And then finally, the day of the victory parade arrived.
The moment I saw the horse-drawn carriage we were supposed to ride, I nearly blacked out.
“A three-horse open-air carriage…what the…?”
“Ah, haha…I didn’t give those instructions though?”
“And Suzuha and Toko san are both wearing matching white dresses too. I can’t help but wonder if this is some royal wedding parade.”
“Is that what you were going for?!”
Toko san was glaring red-faced at the knight commander who seemed to have prepared the carriage.
For some reason he was giving Toko san a rather smug thumbs-up, but isn’t this embarrassing?
Suzuha, on the other hand, seemed unusually excited upon seeing the carriage.
“Suzuha, aren’t you embarrassed by this?”
“While I am a bit embarrassed, the feeling of being able to ride in a white horse carriage wearing a wonderful dress together with you, brother, overpowers that greatly.”
“I see…”
So for a girl, things like a white horse carriage and dresses are exciting, huh.
Though I am her brother…Is she really okay with that?
As I tilted my head, Suzuha clapped her hands as if struck by a thought.
“Then how about you carry me in a princess carry throughout the parade, brother? That way, your face will be hidden by my body and breasts.”
“Hmm…I guess that could work…?”
“There’s no way that’s okay!?”
Toko san immediately rejected my suggestion, and we ended up sitting side by side as usual. Too bad.
Before the parade started, I thought there wouldn’t be many spectators anyway.
Unlike the previous war where the princes caused so much trouble, there were no soldiers being deployed this time.
There was almost no impact on civilian life, so I didn’t even feel like there had been a war.
—But my expectations were completely off.
When the castle gates opened and we in the carriages saw the sight,
the crowds of spectators packed tightly on both sides of the main street stretched as far as the eye could see—
Dumbfounded me, while Toko san naturally waved her hand beside me as if it were natural.
“Come on, Suzuha nii, wave and smile too. You too, Suzuha.”
“Oh, yes……”
As the carriage proceeded down the main street,
when we waved, the spectators waved back doubly enthusiastically.
All the gathered spectators were smiling.
Eventually their voices naturally united into one:
“Long live the heroes who saved the nation—!”
“Long live Queen Toko—!”
“Long live Margrave Lohengrin—!”
As the cheers swelled into a wave rising into the sky over the capital,
we couldn’t help but gaze at that fairy tale-like moment.
10
The lingering euphoria of the triumphant parade that had engulfed the entire capital in a frenzy –
It seemed to know no end even after it was over.
Toko san told me the residents were so exhilarated that noble carriages couldn’t pass, delaying the start of parties.
“Why was it so amazing…?”
To my puzzled question, Toko san clearly gave a wry smile.
“Well, of course. The capital was in total chaos from the coup just recently, and all those fabricated victory reports were complete lies. Then you, the hero who saved the nation, appeared and reclaimed our territory without sacrificing a single resident. And then you single-handedly turned the tables on an enemy force of a million? There’s no reason they wouldn’t be ecstatic after all that!”
“I guess when you put it that way…? But everyone went crazy when Toko san became queen too, right?”
“True. But I was just a captive princess then.”
“That’s right.”
“So don’t you think everyone would be way more excited about a commoner boy appearing gallantly to rescue the princess, compared to when she was just a captive princess?”
“…I suppose so?”
“Exactly.”
According to Toko san, that’s just how it is. If that’s the case, I can’t argue.
Meanwhile, Suzuha had been crying uncontrollably since the parade ended.
Apparently she had been holding it in during the parade itself.
“I’m – I’m so glad I’m your sister—!”
She seemed overwhelmed with emotion.
Trying to calm her down, I stroked her head, and she buried her face in my chest, hugging me tightly.
It felt like we were children again.
*
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The noble parties I knew were just a series of greetings.
Today’s victory celebration was no exception.
But what was hugely different was that I was suddenly made to give a greeting on stage.
Normally only important people would give greetings,
but Toko san suddenly put me on the spot.
