Chapter 28 – The story of the Princess setting out on a journey to break the Prince's curse (お姫様が、王子の呪いを解く旅に出る物語。)

This is from the POV of Lady Amaryllis.

"Allis-chan, let's go!! Close the door, and hold on tight!!"

"Yes!!"

After being told by Bella-chan, I hastily closed the door and firmly grabbed onto the railing.

With Bella-chan pulling the carriage, the ride is bumpier than it normally would!!

Even before the knights stopped us earlier, I was left helplessly bouncing on my seat, and now my butt hurts!!

But, I have to hold it in!!

It's my turn to save my beloved Prince Christopher!!

As I regained my spirits, the carriage suddenly tilted.

"Hweh? Awawawa!! The carriage is about to fall over..."

"3, 2, 1, 0!! Take off!!"

"Huh? Bella-chan, did you say someth....──Eep!!"

After I felt the carriage tilt, I then felt my body being forcefully pushed against the seat.

I can't lift a finger from this seat!!

It's hard to even breathe!!

...Is what I thought, but now my body is moving away from the seat!!

"Eh? Huh? Huh?? I'm floating?!"

As I panicked at the sudden floating sensation, I saw from the corner of my eye...

The "Sack Stuffing His Highness" drifting from its seat.

"Hweeeeeeeh!! His Highness!! His Highness is!! He's floating!!"

This is terrible!! His Highness was sent flying while still in his sack!!

And yet, for some reason, he's still brimming with elegance!!

Amazing!! It's amazing!!

As expected of His Highness!!

Even when stuffed in a sack and sent flying, he still hasn't forgotten his grace!!

──Ah!! Now's not the time for that! I have to grab onto him!!

As I hurriedly released the railing to grab His Highness' sack with both hands...

I was slammed into the seat in front of me.

"Fugyaah!!"

"Guha!!"

In addition to that, I was thrown around the carriage like in a tornado.

"Ababababababa."

This is terrible!! We've just started yet we're already met with trouble!!

The "Story" that Bella-chan talked about is harsh and confusing right from the introduction page!!

To think I was happily attending a tea party just earlier!!

And now I'm going on this big adventure!!

It's a grand adventure, but I have no idea what's going on!!

Just what is happening to me right now...

To begin with, even the prologue was done abruptly.

Yes!! It was abrupt from my very encounter scene with Bella-chan!!

"I've decided!! I will become Prince Christopher's wife! I will support His Highness!!"

My beloved Prince Christopher will be trapped in the tower when he grows up.

I didn't know.

But, I might be able to save him.

At the tea party, I decided.

I will not leave His Highness' side, even if it means being locked up with him.

"Good day to you, Lady Amaryllis!! Would you like to have some girl talk with me?!"

"Eeek!!"

While I was mulling over things, a golden fluffball suddenly appeared from my side, startling me.

And in my surprise, the cookie in my hand was fired away!!

─────....poof.

"......."

"......."

......!!

Ha! Hawawawawa!!

W-w-w-what should I do?!

T-the cookie went inside the golden fluffball!!

And, if I looked closer, the golden fluffball was in fact, a young girl.

The girl had skin as white as porcelain.

Her almond-shaped eyes were turned up at the corners, resembling that of a mischievous kitten.

Its colour being a deep blue with a gradient tint, like jewels being embedded in them.

And the golden fluff... I mean, her golden, curly and fluffy hair.

This... this golden hair, that might even reflect my face like a mirror with how much light is reflecting off of it.....

─── Without a doubt, she's someone from the royal lineage.

"Hwaaamau!! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I deeply apologise!!"

"H-hwaaamau? Ah, no, not at all. I'm the one who should apologise for startling you. My hair even snatched away your cookie!"

After saying so, the golden fluffball... I mean, the young lady stuck her hand into her hair, and started searching for the cookie.

Her golden curls swayed as she rummaged through the balls of fluff.

"........."

"........."

The other ladies also watched intently for her to pull out the cookie from her head.

────.... The cookie isn't quite coming out of there.

"Yep! I simply cannot find it!! Let us give up on that cookie!!"

"""""What?!"""""

"Huh?!"

W-what? You're giving up on it?

But it's a literal cookie stuck in your head?!

"I-I shall look for it as well!!"

"That's quite alright!! It is not something that would go bad immediately, so I can just think of it as 'an emergency food that can't be taken out at will'!!"

──... What a free-thinking young lady.

She's like a free-spirited fairy, unbound by common sense.

"By the way, Lady Amaryllis! About that girl talk... Ah!! Pardon me, I had forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Isabella Ali Rottenstein, the third daughter of the Ducal House of Rottenstein!!"

Isabella Ali Rottenstein... you mean the one we were talking about just earlier?

The same Isabella who is engaged to the second son of the Schneiver Company, and experiencing a love story akin to that of a novel?

And the Second Prince Christopher's cousin!!

"Hawa!! I am Amaryllis Elli Brunst, the second daughter of the Marquess House of Brunst."

"Lady Amaryllis, since we're the same age, let's get along, okay?"

As she said so, Lady Isabella smiled and held out her hand to me.

The smile on her face is so cute. She looks just like a fairy!!

I'd love to be your friend!!

I happily squeezed her hand back.

"Yes, let's!!"

"Then to deepen our newly formed friendship, let's have some girl talk!!"

"U-um, what is this 'girl talk' you speak of?"

"It's where we talk about love!!"

Upon her words, the other ladies of the table had their curiosity piqued, and leaned in closer to our conversation.

That's only natural. After recently hearing about Isabella-sama's novel-esque love story, there's now a chance to hear more details from the person herself!!

