Chapter 10
I can’t imagine it now, but Thierry and I used to sit in the cool shade and share delicious food. The food, secretly brought to us by our friend Maud, who worked in the kitchen, was not a generous portion, but it was the food of the day for us.
“Prince, eat more of this. Maud took care of you today!”
“Lari, eat too.”
“Yes, I’m eating, too. During the growing season, you need to eat a lot, but I’m sorry I’m always giving you less.”
“Don’t apologize, Lari. I know you worked hard to get this.”
“Prince…”
“I don’t care if I don’t eat much, as long as I can be with Lari, I don’t care if I spend the rest of my life here. But you don’t like that, do you? If you don’t like it, I don’t like it…”
“Uhh, my prince. You didn’t talk much when you were younger, but you’ve grown so sweet… I’m already full from all the excitement, I’m.”
“Strange sounds again. You’re not even a couple years older than me…”
I miss the way Thierry used to look, like the sun gradually coming out of the shade, with a brilliant light in his dull eyes. There were times when he would smile like a ray of sunshine on a spring day, though they were few and far between…
I wiped a tear from my wistful face. It made me cringe to think of how he grew up to be such a pitiful human being.
Even though he had become an emperor with a vast empire at his feet, he now looked like a man who had swallowed all his shadows.
‘Hah, it’s a mess. If I had any finite faculties left, I’d be praying for the Convention to fall apart. As it is, I don’t think I could even figure anything out here.’
I looked at the cancer.
I didn’t dare think of the consequences of revealing that I was Lari. If I did reveal it, it would probably be as a last-ditch effort to buy time before I died.
Plus, the story deviated so much from the original that it was unclear if Thierry’s twisted temper would return even if he met the original heroine.
His character was described as ruthless and cold in the source material, but not as a warmongering, bloodthirsty tyrant.
‘You’re getting more and more intrusive.’
Of course, I’d come all this way to find out about my death, but my relationship with Thierry had a lot to do with my choices.
Dealing with a man who has changed so drastically is harder than I thought it would be, and instead of seeking his help to learn more, I find myself blocked by his presence.
As if to remind me that not a trace of the lovable prince remained, he was now a horrifyingly cruel figure.
“Oh, you had a guest.”
I jerked up from my sprawled position in anger. I didn’t feel the slightest bit popular, but a man’s voice sounded close by.
“The famous foreign Princess, is that right?”
Surprisingly, Rudd didn’t seem overly wary of him.
‘Famous, I must be a hot potato in this palace.’
Rudd raised his head to look at the approaching opponent and made a throaty sound of disapproval. I craned my neck out of my sitting position to stare at the tall man.
“… Who are you?”
The first thing I noticed about him was his short purple hair and his odd jade-colored eyes.
His eyes were too droopy for his slightly raised eyebrows, and the mole under his left eye gave him a languid, yet strangely uncharacteristic look.
“Oscar Velik. Please feel free to call me Oscar. Oh, and if I tell you that I’m the Deputy Grand Master of the Imperial Knights, will that put your mind at ease?”
My eyes scanned his face, and I realized belatedly that he was wearing a Templar uniform.
‘Doesn’t that make him high up?’
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should stand up and be polite, and then Oscar laughed, nudging my shoulder as if to tell me to stay seated.
“If I’m the reason you’re getting up, I’m sorry, but would you mind sitting down a bit longer, so I don’t disturb the princess’s rest?”
Actually, you’re a disturbance yourself…
I gave him a wary glance and leaned closer to Rudd.
“I was in the borderlands the day you brought the princess, so I didn’t see her. I’ve always wanted to meet her, and here we are.”
I looked curiously at Oscar, who smiled at me.
“The more I talk to him, the more I realize that he seems more like a rascal than a knight. He’s stoic and aloof on the outside, but he’s actually quite jovial and sociable.”
‘No, I’m more of a maverick than a socializer…’
Not to interrupt, Oscar said, and then plopped down a few feet away from me. It was as natural as water.
“But how did you get to know him? He’s not that gentle.”
He turned his head toward me, leaning his head comfortably against the tree, and his gaze dropped to Rudd.
“He seems to like me, thankfully.”
“Ohhh-is that so? He’s not that unruly, even for His Majesty. Anyone who sees it will think he was a wolf raised by a Princess.”
It wasn’t wrong. I smirked and rolled my eyes, feeling unnecessarily poked.
