Chapter 463 – The Writer Princess and the Masquerade

“——-I’ve got no other choice but to depend on you guys, because if I don’t, we might as well be doomed!”

The person who suddenly declared such a ridiculous thing was none other than the First Princess of Refreese, Ririel Reem Refreese herself.

We immediately headed to the Refreese Empire after being sent a message requesting for a confidential talk by the way of “Gate Mirror” instead of a smartphone.

Besides me, Yumina and Linze are also here standing on both of my sides. These two are close friends with Ririel, so they’ve been summoned as well.

“What exactly happened, Riri-anesama? You look awfully pale.”

Belfast and Refreese had been allies for a long period of time. For this reason, Yumina, who had known her since she was a child, looks up to Princess Ririel like an older sister. And certainly, as Yumina said, Ririel was as pale as a ghost. Is she okay? Should I cast【Recovery】and 【Refresh】on her?

“It’s been taken…”

“Taken? What has?”

“My smartphone!”

Eh!?! Your phone has been stolen!?

The mass-produced smartphones that Dr. Babylon had created, based on mine as the original, had been given to the representatives of each country, other higher-up nobles, and my friends and acquaintances. I’ve also handed one to Princess Ririel in front of me. And now it’s been stolen you say?

Well, I wasn’t shocked at the least when I heard that, since it wouldn’t be strange if someone had their eyes on these so called smartphones as they are quite the amazing artifact.

“I-it’s fine desuyo, Princess Ririel, with Touya-san’s power, even if the phone had been stolen, it would be a piece of cake for him to take it back. You’ll get it back soon enough. N-ne, Touya-san?”

“R-Really!?”

Upon hearing Linze’s words, the pale face of Princess Ririel lit up.

Linze was right of course. In preparation of such a situation, I had placed various protective measures on the mass-produced phones. One of them is through a combination that allows the registered phone to return to my place at will at any time by combining【Apports】and【Teleport】that I enchanted into each phones. By doing this, I can get the phones back to me no matter how far away I am.

“Ah, yes it’s true. I’ll get it back for you real quick.”

I pulled out my smartphone as I told her those words and scrolled through the distribution list in my memos.

Each mass-produced phone had its own serial number registered on it. By using these serial numbers, I can summon back the specified phone in no time at all. This would be impossible if the phone itself had been destroyed, but there was no need to worry assuming that the thief who stole it went for it because he knew how valuable the phone is.

Etto… Princess Ririel’s serial number…..

“I’m glad… I was worried when Father confiscated my phone. I thought–”

“Wait a minute.. Confiscated..?”

I stopped looking from my phone and looked up at Princess Ririel who just blurted out something surprising.

“That’s right! I was just messing a little bit with my phone during an important ceremony because the deadline of my next book is near… And father.. he.. He took it away from me! It’s not my fault if I was bored throughout the entire ceremony! And it’s just a waste of time..”

“Then I shouldn’t take it back from your father after all. Isn’t this what you deserved?”

“Wha-!? Wait, why!?”

Bruh, what the hell? I can’t take it back in this situation since it was your dad who took your phone away. In the first place, it was your fault for misbehaving during an important ceremony. What the hell is up with your “we might as well be doomed?” The only one doomed here is you.

“Nooo, waittt! You have to get it back for me or I’ll be in a pinch! Inside my phone is the draft of my new book! And what if my father read them? My life will be ruined!”

“Uhh.. You didn’t set up a lock on your phone..?”

“Well sure, I did.. But it’s only a number lock! It’s only a matter of time before it can be opened!”

Hmm.. Well, that’s for sure.. But I don’t know if Emperor Refreese is the kind of man who peeks at her daughter’s phone without delicacy. But as a father, seeing your daughter messing around their smartphone during an important ceremony, will certainly pique your curiosity.

“By the way… What book were you writing..?”

“It’s the latest volume of the book “True Order of the Rose” series. It’s a more hardcore volume this time around, with a new recruit being smashed by different types of captains; the Captain of the First Squad and the Captain of the Third squad whipping him up roughly and sometimes gently…”

“No need to elaborate further.. Though, I didn’t think you were still writing that series..”

