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<Side Story 2>

"Welcome."

Tiren did not let personal sentiment interfere with state affairs, so people often remarked that she was precocious and cold for her age.

But at heart, she was still a fourteen-year-old girl who had only recently become emperor.

Before those she truly cherished, her face would break into smiles, and she would act much like any other child her age.

During the three months that Rianell and Asil had been away on leave, the empire had grown even more stable, and no one had threatened Tiren's position.

She had grown fairly accustomed to the throne by now—yet she could not help feeling a hollowness and loneliness whenever she saw the empty spaces left by those she had leaned on.

So it was that Tiren welcomed them both with genuine warmth.

"How was your vacation?"

"Thanks to Your Majesty's consideration, we spent a peaceful time."

"I believe you mentioned going to the Kingdom of Valmar as your destination. What was it like there?"

Tiren had granted them permission to travel abroad, so she had a rough idea of where they had gone.

They had also submitted a travel report of sorts.

"I heard it is a place of beautiful seas and coastal cliffs."

The empire held vast territory, covering more than half of the great continent. As such, it bordered dozens of nations—but Valmar was a small kingdom not counted among those dozens.

Instead, the empire and Valmar shared territorial waters. With regular ferries running from the empire's eastern coast to Valmar, imperial citizens often visited as tourists.

"Just as the rumours say—it was breathtaking. Unforgettable even in dreams."

"Goodness."

Tiren flushed with excitement, cupping her reddened cheeks as if she had visited Valmar herself.

"How was the journey itself?"

Tiren had never once set foot outside the empire, and she knew she never would—so she was eager to hear their travel tales.

Especially since she knew they had travelled incognito, just the two of them, living in a foreign land.

A secret trip under assumed identities!

The small thrills of stepping outside the ordinary!

Unexpected encounters and adventures in an unfamiliar place!

Though she was an emperor, she was still at an age to be wide-eyed at such stories, and Tiren's curiosity shone through.

Yet Asil gave a wry smile and pressed his lips firmly shut.

'…What?'

Like Rianell, Asil had been trained by a master who valued clarity, so he rarely dodged a question or hesitated.

After a moment of silence,

Asil looked away awkwardly and shifted his gaze.

"Well… the truth is, we were discovered."

Tiren was slightly surprised but quickly accepted it.

"It is a famous tourist destination. I imagined someone might recognise you."

"That's not quite it… We were discovered by the Princess of Valmar."

Now what was this? It had not been in the report.

"Princess? So you came into contact with the royal family?"

Tiren gasped and gripped the armrest of her chair.

It was extremely rare for an ordinary tourist to cross paths with royalty.

'Of course—their spheres of life are completely different.'

Even if a princess were travelling incognito, it still made no sense.

The royal side would hardly have revealed their identity or acknowledged them first.

'Unless she deliberately flaunted her noble status… no, that can't be.'

Not that there were no people who committed such blunders.

Everywhere you went, there were those who could not shed their sense of privilege abroad, puffing out their chests—only to have their identities exposed, bring shame upon themselves, and tarnish their nation's reputation in the process.

But what baffled Tiren even more was:

'Neither of them is that sort of person!'

"I hid it perfectly well," Rianell said, while Asil, not looking at her, let out a subtle smile.

"Well… you did try to hide it."

"Yes. Roughly."

Ah-ha?

Only then did Tiren catch on, letting out a knowing hum, while Asil silently pressed his brow.

Yes, that roughly—that blasted roughly—was the root of all problems.

"Here is how it happened…"

---

The tourist industry in the Kingdom of Valmar had flourished for good reason.

Most of the island was rocky, and the strong winds made farming difficult; the seafood harvested from the sea could only go so far in feeding the population.

Out of necessity, the ancient Valmarians had sustained themselves through trade, securing needed goods in exchange. As more foreigners visited the kingdom, shops and lodgings to receive them gradually increased.

At some point, the perception spread that tourism—safe and highly profitable—was preferable to dangerous fishing, and now most Valmarians were engaged in commerce.

As such, the hawking was fierce.

"Are you tourists?"

"Yes."

"Just as I thought! I knew it from the moment I saw you carrying three bags. Come in, come in. Our carriage is spacious—I'll take you straight to your lodging."

"I'd like to look around a bit more before deciding—"

"Oh, come now. Why drag all that heavy luggage around? I'll take you to a fine place with large rooms and breakfast included. Don't trouble yourself—just hop in. I tell you, it's a truly decent establishment."

But because most tourists were foreigners, certain problems inevitably arose.

"Hey! I found a bug the size of my thumb in my room! What kind of management is this?"

"It's summer—what can we do? If you don't like it, go check elsewhere and see if they're any better."

"Even in summer, finding one between the towels is too much!"

Either they provided abysmal service, or—

"You've got 5 gold on the signboard, but now you're charging me 10?"

"Well, of course—that was for the smallest room. You used our largest, so the extra charge is only natural, isn't it?"

—overcharging ran rampant.

After all, most guests were one-time visitors.

But there were some people you absolutely should not mess with.

"This building shows signs of shoddy construction."

"Pardon?"

"The exterior finish has deteriorated, exposing the rebar. The risk of accidents from falling structural elements appears high."

Rianell gave the building a cursory glance and delivered her verdict.

Cold sweat ran down the coachman's back.

He could only collect a referral fee from the innkeeper if the guests actually stayed—but these two showed no intention of even entering.

'I thought they were easy marks passing by.'

The coachman had done this many times before.

A self-proclaimed veteran, he had been strolling along the coastal cliffs, scouting for gullible prospects, when he spotted a wealthy-looking pair and pounced.

[Have you only just arrived in Valmar?]

[Yes. We entered the country today.]

[Just as I thought! I had a feeling. Would you happen to need lodging? I happen to know an inexpensive and fine place.]

[It does not need to be inexpensive. It must be clean, soundproof, and well-insulated. Do you know of such a place?]

'Oh—so they do have money.'

Smelling a mark on the man, the coachman inwardly cheered and rubbed his palms together.

[The very place I was going to take you fits that description. Let's go.]

When he first loaded them onto his carriage, the coachman had thought this was his lucky day.

But.

"Guests…?"

"The owner of a building has a duty to maintain and manage its facilities safely. Neglecting a hazardous condition may subject them to administrative orders."

"The outside may look like this, but inside it's quite cosy. Why not come in and see—"

"This is a violation of building management obligations."

"…"

Only then did the coachman realise:

The ones who had been caught were not these people—but him.

When the guests remained outside and did not enter, the innkeeper came out as well.

But soon he wore much the same expression as the coachman.

"Just who in blazes are you—er, I mean, who are you?"

It was hard to dismiss them as mad guests, since they recited legal provisions with precision—yet it was also unsettling to simply throw them out.

Why did foreigners know Valmarian law?

"Just passing tourists," Asil said, embarrassed, but since matters had come this far, he decided to brazen it out.

After all, revealing their true identities would only create more trouble.

"What tourist on earth recites legal clauses verbatim—!"

The innkeeper, who had cried out as if in a fit, suddenly stopped breathing as one possibility crossed his mind.

'Could they be… inspectors sent by the royal court?'

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