Chapter 235: Letty Waiting for Her Escort

The strong sunlight beat down mercilessly. Even wearing a wide-brimmed hat, it was glaring.

The heat this summer is abnormal. I reflexively raised my hand in front of my face to shield it.

Today, the summer training camp for the Southern Development Research Society begins. I was waiting in front of my house for Will to come pick me up. A large leather suitcase sat next to me.

I looked at the embroidered sleeves of my white summer dress. I wear armor in the undeveloped lands, but Will was going to store it in his spatial storage and carry it for me.

When I told my mother that, she had me dress in this white summer dress. The pale light-blue hat has a wide brim and is adorned with decorative flowers. I wonder if it really suits me?

Unless it’s a party where nobles gather, I usually wear easy-to-move-in, boyish clothes, so I felt somewhat restless.

Usually, I wait for Will inside the house, but today I’m standing alone out front. That being said, our vassals are still guarding me from a distance.

The fact that I managed to wait for Will alone, after a fashion, was all thanks to my father saying unnecessary things.

I recall the time I told my parents I wanted to participate in the club’s summer training camp.

“A training camp, huh. Hmm, it’s fine since you’re going with your fiancé William-kun and the others, but is it really okay not to send guards with you?”

“What’s the matter, Father? I don’t need guards. I didn’t have guards when going to explore the undeveloped lands or when we went to rescue the Woodpole territory.”

“Well, yes, that’s true, but… Her Highness Flora will likely have two guards with her, and our family has become a Margrave house now…”

Ugh, he’s worrying about something so trivial.

“Dear. I don’t think it’s right to suddenly start worrying about appearances just because we became a Margrave house. Comparing a noble house to the Royal Family is strange to begin with.”

As expected of Mother.

“Letty, Elva-san of the Sheffield Ducal family is also participating, right? Won’t the Northern Ducal family trust William-san and not send guards?”

“Yes, it’s exactly as you say, Mother. The Sheffield family is practically being managed by Lucas-san due to the current head’s poor health, but Elva-san said, ‘My brother says guards are unnecessary because he trusts William-san.'”

“See? If you send guards, the surrounding people might think we don’t trust the Fairchild family.”

Father raised both hands in a pose of surrender.

“Alright, alright, I was wrong. An acquaintance asked if I wasn’t worried about my precious daughter going to the dangerous undeveloped lands, but Letty is strong, so it was unnecessary worrying on my part, huh.”

Honestly, I wonder if becoming a Margrave hasn’t gone to Father’s head a bit. In that regard, Mother is calm and reliable.

As I was thinking about such things, the space in front of me shimmered. The next instant, Will appeared.

“Letty, did you come out to the front of the house? It’s hot, so you could have just waited inside.”

It’s true that the inside of the mansion is cool thanks to the air conditioners Will installed. But I wanted to wait outside.

“After this, you’re going to pick up El and Col, and then head to the Royal Palace, right? I thought it would be better not to waste any time.”

“I see, you were being considerate of me.”

That’s not actually the truth. The girls at Will‘s workshop were talking about how the time spent waiting alone to meet up with their boyfriends was a slightly anxious yet thrilling feeling, so I wanted to try it out too.

Well, even with Will‘s Teleportation Magic, it’s also true that it takes time to go here and there to pick everyone up.

After this, we’re going to the Royal Academy to pick up El and Col. Originally, we were planning to go to the Sheffield territory too. But when I talked to El on the phone, she said she got permission from her brother, the Student Council President, so she would join from the academy without returning to the Ducal territory.

Col said, “My old man told me to do as I please, so I don’t need permission to join the training camp.” I’m a little jealous of Col, who can act so freely.

In that regard, Flora, who is a Princess, needed to return to the Royal Palace to get His Majesty’s consent. When we spoke on the phone, she sighed, saying, “My family is troublesome in many ways.”

Being born into the Royal Family is tough. Come to think of it, we decided to call each other by our first names in the club, but in the end, Flora ended up being called “Your Highness.”

I recall El, Col, and Kate all apologizing, saying, “As expected, adding ‘-san’ to Her Highness’s name is impossible for us. We’re sorry.” Flora looked disappointed, but she said she was happy just having Will and me call her by her name.

“By the way, Letty, your clothes have a different vibe than usual.”

My, to think that incredibly dense Will would bring up my clothes.

“My mother dressed me in this. I feel like such girly clothes don’t suit me, though.”

“No, that’s not true. You look good in brave attire, Letty, but neat, cute clothes like that suit you too.”

Will smiled warmly.

Mmm, those are uncharacteristic words for my tactless childhood friend. Uncharacteristic. But, to be honest, I guess I’m happy.