No More Regrets, Just K*ll Me

 

Carlothian was easily led by me. One of the servants who had arrived earlier handed us a key.

“It’s a room on the top floor.”

“Which room on the top floor?”

The servant tilted their head as if confused by the question.

“There’s only one room on the top floor.”

Oh, so it’s a penthouse. I accepted the key with a smile and, holding Carlothian’s hand, headed for the stairs.

We soon arrived in front of the room. With the key, I opened the door and looked inside.

“Wow!”

The room wasn’t as luxurious as the duke’s residence, but it was refreshingly decorated since it was on the way to a tourist destination. White curtains and a white canopy, blue decorations, and a pristine bed that seemed almost too clean to use.

The room, centered around a large terrace visible from the front, made a bright impression. On the terrace, a tea table peeked through the white curtains.

To the far left, there was a desk with bookshelves on either side, and facing it were two long sofas. And—

“There’s a bathtub over there?”

The white bathtub placed next to the window on the right side of the terrace was beautiful, but the location was a bit…

As Carlothian collected the key I left at the doorknob and stepped inside, he looked at the bathtub I was pointing to. After a brief moment of silence, Carlothian firmly spoke:

“When you take a bath, I’ll step out for a bit.”

“Where will you go?”

“There’s a restaurant downstairs, so that would be fine.”

“That doesn’t sound bad. How about mingling with the servants? Oh, but maybe that would make them uncomfortable.”

“Why should I mingle with the servants?”

“I knew you’d say that. You’re noble to the core.”

Carlothian then asked with a look of complete confusion,

“Of course, if you’re a noble, you’ll be one to the core.”

“Wow, a product of classism.”

I approached the terrace, pulled the curtains wide open, and stepped out onto the rounded terrace. A light breeze was blowing.

“Or how about mingling with the knights who came with us?”

“I have no memories of socializing with them privately.”

“Exactly. Wouldn’t that strengthen the military relationship?”

“Is that really a way to do it?”

Carlothian frowned. I looked at him, held out my hand, and he came over to me as if it were only natural. I gently rubbed his forehead, and he seemed to relax.

“Of course. The more you know about the person you serve, the better.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

As Carlothian answered, he gazed off into the distance for a moment. The wind gently brushed his hair.

I was quietly watching his black hair when Carlothian suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up.

Though I had become numb from the madness, physical contact had become routine. Very much so.

“Why?”

“The wind is cold.”

“Really? The wind isn’t cold at all.”

“You’re not feeling well, so stay inside.”

“But I want to look around outside. Anyway, we’re staying here for the day and leaving first thing tomorrow, right?”

Carlothian paused for a moment, as if deep in thought. Can’t I just take a quick look outside?

Although Ariadeline had been out a few times, it was my first time seeing the outside with my own eyes.

“So can I go out for a bit?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“But you’re here. What’s the problem?”

The strongest swordsman in the Empire! That’s Carlothian. Of course, using such high-caliber personnel for this is a bit much, but…

“…There are documents to sort out, but just for a little while.”

“Wait a second. So you are busy?”

He then pressed his lips together tightly. So, he’s busy.

“Or could you assign just one knight to accompany me? I’ll just take a look around and come back.”

“I’ll say it again.”

“It’s dangerous, right?”

As I said this, I slipped out of his arms and landed on the floor.

“You trained those knights yourself. I trust them. Don’t you?”

“…It’s hard to find knights as good as those from the Denaves family anywhere.”

“Exactly. I’ll just take three hours to look around. Okay?”

He wore a serious expression as he contemplated. Then he opened the door and said something to the servant waiting outside.

Just about three minutes later, a knight in light armor entered the room.

“You called for me?”

“Ariadeline needs to go out for a while and requires an escort.”

The knight lifted his head. To be honest, his expression was a bit unpleasant, wasn’t it? He gave me a look that seemed somewhat disdainful, then tilted his chin slightly.

“She’ll be out for about three hours, so you’re going to escort her.”

“Understood.”

Well, it seems he won’t refuse Carlothian’s orders, even if he doesn’t like me. I just hope he doesn’t ruin my mood.

For now, I approached him with a friendly smile.

“Please take good care of me for the next three hours.”

“Of course.”

The knight’s tone was blunt. There was a clear break in conversation, with no opportunity for a response. While I outwardly smiled and laughed, inwardly I was slightly annoyed with him.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

As I greeted Carlothian and stepped outside, the knight naturally followed behind me. He didn’t say a word as we passed through the corridor and descended the stairs.

‘Is he really just going to follow me like a shadow?’

I forced a friendly smile and opened my mouth with a warm tone.

“What’s your name, Sir?”

“Pierne Maicher.”

“Oh, Sir Maicher.”

I clasped my hands and looked up at him. He was slightly shorter than Carlothian and had a tanned face with sharp features. He looked more like a thug than a knight.

‘But one shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance alone.’

“How long have you been in the knight order?”

“Such trivial matters are not something Miss Ariadeline needs to know.”

“…Oh, I was just curious.”

“There’s no problem in protecting one person, regardless of experience.”

This guy clearly doesn’t like me. Otherwise, the conversation wouldn’t be going like this.

“I’m not doubting Sir Maicher’s skills. I just want to know more about you…”

“There’s no benefit in having curiosity about me.”

Well, fine. I turned my head forward and started walking a bit faster than him.

I could feel him following behind me. I deliberately didn’t look back as I left the accommodation and faced the main street.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled. Still, it was my first time being outside the capital, so I couldn’t just feel bad.

As I looked around the street, I soon spotted tents in the distance to my left. It looked like a small market, judging by the crowd.

Determined to check it out, I walked briskly towards the tents while I could hear Sir Maicher’s footsteps behind me, keeping about three steps back.

‘What’s this? Shouldn’t we at least be walking side by side?’

I pouted my lips but decided to think of it as a solo outing and hurriedly walked toward the tents.

“Wow!”

As I expected, the tents were indeed filled with stalls from peddlers. I began to browse through them slowly.

There were necklaces made of pretty, small stones, bracelets and earrings made of poor-quality gemstones, and ornaments crafted from seashells of unknown origin.

As I was looking at these items, a vendor greeted me.

Given my fine clothes and the fact that I was only accompanied by a single guard, he seemed to mistake me for a wealthy, naïve young lady.

“Ah, a distinguished guest has arrived!”

He immediately picked up a bracelet that looked like it was made from worn glass shards. They resembled small pieces of glass that had been smoothed out by the waves.

“This would make a lovely souvenir for a beautiful young lady. Look, like this.”

Without saying a word, the vendor pulled my arm towards him and then paused.

“Ah.”

He hesitated at the sight of the scars lining my wrist, and I quickly pulled my arm away to hide it.

The vendor fell silent for a moment before putting down the glass bracelet and presenting a fabric bracelet that could wrap around my wrist.

“This is made from quite high-quality fabric. Although it may seem a bit cheap for a lady of your stature, look at the embroidery here. Isn’t it quite pretty?”

Instead of pulling my wrist, the vendor subtly offered the bracelet, encouraging me to try it on. It was good to see his salesmanship in action.

It was amusing to see him act as if he hadn’t noticed anything.

“Indeed. Let me see that.”

I took the fabric bracelet and held it up, trying to connect the ends with my fingers. But it was quite difficult to do with just one hand.

“Ugh.”

As I was struggling with it, Sir Maicher approached me. He extended his large hand.

“Allow me to assist.”