Ririel Reem Refreese, first Princess of the Empire of Refreese. Behind that title of hers, an author famously known throughout, Rif Riffris. Well.. You know.. that.. A lot of her works are well known.. mostly include romance.. a certain kind of romance.. Her works are explosively popular around a certain audience.. In fact, Linze is also a fan of her work.

“If my father reads the draft, I’m sure he’ll send me to a monastery. Without a doubt they would make me pray to the spirits everyday, hoping to purify my mind.”

“Certainly, it seems like your mind needs to be purified to some extent.”

Well, writing something obscene and extreme like that… I wonder, would the Emperor collapse if he’d read those?

If you’re so desperate as to not let your father read your drafts, why not just remotely wipe the data off your phone like an emergency killswitch? As I brought the topic out, Princess Ririel glared daggers at me.

“Whaaaat!? Do you have any idea how many months it took me to write that draft? Are you an evil trying to wipe out all that hard work I’ve put in in a mere instant!? I haven’t even printed them out yet! I’ll dieeeeee if you do that!”

“Erm.. sorry…”

“Grrrrrr..” Having Ririel yell at me while making those sounds had me scared.. Is this girl really a princess?

Well, it is a given fact that there are no PCs in this world, so there is no way to save your backup data individually and immediately. So, the only way to have them saved is to have them printed out using the ‘printers’ I handed out to various countries. Unless there is a serious problem, there should be no loss of data, but there is always the possibility that you might accidentally erase it. I’ve done it quite a few times myself. For a writer, losing the data of your work just before finishing it must be unimaginably painful. Well, I’m sure we can ask Dr. Babylon and she could probably restore the lost data for the most part.

“Wouldn’t apologizing obediently to your father in order to take your phone back better before he gets the chance to look inside?”

“Well.. He told me he’d give it back.. but he told me he had one condition..”

Ririel, who was suggested to by Yumina, answered so while turning her gaze away.

What the.. so he was going to return it to you after all, if that’s the case why did you even bother to call us out here?

“Yumina, you got married right? You see.. Father keeps on telling me to hurry up and find a partner since he badly wants to see his grandchildren.. He even told me to go on a blind date…”

“Huh? But, didn’t you have a fìance already, Princess Ririel?” As far as I remember, I heard the Emperor mention this before..

As I casually asked the question, Yumina looked at me with a troubled expression on her face… Eh? Did I just say something that might have been bad?

“..Yes, I did have a fiance, but he found someone else and they both fell in love with each other, then he went away and lived with her together somewhere..”

At the words of Princess Ririel, the room’s atmosphere suddenly became heavy..

Well….. that’s.. whew..

As a man, I kind of want to give respect to this person who, rather than marrying into some country’s princess, threw away his responsibilities in pursuit of love. But, seeing the Princess in front of me who was the victim of the runaway guy gives me mixed feelings about this situation…

That guy apparently was a son of a Belfast Marquis and got into a lot of trouble because of the decision he made. Well, he couldn’t possibly break free from his political engagement with the princess, and having no power to do so, it seems that he had no other choice but to run away with the girl whom he fell in love with.

Well.. that’s just how it is.

“Well..it’s fine. I didn’t really even like him, and being married is just a waste of time and would just add to the existing problematic things at hand! There’s no problem at all!” Princess Ririel said this as she laughed heartily.. However, those eyes weren’t smiling at all. Ah, it looks like this thing had left a traumatic impression on her. I wonder if that’s the reason why she took her hobby of writing seriously.. as a form of escaping reality or something.. Uu.. I’m starting to feel pity.

Princess Ririel, who started muttering cursed words like a possessed spirit quietly turned to look at Yumina and Linze with a fierce look.

“..In the first place, how do you guys even feel about being married? Isn’t it tiring and troublesome? Are you guys really happy?”

“”We’re really really happy!””

