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As we left the room and gradually approached the gates, Princess Leshimiiya was already there, silently waiting. Munyechka’s Fithuille and two others seemed to be observing the surroundings nearby. Likely her bodyguards.
Princess Leshimiiya was staring at empty space, seemingly lost in thought, until one of the bodyguards whispered to her ear, which resulted in her jerking her shoulders and looking our way.

She then modestly, but delightedly, waved us hello.
While finding it quite unusual for the princess to show this much emotion, we arrived before the gate.

「We’ve kept you waiting.」
「No worries, I just arrived a moment ago myself.」

Starting with such a date-like exchange, the two exchanged proper greetings.
I know it’s a date cliche, but is this also a common interaction in this world? Well, to be honest, I don’t even know if the “Did you wait long?” “I just came,” back and forth actually happens for real in my previous world.
With their greetings done, I informed Ciel of something I want to ask the princess before we get started.

『Please confirm if there should be 5 in total.』
『Understood.』
「First, there’s something I want to ask.」
「What is it?」
「Are there 5 in total?」
「Um…」

It appears that Princess Leshimiiya didn’t understand my intention at first, as she displayed confusion. The princess’ group consists of 4 people, and there are 2 (3) in our group; it doesn’t exactly add up to 5 people.
And that is because what we mentioned is the number of people watching us in hiding.¹ After a moment, she seemed realize this, as she answered, 「That’s right.」

In other words, if someone else outside of these 5 starts following us, we can apprehend them.
I’m not capable of wide-range detection scan sorcery―magic―like Mother Fii, so I can only sense those that approach near. As for the people outside my range, let’s trust that the 5 hidden protectors do their best. It’s their duty anyway.

「Can I leave today’s plans to you?」
「Of course. After all, I believe you’re not very well-acquainted with Ausente, Miss Ailneige.」
「Are you well-acquainted, then, Princess Leshimiiya?」
「I occasionally come for inspections, so I’m relatively well-informed.」

I had the impression that the princess isn’t allowed to leave the palace much, but it seems like I was wrong. Though she called them *inspections*, the princess is 12 years old, so it’s probably more like observational studies to show her how the common people live while she’s still at a young age.

Now it’s difficult for me to judge if it’s for better or worse, but as a commoner myself, I’d prefer if the people above knew about the average lifestyle.
So if any policy changes are made, they should at least have some consideration for common folk, and they might give reparations for necessary decisions that place great burden on the populace. There are probably kings that still turn tyrant despite knowing, though.

While I rejoiced at the fact that I wasn’t born a noble, Princess Leshimiiya shyly, but resolutely, turned her gaze our way.

「Um, Miss Ailneige!」
「? What is it?」

Perhaps nervous, she spoke in a higher tone, causing Ciel to tilt her head. As I thought, today’s Princess Leshimiiya is acting somewhat out of character. Well, her inviting Ciel for an outing was already out of character for her.
With the gap from her usual, collected demeanor, she’s honestly very cute. While incomparable to begin with, she’s probably only second to Ciel in cuteness right now.

「Um… It would be problematic to be called by my real name, so let’s use a different―…would it be alright if we called each other by nicknames?」
『What do you think?』
『If you’re not against it, then it should be fine. Even with nicknames, it’s Ailneige’s nickname in the end.』
『Well, that’s true.』
「Understood. In that case, please call me Ail.」

We did make this alias so we would have less hesitation about letting people call us by nicknames, so it’s fine to follow through. However, even if it’s a false nickname, it still feels complicated to have more people addressing Ciel by nickname.
Still, I don’t have a negative opinion of Princess Leshimiiya either, so it was honestly a matter of time that this happened. We’ve put the princess through a lot of stress, after all.

In contrast to my conflicted feelings, Princess Leshimiiya showed a reassured and joyous expression. Despite knowing that Ailniege is only an alias, it seems like she’s still happy about this. That’s so pure.

「Thank you very much, Miss Ail. In that case, could you call me Miiya?」
「No.」

Ciel’s immediate answer caused Princess Leshimiiya to have a shocked expression. It seems like the princess is taking a break from being royalty today. Also, the bodyguards have scary glares. Doesn’t bother Ciel and me, though.

「―May I ask why?」
「That nickname is too close to Fii’s.」

I have no idea what the princess thought of it, but she looked mortified. For some reason, the nickname being similar to Mother Fii’s name probably doesn’t sit right with Ciel.
It’s not just nicknames; people having similar names happens a lot. In fact, in my previous world, there were times when I’d have three classmates with the same surnames or given names.

But in Ciel’s mind, having similar names is a very unusual thing, making her uncomfortable about it. Especially since Mother Fii is one of the few people Ciel can fully open up to.
This is all conjecture on my part, though, and judging from Princess Leshimiiya’s reaction, she must be having some weird misunderstanding. So in the meantime, I decided to lend her a hand.

『How about Princess Leshy―no, Miss Leshy?』
『That’s much better.』
「For that reason, will it be alright to call you by Leshy?」
「O-of course! By all means, please call me Leshy!」
「Well then, I’ll be depending on your guidance, Miss Leshy.」

With her face blooming with cheer, Princess Leshimiiya―Miss Leshy puffed her chest and proclaimed, 「Leave it to me.」