The White Stoat Princess - Chapter 42

I narrowed my eyes.

‘Seeing no writing on the outer envelope, it’s clear that minions are intercepting it at some midpoint.’

Then if it disappears like this, it would arouse suspicion.

After successfully diverting it, I worried about being caught later and raising suspicions. What should I do? As I was pondering, large hands suddenly scooped me up.

“Here you are, Marian.”

It was Hadel. Holding me under both armpits like scolding a disobedient puppy, Hadel looked me in the eye and spoke firmly.

“How can you run away like this when we need to fit your clothes?”

“Kyukyu!”

I’m so glad to see you today! I waved my limbs vigorously and pointed at the envelope on the floor. Hadel, who seemed determined not to let me go until I apologized, bent down to pick up the envelope.

“This is… a letter?”

“Kyukyu kyukyu!”

Not being able to speak causes this kind of inconvenience. I gestured enthusiastically to let Hadel know the mail carriage was suspicious.

Fortunately, Hadel understood my meaning and immediately ordered a nearby subordinate.

“…That carriage, don’t let it move.”

“What? But it’s a mail carriage?”

“Say we need to inspect the wheels. Keep it here for today no matter what.”

“Yes, understood.”

The subordinate ran off to carry out Hadel’s orders, though looking disgruntled. I let out a sigh of relief. Noticing the problem was resolved, Hadel took me and the envelope up to his room.

“What’s this all about suddenly? What kind of letter is this?”

Back in the room, I kissed Hadel and quickly changed back to human form. Then I told Hadel the surprising fact I had learned.

“Reports are being sent regularly to Prince Saedel.”

“Saedel? Reports?”

Hadel was quite shocked to learn that his brother was receiving reports and monitoring him even after being exiled to the far north.

Lost in thought for a while, he muttered while stroking his chin.

“I thought he might be monitoring me. He always knows too much about the North. But…”

Hadel hurriedly opened the envelope. The letter inside was short at a glance. After reading it through, Hadel asked incredulously.

“Marian, this is a report about you?”

“That’s right.”

I took the letter and read it too.

‘Fortunately, there’s nothing much.’

I was worried it might say something like ‘There’s a cursed princess in the Grand Duchy who turns into a ferret,’ since earlier they had grumbled that there couldn’t possibly be a lady who turns into a ferret.

The letter’s contents were like this:

‘As expected, going around as a ferret is the answer.’

It was thanks to not often showing my human form. I put on a serious expression.

“I overheard their conversation. Normally, they report on your mana and health condition. And recently, it seems they were ordered to submit more reports.”

“About you?”

“It seems so.”

At my words, Hadel made an expression of utter incomprehension.

“…Why on earth is Saedel interested in you?”

“I don’t know either.”

I’m the one who wants to ask. Why such an overreaction to both ferret me and human me?

‘As a ferret, it’s because they noticed I absorb mana, but what’s the problem when I’m human?’

Could it be they know the ferret and I are the same person?

The moment that thought occurred to me, chills ran down my whole body.

‘That can’t be…’

There’s no one left in this world who knows Princess Marian with pink hair. Which means there’s no one who could connect a white ferret absorbing flames to her.

If such a person existed…

‘It would mean someone who lived in the same era as me is still alive.’

Coincidentally, doesn’t Prince Saedel look exactly like someone who fought in the war with me? A man with clean silver hair and blue eyes.

‘Espen.’

The one who caused a mana explosion in the last battle, ultimately taking my life too.

‘Since I’m alive, Espen could be alive too.’

I thought that for a moment, but soon shook my head. It’s hard to say even I survived properly, isn’t it? It wouldn’t be any different for Espen. Above all, Espen’s heart was definitely shattered and a mana explosion occurred.

‘Then why?’

Having concluded he resembled Espen but wasn’t Espen, the situation became a mystery again. Hadel asked in a puzzled tone.

“Have you ever met Saedel?”

“Not at all.”

If only I had met him once, or if his face was completely different from Espen’s. It was neither, leaving me feeling uneasy.

Looking up, I saw Hadel’s expression was just as serious as mine. I forced a smile and patted Hadel’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“Marian.”

