Chapter 22
The bell on the shop door rang, and three or four knights rushed in.
“Where are you?”
Raphael, who had been arranging the glasses, nodded in Dante’s direction. Reuter, who had been standing in the back, walked to the front of the knights and strode briskly to where Raphael had indicated.
What the hell do you mean you’re not paying attention, surely you’re just checking to make sure they’re taking the right stuff…’
Eventually, Reuter, who had spotted Dante, stopped abruptly.
He looked at the sight before him and doubted his eyes.
The Prince is making a face he has never seen before, as if he was drunk on some drug.
And in front of him, the Princess Lettier.
She’s holding his… Hands..? What?
Reuter raised his right hand and rubbed his eyes, his voice bewildered.
“… What am I looking at?”
At Reuter’s muttering voice, Letier turned her head.
She saw Reuter, staring at herself and Dante, his mouth wide open.
“Huh? Mr. Roizen?”
Reuter walked over to Letier, trying to control his expression.
“Pr-Princess Letier, you here? The princess’s secretary and escort knight were very panicked. They said you didn’t come back after you left during the day…”
“Ah, I got mixed up with a new escort on the way, but what are you doing here, Mr. Roizen?”
Reuter glanced down at Dante, who could not take his blank eyes off Letier.
Prince, what the hell is this…
“Ah! I, I just came here… I mean, this place is… Well, I heard a rumor about this restaurant…”
“A restaurant?”
Letier frowned as she recalled the unknown food that had the blue fluorescent sauce on it.
The tastes of the people of the capital were truly unknown.
A place that served such food was called a restaurant.
“How fortunate! To find a Princess in a place like this! Why don’t you come back with us? By the way… Who is he…?”
Reuters clapped his hands and let out an awkward laugh.
Letier turned her head to Dante.
“Ah, this is my friend I met in the capital. He ate something wrong and he’s a little out right now… Someone who knows this man will be picking him up soon. The store owner seemed to know him well. I was waiting for him.”
That’s me?
Reuter tried to keep a friendly smile.
“Hmm… It’s too late. There are many people in the Imperial Palace who are worried about the Princess. The Princess should go back with us, and let’s leave this man with the shop owner.”
As Reuter winked, Raphael crept up.
Raphael, quick-witted, examined Reuter’s face before quickly opening his mouth.
“Miss, I think you should leave him in my care and get back quickly.”
“Ah, okay, then…”
Recalling Lucy and Ephron, who were waiting for her, Letier shook Dante’s hand lightly.
“Reuter, Reuter.”
However, the unconscious Dante could not come to his senses easily.
Looking at the scene, the real Reuter and Raphael’s faces showed a tired expression at the same time.
Letier had no choice but to raise her other hand to forcefully remove Dante’s hand.
“… Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t go.”
Then, Dante looked at Letier and muttered.
Hearing that pitiful voice, Letier stopped moving, unable to pull her hand away.
“Ah… Oh my! Why would you do this! what’s wrong with you, Hahaha, stop being rude and come to your senses now, right?”
Reuter gave strength to each syllable and forced a smile at Dante.
He took each of Dante’s fingers directly and applied force as if to break them.
“Straighten up…”
“Ah…”
Only then did he come to his senses slightly, and the red eyes that had been loosed in a daze came into focus.
Dante frowned at the stabbing headache and relaxed his grip on Letier’s hand.
“I’m sorry. Go first, young lady.”
“Ah! You’re finally coming to your senses, Princess Lettier, come with us!”
“… Reuter, see you later.”
Letier forcibly moved her foot.
It was unfortunate, but I couldn’t help it because Lucy and Ephron would be worried.
Still, it might be the last meeting, but to part ways like that.
Letier put her hand on his forehead and looked at Dante for a moment, who was not looking at her, then turned away.
“Ha?”
Letier turned around and noticed someone standing in front of her, and let out a small sigh.
The knight in front of me had a familiar face.
“Who is this?
‘You don’t want to see a company you’ve grown so hard under all sorts of regulations collapse.’
‘This is the company of those who dared to reject the Emperor. Aren’t you naive to think that business can continue in the Empire without any problems in the future?’
