Chapter 99

It was when the preparations for parting were complete, and she stood in front of the carriage.

I took out a cloth bag, large enough to fit in the palm of a hand, from inside my breast pocket.

“Princess Elysia.”

When I called out, the Princess turned around. She wore her usual composed expression.

I held it out.

“You can use this to alleviate carriage sickness during your journey.”

The Princess’s gaze dropped to the bag.

A faint scent drifted through the cloth.

“…A scent bag, is it?”

“Yes. It is filled with mint and rosemary.”

I explain concisely.

“It will be a long journey. It is merely a small comfort, though.”

After a moment’s pause, the Princess received it. Her fingertips touched it ever so slightly.

“…Thank you very much.”

It was a quiet voice.

Without particularly changing my expression, I continue.

“If it is unnecessary, I do not mind if you hand it over to someone else.”

At those words, the Princess’s fingers stopped slightly.

“…Is that, so.”

She replied shortly.

She said nothing further.

The doors of the carriage were closed, and the wheels slowly began to move.

Inside the carriage.

The swaying was gentle, but a constant vibration continued, and unfamiliar scenery flowed past outside the window.

Princess Elysia was staring at the object in her hands. A small cloth bag. The knot was neat, with no unnecessary decoration.

“…”

With her fingertips, she stroked it gently.

The clear mint and the calm scent of medicinal herbs rose faintly.

She naturally brought it close to the tip of her nose.

—It’s calming.

Her thoughts quieted down just a little.

“…It’s consideration, isn’t it.”

She muttered softly. A gift in thought of a long journey, she could understand that.

“…Is that all?”

The fingertips stroking it stopped slightly.

Scent is something meant for remembering, even when apart. It was not as if she didn’t know its meaning as a gift.

“…It couldn’t be.”

She shook her head once.

“No… there is no way…”

However, she couldn’t completely deny it. His phrasing at that time.

“If it is unnecessary, I do not mind if you give it to someone else.”

It was far too curt.

“…Exactly because of that?”

It slipped out absently.

—Am I being tested?

Thinking that far, she gasped softly.

“…What am I thinking?”

As if exasperated with herself, she let out a small breath. Even so, she didn’t let go of the bag. She rolled it with her fingertips and checked the scent again.

“…It’s not that, is it.”

A slight heat tinged her cheeks.

She muttered softly, but there was no confidence in that voice.

The next moment, she tightened her expression, returning it to her usual princess face. However, her gaze dropped to the bag again.

For just the slightest moment, the corners of her mouth relaxed, and the next moment, her brow furrowed as if troubled.

—Relaxing, bewildered, denying.

All of that repeated within a short span of time.

Almost as if her emotions couldn’t catch up.

“…”

She inhaled the scent once again. This time, slightly longer.

Her fingers never showed any intention of letting go of the bag.

The maid sitting opposite her was watching that state.

Keeping her gaze directed outside.

However, everything entered the corner of her field of vision.

—How easy to read.

She thought quietly in her heart.

While pretending not to notice anything, she had properly witnessed the Princess’s “hundred-faced” expressions.

The slight softness when staring at the bag; the ambiguous wavering when denying it. And above all—not letting go of it.

“…”

The maid dropped her gaze just the slightest bit.

She could see it perfectly well, but she did not point it out.

She simply sat quietly, with a face showing nothing was the matter.

Because that was her role. However.

She barely suppressed the corners of her mouth from relaxing.

…Good grief, honestly.

Adjusting her breathing slightly, she once again maintained a face showing nothing was the matter.

The carriage continued to advance at a constant speed.

The sound of the wheels echoed monotonously.

Princess Elysia gently looked down at the scent bag placed on her lap.

Her thoughts were slowly being organized.

The cultivation of poppies, the stable supply of opium, and the introduction of anesthesia techniques. None of them were light matters; even one possessed enough value to shake a nation.

“…It’s large, isn’t it.”

She muttered softly.

This was not a mere trade; it would become a long relationship tying nations together.

“…I must brace myself.”

She said quietly and raised her gaze. The scenery outside the carriage flowed past. Just like that, she sank her thoughts one step deeper.

…These talks will pass. The King, my father, will definitely accept this proposal. Utilizing the resources of the south, and gaining medical techniques as compensation. Even though the condition comes with management, there is no reason to refuse it.

Rather, the problem was what comes after.

“…I will be the one shouldering it, won’t I.”

She muttered softly.

The continuation of negotiations. The coordination of the supply. The supervision of the technique introduction.

Since it was a staged exchange, it was not a matter that would end in a single instance.

—In other words.

“…Meaning, I will continue to be involved.”

A slight strength gathered in her fingertips again.

As a duty, it was natural. Rather, it was the form she should desire.

Even so.

“…What should I do.”

Her voice wavered faintly.

She gently lifted the bag.

She checked the scent just once more, and closed her eyes just like that.

The carriage advanced, and the distance was certainly growing further.

Even so, only the scent remained within her hands.