Hadel hugged me tightly, seeming anxious.

It was natural for Hadel to be anxious, having lost everything to Saedel so far. I simply patted Hadel’s back.

[This is the timeline separator]

I put a suitably altered letter in the envelope.

After switching the letter like that and putting it in the mail carriage, there were still factors causing unease.

“But other reports may have already been sent up. There could be more spies.”

“I’ll take responsibility for rooting them out.”

Hadel answered confidently to my words. But rooting them out wasn’t the only answer. I shook my head.

“But right now we’re relying on the central government for most of our finances. If you take action, they might threaten to withhold funds.”

Hadel made a face as if to say ‘Surely they wouldn’t,’ but I couldn’t feel at ease.

“So I think it’s more important to grasp the situation. Like how much authority Prince Saedel has.”

Just how is the kingdom being run? Recalling how Saedel’s subordinates strutted around when they came to the North, it seemed he had authority no different from the king.

After asking Hadel this and that, the matter ended there. Hadel immediately pushed me into the reception room.

In the reception room were the tailor and maids I had run away from earlier.

“Oh come on, Hadel!”

I discovered such important information, and you bring me back to get clothes made? It’s thanks to me escaping in ferret form that we noticed the spy’s existence!

To my protests, Hadel drew a firm line, uncharacteristically.

“That’s that, and this is this.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Mountains are mountains and waters are waters.

As various fabrics were held up to my body, I stood with a blank expression. They asked all sorts of questions while fitting the clothes, but honestly I wasn’t interested or entertained.

I couldn’t sleep, so I forced myself to stand there, and idle thoughts kept drifting through my mind.

‘He said he never received any contact from his parents.’

The story about his parents that I heard from Hadel earlier irritated me more than Saedel.

‘What kind of people are they really! How can they stick their son in a place like this and not even contact him?’

Suddenly feeling angry, I twisted my body, and the tailor who was sticking a pin in my waist nagged.

“Young lady, you mustn’t move your body like that.”

“Yes, yes.”

Not only making me stand, but not letting me move either. I pouted sulkily, and he shrank back, watching my expression.

“I’ll be as quick as possible.”

Seeing that made me feel sorry again. I scratched my head and made an excuse.

“I just have some things on my mind that are bothering me.”

“Still, you can’t move like that. Clothes that fit your body perfectly are the prettiest.”

“I prefer loose clothes.”

“Oh dear.”

The measurements were finished somehow. As I put my arms back in the clothes, the tailor explained why many clothes should be made to fit exactly.

“In the North, people wear multiple layers of clothes, so we don’t make loose clothes much.”

I tilted my head. If you have to wear multiple layers, shouldn’t they be loose layers?

“Shouldn’t it be the opposite?”

“If the inner layer clings tightly, you’ll look slim even with outer clothes on.”

They tailor clothes to fit tightly for that reason, making it hard to move? I made an unimpressed face.

“Is there a law that says you have to look slim?”

On the battlefield, practicality came first, not style or anything else. Clothes that cling this tightly have poor breathability, and you have to make new ones with even slight changes in body shape, right? I only saw disadvantages.

‘It’s absolutely not because I find the making process bothersome.’

At my grumbling, not just the tailor but even the maids helping beside him all frowned.

“Dieting is a lifelong task.”

“I want to have a slender waist too.”

Did they have to wish for it this desperately?

“A slender waist…”

Recalling the slender waist I knew, I unconsciously blurted out.

“Hadel has an extremely slim waist too.”

That line from his back to his hips is as steep as a cliff.

Having seen it countless times, it appeared vividly in my mind with just a little thought. Lost in thoughts of him, I suddenly realized my surroundings had gone quiet and looked around.

“Oh my.”

“Gasp.”

The maids had bright red faces. Oops. Belatedly, I covered my mouth with my palm.

“Ah, did I just say my thoughts out loud?”

“W-what are you saying?”

“Oh, I-I didn’t hear anything.”

What’s with that awkward tone? They all pretended not to have heard, but clearly they had.

There are other things to say, why did I mention Hadel’s slim waist? They were surely imagining all sorts of things.

‘Hadel will scold me later.’

I don’t like being nagged.