What Perdes said was true.
I will never again be away from the duchy for such a long time as I was when I went to the Royal Academy of the United Kingdom.
At least in my opinion.
So it seems clear that there will be no more correspondence with Perdes like before... It was strange.
One could say that he also had the feeling that I would never leave the Duchy of Leopold.
The contract period I initially proposed to Perdes was about two years.
To be exact, it was not until I received the knighthood, the cornerstone for obtaining the title of Duke, and that period has already passed.
I graduated from the academy and was knighted.
So even if Perdes suddenly left, I had no intention of holding on to him.
Rather, I was grateful for all the hard work he had done on my behalf, and I planned to give him all the support I could.
But I was embarrassed because it conveyed that kind of nuance.
I wonder if, after ruling the Leopold family for the past two years, he has developed a thirst for power.
Power is like a drug. Once you taste it, many people become addicted and cannot escape.
I suddenly got scared that maybe that was the case with Perdes.
Now he's starting to get greedy for the Duke.
So I was worried that he might betray me and join the Emperor.
“I need to get my family seal... back.”
The anxiety and fear rising in my chest created impatience.
“Please return my office key too.”
“Yes. I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”
“Give it back to me right now, right now.”
The tomorrow that Perdes is talking about will most likely be morning at the earliest, so there are still more than ten hours left.
I wanted it back right away because it was enough time to do something if I wanted to.
Then Perdes frowned.
Looking at his crumpled expression, my anxiety grew even more.
“Why are you doing this? Do you not want to return the seal and key to me?”
"Yes."
My heart sank at the decisive answer.
Perdes continued with a sigh in his voice.
“Even if you’re a workaholic, you don’t have to work right after returning from a long journey. Besides, today is my coming-of-age ceremony...”
...Am I mistaken?
Judging from Perdes' words and expression now, it seemed that way, but I couldn't be sure.
Because he was a great actor.
I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he was deceiving me.
When I looked at him silently, Perdes wrinkled his nose.
“I’ll bring you the key and seal as soon as it’s light, so don’t look at me like that.”
“...”
“It’s true. I’ll really bring it to you.”
So, just be patient for a little while, Perdes said, as if soothing a child.
"...Is it so."
I was still anxious, but at the same time, I wanted to trust him.
Because Perdes was a wonderful person who had taken good care of the territory on my behalf for the past two years.
I decided to take a step back for now since it didn't seem like he was going to be up in arms demanding the return of the office key and family seal right away.
At that moment, a light knock was heard and the door opened.
"Miss."
“Sir Aldor!”
There stood Sir Aldor, dressed in the red uniform of the Knights Templar.
Aldor, whom I had not seen in a long time, greeted me with a bright smile.
“How have you been?”
“Yes. I’ve been doing well thanks to your concern. How have you been, Young Lady?”
“As you can see.”
“Sir Aldor.”
Perdes suddenly joined the conversation. For some reason, his voice was thick with irritation and discontent.
“How did someone busy with security end up here?”
Aldor replied bluntly.
“I heard that the Lady came, so I came to say hello.”
Those two... are still not on good terms.
I thought they would become a little closer as they helped each other and worked together for the past two years, but I was wrong.
Why on earth are they on such bad terms?
Did they have a big fight?
I looked back and forth between Perdes and Aldor.
Then, Sir Aldor met my eyes and smiled faintly, coming a little closer.
“I am truly glad that you have returned, my lady.”
At that moment, Sir Aldor, who was kneeling in front of me, gently took my hand and was about to kiss the back of it.
Wheeze-
“...!”
Perdes quickly snatched my hand from Sir Aldor like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
At this, of course, Aldor and I looked at him in confusion, but Perdes paid no attention at all.
“Let’s dance after a long time.”
Instead, he smiled beautifully, his golden eyes closing.
“It’s my coming-of-age party, so everyone around me was urging me to dance at least once, and it turned out great. Come dance with me.”
“It’s been quite some time since the banquet started, and you haven’t danced once until now?”
"Yes."
“Do you still feel awkward dancing with the opposite sex?”
When I asked him about this, remembering what Perdes had said before, he looked at me with somewhat bewildered eyes.
“I feel this way sometimes, but Young Lady’s thoughts tend to drift in strange directions.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No. I’ve never felt awkward dancing with the opposite sex in the first place.”
“Yes? But before...”
As I was about to say that, I heard music through the open terrace door.