At that time, that cheeky knight commander…
The knight commander with a cold expression bowed his head once to Letier with an expressionless face, and then started walking ahead as if to follow her.
“Princess, please go first! I’ll clean up and follow you!”
“Sir Roizen, am I interrupting your meal with the knights for nothing?”
“Absolutely not! Don’t worry! Go ahead! Hurry!”
Letier nodded once to Reuter, who was anxious to let him go, and then walked out of the store.
It made me feel really lucky to have met the knights from the Imperial palace by chance.
The captain of the knights who were ahead led her to the back of the shop.
Letier, who found the carriage parked there, asked the knight commander.
“By the way, why did you bring a carriage to the gathering of knights?”
“……”
The knight commander opened the carriage door without saying anything.
What? I was ignored…?
Slightly taken aback, Letier climbed into the carriage in a bewildered mood while being escorted by the knight commander.
The knight commander quietly watched Letier settle into her seat, then closed the carriage door.
“What…”
As he disappeared before her eyes, Letier pouted and sat back in a comfortable chair.
Gradually, my feet hurt and my eyes became sore.
Fatigue began to set in suddenly.
I wondered if being with Reuter had made me nervous.
After waiting for a while, I felt the carriage slowly move.
*****
“Princess!!”
Lucy came running.
Behind her, she could see Ephron’s white face.
“Lucy, Ephron.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay! Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly disappeared?”
Ephron said, rubbing his chest.
He glared once more at Ziegler, who was kneeling beside him and lowered his head.
Letier, who noticed him, quickly opened her mouth.
“I left without telling you first, because something similar to what happened in front of Simon’s shop last time happened and I was watching…”
“I heard about that. How anxious I was, fearing that you might have gotten yourself unnecessarily involved!”
Lucy grabbed Letier by the arm.
“I almost slit Ziegler’s head.”
As Ephron pointed at Ziegler and spat out harshly, he lowered his head even deeper.
“Ephron, the knight did nothing wrong. Oh, but Ziegler.”
“… Yes?”
At Letier’s question, Ziegler stupidly raised his face.
“So, did you catch the person you chased earlier?”
“Ah, that…”
Ziegler’s expression suddenly darkened.
He slurred his words and broke into a sweat.
Earlier in the day, he had been chasing the man to the end of the alley on the other side.
Ziegler couldn’t bring himself to say who he’d seen at the end of the alley while chasing the man.
He hid his trembling hands behind his back and closed his eyes.
“Can’t you answer?”
Ephron shouted as he drew the sword from his waist.
“Ah…. no! I missed it! Kill me!”
“Ephron, stop it! You returned to the plaza, but you must have been very surprised that I wasn’t there. I came back safely, so it’s okay. Just wake up.”
Letier stopped Ephron and protected Ziegler.
This knight doesn’t seem to have thought of going to the raw material store looking for me…
I didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing.
Right now everything is bothersome and I just want to wash.
“Lucy, let’s go to my room. I want to rest.”
“You should know that your life was saved thanks to the Princess.”
Ephron muttered as he put his sword back.
Ziegler shouted, still glued to the ground.
“Th-thank you!”
For the time being, it was clear that Ephron would be chasing after him like a shadow.
Letier let out a small sigh, then took a heavy step forward.
*****
“Your Highness.”
“…….”
“Your Highness.”
“I’m listening.”
The next day, Reuter visited the prince’s office as usual.
Dante was sitting in his office chair, expressionless as usual, looking over papers.
It was as if nothing had happened the night before.
Reuter opened his mouth, clicking his tongue at the Prince’s brazen nonchalance.
“You do remember what happened yesterday, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“For the time being, please stay away from Princess Letier.”
“I will do it even if you don’t tell me.”
I wasn’t shameless enough to call Letier right away after his rude behavior.
Dante turned the paper over with a nonchalant face.
“I’m glad to see you’re on the same page as me after all these years. In that case, I’ll have the papers processed later today and return Princess Letier to the Duchy of Lenever.”
“What?”
Dante, who had a calm face the whole time, frowned in an instant.
Send someone back to where?
