That night, dinner was served in our rooms and eaten at our leisure.

The Esteria side had planned on holding a welcome banquet for the summoning of the Princess Priestess, but Maki-chan and I were worn out by the sudden change in environment. I didn't want to be a spectacle for the aristocrats of the country without my knowledge either.

Besides, Esteria was still deliberating on how to deal with my irregular presence and seemed to have decided to avoid making a formal announcement about me.

So I had dinner (the meal was entirely familiar looking Western-style cuisine as expected, very much to my taste and delicious. I was very relieved that the meal managed to be tasty!). After that, I made an appointment with Maki-chan (a lady-in-waiting delivered a message to get in touch with me) and Cainlot-san escorted me to her room.

「Onii-cha……Cainlot-san, why are we holding hands?」

I asked Cainlot-san while looking at the big hand that was completely wrapped around and intertwined with mine. I was being lead quite naturally by the hand while walking down the hallway of the royal palace (I thought something was strange).

It's fun to walk hand and hand with a good looking man. Despite his prominent knuckles and masculine hand, onii-cha……Cainlot-san's hold was gentle. If this was a date I was certain I would be burning with lovey-dovey feelings while grinning.

But my maiden heart was shouting『Something's different, Michiru! Wake up!』

I nearly made a mistake and almost carelessly called out onii-chan. I was shaken because I had no experiences with holding hands with a man since elementary school. It was too late. The formula Cainlot-san = onii-chan had already been established in my brain.

Cainlot-san stopped walking and lined up our faces to look at me.

「Michiru should not get lost in the royal palace since it seems to be a little difficult to walk in unfamiliar shoes?」

The cool knight replied with a calm 『isn't that obvious?』 att.i.tude.

You see, I wore pumps with heels and since I was a person who favored sneakers, my steps were unsteady.

「Is that so……. No, wait a second! Cainlot-san, just to make sure, are all women in Estelia escorted this way?」

Cainlot-san blinked incessantly and said.

「No, not for a formal escort. ……Ah, sorry. Don't take offense to it but young girls, that is to say, children are treated this way.」

「I'm being treated like a child! As I thought!」

I was unaware that I was being treated like a little sister!

This ikemen knight really had the attributes of an onii-chan from the bottom of his heart!

「Onii-cha……Cainlot-san! I'm 21! I'm not a child anymore!」

I roared, calling out the mistake that was causing me so much trouble.

Huh, my little sister traits were developing!

Incredible, the onii-chan temptation!

A chuckle slipped from the knight at my anger. And he narrowed his eyes fondly before saying.

「I'm sorry, Michiru. Yes, you're not a child. Yes, yes. Don't pout now.」

In the middle of the hallway of the royal palace, I poked my index finger into the cool ikemen knight's cheek in anger!

「Ha, I'm a little cross.」

「I wanted to treat you like a lady, there there, my bad.」

And patted my head!

「Sorry, sorry. You're a good girl so smile.」

Stroking, rubbing, patting.

With those words, the cool ikemen knight displayed a smile on his face. I was going to fall to my little sister attributes. Please stop me from falling off the cliff!

「CCainlot-san, like I said, I'm 21 years old. An adult women!」

「That is so, little lady. Now, I will lend you my arm so hold on tightly so that you don't fall.」

「……Thank you very much.」

「You're welcome, cute lady.」

My face warmed. Casting my eyes downward at Cainlot-san's left arm that was held out for me, I gently grasped it with my right hand.

Don't try and tell me I'm cute so smoothly. This knight was a natural at seduction without a doubt.

Don't lose, Michiru. Hang onto the cliff with your fingers.

「Ah, here, hold onto it securely with both hands. What would you do if you fell and hurt your leg? Here.」

「Ah!」

My left hand was suddenly and forcibly pulled toward Cainlot-san's arm and made to cling to it!

I was like a koala child!

Wasn't this originally an escort?

This is definitely different!

「The Princess Priestess is waiting for you. Come on.」

Without a pause, I was lead to Maki-chan room with the fancy appearance of a koala swinging on the tall knight's arm.

「I'll be okay. I'll drink in moderation.」

「If you feel sick, call me. I will be waiting in the hallway.」

「Understood.」

「And remember to be very careful.」

「I will be careful and alert!」

「If you would like, I can remain inside the room.」

「Wait in the hallway!」

Onii-chan knight, you don't have permission to join in a girls-only party.

I pushed the repet.i.tively and excessively worried onii-cha……Cainlot-san out into the hallway and shut the door before looking back at Maki-chan.

「Hey, sorry to keep you waiting!」

I said with a raised hand. Maki-chan looked dumbfounded.

