The Royal City Lutetia is a beautiful city.
Actually, I had a rough idea of what the atmosphere was like since I had already seen it in a game. Compared to the ‘modernization’ that had taken place in the Imperial Capital, it felt rather old-fashioned in many ways.
Ah, of course, even though it’s called ‘modernization’, most houses in the Imperial Capital were still quite traditional brick houses, and there weren’t well-laid electric or internet lines. Well, it’s not like this world had electricity or the internet yet.
However, telephone lines were laid, and the plumbing was all buried underground, and most importantly, there was a huge gas pipe system that covered the entire city, so when night fell, the streetlights would all light up evenly. Of course, since there wasn’t any electronic system, it involved civil servants wandering around turning on the streetlights at that time.
Still, it was better than carrying a torch around; you could light it like a lighter, and once lit, as long as the gas didn’t cut off, the streetlights would stay on—a cutting-edge technology by this world’s standards.
…Honestly, it seemed extremely dangerous to someone like me who lived mainly using electricity…but, well, they did say they lit streetlights like that in similar eras back in the day.
On the other hand, in Lutetia, which had seen less modernization, apart from the train station area, there were still jobs of people walking around with lights to turn on the streetlights, and the plumbing construction had just begun. Train tracks were also being laid out nationwide.
Unlike the Imperial Capital, where cars were gradually becoming more common, I heard that only three generations of officially introduced cars existed. And they were all domestically produced. Since parts had to be directly imported, unless you were royalty, you could hardly use them. However, by the time the main story starts next year, some companies would have entered the market, so the situation might improve a bit, but it was still far from being sufficient compared to the Imperial Capital.
But that’s why the sky in Lutetia was so blue.
While the Royal City had as many buildings clustered in its center as the heart of the Imperial Capital, there were no skyscrapers to speak of, and the number of busy people was relatively small, and the factory smoke visible in the distance wasn’t present, which gave it a strangely rural vibe.
“It’s quite a contrast from the Imperial Capital.”
Alice, who was in the carriage with me, seemed to share my sentiment.
“But… the sky is beautiful. It’s a sky I’ve never seen in the Imperial Capital.”
Surely the sky over the Imperial Capital must also be blue, but you hardly get to see a sky stretched far and wide without being obscured by the smoke from all the boilers working everywhere. It was always partially covered by black smoke.
For reference, the Empire takes pride in that smoke. It is the very symbol of modernization.
The production capacity of the factories that emit that smoke was the true hero that sustains the Empire.
“The colors of the clothes are so varied. Do the people of this country all love to dress up?”
No, it’s just that there’s a lack of products.
Small-scale mass production.
The textile technology saw immense advancements during the Industrial Revolution, and as a result, in the Empire, everyone wore similar factory-made clothes. Only nobles or the wealthy upper class wore clothes painstakingly made by hand.
However, the Kingdom still didn’t have that many factories. They had just started building them. It would probably take a long time before they could produce items in earnest and distribute them to the people.
Because of that, clothes in the Kingdom were still predominantly handmade. Of course, sewing machines were somewhat widespread, so items could be made much faster and in larger quantities compared to hand-stitching, but still, every household used different fabrics and designs. It was a uniqueness of clothing that hadn’t been standardized yet due to industrialization.
That too would likely disappear in a few years.
“I’ve never been outside the Imperial Capital before.”
Alice said, quietly gazing outside the carriage.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
I pondered for a moment about what to say. What should I respond when the crown princess, who had come out for the first time from the Imperial Capital, shared her impressions of seeing another country? I decided to keep my comments as positive as possible.
“Well, then it’s lucky you’ve come to Lutetia. There’s much to see since it is a land that hasn’t undergone much industrialization yet.”
Well, if you venture out into the Empire’s prairies, you would see far more beautiful nature, but.
“…Have you been to Lutetia?”
“…No.”
Hmm.
I felt like I had visited it before, though.
What I saw was the game world. It wasn’t designed by some AAA game company; it was made by a small Japanese company, with graphics that looked two or three generations behind.
However, even so, they managed to capture the design characteristics well, and at least the level design from the train station to the castle was done meticulously, which made my surroundings feel strangely familiar.
They really did their best, I thought.
“I’m also visiting Lutetia for the first time.”
Even though I had been outside the Imperial Capital due to the assassination of the Count, this was my first time coming to a foreign land. And I wasn’t exactly here for tourism from the Count’s territory either.
“Then what do you have to say?”
“…”
That was true.
*
Alice and I received the same level of courtesy. Naturally, Lucas and Jayden were treated with dignities akin to the real emperor’s children. It’s funny that in that sense, two people were following around as ‘guards.’
