Chapter 108: Lining Up in a Row

As the appointed time drew near, I was inwardly fidgeting, thinking Hurry up and come pick us up already... when Kantoner-san finally arrived. A luxurious-looking carriage—but one that could pass for a commoner’s—was parked in the rear palace’s roundabout.

"Oh dear, what should I do? This is my first time visiting a commoner’s shop. I won’t run into anyone I know, right? But if someone is here incognito, what kind of face should I make when I meet them?"

The Queen was seriously worrying about things she didn’t need to worry about. Even people at the very top of the hierarchy fret over such trivial matters, I thought. She really is adorable. I learned that moments like this reveal unexpected sides of people.

As the carriage headed into the commoner district, the Queen gazed out the window with great interest. Watching the people walking through the streets, she asked,

"Was this outfit strange? Was this hat all right? Was it too flashy?"

She was concerned about surprisingly small details. You’re the Queen of an entire country—you can just stride in with total confidence! Of course, a timid guy like me could never say that to her.

The carriage stopped near the fruit parlor, in front of a wealthy merchant’s store. The Queen entered the shop once, touched up her makeup and appearance, and then walked "on foot" toward the fruit parlor.

From here on, the area was already tightly secured by royal palace personnel disguised as passersby. When I looked up, I could see guards on the rooftops keeping watch as well.

The distance from the merchant’s store to the fruit parlor was only about 200 meters, but it felt endlessly far—ten times, even twenty times longer. The Queen was in high spirits and kept talking to me, but I was so tense I was barely listening. At first, I was so nervous I kept stepping forward with my right foot and right hand at the same time. Even though security was supposedly perfect, my pessimistic mind couldn’t help thinking, What if something happens outside the palace, in the commoner district?

As we approached the shop, at some point the old-man duo of Lake-san and Relf-san moved to walk in front. A little further on, the three from the Accounting Bureau—Anise-san, Marin-sensei, and Christine-san—slipped in between us. Even from behind, I could clearly see how tense the three of them were. Strangely, watching them helped loosen my own tension. Behind us, the mother-daughter pair of Stevie and Lily had been following since we left the merchant’s store.

We gradually formed a proper line and headed toward the fruit parlor. From the side, it must have looked obviously suspicious: a column of roughly forty young women walking in two neat files toward the fruit parlor. But every single person walking with the column or standing by the roadside was one of our people. In the end, as long as the Queen didn’t think anything was strange, it was fine.

We arrived safely in front of the shop and the line formed. There had already been a roughly five-meter queue outside; suddenly it grew by another twenty meters.

"Robin—no, Robby, how long will it take before we can enter the shop?"

Since the Queen and I are mother and son, I had asked her to call me by my nickname, Robby. This being her first time in the commoner district, she seemed nervous. Even at over forty, she was still cute in moments like this.

"I wonder... I don’t think it will take that long?"

The moment I answered—

"Ah! It’s Young Master!! Good morning!"

Two girls came running up. They were the merchant’s daughters who had called out to us back when we were with Stevie. They weren’t trying to cut in line; they had simply spotted me and greeted me. When they saw Stevie behind me, they let out a little "Kyaa!" But then they noticed the Queen standing beside me, stared in open-mouthed amazement for a moment, and quickly bowed.

"Um, is this Young Master’s mother? Nice to meet you. I’m Marianne, daughter of the Rover Trading Company! Please treat me well."

"I’m Irina, daughter of the Johnson Trading Company. Nice to meet you. I met Young Master once before. I’m so happy to meet his mother today!"

They greeted her properly with curtsies. Ugh... For normal people that would have been fine, but this was the Queen! Even if it was only for a second, you two looked straight at her face, didn’t you? Normally that alone could be considered disrespect punishable by death. And your families’ companies would probably be dismantled too. Looking around, everyone was staring at you two with terrifying expressions!

But the Queen, understanding that today she was supposed to be a commoner, smiled gently and said,

"Is that so? Please continue to look after Robby from now on."

An elegant aura seemed to burst out from her. The two girls froze as if struck by it. Even as the line moved forward, they remained rooted to the spot.

When they finally came back to themselves, they squealed:

"He called him Robby! She said ’Look after Robby’! Kyaa!!"

