Apparently, Her Highness Princess wants to keep her relationship with me a secret (what does she even mean by 'her relationship with me'?) - 1-3

1-3

Secret shady part time side jobs—well contrary to what it sounds, it’s not that big of a deal.

The knowledge lingering from my previous life. Over there, I couldn’t survive for more than twenty years trying to do something I wasn’t used to. But in this world, even my shallow memories can become useful depending on how I use them.

“Damn that Harald! Because of him, I’m going to be late for my appointment!”

In the end, Harald dragged me along to a candy store’s new product launch. What with the ‘because there are a lot of kids around, it’s hard to enter alone.’?!

Even with me, isn’t it the same! —one person just becomes two, that’s all!

However, I am grateful for his pushiness.

Among the students with baronial family roots, only Harald and I are left behind—everyone else has already dropped out.

“I hope the customer is late too… Nope, that wouldn’t happen huh.”

Wondering who named it, I hurry through the so-called ‘Victory Parade Street’, slipping into a narrow alley next to a weapons shop.

Even in the radiant capital, when you enter the alleys, it’s like stepping into the shadows which rests beyond the glass.

Along the way, suspicious fortune-tellers had set up shop. No proper noble would ever pass through such a place. Nobles are the sun—they are only those people who live under bright skies.

“Itose-chan… in such a hurry, off to work?”

“Obaba, are you doing well?”

“EeeHeehee, all thanks to you.”

An old woman with a cloth draped over her head lifts her face. The box on her shabby table is empty—apparently she hasn’t caught a single customer today yet.

“Don’t do anything dangerous now. If you get hurt Itose chan, everyone will be sad. This old lady wouldn’t be able to sleep as well.”

“Depends on the customer though. See you later, Obaba. Here, get yourself something nice to eat with this.”

“Itose chan, you really are a strange little noble, giving alms to an old woman like me… Just what good does that even bring?”

I drop a coin into her hand and quicken my pace toward my destination.

Twisting and turning through the alleys, as time went my footsteps started forming a rhythm—becoming like dance step.

You can never reach that store, unless you are familiar with the capital’s underbelly and hidden roads.

The place is a famous restaurant only for those who know about it. The customers are wealthy commoners and nobles in disguise, seeking a rare moment of stillness in the fast paced time of the bustling city.

“……”

At the entrance stands a single gatekeeper. At first, he looks unmotivated, but he’d once told me that true professionals act in a way that doesn’t give away their professionalism. I wonder if that’s true..

Looking me, he waves at me slightly, but the place I head towards, isn’t the front entrance.

Instead, I loop around the narrow back alleys to the rear entrance. And check on my surroundings.

“Alright, now’s the time.”

I grip the fence and vault surrounding the shop and hop over, using a little wind magic alongside, I slip myself into the narrow gap between the fence and the building.

“—Itose-sama! You’re late! Even thoughAya’s been waiting for you for this long!”

A small girl clerk stands by the back entrance of the shop/restaurant.

I kid who’s not even ten years old, she even barely reaches my chest, her eyes darting around. When our eyes meet, she throws herself into my arms, as I gently pat her back.

“Sorry, Aya. I got late a bit, also your voice is a bit too loud.”

“It’s because Itose sama is just too late!”

“Well, I kinda got caught by a friend you see.”

“Eh? Itose sana has a friend? I haven’t heard anything about that! What kind of person are they!?”

Her name is Aya—the future poster girl of this shop… or at least she’s trying to be. With black hair and black eyes, which reminds me of my previous life—nevertheless an adorable little girl.

“A boy good enough to bring into this shop you see. Next time, I’ll introduce him to you as well. But for now, can you show me to the customer?”

“Alright, but it’s a promise, Itose sama!”

Saying that, we pinky swear.

“Well then, please, this way. The customer is waiting.”

“Thanks, Aya.”

Coming inside, I could see the staff bustling here and there due to the rush. Every one of them were a child taken in by the owner of this restaurant. Boys and girls alike brighten at the sight of me.

“Well as always! Aya-chan’s hogging Itose-sama all by herself again!”

