Etern tried her best to calm her flustered emotions and put on a polite, reserved smile.
“I apologize. I let my excitement get the better of me and acted rudely.”
The boy, Ziggkart, looked at Etern with a curious expression.
Standing gracefully with her hands folded over the puffed-out front of her dress, Etern gave a mature and composed bow.
“It is an honor to meet you, Young Lord. My name is Eternin-Anne Giltros Rislumon.”
“Rislumon…”
Ziggkart repeated the name slowly, his brows knitting together slightly.
“You mean to say you’re a member of the imperial family of the Sidernell Empire?”
“Indeed. His Majesty, the Emperor of Sidernell, is my father. But please, treat me casually; we are the same age, after all.”
Ziggkart’s expression shifted noticeably. Within her sleeves, where he couldn’t see, Etern clenched her fists tightly.
Good, you’re caught off guard. I hope you get even more flustered.
Etern continued.
“I heard the rumors of your arrival and was so excited that I came all the way here. And now, here we are, meeting like this. By the way…”
She glanced around, blinking her large eyes.
“Pardon me, but where are the soldiers or attendants escorting you, Young Lord?”
Silence fell. A chill crept down Etern’s spine, though she tried to shake it off.
No way. There’s no way…
He’s too young to even mount a horse on his own. There’s no way he came alone.
Ziggkart, who had been frowning slightly, looked at Etern intently. She expected him to appear troubled, but instead, he seemed surprisingly composed.
“I didn’t realize I was speaking with Her Highness, the princess. Forgive my earlier discourtesy. As you’ve heard, I came here alone.”
For a moment, Etern was so dumbfounded that her lips parted slightly before she shook her small head.
“That can’t be true. Surely you’re joking. How could someone as young and delicate as you come all this way without a single attendant?”
“People said the same thing, but as you can see, I managed.”
Is this boy serious? He doesn’t back down at all.
Ziggkart then patted the leather bag slung diagonally across his shoulder.
“Look. I’m carrying my own luggage. If I had someone with me, why would I bother carrying this myself?”
Etern pursed her lips tightly, momentarily forgetting the purpose of her visit. Crossing her arms, her intelligent eyes took on a stern glint far beyond her years.
“Young Lord, your joke has gone too far. Do you know how far it is from the Grand Duchy to here? You would’ve had to camp out for several nights.”
“The sleeping arrangements were a bit uncomfortable.”
“That’s not the only issue! Do you have any idea how many dangerous beasts roam the grasslands and rocky deserts?”
“That’s true, I suppose.”
Ziggkart’s responses grew increasingly indifferent, while Etern’s face turned as red as a ripe plum—or perhaps an apple.
How could anyone believe such a blatant lie? That this frail child had traveled such a perilous road alone?
His shamelessness hasn’t changed at all! No, it didn’t just stay the same—it was already like this when he was young!
Caught in her private resentment, Etern’s breaths grew heavier, her indignation rising.
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s because you’re lying—no, because the Young Lord is lying!”
At the sound of her chirping like an angry chick, Ziggkart’s eyes widened in astonishment.
In the past, she had never seen him look so genuinely childlike. The sight of such innocent surprise made Etern freeze momentarily.
To see the man she knew as a mad tyrant as nothing more than a normal child felt surreal—almost unnerving.
“…I didn’t expect to be spoken to so casually.”
Etern’s ears burned even redder.
“That wasn’t intentional. I apologize if it upset you. But still…”
“As I understand it, Your Highness is the same age as me.”
Why was he suddenly bringing that up? Etern stared at Ziggkart with suspicion.
When she didn’t answer immediately, Ziggkart pressed her further.
“Am I wrong?”
Well, no, he wasn’t wrong.
But why bring that up now? Is he trying to compare notes on birth records or something?
No, I need to calm down. Etern took a deep breath, trying to soothe her simmering frustration.
Meanwhile, her nerves remained on edge, worried that her father might suddenly appear at any moment.
“You’re correct, Young Lord. But I don’t think this is the time to discuss such matters…”
“Well, that settles it.”
“Settles it? What are you talking about?!”
Etern’s voice rose in disbelief at the most absurd thing she had ever heard in her life.
But Ziggkart, now back to his irritatingly nonchalant demeanor, simply dusted off his collar as if he couldn’t care less.
“We’re the same age, so there’s no need for formalities. Let’s speak casually.”
“What did you just say? Are you out of your mind?!”
“Oh, wait. The imperial princess was born in April, and I was born in March. Technically, that makes me your elder brother. Forget what I said about speaking casually.”
“Do you have a death wish?!”
The words burst out before she could stop them, leaving both Ziggkart and Etern momentarily stunned.
Try as she might to keep her composure, her simmering anger and already fragile nerves had caused her to make a ridiculous blunder.
“Ahem, that’s not what I meant…”
Etern hurriedly tried to salvage the situation, but Ziggkart interrupted.
“It sounded to me like you were asking if I wanted to die right here. If that’s not what you meant, then what did you mean?”
Etern’s mouth fell open.
“What are you even talking about?! What kind of child says something so morbid?!”
“That’s exactly what I was about to ask you.”
“I already told you—that’s not what I meant!”
This time, it was Ziggkart who crossed his arms. His ruby-red eyes gleamed with mischief, as if teasing her was the most entertaining thing in the world.
“Whether that’s what you meant or not, I don’t have time to waste arguing with you. I was actually looking for someone reasonable to talk to. Let’s get straight to the point.”
“Did you eat roasted crickets on the way here or something? Why do you keep changing the subject?”
“How did you know? They were crunchy and delicious. Anyway, are you going to grant my request or not?”
Etern desperately wanted to hand him a bag of roasted crickets and send him back to his country immediately. But the word request stuck in her mind.
What could he possibly want here? Who is he trying to ask for help, and why?
The whole situation was baffling, and Etern couldn’t make sense of it. She had been through life and death, yet this was utterly beyond her comprehension.
Swallowing hard, she asked in the calmest voice she could manage, “What is this request of yours?”
Ziggkart tilted his head as if the answer were obvious—and hurled a verbal bomb at her.
“Of course, it’s to meet your father. What else could I possibly be here to ask for?”
