Volume 4 Chapter 8: The Person Kidnapped Was:

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Author: 夜州 (Yashu)

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The carriage arrived in front of Cain’s residence not long after.

The soldiers in front of the gate became nervous at the fact that a noble’s carriage had arrived.

Getting off the carriage, Nigeet spoke to the soldiers, who had straightened their postures.

“Riding in this carriage is Her Highness the Imperial Princess Liltana from the Empire of Baisas. While we haven’t agreed on a meeting, we would like to go and see Count Silford. If you would be so kind as to go tell him.”

“P-Please wait a little. I’ll go ask for permission in the mansion.”

The guards were not expecting the Imperial Princess from Baisas herself to turn up, but one of them still ran off into the mansion.

When the guard told everything to Koran, he was told to show them inside the mansion immediately, after which the guard ran back to the carriage to tell them what Koran had said to him.

“I have confirmation. Please, do come in.”

Driven by Nigeet, the carriage passed through Cain’s residence’s gates, and stopped in front of the mansion.

Koran and the other servants were already waiting in a line. Of course, Cain’s figure was in the very middle of them.

Nigeet opened the carriage’s door, and Liltana disembarked.

“Good evening, Lil. What happened, that you’re here at this time of day? Well, let’s go inside first.”

Cain smiled, greeting her, but Liltana’s face was grave.

“I’m terribly sorry for bothering you at this time of day, but there’s something I want to talk to you about, and fast… excuse me.”

Liltana said as she entered the mansion, led by Cain, and –– a stuffed Red Dragon suddenly appeared before her eyes.

“Eeek… so this is that rumoured Red Dragon…”

“Ah, sorry. It surprised you. Nobody really seems to care about it any more lately, so I forgot the explanation…”

For a second, Liltana had felt like her legs would give out, but she somehow managed to endure with the information she had gotten from Nigeet previously.

Liltana looked up at the Red Dragon, the taxidermy of which had been done so well it was not even funny how alive it looked.

“…is this really something that can be defeated by someone under ten years old…”

Liltana whispered to herself, making sure Cain didn’t hear it.

“I’ll show you to the reception room first. This way please.”

Without seeming to have noticed Liltana’s words, Cain guided them to the reception room.

In the reception room, Cain and Liltana sat down opposite each other with Koran and Nigeet standing behind each of them respectively.

Silvia started making tea on a table in a corner of the room.

Once the tea was ready, she placed cups in front of Cain and Liltana and filled them with tea.

Cain encouraged Liltana to have some, and he himself also took a sip.

“So then… I heard you had urgent business, but what was it?”

“Well, you see…”

Liltana glanced at Nigeet standing behind her, who, seemingly having noticed what she wanted with it, opened his mouth.

“I shall explain it. This all happened today, and––”

He explained about the kidnapping in the nobles’ district while they were on their way home from school. He concluded by saying that they were just returning from the guard station where they had also explained all this.

The more he heard of the story, the more Cain frowned.

At such events in the Kingdom of Esfort, a transfer student from the Baisas Empire, the Imperial Princess herself, had come here.

Cain lowered his head to her, as she had made all this effort for a problem that had happened inside the kingdom.

Liltana made a surprised expression at Cain suddenly bowing, then hurriedly called out to him to raise his head.

“C-Cain, you don’t have to lower your head like that.”

“Even so, it does not change the fact that you moved for the sake of the Kingdom, Lil. So, I would like to thank you as a noble of this kingdom. Thank you.”

Said Cain having raised his head, smiling, causing Liltana’s cheeks to dye themselves red.

“So that’s the smile that made the princess fall for him, eh…” though Nigeet to himself while gazing at Liltana from behind, a smile making its way onto his lips.

“I’ll have people investigate as well. Although, I don’t know if they’ll turn up anything…”

Liltana nodded.

*growl*…

“…!?”

Perhaps due the tension having unravelled, the sound of a stomach growling resounded throughout the room.

A smile made its way onto Cain’s face at the sound, while Liltana became even redder.

“Well, it is about time for dinner. Do you want to eat together?”

“?!… is that all right?”

“Yeah, sure. Koran, it is, right?”

“Yes, of course it is.”

Cain nodded, happy with Koran’s answer.

Koran and Silvia glanced at each other, at which Silvia, who had been waiting in a corner of the room, nodded, and left to make sure it would be all right.

A couple minutes later, Silvia had returned, signalled by a knock on the door.

“The meal has been prepared.”

Cain nodded at those words.

“Time to go to the dining room, then. What’re we having today?”

“Today, it’s hamburger steak. Otherwise, there’s––”

Although the menu was explained to her, Liltana simply tilted her head in confusion at the unfamiliar names.

“Cain, I’ve never heard of these ‘hambuuge’s’… are they some speciality dish from the Kingdom?”

“Ah, I knew you didn’t know what they were. They’ve only recently started spreading throughout, and being eaten in, the Kingdom. Just look forward to them, alright?”

Cain showed Liltana to the dining room.

