Chapter 40 - Volume 3

Volume 3, Chapter 10: I turned Nine years old, Part 1

I turned nine years old the other day.

This time round, the birthday party was rather light. The reason being that I wasn’t in a very good condition.

When I say light, what I mean is that while the scale of the party was still the same, the amount of time that I had to show myself decreased. Honestly speaking, I was saved by the fact that I was unwell.

Recently, the number of people who are afraid of me seems to have decreased. Although I’m glad about that, the people that came to greet me wouldn’t go home without a fight. Their eyes were scary.

“Owowowowowow……”

In the stale-smelling house in the royal capital, when I stood up from the chair with a [Heave-ho], Vio and the housemaid gang looked at me in disappointment.

“Princess Yuru-sama……”

“It can’t be helped…… it hurts.”

Since I’ve been pampered for my entire childhood, I have no pain tolerance whatsoever.

When I soaked into the bathtub, I would groan with a [U~i~].

Right now, my leg is hurt. It fell asleep in the middle of the night. Also, it hurts in the parts I can’t mention. …… They’ve started to grow, recently.

Well, they’ve been lighter since a few months ago, but still, these growing pains…

Don’t those usually only happen in middle school? I’ve grown about 5 centimetres in half a year alone, rounding my height to approximately 150 cm, which is about as tall as Betty, who’s two grades older.

Although, Rick also shot up suddenly before his time,  maybe it’s something in the constitution of the royal bloodline? While I yearn to be a tall girl, growing bigger than Father-sama would be unpleasant…

Because of that, my appearance has changed a bit.

Talking about the changes, my infant’s figure and pudgy stomach seem to have receded somewhat, and here and there I’ve rounded out and filled out, according to Vio and the housemaids’ words, it’s a complete shift in image.

Mother and Grandma have also stopped dressing me in children’s clothes and have begun to order dresses with adult designs… If they make it now won’t my size have changed by the time they finish?

In addition, Tina’s been giving me a carnivorous look every now and then. It’s scary.

“Too early.”

Today, I’m going on an inspection of the Touru territory together with Father. but my legs still hurt, so I’ve been hugging him while riding the carriage. After getting onto Father-sama’s knee after a long while, he said this to me:

“Is something the matter…?”

Because I’ve gotten bigger and it’s gotten hard to hold me, when I wrapped my arms around Father-sama’s neck he gave me a worried expression.

Whenever I ride on his lap, our lines of sight are almost the same, so I was happy that I could look at his face so closely.

“Oh… I think it’s still a bit too early for Yurushia to be wearing that dress.,”

“……Really?”

The dress I’m wearing today was the first adult style dress that I received from Mother.

Unlike the dresses from the parties, it isn’t stuffy. It’s a rose-coloured dress that comes up to my calves, with a chic blouse and a fluffily cute skirt. It’s a favorite of mine……

Father-sama quickly lowered his gaze from mine.

“Your neck is showing…”

“Yup.”

That’s true.

It’s silly that I hadn’t noticed until now.

Although I thought that the dress I’d been wearing up until now was for all children’s use, but apparently, it was actually a habit for a [Saint]. (TLN: habit as in “nun’s habit”)

After all, the sleeves went all the way to my wrists, and everything below my chin was covered. It was a dress that only exposed the hands and face.

The sleeves are the same as before, but this dress exposes the base of my neck. For the first time, a little bit of my collarbone can be seen. The collarbone is the foundation of eroticism.

“Father…… isn’t that too overprotective? Shelly’s arms are fully showing.”

“No, no, Yurushia is still only nine years old.”

But only my collarbone can be seen…Betty came to this year’s birthday party with a shoulderless dress that exposed her shoulders entirely, to say nothing of her collarbone.

Yes, that was sexy but cute.

Still, Father is still as dashingly handsome as ever.

Now in his mid-thirties, his sex appeal is more polished than ever, I can say that after ten years it’s definitely an outstanding talent.

But please take care of your hair. I still have a mountain of dried seaweed.

Incidentally, about the massive amount of seaweed that I pushed onto Millaine, she seems to have sold it in the form of seaweed bread and it’s become a special product of that city…… despite it being in the mountains.

I’ll have to get the vampires to teach me how to make the seaweed bread…… I’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing.

Millaine’s earnestness makes this Demon’s conscience hurt………

“……Yurushia”

Father-sama pulled me back from my dreamy thoughts about the seaweed bread with a serious voice.

“What’s the matter…?”

Although I thought I knew what he was going to talk about, since I’m a nine-year-old girl  I tilted my head with a quizzical look.

Father-sama patiently stared into my eyes, then he gave a small sigh and began to speak.

“This year, in two months… Well, next year, Yurushia will become a third year student.”