Perdes grabbed my hand gently.
“The music has started. Let’s go and dance.”
I followed him in a panic, and then suddenly looked back at Sir Aldor.
Sir Aldor stood there dumbfounded.
I couldn't help but look at him because his appearance was so pitiful, like a large dog abandoned by its owner.
“Don't look.”
But it was soon blocked by Perdes' large hand.
When I looked back, I saw Perdes looking at me with the same look as a puppy abandoned by its owner.
Perdes, who had grown so much in the time since I last saw him, was now more clearly described as a dog than a puppy.
But maybe because I've seen him since he was small and dwarfed, he still looked like a puppy to me.
“It’s my birthday today, so just look at me.”
This childish tantrum made me feel that way even more.
But I didn't hate it.
Rather, I would say it's fun and makes me laugh.
The anxiety and doubts I had felt toward him earlier disappeared like snow melting under the hot sun.
"Is it so."
Because today is his birthday.
I thought that since it was a coming-of-age ceremony, I should do whatever he wanted, and walk with him to the center of the hall.
Since Leopold's Duchy was located at the northernmost tip of the continent, most of the guests who attended Perdes' coming-of-age ceremony stayed at the ducal residence for a few days before returning.
Among them was Chernosser, but unlike other guests who stayed in the annex, he, a member of the imperial family, stayed in the main building.
Chernosser left the noisiest banquet hall in the Duke's residence and returned to the main building where silence was stillness. He headed to the third floor where his room was.
He was followed by Count Martina and his knight escort.
Chernosser, who had been walking forward with a solemn expression on his face for some reason, turned to look at Count Martina as soon as he arrived in front of his room.
“I plan to rest and do nothing else today, so you may go back now, Count Martina.”
“Yes. If you need anything from me, please come see me anytime, Your Highness.”
After Count Martina bowed politely and withdrew, his place was filled by the servant who had been appointed to serve him at the ducal palace.
“Shall I prepare the bath water?”
“Yeah. I’d like to drink some warm tea before that.”
“Please wait a moment, Your Highness.”
As the servant stepped aside, the knight who had been quietly guarding the side approached and handed him a rolled-up piece of paper.
“...”
Chernosser silently accepted the paper and unfolded it.
The paper contained a map of Duke Leopold's residence.
The numbers engraved here and there indicated the times the guards would be patrolling.
The escort knight pointed to a spot on the first floor of the Duke's residence and spoke in a small voice.
“The entrances and exits are guarded tightly, and each floor is patrolled once every 30 minutes.”
“Even at dawn?”
"Yes."
“Isn’t everyone sleepy?”
Chernosser clicked its tongue and stared at the map as if it were an annoyance.
And he rolled his eyes, scanning the route from his room to the destination, running a simulation in his head.
“If you don’t want to get caught, you have to time your entrance and exit well.”
It was better to get caught on the way to the destination.
Because he can make excuses like he couldn't sleep and were out for a walk or he got lost.
The problem was getting back to the room from there.
If he were to get caught secretly bringing the item requested by Daimon, various problems would arise.
Especially since Daimon would be furious and say that he failed again and that he was a useless bastard, Chernosser had to succeed no matter what.
The problem was that to succeed, one had to overcome several obstacles, including getting through security.
Among them, Chernosser thought the biggest challenge was not knowing what to bring.
Daimon simply told him where to go and asked him to bring him the only item there.
And he was given a direct escort knight.
“How big did you say the object was?”
“I haven’t heard anything specific about that, but I heard that His Highness will be able to bring enough.”
"Yes?"
Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to know?
Chernosser glanced at the escort knight, feeling that it was the latter.
He wanted to pressure him to tell the truth, but he couldn't because he was Daimon's favorite knight.
'How come I, a Prince, have to be mindful of the feelings of a mere knight?'
Chernosser sighed deeply inwardly, rolled up the paper, and handed it back to the escort knight.
“Here you are, Your Highness.”
Immediately after, the servant who had gone to get tea along with the bath preparations returned.
“Just step back.”
Chernosius dismissed the escort knights and sipped warm tea to warm his body, thinking.
What on earth is the Emperor's purpose? What does the Emperor intend to do by secretly taking the belongings of Duke Leopold's family?
And...
“Your Highness, when you find out what item the Duke Leopold asked you to bring me, you must be the first to tell this mother.”
An internal conflict arose as to whether or not he should grant the request of his mother, the Empress.
