Chapter 108: Lining Up in a Row
Chapter 108: Lining Up in a Row
As the appointed time drew near, I was inwardly fidgeting, thinking Hurry up and come pick us up already... when Kantoner-san finally arrived. A luxurious-looking carriage—but one that could pass for a commoner’s—was parked in the rear palace’s roundabout."Oh dear, what should I do? This is my first time visiting a commoner’s shop. I won’t run into anyone I know, right? But if someone is here incognito, what kind of face should I make when I meet them?"
The Queen was seriously worrying about things she didn’t need to worry about. Even people at the very top of the hierarchy fret over such trivial matters, I thought. She really is adorable. I learned that moments like this reveal unexpected sides of people.
As the carriage headed into the commoner district, the Queen gazed out the window with great interest. Watching the people walking through the streets, she asked,
"Was this outfit strange? Was this hat all right? Was it too flashy?"
She was concerned about surprisingly small details. You’re the Queen of an entire country—you can just stride in with total confidence! Of course, a timid guy like me could never say that to her.
The carriage stopped near the fruit parlor, in front of a wealthy merchant’s store. The Queen entered the shop once, touched up her makeup and appearance, and then walked "on foot" toward the fruit parlor.
From here on, the area was already tightly secured by royal palace personnel disguised as passersby. When I looked up, I could see guards on the rooftops keeping watch as well.
The distance from the merchant’s store to the fruit parlor was only about 200 meters, but it felt endlessly far—ten times, even twenty times longer. The Queen was in high spirits and kept talking to me, but I was so tense I was barely listening. At first, I was so nervous I kept stepping forward with my right foot and right hand at the same time. Even though security was supposedly perfect, my pessimistic mind couldn’t help thinking, What if something happens outside the palace, in the commoner district?
As we approached the shop, at some point the old-man duo of Lake-san and Relf-san moved to walk in front. A little further on, the three from the Accounting Bureau—Anise-san, Marin-sensei, and Christine-san—slipped in between us. Even from behind, I could clearly see how tense the three of them were. Strangely, watching them helped loosen my own tension. Behind us, the mother-daughter pair of Stevie and Lily had been following since we left the merchant’s store.