"No. He agreed. We decided to take over the housing of retired soldiers in the royal castle."
"Ha."
Only then did Neril sigh. Her teacher was a person who was like a one-time or never-ending person.
He thought the Princess would fail because she was a person who would not give up her will even if a knife was put to her throat.
'That's why I haven't dared to visit you since I left the Knights.'
"Do you want to say hello before you go?"
Medea gestured over her shoulder.
The door to the Marquis' office was still tightly closed. Neril shook her head.
"He doesn't want to see me. And I have to return to the palace before dinner."
The two came down to the palace where the carriage was to be taken back to the palace.
"Her Royal Highness, the carriage you came in seemed to be in good condition, so we have prepared a new carriage. Please come this way."
Perhaps because he heard the Marquis' words, the butler guided Medea in a much friendlier manner than before.
At first glance, the carriage hitched to the boat looked like an ordinary four-wheeled carriage.
However, upon closer inspection, the exterior was made of thin steel plates and the wheels were also made of iron.
"The carriage has changed, but the coachman is the same. I will take you safely to the palace so that not a single speck of dust touches you."
Tom spoke, leaning against the carriage, and Neril strode over to him.
With her back to the Princess, she grabbed Tom by the collar with one hand and hit his solar plexus with the other.
"Go away. Don't come near me again."
"Tsk. I like that... I'm sorry to say this, my friend."
Tom had to grit his teeth between his smiling mouth. What did the royal family eat to become so strong?
"Really, it's not a joke."
He had to put a lot of effort into his shaking knees for fear of collapsing in front of the Princess.
"Do you think I don't know that you drove the carriage like that on purpose?"
As Neril glared, Tom raised his hands in surrender.
"Did I do it because I wanted to? I don't want to offend someone as noble as possible."
That means...
"Did my teacher tell you to do this?"
"The moment you or the Princess came out of the carriage and cleared your throat, they would have turned their heads back to the palace."
Neril's heart felt cold. It was all a test.
If she had come down and bumped into Tom or tried to forcibly silence the soldiers, today's meeting would have been aborted.
Did the Princess know everything? So she stopped her?
"How many moves ahead are you looking at, Your Highness?"
Tom laughed at Neril, who was speechless.
"Then did you think that our teacher was a name that anyone could meet if she asked to meet him? You're naive."
"Anyone? How dare anyone have Valdina's bloodline?"
When Neril snapped, Tom shook his head in disgust.
"You are just like a hen guarding her chicks. It seems like things have turned around a bit more than before."
Then he added.
"Well, I guess I should still say what I need to say. Master said that earlier. It wasn't a foolish choice for you to take the Princess as your master."
"What?"
Neril turned her head towards the tower where the Marquis' room would be.
Next to the purple curtain, it seemed like her eyes met a familiar figure.
".... So, what can I do if I lose my temper when Master also approves of you? I, too, will make up for what happened earlier and return to being a faithful coachman. Hey! Where are you going!"
Tom shouted at Neril, who suddenly turned and ran towards the Marquis' residence.
"Your Highness, please wait a moment!"
Neril, easily ignoring Tom's words, shouted at the Princess.
She climbed the stairs two or three at a time.
The height of the stone steps was so steep that she was immediately out of breath, but Neril did not stop.
Suddenly, she opened the mahogany door and walked down the hallway. A familiar curtains, furniture, and carpets greeted her.
One day in her vivid memory, her teacher was standing next to the window.
"Heo Eok. Ma, Master..."
Gilliforth slowly turned around. There was a hint of laughter at the end of the sigh as if there was nothing he could do.
"Kid, your short temper hasn't changed."
"Ma, Heo-eok. Master, I made my choice. Heo-eok."
"Is that why you came running here? How dare you hear those words from this old man's mouth?"
Anger appeared on Gilliforth's face.
"Oh, heo-eok, no."
Neril took a breath, looked up, and grinned.
"Fuu, my weapon that I entrusted to you, I will take it back. You still remember the bet, right?"
She walked briskly. She then took her greatsword back from where it was hanging on the wall.
"Be healthy, Master, see you again."
"Nothing to do, kid."
The Marquis of Gilliforth waved his hand and slammed the door as if to get out of the way quickly.
"You're going to give up your knighthood and become the Princess's maid? Are you out of your mind?"
She was a beloved disciple. So he didn't understand anymore.
"Is it Her Highness? What gave you useless thoughts? Do you think I raised you to suffer the death of a dog because of factionalism?"
"There is no one for Her Highness the Princess right now other than me. I want to protect her, Master. Please allow it."
"The moment you walk out this door! You are neither my disciple nor my knight. If you want to go to the Princess, leave your sword behind and go with your bare body."
"Master!"
"You can never hold that again unless I acknowledge it."
"You were such a stubborn guy, you really threw it away and left, telling me to leave you behind."
The Marquis, who was reminiscing about the past, shook his head. He looked down the window.
"Neril, you are better than me."
The disciple could see stars even in the mud, but he could not.
After the death of the late King, he lost hope.
The hope of raising Valdina into a powerful country again, and the hyenas who were obsessed with power, were tired of it all and were all let go.
He despaired that the stars would never rise again.
The stubbornness and stupidity of the past years was refreshing.
Maybe it was him who was really stupid. Nevertheless, fortunately,
"I am the Princess of Valdina. I just have to do what I have to do as a Princess."
"God has not abandoned this country yet."
Because the light of Valdina has continued.
A faint smile appeared on Gilliforth's face as he watched the departing carriage.
***
A few days later, the Marquis of Gilliforth sent a message through Neril.
It included matters related to the rough plan.
Coincidentally, the location of the site was near the castle wall.
"I guess they will use it to protect the castle if necessary."
He had a general background.
"Neril, tell Master to get a list of the veterans staying. Everything, including the attached family."
That way, they won't be able to think about joining the rebels.
Even though Medea gave all her money to help them live, she did not have any trust in them.
Because humans tend to forget grace when their stomachs are full.
"Strictly speaking, retired soldiers are the royal family's responsibility, but Your Highness is using all of your assets to relieve them..."
Neril couldn't hide her dissatisfaction.
"Why are you worried that I'll end up broke?"
"Honestly, I think it's a disaster if it's an investment. You are pouring water into a bottomless pool."
Medea giggled at Neril's rare cheering.
"I is a Princess with a cursed name, but I will only become more miserable than I am now. You'd rather have me go bankrupt than Valdina go bankrupt, right?"
The light throw sounded somewhat bitter, so Neril hesitated.
The Princess used to treat herself as firewood that could be burned at any time for Valdina's sake.
'It's as if Her Highness owes something to this country...'
There was a sense of desperation that went beyond the simple patriotism that royalty would normally have.
'I'm so stupid that I can't follow your vision.'
Neril didn't know what made her young master like that.
"If Your Highness goes bankrupt, I will take care of you."
This was all she could manage to say.
"Ahaha."
The light burst of laughter broke down gently under the sunlight.
"Okay, then I'll live with Neril, okay?"
Why does a faint smile somehow make her heart hurt?
It was when Medea entered the palace. She was approached by the waiting-maid.
"What's going on?"
"Her Highness Duchess Claudio is waiting inside."
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