I'm a court magician. Recently, I’ve been worrying about the princess staring at me. - Chapter 3
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- I'm a court magician. Recently, I’ve been worrying about the princess staring at me.
- Chapter 3 - A conversation with the princess.
“Um…Your Highness?”
Staring at her beautiful face at close range, I spoke in a quiet voice.
Our foreheads were close enough to touch if either of us relaxed, so I took care not to surprise her by talking too loudly. I didn’t want her to feel intimidated. One must be a gentleman when in the presence of a lady. It was something my late grandfather taught me.
But the lady in front of me looked upset, with her hands shaking and face red. Cute.
“Oh, that… that…”
“Oh, please calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I wasn’t sure if this was the best way to calm her down, but I didn’t know any better. The women in my department were all violent… um, reliable. I rarely ever met a girl like her that stirred up my protective instincts. I thought I could see her as a younger sister, but I’m not too sure about that anymore.
She still had yet to regain her composure. The flustered girl with crimson cheeks was too adorable.
Cuteness aside, I should probably do something about this situation.
“Your Highness.”
“Eh—”
I wrapped my hands around hers and pulled her face a little closer, shortening the distance that was too short already.
“Let’s take a deep breath, okay? Look, inhale… exhale.”
“Huh?”
She looked confused, but she breathed according to my rhythm. The redness in her cheeks subsided and the pace of her respiration returned to normal. With this, we could finally have a conversation.
“Oh, I showed you something unsightly…”
“No, no. You were endearing.”
“Oh, endearing…”
She blushed again.
She had only just regained her composure, but if I wasn’t careful we’d be back to square one.
I cleared my throat and looked at her.
“Your Highness, why are you here? The private rooms in the palace are warmer and far more comfortable.”
“Well, I wanted to get some air outside… and then, you know… I saw you here, Raize-san.”
“Huh? You know my name?”
“Yes! Doesn’t everyone in the royal palace know? The youngest genius to become a court magician.”
As I watched the princess talk excitedly, my mouth slackened. I can’t believe the royal family knows who I am… I’m kind of embarrassed. How did this happen?
“I don’t think I’m a genius… I’ve just known magic for a long time. Becoming a court magician was out of luck. I’m just an ordinary person.”
“I’ve heard that no one compares to you in magic?”
“There’s no way. There are probably thousands of people in this world who are better than I am.”
“But you’re good enough to work here, aren’t you?”
“Well, if I weren’t good enough, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
As I spoke, I noticed that the princess had lost all of her earlier tension. She could chat normally now. Her face was bright and directed towards mine.
Anyways, Her Highness was wearing fairly light clothes. In this kind of weather, she only had a light blue nightgown and an unbuttoned coat. She could easily catch a cold.
“Isn’t it cold, Your Highness? The temperature is especially low tonight.”
“Fufu, isn’t it fine? To tell you the truth, this nightgown has a charm that reduces the cold even with such thin fabric─”
Her Highness stiffened, as if she had noticed something. Then, she blushed and quickly pulled her coat closed.
This princess blushes so often.
“Wait, I’m… in front of the lord in such light clothes…!”
Face down and mumbling, she seemed embarrassed about wearing her nightgown in front of me.
Well, seeing the princess in her nightgown was surely a rarity, but I really didn’t care that much.
I usually sleep with my shirt on. To be honest, any sleepwear will do for me. I could probably even sleep naked. Not that I actually do that.
Unlike me, who doesn’t really care about fashion, the princess—actually, it seems like all women care a lot about what they wear when they go to bed.
“It’s okay. You look good.”
“Well, that’s the problem… ha…”
Her embarrassed look was too adorable. Her beauty was a topic of conversation in the royal palace, but seeing her up close was a whole different experience.
For some reason, the smell of her hair made my heart flutter whenever she was around. Probably because I had low immunity towards women.
I glanced up and noticed that the moon was reaching the apex of its path across the sky.
“Your Highness, please return to your room. Staying up late is bad for your beauty.”
“Oh, it’s already this late.”
After we stood up, the princess and I walked to the door leading into the palace. We were headed to different places: me to my office, and Her Highness to the palace’s main building. I had work tomorrow, so I couldn’t afford to lose too much sleep.
“Well then, Your Highness. I will excuse myself.”
“Yes, um…”
Scratching her cheek, the princess looked away from me and said,
“Let’s talk again, okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
I turned and made my way to my office, now with a cheerful smile and a spring in my step.
This evening, I was able to talk to the princess for the first time.