MISTERLP
When I was with Naden, relaxing in her cave, reading books, or watching
broadcasts on her simplified receiver, it reminded me of life in my old
world. If I have Naden with me, I feel like it'll keep me from losing sight
of who I once was."
I looked Liscia straight in the eye as I spoke.
"Besides, though Naden's birth and abilities may be special, she's an
incredibly ordinary girl."
"Whoa, Souma!" Naden objected.
But I hadn't meant that in a bad way. The way she laughed, cried, dealt
with her complexes, sulked, fell in love... There couldn't have been many
girls in this era who were so girly.
"I find that ordinariness charming," I said. "So... I'm sure I can love
her."
"I see..." Liscia cast her eyes downward, looking as if she was
considering something. Then, when she looked up again, she turned to
Naden. "I know how Souma feels now. So... Naden, it's your turn."
"O-Okay!" Naden burst out.
Liscia nodded, then turned back to me. "Souma, could you give Naden
and me some time alone now?"
Alone... Huh? She wanted to interview Naden privately?!
"That's..."
"Roroa, Juna, take care of Souma," Liscia directed.
Roroa and Juna took me firmly by the arms. I tried to shake them off,
but they definitely weren't letting go.
"Well, this's an order from the future first primary queen, after all, so
there ain't much else we can do about it," Roroa said.
"Hee hee," Juna giggled. "I suppose not. We have no other choice
here."
They said they had no choice, but didn't they kind of seem to be
enjoying it?!
When I looked to Hakuya for help...
"It seems this is a family discussion, so I'll take my leave," was all he
said before quickly leaving the room.
He ran away?!
Liscia took Naden's hand and started to walk away from us. "Now
then, Naden, it's a bit awkward to do this here, so let's go back to my
room. Oh, but before that... How about a bath first?" Liscia added, running
her fingers through Naden's long black hair.
"Huh? A bath?"
"Your hair's all tangled. As a girl, you need to take better care of it.
Come, I'll wash it for you."
"Huh? We're going together? Huh?"
Dragging Naden, who was at a total loss for what was happening, along
with her, Liscia left the room. I tried to stop her, but Juna and Roroa pulled
on me hard.
"No, sire, you can't do that. It's best to let girls work these things out
themselves."
"Leave this to Big Sister Cia, darlin'. You stay right here for Nadie's
sake."
"Juna, Roroa..." I said slowly.
It seemed like everyone had Naden's best interests in mind. I was
happy to see them doing their best to accept her, even if it might have left
them with complicated feelings. However, Roroa and Juna's smiles had an
intimidating edge that left no room for dispute.
"Before that, we're gonna make you tell us what happened between
you and Nadie in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and why she likes you
so darn much!" Roroa shouted.
"You won't be getting any sleep tonight, so prepare yourself," Juna
added.
"...Go easy on me, please," I sighed.
Sorry, Naden. Please, do your best on your end.
◇ ◇ ◇
"How is it? You're not itchy anywhere, are you?"
"I-I'm fine..."
I'm Naden. I was currently in a bath, being washed by Lady Liscia.
S-Someone, explain this situation to me!
To calm myself down, I reviewed a little of the situation so far.
In order to form a dragon knight (or, in my case, would it be a ryuu
knight?) contract with Kazuma, I had come to the Kingdom of Friedonia
where he lived. But I'd been hit with the shocking revelation that
Kazuma's real name was Souma Kazuya, and he was the king (but he
wasn't crowned yet, so only provisionally).
By the time I had landed in the courtyard of Parnam Castle, which,
while it obviously wasn't as impressive as Lady Tiamat's Crystal Castle,
was still respectable, I'd been led into the castle by saluting guards. I met
Lady Liscia, the foremost of Kazuma... no, Souma's fiancées, who was
therefore the future queen of this country. I was so confused I felt like I
didn't even know who I was anymore.
Then, Souma had said he wanted to take me as one of his queens.
"U-Um... I look forward to working with you."
I'd managed to muster that much of a response, and to bow, but the
inside of my head was utter chaos.
Huh? Was it really okay for me to marry Souma like this? I'd dreamed
of marrying a knight, but Souma was a king, you know?
Sure, there were dragons out there who had married Nothung royalty.
But we were talking about Friedonia, a country that had stood shoulder-toshoulder with the Empire up until now. Was it really okay for me to
become a queen there?
While my mind was still swirling...
"I know how Souma feels now. Next... Naden, it's your turn."
One of his fiancées, Lady Liscia, who they said was going to be the
first primary queen, spoke to me.
She was a princess with pretty, platinum blonde hair, wearing a
brilliant red military uniform. She looked to be about eighteen years old,
but had a dignified air about her.
I'd stood up straight and replied, "O-Okay!"
Lady Liscia had stared right at my face, then nodded for some reason
and said, "Souma, could you give Naden and me some time alone now?"
Huh? Time alone? The candidate to become first primary queen and
me? Wh-What was I going to do?
Was I going to be called "You thieving cat!" like the homewrecker in
that one romance novel I'd read before? No, since I was a ryuu, maybe it
would be, "You thieving ryuu!" But ryuus had more of an image as
protectors, so... Wait, that didn't matter right now!
"Now then, Naden, it's a bit awkward to do this here, so let's go back
to my room. Oh, but before that... How about a bath first?" Lady Liscia
had said, and before I knew it, I was being led off to the bath.
And that was how I'd gotten here.
I was buck naked, and an equally naked Lady Liscia was washing my
hair for me. Lady Liscia's clear, white skin made even my heart race,
despite being a member of the same gender. I was sitting with my legs in a
"W" position, while Lady Liscia stood on her knees behind me, scrubbing
my long black hair. While her chest might not have been as large as the
blue-haired lady's, I could feel her very pretty swells pressing against the
back of my head.