"Can we call him Robby too from now on? Does this mean we can get closer to him? Yay!"

Chattering excitedly, they went to join the end of the line.

As the line slowly advanced, we reached a spot where we could see inside the shop. Looking through the window, the Queen said,

"My, they eat in such a cramped space? Wouldn’t it be better to eat somewhere more spacious?"

"No, Mother. Eating in a place like this is part of the appeal. You can hear what the people at the next table are talking about and see what kind of customers are there, right? That’s what makes it good."

"So that’s how it is. Eavesdropping on neighboring tables is considered a virtue."

She sounded impressed. After that, the Queen kept asking me all sorts of questions about the shop, but no one around us helped me out. The three from the Accounting Bureau in front still had stiff, tense backs. No matter what the Queen and I talked about, they never turned around.

"The hat that person ahead is wearing is cute. Are hats like that in fashion these days?" the Queen asked.

How would I know what’s in fashion?! Someone help me! They could clearly hear us, yet completely ignoring me was just too cruel, wasn’t it?

When it was time to enter, I went in together with Lake-san, Relf-san, and the three from the Accounting Bureau. The Queen and I were seated at a table in the back, with Lake-san and Relf-san on either side of us, and the three accountants sitting nearby. The Queen watched intently as the Accounting Bureau trio placed their orders first, perhaps using them as reference for what to choose herself.

The three ordered pudding. That was fine. But when Lake-san and Relf-san said,

"Two extra-large parfaits,"

the atmosphere in the shop completely changed. Some of the girls glared at them. Christine-san stared at the two men with her mouth hanging open in shock. Somewhere in the back, I heard a voice say, "So it was okay to order the extra-large..."

That’s right—everyone had been told the palace would be paying, so they had held back and ordered modest things like pudding or regular parfaits. Then these two scruffy old men casually ordered the biggest parfaits. It must have felt like watching your section chief and chief clerk order the deluxe set at a sushi restaurant paid for by the company, while you restrained yourself and ordered the regular set. Everyone was probably wondering what the point of their restraint had been. Kids, this is what the world—and organizations—are like. You learned something important today.

The Queen, who seemed completely unaware of the shift in the shop’s mood (which was honestly for the best), asked me,

"What is this ’extra-large parfait’ like?"

"You’ll see when it arrives. Let’s decide after watching, okay?"

"That’s a good idea."

We kept the waitress waiting while we watched for the extra-large parfaits to arrive. The waitress knew that the person at my table was the Queen, so she stood there trembling with extreme nervousness, her face asking When will they order?

"Then I’ll have the same thing."

The Queen decided after seeing the extra-large parfaits delivered to Lake-san and Relf-san’s table. As for me, I was worried about Kantoner-san’s stomach when he saw the bill, so I thought I’d keep it cheap (even if only by a tiny amount) and ordered the usual pudding. It’s fine—I genuinely like this one.

"Robby, are you sure you don’t want the extra-large parfait?"

She looked puzzled, but no, it’s okay!

The Queen took one bite and exclaimed,

"It’s delicious!"

I asked curiously,

"Don’t you usually eat much more delicious things, Mother?"

She smiled softly and replied,

"Ufufu, not necessarily. Maybe it’s because I’m eating it in a place like this, but it tastes especially good. How strange."

The entire shop had been so tense you could have heard a pin drop as everyone waited for the Queen’s reaction. The moment she said "It’s delicious!" the atmosphere instantly relaxed.

"The ice cream tastes different from usual too—it’s delicious," she said after another spoonful. It’s true that this shop’s pudding is excellent. But I’ve hardly ever eaten ice cream. I’ve only had the little bit that sits on top of pudding, so I don’t really know. As I watched the Queen eat with such delight, she noticed my gaze and said,

"Would you like some too, Robby? Shall I feed you? Is it unusual for a mother to feed her son among commoners?"

Who on earth taught her that? I silently cursed whoever had given the Queen that idea and replied,

"There is no such custom. I was simply feeling happy watching Mother enjoy her food."

"Is that so? Then I’ll eat it all myself. Oh my, is that how commoners eat?"

When I looked over, Lake-san and Relf-san were licking their containers clean...