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"Belle, why don't we go out for a bit?"
After finishing her classes to become the Crown Princess of the Gallerian Empire, Mariabelle received a sudden invitation to the tea party with Renato, which was always held afterwards.
"Yes," she said. "With pleasure."
The places Renato takes Mariabelle to are diverse.
Sometimes it was a secret room in the imperial palace where only a limited number of people could enter, and other times, they disguised themselves as commoners and went out to the imperial capital.
The bustle of the imperial city was more than Mariabelle could have imagined, and she was overwhelmed by the richness of the city.
Thanks to that, slowly but surely, Mariabelle came to know the country that she would eventually rule with Renato.
She looked at Renato with expectant eyes, wondering what kind of place she would be shown of the Gallerian Empire this time.
Then, a hand was extended to her.
"Let's go."
"Is it... now?"
"It's a beautiful day with no wind."
Mariabelle took Renato's hand, even though she was perplexed by the sudden trip.
Mariabelle tried to wear a simple dress when attending classes at the Imperial Palace. She wouldn't be surprised if she went out if this was the case.
'I wonder where he will take me today.'
With anticipation in her heart, Mariabelle firmly grasped the connected hands.
The carriage took them to a large green area on the outskirts of the Imperial Palace.
It was neither a garden nor a stable, but only a large balloon in the middle of the open space where only short grass grew.
No, it was not just a balloon.
It was a hot air balloon.
She had read about it in books, but this was the first time she had actually seen it.
As she got closer, she realized that it was much larger than she had imagined.
The balloon, which appeared to be slightly deflated, was anchored to the ground by a thick rope.
"Have you ever ridden in a balloon, Belle?"
"No, this is my first time. Hot air is lighter than normal air and is used to fly, right?"
"You know your stuff. That's Belle."
Renato knew how knowledgeable Mariabelle was, but he was impressed that she even knew the principle of balloon flight.
"The one here is a mooring type with balloons tied to it, but it offers a panoramic view of the imperial city."
"That's exciting."
Renato, looking down lovingly at Mariabelle, whose eyes were shining, got off the carriage and escorted Mariabelle to the area where the balloon was.
The balloon was sky-blue with golden patterns of flowers and the sun.
A basket made of woven rattan was connected to the bottom of the balloon's skin, which was the balloon part of the hot air balloon.
As soon as Mariabelle and Renato climbed into the balloon, it was heated.
When the balloon's skin was fully inflated, the basket softly lifted off the ground.
"Oh dear!"
Slowly, slowly, the balloon floated up.
To Mariabelle, it felt as if the air around her had grown heavier.
She looked down at the outside of the basket and realized that she was further off the ground than she had expected.
Mariabelle became frightened and involuntarily leaned closer to Renato.
Renato held her gently and put his lips to Marieabelle's ear.
"Belle, this is our Gallerian empire."
At the quiet voice, Mariabelle followed Renato's gaze.
There she saw the imperial palace, with its white base and blue roof. A sigh of admiration leaked out unintentionally at the solemn yet graceful silhouette of the majestic palace.
"Well, how wonderful..."
Beyond the imperial palace is the imperial capital, and beyond that is the blue sea.
The same color as Renato's eyes, thought Mariabelle.
The sea was far away from the royal capital where Mariabelle used to live, and she had never felt close to the sea.
But now, the blue sea was so close.
She looked up.
There was a clear blue sky, and she felt a little nostalgic.
Time passed slowly.
"Mr. Renato."
"What is it?"
"Thank you for bringing me here. The view of the imperial city from above is also very special. I love the view from here."
Renato's eyes widened for a moment at Mariabelle's sudden words, and then, Mariabelle smiled brightly.
"I hope you will like the empire even more in the future."
"Yes."
They remained snuggled up together as they rode the hot air balloon, continuing to watch the imperial capital as it was being tinted by the setting sun.