The White Stoat Princess - Chapter 44

The meeting ended with the decision to distribute Heenary coal for free at first to spread awareness.

As subordinates rushed out, the last remaining aide handed Hadel a document.

“This is the invoice from the dressmaker.”

It was the bill for Marian’s dress fitting today. As Hadel examined the bill with an expressionless face, the aide said with a sly grin:

“The dressmaker was delighted, saying the bride’s beauty inspired all sorts of ideas.”

“Bride…”

The impact of that word tugged at his heartstrings. Hadel closed his eyes for a moment, feeling dizzy. Adding fuel to the fire, the aide continued:

“They said the dress will be ready in a month, so we can prepare for the wedding in about two months.”

Even two months until the wedding. This is already an incredibly fast pace, but why does it feel rushed?

The aide casually struck Hadel’s weak point.

“More importantly, have you proposed yet, Your Highness?”

“…”

At the mention of proposing, Hadel naturally shrank back. Oblivious to Hadel’s feelings, the aide confidently said:

“We’ll prepare everything, so make sure to get an answer.”

“…That’s even harder. How exactly does one propose?”

Suddenly, subordinates who were thought to have left poked their heads through the office door and chimed in one after another.

“I proposed with a bouquet as big as my wife’s face.”

“A ring! You can’t forget the ring and wine.”

“But the young lady doesn’t seem like an ordinary girl…”

Were they all eavesdropping? Hadel, who had been gaping in disbelief, nodded at the last comment.

‘Marian might prefer a delicious chocolate cake instead.’

He couldn’t imagine her being delighted by flowers, let alone drinking wine. She probably wouldn’t like those things much in reality.

Hadel nodded.

“I’ll think it over carefully.”

“That kind of attitude won’t do! You must get her acceptance!”

“That’s right!”

It was bewildering how they kept encouraging him, oblivious to the pressure already making his heart race.

“Why are you all so invested in my marriage?”

To Hadel’s incredulous question, the subordinates answered spiritedly:

“As your subordinates, isn’t it natural to care about our lord’s marriage?”

“And we’re glad to see Your Highness looking happy lately.”

Hadel unconsciously touched his own face.

“I look happy…?”

“Your smile has definitely grown, you know.”

I hadn’t noticed myself. Hadel stroked his chin with a dazed expression. The aide, watching him with warm eyes, said:

“We all know that governing this northern region is a thankless job. This barren land being designated a grand duchy, with low taxes, is all thanks to Prince Hadel’s rule.”

Another subordinate chimed in:

“So why would we fuss over the grand duchess’s status? We just want Your Highness to be happy.”

“…I’ve misunderstood you all this time.”

Hadel honestly expressed his feelings.

“I thought you were all serving me reluctantly until now.”

At those words, the subordinates protested vehemently.

“No way! Absolutely not. Of course, the flames were scary at first.”

“But Your Highness doesn’t use your flames to harm others! We’re not scared at all.”

It truly tugged at his heartstrings. After a moment of silence, Hadel managed to say in a small voice:

“…Thank you.”

And there was someone else he needed to thank.

[This is the timeline separator]

Hadel walked towards his room with a lighter step than usual. When he asked where Marian was, no one knew. That meant she hadn’t taken a single step outside the room.

‘Marian doesn’t go out much. She seemed to scamper around the castle more as a ferret.’

Now that she’s decided to live in this castle, it would be nice if she walked around and grew attached to the place.

Opening the door, sure enough, there was Marian. But not as a person – as a white ferret.

Sprawled out asleep on the bed, her round belly rose and fell.

‘She’s sleeping like that here again.’

The clothes she’d been wearing were scattered around the bed. It was easy to imagine what happened before she fell asleep. She probably struggled to put on clothes, finding it too bothersome, then dozed off.

Hadel sat next to the ferret and gently tapped her slightly pink nose with his index finger. She waved her short, chubby front paws irritably before falling back into a deep sleep. Hadel smiled bitterly.

