Old Man Isekai - Chapter 19

 An Audience

Right now, I am heading toward the First Princess's room inside the separate villa. It's not for anything sexual, but to have an official audience with her.

While we were all having a meal earlier, the Princess’s maid came by with a request: the Princess, who resides in the separate villa, wanted us to come visit her. The reason given was that she wanted to chat with the Heroes, who are women of her own generation.

Since I wanted to investigate whether there were any demon slaves inside the separate villa, I made up a random excuse so I could tag along with them.

"Whoa. A member of the royal family lives here, so it's really luxurious. I wonder what the First Princess is like?" 

"Since she's the child of that King, she probably isn't much of a beauty." 

"I just want to get this conversation over with as fast as possible so I can head back and study magic."

Since Maya's mana pool expanded, she has started learning magic. Because of that, she wants to rush back home like a kid who just bought a brand-new video game.

"Lord Dai, Lady Maya, it would be terrible if someone overheard you!"

Aria panicked at what the two of us were saying. Meanwhile, Sharon and Iris were walking and chatting while holding hands, looking exactly like a mother and daughter.

"The royal residences in my original world weren't nearly this extravagant. What was it like in your world, Iris?" 

"Don't know." 

"I see. So you didn't have any involvement with royalty back then." 

"Mm."

The way Sharon and Iris's conversations somehow work out despite barely connecting is honestly pretty amusing to watch. By the way, I kept an eye on our surroundings as we walked, but I didn't spot any demon slaves. The only thing that caught my attention was that the maids' uniforms were completely inconsistent.

"By the way, are the maids here allowed to wear whatever they want?" 

"Yes. Thanks to the consideration of the Queen and Lady Carla, they are allowed a certain degree of freedom because her Majesty wants the young women to enjoy fashion." 

"Heh. That's a nice system." 

"Everyone, we have arrived at Lady Carla's room, so please be quiet."

We arrived outside the Princess's room. I have to admit, I'm feeling a little tense!

"Lady Carla, I have brought the Heroes and their companions." 

"Yes, please come in."

When the door opened, an incredibly beautiful princess was sitting on a chair. I honestly can't comprehend how a child like this could be born from that old geezer.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am the First Princess of this kingdom, Carla Norris Leesen. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules today. I have heard so much about all of you, and I apologize for my selfishness in insisting on this meeting." 

"……" 

"Is something the matter, everyone?" 

"Ah! No! It's just... you are unexpectedly beautiful, so we were caught off guard!" 

"Fufu ♪ I am quite used to hearing that, so please do not let it trouble you."

It looked like Yuno hadn't expected her to be a beauty either. After introducing ourselves, we took our seats around the table.

"Once again, thank you for coming today." 

"It's no problem at all. So, what kind of things did you want to talk about?" 

"To tell you the truth, I have not stepped foot outside this separate villa for the past five years, so I have never had the chance to speak with women of my own generation besides my maids." 

"Don't you travel abroad for diplomacy or things like that?" 

"Normally, I would, but my legs are impaired and I am unable to walk... Therefore, due to security concerns regarding my protection, I cannot go anywhere. So... um..."

She was probably feeling nervous. I decided to throw her a lifeline.

"So you wanted to have a tea party together, just girl-to-girl?" 

"Yes... that is exactly it. Lord Dai, thank you very much."

What a humble, adorable, and absolutely perfect princess!

"Dai. Stop swooning over her..."

Maya snapped at me.

"Are the two of you in a relationship?" 

"Yes, we are." 

"Oh my, how envious!" 

""Muuu""

Maya beamed with a smile, while Yuno and Aria slumped in disappointment. Sharon maintained a polite smile, and Iris kept her usual expressionless face.

"By the way, I'm also dating Cattleya, the maid." 

"Eh? Is... is that permitted?" 

"Please do not look at me for answers..." 

"Does that mean she is a concubine? It sounds almost like the royalty of other nations." "Are there no concubines in this country?" 

"No, my father abolished the system because it serves as a breeding ground for power struggles. Because of that, while I have many uncles, I only have two older brothers and one younger brother."

If that were Japan, that number of children would be actively combatting the declining birthrate crisis! Come to think of it, maybe that King is actually a pretty decent ruler after all? In this world, there are people who contribute significantly to their companies or society in ways that can't be measured by numbers alone. That King might just belong to that exact category!

"I am so glad that you are all such kind people. If it is alright with you, I would love to speak with you further..."

Yuno checked with the rest of the group, and everyone agreed.

"Yes, that's perfectly fine." 

"In that case, I'll excuse myself." 

"Eh! Dai, you're leaving?" 

"Yeah, it'll be much easier for you girls to talk among yourselves." 

"No! Please do not worry about that and stay here with us!" 

"It'll be much easier to talk about romance if it's just women. Right, Maya?" 

"Hey! Don't pass the ball to me out of nowhere!"

When I looked at Maya while speaking to the Princess, the Princess instantly flipped her stance.

"Understood. However, if you walk around the villa grounds without an attendant, you will be apprehended. Please take this with you. Even if you are stopped by the guards, displaying this will ensure you face no issues." 

"Yes, thank you very much."

Given her age, it looked like romance was her absolute favorite topic. Maya, prepare to have your brain thoroughly picked for every last detail.

Alright, this is a massive opportunity. I need to gather as much information as I can while I have the chance. Since time is limited, I was planning to search only the most critical areas, but then Sharon called out to stop me.

"Dai!" 

"Sharon, what's wrong? Aren't you going to join the chat?" 

"To those young girls, I am practically an older lady, after all. Besides, I am here to help you. You are looking for the demons, aren't you?"

"How long have you known?" 

"Ever since we met in the chapel earlier ♪"

Incredible. And here I thought I was doing a flawless job of keeping it hidden... Also, Sharon is definitely not an older lady!

"Got it, let's go together then." 

"Yes!"

And so, Sharon and I set off to explore this massive separate villa together. It really takes me back to the days when I used to explore my grandfather's house as a little kid!

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