Chapter 98

We were now heading for the port town, swaying in a large carriage.

I, Magilka, Safina, Zaha, and the prince, who somehow decided our respective seats, were all gathered in one carriage. I had thought it would be just the four of us, but it seemed that some adult matters had come into play, and the prince was unofficially joining us.

The one who was overjoyed by this was, surprisingly, Zaha.

"I was prepared to die on a journey surrounded by the queen and her officers. Thank you, Prince~♪"

So he said.

What could this man have been dissatisfied with, being able to travel in a harem-like situation surrounded by girls?

Incidentally, when I was called "queen," I looked at Magilka, and the others looked at me, which I found quite unsatisfactory.

"Once we arrive at the port town, we'll stay at an inn and board the ship tomorrow, right?"

The prince said this as we swayed in the carriage. I and Magilka were seated on either side of him, with Zaha and Safina sitting opposite us.

"That's correct, Your Highness."

"The port town is known for its abundant fresh fish and shellfish, and the seafood dishes are said to be delicious."

Magilka's nod was met with a delighted expression from the prince. Then, Zaha looked at me with a mischievous grin.

"Because, Lady Mary. You must be looking forward to the food."

I glared at Zaha, who spoke with a deep meaning.

(You, bringing up that story again.)

"Safina, take care of it."

Since standing up or moving around in the carriage was not a good idea, I asked Safina, who was sitting next to me, to deal with it.

"Huh? Ah, um..."

Caught off guard by my sudden instruction, Safina only looked back and forth between me and Zaha, bewildered.

"Hey, isn't Lady Mary more of a queen?"

Magilka's whispered words made me choke, and I quickly looked out the window to avoid the situation.

"Well, well. By the way, we're supposed to meet the guide from Relirex in that port town, right?"

The prince tried to smooth things over between Magilka and me and moved the conversation forward.

(A guide... I wonder who it will be? It can't be that person, right?)

I felt an ominous premonition as I looked out the window again, eagerly awaiting our arrival at the port town.

"Welcome, I'm glad you made it!"

I was now on my hands and knees, suppressing the urge to bow my head.

Upon arriving at the port town and stepping out in front of the inn, we were greeted by none other than "that person." All I could do was look at Emilia's beaming smile with a dry laugh.

(No, no, no, Princess. Isn't this a bit early? You should have waited until we arrived on the island. We're still in our own country.)

The prince and the others, who must have been thinking the same thing, were momentarily stunned.

"That's quite an early welcome. We were told it would be when we arrived there."

As expected of the prince, he quickly regained his composure and exchanged words with a smile, as if he were used to it.

"Aye, that was the plan, but I couldn't wait and ended up boarding the welcoming ship!"

Behind Emilia, who was puffing out her chest proudly, the attendants were sighing deeply.

"Since we'll be setting sail tomorrow, let's head to the inn first. I'll come to fetch you in the morning."

The person who seemed to be the actual guide spoke apologetically, and the prince nodded with a refreshing smile as the group entered the inn.

"Wow, this is the inn. It's so fresh."

I was lost in thought, looking at the room, which resembled the fantasy inns I had seen in anime and manga, but was even more spacious and luxurious than I had imagined. We must have been given the most expensive room.

"So, who gets which bed?"

I looked at Magilka and Safina, who had entered with me, with a hint of anticipation. The reason we weren't each given our own room was that I had thrown a tantrum and insisted on staying with everyone.

(Girls' night! The girls' talk I've dreamed of!)

Unaware of my intentions, Safina looked around the beautiful and spacious room in amazement, while Magilka, as usual, was not particularly impressed and lounged on a nearby sofa.

"Hey, are you listening? Both of you."

"Ah, yes. I don't mind going last."

"I'll go after Lady Mary."

Feeling my enthusiasm wane, I said with a hint of dissatisfaction, and Safina and Magilka responded in a templated manner.

"Well, that's no fun. How about we play rock-paper-scissors to decide?"

I suggested with a determined look, thinking that rock-paper-scissors was the standard way to settle such disputes. However, the two of them tilted their heads in confusion.

"Lady Mary, what is rock-paper-scissors?"

