Ending Conditions of the Princess and the Knight

“I want this one. Blue Lady.”

Taeri pointed to the champagne labeled highest in sugar.

She thought she was going to buy her a glass and get her to work, but instead, Bridget cut him off with a stinging rebuke.

“What are you talking about, order the cheapest thing you can find. We don’t need to feed these guys, we’re here to ruin their business, don’t forget that.”

“Still, if possible, let’s have something delicious to eat—”

“Have you forgotten your role already? You’re here today to support me, not to play!”

“Oh, okay, okay, okay.”

She’s so strict.

If you take off your hat, it’s as good as revealing your true identity and status. So, I wanted to leisurely have a drink before starting, and the order went in for two of the cheapest drinks.

As we waited for the tasteless drinks to arrive, we quietly strategized.

A noblewoman with a peacock feather pinned to her breast pocket swished her skirt and walked over.

To Taeri, it passed as just another unfamiliar face, but to Bridget, they exchanged a nod and exchanged careful words.

“It’s been a long time, Miss Bridget. I thought you’d left town for good.”

Bridget, who was peeling the sugar cubes one by one, raised an eyebrow with an expression of “Oh, what a bother” and didn’t respond to the statement.

Nevertheless, the lady continued without any sign of irritation.

“I heard the runaway princess has returned… Have you happened to meet her? Miss Bridget, you still have connections over there, after all. What kind of personality does the princess have? Oh, I’m worried what might happen, she’s the daughter of that mad sorcerer, you know.”

For some reason, she didn’t leave in a sour mood after being chewed out, but I think it was because she was curious.

When Bridget remained unresponsive, she tried to cajole her with a more exaggerated tone of voice.

“I overheard you say that Miss Bridget grew up in the castle with the princess when she was younger, and you went to be a handmaiden to such an irresponsible person. She must have had it rough at a young age.”

Hmm, is this what they call a coincidence?

Moreover, with the princess herself sitting among them now, it’s a situation where any offensive move could be a double-edged sword.

“Hey.”

After dropping a lump of peeled white sugar into her cup, Bridget finally lifted her heavy mouth.

“Yes, Miss Bridget.”

“Why are you acting so friendly all of a sudden, I can see through you.”

“Yes, yes……?”

“You used to ignore me even when I greeted you. What’s this all about? Are you swallowing when it’s sweet and spitting out when it’s bitter? That’s how you end up dying. Do you think I’ll give you something and you’ll just swallow it?”

And with that, she shot her a glare that looked like a laser beam of light, and she ran away in a panic.

Observing the scene, Taeri was naturally more surprised and gave a light slap on her arm.

“Why do you speak so harshly?”

“Because she’s a human who’s been going around saying that witches aren’t people, they’re monsters.”

“Isn’t that just because she’s scared of wizards?”

“What do you know? If you suddenly come and provoke me, do you think I’ll forget everything from the past and have a good time with you? I can’t believe where she found such audacity. She should have her head chopped off with courage, really.”

Bridget, who had come to the table with her teeth firmly ground, declared boldly. Today she would bite and bark.

That she’d had enough of being a silent wallflower in the snow, that she was going to be a real person.

“I’m not scared anymore because I have you.”

The words caught Taeri off guard and almost made her feel a little emotional.

She actually meant that now that she had a shield to use, she was going to trust her with her life, but for some reason, even that felt a little salty.

I thought she was a friend who stood strong through the storm and that the hard times were behind her, but now I realize that she’s still dealing with something.

The way she was still scarred in her daily life.

“She wasn’t completely wrong about that.”

“About what?”

“That it must have been hard for you.”

“I don’t care about what already happened.”

“Well, I’m sure it was hard for you, though. Thank you for your hard work, I mean it.”

Actually, isn’t it you who has grown so well and evolved? Courageous and confident. Bridget chuckled with a smile and a hint of laughter.

“Why go so far for a little help?”

Like a disassembled doll, she still bared her fangs at Taeri.

You, too, are in a position to receive my hatred, so I’m hating you for it.

The justified criticism was both delightful and coincidentally timed with the beautiful color of the cocktail that had just arrived. Without any warning, Taeri took off her hat in that moment.

She slipped her fingers into her hair and fluffed it, as if to release a tangle, and her black hair turned dark blonde, bouncing off the lights in a brilliant display of color.

Simultaneously, her rare elusive orange irises, returned in place.

Ah, this feels a bit like a magical girl transformation. If I keep doing it, I might become addicted.

The first gasp of surprise came from the bartender, who was the first to witness the transformation.

“Huh, it’s Sonneti……!”

The signal flare he shot up spread through the air in an instant.

