Erdene felt both puzzlement and faint curiosity at Princess Limepale’s reaction but decided that it was not appropriate to ask her in Eorshin’s presence.
Whatever the reason for the Princess’s darkened complexion, it was because she clearly did not like Eorshin trying to find out about Empress Roelica.
‘And this Princess seems to have something to say to me other than the matter of her knight escort.’
Erdene let out a sigh mixed with deliberate concern as she collected her thoughts.
“I don’t know much about Empress Roelica either. I practically cut ties with the Empire when I came to Vetor.”
“However, Your Highness...”
“Aren’t there my adjutants? That’s what you want to say, right?”
Eorshin struck deadpan, and shut his mouth.
The fact that Empress Roelica was pregnant lingered on her tongue like sand, but Erdene never told Eorshin about it.
Since the last time she sent word, there had been no response from Thelma, Merton, or Ayman.
Whether it was because the work was slow or some other problem had arisen, for her, her own homework was more urgent than Roelica and Eorshin’s love affair.
If there was another reason...
‘If he found out that Roelica was pregnant with Tenek’s child, he would lose his senses and go wild. It may be that he was just acting as the Princess’s close guard, but for the time being, he must not allow any unnecessary disturbances to arise regarding Roelica.’
Of course, she felt sorry for Roelica, but Erdene made a cool-headed judgment.
If Eorshin had been more thorough, she might have told him about Roelica, but Erdene saw that he was still wavering. She thought that there was no need to add another element of anxiety when there were so many things to resolve.
Erdene said,
“Unfortunately, my lieutenants have been stripped of all the power and honor they had since Tenek ascended to the throne and I left. Even if they wanted to contact me, there was no way. Tenek sent an envoy to Vetor’s side once before. I only saw their faces briefly then, but it was clear that I could not help them and they could not help me. I apologize to you, but I do not think I am in a position to help you at the moment.”
“...Is that so...”
Eorshin lowered his head, his expression darkening.
He seemed to be crying, but Erdene’s heart did not waver at all.
Erdene said,
“I am no longer your superior or anything, but as a commander who once fought with you under the flag of the Empire, I will give you one last order. Keep your head up and your face calm. No matter how much you want to ask me about Roelica’s well-being, remember that you are currently the knight guard of Princess Limepale. I am telling you to be careful not to do anything that would harm your superior. Understood?”
Eorshin nodded once with a stern expression. Erdene said,
“I will call my maid, Sophia, so fix your makeup and go back. I have more to talk to the Princess, so go back and collect your thoughts. And if you are truly worried about Roelica, it would be much more effective to think realistically about what and how you should do in the future. The Hirschsten’s officers do not seek victory by appealing to tears and emotions.”
Erdene, who had finished speaking, quietly called Sophia before Princess Limepale or Eorshin could respond.
Sophia, who was usually calm and unsurprised, had to stop walking when she saw that the somewhat odd-looking maid had turned into a mess with her short hair exposed.
Erdene said,
“Sophia, fix this person’s makeup. She must not be seen by others, so take her to the back of the reception room and proceed quietly.”
Sophia immediately disappeared from her surprised expression and answered,
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
When Erdene nodded, Eorshin silently stood up, picking up the wig that had been thrown away.
It seemed as if he had more to say, his expression fading away, but Erdene deliberately avoided his gaze.
An even heavier silence settled over the reception room, where only Erdene and Princess Limepale remained.
The prepared meal was already more than half cold and chilled, but it was clear that there was no need to prepare anything new.
Not only Erdene but also the Princess had no appetite at all.
“Now.”
Erdene pushed the cumbersome plate aside and began to eat, and Limepale slowly raised her head.
“I’m sure the Princess has something to say to me, too. Surely you weren’t moved by the knight’s passionate love story and did all this to bring him to me.”
Whatever the reason for the Princess’s darkened complexion, it was because she clearly did not like Eorshin trying to find out about Empress Roelica.
‘And this Princess seems to have something to say to me other than the matter of her knight escort.’
Erdene let out a sigh mixed with deliberate concern as she collected her thoughts.
“I don’t know much about Empress Roelica either. I practically cut ties with the Empire when I came to Vetor.”
“However, Your Highness...”
“Aren’t there my adjutants? That’s what you want to say, right?”
Eorshin struck deadpan, and shut his mouth.
The fact that Empress Roelica was pregnant lingered on her tongue like sand, but Erdene never told Eorshin about it.
Since the last time she sent word, there had been no response from Thelma, Merton, or Ayman.
Whether it was because the work was slow or some other problem had arisen, for her, her own homework was more urgent than Roelica and Eorshin’s love affair.
If there was another reason...
‘If he found out that Roelica was pregnant with Tenek’s child, he would lose his senses and go wild. It may be that he was just acting as the Princess’s close guard, but for the time being, he must not allow any unnecessary disturbances to arise regarding Roelica.’
Of course, she felt sorry for Roelica, but Erdene made a cool-headed judgment.