...Yeah, I needed to say it in my head one more time...
Someone, explain this situation to me!
What in the world was going on here? I had the candidate to become
Friedonia's first primary queen washing my hair for some reason.
I turned to Lady Liscia and hesitantly asked, "Um, Lady Liscia? If I
may ask, why exactly are you washing me...?"
"Because your hair was a mess, that's why. You've got good material
to work with, so you should pay better attention to your appearance...
Well, not that I was one to talk, until recently, at least."
"I-I see..."
Pai said something similar before, hadn't she?
Then Liscia grinned. "Also, you can just call me Liscia."
"I couldn't. You're going to be the queen of this country in the future,
aren't you?"
"You came here to become one, too, didn't you? Souma seems to be
charmed by how normal you are, so I'd be happy if you would treat me
like you would a friend. Okay, close your eyes now."
"Ah...!"
I closed my eyes when she said that, and then she poured a bucket of
hot water over my head. The soap suds that were stuck to my head were
washed away, and my hair clung tightly to my skin. I shook my head
vigorously.
When she saw me do that, Lady Liscia... Liscia gave me a wonderful
smile.
"You're like Tomoe when you do that."
"Tomoe?"
"My adopted little sister. She's an eleven-year-old mystic wolf girl, and
she's just the cutest."
"Really? I might want to meet her, then..."
"If you marry Souma, she'll be like your little sister, too. Be nice to
her."
While talking about things like that, we got into the tub. It was a large,
round tub, and three women could have fit into it easily. While I was still
feeling tense, I sunk myself into the water.
"Just so you know, this bath is exclusively for members of the king's
family," Liscia, who was soaking in the water across from me, explained.
"I often bathe here with Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Tomoe."
"Family... D-Does Souma come in here with you, too, sometimes?" My
heart raced at the thought.
Liscia shook her head with a wry laugh. "Souma says, 'We're lucky
enough to have a nice big tub in the castle, so I'd rather use that one,' so
he's always going to the bathing area used by the castle guards. He plans
his trips there around when there won't be many people there."
"I-I see..."
"Did you want to get in this tub with Souma, Naden?" Liscia teased.
"No! I think I'd still be a little... embarrassed..." Burble, burble.
Wait, what did I mean, "still"?! Hold on! I know I was the one who
said it, but that was way too embarrassing!
I sank my face half way into the water. Liscia watched me with a smile.
"Naden... You wanted to form a dragon knight contract with Souma,
right? That basically means you want to be his wife..."
"...Yeah."
"What made you decide you wanted to marry Souma?"
Liscia was looking me straight in the eye. The look on her face was a
gentle one, but she wouldn't look away, and was trying to thoroughly
evaluate what kind of person I was. Even if I gave her a nice-sounding
answer to get into her good graces, she'd see through me in no time.
That's why I straightened my back and answered with my honest
feelings.
"Because... Souma showed me the me I had never known!" I decided to
stand up in the tub, and hit her with exactly how I felt. "He taught me that
I was a type of dragon called a ryuu. He taught me how to fly. He taught
me what I always wanted to know, about what sort of being I am. That's
why I want to be with Souma, the one who understands me! I want to be
the dragon Souma rides!"
"I heard all of that in Souma's explanation," Liscia said quietly. "But
can you say with certainty that those feelings are your own? Madam
Tiamat was the one who sent Souma to your side, wasn't she?"
She'd hit upon a sore point. But... if I backed down here, what kind of
woman would I be?
I brought my hand to my chest, then looked straight back into her eyes.
"You're right, Madam Tiamat may have arranged for Souma and me to
meet. But, I can say without a doubt, my desire to be with Souma is
entirely my own."
Liscia's eyes went wide when she heard my once-in-a-lifetime
confession.
I turned the question on Liscia. "Or what... Are you going to tell me
that a love that starts out prearranged by someone else isn't real love?"
I felt a little sad as I said it.
Liscia leaned forward hard, sinking the upper half of her body into the
water with a splash. She stayed like that, with nothing more than bubbles
rising to the surface. Was it about ten seconds that she stayed under? I got
worried, so I called out to her.
"U-Um... Liscia?"
"Bwah!"
With a loud splash, Liscia came back up. Wh-What was that?! I sat
back down in the tub, and Liscia shook the water from her hair, scratching
at her cheek awkwardly.
"Sorry. Your confession there made me feel a little embarrassed
myself."
"Wha?! What are you saying, Liscia?!"
"Like I said, sorry. But you had the perfect comeback there. Is a love
that starts out prearranged by someone else not real love? If you put it that
way, mine was the same, and I don't think any of the others could argue
with you, either. I mean, all of our meetings were arranged in some way."
Liscia smiled as if indulging in fond memories.
"My betrothal to Souma was something my parents just went and did
without consulting me. When my father, the former king, abdicated in
favor of Souma, he announced our betrothal as a way of cementing
Souma's legitimacy. It was so sudden that, at the time, I got really upset
and stormed into my father's room."
"R-Really?"
I was surprised to learn Souma and Liscia's relationship had started
that way. Especially after seeing how deeply they trusted one another.
"It's not just me. She's not here right now, but the candidate to become
second primary queen, Aisha, came to make a direct appeal to Souma so
that he'd do something for her homeland. Juna, the one with the blue hair,
was a spy sent by the current commander-in-chief of the National Defense
Force, Excel, to judge whether Souma was fit to be king. Roroa, the one
who talks in merchant slang, was formerly the princess of a hostile
country, you know? She decided to marry Souma to force him to look after
her people, who were impoverished and suffering from food scarcity."