Erdene's gaze gently and persistently reached Princess Limepale.
Both the explorer and the explored knew what the other was doing, but neither was emotionally swayed.
Erdene knew that Princess Limepale was hiding a certain picture behind her appearance, her young and ignorant appearance.
And that she needed her help to complete that picture.
Limepale said.
"Your Majesty is right. It's much easier to get involved and make a fuss when something good happens. But if you want to be remembered, it's more effective to be willing to help when something bad happens."
Erdene smiled and rested her chin on her hand.
"How clever."
Well. Erdene thought.
Then whose memory does this cute Princess want to be? Arkan, or herself? Maybe it was both.
'Whose help do you need, and why do you need it...? I've heard that Grand Duke Joelvy of the Stradhog Kingdom is a man who doesn't use tricks, but since I've never met him face to face, it's hard to judge based on rumors alone. Hmm...'
Erdene's eyes moved slowly.
Her gaze, which had been looking at Limepale, moved to the maid behind her.
'It's a man.'
Erdene thought.
Eorshin, disguised as the maid 'Rishi', looked like a tall woman at first glance thanks to her wig, light makeup, and silk decoration covering her throat.
Even so, she couldn't avoid Erdene's eyes, who had lived almost her entire life among men.
'He tried to hide it with a dress that fit her body, but that's a man. There must be a reason why she brought him to me in such a strange way... Needing help couldn't be an escape from affection. What on earth could it be? This kid is funny.'
Limepale realized that Erdene was looking at Eorshin. It was something she couldn't hide for long anyway. Since she was already meeting her, it would be better to tell her everything she needed to say here.
If she kept it hidden while saying she would bring it out one by one, it would be more trouble to deal with it later if things turned upside down somewhere unexpected.
Just then, the meal was ready.
Freshly baked eggs, refreshing soup, apple pie, and salad with various mushrooms looked delicious.
"You, please sit down."
Princess Limepale and Eorshin simultaneously looked surprised at Erdene's words.
The Princess said,
"Your Majesty, I appreciate your generosity, but..."
Erdene gently interrupted her.
"As you can see, there is tableware for three people, so don't refuse."
Eorshin, who had been silently observing her, sat down when Limepale nodded.
After a strange, brief silence, Erdene took a sip of tea and said,
“I said that helping when something bad happens is much more memorable, but I guess that’s because you want something from me. I don’t know how much I can help you, but since you’ve done your best for me, I’ll do my best to help you. Is it something to do with this disguised maid?”
Eorshin, who had been pretending to stir the soup and lowering his head, suddenly looked at Erdene.
Princess Limepale said with a meaningful smile.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep up the deception in front of Your Majesty, but you really figured it out quickly.”
Erdene replied.
“If it had been an ordinary man, I might not have noticed it for a long time. But if it’s a military man, and if it’s someone who’s been wielding a sword for a long time, then the marks of training will be obvious...Tell me yourself. What’s going on?”
When he raised his head, his hair that had been pushed down carelessly, Erdene narrowed her eyes in a strange sense of deja vu.
“You, I think I’ve seen you somewhere.”
Eorshin, who opened his lips as if surprised, bowed his head politely.
“Your Highness.”
This time, it was Erdene’s turn to be surprised. As Eorshin had expected, Erdene couldn’t clearly remember his face. She only felt like she had seen him somewhere. However, she never expected that he would call her ‘Your Highness.’
“I was a member of the Fourth Knights, and I was only recently appointed as a knight, so Your Highness may not know me well.”
Erdene said.
“You and I have never met in person, but I was there when you were appointed. If I remember correctly, Empress Roelica was also present, is that correct?”
“Yes, that is true. She was not the Empress at the time.”
A bitter expression appeared on Eorshin’s face.
Erdene looked at Princess Limepale, who was drinking tea in silence, and then turned her head back to Eorcin.
“As far as I know, Empress Roelica’s father, Atelgadis, persuaded her to separate to make Roelica the Crown Princess of Tenek.”
“Yes. Perhaps everyone besides Your Highness knows only that much.”
“Then?”
Both the explorer and the explored knew what the other was doing, but neither was emotionally swayed.
Erdene knew that Princess Limepale was hiding a certain picture behind her appearance, her young and ignorant appearance.
And that she needed her help to complete that picture.
Limepale said.
"Your Majesty is right. It's much easier to get involved and make a fuss when something good happens. But if you want to be remembered, it's more effective to be willing to help when something bad happens."
Erdene smiled and rested her chin on her hand.
"How clever."
Well. Erdene thought.
Then whose memory does this cute Princess want to be? Arkan, or herself? Maybe it was both.
'Whose help do you need, and why do you need it...? I've heard that Grand Duke Joelvy of the Stradhog Kingdom is a man who doesn't use tricks, but since I've never met him face to face, it's hard to judge based on rumors alone. Hmm...'
Erdene's eyes moved slowly.
Her gaze, which had been looking at Limepale, moved to the maid behind her.
'It's a man.'
Erdene thought.