“Normies explode!!!”

Snapped Ririel as she yelled at the two who were making satisfied expressions.

Uuu… I-It’s still somewhat embarrassing.. We’re still newlyweds you know.. Y-yeah…

“But, what would be a better partner for a first princess like you? As expected, it would be somewhere within Royalties and nobles, no?”

“Hmm.. My father doesn’t really care where my would-be partner comes from. Whether he be a commoner, a merchant, or an adventurer, so long as he’s got his future secured ahead. But when politics come into play, it’s really hard to say, with all those talks and hidden intentions. I suppose it would be fine for me to marry a nobleman from Belfast or Linea. Oh, what about Yumina’s brother?”

“No. Yamato’s a no go.”

“O-oh, ok..” Ririel flinched as Yumina responded to her with a frightening glare in her eyes. She was smiling, but it gave off a scary vibe as well. Of course, I understand where Yumina’s coming from and I also disagree with her being Yamato’s wife with the 20-year age gap and all. But, I’m sure it was just a joke on her part though.

“Well, I am sure my father will hold a formal matchmaking event and invite the children of significant nobles to attend as well. I’d attend too of course, with my phone being taken as hostage, I’ve no choice but to comply.”

“Haaaaaaaaaa~” Princess Ririel plopped down on her desk as she let out a long sigh.

You hate it that much, huh?

“B-but, you might meet someone nice and amazing there you know? We don’t know what might happen after all.”

“Hmm… I don’t know. Things don’t always go exactly as planned after all.. I don’t think I can have someone learn my secret and trust him to be able to keep it, so I’ll just have to decline should he propose..”

The princess formed a small pout on her face as she looked up. Anyway, she seems to be planning to show up at least. Otherwise, she won’t be getting her phone back.

“Nee, wouldn’t it be better if you just talk to my father? You could tell him that I’ve reflected on my actions and ask him to give me my phone back..”

“Ehh.. I don’t want to lie to your father though.”

“It isn’t a lie! I’m reflecting! Well, kind of..”

Like hell you are. The ‘kind of’ you just said speaks for itself. Well, whatever.. I was planning on dropping by and saying hello to the Emperor anyway, maybe I can ask him then..

“Goodness gracious.. just what is that girl thinking of.. I’m sorry Touya-dono, it was my daughter who put you up in this situation, was it not?”

“No, well.. haha..”

Damn, shit’s found out already.

At the request of Princess Ririel, I came to meet the Emperor, but it seems like he saw right through me.

Apparently, he hadn’t peek through the phone’s contents yet, as he suspected her daughter of exchanging messages with someone during the ceremony.

By the way, I left Yumina and Linze with Princess Ririel in her room. As they were of the same gender, they would surely have talks they would only tell each other, so leaving the three of them together should be fine. And since Princess Ririel wanted to ask me some ideas for her next book, I ran away.

“That girl really needs to pick her pace up and get a partner or else she’d end up a spinster. Why does she dislike the idea to such an extent?”

Isn’t she still like 20 years old or something? I can’t believe being at that age would be a late bloomer here, back in Japan, if people heard that, they will give you looks of disbelief.

The Emperor held Princess Ririel’s phone that was on top of the table in his hand.

“I ask for your forgiveness Touya-dono, I really can’t return this phone back to her after all. If I do, she’d definitely not attend the matchmaking party and wouldn’t be able to get a partner. And if that happens, she would still be an unmarried woman by the time Ridis gets married.”

With a reluctant look on his face, The Emperor leans back on the sofa. Ridis is the crown prince and next king of Refreese. His full name is Ridis Reek Refreese. He is the younger brother of Princess Ririel and is 13 years old, or so I believe. Ridis-kun is unlike her sister, and was properly engaged with someone. He is engaged to Princess Tia Frau Mismeed of the Mismeed Kingdom and is around 12 years old.

I wondered if it would be fine for a beastman to marry into the royal family, but there was no dissenting opinion from the nobles of Refreese, and was easily approved.

