Chapter 98

When the masquerade ball had ended and things had calmed down, Aquasteed was thinking about pampering Tiara Rose. During the ball, she had been harassed by the emperor of Sandrose, so she must have been tired.

However, Tiara Rose is shy and wouldn't come to him for pampering.

Well, that's what makes her cute, Aquasteed thought.

Moreover, she has little desire for material things and wouldn't ask for anything. Unless it's sweets, but even then, Tiara Rose would take care of it herself without Aquasteed's help.

"Aquasteed-sama, is something wrong?"

"It's Elliot..."

Aquasteed, who was thinking of a good plan in his office, was approached by Elliot.

"No, I was thinking about pampering Tiara."

"Tiara Rose-sama? But you always pamper her, don't you?"

"That's... true."

Indeed, it is.

"Since a lot happened at the masquerade ball, I thought she might need some rest."

"Oh, I see."

Elliot chuckled, understanding the situation.

At the same time, Elliot is working hard to propose to Filene properly. Aquasteed understands this and plans to give Elliot important tasks when they arise.

Elliot then tapped his hand.

"Why don't you go shopping together?"

"Shopping?"

"Yes. Filene told me that merchants will visit Tiara Rose-sama later to sell dresses. I think it would be nice to give her some accessories as a gift."

"Shopping... I see. That's a good idea."

Tiara Rose rarely buys things, so Aquasteed nodded, thinking it would be a good opportunity. He also thought about getting her a complete set, from top to bottom. It might end up feeling like a reward for Aquasteed, but that's fine.

***

Merchants and pastry chefs often visit Tiara Rose. They show new products and sweets, and Tiara Rose and Filene enjoy deciding what to buy together.

Filene often makes the final decision on dresses and accessories, while Tiara Rose often tilts her head, wondering, "Do I really need that much?" It's a given that Filene always says, "We need more."

Today, they were to welcome merchants in Tiara Rose's guest room, but Filene stopped them before it started.

"What's wrong, Filene?"

"Aquasteed-sama wants to join us."

"Really?"

Hearing Filene's words, Tiara Rose's face lit up. Aquasteed is usually busy with his duties, so it's rare for him to join. Excitedly, Tiara Rose welcomed Aquasteed.

"Sorry for the sudden visit, Tiara."

"No, it's fine. I'm very happy to go shopping with you, Aquasama."

"Really?"

Tiara Rose smiled, and Aquasteed smiled back softly.

Filene set up the room, and Tiara Rose and Aquasteed sat on the sofa together.

The merchants who would arrive were mainly dealing with winter items.

After preparing the tea, Filene took out a list of items Tiara Rose needed and called the merchants in one by one.

Aquasteed then called out to Filene.

"Filene, what are you planning to buy?"

"Yes. Today, we'll mainly focus on winter dresses and accessories. We'll also discuss the design of spring dresses."

"I see. Thank you."

Of course, pastry chefs would also come to sell sweets.

"There are many winter dresses, but it wouldn't be good if there were none at all..."

Tiara Rose chuckled at Filene's statement. She already had many dresses, some of which were gifts from Aquasteed.

However, as the queen, Tiara Rose couldn't just wear the same dresses repeatedly. As the queen of the great nation of Marinforest, the people expect her to always wear appropriate dresses, and she is also a role model for young ladies.

"Let's start with the dresses and accessories."

Filene then called in the first merchant.

An elderly man in a fine suit, followed by several seamstresses, bowed and greeted Tiara Rose and Aquasteed before displaying the dresses.

"Wow, they're all so cute."

"The ones with fur are nice too. They would suit Tiara."

"Really?"

Aquasteed pointed to a fluffy fur and seemed excited. There were several styles, and he thought it would be nice to have a few in different colors.

Filene, on the other hand, was seriously examining the designs and asking one of the seamstresses about the dresses.

"Is this design the latest?"

"Of course. It's tailored to highlight Tiara Rose-sama's beauty."

The seamstress smiled and added, "The fur would also complement Tiara Rose-sama's hair color."

While Tiara Rose and Aquasteed were leisurely looking at the dresses, Filene was purchasing several items she deemed necessary. She also bought the ones Tiara Rose liked.

--- Filene is always so reliable.

Tiara Rose chuckled, thinking she couldn't decide so quickly on her own.