Eorshin, disguised as the maid 'Rishi', looked like a tall woman at first glance thanks to her wig, light makeup, and silk decoration covering her throat.
Even so, she couldn't avoid Erdene's eyes, who had lived almost her entire life among men.
'He tried to hide it with a dress that fit her body, but that's a man. There must be a reason why she brought him to me in such a strange way... Needing help couldn't be an escape from affection. What on earth could it be? This kid is funny.'
Limepale realized that Erdene was looking at Eorshin. It was something she couldn't hide for long anyway. Since she was already meeting her, it would be better to tell her everything she needed to say here.
If she kept it hidden while saying she would bring it out one by one, it would be more trouble to deal with it later if things turned upside down somewhere unexpected.
Just then, the meal was ready.
Freshly baked eggs, refreshing soup, apple pie, and salad with various mushrooms looked delicious.
"You, please sit down."
Princess Limepale and Eorshin simultaneously looked surprised at Erdene's words.
The Princess said,
"Your Majesty, I appreciate your generosity, but..."
Erdene gently interrupted her.
"As you can see, there is tableware for three people, so don't refuse."
Eorshin, who had been silently observing her, sat down when Limepale nodded.
After a strange, brief silence, Erdene took a sip of tea and said,
“I said that helping when something bad happens is much more memorable, but I guess that’s because you want something from me. I don’t know how much I can help you, but since you’ve done your best for me, I’ll do my best to help you. Is it something to do with this disguised maid?”
Eorshin, who had been pretending to stir the soup and lowering his head, suddenly looked at Erdene.
Princess Limepale said with a meaningful smile.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep up the deception in front of Your Majesty, but you really figured it out quickly.”
Erdene replied.
“If it had been an ordinary man, I might not have noticed it for a long time. But if it’s a military man, and if it’s someone who’s been wielding a sword for a long time, then the marks of training will be obvious...Tell me yourself. What’s going on?”
Eorshin, who lowered his gaze and pursed his lips, pulled down his wig.
When he raised his head, his hair that had been pushed down carelessly, Erdene narrowed her eyes in a strange sense of deja vu.
“You, I think I’ve seen you somewhere.”
Eorshin, who opened his lips as if surprised, bowed his head politely.
“Your Highness.”
This time, it was Erdene’s turn to be surprised. As Eorshin had expected, Erdene couldn’t clearly remember his face. She only felt like she had seen him somewhere. However, she never expected that he would call her ‘Your Highness.’
“Are you a soldier of the Empire?”
“I used to be.”
Erdene’s eyebrows gathered in the middle.
Eorshin rubbed his face, which was caked with makeup, and sighed, then raised his slightly reddened eyes and looked at her.
“My name is Eorshin Shikov, Your Highness. I was the lover of Princess Roelica, who is currently the Empress of the Empire.”
Later, whenever Erdene recalled that day, she was proud of herself for not dropping her teacup in surprise.
She had thought there were no more surprising things left in her life, but Eorshin’s story was enough to make her speechless.
Erdene, who had a bewildered expression as if she had been hit, blinked as if to confirm.
“You are Roelica’s...”
“I used to be.”
Erdene’s eyebrows gathered in the middle.
Eorshin rubbed his face, which was caked with makeup, and sighed, then raised his slightly reddened eyes and looked at her.
“My name is Eorshin Shikov, Your Highness. I was the lover of Princess Roelica, who is currently the Empress of the Empire.”
Later, whenever Erdene recalled that day, she was proud of herself for not dropping her teacup in surprise.
She had thought there were no more surprising things left in her life, but Eorshin’s story was enough to make her speechless.
Erdene, who had a bewildered expression as if she had been hit, blinked as if to confirm.
“You are Roelica’s...”
“I was a member of the Fourth Knights, and I was only recently appointed as a knight, so Your Highness may not know me well.”
Erdene said.
“You and I have never met in person, but I was there when you were appointed. If I remember correctly, Empress Roelica was also present, is that correct?”
“Yes, that is true. She was not the Empress at the time.”
A bitter expression appeared on Eorshin’s face.
Erdene looked at Princess Limepale, who was drinking tea in silence, and then turned her head back to Eorcin.
“As far as I know, Empress Roelica’s father, Atelgadis, persuaded her to separate to make Roelica the Crown Princess of Tenek.”
“Yes. Perhaps everyone besides Your Highness knows only that much.”
“Then?”
Eorshin swallowed dryly and began to tell the story.
“Atelgadis came to me and threatened to take my life if I did not separate from Roelica. However, I had no intention of separating from Roelica even if it meant dying. Roelica and I planned to escape while avoiding Atelgadis’s eyes.”
Eorshin’s eyes turned bloodshot as he recalled the situation at that time.
Princess Limepale’s expression darkened slightly as she watched, but neither Eorshin nor Erdene noticed it.
Erdene said,
“Didn’t you actually run away? I remember hearing that Roelica disappeared and the house was turned upside down.”
