~Chapter 01~
“Ma’am Alpress, the Prince will be returning shortly.”
I was processing paperwork in my office when I heard those words.
Hearing someone call my name, I lifted my head.
Standing in front of me was my subordinate knight, Shun, who had just entered the room, looking slightly troubled as he gazed down at me.
I sighed and replied.
“He didn’t run away this time?”
“He seems to be staying for now.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Please catch him and bring him back before he sneaks off again.”
Even though he was my subordinate knight, I still used polite language with him to maintain the image of being a “refined knight commander who respects even subordinates.”
“Understood.”
Shun gave me a slight bow and left the room.
The prince of this country, Ered, was a troublemaker who frequently disappeared and went off to who knows where for fun.
Though he managed to do his duties, he would vanish before we knew it, and we’d have to catch him before he wandered off again.
Even though I found it bothersome, there was no choice.
After all, I was “Litya Alpress,” the commander of the royal knights, directly under the imperial family.
It was my responsibility, as the one in charge of the safety of the royal family, to keep an eye on Ered, the troublemaker prince.
I had been transported into this novel quite some time ago.
In my original world, I was just a regular college student in South Korea, named ‘Seo Yena.’ I had died in an accident.
Then, I found myself transported into the romance fantasy novel I had been reading recently.
I had enjoyed the novel, but the character I ended up possessing was one of the extras that wasn’t even properly mentioned.
However, I wasn’t dissatisfied with my current situation.
After all, I had already lost my original life once, and the person I had become was the youngest daughter of a duke and the commander of the royal knights—a position of immense prestige and honor.
Even though the character wasn’t featured much in the novel, she was an amazing person.
Plus, by possessing Litya, I also inherited her stunning appearance.
Litya was known throughout the empire for her extraordinary beauty.
With such looks, status, honor, and wealth… why would I have any complaints?
In fact, I was grateful every day for having been reborn as this extra character.
I had a lot of work to do as a knight commander, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.
After Shun left, I refocused my attention on my paperwork.
But before long, Shun burst back into the room, looking frantic.
Seeing his panicked state, I stood up and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“…Just a moment ago, I was told everything was fine, but now…!”
“Calm down and tell me properly.”
“He’s gone! The Prince has disappeared…!”
So, he’s done it again.
I pressed my hand to my head, feeling a headache coming on.
I had thought it was strange that Ered was behaving so well this time.
Does he get sick if he doesn’t run off somewhere every day?
Deciding that I would have to go after him, I grabbed the coat hanging over my chair and put it on.
Shun, still flustered, asked me,
“What are you planning to do?”
“I’ll go after him myself. If I leave it to the lower knights, they might take too long, like last time, and we’ll end up searching for the Prince for a whole week. We can’t waste manpower on this. I’ll find him quickly, so in the meantime, please finish reviewing the ledgers I was working on.”
“Understood, Commander.”
After confirming that Shun had nodded and bowed to me, I hurried out of the office.
From the report I received, the place where Ered disappeared was the biggest port city, ‘Reed.’
It looked like he had vanished while on the ship entering the empire.
Fortunately, it wouldn’t take long to get to Reed.
I had already asked one of my subordinates to prepare a carriage, and I was heading out of the palace to board it when—
“Ma’am Alpress? Where are you rushing off to like that?”
I stopped in my tracks when I heard a familiar voice and turned toward the source.
“Your Majesty…”
It was the Emperor of this country, Phaedris Ritchellan, who was also the original male lead of the novel.
He looked at me with a concerned expression as I bowed to him. His face, as usual, was nothing short of breathtaking.
As befitting the male lead of a novel, Phaedris had an extraordinarily handsome appearance with platinum blond hair and deep golden eyes.
He was the perfect example of a gentle and kind prince. Smiling at me, Phaedris said,
“It seems like something urgent has come up again. It’s good that you work hard, but remember to take care of yourself as well.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. But the prince has disappeared again, so this time, I have no choice.”
I replied with an awkward smile.
The male lead, Phaedris, was very fond of me and cared for me greatly.