But....

"Isabella-sama, I do not have any stories suitable for this 'girl talk' with you, are you really sure about this?"

I don't have any grand stories of love to tell, like Lady Isabella does.

I don't have any love story worth sharing with Lady Isabella.

"No, you do have a 'story'. And it starts now."

"I-it starts now?"

"Yes, so please follow me. Let us go meet the person who will be our greatest ally in helping you achieve your story's happy ending."

"Ally....."

"Every story needs a few supporters. Wizards and wise men, kings and queens; maybe even fairies or dragons!! Lady Amaryllis, do you like 'stories'?"

"──Yes!!"

I wonder why, my heart is racing.

My very own 'story'.

Is such a thing really going to start?

But... I feel like if I follow this fairy, I really will achieve my happy ending!!

Once again, I squeezed the hand she held out.

This time, it wasn't to shake them, but to hold hands.

After that, things proceeded so quickly that my head was spinning!!

Together, we first visited Isabella-sama's mother and Prince Christopher's mother, the queen, to gain them as our allies.

And my mother as well.

In the beginning, my mother was so worried that tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but...

In the end, she told me, "If you really believe that it will bring you happiness, Amaryllis" and accepted it.

Mother. I will definitely be happy, I promise.

I promise to obtain my happy ending with these two hands.

Isabella's mother was of the opinion that "a maiden in love will sometimes behave in unthinkable ways," and agreed to give her full cooperation.

The Queen was skeptical of Isabella's persuasion, but after Isabella-sama mentioned some things about an "A-rank adventurer", and "Bandits", and something called "Crimson Persona"? She agreed to cooperate with us.

I wonder what those were.

A type of spell fairies use?

As soon as they had settled the matter, Her Majesty lifted Prince Christopher by the scruff of his neck and brought him to the shed where the gardeners kept their tools.

I didn't expect the Queen would carry His Highness like one would carry a kitten.

Then, the Queen emptied the sack that stored the weeds the gardener had trimmed off, and stuffed Prince Christopher into it.

His Highness didn't even bat an eye at the treatment he was receiving.

"W-what shall I do... His Highness was... in a sack covered with dirt...!!"

"Amaryllis-sama, while it may be true that the sack had dirt on it, above all, it is a sack filled with dreams."

"Isabella-sama... Dreams, you say?"

"To be specific, by stuffing His Highness into that dirt-stained little sack, it has now transformed into a bag full of dreams."

"By stuffing His Highness into it, it turned into a bag of dreams...?"

I'm sorry, Isabella-sama. I do not understand.

"For example... How about naming it something like 'All-you-can-stuff Prince sack!!'?"

Al-... All-you-can-stuff Prince sack...?

The Prince part would be referring to His Highness, yes?

I wonder what the 'All-you-can-stuff' part means...

It makes me think that I can stuff in as much of the things I want, as much as I like. It sounds fun.

And when the things I like, and the things that sound fun are brought together...

Oh, I feel like I can see that dream now.......... I think?

While we were talking about things like that, Her Majesty had placed the sack with the Prince on a simple carriage, often used by servants and the like.

"Excuse me... Isabella-sama. Are we going somewhere?"

Fearfully, I posed a question to Lady Isabella.

I have no idea about what is going to begin.

"Amaryllis-sama, from now on, we are comrades of a 'story'-in-the-making. Please call me Bella!!"

"What?! But, Isabella-sama..."

Even if she tells me that, I am the daughter of a marquess, and Lady Isabella is the daughter of a duke.

I can't simply act over-familiar with her and address her as "Bella".

"If it is about my social position, please pay it no mind. In due time, I will be the wife of a merchant!! Then Amaryllis-sama will be the one with higher status."

"Even so..... That is..."

"Then how about this!! I will be calling you 'Allis-chan' from now on!! Which is why, you should call me 'Bella-chan' as well!! We're friends now, so there shouldn't be a problem calling each other as such."

Friends.

Friends in the 'story' that Isabella-sama says is about to begin?

What should I do.... I'm so happy.

If I turn her down, I feel like I will miss out on something that would have been my life's treasure.

"'Yes!! I am Allis, and Isabella-sama is Bella-chan!!"

Then, while Her Majesty was busy making it seem that "Prince Christopher started feeling unwell, and left the tea party mid-way to recuperate in one of the inner courts"...

I brainstormed some um, time-stalling finishing moves? with Bella-chan.

According to Bella-chan, my "Charm Skill" is exceedingly high-levelled.

As I am still a child, there aren't many chances for it to activate, but it would be a big problem should I unknowingly activate it as an adult. Thus, I should start practicing it as early as now.

As such, we first thought up a finishing move to practice activating it instantly.

The practice was extremely embarrassing, but I'm glad I was able to get it right away.

Incidentally, the signal for when to activate the finishing move is...

The phrase, "Moe-Kyun".

Is it a type of spell fairies use?

Once everything was in place, we were ready to go.

Will I be able to achieve a happy ending, as I promised my mother?

As I was feeling a little anxious, Bella-chan held my hand.

"It will be fine. There are already a lot of people who are willing to help and support us. This 'story' will definitely reach a happy ending. No, we will definitely make it a happy ending."

"Yes, we will definitely succeed!!"

"Now then, it's finally starting!! 'The story of the Princess setting out on a journey to break the Prince's curse' is about to begin!!"

Lady Amaryllis :──... What a free-thinking young lady. She's like a free-spirited fairy, unbound by common sense.

Fairy: What?!

────────・・

The second prince's very first line: "Guha!!"