Chapter 41.1

It was a few days after I became aware of my feelings that Mercuris came into the room looking very happy, fluttering her butterfly wings.

It seemed that my unveiling dinner party had been set for the evening after tomorrow. Gilbert-sama told me that the maids of the butterfly clan were busy at the moment because they were delivering letters and the reason I had not seen Astaroth or Ria was because they were busy working.

I spent my days reading books in the library while Suzel taught me the ancient language, looking around the beautiful castle, and delivering food to Cronaea, who had returned to the lake.

At night, as promised, Gilbert-sama stays by my side. Occasionally he kissed me or poured his magic power into me in a whimsical manner. I try not to overreact, but I am not sure if it was working.

Every time the amount of magic power flowing through my body increased, the color of the engraving on the back of my hand seemed to become brighter. It was a minor change, but it had gone from a deep red to a shiny, bright red now.

Suzel said, “This is the first time I’ve seen a human race given the imprint, so I don’t know what kind of effect it will have. It’s interesting.”

Even Gilbert-sama was not too sure. He said that pouring magic power is like an instinct, so he was free to do as he likes.

The process of accepting the magic was a little painful, but I don’t mind it. In fact, it made me happy.

“Liddy-chan, let’s go to town!”

Mercuris said with a big smile on her face as she got me ready.

Thanks to Mercuris, my hair, which had been damaged after being neglected for a while, and my skin, which had been somewhat rough, have regained their original beauty. I was wearing a long, light green, freshly shaded dress with a long, deep indigo cloak over it, and Mercuris took hold of my hand and tugged at me.

“Town..?”

‘Yes, the town. I’m going to make Liddy’s wedding dress at a tailor friend of mine. Gilbert-sama has given us permission. He has prepared a pterodactyl for us at the front of the castle.”

“I wonder what a pterodactyl is…”

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar word.

“I’m sure you’ve never seen a pterodactyl before, Liddy. You’ve never had the chance to see one since you’ve been living in the castle throughout. A pterodactyl chariot is a tame pterosaur with a saddle attached. A large pterodactyl would have a saddle and a passenger cabin in the back. The largest pterodactyl chariot can accommodate one of the masters and four others.”

“It’s like a carriage.”

“We have horse-drawn carriages, but it is difficult to drive on the ground in this country because there are many forests and no proper roads. When we want to go far away, we mostly use pterodactyls.”

I have never seen a pterodactyl before, but  guessed they are something with wings.

Mercuris pulled me out of the room and we headed for the main entrance of the castle.

Passing by, the butterfly clan members present stepped back to greet us. It seems that the number of butterflies in the castle were increasing little by little. The graceful way they move around the castle is very beautiful.

“The Pterodactyls are a clan, right? Isn’t it rude to use them for carriages?”

“The pterodactyls are more like animals. They can understand simple words and will listen to commands if tamed, but otherwise they live in the mountains and eat other animals, so it is not something we have to pay respect to.”

“I see.”

“Mercuris can ride on a pterodactyl. I practiced a lot in order to become the Queen’s number one attendant. There are some people who can’t ride because of the tricks.”

“You are a hard worker Mercuris”

I praised her. I could easily see her flapping his wings and shaking her head in delight.

We walked out through the main entrance and saw a large reptile-like figure crouched quietly. It had a long neck and a face similar to that of a lizard. Its wings were large and its tail long. Its body, a shade between dark gray and green, was covered with hard-looking scales.

In the middle of its wings was a sturdy-looking saddle, behind which had a rectangular private chamber, much like a carriage cabin.

As Mercuris approached, the pterosaur opened its eyes. They were golden, with vertical pupils that resembled those of a lizard. I followed Mercuris and walked towards the pterodactyl. The pterodactyl was much larger than a horse. I wondered how I was going to get up to the Carriage.

“Is it safe to touch it?”

“All pterodactyl that have been used for pterodactyl Carriages are docile, so it will be fine.”

I flicked the pterodactyl and touched its body. It was cool, slightly damp, and very hard. Each scale seemed larger than the palm of my hand. When I touched it, the pterodactyl lowered its head so low that it touched the ground.

“I guess it can feel Gilbert-sama’s presence from Liddy-chan. She seems a little deflated.”

“You can tell?”

“The presence of magic power that I feel from Liddy is getting higher and higher these days. So much that we, the sensitive ones, as well as the insensitive pterodactyls, can sense it. Well, what can I say, you are loved, Liddy-chan.”

Mercuris slurred her words, sounding embarrassed.

Come to think of it, the act of pouring magic power is quite embarrassing for Mercuris. I also became somewhat embarrassed and hid the back of my left hand with my palm.

“Well, let’s go, Liddy-chan.”

Regaining her composure, Mercuris gave a small cough.Then she flapped her large wings and a shiny staircase extended from my feet to the back of the pterodactyl.

The door to the carriage opened, revealing a red cloth-covered interior. The red and gold trimmed interior dazzled my eyes.

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