Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Tea Party with the Princess

After visiting Lady Martine several times to learn magic, some time had passed, and I was invited to a tea party.

Lady Catherine was going to have a tea party with Princess Elizabeth, so it seemed that Lady Martine and I were having our own tea party. It was said to be a private gathering, just the two of us.

"Why just the two of us?" I wondered as I headed to the royal palace. When I arrived, I was guided to a pavilion in the courtyard of the North Palace.

Lady Catherine had explained to me that the palace was divided into four sections: the central palace housed the king's office and audience chambers, the east palace was where the officials mainly worked, the west palace was the primary workplace for the knights, and the north palace served as the residence for the royal family.

Inside the pavilion, tea and sweets were already prepared. I took a seat and waited for Lady Martine.

After a while, Lady Martine arrived with one of her guards. As soon as she took her seat, the guard moved to a position where he couldn't hear our conversation.

"Leon, hello. Thank you for coming today," Lady Martine greeted me.

"Lady Martine, it's an honor to be invited."

Today, Lady Martine was dressed for the occasion, wearing a more luxurious dress than usual and adorned with many accessories. It was like her face was too perfect, combined with her outfit, making her seem unreal...

I couldn't help but stare at Lady Martine. It's hard to believe that someone so adorable actually exists.

And then, after a while, I realized...

...This is bad! Did I stare too much?

I quickly averted my gaze. Even though I always tried not to stare too much at Lady Martine.

But, seriously, if you don't pay attention, you'll keep looking, right?

With her divine beauty and lovely natural smile, she's mesmerizing no matter how many times you see her!

"Leon, I've told you many times to be more casual in your demeanor," she said.

"But... Lady Martine, you are a princess."

"I'm telling you it's fine. It doesn't matter. I want to get closer to you."

Lady Martine said that, puffing her cheeks slightly in anger.

Lately, she's been asking me to be more casual with her. For some reason, it seems like she's taken a liking to me.

I'm really happy about that, but it's just weird for a commoner to address a princess so informally.

But, little by little, I find it hard to refuse her requests.

"But there are others around us..."

"That may be true, but... today, it's just the two of us. How about being more casual when it's just the two of us?"

Martine-sama seemed to have come up with a brilliant idea as her face lit up, and she proposed it with excitement.

Uh... There's no way to refuse now...

Well, if it's just the two of us, it shouldn't be considered disrespectful by others. After all, there aren't many occasions when we're alone together.

"I understand. Let's keep it between ourselves when we're alone."

"Yes, that's perfect! Then, you can call me Martine. No need for honorifics either!"

Martine-sama said with great joy. I can't resist that smile!! With a wry smile, I nodded.

"Yes."

"I'm so glad to have become friends with Leon! We're classmates at the Royal School, you know. I'm really looking forward to it."

I see... We're classmates at the Royal School too. I want to quietly go about my business, pretending not to know about it.

But since I'm attending as a representative of the Duke's household, I'm bound to stand out. I said I'd assist in strengthening the Duke's influence, so I guess there's no helping it.

But I'll keep the knowledge of all attributes and my magic image a secret, so maybe I can avoid attracting too much attention? No, that's probably impossible...

I'll probably be able to keep a low profile only until I enter the Royal School. After that, I'll have to work hard as a commoner with the Duke's backing and maybe even publicly announce my all attributes after graduation to receive a noble title. Anyway, it seems like I'll stand out for a long time...

For now, let's enjoy my commoner life while I can. It's a privilege that won't last forever.

"At the Royal School, p-please take care of me. Martine, I'm glad we're classmates."

Ohhhh! It feels so awkward to talk like this! Using honorifics feels much more comfortable. It's too unsettling not to use honorifics with the princess.

"It seems so unnatural somehow. I want you to talk more casually with me. You don't have to treat me like a princess."

I can't see it that way at all! We are by no means equal!

But, let's just talk normally. Come on, I can do it. Remember how you talked to the girls in your class!

"Alright, I got it."

Did I just say that naturally!? It was just one word, though... but I feel like I can do it. I'm getting used to it! Go me!

"Then, let's have a fun conversation from now on! There are so many things I want to ask Leon about."

"Yeah. What do you want to know?"

"What is Leon's favorite food?"

"My favorite food?"

"Yes! I don't know anything about you. I want to start with the basics."

Certainly, we often meet for magic practice, but we mostly talk about magic.

I wonder what my favorite food is. When I was in Japan, it was sushi... and also pizza.

I wonder if there's pizza in this world. There might be, but I've never seen it, so it's dangerous to answer.

Hmm, if it's something in this world... it would be French toast. I had sweet food after a long time, and it left a strong impression, so I came to love French toast.

"French toast, huh. How about you, Martine?"

"Oh, Leon, you have a sweet tooth, don't you! I like sweet things too. But my absolute favorite food is, without a doubt, pizza."