Looking at those kid’s childish smiles washed away the exhaustion I had gathered from the academy. Life at the academy is draining—especially for a bottom-tier noble like me.

“So, Aya, who’s the customer today?”

The place I head to, is the farthest private room. Overlooking a small garden right from the window of the private room—makes a perfect place for clearing one’s mind.

“The story-loving masked lady. She wants to hear about your tales again, it seems.”

“Her again huh? Recently she’s been asking for me a lot.”

“Just how many times does this make now, even though Itose sama don’t have hundreds of stories under your belt after all.”

Given my previous life’s knowledge and memories are unusual for this world. Therefore, my ideas and stories become a source of money.

And, this masked lady would always bequest me to tell her imaginary tales, she is that kind of Ojou sama.

“Don’t worry about it Aya. My head’s still filled with an uncountable amount of stories after all.”

I loved reading in my previous life—I think I can easily narrate another hundred stories from my brain stock. So, even if the masked girl were to come asking for them a few hundreds times more, I’ll still have enough.

“Itose-sama is so knowledgeable… But more than that, I have a complaint off Itose sama.”

“A complaint?”

“Ithose-sama should be greedier in earning money! The masked lady look like she can pay a lot more and yet she doesn’t have to pay much… Or at least you should let ‘that person’, who request your help instead to pay up more from his pockets—”

Aya pouts while saying that.

Well, true, that masked Ojou sama —doesn’t a good amount after all.

“Aya, if someone like me, a low born noble, stands out in this place, that’s over for me.”

“Itose sama, you’re just not greedy enough.”

“That’s not true at all. Someone like me might have a surprisingly big ambitions, just hidden.”

“…Greedy people don’t give half their earnings to us, as far as I know. There are some kids who think that you’ll give them money immediately if they just ask from you, you know.”

Saying that, she turns away, sulking again.

“After all, if I do you guys a favor now, there’s a chance that I’ll get a pay back which measures a hundred times over in the future, you know.”

“Forget about the future, even now is alright. If it’s for you, Itose sama, I’d rather pay you back a hundred fold now, I’d do anything for you, don’t I tell you that everytime.”

“Well, maybe someday. Anyway, guiding me till here would be enough, thanks, Aya. Here’s your pay for now.”

I place a silver coin in her small hand she held out.

Thinking that it felt a little more heavier than usual, she looked at it, as her eyes rolled over.

“Eh… Itose sama! This is even double of what you usually give me!”

A Gray Silver Coin—As it contains silver content twice the amount of common Agatha Silver coin, thus it’s said to be almost cost twice as well.

“I heard from the manager—it’s your mother’s birthday tomorrow isn’t it. If you buy her something nice with this, she would be incredibly happy. Moreover,… I was late today, I made you wait a lot, Aya.”

Aya’s face lights up with joy, but, right after, as if remembering something, it darkens again.

“…Don’t die, Please Itose-sama.”

Hearing those words, I nearly laughed out.

“The masked lady only desire off me, is to hear stories. Among the customers I’ve got, she falls among the gentler ones you know.”

“Those kinds of customers always hide thorns behind the back of their smiles… After all, the jobs you receive are all way out high ranked than any other in the league.”

With that said, Aya walks away in the hallway. Aya’s grown a lot. Even though when she first came here, she was an innocent little girl, not knowing anything at all.

Now then, time to get to work. I reset my mind.

All I do is use my past life’s memories, my noble status, using my special magical quirk to solve customers’ problems—so there’s nothing personal going in between.

“—Thank you for waiting. I am Itose, as requested.”

Today’s customer is a regular, the masked ojou sama.

There’s no problem she has, just a curious girl who wants to hear about love stories of faraway worlds. Probably someone of my age—a commoner, I suppose.

I open the door to the private room, where my work entails.

Waiting there wasn’t the masked lady.

Instead, it’s someone I’ve seen once at the academy—surrounded by classmates like ants swarming around sugar.

I make sure that my composure doesn’t break, but inside, I scream:

…ISN’T THAT HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS EMMA?!