The fact that the emperor’s kids received a different treatment from the real daughter, Alice, only applied in the Empire. The emperor treated us as equals, so he had no choice but to treat us that way even overseas.
Since we were guests from a foreign country, even comparing the treatment like this didn’t make sense. Otherwise, who knows how it might backfire on us.
As a result, chaos broke out in the Kingdom.
“I apologize. We didn’t expect the crown princess would have one more guest…”
A diplomat from the Kingdom said, sweating profusely. Internally, he might have wanted to argue, “Why didn’t you follow what we said?”
Since everyone was such important figures, they couldn’t afford to overlook the protocol; just having them stay would incur enormous costs. Now, with one person suddenly added to the mix…
“Sorry…”
Realizing what she had done, Alice blushed and turned to apologize to the diplomat, but I quickly raised my hand to stop that apology.
I had never been a diplomat. I had never worked in such a line of work, nor did I have the ability to.
But still, I had at least a minimal amount of common sense in this regard.
Even though Alice hadn’t yet received the title of crown princess, she was someone who would soon ascend to the throne. No matter how she was treated like me for now, strictly speaking, she was in a position immensely more noble than mine.
So she should never apologize to a mere diplomat, who was far below her. Of course, it would be troublesome if she simply ignored the mistake, but if she were to apologize, she should do so through formal channels with a person of equal rank at the very least, and that person should personally accept it.
Because our positions were such that even ‘personal matters’ played into ‘official matters.’
Moreover, the Empire was a hegemonic nation. The fact that they sent a mere daughter instead of the emperor himself or the chancellor to a tripartite meeting involving the leaders of other nations essentially revealed that “I am not on equal footing with you.”
So, we should appear haughty as representatives of the ‘hegemonic nation’ as the emperor desired. She was someone who would one day become the emperor, so showing a submissive demeanor was something she should never do.
And what would happen if she did? If anyone was upset, they should have sent the emperor himself instead of sending me.
After signaling the crown princess, who looked at me with bewildered eyes, I addressed the diplomat.
“Is there a room available at the level of the prepared rooms?”
“Ah, yes. We rented the entire hotel, so there are rooms available.”
“Then please make an empty room available immediately. I would appreciate it if the escort forces could be assigned equally to me. In terms of both quality and quantity. Everything.”
“Ah, understood. I’ll notify them to prepare it immediately…!”
Normally, that would indeed be a breach of manners. A breach that was almost tyrannical.
However, if the emperor didn’t want this, he would never have sent me.
And let me say it again: if anyone is upset, they should have come themselves.
*
While Alice’s room was being prepared, she was staying in an impromptu room with me.
As she often did, Alice took the seat in front of the sofa in the spacious room.
And then she stared at me intently.
“….”
“….”
Neither of us said a word.
Honestly, that gaze was a bit burdensome.
I wonder if I had shown a side of myself that was a bit too much?
For sure, Alice was a typical character of outer strength, inner softness. At first, she had a prideful attitude, looking down on others like Claire from the original work, but gradually opened her heart to the protagonist and her party. And she genuinely thought seriously about the future of the Empire and the people.
Alice’s personal story arc was about opposing her father, the emperor, who was trying to bring the world under his control by leading numerous people to death… and eventually, it was a story of her triumph.
The reason I added ‘probably’ is that I couldn’t finish the game and arrived here before I could see the ending myself. Although the company was fond of adopting a typical ending, I still wondered why I needed to be here.
After all, the world would still be protected even without me.
What I could attempt was to save characters that might die. And I didn’t even know what sort of help that would ultimately do for the world.
No divine being showed up to greet me, saying, “Hello, I’m a god,” nor was there a neatly organized status screen displaying my abilities. I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
“How can you be so confident?”
Alice asked me. I looked up from the book I was just scanning, without reading it, and met her eyes.
“No matter the situation, you always seem confident. As if you can’t possibly be wrong. Just a moment ago, too. What were you thinking that would make the people of the Kingdom react against your words?”
Hmm.
To be honest, the reason I could be this confident is that I have the confidence that I can correct my mistakes if I do make them.
And frankly, there was nothing to worry about even if I made a mistake just now.
I contemplated for a moment. I couldn’t discuss my ability with her right now, and if I mentioned reasons I didn’t deserve this, Alice would surely not understand.
As I was pondering how to proceed, I decided to go with a response anyone could have.
“Crown Princess, who is your father?”
“Eh?”
Startled by my sudden question, Alice hesitated for a moment.
