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C99 of WN
79. The Cruel Princess Names the Child
"...So, you actually ran at full speed to the point of being out of breath?"
Stayle spoke to Arthur with a look of disbelief. This was just a routine inspection of the town, so there was no need to rush so desperately. However, Arthur, the Imperial Guard, always waits in front of the palace gates at least ten minutes before we arrive. Right now, though, he looks like he's about to collapse.
Seeing Arthur out of breath, Tiara quickly took a water bottle from her attendant and handed it to Arthur.
"You really didn't need to rush so much. If you were going to be late, you could have just called me, right?"
"...C-Coming from an Imperial... Guard... I... shouldn’t... have made you... come get me..."
Arthur's comment was typical of him. After drinking the water Tiara handed him, he finally managed to catch his breath.
"...I’m sorry. I must have shown an unpleasant sight."
He lowered his head toward me as an apology.
"No, it’s fine. Thank you as always, Arthur. Please continue to help with the inspection today."
I smiled at him, and Arthur, still a bit embarrassed, responded with a shy "Yep..." His reaction hadn’t changed at all, even though he was already seventeen.
After exchanging greetings with Jack, the Imperial Guard on duty, Arthur got into the carriage with us. Since this was an outing of the royal family, there were a few other guards accompanying us, and more would follow behind, but only Arthur, as the Imperial Guard, would be guarding us in the same space.
"So, Princess Pryde... about the name for Prime Minister Gilbert's daughter..."
As the carriage began to move, Arthur started the conversation. Apparently, he couldn’t think of a name on his own, so he asked the other knights for suggestions.
He mentioned things like how he wanted her to grow up, names of people they respected or admired... There was even an idea to use my name, but I immediately rejected it. Sharing a name with a cruel final boss would be far too ominous.
"Do you have any thoughts, Princess?"
Arthur’s gaze made me feel a bit pressured. I couldn’t say that I hadn’t come up with anything, especially after he had even asked the knights for input. I desperately searched my memories from my past life, trying to come up with a good name from the eighteen years of experience.
"Well... what about combining both of their names...?"
"Combining...?"
In this world, most names are written in foreign characters, but in my past life, it was common to combine parts of the parents' names. For example, a child named Hanataro, from Hanako and Taro. Arthur, Stayle, and Tiara looked at me with confused expressions, but after I explained, they nodded in understanding.
"That would mean... Marianne and Gilbert, so... Mari-beru?"
Tiara tilted her head. It sounded like a delicious sweet name.
"Tiara, just mixing names isn’t the solution."
"Then... Jirunnu?"
It was almost like playing with words. Tiara was cute as she kept coming up with playful suggestions, but Stayle’s deadpan remarks were amusing.
"...Ah, how about Jeanne?"
Arthur suddenly said, as if he had just come up with it. Wow, that’s a great idea!!
"That’s perfect! Arthur, let’s go with that name!!"
I almost stood up in the carriage with excitement but quickly restrained myself. Jeanne! It was the perfect name for the beautiful and graceful Marianne’s daughter. It felt like a name with a saintly aura, and it was just wonderful!
Tiara and Stayle nodded in agreement, impressed.
"That’s a very beautiful name!"
"I think it suits Arthur’s idea quite well. Since it’s the name you thought of, Princess, it aligns with Gilbert’s request too."
Arthur seemed a bit surprised by the positive feedback, but he looked relieved that a name had been settled. I felt the same way.
For some reason, after the name was finally decided, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. On a whim, I decided to ask, "If the three of you had children, what names would you give them?"
"I’d name a girl after you, Big Sister! And if it were a boy, I’d name him after you, Brother!"
How sweet, Tiara gave the perfect answer as a little sister. I couldn't help but blush, and Tiara, with a bright smile, added, "And if there was another boy, I’d name him after Arthur," which made both Stayle and Arthur blush a little.
"I would… name a girl after you, Big Sister. For a boy… as long as it’s not Gilbert’s name, I’d be fine."
Stayle grumbled, and Tiara immediately pinched his cheek. Arthur retorted, "You can’t just say ‘anything.’"
"...Well, Arthur. Your name’s fine then."
Stayle, still holding his pinched cheek, pouted, and Arthur, looking pleased with the response, laughed softly, "Then I’ll name him after you."
By the way, Arthur, for some reason, also seemed to want to name a girl after me. I thought that we really shouldn’t create more arrogant names like mine, but I didn’t say anything.
"What about you, Big Sister?"
Tiara’s question caught me off guard. I looked over to see both Stayle and Arthur staring at me, eagerly awaiting my response. As I connected my thoughts, I smiled and began to answer.
"If it were a girl... I’d probably name her Tiara. I’d want her to grow up with a kind heart, just like you, Tiara."
Tiara’s eyes lit up with happiness as she beamed at me. Yes, if I had a daughter, I’d name her Tiara, too.
"What about a boy?"
Tiara, still excited, asked eagerly.