"Pizza!? They have it here!?"

I couldn't help but ask excitedly.

"We do have it, but why do you know about it, Leon? It was recently developed by the palace chef."

Oh no... I messed up again. I got carried away...

"Uh, um, yeah, that's right. I happened to hear about it at the Townsend Duke's residence. Haha..."

I tried to deceive her, but Martine's suspicious gaze didn't waver. In fact, it grew stronger.

"Pizza should still only be made at the Northern Palace. Both Prince Richard and Princess Catherine have never eaten at the Northern Palace, so they shouldn't know about it."

Uh... What should I do? How can I deceive her?

As I was sweating profusely on my back, feeling extremely uneasy inside, Martine-sama looked a little troubled.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask for a long time. Father said I should never ask Leon, but I can't help but wonder. Besides, I don't think you're the type of person who would get angry no matter what I ask."

Something that Alexis-sama has been stopping her from asking? What is it? It's not like I would get angry no matter what she asks...

"No matter what you ask, I won't get mad."

"I trust those words. Well then, may I ask a question? Can you keep what I'm about to ask a secret from others?"

Is she going to ask something serious?

I'm getting nervous... I swallowed nervously and answered.

"What we talk about now will remain between us."

As I said that, Martine-sama stared at me with a serious expression, then took a deep breath, seemingly preparing herself.

"Thank you... Then, Leon, can you use magic of all attributes?"

"Yeah."

Everyone knows about it, right?

"And you possesses a vast amount of knowledge. Things that even we, the royal family, don't know."

"Y-Yes..."

"We are aware of such an existence. It is the Apostle."

"I've heard about the Apostle from Lord Richard too. But I am not the Apostle."

Was this already conveyed?

"Is that true? Are there any reasons you're hiding it? Perhaps others think of you, Leon, as the Apostle. They might believe there's some reason you can't reveal your true identity, so asking you about the Apostle is treated as a taboo."

Is that how it turned out?! Well, it's only natural for people to think that way if there's a child with vast knowledge in all attributes...

"I really am not the Apostle. I didn't even know about the Apostle until I heard about it."

"Then, leaving aside the fact that you can use magic from all attributes, where did you acquire that knowledge?"

What should I do... Can I really tell the truth? It might be easier to just say I'm the Apostle, but I don't want to lie...

I wonder if Lady Martine would hate me if she knew the truth? Since I am already under the protection of Lord Alexis and Lord Richard, I don't think it would have a significant impact even if Lady Martine disliked me.

...But I don't want her to hate me. We've finally become friends.

However, just because I don't want her to hate me doesn't mean I should lie. She asked me straightforwardly, so I want to respond honestly. I don't want to evade the question.

I'm not sure if she will believe me, but let me try telling the truth.

Alright! I gather my resolve and look straight into Lady Martine's eyes as I begin speaking. Nervously, I slip back into using polite language.

"I have never told anyone what I'm about to say, and if possible, I'd like you to keep it to yourself. It's not something I want many people to know."

"I understand. I promise to keep it a secret. You can trust me."

"Thank you. I... have memories of living in a different world. It was a completely different world where I lived until I was an adult. Probably, I got involved in an explosion or something, and then I woke up as an eight-year-old Leon in this world. All my knowledge comes from the previous world."

When I said that, Martine-san made a face as if she couldn't understand, then she frowned, deep in thought.

"Leon, you have memories of living as a different person, right?"

"Yes."

"And those memories are not from this country or another country in this world, but from a different world, correct?"

"That's right."

"Is it really possible for something like that to happen...?"

"If I heard such a story from someone else, I wouldn't believe it either. But it's the truth."

Martine-san pondered for a while after that. I wondered if she would find it eerie if I shared this story. Or perhaps she would laugh it off as unbelievable.

An uncomfortable time passed. I sat still, sweating nervously.

After quite some time had passed, Martine-san finally lifted her head. It seemed she had sorted out her thoughts.

She looked straight into my eyes and declared with a resolute expression, "I choose to believe your words, and I will keep this a secret from everyone."

After saying that, Martine-san's face blushed slightly, and she continued, "I think it must be difficult to live with a secret you can't tell anyone. You can tell me anything. First... I'd like to hear about your life in the previous world, Leon."

"Martine-san..."

Hearing those words from a nine-year-old girl, I almost felt like crying. Maybe I had been more on edge in this world than I thought. Not being able to tell even my mom or dad was quite burdensome.

Somehow, I felt relieved, as if I had found a place where I could expose my true self, and my body relaxed.

Looking at Martine-san, who was smiling gently with a slightly proud expression, I also smiled.

"Martine, will you listen to my past story?"

"Yes, of course. We are friends, after all!"

Martine answered with a beautiful, beaming smile.