CH 175

Kirov was a wonderful city. From its entrance, you could already smell the unique fishy smell coming from its port and the scent of fruits mixed together. 

“You’re not getting off?” 

“...........”

“Then I’ll look around first.”

Waiting for Dietrich who showed no signs of getting off the carriage – even though I waited for a few minutes – I shrugged my shoulders at his silence and stepped out. 

“Princess, why are you coming out alone?”

“Dietrich told me to get off first.”

Oslo, who had been following us, hurriedly escorted me out of the carriage, insisting that though an escort was not necessary, an attendant would be.

“That’s why I’m going to look around alone.”

“Then, I’ll have Dina escort you.”

Oslo, who alternately glanced at me and the carriage to understand the situation, beckoned the knight standing behind me.

“Dina?”

When asked, Oslo put his hand on the shoulder of the approaching knight, introducing her as the youngest of the Lagrange Knights.

“Yes. This fellow is Dina.”

I greeted her, who wore black armor that looked quite heavy, with only my eyes. 

“Dina, have you been to Kirov?”

“Yes. I traveled a little before joining the knights' order.” 

Dina, who had a good-natured impression, nodded briefly in response to my question.

“You must have traveled a lot.”

“I’ve done some mercenary work.” 

Unlike in the South where only aristocrats were registered as knights, there were many commoners among the Lagrange knights.

‘Still, it’s rare for a mercenary to become a knight.’

Dina seemed to have read my thoughts and scratched her cheek as she slowly added. 

“If you do not like me, you can change your escort.”

“Weren’t Oslo and Dina the only ones who were following us?”

“That can’t be. Since the Princess didn’t want to draw any attention, they just hid from the public eye.”

‘Well, I guess that’s how it is.’ 

Even if I was traveling with Dietrich, I thought there was no way that the worrywart Yuric wouldn’t stick escorts to my trip.

“Would you like to change your escort?”

Dina asked again, thinking I was hesitating when I took too long to answer as I was preoccupied with another thought.

I stared at the long scar on her cheek and shook my head.

“No, there’s no need. Why did you think I don’t like you, Dina?” 

“Most ladies are afraid of mercenaries. There are a lot of people who don’t like them because they think they’re vulgar.”

“My childhood dream was to become a mercenary. What kind of nonsense is that.”

“.....Pardon?”

To be exact, it was to be a warrior. 

However, their daily lives of wandering freely around the world looked pretty cool to one’s young eyes, even if it was much harder than expected.

“I didn’t know there is a noble lady who wanted to become a mercenary.”

“That’s why I worked hard to learn swordsmanship.”

I faced Dina who became stunned and grinned.

“Anyway, that means you can recommend some places to sightsee!”

“......During this time, the annual dancers’ performance is the most famous though it’s illegal, and there are also a lot of attractions in the black market.”

Dina, who had a surprised face for a moment at the story of the mercenary, quickly concealed her emotions and spoke in a blunt tone.

“Black market?”

“Yes. An auction is also held, so it would be all right if you participate.”

“That sounds like fun. Is it open every day?” 

“Yes. And the roads in Kirov are more complicated than the capital, so be careful not to get lost.”

Dina even gave a clear and concise point of what to be cautious about in Kirov.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.” 

“It’s nothing.”

‘I’ll ask Dina to be my escort when we go back to Lagrange.’

The knights of Lagrange boasted of their unwavering loyalty to the head, but even among those knights, conflicts existed.

Yuric was someone who did whatever he wanted and Dietrich didn’t care much for anyone, so there were a lot of knights who were desperate to look good to me. 

Thus, I liked Dina’s neat attitude without any exaggeration.

“Then, can you recommend a place to stay?”

“I don’t know very well since I mostly stay in cheap inns where mercenaries frequent, but the most famous hotel is Loelli.”

Since Kirov was a commercial city and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Empire, there seemed to be a variety of accommodations.

I could hardly contain my excitement at Dina's explanation that the best rooms were at the Loelli Hotel which couldn’t even be reserved unless, you're a high-ranking aristocrat, and Halton's main hotel, which had branches all over the continent.

“Where would be good?”

“I’ve heard that there are hotels with an oceanfront, but still, there’s no place like Loelli.”

Dina smiled softly as she looked at me getting excited, then added, “I heard that it is difficult to reserve a room because there are so many tourists this time of year.”

I moved my feet impatiently with wide eyes at Dina’s additional information.

