CH 223

Esmeralda’s Plot

Esmeralda Etoile Greenmoon left for Ganudos Port Country early in the morning and got there before Mia’s group.

After being annoyed by the boring greetings with the country’s dignitaries, she spent the rest of her time waiting in refined luxury. Ganudos was a minor power, so it didn’t have nearly as much money as Tearmoon, and it couldn’t even match the financial power of one of the Four Dukes.

It did have one thing worth mentioning, though: shipyards. People in this nation knew how to make boats. In fact, Ganudos shipwrights made the sailboat that the Greenmoons used.

It was built with great skill and was very beautiful. It spent most of the year at the dock, where people could see how well it was made. Yet, the only time it was used was when Esmeralda took it out for a cruise in the summer.

Even picky Esmeralda, who was sitting in the captain’s cabin and humming to herself, was impressed by the ship’s beauty. It had a bright green hull, two tall masts, and an artistic figurehead at the front.

“Oh no, Miss Mia, it looks like you fell right into my trap.”

She couldn’t have been happier with how well her plan was going. So happy was she that even the boat’s unsteady rocking felt like fun instead of making her sick, and she couldn’t help but laugh to show how happy she was.

She was about to have another fit of boisterous laughter, but a girl stopped her.

“Excuse me, milady.”

The girl was two years older than Esmeralda, and she had been taking care of her since they were both young children.

“Oh? Is there something wrong, uh…”

“It’s Nina, madam,” the girl said quickly, giving her name again without batting an eye.

“Ah. What is this time?” Esmeralda said, “Excuse me, but I don’t walk around remembering the names of all my servants.” She didn’t even try to sound sorry.

She thought it was obvious, just like she didn’t care where the tea she drank came from as long as it tasted good. She was one of the chosen ones, so it made sense that she should have the best. She didn’t care if it was a tea leaf or a servant. As long as they met her needs perfectly, it didn’t matter who they were.

She thought that this was what it meant to be rich. To be noble. She had been taught this, so it was what she thought.

“Of course, miss. I am well aware.”

“Good. So, what’s going on?”

“I just wanted to let you know that Her Highness is at the port.”

Nina stopped, as if she were unsure. “But I don’t understand something. It’s about the guards who are with her.”

“Her guards?”

“Yes. She is accompanied by Princess Guard members.”

“Why, I don’t see what’s so strange about that. She’s a princess, so of course the Princess Guard would follow her around. In fact, it’s almost her duty as a person from a noble family. It wouldn’t look good to bring someone of lower status.”

Nina kept going even though she acted like she didn’t care. “Yes, you’re right, madam, but she wants to bring five of them with her on the yacht.”

“Five? That’s…a lot!” That made someone frown. “I don’t mind one or two men, but five? It seems like a lot, especially since we are providing for our own guards.”

Mia wasn’t getting on an enemy boat or anything. The Duke of Greenmoon, who was a subject of the Emperor, owned this ship. She would be with people she knew.

“Oh, I know exactly what she’s thinking. I bet she’s scared that we’ll meet something scary, like pirates or a sea monster. Oh no, it looks like Mia-sama is a real chicken.”

She never thought that she might be one of the scary things that happened to people.

“Not that it bothers me,” she said, “but I guess I do feel a little bad for her that she has to embarrass herself in front of her private guards. Oho ho…”

She gave a grin.

“I’m very interested to see how that turns out. Oh, that will be such a treat…”

So, Mia steadily walked toward the terrible trap Esmeralda had set for her. In fact, the trap was even worse than it seemed because it had two parts.

Before she humiliated Mia in front of everyone, Esmeralda had planned to do it in private.

First, she was going to laugh as she watched Mia flail around in the water. She wouldn’t let her risk drowning, but Mia probably wouldn’t even put her head under the water because she didn’t know how to swim. The idea of seeing Mia flailing around in the water because she was scared was so funny that she had to see it for herself.

The second part came next. As Mia struggled, Esmeralda would jump in like the big sister she was and teach the poor princess how to swim.

It was both a joke and a game, so it was a great plan.

She’d get even with Mia for putting her down the other day, and they’d play in the water together. Esmeralda, you see, thought of herself as one of Mia’s best friends most of the time.

Even though Mia sinks like a rock, she could still do something like submerge her head. She loved taking baths so much that she often gave in to the urge to stick her head down into the warm water. She was an expert at tub diving. Even if there was nothing else…

“Oh my, this is so exciting! What a wonderful thrill!”

Esmeralda walked out of the cabin with a spring in her step, leaving only the sound of her deep laugh behind.

As a second side note, Esmeralda made sure to bring a swimsuit for Mia because she was a thoughtful and caring friend. Expert tailors made it to fit the latest fashion, and it was one of the “terribly indecent” styles that showed the whole stomach.

Also, it was made to go with the other one, which was for Esmeralda. They’d both wear the same swimsuit.

Mia’s only reaction to this would be a mix of confusion and horror, but believe it or not, it was done in good faith.

Esmeralda just wanted to help out her friend.