Refreese, with mostly 80% of its borders surrounded by water, was a maritime nation that has been developed through trade. It isn’t as old as Belfast, but it has a long history of its own.

Naturally, Refreese had dealt with a wide range of ethnicities throughout their long history. And because the royal family appeared to have the blood of various races, they didn’t perceive it as unusual or immoral for a beastman to join their ranks.

But as expected, there would have been a problem if it had been a mere commoner girl, but the girl in question was the first princess of a rapidly developing kingdom. And, because the marriage was seen as beneficial to both countries, it was deemed that there was no issue.

Honestly, Refreese is still such a gritty, yet easy-going country.

Perhaps as a result of this, most of the residents living in Refreese are happy and cheerful. Even the Emperor, who is sitting right in front of me, possesses this kind of lively spirit.

But I think that the attitude of believing that everything was fine as long as you were having fun, expressed itself a little too strongly in the princess. On the other hand, her brother, according to what I’d heard, was the complete opposite. He was said to be a quiet, studious young man.

“When’s the marriage of Prince Ridis and Princess Tia happening?”

“At least a year or three years from now at most. So, when my son turns 20 years old, I’ll push all of the duties to him and I’ll happily retire. The King of Belfast wouldn’t abdicate his throne yet because his son had just been born, so I’m going to enjoy my old age together with the Emperor of Regulus.”

Really now? Well, it’s true that the Emperor of Regulus would soon retire too, but “old age?” You’re still 40, aren’t you? Isn’t that more like middle-aged? I might be wrong though, since over 40 is already past middle age.

“So before that happens, I would like for her to hurry and find herself a partner. Say, Touya-dono, do you know any suitable man?”

“Uh, even if you ask me..”

Most of the men I knew had already found partners themselves.

“Would it be a problem if he wasn’t a noble?”

“Personally, I don’t think it matters, so long as he cares for her and can make her happy. However, her marriage also plays a card in the prosperity of my nation. My country’s noble families will likely not allow her to marry someone who doesn’t have any benefits to give Refreese.”

Hmm.. Sounds like a pain.. Oh, wait.. I, too, would have 8 (or more) daughters in the future.. It really depends on the person.. Like, what if my daughter marries a commoner or an adventurer..? Would I be troubled then? No, it doesn’t matter whether he is a commoner, an adventurer or even a person with a doubtful origin, as long as he can make my daughter happy. If he holds ill intent, then I would never forgive him and hand him his ass.. Kkh.. I can somewhat understand the Demon Lord’s feelings.

Let’s see… A single man with a high status… Ah, we haven’t met each other yet but, there was the first prince of Xenoahs who’s supposedly single. He’s Sakura’s elder brother from a different mother. Seems like a meathead though.

There was also the second prince of Lassei Kingdom, Zanberuto, who got his ass kicked by Uncle Takeru.. Seems like a meathead as well. Are all the guys I know left meatheads?

“Do you happen to have an older or little brother, Touya-dono?”

“I don’t think so… No..”

“You don’t think so? Well, you also have it rough huh..”

The Emperor gave me a mysterious look, but he didn’t go any further than what he was convinced of. He must have thought that my father had children here and there. I won’t bother correcting him because it’s troublesome. And I don’t think any more of them “Gods” will be coming down posing as my family.

“It can’t be helped. I guess I should start a matchmaking party even if it’s troublesome. But, maybe all the suitable marriage partners have already been taken… I’m not so sure what to do now..”

“If you call out the bachelors from the Reverse Wor―Western Continent, they might come and gather up. Your land’s been connected to one of those countries, right?”

“Ooh! We also had that option, right! If it’s his Majesty, the King of Panaches, he might lend us a hand!”

The Kingdom of Panaches, where the pumpkin pants prince came from and the Empire of Reefreese, were the only countries that became interconnected when the two worlds merged.

With me as an intermediary, there were immediate talks between the two countries, and since then the two countries have been on friendly terms. His Majesty, the King of Panaches, is a gentle man with a good heart and a good mind, so I’m sure he’ll be happy to help.

