I extended my palm slightly toward the letter my dad was holding, eager to satisfy my curiosity.
At that moment, my dad playfully pulled the letter away toward himself.
What the heck?
I swung my hand in the air in vain and looked at my dad with a bewildered expression. He grinned mischievously.
“I heard you ran away because you didn’t want to learn the ancient Holy Kingdom language. Have you learned any letters at all?”
Unbelievable, Nanny! How could she have tattled on me to Dad already?!
“A child who can’t read letters also can’t read a letter, you know?”
“Mariella knows lots of letters now, okay?”
“Oh? Then, shall we test how much my daughter’s reading skills have improved?”
Would the letter even contain anything important?
Instead of teasing me for long, Dad obediently handed me the letter. If he was willing to show it to a child, it probably didn’t contain anything special.
As expected, there were only five words written on it.
[First Prince, Leaving the Palace.]
…That’s it?
Shouldn’t it at least mention something about our family affairs or some kind of secret directive to assassinate my dad?
This is just useless information, isn’t it?
“Is the phrase ‘leaving the palace’ too difficult for you?”
“Nope. This is boring. I’m not playing with you anymore. I’m going to my room to play with Laura.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Losing interest in the dull letter, I turned away just like any ordinary three-year-old would.
I waved at Laura, who had been standing at a distance with a pleased smile, watching my dad and me together. She quickly followed behind me.
The First Prince leaving the palace…
I didn’t know the intention behind sending such a message, but one thing was clear.
Before stepping into the hallway with Laura, I glanced up at the third-floor window, where a cup had been placed yet again today.
“It seems like the main family is displeased with that child.”
There had to be a reason why someone deliberately wanted the household staff to know about the First Prince’s departure.
After observing quietly for a few days, I noticed that none of the servants were allowed inside that room—only Dad went in and out.
It had to be related to that.
“The main family is against the child, and Dad is trying to protect him.”
That meant my stance was clear.
As long as that child was in our house, I had to ensure his safety.
“Captain!”
With narrowed eyes, I glared at the third-floor window.
Behind me, a deep yet slightly urgent voice suddenly rang out.
“Captain!”
That was a call for Dad.
Turning toward the tree where Dad was standing, I saw a knight sprinting toward him in a hurry.
It was Walter, Dad’s adjutant.
“What’s going on?”
“Sir, you remember that Sir Steve was scheduled to escort the war prisoners to the main house tomorrow?”
War prisoners?
The name sounded familiar. I paused for a moment, trying to recall where I had heard it before.
‘Who was Steve again?’
Oh, right! That talkative old man I saw in the kitchen last time!
He must hold a fairly trusted position under Dad.
Escorting war prisoners to the main house was a pretty important duty.
“And?”
“It seems you’ll need to assign a new leader for the escort. Sir Steve injured his wrist while overseeing the young master’s sword training.”
“A swordsman of Steve’s caliber got injured while training my son, who just started learning swordsmanship? Even a dog wouldn’t believe that.”
“Even a monkey falls from a tree sometimes, sir.”
“The physician from the main house is staying here, isn’t he? Has he examined him properly?”
“Yes. According to him, it seems to be a bone injury. He advised against any strenuous activity for the time being…”
From what I heard from Dietrich, the training sword had been made heavier by embedding a steel rod inside.
How did he end up getting hurt?
Dietrich wasn’t the type to recklessly swing his sword at people.
Did they accidentally collide while training?
“I’ll go in his place.”
Dad didn’t respond to Walter’s offer immediately. He remained silent for a moment.
“I’m the most suitable for this task, considering my familiarity with the operation. If the escort is delayed any further, the Duke’s household might find an excuse to cause trouble.”
Normally, Dad should have been the one handling this.
After all, it was a war he led to victory, and as the commander of the triumphant army, he had a duty to report directly to Grandfather.
Yet, he entrusted the task to Steve.
Was it because of his resentment toward Grandfather? Or because he felt the need to stay by Dietrich’s and my side to protect us?
“You can send Peter or Gilla instead.”
“Both of them are commoners. And Sir Peter is injured as well. Do you think the Duke’s household will treat commoners with proper respect? At least Sir Steve was a noble, but now that he’s injured…”
“You’re a commoner too, Walter.”
“Come on, Captain. But I’m your personally appointed adjutant! My influence is stronger than the others’.”
“I could also go myself.”
“We both know you won’t. After all, you have to go to the store to buy a gift…”
A store? A gift?
For who?
However, Walter never got to finish his sentence.
As soon as he met my dad’s cold gaze, he let out a small gasp and clamped his mouth shut.
Dad, having silenced Walter in an instant, then turned his gaze toward me.
I was still standing under the shade of a tree, eavesdropping on their conversation. I flinched instinctively, but Dad’s expression remained unchanged.
He simply stared at me steadily as a few petals, caught in the breeze, scattered to the ground.
“In that case, we have some matters to discuss. Follow me.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll do my best!”
“You sure seem eager for someone taking on extra work.”
In the end, Walter was assigned the task of escorting the war prisoners.
I felt a little bad that Steve had gotten hurt because of Dietrich, but honestly, Walter seemed more reliable than that loose-lipped man anyway.
As I mulled over that thought and glanced at Walter, he—who had been following Dad toward the study—suddenly started winking at me exaggeratedly.
…What’s with him?
***
There were a lot of last-minute details to handle after the sudden change in mission leadership.
Dad, who had been having dinner with Dietrich and me every night since his return, sent word that he’d be eating separately tonight.
‘Well, I don’t really mind.’
Entering the dining hall, I noticed Dietrich slumped over his plate, barely acknowledging my presence.
I took a seat across from him.
“Dietrich, is the salad yummy?”
“Well… I’m just eating it.”
Normally, he wasn’t a big fan of raw vegetables, but he was eating them without resistance tonight. He must have been pretty shaken up.
Seeing normally cheerful and noisy Dietrich looking so dejected made me uneasy.
“Sir Steve got hurt, huh? It’s okay. Just say sorry and be more careful next time.”
“I already apologized. Sir Steve said he forgave me.”
“Then it’s fine. So why are you still sulking, Dietrich?”
Was he that shocked because he accidentally hurt someone as soon as he started sword training?
As soon as I asked, Dietrich’s face darkened even more.
Seeing his expression, all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind.
‘Could it be that Steve was bullying Dietrich?’
Did Dietrich hit him on purpose because of that? Dad seemed to trust Steve quite a bit, but still…
‘But if that’s not the case, then why does Dietrich look so upset?’
As my thoughts spiraled and my expression became as gloomy as his, Dietrich hesitated before finally speaking.
“I didn’t tell anyone because it might sound like an excuse, but…”
“It’s okay. You can tell me. I’m your little sister, Dietrich.”
“Then I’ll tell you, but just you. It’s true that I hit Sir Steve, but originally, he wasn’t even in that spot.”
What?
Not fully understanding, I tilted my head in confusion. Dietrich quickly explained further.
“I swung my sword toward an empty space where Sir Steve wasn’t standing. But then, as if on purpose, he suddenly stretched his hand out into the path of my swing.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. But I swear it! I deliberately swung my sword toward an open area so I wouldn’t hit anyone, but Sir Steve suddenly…”
Dietrich’s lower lip jutted out in frustration, clearly feeling wronged.
I took a moment to process everything.
Dietrich had no reason to lie.
He didn’t seem to hold any personal grudge against Steve, and even if he did, he wasn’t the type to take petty revenge in such a sneaky way—he’d confront things head-on.
So then… why did Steve do that?
