“Now that the preparations are complete, we can finally start touring the city. Before that, why don’t we decide on our aliases?”

Charlotte was touching her hair, the color of which had been transformed earlier. As she did, Ethelbert, who had also changed his hair color from silver to brown, made a suggestion. Although his dazzling charm had softened a bit, he was still an eye-catching youth.

“An alias?”

“No matter how much we change our appearances, it’d be pointless if you still refer to me as ‘Your Highness.’”

“That’s true…”

Addressing him using honorifics would be akin to revealing their identities, rendering their magical disguises pointless.

Even if the color of her hair and eyes had changed, on top of wearing the garments of a commoner, the shape of her face and her mannerism were still the same. To keep a low profile, she should at least refrain from calling him in such a way.

“You can call me Ethel.”

“…Sir Ethel.”

When Charlotte called him by his requested nickname, Ethelbert frowned, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

“You don’t really need to add ‘Sir,’ but okay. What shall I call you?”

“I…”

Charlie. Her late mother used to call her that. However, that was a long time ago. It had been so long she couldn’t even remember her voice or the situation in which she was called that. Only the fact that she was once called by that nickname remained in her memory as mere information.

“Please call me ‘Lotte,’ ‘Char,’ or whatever you like.”

After hesitating for a while, she left it to Ethelbert.

“All right, I’ll go with Lotte.”

As expected, Ethelbert chose from the list of nicknames she came up with. She didn’t suggest ‘Charlie’ because she didn’t want to be called that. After all, that nickname hadn’t only been bestowed to her by the late queen, but also by Frederick.

“Now that we’ve decided on our aliases, shall we head out?”

“Sure.”

When Ethelbert offered his hand to her, Charlotte was unsure of what to do.

If they boldly left from the front, they’d be spotted by Charlotte’s escort knights who were in the waiting room. Even if Ethelbert’s knight, who was stationed as a guard in the hallway, were to overlook them, there were many other knights and servants in the guesthouse.

How are we supposed to leave this room, much else the guesthouse? Through the window? I sure hope not.

“Have a safe trip.”

“Ensure that everyone else stays out of this room.”

“Understood.”

Brandon bowed and prepared to see them off, yet Ethelbert still hadn’t told her how they were supposed to go out into town.

When Charlotte looked up, Ethelbert suddenly grinned and snapped his fingers for the second time that day. In the blink of an eye, a magic circle unfolded beneath their feet.

“Be careful not to let go of my hand. You wouldn’t want to be stuck in another dimension.”

“Eh—?”

Charlotte couldn’t help but yelp at the serious warning. At the same time, the radiance of the magic circle intensified, causing her to close her eyes. The sensation was different from when he casted a spell to change her garments. When she heard others talking in the distance, Charlotte opened her eyes.

The scenery was no longer that of the room in the guesthouse, but outside.

They were in what appeared to be a back alley with buildings towering around it. She could see what appeared to be a main street bustling with activity. The voices were coming from there.

“I casted teleport.”

“Teleport… How amazing… I read in a book that it’s an expert-level spell, I see that Your Highness has mastered such spell as well…”

A spell that connected the caster’s current location to a specified destination through another dimension. Charlotte heard that if the spell failed, it could result in missing limbs or being left stranded in another dimension.

Every time he succeeded in casting an advanced spell, she was both shocked and astonished. At the same time, she wished he’d explain it to her beforehand rather than after. Then she’d at least be able to prepare herself.

That day was full of surprises. She was made to experience one spell after another without really knowing why. He really should be more considerate to those who weren’t accustomed to magic.

Charlotte suspected he was doing it on purpose. He forewent the explanations because he enjoyed seeing her reactions. Therefore, he’d probably do the same again in the future.

I guess he’s just that kind of person.

“I appreciate the compliment, but you’re calling me the wrong name, Lotte.”

“My apologies, Sir Ethel.”

“No problem. Just be careful.”

Charlotte tensed up slightly as Ethelbert drew closer to her, whispering straight into her ear.

So close… Also, his voice is nice.

Charlotte ruminated on his beauty, his status as the brother of an emperor, and his sense of distance from others once again. She didn’t know if he behaved like that with all women, but he seemed to know that he was attractive and was using it to his advantage.

Charlotte would call people like him ‘shrewd.’

How many people had he brought down with his conduct—whether intentionally or unintentionally?

“What’s the matter? Aren’t we going?”

Ethelbert, who was walking ahead, turned around to see that Charlotte wasn’t following him. Their gazes met, and Charlotte involuntarily squinted.

“It’s nothing.”

“…Are you in a bad mood?”

“It’s just your imagination.”

As she quickly caught up with Ethelbert, he reminded her.

“Don’t get separated from me.”

“I’m not a child, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

“Have you ever walked around town before?”

“It’s fine. I’ve memorized the map of the castle town.”

As long as she knew where she was, she was confident that she could reach their destination without needing to ask anyone. Besides, the unnecessarily tall royal castle could be seen from the street, so getting her bearings would be easy.

“Since I was invited by none other than Sir Ethel, I had to ensure I familiarized myself with the area.”

When she spoke with confidence, Ethelbert laughed.

“That’s true.”

As she stepped out into the main street, the lively chatter of the crowd grew louder.

A clerk was advertising and attracting customers with a smile, a jolly gentleman was walking with a cane, a parent and child walked hand in hand, a man and a woman who give the impression of being together, a pair of siblings chasing after each other…

…So, this is what they call a ‘town.’

Lots of people in various stores. The streets of the royal capital.

It wasn’t that she didn’t know.

Until then, all she could do was look out at the places she’d only heard of in Juliet’s stories from the windows of carriages. It was a place separated by a clear boundary, on where she wasn’t allowed to step into.

But now, she realized that looking at it wasn’t the same as actually experiencing it. The place which she’d seen numerous times now felt like an uncharted territory full of wonders.

The role of the princess was to protect and develop this liveliness—it was the duty given to Charlotte.

Even though it was a town that surrounded the royal castle, Charlotte had only learned about it through documents and biographies. She had never experienced it directly, so she had no particular attachment to it. Yet, it fell on her to keep it safe.

---

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***T/N: Can’t Ethelbert stage a kidnapping and steal her away right now.

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