Common Sense of a Warrior

Ugh…this chapter had so much formal speech. I"m not the best at fancy wording, so please bear with me. I apologize if things came out a bit……awkward(?). I did take some liberties when translating some of the phrases so that the meaning was conveyed better (I think ;D). In any case, hope you enjoy the chapter! Mellice and Rui are so cute together~

…….I put on the dress that was prepared for today under the guidance of Aurelisama.

It was a slender fit made to follow the line of my chest and torso, with a borderline amount of skin exposure around the collar so that it didn"t damage the dignity of the wearer.

In contrast to that, the area below the waist had sheets of light blue silk gently overlapping, producing a sense of volume.

Madame Créjour had visited the Armelia Ducal House a number of times to consult Aurelisama, and created this without making a single compromise……it was one of her prized works.

For my accessories, I put on a bracelet that Mother used to wear, as well as a blue diamond necklace and earrings received from Father.

After that, I braided my hair, and put on make-up.

"……you look lovely, Mellice-sama."

Around the time that all the preparations had been completed, Anna went, "Oh~"……letting out a sigh as she murmured.

…….the disguise technique pa.s.sed on from Granny……or rather, the make-up technique, also made me feel admiration upon seeing myself in the mirror.

Together with the sound of knocking, Enaline entered the room.

"……please excuse me, Ojou-sama. Rui-sama has arrived."

"Understood. I"ll go right now."

Upon standing up, I felt the weight of the clothes that were heavier than usual.

Every time I stepped forward, it felt like the air was gently absorbed into them, making them feel even heavier.

When I entered the room that Enaline guided me to, Rui was waiting on the sofa.

He was also in full formal wear, with his hair gelled back neatly.

Rui"s gaze nonchalantly turned to face.

In that instant, his eyes widened as he stared, flabbergasted. 

"……d-does it not suit me?"

I asked, suddenly feeling anxious……..the dress was made under Aurelisama"s supervision, so there shouldn"t be any problems with it, meaning that if there were any problems, it could only be with myself.

The longer the silence lasted, the worse my anxiety became.

"……you"re beautiful."

However, contrary to my anxiety, he spoke straightforwardly.

"Eh……."

For a while, I was unable to process his words, and this time it was my turn to stare back absentmindedly.

"You"re……very beautiful."

He quietly approached and took my hand.

That warmth caused me to finally realize that this was reality, and my face became hot.

"Th-……thanks."

He reverently took my hand, as though he were facing a princess from somewhere.

"……could I have the honour of escorting you?"

"Yes, of course."

Like that, I wrapped my hand around his arm.

"Please take care of me……Rui-sama."

And then, the two of us left the Anderson Marquis House.

Today was the day of my high society debut.

Jolted around by the carriage, we headed towards the palace.

"Ahh……I"m nervous."

"It"s alright, Melly. If it"s you, there"s no need to be worried……because you managed to s.n.a.t.c.h the acknowledgement of that Mother of mine."

"Even if you say that, Rui. That"s precisely why, in contrast, I have to surpa.s.s the expectations everyone will have of me. If I don"t do that, then I"ll feel like I smeared mud on the face of Aurelisama, who was my teacher……"

"……for you, this is your first battle."

Rui quietly murmured.

"I"m you feel fearful. I"m sure you"re also anxious…….however, those are indispensable things. By having those feelings, you"ll be more cautious, and take more thought before acting. Is that not correct?"

That is true, I nodded.

Those were precisely the kind of words one would tell a new recruit who was about to stand on the battlefield for the first time……because of that, my mind easily accepted them. 

"And if it"s you, then you won"t be defeated. You worked that hard, and you have the courage to put all that into practice. If even then there"s something that you can"t deal with……"

"……then?"

"No matter what happens, I"ll help cover for you."

I made a small giggle at Rui"s words.

"I see……that"s true."

I gently rested my head against his shoulder.

"……my future husband. I am sorry for whimpering so. However, it is alright. If you are to be by my side, then I will be alright. I won"t be put down by this level of fear."

"As expected of you, Melly."

