Chapter 23: One Precious Day.

「Hey, Sara. Are you sure this outfit is really okay?」

「It’s fine, Miss.
You look exactly like… well, the daughter of a merchant family. …Though there’s still a faint air of ‘secret noble’ about you.」

I stand before the full-length mirror.
A simple navy-blue dress, a cream-colored scarf wrapped around my neck, hair tied back with a matching cream ribbon.

This dress was a gift from His Highness.

The reason I’m dressed like this is the letter I received from him a few days ago:
《Before you leave for the territory, let’s sneak out to that diner I recommended before.》

In other words—he invited me.

With departure for the territory set for one week from now, both Father and Mother agreed that a short outing nearby would be better than suddenly embarking on a long carriage journey.
It would serve as good practice.

In my previous life, even though I lived in the capital for so long, I never once considered going into the common districts.
Accessories, dresses—everything I needed was brought directly to the mansion by merchants and designers.
And in my arrogance, I genuinely believed there was no reason for a noble like me to set foot among commoners.

But hearing Sara and the others describe life in the city made it sound so lively, so vibrant—I felt excited just listening.
That’s why, knowing we would go today, my heart has been racing since yesterday.
I couldn’t sleep well; I stayed up late playing with Kuro or reading until the small hours.

Even now, my heart is pounding.
What will the city be like?

As I stand lost in thought before the mirror, Kuro slips silently to my feet.
「What’s wrong? Do you want to come too?」
I crouch down and peer into Kuro’s face.
Kuro circles me once, then slowly pads over to its own bed, lets out a huge yawn, and flops down with a roll.

「You’re right.
There might be people in town who can see spirits.
It’s better if you wait here.」

Kuro seems to understand human speech perfectly.
The other day, when I murmured, 「Theodore-sama should be coming soon,」 it immediately started pacing in front of the door, looking restless.
Even now, its ears twitch once; it shifts, gets comfortable, closes its eyes, and begins to doze.

Watching Kuro like this, a knock sounds at the door.
From outside, Paul announces, 「His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.」

All right—time to go.

Together with Sara, I head to the hall.
There stands His Highness—his golden hair now brown, dressed in a slightly worn shirt and vest.
The shirt, originally white, has faded to a brownish tone; his boots are scuffed in places.

Incredible.

Just changing his hair color and clothes alters his entire atmosphere so much.
Yet even with longer bangs partially hiding his face, his features remain strikingly handsome—his very posture still exudes an unmistakable nobility.

Hmm…
Will someone like this really blend in among commoners?
I can’t help tilting my head.

「Ah, Rachel. That outfit looks adorable too.
If a girl like you were in town, half the men would probably propose on the spot.」

「Th-That’s too much praise…」

The moment he sees me, His Highness’s eyes widen in genuine surprise.
Then they narrow again into a truly delighted smile.
At that expression—and at his words—heat rises to my cheeks.

「And Your Highness… what did you do with your hair?」

「Ah—this is a wig.
Blond hair stands out too much.
When I go into town, I wear a wig and pretend to be an apprentice at the blacksmith’s—the one whose owner knows the situation.」

「My goodness! I had no idea Your Highness did such things.」

「If people knew I was royalty, ordinary townsfolk would keep their distance.
To truly understand life in the city, I have to blend in.」

「I see…」

Right.
He did say he occasionally sneaks into the common districts.
Unlike me, he’s accustomed to this.

「By the way, today’s story is: the apprentice blacksmith kept persistently asking out the daughter of a well-off merchant family, and she finally agreed to a first date.
Something like that?」

「A d-date?!」

「Of course.
I’m treating this as a date.」

His Highness flashes a sweet, melting smile on that perfect face and extends his hand.
「Shall we go?」

Hesitantly, I place my hand in his.
He squeezes it gently—firmly.

And just like that, he escorts me to the carriage.

♢

Inside the carriage, we sit facing each other.
Beside His Highness is a knight with dyed navy hair, dressed like a merchant.
He’s the one accompanying us on today’s outing.
Apparently there are several others as well, but they’ll stay out of sight.

This carriage is much smaller and plainer than the usual royal one.
Before we boarded, His Highness apologized:
「Sorry. We can’t afford to stand out, so it might not be very comfortable.」
But the seats are decent enough; it doesn’t feel particularly unpleasant.

More than that, though—my heart is racing at the thought of our destination.
The curtains are drawn tightly, so I can’t see outside at all, yet I keep glancing toward the windows anyway.

His Highness notices and chuckles softly, amused by my restlessness.

「Oh—right. In town, you can’t call me ‘Your Highness,’ okay?」

「Of course… then what should I call you?」

「Louis.」

Call His Highness… Louis?
By name?

No—no way, no way, no way.
My face instantly flushes; I shake my head furiously.

But His Highness just keeps smiling, completely unbothered.

「Come on—practice, practice.」

「E-Eh…」

「Go ahead.」

「Lu…」

「Mm-hmm?」

「Lu… Louis…-sama.」

The moment I say it, His Highness freezes—staring at me blankly.
Then he breaks into a shy smile and lets out a soft 「Ah.」

But then—

「Still… adding ‘-sama’ to an apprentice blacksmith feels off, doesn’t it?」

I know.
This is so no one realizes who he really is.
If word got out, it would cause chaos—and make it harder for the hidden guards to protect us.

But still… it’s embarrassing.
Calling him by name feels far too presumptuous.

「You really won’t, huh?
Well… take your time.」

「I’m sorry…」

「No—it’s fine.
Anyway, today just call me Luke.
That’s the name I always use in town.」

「W-Wait—Your Highness! You tricked me!」

「Haha—sorry, sorry.
I just couldn’t resist the chance to hear you say my name.」

His Highness bursts into loud, delighted laughter at my flushed, indignant expression.
Even I can’t help it—his laughter is contagious.
I press my fingers to my lips, but soft giggles escape anyway.

Ah… moments like this are nice.

Trading light banter, laughing together.
I never imagined I could share time like this with His Highness.

It’s fun.

I wish…
I wish we could keep having times like this.
Longer… much longer…

But contrary to my feelings, the carriage gradually slows and comes to a stop.

「Looks like we’ve arrived.
The place I wanted to take you is right at the entrance to this shopping street, so we don’t have far to walk.」

His Highness’s words snap me back to reality.
What was I just thinking?
I’m the one who decided to go to the territory.

I push down the sinking feeling.
Forcing a bright smile, I say:

「Yes. Please lead the way.」

「I’m looking forward to it.」

With those words, His Highness steps down first—then offers his hand once more.
I take it and descend from the carriage.

The moment my feet touch the ground, the scene bursts into view:
A wide street overflowing with people, lined on both sides with stalls, vendors, and shops.
Children’s laughter, the lively chatter of townsfolk.

Just standing here, my chest fills with emotion.

「So this is…」

「Yeah.
Lively, isn’t it? Everyone looks so full of life.」

I glance up at His Highness beside me.
His blue eyes narrow slightly, sparkling as though gazing at something radiant.

「Come on—let’s go.」

「Yes.」

Hand in hand, we step into the crowd.

The city embraces us—vibrant, noisy, chaotic, beautiful.

And for the first time… I feel like I truly belong somewhere in it.

Even if only for today.