“…Yes”

“Although you’ve been quite a small child all this time, you’re completely a lady now…”

“That…”

Even though I’m going to be an adult, I like to be spoiled, but then Father suddenly said something that sounded like I was about to be married away……

As a noble child, am I supposed to be happy to be treated like an adult? In this country… or rather in this world, people are so serious.

Why then, are there so many hopeless people around me……

“Yurushia…”

“Ah, yes?”

“You don’t have to force yourself to go to the Colts Territory.”

“………”

Ah, the expected topic.

Since the word came, Father-sama has been negotiating directly with Grandfather… although for various reasons Grandfather and Uncle privately wanted to refuse, since it was an official request from Duke Kaperu and the Kostoru religion, refusing would show that the Royal Family was over favoring Duke Verusenia.

In short, it’s because Grandfather-sama recognised me as a [Princess] for the sake of being able to pamper me……

The duration of the post in the Kostoru cathedral in the Colts territory is one month.

Coincidentally in the same period, there was a request from the [Military Branch of Taterudo] that had close ties with Duke Kapell for Father-sama to attend a ceremony.

It’s so obvious, it’s surprising.

In this situation, if I said that I didn’t want to go, then it would mean that Father-sama would have to take responsibility for it.

If such a thing happened then he would likely lose his job as the Foreign Minister and the trade operations of the Verusenia house might have restrictions put into place.

Above all that, it would probably reach the point that the people affiliated with Duke Kaperu would persistently backbite Father-sama at the parties or dances.

Even if he had to endure all that, Father-sama still wanted to protect me.

But……

“It’s alright, Father. I’m strong, you know.”

I let out a light laugh and smiled without worry.

To be honest, if Father had to suffer like that, I would crush the Kaperu house. Extremely violently.

“……Yurushia. I’m worried for you.”

“Father…”

I put my tiny hand on his big one on my cheek.

“I don’t think Duke Kaperu will be so stupid as to directly attack me. Besides, Rick is coming along.”

Although I personally felt dicey over it, I used Rick’s name to soothe Father.

Although I preferred it if an [Adult with Status] came along as my breakwater, the other ducal houses just looked on, trying to avoid being rolled into the quarrel, and since I liked Uncle-sama and Elea-sama, it could be said that Rick has just enough.

But Father-sama, far from being relieved when Rick’s name came out, grimaced.

“Is that so…… Does Rick really understand and get along with you so well…?”

“……Eh?”

Wha-why do you look like that…?

“Wh-what’s wrong, Father-sama?”

“Rick is a good boy, and I can understand how he would be so engrossed with Yurushia.”

“Fa~ther~”

Why are your words going in that strange direction?

“Yurushia, I worry for you. Your beauty gathers various men around you like starving carnivores. Even now, the proposals from within the country and other countries haven’t slowed down…”

“Eeeh!?”

This is the first time I’ve heard that, Father.

Wait a minute. Weren’t we talking about being afraid for me because I might be getting tormented by Duke Kaperu or that there might be dangers to my life?

Although I knew about the marriage proposals that had been coming from within, this is the first time that I’ve heard that marriage proposals have been coming from outside the country, too. Has Father been smothering those?

“Although Duke Kaperu himself doesn’t have a very good character, I’ve heard that his sons are rather upright and that they were handsome. They might also forget themselves in Yurushia’s beauty and try to seek your hand in marriage. It seems that many other noble houses will try to introduce their sons, too. That being said, it doesn’t mean that Rick going is good. Timothy hasn’t decided on his fiancee, and there have been rumours that he is waiting for Yurushia to come of age, and I worry about that……”

“……Eeehh~…”

What in the world. Were you this sort of extreme doting parent?

Although I didn’t want to let myself get married easily, it seems that if I just leave it be I will never be married.

Is my body safe…? While I was thinking of how all those people were turning their scornful eyes towards me with such feelings, Father, who noticed that my feelings were running out of control coughed lightly with a *kohon*.

“I have entrusted Yurushia’s safety to captain Barnabas whom you know. Although he was a baronet, thanks to his distinguished services I awarded him the title of viscount.I think that him holding my letter of authority should also serve for him to be a sort of barrier.”

“Re-really…?”

Ba, Baru…? Who was that again? Well, I guess I’ll remember when we meet.

But, to award a viscount title just for the sake of protecting me… I’mconvinced. Although I thought he wasn’t the same as them, after this sort of scene, it’s clear that him and Grandfather are parent and child.

While I was thinking of such things earnestly, Father-sama put cotton on my forehead.

“I also know that Yurushia is a stronger child than you look. Both Riastea and I believe that you will come back safely,”

“Yes… Father.”

Believe… You believe in me.

Although I think that my parents impression of [Strong Child] and mine were significantly different, I will crush anybody that dares to show malice to me. …… Violently.

Two months later, as I advanced into being a third-grader, I left for the Colts Territory.

There, I would [Reunite] with a certain someone.

Author’s Notes: The story moves… finally