For context, a “mic” refers to a voice amplification device using magic.
“Hey, Suzuha nii! Say a few words!”
“Um, well…?”
“Anything, come on!”
Since she said anything was fine, I just ended up praising Toko san profusely. At a noble party, it’s safe to praise the queen, and it was my true feeling anyway.
Toko san was squirming in embarrassment at being unexpectedly showered with so much praise, but she brought it on herself by putting me on the spot.
After somehow getting through the greeting and leaving the stage, Duke Sakuragi called out to me.
I hadn’t seen the duke himself in a while, but his daughter Yuzuriha had already helped me tremendously.
“Long time no see, Your Grace.”
“Indeed. Has Yuzuriha been useful?”
“Of course. Truly, I can’t express how much Yuzuriha has helped me—”
As we continued with such small talk, I suddenly noticed something strange.
There was a line of people behind Duke Sakuragi.
Not just one or two people.
Eventually, nearly all the nobles at the party lined up behind Duke Sakuragi in a single line.
“Um, Your Grace?”
“—Yuzuriha is my daughter, but she was raised properly without fail. I will never tolerate betrayal…What is it?”
“There’s an incredibly long line behind you?”
“Never mind that, just leave them be.”
“But isn’t this everyone waiting to greet you…?”
“Don’t be silly. They’re all people who want to greet you.”
“What!?”
“Not only are you already a hero who saved the nation, but you’ve achieved unprecedented, unbelievable military accomplishments this time. Your standing as a national noble is unshakable. These people who can’t even remember your name or face are desperately trying to get close to you in any way they can.”
“So I’m the one keeping them waiting!? Which means I shouldn’t have been making small talk with you—!”
“Just indulge them a bit more. The real event is just starting.”
Looking towards the stage, Toko san had reemerged with Grand Duchess Uentas,
and they began recounting the events of the recent war.
The Uentas Principality had no intention of war under the ceasefire agreement.
The Callandor territory that rebelled and declared war on Margrave Lohengrin no longer had any relation to the Uentas Principality.
Therefore, regardless of Callandor’s defeat, the Uentas Principality would have absolutely no say in how they were treated afterward.
This was all information I already knew. …Up until this point, that is.
My eyes met Toko san’s on stage.
For some reason, she had the expression of someone about to pull a huge prank.
And then Toko san said something outrageous:
“As for what to do with Callandor territory going forward, after thinking it over, this whole conflict started because they picked a fight with Margrave Lohengrin. And he’s the one who utterly crushed them. So,”
There, Toko san grinned slyly.
“I’ve decided to place all of Callandor’s territory and assets entirely under Margrave Lohengrin’s rule!”
“…Pardon?”
I didn’t understand what Toko san was saying from the stage.
As I stood there dumbfounded, Duke Sakuragi patted my shoulder.
“There you have it. Unlike your Margrave of Lohengrin territory, Callandor has natural harbors and vast farmlands. Quite the promotion for our hero.”
“Excuse me, Your Grace? I didn’t quite catch what you were saying…but it sounded like you said I’d be taking over Callandor territory…?”
“You heard correctly. Your understanding is accurate.”
“Huh!?”
“Now we can finally get to the main matter. I had assumed your current territory was already too much for you to handle alone, so I was planning to lend you some personnel from my household. What do you think? As the current ducal head, I have all sorts of talented individuals at my disposal.”
“Um, well, that is…”
“I have two daughters who completed a royal bride’s education in anticipation of marrying a prince someday, fully versed in Uentas affairs and territorial administration. And I have dozens more daughters trained in territorial management as nobles. If you wish, I could gather them all for interviews. And for Suzuha, your sister, I could provide skilled knights around her age, and…”
The duke enthusiastically listed off all the talented individuals from his territory, but with the unexpected situation, none of it was registering in my head.
At least one thing did manage to sink in:
—For some incomprehensible reason, I had only become a noble a few months prior.
But it seems my territory has now more than doubled in size—!
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