“W-Well, it’s the emperor of the Empire!”
She answered angrily, as if it were obvious. It made sense; it was like I was acting as if I didn’t know.
“Then who is my father?”
“Uh, um…”
She didn’t want to acknowledge it.
Because the only legitimate blood relative was Alice, after all. She wouldn’t want to accept the fact too readily.
However, that said, nominally, I was still the emperor’s daughter. Everyone thought so, and while it was known that there was no blood connection, I was still treated as a daughter on paper, and the emperor even sent me in place of himself, like now.
So who would have the audacity to say to me, “You are not the emperor’s daughter”?
Even Alice, the blood-related princess, couldn’t outright deny it in front of me.
“Regardless of what the crown princess thinks, I am listed as the daughter of Emperor Arthur III. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. The fact remains that I have the same power as the crown princess. Even if someone denies it, that power will never disappear.”
“…”
I said to Alice, who was biting her lips.
“Confidently borrow the power of His Majesty the Emperor. If someone says something, assert your position as princess and prove yourself. Nobody will dare look down on you, not even a single person in this world.”
“B-But…”
Alice stuttered a bit while questioning me again.
“What if I make a mistake…?”
“Mistake? Just hold your head high. No one can say anything anyway. The emperor does not lead the country alone. If you make a mistake, those around you will correct it, and if you try to do something, there will be someone beside you to see it through. The more you bow your head, the more people will look down on you, including the Empire itself.”
Alice looked at me with a blank expression, lifting her head slightly.
“Even if you make a mistake, you are still the crown princess and one who will become the emperor someday. Who would dare scold you? Unless they express it as a careful piece of advice, that is.”
“Ha, but what if I become the emperor someday…?”
“If you become the emperor, then you will be in a position of power in the Empire, at that point, who could possibly say anything?”
“…”
I gazed quietly at Alice as I spoke.
“Of course, you must become the best in the empire. No, even if you are not the best, you should be outstanding in all areas. The emperor’s power permeates throughout the empire, and if you are lacking in any aspect, someone might rise to betray you. However, in that process, if you need to wield your authority, do so freely. That is the greatest weapon you have as a crown princess.”
I gathered up words that seemed to be helpful as they came to mind.
Alice looked at me with an expression of slight admiration, making me feel somewhat proud.
Well, after all, once she went to the academy, she would likely meet friends way better than me, and she would learn a lot of far more important things than when she was beside me.
“…I got it. So, you’re saying I can just act like that?”
“Exactly. If you encounter things you weren’t aware of in that process, just learn about them then. The truly shameful action is not being confident while knowing nothing; it’s the attitude of not wanting to learn despite being unaware. No one knows everything about the world. So—”
“And you?”
“Huh?”
Just as I was saying that no one knows everything about the world, Alice suddenly jumped in, and for a moment, I ended up stammering.
Fortunately, Alice, who was silently looking at me, didn’t seem to mind my tone.
“You don’t know everything about the world?”
“…I think that’s natural.”
I tried to answer while suppressing my expression of disbelief, and Alice looked at me as if she were seeing something interesting.
“But you handle everything so effortlessly, as if you knew what was going to happen. That’s not something you can do without already having the knowledge, right?”
“That’s because my knowledge and skills overlapped with a bit of luck. I’m not a prophet, you know.”
“Is that so?”
Alice’s expression was somewhat ambiguous, but I felt that if I dug deeper, I would end up revealing too much, so I hurriedly continued explaining.
“—Anyways, if ever someone looks down on you just because there is something you don’t know, it’s they who should be embarrassed. They are the ones who believe they know everything about the world. Such people get angry when they encounter facts they are unaware of. Unlike someone like the crown princess, who doesn’t blush.”
So there’s no need to envy those kinds of people. Being able to acknowledge one’s mistakes is a point where you, the crown princess, should stand confidently as well.
This was something I had experienced firsthand.
There were those who tried to argue with me over details upon details from the game that I had played multiple times, memorizing everything even in the nooks and crannies. Whenever that happened, I would cite parts from a setting book that had never been translated and if they continued to press on, I’d shoot them down in response— it was my hobby.
…Though there were times later on when I made mistakes too and got shot down for it. But what could I do? There was hardly anyone who would bother to translate and summarize every minor detail. If they had a problem with it, they could translate it themselves.
Now that I’ve crossed over into this world where I was handling all that summarization, I couldn’t do any such thing anymore.
“Is that so…?”
After listening to my words, Alice nodded, as if somewhat impressed.
Seeing that expression on Alice made my heart flutter with pride.
Well, I had to struggle not to let it show on my face.
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