Both Connie and Hans, seemingly aware of my low mood, were brimming with resolve.
Connie cautiously leaned in closer and spoke to me.
“Um, Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t worry too much. They’re just small-time merchants. If you give them a stern scolding, everything will be resolved.”
Connie seemed to have thought hard about this on her own.
I smiled and replied,
“Thanks for thinking about it, Connie. If I get angry, I could probably get the money back. But what does that mean for the Barcklith family?”
“…Sorry?”
“All it would do is leave behind another story to ridicule us: ‘The little princess had to step in and get angry on their behalf.’ This isn’t something I should handle directly.”
“Then canceling the contract…”
“We already signed the contract and made the purchase. If we try to reverse it now, that’ll just make us an even bigger laughingstock.”
“Then maybe we should just treat it as a sunk cost, write it off, and invest in other properties or dress shops instead…”
“It’s too much money to just write off. And letting them fill their pockets like this—I just can’t stand it.”
“…What kind of impossible situation is this?”
Connie muttered, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Beside her, Hans swung his arms and spoke up.
“They dare make Your Highness look like this?! Dealing with those con artists is nothing! Should I track them down and beat them within an inch of their lives?”
Is my expression more of a problem than the fact that we were scammed…?
Of course, if these big guys chased after them and slammed them to the ground, it would solve the issue. But it would also destroy what little reputation the Barcklith family had left. This had to be handled the capital’s way, not the North’s way.
“No, no.”
Crossing my arms, I fell into thought.
“Hans, from now on, do exactly as I say. Understand?”
Then, with a sly smile, I murmured,
“Those con artists… they’ll come crawling here and begging for forgiveness soon enough.”
“Is that… really possible?”
“Of course it is.”
Looking at Hans, Kayan, and Connie, I confidently added,
“Because I’m here.”
***
After Ivnoa returned to her room, Kayan sat quietly, resting his chin on his hand.
Memories of the past in the North floated to the surface.
Was it when Ivnoa was eight? Or nine?
“Iv, your left side is wide open!”
“No! Just cover me for a second! Ah, don’t hit me! I said, don’t hit me! Hey!”
Despite the two-year age gap, they used to call each other by nicknames and got along comfortably.
It was during one of their usual sparring sessions, rolling around in the garden.
To be fair, Ivnoa was quick on her feet, but she didn’t have much talent for swordsmanship. That’s why everyone suggested she pursue assassination instead of being a swordswoman.
But she loved swords too much. Kayan and Ivnoa also loved going out to hunt monsters together, so they often played with swords whenever they got bored.
One day, however, Edwin’s lieutenant, who was on a brief patrol of the North, happened to see them.
With a stern expression, he called everyone together.
“How dare you treat the princess like this? This is unbelievable.”
The lieutenant issued a warning in front of Ivnoa.
“If I ever see this behavior again, there will be consequences. Especially you, savage child.”
He stared at Kayan as if he were looking at an insect and added,
“If you ever dare treat Her Highness like an equal again, I’ll lock you up in prison without hesitation. Do you think your father receiving a barony makes you truly noble? Know your place…”
That day, under the guise of protection, the lieutenant locked Ivnoa in her room and forbade anyone from approaching her.
But when the moon rose that night, Kayan climbed the wall and knocked on her window.
“Kay!”
Ivnoa, who had been crying, opened her eyes wide in surprise when she saw him. She quickly opened the window.
“Why are you here?”
“I figured you’d be like this.”
Kayan shrugged and nonchalantly jumped into her room. Then, as if it were second nature, he perched on her desk and smirked.
“You always cry when you’re alone.”
Ivnoa wiped her tears and grinned.
“Is that why you came?”
“No. You look ugly when you cry. I came before you could get any uglier.”
“Honestly, how can you say things like that?!”
Ivnoa swung her fist at him. Despite her playful tone, the force of her punch was anything but light.
“How can a noble princess resort to violence so easily?”
Kayan gently met her fist with his own, a playful clash of aura sparking between them, just as they had done since childhood.
“Hmph.”
Ivnoa’s deflated posture returned as she softly furrowed her brows, speaking in a sulky tone.
“Don’t call me a noble princess or anything like that from now on.”
“Why not?”
“It’s scary.”
“What is?”
“The baron, those men, you… all of you might leave me behind someday.”
Tears began to well up in Ivnoa’s eyes again.
“Eating snacks without me, practicing swordsmanship without me, having meals without me…”
In the end, she clenched her fists tightly and rubbed her eyes fiercely, her voice breaking as she whimpered,
“I’m scared that some stupid jerk like that guy will threaten you, and… I’ll end up all alone.”
Kayan quietly observed her.
Everyone always said she was an extraordinary girl, someone untouchable. The most precious bloodline in the empire. Yet, those same people who warned others not to treat the princess poorly were the ones who left her behind to return to the capital.
Her greatest fear was being alone.
“Iv.”
Kayan spoke gently.
“That’s up to you.”
“Huh?”
“How we live our lives is your decision. I’m not going to listen to that oh-so-great lieutenant. I’ll listen to you.”
At the time, Kayan didn’t take the mocking claim—that he wasn’t truly noble—very seriously.
“Iv, do you want to stay friends with me?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Just tell me how you feel.”
“…There’s nothing to say. You’re my best friend.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Kayan patted Ivnoa’s head reassuringly.
“It’ll all work out. No matter where you are, in the end…”
There was more weight in his words than any other.
“I’ll be here.”
With that, the unease vanished from Ivnoa’s face.
Kayan, now back to his playful self, twirled a strand of her golden hair around his finger and gave it a light tug.
“Ah! Ow! That hurts!”
Not one to back down, Ivnoa grabbed at Kayan’s short hair in retaliation.
“You’re going to regret this.”
Her eyes gleamed mischievously as she removed her hairpin and began attaching it to him.
“Hey, let go!”
“Why don’t you let go first?”
“Take this off right now! I don’t know how to remove it!”
“Oh, my dear Lady Kayan, the hairpin suits you so beautifully. Why don’t you wear it tomorrow as well? I’ll even lend you my dress!”
Shortly after, Edwin’s lieutenant was dismissed for embezzling funds. The incident never reached Edwin’s ears, nor did it escalate further.
Years later, Kayan found himself reflecting on that time, receiving the very same words he had once spoken.
“That’s up to you.”
He had told Ivnoa the same thing back then.
“How you lead the Barcklith family is your decision. Whether you want to rebuild it as a proper noble house or live the way you used to.”
He had told her it wasn’t the lieutenant’s decision but hers.
“Do you really want to live like this? Tell me how you really feel.”
If she honestly voiced her desires, they would make it happen—just as he promised.
“I’ll be here.”
Her blue eyes brimmed with confidence as she spoke those words. It truly felt as though, with her presence, everything would be resolved.
In truth, the reason Kayan had worked tirelessly to master the law and joined the campaigns against the savage tribes to earn status as a “high noble” was…
Kayan slowly opened a drawer and took out a photograph.
It was a picture of him and a young Ivnoa.
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