Princess Mia tries her best, realises and gives up
“I offer my gratitude to you once again for this time. Thank you for helping our clan. But, why are you doing this?” asked Roufa in a serious tone.
“There’s no need to even ask about that. Originally speaking, the Fire clan and the Forest clan are brethren born from the same parents. It’s natural for us to help when you’re in trouble.”
In response to Malong’s answer, Roufa smiled faintly and shook her head.
“Could you please not treat us like fools, young man of the Forest clan. I am not so naive as to think we could receive help without offering something in return.”
Roufa said this with a stern expression. One might have expected Mia to feel overwhelmed by the heavy atmosphere, but that was not the case.
After all, this was the same person who had been eating last night with a big smile on her face. Mia had seen her enjoying the food, expressing her delight with various sounds.
‘Had it not been for the banquet last night, I would have had a totally different image of her. First impressions are important. Hmm, perhaps I need to be careful too.’
At that moment, the events of last night suddenly flashed through Mia’s mind.
‘ “Could you please stop talking about things that don’t matter?” I had said something like that and distanced myself. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea. I thought that I was able to disguise my intentions well, and the old woman had certainly laughed and didn’t seem to be bothered by it. However, the other person is elderly. I am not sure if she has the magnanimity to laugh and overlook the disrespect displayed by some youngster like me. I cannot deny the possibility that in spite of laughing she might have formed a negative impression of me.’
Mia suddenly turned her gaze towards Ludwig, to find him staring at her with a serious expression. At that moment, Mia felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
Mia couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if the damn glasses from her past saw her last night. Surely, he would lecture her with great intensity. Even the current Ludwig would definitely scold her for last night.
Mia realised once again that being hungry might not be a sufficient excuse for the blunder she might have committed.
‘What is necessary now is to win the other party’s trust and extract information about the Chaos Serpents. However, due to last night’s blunder, there is a strong possibility that the starting point itself is negative. It could even be called a regrettable mistake.’
‘I have to make up for it no matter what. I have to do my best to make a good impression.’
And so, Mia decided on her stance for the day. She would choose a position that was slightly leaning towards the Fire clan rather than be neutral in order to gain their trust. As a dance expert, Mia was no stranger to delicate balancing acts. And with that…
“Aima says that the support is based on friendship, but it is a little surprising that she seems to be so naive as to believe that. Your Highness Princess Mia and Saint Rafina-sama, isn’t there something that you are trying to gain by helping us.?”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s true that Aima-san and I are friends. And it’s natural for me to help my friends!”
‘I will make the case that Aima and I are friends and appeal passionately.’
“It’s the same with Malong-senpai. Isn’t it normal for people to lend a helping hand when their compatriots are in trouble?”
Mia confirmed that Malong was nodding in agreement.
This was essentially a guarantee that the Fire clan would receive support free of charge. Mia wanted to demonstrate her usefulness. She then glanced at Rafina.
“Spare no effort for your friends or blood relatives” was an undeniable good deed, and therefore, Rafina must have been smiling as well, giving the perfect answer. However, when Mia tried to confirm that, she found that Rafina had tilted her head to the side.
‘I wonder why? Rafina looked a little displeased. Oh, my! That’s strange… There’s nothing wrong that’s being said…’
Furthermore, Mia noticed that it was not just Rafina, Roufa also looked like she wasn’t particularly convinced.
‘Why? This is such a good deal for you, so why aren’t you happy about it? Hey, what on earth is this?’
Mia couldn’t help but feel confused. The reaction of those around her was different from what she had expected, greatly heightening her sense of an impending crisis.
‘Could it be…? Perhaps yesterday’s incident was actually quite bad after all? Certainly, it might have been seen as disrespectful… Does that mean I should have been more apologetic at the start?’
As Mia began to panic, someone suddenly spoke to her.
“Excuse me. Mia-sama, may I have a moment?”
It was a calm, composed voice. However, it sent a chill down Mia’s spine.
When Mia glanced over, she saw Ludwig, his glasses gleaming. Looking at that expression, Mia understood.
‘Ah, this was something that often happened in the previous timeline. Well, that means I made a significant enough mistake that Ludwig has to cover for me. This might lead to a lecture later on, huh… I really don’t want that, but there’s no helping it. Besides, pushing back and making the situation even worse would be an even bigger mistake that could lead to an irreversible situation. When Ludwig says that he’ll handle it, it’s best to just let him take care of everything.’
Having reached a state of resignation and enlightenment, Mia felt a bit exhausted and said, “Then, Ludwig, please take care of it.”
Mia passed all the responsibility to Ludwig. In response, Ludwig nodded and adjusted his glasses slightly. “Well then, on behalf of Mia-sama, if I may…”