“Really? Then, let’s hurry and go. What if there are no rooms left?”

“However, there’s no need for you to worry about that, Princess.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you with His Grace? If they don’t want to die, they’ll crawl on their own.” 

At Dina's blunt answer, I let out a short sigh of relief and nodded my head.

Dietrich was someone who would grab a person who was sleeping well by their collar and demand they make a room even if there weren’t any. 

“Besides, there’s no hotel that wouldn’t give a room for the Princess of Euclid.”

‘I guess I’ll have to tell Dietrich to take care of the place to stay.’

I was relieved by Dina’s words and went out briskly. 

I didn’t even dream that Dietrich, the leading figure who led the War of the Roses to victory in favor of Lagrange, would lose the war of securing a room.

────── 〔✿〕──────

“Really?”

“Really.”

“You couldn’t?”

“I couldn’t.”

I couldn’t hide my disappointment and berated Dietrich.

“There are six hotels in Kirov, and you’re telling me right now that you couldn’t find four rooms?”

“That’s right.”  

Dietrich failed miserably to book accommodation, contradicting my expectation that if there were no remaining hotels, he would change the house where people live into a hotel.

As he stared at me with my mouth open in shock, he slowly made excuses.

“Loelli Hotel said they only have one room left.”

“Even though their hotel is this big?”

I tilted my head, pointing at the hotel building, which was bigger than most high-ranking aristocrats’ houses.

Were they that swamped with people since it’s the tourist season?

“I guess we’ll have to go to another place.” 

“The other hotels are full. Only the room left in Loelli Hotel is available.”

I narrowed my eyebrows at Dietrich's aura that wavered for a moment, but his aura soon subsided.

‘I don’t think he’s lying.’

“It can’t be helped then. You, me, Dina, and Oslo will use one room then.”

I couldn’t make the knights who were already hard at work to be homeless as well. 

However, at my words, Dina, who was standing idly next to me, raised her hand.

“I, uh.”

“Hmm?” 

“I have a friend who lives in Kirov, so I'm thinking of sleeping at my friend's house, Princess.”

“Really?”

Dina was blunt, but she wasn’t bad at conversation, so I thought it’d be fun to share a room. 

“That’s good.”

I pouted my mouth in disappointment and gestured to Oslo, who was restless as if he had something to say.

“What’s with you, too?”

“My relative lives in Kirov as well.”

“Lagrange is so far from Kirov and yet everyone knows someone from here?”

Ha.

It seemed like I was the only one who knew no one in Kirov. Though they were knights stuck in the training hall of Lagrange, it seemed that they were individuals who were really popular. 

‘How strange.’

Eredia's powers made it clear that the fact that there were no rooms left was not a lie, but it felt strangely uncomfortable.

If it was any other man and not Dietrich, I would highly doubt it. However, I soon shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head.

‘There’s no way Dietrich would do that.’ 

He was after all a fool who couldn’t even hold my hand first. 

────── 〔✿〕──────

At the request of Anissa, Dietrich arrived at the parlor of the most glamorous Loelli Hotel and was again troubled.

Hexion Kirov, the owner of the hotel in front of him who had kept his mouth shut, opened his mouth with a bewildered face.

“Your Grace, what kind of room should I prepare for you?”

“…….”

“If you just tell me, I, Hexion, will do my best to prepare it.”

As if he couldn’t hear the apprehensive Hexion, Dietrich tapped on the table absentmindedly and fell into thinking.

‘Naturally…..’

He was naturally trying to find a reason to share one room with Anissa.

“How many rooms are left?”

“There are thirteen rooms left. The best rooms have been prepared in advance when we heard the news of your arrival.”

“I’ll reserve all the remaining rooms.”

“Pardon? But I heard you had company…….”

Hexion’s eyes widened in surprise and trailed his words. 

Dietrich gave a cold command as he glanced back at Oslo standing behind him.

“You sleep outside.”

“.........I have relatives here so I had planned to stay there when I’m not on duty.” 

Oslo, noticing Dietrich's intentions, rebutted his words while pressing down on his temples.

“However, Your Grace, what will you do if the Princess tells you to go to another hotel?”

“I see.”

“Yes, that’s it. It’s a ridiculous plan. Just tell the Princess honestly…..”

Dietrich didn't even listen to Oslo and cut his words short.

“Then book all the other hotels, too.”

“…….”

“Make sure there's only one room left in all of Kirov.”