"Eh? You don't know rock-paper-scissors?"

Magilka's response made me genuinely surprised. I had never doubted that it was a universal custom.

"Have you heard of it, Safina?"

"No, I haven't."

When even Safina shook her head in response to Magilka's question, I decided to explain the concept and rules of rock-paper-scissors.

Then, I realized that when teaching rock-paper-scissors in another world, there was always a difficult question that inevitably came up...

"I understand the basics, but why does 'paper' beat 'rock'?"

"Because, as I explained earlier, rock is a fist, scissors are a pair of scissors, and paper is a sheet of paper. Rock can't be cut by scissors, so rock wins. Scissors can cut paper, so scissors win. Paper can wrap around rock, so paper wins. If it's the same, then..."

"That's the part I don't get. Why does paper win just because it wraps around rock?"

As I explained what seemed obvious to me, Magilka interjected with a puzzled look, and I was at a loss for words.

(Huh? Now that you mention it, why is that?)

Once I started thinking about it, my common sense began to waver.

"Um, well, you see, um..."

Looking up at the ceiling, I tried to think, but I had never questioned it before, so I didn't know the deep reason.

"Anyway, that's the rule. That's just how it is."

And so, I resorted to brute force.

"Hehe, that sounds like an interesting game."

Surprised by the unexpected fourth voice, we turned to see Emilia, who had naturally relaxed and was looking at us with excitement.

"Princess, when did you—"

"Hm? When did I what? I just came in with you all."

Her natural demeanor made me realize that I had subconsciously accepted her presence as a given.

(Amazing blending skills. Isn't this person's communication ability incredible? To be so naturally there that we accept it without question... Wait, maybe she has no presence... No, that can't be it.)

As I pondered this, watching Emilia, who was treating the two of us as usual, I was lost in thought.

"Why are you here, Princess? Is there something you need to tell us?"

Despite being told to relax, it was impossible to suddenly become friendly, and the still formal Magilka spoke for all of us.

"Hm, not really. I just got interested in staying in the same room as everyone, so I came along."

As she said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I was taken aback by Emilia's whimsical nature.

"So, you'll play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to choose first. I like games of chance. Let's play, hehehe."

With an unsettling smile, the enthusiastic Emilia stood before us, and the three of us, unsure of what to do, decided to play rock-paper-scissors.

After dozens of rounds, we were still playing rock-paper-scissors.

"Ugh! I lost again! Why is my invincible rock losing!"

Holding up her rock hand to the sky, Emilia writhed in agony, and we sighed deeply.

"This time, this time I'll win! Let's go again!"

The overly enthusiastic Emilia. And I discovered something else about Emilia: she was incredibly weak at rock-paper-scissors. Incidentally, I had never lost.

(God, I don't need to be invincible in something like this...)

Emilia, who seemed to be a sore loser, had no intention of ending the rock-paper-scissors tournament until she won. I was starting to lose track of why we were even playing.

"Alright, both of you. Let's let the Princess win this time and end this pointless game. Even if it's a setup."

The three of us huddled together and whispered.

"But how can we predict what the Princess will throw? She has no pattern at all."

"Besides, even when we all throw the same thing, she somehow loses. I don't know what to do."

As we tried various strategies, I was impressed by Emilia's talent for losing. I encouraged the two of them not to give up.

"Don't give up. If you give up, the game is over."

"If we could end it, that would be great."

As I quoted a wonderful saying from my past life, Magilka deftly countered, leaving me speechless.

"Anyway, I'll lose this time. Definitely!"

And so, we plunged back into the rock-paper-scissors hell.

"Alright, I'll win this time! Rock-paper-scissors!"

In response to Emilia's enthusiastic call, we prayed to the gods and threw our hands.

"Po-n!"

And I won alone.

(So, God, I don't need to be invincible in something like this...)

Unable to bear the accusing looks of the two others, I looked away and screamed in my heart.

The rock-paper-scissors match finally ended when Tüte announced it was time for dinner, and Emilia, who had no chance of winning, was on the verge of tears.

(Truly, Tüte looked like a goddess at that moment.)

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