“Ahaha, I see…”
Judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon, but I wondered if I should just leave first. I stroked Rudd’s fur and pretended to stare off into the distance, trying my best to ignore his gaze as it poked my cheek.
“Damn, I’ve been following you all this way.”
Suddenly, Oscar blurted out something out of nowhere. I glanced at him in surprise and saw his face off to the side, his brow furrowed.
“Sir Oscar.”
The man said, stepping closer to the tree. Making sure I couldn’t see him, the man spoke directly to Oscar.
“I see you’re resting here, so you must be fit for duty.”
“Nonsense. I’m very busy.”
Oscar, looking more relaxed than anyone else, replied seriously. The other man didn’t seem to mind, as if he was used to Oscar’s brazenness.
“Starting tomorrow, you will personally escort Princess Alicia from Ashtad.”
… I’m talking about me, of course.
I rubbed my cheek in embarrassment. I wasn’t sure how to react.
Should I make a show of being here, or keep my head down like I was doing now.
Hmmm. But, since I’m curious anyway…
‘Let’s see how Sir Oscar reacts.’
I stared at Oscar, who gave me a rather stern look of displeasure, as if he didn’t really care what I had to say.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You should do it even if you don’t want to.”
“Why would I. Have you ever seen me fight to protect anyone?”
The Templar’s answer was absurd and proud.
“I’ve seen you kill before anyone else.”
“But. If you know that, why are you asking me to do this?”
“I told Sir Oscar that I thought the strongest, smartest, most perceptive man would be the best candidate.”
The other man’s response was as if he expected Oscar’s refusal. It’s hard to imagine that a formal compliment would work when one is so adamantly opposed…
“… You have a point.”
It worked.
“Now that I think about it, you have a point. I’m sure there’s someone who could do a better job than you.”
“Not really. It’s my job.”
“No, let’s find someone more elite.”
“Nope. You won’t. I’m the most elite.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“Well. I take it then that Sir Oscar, the most elite man in Podia, will be Princess Alicia’s escort.”
“Good. Excellent judgment… huh? Wait. What?”
“You can report to the East Palace starting tomorrow. Her Majesty’s orders, by the way.”
My opponent nailed the perfect punctuation mark as I looked at Oscar, who looked at me like, “That’s not right.” I smirked, wondering if the joke was finally over.
Whoever it is, they know how to manipulate Oscar. He’s really playing with him.
“… Haha, I’m gonna kill him.”
Oscar chuckled darkly, as if he was thinking the same thing I was.
“Oh, no, I can’t, I still have a lot of work to do, so if you want to die, I’ll ask you to do it then.”
“Let’s hope you die of overwork like the aide you are.”
Bakken? I remembered the handsome man who had mediated his way through the situation in Ashtad.
“This is not what I want to hear from a sir with nothing but instinct left, but I still don’t see what the difference is between you and that wolf lying there.”
“I’d rather be a snake than you. Reptiles are gross.”
This a conversation between two high ranking officials of a country. I was getting tired of their childishness.
“Princess Alicia.”
Bakken suddenly called out to me. I don’t know when he realized I was there, but he casually walked over and bowed to me.
I looked up at him with slightly widened eyes and a polite smile on his handsome face.
“As you may have heard, Sir Oscar Velik here has been assigned to escort the Princess starting tomorrow. For your information, his refusal to accept the assignment is merely due to his reluctance to perform the duties of an escort, and not any ill will toward the Princess, so please understand.”
I was too busy listening to their ridiculous conversation to misunderstand.
“Yes, sir. I don’t misunderstand.”
I replied, smiling faintly. For a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of something strange in Bakken’s eyes, but for a split second, I wasn’t sure if I saw it right.
“It’s just that from what I’ve heard, you’re good with wolves, but now that I think about it, I think those rumors might be exaggerated. I was worried he’d bite someone while wandering around without you, but thanks to you, I’ve had fewer bodies to clean up lately.”
“Corpses?”
You mean my Rudd? He was wary of people, but he never hurt anyone…
Bakken stared at me for a moment, startled, and then his eyes narrowed.
“You don’t think that a wolf would kill people?”
“Phew, you’re right, aren’t you?”
I sighed in relief. I stroked Rudd’s hair gently, meeting his dark eyes with a gentle glint.
“… Was she tricked into joining our Empire?”
I heard a voice whispering very faintly and looked up. Oscar, who had been whispering close to Bakken, jerked away when I looked up.