「……Who was the handsome man?」

「Uh huh, saying that with a okan1 att.i.tude……」

I thought and crossed my arms.

Okan and onii-chan, which one would win?

……Both!

「Senpai, please don't pick up a strange man. Cool ikemen are really annoying. He's a match for the glittering prince.」

「Did something happen with the glitter prince?」

「I was given a bouquet of roses and a card with an over the top love poem written on it. I rolled around on the bed while reading before fainting in agony. How embarra.s.sing.」

「Maki-chan, that's no good, you're making fun of the glitter prince's sincerity! Show me the card later. Lend me the bed too.」

I approached the table where the mini-feast was prepared to search for provisions. Maki-chan's attendant had carefully laid out and arranged the flowers so they looked wonderful. The Saviour Priestess Princess' first order was to prepare alcohol. I'm sorry, Esteria.

This was a girls only party. Two girls would finish a meal together and take a bath afterwards before going to sleep whenever. Negligee-like sleepwear was prepared but you wouldn't see it at all because I wore a night robe-like dress securely over top. It was a completely safe appearance even if I was seen by a man.

By the way, in this country, you can confidently drink when you are over 15 years old so onii-cha……Cainlot-san allowed my drinking because my real age was 21 even though I had the appearance of a 11 year old.

But I received a lot of thorough nagging to be careful!

In the end, Linsan told me 「Don't keep the Princess Priestess waiting too long」and reluctantly sent me off. While my hands were being firmly held.

「Now, let's drink! Let's drink away this evening before sleeping. We can think tomorrow. Don't worry about it.」

「That's right. The alcohol is tasty and today was good.」

We had a toast to declare the start of our party.

Cainlot-san and Maki-chan's exclusive bodyguard and knight waited in the hallway. They were used to standing so I made them stand without hesitation until the end of the girls-only party. It sounded cold but knights were specially selected soldiers who regularly endured harsh training and weren't soft and weak (according to Cainlot-san).

「As expected of the royal palace, everything is good.」

Maki-chan's lady-in-waiting lifted the lid from the alcohol and poured it into gla.s.ses. It smelled good.

Tonight, this was a two person girls-only drinking party. Maki-chan's lady-in-waiting had prepared several types of alcohol and snacks favored by the woman of Esteria.

Maki-chan's room was much more s.p.a.cious than my room and there were many attendants and bodyguard knights. It was natural because she was the『Saviour Priestess』. I sensed a particular pressure because her responsibilities were completely different from mine.

「Oh, but I'm surprised. Hey, Maki-chan, that sparkling prince is pa.s.sionately wooing you but what about you? Do you feel okay about him?」

「Oh no, I don't know yet……His looks are cool for sure but when it comes to socializing his personality isn't that great. I also have to verify my position in the country and investigate the royal family.」

Maki-chan was a levelheaded girl and wasn't easily swept away by『I'm loved by handsome men while on a trip to a different world! Kya!』 A man's face and a.s.sets were important but ultimately it came down to personality in the end.

「Well, dating or rather a proposal just now wasn't it…… A abrupt and surprising summoning followed by marriage to a prince, it was the flow of a template. We should investigate behind the scenes about Maki-chan's marriage should time and circ.u.mstances permit……」

「I don't feel like getting married at all.」

Maki-chan said with a red face.

「But if you marry the next king, Maki-chan's life in this country would be peaceful if you're going to live here permanently as the 『Saviour Priestess』.

Here, Maki-chan had a serious face.

「I'm overwhelmed about that decision……Senpai, to tell you the truth, I have weak family connections.」

「Family connections?」

「Yes. My parents died in an accident and I don't have any siblings. My aunt is my guardian but we're not very close and now I live alone using my parents' insurance money.」

「Oh, I see……」

「I have nothing to do with my relatives other than my aunt. So, even if I came into this world, there's no one to worry about me back in j.a.pan…… I have little to think about before agreeing.」

In other words, Maki-chan was destined to come to this world from the very beginning.

「Moreover, this hair. I didn't bleach or dye it orange. It's really orange. I put brown on top so it's hard to understand. I joined the swimming club in high school and thought it was the chlorine that decolored my hair. I stared at it in shock when it completely turned orange. My high school teacher was a witness.」

「It turned orange!? Eh, seriously!? I didn't notice at all…… So Maki-chan really is a person from Esteria.」

I looked at her orange-brown hair.

Maki-chan was originally from a glittering family after all.

I think this child was destined to come here.

But what about me?

I have an ordinary family in j.a.pan. People will be worried if I disappear.

……I absolutely want to go home.

Maki-chan was meant to be here.

I'm the only one meant to go home.

A gaping black hole threatened to be born in my heart so I rushed to drink alcohol.