A large and luxurious boat, capable of carrying two dozen horse-drawn
carriages, floated on the surface of the lake. Anne looked up at the massive
vessel and scratched her head.
"Huh... How come they don't just build a bridge to the island, Princess Mia? I
mean, I get using a boat to carry people, but I feel like they don't have to carry
the carriages too..."
"Apparently, they used a bridge in the past, but there were too many disputes
over checking enrollment documents and confirming accompanying
attendants."
Bridges, no matter how big or numerous they were, would always slow down
traffic. They were fundamentally bottlenecks. Add to that the fact that the
academy's students all arrived by horse carriage on the same day, and it was
easy to see that congestion was inevitable. Furthermore, riding in those
carriages were all sons and daughters of aristocrats for whom the concept of
"waiting" was entirely foreign. A dispute between such people could easily
result in some poor supervisor losing their head. But at the same time,
increasing the width and quantity of bridges to the point where congestion
wouldn't occur was also entirely unfeasible given how infrequently they were
used.
"I heard that even after they started using boats to ferry the students, there
was still an occasion when an argument broke out over the location of their
assigned cabins."
The children of nobility and royalty were, in general, very proud people. They
would not allow for those who came from families of lower or equal standing to
occupy a cabin above their own. And it'd better not be bigger, either. The sheer
number of preconditions that had to be considered when assigning cabins
turned the whole process into a nightmare for whoever was in charge.
"How terribly asinine to be squabbling over such matters... Hmph."..
Mia conspicuously ended her statement with a scoff and a shrug to drive
home the point that she would never even think of doing such a thing. The fact
that she distinctly recalled a separate timeline where someone who looked and
sounded exactly like her made a huge scene over whose carriage got loaded
first was, in this case, completely beside the point. Also, her cheek definitely
wasn't twitching.
Anne, of course, was oblivious to these details. Her mind was currently filled
with thoughts such as Wow, Princess Mia is so awesome and She's such a role
model, which only served to strengthen her loyalty toward her princess.
Eventually, they reached the harbor. Upon disembarking, they bade farewell
to the carriage driver and the retinue of imperial guards who had accompanied
them on their journey.
"Dear knights, your diligent escort has been greatly appreciated. You may
return. I pray that you have a safe journey home."
The captain of the imperial guards bowed his head.
"Yes, Your Highness. We, and the whole of the Empire, wish you well. May
God be with you in your new life at the academy."
Mia thanked him once again as memories of the past resurfaced. During the
revolution, with most of the imperial army either fleeing or defecting, one
group of knights had stayed firm in their duty. The imperial guards — the ones
she was looking at right now — fought to the bitter end to protect her. In the
end, not a single one chose life over loyalty.
In other words, they were exactly the kind of useful friends she needed to
stay on good terms with. Therefore, she made sure to treat them with the
utmost respect.
"Her Highness..."
"Did she just..."
Some of the guards shifted a little. A few had quivering lips. There was the
sound of a sniffle. It wasn't their fault, really. Everyone got a little emotional the
first time. After all, none of these knights had ever heard a word of appreciation
from their princess.
Tasked with guarding the royal family, these were knights of exceptional skill.
At times, they had to sniff out threats — assassination attempts, for example —
before they'd even occurred. However, no matter how faithfully they
performed their task, at the end of the day, it was still a job. Though they might
risk life and limb in the line of duty, their deaths and injuries were of no concern
to the people they guarded. It was their purpose. They were doing their job.
Nothing was wrong with that. Such was simply the way of things...
And yet, this young princess before them had expressed concern for their
well-being. She said she would pray for their safe return. It wasn't much, but it
moved them all the same. As they set off for the capital, Mia's words resounded
brightly in their hearts, cementing their loyalty toward their tiny master.
"Now then... Let us head off as well," said Mia, turning her gaze toward the
climactic stage that would decide her fate, Saint-Noel Academy.
The island in the lake where Saint-Noel Academy was situated contained all
the facilities necessary to function as an independent town. It was, in effect, a
college town. A multitude of stores lined the streets, offering everything from
clothes and shoes to smithies, jewelry, and stationery. There was also no
shortage of restaurants. Furthermore, in order to ensure the satisfaction of the
island's high-class population, they were all of the highest quality. Which meant
that for Anne, they all gave off an aura that was the opposite of welcoming.
"Woweee..." she said in a tone that was a mix between awe and aversion.
"There's so many stores that look too scary to walk into..."
Mia giggled a little at her reaction.
"I agree, but that's only true for the main street. There are plenty of cheaper
stores that are meant for the regular folks living on the island. The academy
also runs its own store, which carries most daily necessities at very reasonable
prices."
Oh, what a relief. I can go there to buy the things that I need for myself...
"As such, starting tomorrow, I'd like you to conduct a thorough survey of
every store in this area."
"...Huh?"
"In particular, I want you to make a list of all the stores that carry items of
decent quality at reasonable prices," Mia said as though it were the most
normal request in the world.
"B-But, Princess Mia, what about your allowance? I thought you said you'll be
sent more than enough to cover everything you might need..."
"I will be. And you're right. Some amount of expenses are indeed necessary to
maintain the Empire's image. However..." Mia glanced at all the fancy stores
around her and frowned. "There is a time and place for such spending, and this
is not it. My allowance is derived from taxes, and I'd rather not squander
something that comes from sweat and blood..."
"Princess Mia..."
Anne's voice trembled with emotion as she watched Mia softly whisper to
herself.
"Sweat and blood must not go to waste. They absolutely must not..."
For Mia, it wasn't a metaphor; how she used tax money had a direct effect on
her sweat and blood — specifically, how much she'd end up shedding. Every
coin wasted was another step toward the guillotine, and she had no intention of
ever seeing that damn thing again.
"I'll have half my allowance sent to Ludwig. I'm sure he'll make good use of
it."
Just then, Mia stopped in her tracks.
"Princess Mia?"
"My... That's..." she whispered, her gaze fixed on a figure in the distance.