TDK Vol. 2 Chapter 2 Part 4 (Patreon)

Chapter 2 Part 4

The royal residence is divided into three areas.

In the center is the palace where the king, his queen, and concubines reside. To the east is the detached palace where the legitimate children of the queen live. To the west is the detached palace where the children of the king's concubines lived. Iris lives in the detached palace on the west side.

The buildings in the detached palace are large, and the gardens are spacious. Her father also visits her occasionally. There is no inconvenience in her life.

It wasn't easy to get along with her other siblings, but she thinks it is the duty of those born into the royal family.

She has no particular complaints. In fact, her head is filled with other things now, and there is no room for dissatisfaction or worries.

"...Yuuki-sama was… My Lord."

Iris lies on her bed, hugging her favorite pillow.

"...My Lord. Dean Nosferatu-sama. Alice's My Lord. Iris's Yuuki-sama. The person Iris loves..."

She murmurs, covering her face with a bright red blush. Her heart beats fast. The heat inside her body does not subside. She knows that her whole being is trembling with joy at meeting her 'My Lord'.

Her mind is blank. She hardly remembers what she talked about after leaving the 'Grail Trading Company'.

Did I say anything strange ──?

Did I do anything to make Yuuki dislike me ──?

Such thoughts danced around her mind, and Iris rolled around on her bed.

To be honest, she has not fully assimilated Alice Carmine's memories yet. Her memories are still incomplete. But she gets a warm feeling in her chest.

When she was rescued from the 'Dark Bear' in the Baron’s territory, she probably fell in love with Yuuki. She wanted to be by his side. That’s why she declared that she would make him her knight escort.

"...Both Iris and Alice. Yuuki-sama… My Lord..."

When she thinks about Yuuki, she feels like 'Iris' and 'Alice' are melting together inside her. Ultimately, she knows they are the same person, which is embarrassing. Whether she has memories or not, it is proof that she is attracted to Yuuki ──

"...T-This is embarrassing...!"

'Kii-Kii!'

Iris jumps out of bed at the sudden strange squeaking noise that came from outside the window. She opens the window to find a bat hanging skillfully from the window frame, staring at Iris.

"Are you perhaps Yuuki-sama's familiar?"

'Yes, that's right.'

"You can talk!?"

'You can understand me!?'

Princess Iris and the bat exchange glances.

'I'm surprised. Familiars should only be understood by their master.'

"Is it fate?"

'Is that so?'

"No, maybe I have regained memories from my previous life, making me similar to Yuuki-sama."

'That makes sense.'

"Nice to meet you. I'm Iris."

'Nice to meet you, too. I'm Neal. By the way, I'm a girl.'

"Please take care of me."

'No, no. It’s my pleasure.'

Iris and the bat, Neal, bow to each other.

'I have a message for you. Do you want me to convey it through parchment or words?'

"Both, please."

'You're so greedy.'

"I want to take everything that belongs to Yuuki-sama with me."

'First, let's start with words. The parchment has the same content.'

The bat, Neal, flies into the room and lands on the back of Iris's chair.

Iris closes the window and curtains, then sits on the bed.

The princess and the bat begin their conversation, leaning close to each other.

'First, let me tell you about things to come.'

"Yes, please."

'I was instructed to stay by Your Royal Highness’s side to serve as a liaison and provide protection.'

"Is it the same for Rhodelia-sama of the 'Grail Trading Company'?"

'Yes. I can also contact them.'

"I understand. I'll count on you."

'Also, I have a message for you. My master wants you to teach him the 'Ancient Magic' that you know the next time you meet.'

"Ancient Magic?"

'He wants you to demonstrate it in front of him. The reason is, let me see...'

"That’s because it’s necessary for the exploration of the 'Capital of the Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium'. Yuuki-sama has just joined the 'Magic Guild' and knows very little about 'Ancient Magic'. Therefore, he wants me to support him with my knowledge, right?"

'That's about it. You understand it well. You're truly amazing.'

"It's my duty as a subordinate to understand My Lord's intentions."

'Have you served my master for a long time?'

"Yes, since two hundred years ago."

'Wow, so you're a senior!'

"No, no, I’m not. In fact, I envy Neal more than anything."

'Is that so?'

"If I had wings, I could fly to Yuuki-sama's side anytime."

'Should I tell him that?'

"N-No! Please hold off on that. I was a bit too open. As a maiden, I'd like to choose my words carefully."

'Understood. Please take your time to think.'

"E-Eh? P-Please, wait a minute…!"

For some reason, her face turned bright red.

The bat, Neal, will convey her words to Yuuki. In other words, through Neal, Iris is connected to Yuuki.

"...Any words can be conveyed, right?"

This is their secret communication. No one else can understand the words of the bat. She can say anything embarrassing, such as how Iris felt when they first met. Or how embarrassed she was when she received treatment from My Lord in her previous life.

Words keep coming up, one after another. But they are all too embarrassing to say. She doesn't know what kind of face to make when she meets Yuuki again. But it does not matter because she will become My Lord's wife and be with him forever.

"──── AH!!"

'Why are you crouching? Is something wrong, Iris-sama?'

"I-It’s nothing..."

It was too dangerous to keep thinking like this. With that in mind, Iris approaches Neal and whispers a few words to convey her message to My Lord during their scheduled night communication.

After that, Iris slid into bed, covered her head with a blanket, and closed her eyes ──

She eats dinner in the dining hall while being worriedly asked by the maids if she has a fever ──

She takes a bath, changes clothes, and covers herself with a blanket again ──

In the end, she had to correct her message more than ten times before nightfall.

"Welcome back, Neal."

'I'm back, Master.'

"Did you deliver the message to Iris?"

'Of course. The 'Ancient Magic' will be taught to Master properly. However, there is a ceremony for the appointment of 'Knight Escort' in a few days, so she asked if Master could wait until after that.'

"I see. Tell her it's fine. Any other messages?"

'Yes.'

"Okay, tell me."

'There are versions one through twelve.'

"Why are there so many?"

'Because she's a maiden, Master.'

"Okay, just tell me all of them."

'I can't do that.'

"Why not!?"

'Because she's a maiden, Master.'

"I'll never understand what Alice thinks, even after two hundred years..."

'But Neal understands. Because Neal is a girl.'

"Just to confirm, would not listening to that message cause a big problem?"

'No, not at all.'

"I see."

'Also, the content is almost the same for each version.'

"What is Alice doing... I mean, Princess Iris…"

'Anyway, I'll deliver the final version.'

"Please do."

'Ahem.'

Neal deeply bows before me and says,

'I am grateful for the fate that allowed me to reunite with My Lord. Please use me for the sake of My Lord. I look forward to serving you for a long time.'

"...Almost all the versions are the same?"

'Yes.'

"...Yep, that's Alice for you."

'Okay then, NeaI will now return to Princess Iris.'

"Thank you. And also ──"

I stopped Neal, who was about to fly away, and said,

"I've given you a lot of 'Magical Blood, Mistel Blood'. Your strength and durability should be significantly increased. Please use that power to protect Iris... I mean, Princess Iris."

'I understand, Master.'

And so, Neal flew off into the night.