Okay… Probably
“I believe I may have eaten too much, Mmm.”
Mia gave her tummy a pat. She then let out a belch.
Does my belly feel a little different, or is it just me?
She didn’t like how puffy it was.
Okay… Probably it’s fine. Chloe was correct when she said that animals store food for the winter. The same is true for me. I gained a little weight over the winter, but I’ll lose it later. It is simply that. Just going with the flow of nature, that’s all. Probably.
She would undoubtedly be back to her trim self by spring. It made perfect sense. Probably.
This questionable logic reassuring her, Mia turned around and motioned for Lynsha to enter.
“Okay, come on in.”
“I sincerely appreciate it.”
Lynsha entered Mia’s room with a sense of anxiety. She then gave the room a quizzical look before frowning and pouting her lips.
“Hm? Mia retraced Lynsha’s visual steps and inquired, “Is something wrong?” but she didn’t notice anything unusual.
Nothing inappropriate or offensive… Nothing strange at all. To be fair, I had intended to hang a mushroom bed as décor, but Anne wasn’t having it. There is probably nothing out of place. Maybe…
For the record, a group of sickle moon radishes with the tops only submerged in water on the windowsill qualified as “out of the ordinary.” This was because of a book that had provided her a solution to the looming food scarcity in the empire. Whether or not the concept was practical, it made for an intriguing piece of furniture.
Lynsha took her time examining the interior of the space. She finally positioned her arms on her hips.
“Well,” she remarked, nodding inwardly. “You truly are a princess, I suppose.”
Mia furrowed her brow.
“I apologize? What do you…?” She came to a stop, realizing as she took a look at her own clothing. “Oh, yeah. When we initially met, my attire was a little more straightforward. You might have wondered if I really was a princess, so I guess I can’t blame you.”
She started to question whether her preparations for an empire-wide revolt were overly extensive as one thought led to another. It can be sufficient to simply dress like a peasant to make a quick getaway.
“Not exactly what I meant, but…”
Lynsha looked like she was going to elaborate, but she eventually just shook her head and bowed.
“I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today.”
“Formalities are not required.” Mia replied, grimacing as she took a look at the bandages covering Lynsha’s head.
“If anything, I should be thanking you,” she said. “You were harmed as a result of Bel… I’m really sorry that occurred to you.”
She bowed.
“Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make up for it. I’ll spare no expense.” she said in a stern voice.
“No, it’s OK, I’m sorry. The injury is not very severe. Simply because it was on my head, it bled a lot. Lynsha shook her head and smiled narrowly. “To be really honest, I’m most angry with myself. How is it that all it took to render me inactive was a quick blow to the head? It’s shameful, ugh.”
“I see… At least I’m grateful you weren’t seriously wounded.”
Lynsha took a seat across from Mia as she took a seat at a table. Anne arrived right away with two cups of black tea, the ideal libation for conversation after a meal.
“Okay. So let’s hear it.” Mia questioned, “What did you want to talk about? Oh my, please don’t tell me that Bel would have to repeat a year.”
“Bel? Oh, she’s doing great… I think.”
“You think?” The delayed reaction gave Mia a strange déjà vu feeling. “Sh-She’s giving it her all.” Lynsha quickly tacked on. “She is, in fact. She will be fine, I’m very sure of that… Probably.”
“…Probably.” Mia held her tongue despite feeling more and more certain that Bel would probably not be okay. Instead, she made the decision to have faith in Bel’s safety. And Mia, well, she would lose weight once spring arrived. Both of these would come to pass. Probably. She ended the digression with an exaggerated, almost frantic, optimism before returning to the main subject.
“Anyway… What did you want to talk about if that wasn’t it?”
Lynsha didn’t respond right away. She swirled her tea as if she were admiring its hue. After taking a sip and taking a breath, she finally fixed Mia with a determined expression.
“Are you aware of Milady’s…habit, Princess Mia?”
“Her habit?” Mia blinked in response to the unexpected query. “Well, she certainly has a lot of strange behaviors… What exactly is bothering you?
“She keeps on rewarding people with gold. Actually, a lot of it,” Lynsha said in a flat, unflinching voice.
“My! Are you serious?” When she realized this, Mia exclaimed, her eyes widening. “B-Bel likes to give people a lot of gold!”
“So you weren’t aware. I assumed as much.”
Shaking her head, Lynsha continued. “Bel stated that she was confident you wouldn’t object to her doing it, so I assumed she hadn’t asked directly.”
“She hasn’t, for sure! I’ve never heard of anything like this before.!
Mia would be in big trouble if what Lynsha claimed was accurate. A squandered cent a day keeps the guillotine coming your way, as the proverb says.
… not there’s no such proverrb, but the point still stands.
“Are you certain Bel has been acting that way?”
“Yes. With the allowance you provide her, I’ve already witnessed her doing it a few times.”
It was true that Mia had been giving Bel a small amount of cash in case of emergencies, but…
I had no idea that she was such a money waster! What good is it for me to labor so hard to save money if she just gives it all away?
Even more puzzling was the cause of this behavior. What on earth could possibly motivate Bel to act in such a way? There was no way that gold coins could have been given out as rewards in the future from which she had emerged. Nobody, future or not, actually distributed money in that manner. Where had she even picked up the skill?
Lynsha scowled, “Milady did mention it’s something she absolutely has to do, no matter what…”
Mia grunted in frustration. “Absolutely has to, you say?… I suppose it’s time for a conversation.”