A fearless smile spread across his face as he praised me.

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the palace.

"Please, Melly."

Taking Rui"s hand, I descended from the carriage.

In order to escort me, Rui"s hand wrapped around my waist.

This method of escorting made it so that one had to match their breathing with their partner"s in order to walk.

However, in my case, as I placed all my trust in him while accepting his hand in support, I was able to advance forward with a peace of mind.

The corridor had a number of other people who were also invited for their high society debuts.

We joined that line, and waited to have an audience with the Queen as well.

Our turn soon came, as we entered the audience room.

Quietly escorted by Rui, we approached the throne.

There was no greater honour for the sons and daughters of high ranking n.o.bles to enter high society, than to do so by making their first greetings at an audience with royalty.

Males typically would greet them on their own, while females would be escorted by another during the audience.

Generally one would be escorted by one"s own family, but it was acceptable to be escorted by one"s fiancé if you had one……so I had Rui escorted me.

This audience room was a place designed for the purpose of having an audience with the highest ranking woman in this country……as expected, it was a beautiful and luxurious place.

Pillars of polished marble were lined up, and gold was crafted onto them.

The floor was similarly made of marble, but as we were walking on a single long red carpet leading to the throne, I unfortunately was unable to stare at the marble floor that had been finely polished until it shone like a mirror.

If I could, I would take my time carefully examining the beautiful interior design, but as I was currently in the midst of walking towards my audience, there"s no way I could do that.

For that purpose, I fixed my gaze forward as we walked, coming to a stop at a certain spot.

And then, with my nerves still stretched taut, I made a bow. 

"……raise your heads."

Together with the Queen"s words, we raised our heads.

Sitting on the throne was a middle-aged woman……her dignified appearance overflowing with majesty was precisely that of a king"s.

On her head was something said to be prepared specifically for her use – a beautiful crown for female use that, while being more delicate and lighter than the one for men"s use, was still gorgeous.

"This is the Anderson Marquis House"s eldest daughter, Mellice Reese Anderson."

The chamberlain standing next to the Queen introduced my name.

"……you may speak."

"It is an honour."

"Mellice Reese Anderson. We finally meet."

"I am terribly sorry regarding the previous tea party. I am greatly delighted at being able to meet you, your Majesty."

It feels like her Majesty the Queen has been staring at me since I raised my head but…….it could be that she is evaluating me, or perhaps there is some other meaning behind her actions?

In any case, the gaze from a woman filled with such dignity makes me feel like I"d wither away easily if I let up even for a bit.

"……that is a very lovely outfit."

The sudden change in topic left me momentarily confused. While it thankfully did not show on my face, my mind fell into utter chaos.

Would it be okay to take those words at face value, or……

"Thank you very much. It is a piece produce with suggestions offered by my mother, Aurelisama. I am sure that Aurelisama will be delighted to hear your Majesty"s words of praise, if I may transmit them to her."

"My……I was merely giving my honest opinion. It truly suits you well……..is Rui not also proud of it?"

……does an audience done for the purpose of giving greetings as part of one"s high society debut usually take this long for each person? I heard that it usually ends after giving a generic greeting but…….

Such doubts emerged in my mind.

"……it is as you say. While it may be presumptuous of me to say this without being selective with my words, it is to the extent that I am concerned that other men will have their eyes stolen away by the sight of my beloved fiancée."

My beloved fiancée……hearing those words, I felt my face become red, despite being in the Queen"s presence.

"Such a happy couple. From the looks of it, it seems the Mellice does not dislike Rui either."

Having noticed my change in expression, the Queen let out a chuckle as she spoke.

"Yes…….I also love him. That is why I always think about how to become better suited for him."

"Better suited, you say……it is I who wants to become a man suited for Mellice, since I am able to continue doing my best because Mellice is with me."

"My……"

Hohoho……the Queen laughed in a joyful manner.

"The both of you truly are harmonious…….I was able to see something good. Mellice, I hope you have a happy future together."

At the Queen"s words, the both of us once again lowered our heads together.

After that, we performed our departure greetings and left the room.