~Chapter 34~
‘What’s wrong with Seri?’
Normally, Sertien would’ve replied cheerfully with an “Okay!”, but this time, he seemed to lack energy.
“Seri, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“…No…”
Count Cloud, who was walking behind us, also asked with concern.
“What’s wrong, kiddo? You don’t look like your usual self.”
“…I still have more energy than you, mister.”
“What the—! I was just worried about you!”
Even now, Sertien’s sharp tongue was still intact.
Looking irritated, the Count picked him up and began pinching his cheeks in revenge.
“…You dummy!”
“What was that?!”
Despite his words, the Count carried Sertien, who still seemed a little weak.
Watching the two of them, I thought to myself:
‘Do they get along or not…?’
Just then, Ered, who had been walking at the back, suddenly approached me and Latryne and said:
“Since we’ve arrived in the Kingdom of Sylvia, I’d like to leave the group now.”
I frowned and answered sharply:
“Where are you planning to go this time?!”
I was worried this troublemaking prince would disappear again and not return to the palace.
“I told you before. I came because I have a friend here.”
“That was a real reason?”
“Would I lie about something like that?”
I thought he was just making an excuse, but—
Ered continued, as if to prove he was serious.
“I’m not going to run away, so don’t worry. I’ll stay at an inn nearby. I’ll send a letter with the location, so if you need me, come find me. Well then, I’m off.”
With those words, Ered disappeared like the wind.
I didn’t even have time to stop him.
He said he wanted to talk to me, and then he’s the one who just vanishes. What’s his deal?
Seeing my annoyed expression, Latryne spoke, trying to reassure me:
“I don’t think he plans to go anywhere far.”
I hoped that was true.
Since even Latryne seemed so confident, I figured there was little chance of Ered running off again.
And so, Ered left our group, and the rest of us finally arrived at the royal palace.
It didn’t take long to get there.
Even though we walked, it seemed to be close to the train station.
Since it was my first time seeing a palace outside of my own country, I looked around with curiosity.
Sylvia’s royal palace had a lot of white buildings overall.
It wasn’t as big as the imperial palace, but it felt cozy and cute in its own way.
While I was looking around with interest, I suddenly stopped in my tracks, realizing something.
I was acting just like Sertien when he first visited Reed with me.
To think I was doing the exact same thing as him—no wonder people mistook me for his biological mother.
Apparently, Latryne had been watching me from the side, and he gave a faint smile as he said:
“Is this your first time in Sylvia?”
“Huh? Oh… Yes. Actually, I’ve never really traveled abroad before…”
Why do I always act so childish when I’m around Latryne?
I replied, feeling embarrassed again.
But Latryne didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he replied so calmly that it made me feel silly for even being embarrassed.
“Unlike our country, it’s colder here, so the natural scenery is quite different. If you have time, it’s worth looking around. Though, I’m not sure if we’ll have much free time.”
“Have you ever been to this country, Latryne… Oh… right, you have…”
I momentarily forgot that Latryne had met Elias in Sylvia.
What a slip-up. Not like me at all.
Worried I might’ve reminded him of something unpleasant, I glanced at Latryne.
But he showed no sign of discomfort, and replied in his usual gentle tone:
“Yes, I stayed here for quite a while.”
Maybe it was because other people were around, but Latryne showed no visible emotions, which was surprising.
We stopped at the palace entrance when someone told us to wait.
After a while, a man who seemed to be the king appeared with a woman.
As soon as I saw the king, I was reminded of a familiar figure from my life back in Korea—the man who sold fish-shaped pastries on the street.
To put it bluntly, he really… looked like he could be running a pastry stand.
Of course, he was dressed in royal garments, but I couldn’t help thinking that he looked hilariously out of place in them.
I couldn’t stop myself from mentally comparing him to the royals I’d seen before.
Even though I didn’t have royal blood, I’d spent time around our emperor, Phaedris… and then there was Latryne and Ered, who were actually royalty…
If any of those three wore the same outfit, they’d look completely different.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking this, because Count Cloud whispered in an extremely quiet voice—so soft that only Latryne and I could hear it.
“…I must’ve been deluded after constantly seeing His Majesty’s face… I thought all royals were naturally handsome… But well… maybe he was good-looking when he was younger?”
I couldn’t bring myself to respond aloud, but I gave a small nod.
Latryne replied with a blank expression.
