Judging from how shaken everyone in the room looked, it seemed the Queen's words would have to be made reality. She hadn't said anything crazy like "defeat the demon king" — she just wanted to visit a shop in the commoner district. It wasn't an impossibly high hurdle, and it wasn't something that couldn't be done. Details like security arrangements and choosing escorts would be handled by other people.
It occurred to me then that while living in the rear palace, I basically ate whatever was served without leaving any leftovers. Refusing food or expressing likes and dislikes was strictly not allowed. To me, it felt almost like being forced, but for royalty and high-ranking nobles, this was probably completely natural. Eating everything cleanly without complaint was simply one of the expected skills. Saying you wanted to eat something because you liked it was probably also not permitted. The only real freedom seemed to be in choosing drinks.
