Rishe looked up at the shrugged shoulders of Raul and gently asked,
"Raoul, have you heard from His Highness Arnold or Oliver about the movements of a man calling himself 'Thaddeus'?"
"Ah, I answered all the possibilities as escape routes, but His Highness didn't seem to expect the man himself to be found. He's focusing more on gathering evidence like eyewitness testimonies."
Raoul seemed to agree with that as well.
"When chasing prey that's escaped into the water, it's common to use water droplets. But it's tricky with these white cobblestones in the town. It's hard to tell if they're wet by color, and the escape is happening during the dimly lit night. And on top of that, it's summer, and the sea breeze helps with drying... Even if we pass by someone soaking wet, unlike during the day, we wouldn't notice."
"Well, there's also the possibility he drowned. Jumping from that height of the ship with broken arms and swimming with clothes on is quite something."
Rishe, in her life as a huntress, had once hidden in a shallow stream wearing a robe of colors that blended with her surroundings, waiting for her 'prey.'
The hardest part was the cold, but surprisingly, what drained her stamina the most was the weight of her soaked clothes being dragged by the water's flow. Fibers naturally had weight, and when they absorbed water, it became even heavier, causing more resistance underwater.
"――Next time, I won't let him escape."
As Rishe muttered softly, Raoul let out a heavy sigh. "You really do think about things as if you're going to be on the front lines yourself, just like a married couple."
"Huh?"
Raoul's face, brought close to Rishe's, showed a very obvious expression of disbelief.
"Rather than that, shouldn't we focus on figuring out how to return safely even if you become bait, 'Lady Elise'?"
"Um, yes." Rishe nodded and touched the ring on her left ring finger. "I understand well how much worry I've caused."
"Good." When Raoul shrugged with a sigh of relief, Yoel, who had been left lying on the cobblestones, stirred.
"Mmm..."
"Finally awake, Sleeping Beauty. Hey." Raoul squatted down and lightly patted Yoel's cheek. Yoel frowned deeply, then slowly sat up.
"Good morning, Yoel"
"............" Rubbing his eyes and blinking, Yoel sniffed lightly. "...As I thought. That scent from earlier."
"Scent?" Rishe asked.
Tilting her head, Rishe looked up at Yoel as he casually spoke. "You, did you sleep with His Highness Arnold last night?"
"――――..."
Raul coughed lightly. Rishe stiffened for a moment, then comprehended the meaning of the words she had been told and became flustered.
"Huh!? Wh-wh-what...!!"
She had tried to spend the night in Arnold's chamber as discreetly as possible. It should be avoided to behave like that before the wedding ceremony, not only because it would inconvenience Arnold but also because it was extremely embarrassing.
When she looked at Raul, wondering if he had also figured it out, he quickly averted his gaze from Rishe. Yoel, watching Rishe's flustered state with curiosity, spoke as if it were nothing special.
"Your, flower-like scent. It was the same scent I noticed from His Highness Arnold during the meeting."
(...Ah, from the bath...!)
After disembarking from the burning ship, Rishe had stayed away from the inn where the injured were being treated to avoid drawing attention to Arnold's injuries and had made an effort to behave 'normally.'
Moreover, approaching the injured person's chamber with a dirty appearance could worsen the condition, so she had used the peach nectar flower soap given to her for the wedding preparations.
"Th-that's, um..."
It was because she was worried about Arnold's injuries, but she couldn't explain that to Yoel. If she did, it would simply mean they had slept together, just the two of them.
As she panicked, Raul encouraged Rishe in a suggestive tone. "Well, you're married, so there's no problem, right?"
"W-w-we're not married yet..."
"Married." Yoel squinted and said in a somewhat annoyed tone. "...Well. Whatever..."
"Yoel?"
"Yeah, yeah, let's get ready soon. If we've finished thanking the sailors and gathering information, we have no more business here, right? To fulfill the request of the princess, we need to procure various materials."
"Right. But before that, we should still help with the cleanup..." As Rishe descended from the wooden crate, the sailors who seemed about to leave waved happily to her.
"Lady Rishe! Thank you for the delicious alcohol. We'll all make sure to celebrate at the wedding ceremony and the subsequent parade!"
"You idiot," another sailor retorted, "It's called the 'wedding ceremony' for the Crown Prince and Princess! ...Congratulations on your marriage, Lady Rishe, cheers to the future princess!"
The sailors said so, raising imaginary glasses to Rishe.
Rishe smiled, feeling touched by their sentiment. "...Thank you, everyone!"
As she watched the departing sailors, she straightened her back once again.
(As the consort of His Highness Arnold. I'll give my all to the profession of 'Crown Princess.')
And before long, the day of the promised abduction of Rishe arrived.