‘Am I tormenting someone who’s more comfortable living as a ferret? But…’

As if sensing Hadel’s gaze, the ferret suddenly opened her pointed snout and made a sound.

“Kyu?”

It was a cry he’d grown so familiar with now. Hadel lay down next to the ferret.

‘I can’t let go of this warmth.’

[This is the timeline separator]

One week later.

This news filled the castle:

“The Heenary coal is receiving rave reviews!”

“Inquiries are pouring in from various territories!”

It was news that made me swell with pride. I happily patted my belly.

‘Hehehe, of course. Even on the battlefield, we were all abuzz about this being the invention of the century.’

Is there any other news? Forgetting the cold on my feet, I scurried around various parts of the castle collecting rumors.

“I heard His Highness made something amazing.”

“It’s called Heenary coal, right? I saw it in the kitchen. They say it’ll be distributed to all territory residents?”

“I hope they distribute it to our home soon! I can’t wait.”

Exactly! If only we could distribute it to everyone at once.

I wish I could help make it too. But Hadel makes it alone, and since that day was the first time, controlling the heat wasn’t easy.

‘Still, he should be able to make it better the second time.’

After hearing enough rumors, I got hungry. I snuck into Hadel’s office to replenish my chocolate cake, and Hadel welcomed me with a bright smile.

“You’re here?”

“Kyu kyu.”

“Let’s get you dressed first.”

“Kyu…”

Why is he so eager to dress me? Try getting used to natural fur yourself. It’s soft, warm, and bathes and washes at the same time. How nice is that?

But I wanted to share the good news I heard with Hadel, so I willingly changed into human form.

After putting on the chemise I really want to throw away, drawers, shirt, and pants, Hadel finally approached me.

“Where were you so busy today?”

“Hey Hadel, guess what I heard.”

I chattered away. He already knew about the flood of orders and interest. But he probably hadn’t heard that everyone working in the castle was excited too.

After hearing my story, Hadel nodded with a genuinely delighted smile.

“Thank you, Marian. Thanks to you, the whole territory seems to be coming alive.”

It was a relief to hear that vitality was returning to the territory that had always been as quiet as a grave. I asked with sparkling eyes:

“We should have made more while practicing that time, right?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk about that. The current pre-order amount is this much…”

Hadel handed me a neatly organized document. It contained orders for Heenary coal from various places. Hadel furrowed his brow in concern.

“How many orders should we accept?”

“That depends on how much you can make.”

My answer made Hadel’s expression even more serious. Having never used his abilities to their fullest, it was natural he couldn’t gauge it. I gave advice with a rare serious expression.

“So you need to practice. You need to know how much mana you can pour out at once and still endure, and what level you can recover from.”

“It wasn’t difficult at all when we made it then. I felt like I could easily do twice as much. But I’ve never tested how much I could produce if I pushed my flames to the limit…”

He’s going to rush out to make Heenary coal at this rate. I put on the brakes appropriately.

“You’re essential for defeating the ice monsters here. So you can’t pour out your flames to the limit.”

“I had forgotten that fact for a moment.”

As if he really hadn’t thought of it, Hadel rested his chin on his hand, lost in serious contemplation. Watching him like that, I suddenly realized:

‘Come to think of it, no more ice monsters have appeared since we defeated that batch.’

Aren’t monsters supposed to be unpredictable? But the monsters that appeared that day were unusual in many ways.

It was strange that many roamed together and didn’t attack each other.

‘It was also weird how they suddenly appeared inside the castle walls. I forgot we were going to investigate that.’

I opened my mouth to ask about it.

“Hey, Hadel.”

Hadel stood up with sparkling eyes, full of enthusiasm.

“Then shall we start practicing today?”

“Wait. We don’t have firewood. That’s why we stopped after making that much last time.”

“Ah, right. Should we go chop wood then?”

Geez. It’s good that he’s enthusiastic.

He’s just like when I first learned magic. I pinched Hadel’s cheek.

“Aww, how adorable.”

“…?”

Hadel looked puzzled. Finding that even cuter, I couldn’t resist and kissed the bridge of his nose.