YMPDKMA Chapter 23

The shop, built with yellow brick, had a rather luxurious atmosphere—probably because it was in the capital. The sweet, fragrant scent lifted my mood and a hum escaped my lips naturally. I hummed along, searching for the daffodils Rehan liked.

"Miss, heading somewhere nice?"

"My brother's entrance ceremony! At the military academy!"

"Oh my, your brother must be quite remarkable. That's no easy place to get into."

"He's been known in our neighborhood since childhood for his swordsmanship. Smart too."

I became the doting mother showing off her child—look how amazing my kid is—and chattered away about what a brilliant prodigy our Rehan was. Unlike me, who had nothing remarkable except my sensitive and impatient temperament, Rehan was an exceptionally gifted child.

He'd get twisted when adolescence hit, but that wouldn't erase his outstanding talent. The flower shop woman's cheerful encouragement lifted my mood even more, and I ended up paying for not just the daffodils but also a small potted plant Rehan could easily care for in his dormitory.

First impulse purchase, but whatever. I'd decided to be extravagant. Extravagant Lariette. Lariette, genius of wasting money. Rather fitting epithets for my noble name, weren't they?

"Oh my, so your brother is handsome and good with a sword and smart? Lucky you."

"Uh, I didn't mention handsome—how'd you know? My brother is incredibly handsome. The most handsome in our neighborhood."

Rehan was only twelve, a bit young to be called handsome, but he'd definitely grow up to be the most handsome man in Bellua. No, in the capital too!

I forcibly erased Rupert's dazzling appearance from my mind and nodded vigorously at the woman's words, grinning triumphantly.

"Well, you're such a cute-looking miss, so I figured your brother must be handsome too. My goodness, what a pretty little thing you are."

The flower shop woman was a master merchant. I flushed at the compliment about my appearance—something I'd never heard except from maids or family. I was thirteen, young enough for anyone to find cute, but I'd never received praise for being pretty. Rupert had spent endless days squeezing my cheeks like they'd burst, calling me a dumpling.

"Oh, thank you."

"You're so adorable, I'll throw in three more daffodils. What color ribbon should I use?"

I chose dark brown from the ribbons spread across her table. Bellua's brown. Perfectly Rehan's color.

"Hmm, but it's an entrance ceremony—wouldn't something brighter be better?"

"My brother's eyes and hair are this color."

"What a thoughtful sister."

She smiled warmly and wrapped the bouquet with the ribbon I'd chosen. Holding the bouquet in one hand and the potted plant in the other made things rather cumbersome. I asked her advice, thinking about finding a cheap coachman. Flower shops often delivered, and sure enough, she had an answer ready.

"Cheap coachman? Well, the cheapest option would be for you to drive a prao carriage yourself, miss."

"Can just anyone drive one?"

"Haven't you ridden one?"

"I've ridden in them, but I've never driven one myself."

"I haven't ridden one either. My son handles them pretty well though—people say they're similar to bicycles."

I thanked the woman with a bow and left the flower shop. Thinking back to watching Riche drive, it didn't seem completely impossible, and right then a prao carriage rental station appeared directly in front of the shop. Like divine providence telling me to take it. Without a shred of caution, I climbed boldly into the carriage. I set the potted plant and bouquet down beside the seat, and the man guarding the rental station came running out in a hurry.

"I'll rent this!"

"Thirty silver."

"Oh my? Did you mean copper by mistake?"

I had few outfits for leaving the palace, so I was wearing a bonnet and a summer dress dripping with yellow lace that I'd borrowed from Riche. Looking at my outfit, the man apparently decided on his own that I was a clueless noble lady and called out a ridiculously high price.

I actually was a clueless noble lady, and I'd never rented a carriage like this before, but I'd heard the going rate from the woman. I wasn't so ignorant of the world I'd let myself be swindled, and I'd never spent money freely either. I could afford extravagance, but I hated being cheated. I glared at the man trying to rip me off and snorted. His smiling face stiffened slightly.

"Oh, miss! There are so many people wanting to rent carriages these days, you seeee."

"Looks like you've got prao carriages to spare though? No coachmen either?"

"They're all reserved."

"Is that so? Then forget it. I'll walk."

