Chapter 6: A Horse Shampoo and a Selfish Princess

"Greetings, Viscount Berman. I believe this is the first time we've met."

My word... She's...

Mia appeared before Berman, and he found that he couldn't look away. The young princess's beauty was mesmerizing.

Now, on a side note, Mia had been looking especially gorgeous recently. While previous descriptions of her would have been something to the effect of "Okay, if I had to choose between pretty and not pretty, then I guess I'd go with pretty," the current Mia was quite a different beast. Right now, she looked better than ever.

The biggest contributor to her newfound luster was... not her radiantly healthy skin, though that certainly didn't hurt and was the product of Anne's diligent care. It was her hair. Her hair practically glowed.

It flows with such elegant beauty! As if it were the mane of the finest warhorse as it gallops across a battlefield!

The secret behind the dazzling hair that so captivated the viscount was, in fact, shampoo that Prince Abel had given her as a present.

"This doesn't just clean hair, it supplies the hair with nutrients and improves its luster. It's known to be a very good product. I figured you've probably received so many of the usual presents that you're sick of them, so I went with something a little different. I think you'll like it."

Mia had worn a wide smile as she gleefully read the letter Abel had included with his gift, and she'd used the shampoo every day since. The sight of her humming cheerfully to herself on her daily trips to the bath was a delight for Anne as well, who always watched her with a fond smile.

Oh, Prince Abel... What a wonderful gift from a wonderful person.

What Abel didn't mention in his letter was that his wonderful shampoo... was actually meant for horses. Being fellow members of the horsemanship club, he'd figured she'd appreciate having the best horse shampoo to use for grooming her favorite horses. Horse hair was more delicate than human hair and required premium products to maintain. Mia however, went ahead and used it on herself. As a result, her hair was now silky smooth and glowed with a luster only seen on the choicest of steeds.

This would later lead to an explosion in the popularity of horse shampoos in Tearmoon, but that is a story for another time.

Ah, so that's why. I always wondered why people were so eager to glorify her as the "Great Sage of the Empire." I see now that this beauty is the basis for all their praise, thought Berman, who now assumed that the source of her great repute was her attractiveness. All that talk about her wisdom and saintliness must be coming from the fools who were duped by her beauty. This princess is nothing more than a little girl who always wants her own way.

He had proof, in fact, as he'd heard that a few days ago Mia had favored her friend's father with a deal. Admittedly, he found it rather baffling for her to so honor some merchant who was a noble in name only, but it was nevertheless evidence of her selfishness. That boded well for him. So long as he could show her something she liked, there was a good chance she'd behave exactly as he wanted her to.

She might be the princess, but even the princess must enjoy receiving gifts. Especially if it's something she's developed a particular liking for recently.

Growing increasingly confident in his plan, he reached for the present he'd prepared.

"I've been told that recently, Your Highness has been quite fond of an ornament made from unicorn's horn..." he said as he shifted his gaze up toward her head.

As he'd expected, she was indeed wearing a hairpin made from Unicorn's Horn.

Hmm... for a piece of wood, I must admit that it looks rather nice. I suppose it all depends on who's wearing it.

What he didn't notice was that Mia's eyes had narrowed as soon as he'd mentioned her hairpin.

"Well, I suppose it's true that I've been wearing this hairpin a lot recently..."

"Is it now? Excellent. In that case, please take a look at this."

Berman produced a hairpin and presented it to Mia. It had been made by craftsmen into the sort of gaudy design that was meant to appeal to children.

"My..." She studied the hairpin for a while before smiling at the viscount. "This does indeed interest me very much."

"I see, I see. Well, as a matter of fact, this was made from the wood of a certain tree, and.." He resisted a sly smirk as he proceeded to explain how the tree grew in the Sealence Forest.

"Is that so? The Sealence Forest..." she said with her wide eyes full of surprise.

Feeling that momentum was on his side, Berman leaned forward and went for one last push.

"Yes, and if Your Highness happens to be interested, then please—"

"I am very interested. In fact, I believe I will go take a look at this forest myself."

"...Huh?"

Berman froze. It took him a few seconds to piece together another sentence.

"U-Uh, Your Highness... there's no need for you to personally—"

"Ludwig. I wish to depart immediately. Make the necessary arrangements."

"I-Immediately?! B-But..."

That meant he wouldn't have time to hide things. Things that he couldn't afford to have seen.

O-Okay, calm down. This kind of thing takes time. She can't possibly just...

He shot a desperate glance at the young bespectacled official standing beside Mia. Surely, he would have something to say about this.

"I swear, Your Highness, the things you ask for sometimes..." the young official sighed, shaking his head. Then he just shrugged. "As you wish."

Berman's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He stood there stunned, staring with his mouth agape at Ludwig, then at Mia.

"My? Haven't you heard?" said Mia. She looked the viscount in the eyes as a mischievous grin crept across her lips. "They call me the selfish princess, you know?"