<b>The wolf and the girl</b>


    Immediately after arriving at the Forest n camp, Mia and the girls decided to go bathing in a nearby river.


    This was out of concern for Mia, who had been sneezed upon by the horse.


    “This way, Your Highness, Princess Mia.”


    They were being guided by two female warriors from the Forest n, who were also serving as escort guards.


    The women looked dignified and brave, with curved swords at their waists, but they couldn’t hide their nervousness in front of Princess Mia of the Empire.


    “This is the ce where women bathe after finishing the day’s work.”


    <i>‘And so, we were brought to a calm river flowing inside the forest. </i><i>Although the river was fairly wide, it wasn’t particrly deep. </i><i>The water that I scooped in my hands was slightly cold. Had this been during the time of day when there was sunlight , the water would have been just the right temperature and pleasant.’</i>


    “What a wonderful ce! You have my gratitude. After being sneezed upon by a horse, it was difficult to rx.” Mia giggled


    “No, I sincerely apologise for the incident with our horse. I don’t expect you to forgive us…”


    “Hehe, I’m not bothered by it at all. After all, I’m quite used to it. Besides, these sorts of things must be an everyday urrence in the Equestrian Kingdom, right?” Mia responded with a profound, magnanimous smile.


    On the other hand, the woman from the Equestrian Kingdom replied with a slightly strained smile “Huh…? Ah… um… yes. That’s right. I am also often sneezed upon.”


    <i>‘It’s not that it didn’t bother me to some extent, but I quickly told myself ‘It’s fine’ </i><i>and changed my thinking.’</i>


    After all, Mia had not forgotten the promise she had made to Malong.


    <i>‘If only I can taste the finest milkter.. And the butter… </i><i>Surely, a wonderful encounter awaits me!</i>’ As she thought of that, Mia naturally let out a smile.


    By the way, those who had apanied Mia for the bath were Anne, Rafina, and Rafina’sdy attendant. And one more person…


    “It’s a good ce, perfect to wash away the sweat from the battle.” For some reason, Aima folded her arms and remarked high-handedly. “I have not resigned myself to the humiliation of being captured by the people of the Equestrian Kingdom. I have chosen to willingly apany you and quietly ept my captivity due to the persuasion of the Wisdom of the Empire, my dear friend Princess Mia. Therefore, it is only natural that I would apany you to the bath.”Aima grumbled; however, the truth was that she seemed scared of being with Dion when Mia wasn’t around. It seems that Aima had been extremely terrified during the carriage ride because Dion was on guard duty. As soon as she got off the carriage, she rushed to Mia’s side.


    Mia fully understood how scary Dion was, so she took pity on Aima and brought her along. However, there was an issue.


    “I can’t believe it. Referring to Mia-san so casually as a friend.” muttered Rafina. Mia noticed that Rafina had puffed her cheeks and was clearly pouting. She started to panic and invited Rafina “Ah, uh, Rafina-sama, would you like to join us? It’s been a while since we went to a bath together as friends.”


    It was clear that Mia was a considerate and thoughtful person. Her skills in terms of attentiveness as the Empress and her art of winning people’s hearts were being refined. And just like that, it was all helping her train to be an Empress.


    Now, Mia quickly changed into her bathing suit and hurried towards the riverside. As Mia satfortably on a suitable rock, the woman from the Equestrian Kingdom approached her nervously.


    “Um, excuse-me, Your Highness, Princess Mia. This is what we use to wash our hair…” As she said that, incredibly, what she handed Mia was the shampoo that she usually used! Mia couldn’t help but break into a smile when she saw the familiar shampoo.


    <i>‘Oh! It’s even made its way to the Equestrian Kingdom. As expected of Abel, he knows all the good products.’ </i>


    “I’m sorry , but this is a really good product so, um…”


    On hearing those words, Mia ended up tilting her head.


    “Oh? There’s nothing to apologise for. This is a top-notch product that I love using.”


    “Eh…?”


    Looking at her astonished expression, Mia smiled.


    “Thank you. With this, I have noints.”


    Mia then looked at Anne. She understood and nodded deeply. Then, Anne rolled up her sleeves and began enthusiastically washing Mia’s hair with all her strength.


    “Mia-sama, it looks like your hair is a little damaged.”


    “Ah yes,tely, I haven’t had you taking care of me leisurely like this.”


    Mia then looked at Anne and smiled.


    “Thank you for always taking care of me, Anne. I’m counting on you.”


    “Your words are too kind, Mia-sama.”


    After her yful, affectionate banter with Anne, Mia stood up and said


    “Well, then, it’s about time…”


    Although it was a bit cold, Mia decided to take a dip in the river water. At that moment, all of a sudden, there was a rustling in the bushes behind her.


    <i>‘ Oh my! A peeping tom? A scoundrel with a death wish?’</i>


    Everyone was wary, but what appeared was something that no one expected. The first thing that peeked out of the dense thicket was a ck snout. After twitching, as if to confirm its surroundings, it slowly revealed its form.


    “A wolf !? In a ce like this?” The women from the Equestrian Kingdom let out a small shriek. What had appeared before them was a ck wolf.


    The warriors drew out their curved swords and took a defensive stance. However, their expressions soon changed to panic because following the first one, a second and a third wolf appeared.


    “Dear guests, please run. We will handle this…”


    The women warriors prepared for battle while protecting Mia and the others.


    “That’s unnecessary.”


    The person who responded was not one of the guests but Aima, shing a brave smile.


    “Wolves of that calibre are not a challenge in terms of numbers.”


    Then, she put her finger in her mouth and produced a sharp whistle.


    She shouted “Come!”


    The sound of the ground being tread echoed closer, and then it appeared. Something resembling a ck gust of wind appeared behind the wolves. It was a gigantic wolf with jet-ck fur.


    “What, that’s…” The women from the Equestrian Kingdom were left speechless. Mia, too, was rendered speechless because she had recognised the animal.


    <i>‘That wolf – isn’t it the same as the one that attacked me before? </i><i>It looks just like the wolf that the Wolf master had.’</i>


    With cold sweat running down her back, Mia watched as the gigantic wolf red at the other three wolves who hade before. Instantly, the three wolves leaped into the air and fled with their tails between their legs, scattering in all different directions.


    After letting out a deep howl at their fleeing backs, the gigantic wolf turned towards Mia and the others.


    “Hmph, as if mere wild wolves could stand a chance against the Warrior wolf of my Fire n!” Aima said and then proceeded to pat the wolf’s neck happily.


    “I can’t believe it. You’re trying to escape using that wolf?” asked a warrior from the Equestrian Kingdom in a trembling voice.


    Aima sneered aggressively and said “If I had that intention, I would’ve already escaped a long time ago. Besides, unfortunately, I probably wouldn’t be able to defeat Dion Allia.”


    After that, Aima proudly puffed her chest, and with a stern expression on her face said “Above all, I am a warrior. Once I’ve been captured, I wouldn’t do anything dishonourable.”