“If the prince of Panaches didn’t have a fiancee, I would have given Ririel as a bride. What a pity.”

With the pumpkin pants prince …? No, it may work unexpectedly between weirdos. However, Prince Robert already had a fiancee named Ceres, who is the niece of Her Majesty the Queen of Strain. It’s surprising how this high tensioned prince got a very amazing girl as a partner, but I can’t say anything about them as long as they are both happy with each other. Ah, but if I ask Ceres and Her Majesty the Queen, they might be able to call some nobles from Strain.

“Umu. A joint East-West matchmaking party, this is quite a good decision. There are merits for the other countries as well, so it’s not a bad idea.”

“I’m quite sure they’d like to have connections with other countries too. But, I just hope that that wouldn’t be the main reason for them to attend the party.”

I don’t know what’s the point of having a matchmaking party if it becomes a secondary thing and primarily worrying about having connections and good relations with other nobles. The main point of this party is to find partners that suits well together without worrying about stuffs like status.

“Then we should have a masquerade ball so that we don’t have to worry about troublesome things like status and it’s also more fun that way.”

“I see! Then whether or not you are a prince or a princess, it doesn’t matter since you wouldn’t know who’s behind that mask. It also makes it easier for other folks to talk to them!”

“Right! A masquerade huh.. Pretty interesting. Then, I would be the one in charge of making the mask while the Emperor of Refreese is in charge of the venue.. wait a sec.. Why the hell are you here, Karen-neesan?”

When I saw the Emperor glancing, I craned my head to the side and saw my stupid sister sitting on the sofa while sipping my tea.

“If there’s something interesting happening, expect me to be there! That’s what Mochizuki Karen’s all about!”

“You stupid idiot!”

This stupid idiotic sister of mine just pulled off a wink while hitting me. You were supposed to be in Brunhild! So what are you doing teleporting into another nation’s castle! I apologetically lowered my head at the Emperor in front me.

“I’m really sorry! Please forgive this idiotic sister of mine!”

“No… this castle and this room have supposedly been enchanted with a double barrier that prevents teleportation … If it’s been invaded this easily, our court magicians must be lacking..”

I’m really sorry.. If it’s just normal magic, it would be enough for the barriers to completely block it off. However, if we’re talking about people like Karen and Moroha, it would be another matter. Since what they use are the extensions of their divinity, they use 【Dimensional Travel】instead of using the usual teleportation magic.

“I’ll make sure this thing never happens again!”

“Touya-kun, you’ve been apologizing for a while now, what’s the matter?”

“Why and for whom do you think I’m apologizing for!?”

Damn it! This asshole’s been eating cookies without a damn care in the world for a while now. No cookies for a whole week for you!

“N-now now.. She’s your older sister after all, so I’m sure it’s fine.. Back to the topic we had earlier, how many people do you think we can gather for the upcoming party?”

“With Touya-kun’s connections, we can gather quite a lot of people from both continents and have the young ones try and find each other a partner while at the party. And after that, if they are able to get along, we’ll send them pictures and real identities of their partners, then they can have their proper date after that.”

Huh? I don’t have that many connections, but I know each countries’ leaders and higher ups. Well, I’m sure I can find someone to lend us a hand.

“Umu. Well, then, my nation will do its best to organise the party and I shall have the invitations written immediately. Looks like we’ll be quite busy.”

Emperor Reefreese laughs heartily as he said that, probably because the princess’s problem is about to be resolved at last. In the end, Princess Ririel seems to get her smartphone back on the condition that she attends the masquerade ball. However, it may be difficult for her to find a suitable partner… I wonder if there is someone out there who can match her eccentric hobbies..

In addition, I was also asked to invite people from Brunhild to attend the masquerade. Brunhild doesn’t have any nobles, so it will inevitably be members of the Knights and people in important positions. I probably wouldn’t be able to gather a lot, but let’s just go ahead and ask them.. I won’t force them to attend though.