The girl who stepped down from the carriage looked at Lisha and me, her eyes widened and her mouth slightly ajar.
This girl is Maria Flandor, a classmate from the noble school that Lisha and I attended.
Although Maria is the daughter of a baron, her social status is considerably lower than ours.
However, Maria is an expert in healing magic, and her skill placed her at the top among all the noble students in the school.
Therefore, after graduating, Maria entered the church with the school’s recommendation and became a nun.
Maria is highly valued for her abilities and has become quite famous in this country.
Some commoners even call her “Saint.”
“How long has it been!”
“Yes, such a long time, Maria.”
Lisha and I called out to Maria, who was still astonished.
“Oh my…! What are you two doing here? You shouldn’t be in a place like this!”
Of course, princes and dukes’ daughters rarely venture outside, much less without an escort.
“Wait a moment. Were you in the capital?”
I wondered if Maria knew anything about the fire in the capital.
“Oh, no. I arrived at the capital at midday, but for some reason, I couldn’t enter.”
Yes, that’s our fault.
“Did something happen?”
Lisha asked with an innocent expression.
“I’m not sure. It’s strange that my carriage, despite being a noble albeit from a poor baron’s family, couldn’t enter the church… I don’t even know why.”
Nobility is absolute.
Even a poor baron as Maria says, that doesn’t change things.
“I see.”
Lisha nodded and gestured to me with her eyes.
“No, more importantly, why are you two here? I mean, the reason you couldn’t enter the capital has to do with you being here, right?”
She is very astute.
“Something like that… But before explaining, could you give us a ride in your carriage? My wife hurt her foot.”
As soon as I said those words, Lisha cheerfully placed her hand on her cheek.
It won’t be long before they decide to look for us; it’s better to move.
“Oh, yes. Of course, please get on board.”
Following Maria’s recommendation, we boarded the carriage.
“I’m sorry it’s so cramped in here.”
The inside of the carriage was indeed narrow.
Moreover, it had no seats and was a modest carriage for transporting luggage.
“You are truly poor.”
“You should buy a slightly better carriage.”
Lisha and I complained inside the carriage.
It was definitely not a carriage for nobles.
“Well, it was a decent carriage to some extent. But on the way, a wheel broke… So we had to stop at the church and borrow another carriage from there.”
The church could have lent a slightly better carriage. After all, Maria is also a noble.
“Are you in the middle of something important?”
Normally, one would wait for their carriage to be repaired, right?
“Yes. Actually, I am headed to train in the ecclesiastical nation. So I plan to take a flying boat from the city of Gerku.”
The ecclesiastical nation… The church’s headquarters.
“You are amazing. You are the elite among the elites.”
“R-Really?”
Maria laughed shyly.
“The grape lady moving up in the world, huh?”
“Indeed.”
“In fact, my old classmates I met along the way also told me that.”
The nickname “grape lady” is simply because vineyards are the main product of her territory.
She used to give wine as a souvenir, hence the nickname.
“Oh, by the way, what are you doing here?”
As soon as Maria asked, Lisha shot me a quick glance.
It seems she’ll let me handle this.
“You may not know because you haven’t been through the capital, but it turns out I was disinherited yesterday…”
Yes… I decided to be honest.
“What?! Why? Was your suspicious dark magic research uncovered?”
Suspicious dark magic research…? What is that?
I haven’t done anything like that.
“Well, you know, the King dislikes magic and loves fencing. So, my brother became the crown prince.”
“Ah, I see… Still, shouldn’t the royal family not keep quiet about it?”
Usually, that’s the case. In the worst scenario, there could be an uprising among other nations.
“Anyway, Walter is very far away.”
Walter is a distant country with some countries in between.
Even if they complain, we can simply ignore them.
“Hmm, could Ian’s family have something to do with it?”
Ian’s maternal family is a powerful nobility in this country.
There might have been a possibility that they pressured my father.
“It could be. In summary, I was disinherited and appointed lord of Milee. It’s the worst fate for someone like me.”
“Milee… It is indeed a more rural place than my family’s… But, isn’t Milee to the north? Aren’t you heading in the wrong direction?”
Should I lie now or continue being honest…?
“Actually, being disinherited also led to the cancellation of my engagement to Lisha.”
“Really? Noble women are supposed to marry their betrothed once decided, right?”
That’s the custom in this country.
“In theory, yes. But it turns out my younger brother also liked Lisha.”
I’m sorry, Ian. But I won’t give her to you; you took the throne from me.
“Really?!”
Maria was a girl fond of romantic stories, so my story seemed very interesting to her.
“Yes, yes. You know, Lisha is a very beautiful woman, isn’t she?”
Undoubtedly, she is known for her exceptional beauty and unpleasant personality.
“Y-Yes, of course!”
Maria nodded enthusiastically, and Lisha joyfully tucked her hair behind her ear.
“But… Like you said, noble women marry their betrothed once decided. And I want to marry Lisha; we have been together since we were children.”
“Oh! Your Highness, how chivalrous! Truly admirable!”
“Thank you… Well, that’s the reason we ran away.”
“Eh? So you two are fleeing because you want to be together like in a novel story?!”
“Yes. Like in a novel story.”
By the way, I don’t know those love stories. I’m not interested in them at all.
“Oh, that’s so romantic! I can imagine it from your school days! A suspicious dark magic practitioner and an unparalleled maiden…!”
Hey!
“And what do you plan to do in your escape together?”
“We plan to board a flying boat.”
“Oh, that’s why you are in the city of Gerku.”
Maria nodded understandingly.
“Yes, yes. So please, let us ride in your carriage.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll be delighted to help! All in the name of ensuring your love is eternal!”
I see she’s still a peasant at heart; she doesn’t know how to doubt people.
I glanced at Lisha, who was smiling mischievously.
Yes, I think we are well-matched after all.