He would often tell me not to overwork myself, but…
That wasn’t really possible.
Hearing my words, Faedris let out a long sigh and gave me a look almost identical to the one I had given Shun earlier when I received the news.
“Again…? My brother certainly has a way of making things difficult. It wouldn’t matter if he disappeared on his own… but to cause you this much trouble. Don’t you already have enough work? When he returns to the palace, I’ll make sure to speak to him firmly.”
“Thank you.”
After bowing my head, I was about to hurry off to the carriage when I stopped and asked,
“By the way… is there some kind of event today?”
It was strange because Faedris was wearing clothes that seemed suited for a formal occasion, unlike his usual attire.
“Oh, did I not mention it? Today, Grand Duke Priscillia, who has been in the northern region, is returning.”
Priscillia… I stopped in my tracks, recognizing the familiar name.
“Grand Duke… is he the one who left the palace due to family matters?”
“Yes, and now that I think about it, you’ve never met the Grand Duke, have you? It’s only been a year since you officially became the Knight Commander. The Grand Duke is someone I care about deeply, so I hope you two get along well. Once you’re done with your duties, I’ll properly introduce you.”
“Thank you.”
Unable to say anything more, I had no choice but to leave the spot.
I knew very well who this Grand Duke Priscillia was and what kind of events he would cause in the future.
Knowing what was to come made me feel uneasy.
‘I decided not to interfere with the plot of the novel…’
As I walked, lost in thought, I suddenly felt something light bump against my leg.
“Ow!”
“Huh…?”
To be more precise, it felt like someone had run into my leg.
Hearing a small child’s voice at the same time, I widened my eyes and looked down.
There was a small child who looked just like a doll, rubbing their forehead as if it hurt from bumping into me.
The child had straight, jet-black hair.
‘What a beautiful child…’
As I marveled at the child’s stunning appearance, the little one rubbed their forehead a few more times and then suddenly looked up at me with wide-open eyes.
“Uh… hi?”
But why is there a small child in the palace?
There shouldn’t be any child this young in the royal family, so there was no reason for a child to be wandering around the palace.
As I stared into the child’s big, blue eyes—impressed by how beautiful and familiar they seemed—I began to wonder what was going on.
“…”
“…”
The silence between the child and me lasted for a while.
The child was the first to break the silence.
“…Mommy!”
Blinking their round eyes a few times, the child suddenly shouted excitedly. I turned around to see if their mother had arrived.
But there was no one behind me.
“Mommy! Why are you pretending not to know me!”
Wait… did the child just say that to me?
I stood there, flustered, my mouth opening and closing in confusion.
In the meantime, the child suddenly ran toward me and hugged me tightly.
“Mommy! I missed you! Why did you take so long to come back?”
‘Sorry, but I’m not your mommy…?’
Unable to push the child away, I awkwardly held him, all the while feeling strange stares from those around us.
They were probably thinking something ridiculous like, “Does Litya Alpress, the Royal Knight Commander, secretly have a child?”
“Uh, uh… how about we go somewhere else?”
Since the child refused to let go of me and I couldn’t just leave him there, I decided to carry him and head to a quieter place with fewer people around.
Once we reached a secluded corner, I managed to pull the child off of me and set him down. I then asked,
“Hey… who are you? Where are your mom and dad?”
“You’re my mommy!”
Thinking that maybe someone working in the palace had brought the child, I tried asking, but it was no use.
The child was dressed in expensive clothes… Perhaps he was the child of a high-ranking official? I tried to recall any familiar faces the child might resemble, but then the child’s eyes started welling up with tears.
“Mommy… Do you hate Dad and Seri now? Is that why you’re pretending not to know me?”
“Huh…? No, no, I’ll help you find your mom…”
“You are my mommy!”
In the end, the child burst into tears.
What do I do in this situation?
Panicking, I lifted the child into my arms again and started patting his back gently.
“There, there… It’s okay, don’t cry, shh.”
Fortunately, the child began to calm down and stop crying.
Dam . . .