“Yes. Roelica and I met at the western border of the capital and tried to escape the empire first. We tried to go to the nearest kingdom, Femens. Thanks to Roelica’s maid, Savina, who deceived people’s eyes, we were able to buy time to escape, but another servant who found out about the truth reported it to Atelgadis, who immediately sent a pursuit party. He released not only people but also hounds to chase us two.”
The two were caught by the pursuit party a day and a half after they ran away.
After finding out about the truth, Atelgadis doggedly pursued Roelica and Eorshin by any means necessary, and to make matters worse, Roelica slipped off her horse due to extreme nervousness, which made her unwell.
“Atelgadis tried to imprison me and kill me, but Savina, who was half-dead, pulled me out, allowing me to escape. Roelica wanted me to leave the empire.”
“So you went to the duchy?”
“I didn’t plan on going to the duchy from the beginning. I expected the pursuers to follow me, so I went only to places where they would be hard to chase, and that’s how I met the Princess.”
Erdene’s gaze turned to Princess Limepale this time.
“I wonder how the two of you met.”
Limepale, who had been keeping her mouth shut and pretending to eat, answered with a big smile as if it were someone else’s business.
“I picked him up when he was dying on the mountain path. I also needed a close escort.”
There was no way to know if it was true or not, but Erdene didn’t bother asking.
It was obvious that she had muddled through, but at this point, it wasn’t really important.
“Yes. Anyway, there must be a reason why you came to see me in disguise, right? Let's start with that.”
Eorshin frowned as if swallowing a needle, and said with a pained expression.
“I just wonder about... Roelica’s well-being. That is why I shamelessly asked you, Princess, and I have also come to ask you a favor like this. If you know anything, if there is anything you know about Loelica, could you please tell me?”
Erdene said with a bitter smile.
“Would it make a difference even if I knew? Unless you plan on going to Hirschsten’s Golden Castle right now and bringing Empress Roelica out, it would be better for you not to know. Am I wrong?”
“No. What Your Highness says is right. But Your Highness, I...”
His makeup, which had been strangely smudged and spread, became distorted because he had rubbed it with his hand.
Eorshin, who had been biting his lower lip, wiped his reddened eyes with the back of his hand.
When his dark eyes were revealed, Erdene knew that Princess Limepale was trying hard to avoid him.
“Atelgadis came to me and threatened to take my life if I did not separate from Roelica. However, I had no intention of separating from Roelica even if it meant dying. Roelica and I planned to escape while avoiding Atelgadis’s eyes.”
Eorshin’s eyes turned bloodshot as he recalled the situation at that time.
Princess Limepale’s expression darkened slightly as she watched, but neither Eorshin nor Erdene noticed it.
Erdene said,
“Didn’t you actually run away? I remember hearing that Roelica disappeared and the house was turned upside down.”
“Yes. Roelica and I met at the western border of the capital and tried to escape the empire first. We tried to go to the nearest kingdom, Femens. Thanks to Roelica’s maid, Savina, who deceived people’s eyes, we were able to buy time to escape, but another servant who found out about the truth reported it to Atelgadis, who immediately sent a pursuit party. He released not only people but also hounds to chase us two.”
The two were caught by the pursuit party a day and a half after they ran away.
After finding out about the truth, Atelgadis doggedly pursued Roelica and Eorshin by any means necessary, and to make matters worse, Roelica slipped off her horse due to extreme nervousness, which made her unwell.
“Atelgadis tried to imprison me and kill me, but Savina, who was half-dead, pulled me out, allowing me to escape. Roelica wanted me to leave the empire.”
“So you went to the duchy?”
“I didn’t plan on going to the duchy from the beginning. I expected the pursuers to follow me, so I went only to places where they would be hard to chase, and that’s how I met the Princess.”
Erdene’s gaze turned to Princess Limepale this time.
“I wonder how the two of you met.”
Limepale, who had been keeping her mouth shut and pretending to eat, answered with a big smile as if it were someone else’s business.
“I picked him up when he was dying on the mountain path. I also needed a close escort.”
There was no way to know if it was true or not, but Erdene didn’t bother asking.
It was obvious that she had muddled through, but at this point, it wasn’t really important.
“Yes. Anyway, there must be a reason why you came to see me in disguise, right? Let's start with that.”
Eorshin frowned as if swallowing a needle, and said with a pained expression.
“I just wonder about... Roelica’s well-being. That is why I shamelessly asked you, Princess, and I have also come to ask you a favor like this. If you know anything, if there is anything you know about Loelica, could you please tell me?”
Erdene said with a bitter smile.
“Would it make a difference even if I knew? Unless you plan on going to Hirschsten’s Golden Castle right now and bringing Empress Roelica out, it would be better for you not to know. Am I wrong?”
“No. What Your Highness says is right. But Your Highness, I...”
His makeup, which had been strangely smudged and spread, became distorted because he had rubbed it with his hand.
Eorshin, who had been biting his lower lip, wiped his reddened eyes with the back of his hand.
When his dark eyes were revealed, Erdene knew that Princess Limepale was trying hard to avoid him.
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