Cain and Liltana sat down next to each other, and a seat was also prepared for Nigeet, as he too was a guest.

The prepared meals were all lined up on the table. Liltana was really curious about the many dishes and foodstuffs on them.

The lump of meat called ‘the hambuuge’ especially caught her eye, making her really curious about what kind of food it was.

“To the Imperial Princess Liltana, who is also here today. Well then, let’s dig in.”

Cain made a toast, holding his glass full of juice up into the air.

Liltana gazed at each and every one of the glasses and plates carrying the food, as they were all things that couldn’t be found in the Empire.

Picking up her knife and fork, Liltana started cutting into her hamburger steak.

“No way, such a lump of meat is this tender…”

Liltana carried a bite-sized piece of the meat to her mouth.

Then, putting it into her mouth, –– her cheeks loosened.

“Delicious! And as it’s this tender, the meat juices just spread out in your mouth. Just what is this!? I’ve never eaten something like this before.”

She took bite after bite with such speed that the tension from earlier seemed like it had been a lie. And, before she had even noticed, the hamburger steak had vanished.

Cain called out to Liltana, who looked lonely now that the steak had vanished.

“If you liked it, we have seconds, y’know? Should I have them brought out?”

Liltana started to nod, smiling, but then Nigeet cleared his throat, and she instantly got a hold of herself.

“…No, it’s all right. I want to try the rest of the food as well…”

With a regretful look on her face, she tried out some of the other food as well. However, her cheeks loosened once again at their unexpected deliciousness.

Cain also continued to eat while enjoying looking at her rapid and drastic changes in expression.

“So, have you gotten used to school yet?”

Liltana nodded in response to Cain’s question.

“Teles and Silk helped a lot with it. And you’re there too. I’ve also become able to start a conversation with the rest of the children in class, so it’s fine.”

Satisfied by her answer, Cain smiled and nodded.

Nigeet, who, while in a lower ranking seating-spot, was eating with them, also enjoyed every mouthful of food.

Then, as they were enjoying some tea after having finished eating, Koran went up to Cain and whispered into his ear.

“Cain-sama, the Sarakhan Company’s chairman has urgent business with you. He has a terribly spooked expression. Should I show him in?”

“Right, gotcha. I can excuse myself, if it’s just for a little bit. Please show him to the reception room.”

“Right away.”

Koran replied, the left.

“Liltana, I’m going to have to step out for a second. I’ll have them prepare a dessert.”

“…Dessert… Got it.”

Liltana, who should have been full at that point, gulped when she heard about dessert.

Asking Silvia to take care of the dessert, Cain headed to the reception room.

He opened the door, and there was Tamanis, waiting for him, prostrating himself on the floor.

“Cain-sama! I have a request! Palma was… Palma was kidnapped!”

Hearing that, Cain’s eyes widened.

“…Don’t tell me Palma went to the nobles’ district during the day today…?”

“Yes… As we had been supplied with the glasses you gave us, I asked her to get in contact with the nobles who had made reservations, and she still hadn’t returned even by nightfall, and then the guards came to the company asking if Palma had been kidnapped… They said that she had registered to enter the nobles’ district, but not for leaving it. It was in the records, and they had decided to investigate.”

Having finished his explanation, Tamanis begged Cain, his head still firmly on the floor.

“I’m single, so I don’t have any children. But she’s the only daughter of my younger brother Sabinos. If something were to happen to her, how could I ever show my sorry face in front of him… so please… somehow, help somehow…”

While Tamanis continued to cry and beg him for help, Cain gently laid his hand on Tamanis’ shoulder.

“Tamanis-san, please raise your head. I’ll look for her with all my power. Please wait a second.”

Cain told Koran, who had been standing behind him, to go call Liltana. Koran nodded and immediately left the room.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door, which was then immediately opened by Koran, with Liltana behind him.

“What happened, Cain? To call me here all of a sudden… what’s up with the guest…?”

“That’s it, see… the person kidnapped… –––– seems to have been Palma.”

At Cain’s words, Liltana’s eyes also widened.

Then, Cain continued on.

“This is Tamanis-san, a member of Palma’s family and also the chairman of the Sarakhan Company. That’s why he’s here.”

“I-It w-was Palma!? She was kidnapped… we have to go save her right now!”

Cain stopped the frantic Liltana.

“Cain-sama… who’s that…?”

Tamanis, who had been prostrating himself on the ground until then, asked Cain why he had called the daughter of a noble over.

“Ah, it’s your first time meeting her… She’s the one who reported the kidnapping… Lil, I mean, Her Highness the Imperial Princess Liltana van Baisas.”

At Cain’s words, Tamanis was more shocked than he had ever been before.

“Eh, H-H-Her Highness the Imperial Princessssssssssssss!? Please forgive my rudeness!!!”

Tamanis’ voice, which was the loudest yet that day, made its way even outside the room.

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TN: just in case (and also because I didn’t really know before this), hamburger steak means just the meat part from hamburgers, so no bread and tomatoes or lettuce or whatever people put in them

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