“He’s probably about the same age as us.”
‘That’s a lie…’
No matter how you looked at him, he looked old enough to have kids our age. And he’s saying we’re the same age?
Out of everything I’d heard since coming into this novel, this might’ve been the most shocking.
‘Still… I shouldn’t judge people by appearances.’
Telling myself not to think like that, I forced myself to change my thoughts.
“Welcome, delegation. We’re truly grateful you’ve come to our country.”
The king greeted us very politely—especially towards Latryne.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve visited our country, Grand Duke. It’s an honor to have someone as important as you come in person.”
“Not at all. I’m the one who’s grateful for the invitation.”
Latryne replied politely, even though his expression remained neutral.
As a Grand Duke from the Empire, it made sense—his status was quite high.
Sending Latryne to Sylvia was a sign that the Empire cared about their relationship with Sylvia, so the king’s respectful treatment was understandable.
Though… it felt like there might be another reason.
I turned my gaze slightly toward the beautiful woman standing beside the king.
From her clothes and graceful manner, it was obvious she was a princess of this country.
‘So that’s the new woman being talked about as Latryne’s potential fiancée…’
For no real reason, I started feeling annoyed.
Honestly, the princess hadn’t done anything wrong.
Why was I feeling like this?
I seemed to react too sensitive to anything involving Latryne.
While the king was still talking with Latryne, he suddenly looked toward me and asked,
“And who might this beautiful lady be?”
That snapped me out of my thoughts, and I quickly bowed and introduced myself.
“Ah… Sorry for the late greeting. I’m Litya Alpress, the knight commander of the Empire. I wasn’t originally part of the delegation, but due to certain circumstances, I’ve come to serve as the Grand Duke’s escort…”
Before I could finish, the king reacted with surprise.
“Oh my, you’re the famous commander? I apologize for not recognizing you. I can’t believe even commander is visiting our country—what an honor…”
He didn’t recognize me, probably because he’d never seen my face before and I wasn’t dressed like a knight.
But still… am I really that famous?
I gave an awkward smile and replied,
“No, not at all. I’m sorry for joining so suddenly without being on the original list.”
“Not at all. You’re more than welcome. Since you’re an escort, I suppose you won’t be attending the meetings. Please take this time to rest and enjoy your stay.”
Instead of replying, I simply bowed in acknowledgment.
“We’ve already prepared rooms for everyone. There are more guests than expected, but we still have extra rooms, so there’s no need to worry. This is my younger sister, Princess Philia. She’ll show you to your rooms.”
Philia gave a small, shy bow to greet us.
She was a beautiful princess with long, wavy navy-blue hair and green eyes.
She was wearing a dress the same color as her eyes, which suited her perfectly.
‘She’s pretty…’
Even if I didn’t like the idea of her being Latryne’s marriage candidate, I couldn’t help thinking that.
“Please follow me.”
The princess began guiding us to our rooms, and we followed her to the ones that had been prepared.
Sertien said he wanted to stay with me, so we ended up sharing a room.
Latryne, seeing Sertien clinging to my side, looked at me with a slightly troubled expression and said,
“If anything happens… or if Sertien starts whining… please send him to me…”
“I understand. Don’t worry too much.”
Latryne gently patted Sertien’s head, and for some reason, his expression looked a little different than usual.
If I had to describe it… it looked like he felt sorry for him.
‘Latryne…?’
Just as I noticed his expression and started wondering about it, Princess Philia, who had guided us earlier, suddenly approached Latryne.
“Grand Duke… it’s been a while.”
“Ah, indeed. It’s been a while, Princess.”
Latryne greeted her with the formal court etiquette, showing proper respect as if it was something he’d done many times before.
I didn’t want to interrupt, so I quietly stepped back—but I couldn’t stop wondering what they might be talking about.
Just by looking at Philia’s eyes, it was obvious she had feelings for Latryne.
They do look like a good match…
But still, Latryne can’t get married when Sertien’s here.
For now, I decided to give them space, so I closed the door and stepped inside the room.
Inside, Count Cloud was still playing with Sertien.
“Hmph!”
“You can ‘hmph’ all you want, I’m still gonna squish your cheeks, you know?”
He was even calling himself “mister” now, showing just how close he’d become to Sertien.
As I walked in and shut the door, Count Cloud looked at me and suddenly asked,
“Is it bothering you?”
“…What?”