"Well..."
What should I do? If I mention Stayle or Arthur’s names, I might unintentionally influence Tiara's route. I needed to be careful...
"...Jack, I suppose?"
After I said that, Stayle and Arthur were silent for a while. During this time, Tiara kept comforting the two of them. What’s going on? Jack, the Imperial Guard, is quiet but a good person, and I think he’s a fine candidate for a name. If I had chosen Gilbert or Commander Roderick’s or Vice Commander Clark’s names, would that have been better?
Before I could think further, the carriage reached the town.
We got out of the carriage without any issues, though we were met with many curious stares from the townspeople. Since my bad reputation had faded two years ago, my popularity had been gradually increasing. I’m sure Prime Minister Gilbert did something to help with that.
"Big Sister, can we go into this bookstore?"
"Wait, Tiara. If we’re going in, let’s have the guards check the safety of the store first."
As Tiara eagerly approached the bookstore, Stayle stopped her. Recently, Tiara had been reading more and more. She had always loved reading, especially romance and adventure stories, but now she was also buying books from the town whenever she had the chance. I remembered that in the game, there had been a scene where she was lost in thought while reading a book in a tower.
"...Princess Pryde."
Suddenly, Arthur stood beside me. His gaze seemed thoughtful as he watched Stayle take care of Tiara. I turned to him and asked, "What’s on your mind?"
"Earlier... I kind of casually said that if I had a child, I’d name him after Stayle... but... honestly, I was serious about it."
Arthur’s words made me look at Tiara and Stayle. Tiara was still holding Stayle’s hand tightly to keep him from wandering off.
"He’s three years younger than me, but he’s smarter than most adults, and since he was young, he’s been trying to become strong to protect his family... I really admire that. And now he’s actually doing it... I think that’s amazing."
I wasn’t sure whether he was referring to Stayle at his current age of fourteen or when they first met when Stayle was just ten. Either way, I could see that Arthur had some complicated feelings about it, especially considering that he had been aiming to become a knight at thirteen.
"So, while I think the name Jeanne is a good choice... what about something like this?"
Arthur looked away, slightly embarrassed, and then he nervously continued speaking.
"‘Stella’...?"
Both Marianne and Gilbert blinked, clearly surprised by our conversation.
After the town inspection was done, we visited Prime Minister Gilbert’s mansion. He was surprised by our sudden visit but welcomed us warmly.
"I wanted her to grow up like Tiara, kind-hearted, and like Stayle, intelligent," Arthur continued. "Of course, you can compare it with the name Jeanne we talked about earlier."
Stayle muttered quietly, "Of all names, he wants to name her after me..." but Tiara quickly hushed him.
"That’s a very lovely name," Marianne smiled warmly.
"As my wife says," Gilbert added, "And if she grows up kind like Tiara and intelligent like Stayle, as a parent, there’s no greater happiness."
With that, Gilbert and Marianne both smiled. Tiara beamed, and Stayle pretended to adjust his glasses, turning his face away, though he didn’t seem very upset.
"Thank you for such a wonderful name. ‘Stella’... we will gratefully accept it."
As Gilbert and Marianne bowed their heads respectfully, we felt a bit awkward. Unable to remain silent, I whispered to Arthur, "It feels like we’ve become parents, choosing a name together," and for some reason, Arthur’s face turned bright red. Perhaps the pressure of being a godparent finally hit him.
I gently left him alone and patted Tiara and Stayle’s heads. Both of them smiled back at me. I felt incredibly proud and happy that my younger siblings, Gilbert, Marianne, and Arthur, all felt this way about us.
Soon after, Gilbert and Marianne agreed to let us meet little Stella. As she was held by Marianne, she looked so adorable. Arthur, who was asked to hold her, appeared quite awkward at first, but he carefully cradled the baby. Tiara, who was a bit jealous, reached out, wanting to hold her as well.
"…I still think I’d want Stayle’s name."
When I took Stayle’s hand, thinking about how he hesitated to get close to Stella, I couldn’t help but say what I was thinking out loud.
"If I had a son, I’d want his name to be Stayle... because I want him to grow up just like you."
Stayle, looking down at me, seemed a bit surprised by my words.
"I admire you for being strong, smart, and always caring for your family. You’ve become someone everyone looks up to... That’s why."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I smiled shyly and quickly tried to cover it up. But Stayle’s face turned beet red, and I knew exactly how he felt.
As I rushed over to Arthur, who was holding Stella, and pulled Stayle along, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that one problem was finally resolved.
...Wait... Was there something I forgot?
I wondered for a moment, but decided to focus on the adorable Stella in front of me for now. I’d think about my other worries later
*****
EUN: SEASON 2!! WE ARE GETTING A SECOND SEASON WOOHOOO!!!!!
AND LOL JACK!!! BAHAHAHAHHAHAHA...POOR JACK GETTING DRAGGED AROUND LIKE THAT.
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