The bustling venue froze like an ice kingdom, and all movements stiffened, without even a sound of breath.

Apparently, to these people, being a princess of Izarith was a position similar to that of a supreme villain.

Taeri wondered what to do about it, then decided not to try to break the icy atmosphere.

They had a common fear of wizards, and it wouldn’t hurt to capitalize on that psychology.

She tilted her glass, swaying without saying a word, while those who had been unable to do anything but roll their eyes awkwardly finally realized the situation and relaxed their stiff bodies after a while.

After a while, they tried to pretend that nothing had happened, with more exaggerated smiles and extravagant gestures than before.

The effect was immediate, and Bridget beamed with delight, gesturing that she’d done a good job, before covering her mouth with her hand and whispering quickly.

“They’re coming again. This time they’re coming in swarms. I guess they’re afraid to come alone.”

I wondered who could be so brave and mean at the same time, but it turned out to be a group of gentlemen reading by the window.

“If you’ll excuse us, we’d like to say hello. Are you the Princess of Izarith?”

It was a polite start compared to what she’d been expecting, so Taeri nodded lightly in response.

Immediately, an exclamation of admiration, like ‘Oh, my goodness!’ reverberated through the room, and one of them stepped forward.

“To meet the princess in a place like this is an honor for us.”

“Hmm.”

“Welcome to this place.”

“Oh, thanks.”

A short and firm retort. A tone that surpasses arrogance and naturalness.

For a moment, it seemed like the man was taken aback, but Taeri maintained a smiling expression that firmly conveyed her position of “Why, am I not allowed to talk back to you informally?”

It seemed like this was what being a princess was about.

To make it impossible for you to say the word ‘dare’ in my presence, to make it clear to you that I will not tolerate any disrespect from you.

The bewildered man, realizing belatedly, said, “Ah, right. Because you’re a princess,” and was about to request a kiss on the back of her hand but ended up biting the air.

“I would like to show my respect, but since Your Highness has a husband, you may be hesitant to engage in contact. I will offer my greetings in a formal manner instead.”

When he said husband,’ what did he mean?

I don’t have a husband. And above all else…

“The Viceroy used to handle things without saying such words.”

Maybe its originally supposed to be done that way. I’m sorry, but I’m in the dark when it comes to the etiquette of your world.

This time, it was a question asked purely out of curiosity.

However, the people who had their ears pricked in this direction were simply shocked by the words themselves, and their eyeballs flew in all directions, startled.

“That, um… No, Viceroy? Haha, perhaps the Viceroy had guessed that the Princess was unmarried.”

Well, Claude didn’t seem to have such deep thoughts and actions yesterday.

When I was wavering about whose approach was right, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint smirk on the man’s face. As soon as I perceived it as a bad sign, a punch was thrown1figuratively.

“I thought you had enough confusion, yet you still don’t have a husband or a companion… It’s understandable, but it’s unfortunate.”

What are you supposed to understand? What’s so unfortunate?

No matter how different his way of thinking was from the modern world, the man’s attack was excessively outdated.

To think he chose such a cheap tactic to deal with a woman of higher status than himself.

It seems like he wants to start by labeling me as a ‘problematic unmarried woman’ until I reach a suitable age, but honestly, it was quite pathetic.

“You speak as if you’re my long-deceased great-great-grandfather. Open your eyes a bit. The world has changed, so you need to learn a lot.”

However, the guy sneered and asked further.

“Do you have someone you’re seeing?”

“If you’re asking if I’ve met men, I’ve met a few. I’ve even met someone for quite a long time, around five years…”

“Five years? And yet you haven’t married that person?”

Ah, I was really tired of that marriage talk. Just as I was about to brush it off, I saw him turn his head and mutter something to his companions.

Only four words.

Feeling uneasy about it.

What is that guy babbling about now? Is he trying to gather all sorts of unpleasant acts just because he hates it?

As I contemplate various forms of retaliation, Bridget, who has been watching nearby, suddenly springs up like lightning.

“Why feel uneasy? If you feel uneasy just because you’ve been with someone for a long time, is it okay to change partners every day? It’s utterly ridiculous to judge a woman with such illogical reasoning. It’s incredibly despicable.”

“What? That’s insane!”

True to her determination to bark if provoked, Bridget abandoned all courtesy and formality and charged fiercely.

To my surprise, she even passionately defended the princess and stepped forward to protect her.

“Shut up, you brat! Apologize immediately for insulting our princess! If you don’t, I’ll spit on you and show you how a villain enacts justice.”

In awe of Bridget’s nearly 100km-per-hour acceleration, Taeri had a change of heart with just those words and sincerely admired her.

What kind of amusing story is she going to tell in a situation like this?