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After getting caught in a monster stampede and being saved by a girl, I took steps to ensure that we would not act against her will or be perceived as doing so.
Runya, who was there with me, seemed to doubt the necessity of this, but I imposed a strict gag order on everyone present. I intend to relay the truth of the matter to my father, the king, alone.
Despite the gag order, Duke Hausen will undoubtedly need to be informed of the situation. As such, this incident will likely remain known only to the royal family and the House of Hausen.

Depending on my father’s and Duke Hausen’s judgment, it may end up becoming an open secret, but I would like to believe they won’t be foolish enough to let it reach that point.
No, whether they act foolishly or not may very well depend on my discernment and explanation.
The masked girl—she is most likely the same person my foolish brother disrespected. If so, I was unable to grasp the extent of her strength, and even Runya failed to extract any information about her.

If war were to break out between us, Ausente would undoubtedly sustain major damage.
Even though it was on a small scale, she had the power to single-handedly quell a stampede.
If she were to rampage in the capital, even if we managed to subdue her, the damage would be catastrophic.

We cannot easily send knights after a lone target, especially one who, despite being masked, unmistakably appears to be a child.
The knights can only be mobilized when there is clear evidence of damage and her threat level has been confirmed.
Even if we were to issue a royal decree to mobilize the knights, she is experienced in fighting multiple enemies and has a verified method of escaping.

We might be able to drive her away, but defeating her would be nearly impossible, and our relationship with Central would surely deteriorate upon her return home.

These are only hypothetical scenarios, but I believe it’s best to avoid provoking her while the possibility still remains.
I will convey all of this to my father and leave the final decision to him. While he is the one to make the ultimate judgment, I can feel the weight of Ausente’s fate pressing down on my shoulders, and the pressure is nauseating.

I am currently in a private room meant for informal discussions with my father.
Upon my return to the capital, I had relayed a message to inform that I had an urgent matter to discuss. The knights who escorted me have knowledge of the situation, so I believe everything should have gone smoothly.

However, as the king of a nation, my father has little idle time. He will come to meet me here as soon as he has a free moment.

While organizing my thoughts on how to narrate the events, the door opened, and I reflexively stood.

「Oh, Leshimiiya, I’m glad to see you back. Have you been well?」
「Yes, fortunately, I was able to return without so much as a scratch.」
「I’ve placed a heavy burden on your shoulders. If you find yourself in trouble, don’t hesitate to ask for my help.」

It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and I’m relieved to see my father in good health.
As always, he expresses guilt over the burdens I bear and asks if I need anything at every opportunity.
While my position has made me a target, I know my father works tirelessly to keep me safe, so I can’t help but feel reserved when making requests. However, this time, I intend to take full advantage of my position.

「Of course. Father, I’ve come today to make a request.」
「I was told you had an urgent matter to discuss. Did something happen?」
「Before that, I’d like you to grant me a certain request after I explain the situation.」
「… I’ll consider it.」

As a king, I understand that my father can’t simply agree to every request.
“I’ll consider it” is usually a polite way of expressing refusal, but for now, I’ll take these words at face value.

「On our way back to the capital, we were attacked by bandits who caused an artificial stampede.」
「I see, that’s… no, tell me everything that happened first.」
「Thank you very much. The stampede has already been resolved, but the issue lies with the one who quelled it.」
「I see. While your escorts are exceptional, I imagine it would be difficult to keep you completely unscathed during a stampede. Were you rescued?」

Grateful for my father’s calm demeanor, I nodded and continued.

「We were saved by a black-haired girl wearing a mask with a dragon insignia.」
「What?」

My father sounded as though he were on the verge of a headache.
I can sympathize with his reaction—it’s utterly ridiculous.
Frankly, I want to grumble about it myself. But our side has essentially shown discourtesy toward someone who extended us charity, so we have no right to complain.

「Right. In conclusion, the person who rescued me is likely the same girl who saved my brother.
This is because, with a song, she redirected the incoming monsters towards her. Besides that, I was also rendered incapable of taking my eyes off her.」
「Meaning there’s a possibility of her being a Song Princess. Still, that alone wouldn’t be enough to resolve a stampede, would it?」
「Immediately after, she exterminated roughly 100 monsters all by herself.
As such, I wouldn’t doubt it if she were an A-rank hunter; a high-level one, even. If you cannot believe my words, I wouldn’t mind if you confirmed it with the escorting knights as well.」
「It’s not that I can’t believe it… but this is…」

I cannot blame Father for being at a loss for words.
Moreover, despite quelling an entire stampede, she still seemed to have plenty of energy to spare. I don’t want to consider it, but perhaps she wasn’t even fighting at full strength.

The Ausente royal family has preemptively committed a disrespectful act against such an individual. It’s only natural to feel speechless.
If she is indeed an A-rank hunter, my brother may be of a higher social standing, but that doesn’t mean he can act however he pleases.
If the king were to needlessly make light of the leader of the knights, someone considered the strongest in the nation, that individual might defect to another country, weakening Ausente. While the king holds a higher social rank, it is necessary to make accommodations to keep such vital figures within our borders.

「Afterwards, she told me to make it so “nothing happened.”
If you could grant my request, please ensure that the stampede incident is kept confidential.
If it’s not possible, please keep any investigations about this matter discreet and hidden, so she doesn’t notice.」
「… Are there others who know about this?」
「Only the Hausen family, I believe.」
「I see.」
「Additionally, regarding this matter…」
「I’ll make sure that this doesn’t reach Vilibart’s ears.」
「Thank you very much.」

If this information reaches Brother Vilibart, he might act rashly again.
While I have heard that he realized his mistake, apparently, he’s still adamant about being betrothed to the mysterious girl no matter what.
Her strength, her grace—even I, as a fellow girl, couldn’t help but feel drawn to her.
If I could see her dance—one different from the usual social dances—one more time; if I could hear her song—one unlike anything I’ve heard before—once again, I can’t help but imagine how much delight that could bring.

Just as our princesses finished their exams, we turn back the clock to witness the story from the eyes of our other princess! And it seems like we’re even meeting the troublesome fourth prince too!

I do like that, just like her father, she immediately did a threat assessment on our girls. The simulations show danger, though. Also, we are now introduced to the Ausente King in a first person perspective, instead of the eagle eye perspective we had during the intermission chapters. And since this is just the first part of the first part of the interludes, it seems like we’ll be seeing from our princess’ eyes for a fair bit.

Another thing, I find it funny that being helplessly attracted to someone is a known sign of possible Job usage and can be used to pinpoint the type of Job one could possess. The princess literally was “I low-key fell for her singing, so I’m pretty sure she’s the mysterious singing girl my foolish brother fell for. Ngl, I totally get the attraction. Potential national threat, though.”

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!

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