Interlude: The Walking Ransom (Part One)

"Miss, which jewel shall it be?"

On the velvet-lined tray Sissi held out lay jewels more beautiful than I'd ever seen. And startlingly huge! In my past life I'd only ever have seen such magnificent, big stones through glass, and the sight of them lined up in a row felt completely unreal. They were so big they looked like toys.

I can't appraise jewels, and can only tell them apart by color, but those are probably ruby and sapphire, those diamond and emerald. The biggest is close to five centimeters across.

...Just one of these could build a house. It's like a row of houses-with-gardens laid out before me.

Sorry to Sissi, gazing at me with hopeful eyes, but.

"...Every one of them is too grand. I honestly don't feel like wearing any."

At my words, Sissi made an "oh dear" face.

"Miss, you're to become the Queen from now on. If this much startles you, you'll never last."

"But wearing this sort of thing, I'd be nothing but a walking ransom! Thanks to my running practice I'm confident in my getaway speed, but I've no wings, so if I get surrounded, it's over!"

"You won't be surrounded. From now on the royal guard will protect your person."

"There are times like using the toilet! The royal guard can't come in, and I'd rather visit the toilet alone, thank you!"

"They'll wait at the entrance, so it's fine."

"But, but..."

The vein standing out on Sissi's forehead was scary, but I kept up my desperate resistance. Not to brag, but I'm the type who turns shifty the moment there's a lot of cash in my wallet. So that I don't get jumped at any moment, after payday I walk to the bank with my back to the wall. Wearing something like this, I might end up shouting, "Don't stand behind me!"

"Haah... Miss, you are stubborn. But today, whatever you say, it's no use."

"...You never listen on any other day either..."

"...Pardon?"

"It is nothing at all."