I will never again be away from the duchy for such a long time as I was when I went to the Royal Academy of the United Kingdom.
At least in my opinion.
So it seems clear that there will be no more correspondence with Perdes like before... It was strange.
One could say that he also had the feeling that I would never leave the Duchy of Leopold.
The contract period I initially proposed to Perdes was about two years.
To be exact, it was not until I received the knighthood, the cornerstone for obtaining the title of Duke, and that period has already passed.
I graduated from the academy and was knighted.
So even if Perdes suddenly left, I had no intention of holding on to him.
Rather, I was grateful for all the hard work he had done on my behalf, and I planned to give him all the support I could.
But I was embarrassed because it conveyed that kind of nuance.
I wonder if, after ruling the Leopold family for the past two years, he has developed a thirst for power.
Power is like a drug. Once you taste it, many people become addicted and cannot escape.
I suddenly got scared that maybe that was the case with Perdes.
Now he's starting to get greedy for the Duke.
So I was worried that he might betray me and join the Emperor.
“I need to get my family seal... back.”
The anxiety and fear rising in my chest created impatience.
“Please return my office key too.”
“Yes. I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”
“Give it back to me right now, right now.”
The tomorrow that Perdes is talking about will most likely be morning at the earliest, so there are still more than ten hours left.
I wanted it back right away because it was enough time to do something if I wanted to.
Then Perdes frowned.
Looking at his crumpled expression, my anxiety grew even more.
“Why are you doing this? Do you not want to return the seal and key to me?”
"Yes."
My heart sank at the decisive answer.
Perdes continued with a sigh in his voice.
“Even if you’re a workaholic, you don’t have to work right after returning from a long journey. Besides, today is my coming-of-age ceremony...”
...Am I mistaken?
Judging from Perdes' words and expression now, it seemed that way, but I couldn't be sure.
Because he was a great actor.
I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he was deceiving me.
When I looked at him silently, Perdes wrinkled his nose.
“I’ll bring you the key and seal as soon as it’s light, so don’t look at me like that.”
“...”
“It’s true. I’ll really bring it to you.”
So, just be patient for a little while, Perdes said, as if soothing a child.
"...Is it so."
I was still anxious, but at the same time, I wanted to trust him.
Because Perdes was a wonderful person who had taken good care of the territory on my behalf for the past two years.
I decided to take a step back for now since it didn't seem like he was going to be up in arms demanding the return of the office key and family seal right away.
At that moment, a light knock was heard and the door opened.
"Miss."
“Sir Aldor!”
There stood Sir Aldor, dressed in the red uniform of the Knights Templar.
Aldor, whom I had not seen in a long time, greeted me with a bright smile.
“How have you been?”
“Yes. I’ve been doing well thanks to your concern. How have you been, Young Lady?”
“As you can see.”
“Sir Aldor.”
Perdes suddenly joined the conversation. For some reason, his voice was thick with irritation and discontent.
“How did someone busy with security end up here?”
Aldor replied bluntly.
“I heard that the Lady came, so I came to say hello.”
Those two... are still not on good terms.
I thought they would become a little closer as they helped each other and worked together for the past two years, but I was wrong.
Why on earth are they on such bad terms?
Did they have a big fight?
I looked back and forth between Perdes and Aldor.
Then, Sir Aldor met my eyes and smiled faintly, coming a little closer.
“I am truly glad that you have returned, my lady.”
At that moment, Sir Aldor, who was kneeling in front of me, gently took my hand and was about to kiss the back of it.
Wheeze-
“...!”
Perdes quickly snatched my hand from Sir Aldor like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
At this, of course, Aldor and I looked at him in confusion, but Perdes paid no attention at all.
“Let’s dance after a long time.”
Instead, he smiled beautifully, his golden eyes closing.
“It’s my coming-of-age party, so everyone around me was urging me to dance at least once, and it turned out great. Come dance with me.”
“It’s been quite some time since the banquet started, and you haven’t danced once until now?”
"Yes."
“Do you still feel awkward dancing with the opposite sex?”
When I asked him about this, remembering what Perdes had said before, he looked at me with somewhat bewildered eyes.
“I feel this way sometimes, but Young Lady’s thoughts tend to drift in strange directions.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No. I’ve never felt awkward dancing with the opposite sex in the first place.”
“Yes? But before...”
As I was about to say that, I heard music through the open terrace door.
