When the teleportation magic circle conjured by Rain disappeared, the surroundings became silent.
Just the absence of a few made such a huge difference. That was amazing.
"Your Highness Iris… Please don't be too sad…"
Claire said to me as I stared at the place where the magic circle was.
"I understand that Your Highness had a happy and wonderful time when that guy came here. But… That guy lives in a different world from nobles, after all. If you invest too much emotionally in a man, you'll feel devastated when the time comes for you to marry. If you wish to scold me, please feel free to do so. But Princess, you have to understand…"
Claire then lowered her head deeply. I couldn't see her eyes.
Next to her, Rain also lowered her head.
"I'm fine, please raise your heads."
The two of them lifted their heads slowly when they heard that.
Just from the pained expressions on their faces, I understood how worried they were for me, and their resolve when they made their decision.
I didn't hate them at all.
There was no reason to.
Lifting my hand into the air, I stared at my left fingers.
Only a part of the skin on my left ring finger was paler than the others.
Because I've worn this ring on my finger for a long time, and because I stayed under the sun for so long.
"…! M-My deep apologies! Because of my incompetence, your precious ring's…!"
"I'm ready to take any punishment to make up for this mistake…!"
Seeing me looking at the mark where my ring used to be, the two of them were overcome with guilt.
However, I wasn't feeling sad about my ring being stolen…
"The two of you have done your best. The thief managed to escape despite the congregation of powerful adventurers here, so no one could've stopped the ring from being stolen. When my father returns, I'll ask him not to punish you two. So don't treat this matter too seriously, all right?"
When she heard that, Claire shrank her body further.
Claire was really competent, but too serious sometimes.
I think she should spend some time with him and learn how to be more flexible.
That's right, just like Lalatina.
"Thank you for your clemency, princess… Not only did you lose your important ring, but you also have to be apart from that person… Your Highness Iris, if that guy manages to vanquish one of the Demon King's Generals again, you can meet with him once more…"
Claire consoled me with a complicated expression.
– Vanquishing one of the Demon King's Generals.
This was a demanding task, but to him, it was just a walk in the park.
"You're right; I think that I'll meet him again soon."
After replying with a smile, Claire's expression twisted in pain.
At this moment, Rain said in a very cheerful voice to encourage me:
"By the way, after seeing how Princess Iris was acting, I thought you would've said something willful when you parted with Kazuma-sama, and had steeled myself for that… But you handled it smoothly. I was worried about Kazuma-sama's negative influence, but thankfully, you didn't behave that way."
The atmosphere lightened in an instant.
"After all, I already made a promise with onii-sama."
I said to the two of them with a smile.
"Promise…? Ah, you mean the part about settling the match next time? Your Highness, you must defeat that man, all right?"
Claire remembered another promise, but…
– Since ancient times, this kingdom had a custom.
The hero who defeated the Demon King and returned victoriously will earn the right to take the Princess as his wife–
… I looked at the mark where my ring was once again and said in a volume they couldn't hear.
"I hope… Onii-sama keeps that ring carefully."