"No, the pleasure is all mine. My name is Sai Reschelburg. It is an honour to finally meet you in person. I have heard of Your Highness's refined demeanour, and I see the rumours fail to live up to the real thing," Sai hurriedly replied, praying that he would not stumble over his words.
The moment they both raised their heads, the assessment began.
Skin fairer than snow. Hair darker than night. Big, round eyes that would have been cute if not for the sharpness in them. Her figure was still that of a child, but it looked like she had training in martial arts. Her magic is currently unknown, but I'll classify her as a mid-rank threat in battle for now.
Over the past three years, Sai had continued practising his martial arts and had even increased the intensity. Normally, that would have been impossible, as it placed too much strain on the body and could even cause severe damage, but that was no issue with his magic involved.
Rather than saying it closed wounds, it would have been more appropriate to say it recovered and restored them.
It did not simply accelerate the healing process. It copied the cellular structure of a living being, converted healing magic into mass, and created new flesh and blood with it.
In theory, it could even be used to create a complete and perfect clone of a person.
"Lord Sai!"
He flinched as he looked at the girl standing before him.
Cursing himself for getting lost in his thoughts, he smiled apologetically.
"Excuse my unsightly behaviour. I was simply entranced by Your Highness's beauty."
He decided to borrow his father's move and delivered it in the suavest way possible.
I'm not bragging, but I think I have pretty good facial features. Framed by my white hair with a small reddish-pink lock, I could probably make an average girl fall in love with me at first sight.
"You have a way with words, Lord Sai."
She smiled, and Sai frowned inwardly, knowing his attack had no effect.
This girl... She knows what she's doing.
"You must be tired from your journey. I have prepared a room and food for Your Highness, so if you would indulge us."
He clapped softly, and an elderly maid received Katarina's luggage from her lady-in-waiting before taking it to her room.
"Then, if you will excuse us."
Katarina gave a slight bow and left. Once she was out of sight, Sai let out a breath he had not even realised he had been holding and leaned against the wall.
Honestly, fighting a thousand monsters would not even compare to acting as a noble for ten minutes. And he knew because he had done something similar before.
"Good work out there, Young Master."
Ars, his personal butler, handed him a wet towel. Sai wiped his face with it as they walked back to his room.
"All in a day's work—that's what I'd like to say. Unfortunately, she's staying for three."
He sighed and resolved to spend as little time with her as possible.
He did not know why, but something about her put him on guard.
"I don't understand what you don't find pleasing about her. From the rumours I've heard, she seems like quite the nice girl," Ars said as they entered the room.
Ars closed the door behind him. Sai snapped his fingers, activated a soundproofing barrier, and sat down on his bed.
"Ars, what exactly is a fiancée?" he asked in a serious tone.
"Erm... it's a woman you're going to marry?"
"Exactly. As my fiancée, there should have been some emotional fluctuations in her eyes, even if she managed to conceal her body's reactions when meeting me. Marriage is a hugh thing! Besides, she's only seven years old. Seven-year-old children can be mature, but they're still children inside. Naturally, I'm no exception."
Ars nodded, though he still looked confused, so Sai continued.
"When you look at someone as a potential partner, you judge their manners, speech, clothing, etiquette, and the like. When she looked at me, she started judging how useful I could be to her, like she was shopping for a tool. An adult doing that would be understandable, but she's just a child."
Sai watched Ars' expression as understanding finally dawned on him.
He had told no one except his parents that he was reincarnated, so everyone else simply believed he was an exceptionally intelligent child, and he had no intention of correcting them.
But from what he could tell, Katarina was not a reincarnated soul. If she were, she would have hidden the gleam in her eyes far better than she had.
Well, I just have to send her on her way and find a way to break the engagement later. My influence is still limited, but it should be enough to accomplish something if I work on it.
...
"Princess, what is your assessment of Sai?" Maler, Katarina's maid and lady-in-waiting, asked as the two of them settled into the room prepared for them.
"He's an interesting person."
Katarina placed a finger against her lips as she recalled the way he had presented himself earlier.
"What was your first impression when you saw him?" she asked Maler, much like Sai had done earlier.
"He seemed like a well-mannered gentleman," Maler replied, unsure of what her liege was getting at.
"That's exactly the impression he wanted to give. Deep down, he wanted nothing more than for us to leave as quickly as possible."
"Really?"
Maler was surprised. She searched her memories for any sign supporting what Katarina had said but came up blank.
"You don't get it, huh? Well, it's something I only noticed because of my magic."
Katarina raised a finger, and a formless strand of mana extended and danced through the air.
"Ruler Magic—the ability to influence, use, and command others. One of its benefits is allowing me to sense the emotions of people I perceive as my subjects. Its effects are limited, but it's effective if the target has no idea about it."
Maler nodded as she realised what Katarina had used.
"He may have acted perfectly, but his emotions clearly said he wanted nothing to do with us. In other words, he sees us as nothing more than nuisances. Quite a rude way to view a princess and one's fiancée, don't you think?"
Although it was phrased as a question, Maler knew better than to answer.
If there was anything she wanted to say, it was this.
"Princess, you're smiling."
At her servant's words, Katarina raised a hand to her lips, found them curled upward, and giggled.
"Maybe it's because I've found a new toy."
She muttered the words while looking out the window as though searching for something.
"Sai, please do your best to entertain me."