"Let's get five dresses and some accessories."

"Wait, Filene. I want to buy this dress and fur too."

"Understood."

Just as they were about to finish buying the dresses, Aquasteed stopped them.

He chose a light blue, cute dress with a pink ribbon, a headpiece, and a fashionable fur in the shape of an animal for the neck.

"Really, Aquasama?"

Surprised by the unexpected purchase, Tiara Rose looked at Aquasteed.

"It's a gift from me. How about we go on a date wearing this?"

"A date...! What should I do? I'm so happy."

Hearing Aquasteed's proposal, Tiara Rose smiled shyly.

"Then, I'll coordinate your outfit, Aquasama. ...Is that okay?"

"Of course. I'm looking forward to it."

"Okay."

The two smiled at each other, and Tiara Rose leaned slightly on Aquasteed, who relaxed, thinking it was a good idea to propose the date.

After finishing the dress purchase, they called in the next merchant—Tiara Rose and the others were taken aback.

"Wait... Emperor Salavia?"

"Hey, kitty. Nice to see you again."

The merchant who entered the guest room was Salavia, the emperor of Sandrose.

At the masquerade ball, Salavia and Aquasteed had a competition that ended in a draw. They thought they wouldn't have to deal with each other again, but it seems they were wrong.

Aquasteed sighed but straightened his posture and greeted Salavia.

"I didn't expect you to come to the castle as a merchant. If there's something, you could have contacted me directly..."

"No, no. This trip is incognito, not official business. I'll take your concern to heart, Aquasteed-sama."

"I see."

Aquasteed and Salavia smiled, but there was tension between them. Tiara Rose was worried but thought they wouldn't do anything serious as leaders of great nations.

"Well, that's why I'm here. I brought some gems that would suit kitty. Oh, and no need for formalities, Aquasteed-sama."

As Salavia snapped his fingers, a silver-haired man behind him presented the gems to Tiara Rose and Aquasteed.

"These are desert gems from our country, Sandrose. See, the beautiful red color suits kitty."

"Emperor Salavia, please don't call my queen 'kitty.'"

"Oh, come on, a cute girl is a kitty, right?"

Aquasteed scolded Salavia, but he didn't seem to want to change his way of addressing her.

Despite feeling a bit annoyed, Aquasteed sighed, admiring the beauty of the gems. They were indeed magnificent.

The gems were about the size of a marble, a deep, almost black red. However, a faint light seemed to emanate from the center, suggesting they carried some magical power, making them extremely valuable.

"I've never seen such beautiful gems."

"Right? In Marinforest, it would be rare to find such gems."

Tiara Rose's eyes sparkled, and Aquasteed agreed.

While Marinforest has many minerals, gems with magical properties are extremely rare. Moreover, gems as large as the ones Salavia brought are even rarer.

"Right? Sandrose is a great country. Kitty, don't you want to come?"

"! No way! Why would you say that!"

Taking the compliment as an opportunity, Salavia grinned and told Tiara Rose, "Why don't you become my queen?" Of course, she immediately refused.

"No. I only have Aquasama."

"That's cold... But that's what makes you cute."

"..."

Tiara Rose grabbed Aquasteed's sleeve and shook her head silently, seeing Salavia wink.

"Well, I'm prepared for a long battle. I'll leave for now."

"Huh?"

"Hmm? Are you sad?"

"No! But those gems are very rare..."

Salavia stood up, but Tiara Rose panicked because the gems he brought were extremely valuable.

She couldn't just accept them, but as a gift from the emperor of Sandrose, it would be unwise to refuse, as it could be seen as Marinforest rejecting Sandrose.

Seeing Tiara Rose's concern, Salavia smiled.

"Don't worry. I brought these because I wanted kitty to have them. I brought them on my own."

"...Okay."

Tiara Rose nodded and accepted the red gem.

Aquasteed gently hugged her and said, "They're beautiful," then turned to Salavia.

"Thank you for the gift from the great nation of Sandrose. I will also give a gift to Emperor Salavia and his queen. Please look forward to it."

"...I will, Aquasteed-sama."

Hearing Aquasteed's words, Tiara Rose felt relieved.

She was worried about what to do with the gift, but Aquasteed would return the favor.

Tiara Rose thought it might be nice to include some delicious sweets for Salavia's queens.