something?’
While I was thinking about this popular romance novel idea, the carriage pulled up in front of the palace. The palace servant opened the door for me, and all eyes turned towards me.
“That carriage… belongs to the Staedt Duchy.”
“And the person who got off is…?”
“Is that the famous lady?”
“So the rumors were true after all, that when the Grand Magus defeated the Demon King, his daughter took the curse instead!”
“Wow, so that appearance was the curse of the Demon King?”
There was a lot of chatter in the distance. As I scanned the bustling crowd, I noticed a striking figure with honey-colored blonde hair. It was Prince Carnelian.
He was surrounded by ladies dressed exquisitely like flowers, unable to move an inch.
‘Wow… He seems even busier today.’
And it seemed particularly intense today. It was common for ladies to visit the palace for their coming-of-age ceremony, often for the first and last time. I heard that was the case last year during Carnelian’s own coming-of-age ceremony.
‘It’s probably because he doesn’t have a fiancée.’