Perdes grabbed my hand gently.
“The music has started. Let’s go and dance.”
I followed him in a panic, and then suddenly looked back at Sir Aldor.
Sir Aldor stood there dumbfounded.
I couldn't help but look at him because his appearance was so pitiful, like a large dog abandoned by its owner.
“Don't look.”
But it was soon blocked by Perdes' large hand.
When I looked back, I saw Perdes looking at me with the same look as a puppy abandoned by its owner.
Perdes, who had grown so much in the time since I last saw him, was now more clearly described as a dog than a puppy.
But maybe because I've seen him since he was small and dwarfed, he still looked like a puppy to me.
“It’s my birthday today, so just look at me.”
This childish tantrum made me feel that way even more.
But I didn't hate it.
Rather, I would say it's fun and makes me laugh.
The anxiety and doubts I had felt toward him earlier disappeared like snow melting under the hot sun.
"Is it so."
Because today is his birthday.
I thought that since it was a coming-of-age ceremony, I should do whatever he wanted, and walk with him to the center of the hall.
***
Since Leopold's Duchy was located at the northernmost tip of the continent, most of the guests who attended Perdes' coming-of-age ceremony stayed at the ducal residence for a few days before returning.
Among them was Chernosser, but unlike other guests who stayed in the annex, he, a member of the imperial family, stayed in the main building.
Chernosser left the noisiest banquet hall in the Duke's residence and returned to the main building where silence was stillness. He headed to the third floor where his room was.
He was followed by Count Martina and his knight escort.
Chernosser, who had been walking forward with a solemn expression on his face for some reason, turned to look at Count Martina as soon as he arrived in front of his room.
“I plan to rest and do nothing else today, so you may go back now, Count Martina.”
“Yes. If you need anything from me, please come see me anytime, Your Highness.”
After Count Martina bowed politely and withdrew, his place was filled by the servant who had been appointed to serve him at the ducal palace.
“Shall I prepare the bath water?”
“Yeah. I’d like to drink some warm tea before that.”
“Please wait a moment, Your Highness.”
As the servant stepped aside, the knight who had been quietly guarding the side approached and handed him a rolled-up piece of paper.
“...”
Chernosser silently accepted the paper and unfolded it.
The paper contained a map of Duke Leopold's residence.
The numbers engraved here and there indicated the times the guards would be patrolling.
The escort knight pointed to a spot on the first floor of the Duke's residence and spoke in a small voice.
“The entrances and exits are guarded tightly, and each floor is patrolled once every 30 minutes.”
“Even at dawn?”
"Yes."
“Isn’t everyone sleepy?”
Chernosser clicked its tongue and stared at the map as if it were an annoyance.
And he rolled his eyes, scanning the route from his room to the destination, running a simulation in his head.
“If you don’t want to get caught, you have to time your entrance and exit well.”
It was better to get caught on the way to the destination.
Because he can make excuses like he couldn't sleep and were out for a walk or he got lost.
The problem was getting back to the room from there.
If he were to get caught secretly bringing the item requested by Daimon, various problems would arise.
Especially since Daimon would be furious and say that he failed again and that he was a useless bastard, Chernosser had to succeed no matter what.
The problem was that to succeed, one had to overcome several obstacles, including getting through security.
Among them, Chernosser thought the biggest challenge was not knowing what to bring.
Daimon simply told him where to go and asked him to bring him the only item there.
And he was given a direct escort knight.
“How big did you say the object was?”
“I haven’t heard anything specific about that, but I heard that His Highness will be able to bring enough.”
"Yes?"
Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to know?
Chernosser glanced at the escort knight, feeling that it was the latter.
He wanted to pressure him to tell the truth, but he couldn't because he was Daimon's favorite knight.
'How come I, a Prince, have to be mindful of the feelings of a mere knight?'
Chernosser sighed deeply inwardly, rolled up the paper, and handed it back to the escort knight.
“Here you are, Your Highness.”
Immediately after, the servant who had gone to get tea along with the bath preparations returned.
“Just step back.”
Chernosius dismissed the escort knights and sipped warm tea to warm his body, thinking.
What on earth is the Emperor's purpose? What does the Emperor intend to do by secretly taking the belongings of Duke Leopold's family?
And...
“Your Highness, when you find out what item the Duke Leopold asked you to bring me, you must be the first to tell this mother.”
An internal conflict arose as to whether or not he should grant the request of his mother, the Empress.
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