I spoke boldly and picked up the bouquet I'd set down. The man's expression changed completely and he forcibly pressed the carriage's ignition key into my hand.

"Forty copper! Not a penny less! I'll go bankrupt!"

I considered haggling more but decided that seemed like a fair price and handed him five copper coins.

"Keep the change."

Ah, I'd always wanted to say that.

Without even listening to the man's response, I grinned and inserted the key into the hole engraved with a prao. As the key slid snugly into the prao's wide-open mouth, the carriage began to activate with thump-thump sounds.

"Is right to start and left to stop?"

"Wait, you've never ridden one before?"

"No."

"Then it'll be difficult? It might be a bit dangerous..."

The carriage started moving and his voice was buried under the mechanical sounds. The operating method was simpler than I'd thought. I imitated the movements Riche had made, turning the control panel, and the carriage moved according to my will.

I'd been to the military academy a few times, so finding the way wasn't difficult. The summer's hot sun was blocked by the carriage's canopy, and the gentle breeze created by the carriage's movement tickled my cheeks pleasantly. Each time the carriage swayed, the scent of daffodils scattered. Thinking about Rehan accepting the flowers and smiling a bit shyly excited me, and I pressed the pedal.

This is so easy—what's so difficult about it?

I inwardly mocked the man who'd worried about me. Then I nearly collided with a carriage coming from the opposite direction and felt remorseful.

During the drive from the flower shop to the military academy in the prao carriage, I'd almost completely mastered how to operate it. That's what I thought, anyway. I'd nearly crashed into other carriages three or four times, but for a first-time driver, I thought I'd done rather well. However the process went, wasn't arriving safely all that mattered? I smiled with satisfaction and drove the prao carriage to the end of the long line of carriages queued at the academy gate.

Belnerny's one and only military academy was famous for selecting cadets based solely on ability, regardless of social status. It was the fastest path to becoming a high-ranking officer and a prestigious school where outstanding talents gathered.

Of course, the influence of high nobility wasn't completely absent, but Bellua wasn't a military house and Father wasn't a soldier, so we had not even the thinnest thread of connection to the military academy. In other words, Rehan was a talent among talents who'd been accepted into the academy completely on his own merits, regardless of family background.

Ah, my admirable little brother.

I stamped my feet, eager to see Rehan in his uniform. I'd seen him in the uniform a few times after he'd grown considerably, but never when he was this young. How adorable would he be? Lower-year students were prohibited from leaving, so Rehan hadn't been able to return to Bellua during this period.

The carriage line shortened faster than expected. I was driving the carriage slowly near the massive iron gate when a man in uniform blocked my path. An ordinary-looking cadet, but the uniform made his whole atmosphere impressive. The dark blue uniform, stiff yet sleekly tailored, seemed to have the effect of making even unremarkable men look dashing.

I was thirteen on the outside but a woman past marriageable age inside, and I was scanning the solid body wrapped in that uniform when I startled and averted my eyes. I wasn't usually interested in men, but lately I'd been dreaming often of faceless men.

"Excuse me. May I check your identification?"

At the man's polite question, I rummaged through my clothes and handed him both the Bellua necklace and the palace entry pass. He examined my necklace carefully to ensure it wasn't forged, glancing at my face. The Bellua fir tree was difficult to engrave, making forgeries hard to produce. Even so, he looked at my necklace with suspicious eyes, as if it were fake. I was completely legitimate, but I felt self-conscious for no reason.

I wasn't accustomed to having my status questioned. Father had been frugal, but you couldn't say he wasn't aristocratic. He'd valued noble honor and pride, so he'd observed the unspoken customs those people maintained as a matter of course.

Therefore, Mother and I had always ridden in a carriage prominently engraved with the Bellua crest whenever we went out. The clothing of the servants following me alone proved I was Lariette of Bellua. No one in Bellua's lands would dare impersonate Bellua either.

The man returned my necklace and pass with a puzzled look.

"Are you perhaps family of Cadet Rehan Dietrich de Bellua?"

"You know our Rehan?"

"Yes, I was in charge of Cadet Dietrich's first training. However, we received notice from House Bellua that the family wouldn't attend the entrance ceremony."

"I'm his sister. I came in place of Mother and Father."