If Eorshin had been more thorough, she might have told him about Roelica, but Erdene saw that he was still wavering. She thought that there was no need to add another element of anxiety when there were so many things to resolve.
Erdene said,
“Unfortunately, my lieutenants have been stripped of all the power and honor they had since Tenek ascended to the throne and I left. Even if they wanted to contact me, there was no way. Tenek sent an envoy to Vetor’s side once before. I only saw their faces briefly then, but it was clear that I could not help them and they could not help me. I apologize to you, but I do not think I am in a position to help you at the moment.”
“...Is that so...”
Eorshin lowered his head, his expression darkening.
He seemed to be crying, but Erdene’s heart did not waver at all.
Erdene said,
“I am no longer your superior or anything, but as a commander who once fought with you under the flag of the Empire, I will give you one last order. Keep your head up and your face calm. No matter how much you want to ask me about Roelica’s well-being, remember that you are currently the knight guard of Princess Limepale. I am telling you to be careful not to do anything that would harm your superior. Understood?”
Eorshin nodded once with a stern expression. Erdene said,
“I will call my maid, Sophia, so fix your makeup and go back. I have more to talk to the Princess, so go back and collect your thoughts. And if you are truly worried about Roelica, it would be much more effective to think realistically about what and how you should do in the future. The Hirschsten’s officers do not seek victory by appealing to tears and emotions.”
Erdene, who had finished speaking, quietly called Sophia before Princess Limepale or Eorshin could respond.
Sophia, who was usually calm and unsurprised, had to stop walking when she saw that the somewhat odd-looking maid had turned into a mess with her short hair exposed.
Erdene said,
“Sophia, fix this person’s makeup. She must not be seen by others, so take her to the back of the reception room and proceed quietly.”
Sophia immediately disappeared from her surprised expression and answered,
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
When Erdene nodded, Eorshin silently stood up, picking up the wig that had been thrown away.
It seemed as if he had more to say, his expression fading away, but Erdene deliberately avoided his gaze.
An even heavier silence settled over the reception room, where only Erdene and Princess Limepale remained.
The prepared meal was already more than half cold and chilled, but it was clear that there was no need to prepare anything new.
Not only Erdene but also the Princess had no appetite at all.
“Now.”
Erdene pushed the cumbersome plate aside and began to eat, and Limepale slowly raised her head.
“I’m sure the Princess has something to say to me, too. Surely you weren’t moved by the knight’s passionate love story and did all this to bring him to me.”
A faint smile appeared on Limepale’s lips.
“I didn’t intend to hide it, but I guess I can’t hide anything from Your Majesty.”
Erdene grinned.
“At least in the areas where I’m sharp, yes. There’s no benefit in hiding it. Tell me. I don’t mind having a leisurely conversation, but my time is precious.”
Limepale’s eyes moved slowly.
Instead of waiting for her to gather her thoughts, Erdene asked her directly.
“Do you want to ask me to persuade the knight to give up his feelings for Roelica?”
Limepale asked back.
“May I ask why you thought that, Your Majesty?”
“I saw the Princess’s expression change when he talked about Roelica. He wanted to hear a word about Roelica, so he risked both of them, but the Princess went along with this unreasonable act, and it seemed like you didn’t want him to know about Roelica. I’m sorry if I over-estimated it.”
The Princess’s gaze wavered faintly.
She confirmed Erdene’s words with a charming and lonely smile.
“You didn’t over-estimate it. You saw it correctly. Yes, as Your Majesty said, I want Eorshin to stop and forget the Empress of the Empire. It’s not realistic.”
“Are you saying that as his master? Or...?”
“Both. I would never keep a dangerous person close to me. Eorshin is special. He doesn’t know it at all...”
Limepale’s eyes, which trailed off, suddenly turned bright. Erdene also observed the change with interest.
Limepale said.
“Your Majesty may not know, but my position in the duchy is very unstable. It is too unstable to have someone like Eorshin as a close guard who could explode at any time.”
“As far as I know, the master of the duchy, Grand Duke Joelvy, dotes on his only daughter. Does he have another daughter besides the Princess?”
“No. That is true. My father... The Grand Duke loved me, his first child, very much and still does. However, it is different from the way the former Emperor of Hirschsten loved Your Majesty. My father only thinks of me as a pretty daughter, and does not see me as a future successor to the throne of the Grand Duke.”
That was it. Erdene thought.
In addition, the doubts she had when she heard that the Princess wanted an audience early in the morning were resolved at once.
Limepale had not come to Vetor just to sympathize with Eorshin’s vain and impossible love story. She pretended to be a cheerful and bright young lady, but when Erdene saw the ambition that had been hidden behind her smiling face for a very long time and cleverly, everything made sense.
Erdene said,
“So the princess is dissatisfied with that.”
Limepale was still smiling brightly, but a sharp emotion similar to murder flashed through her sharp eyes for a moment.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The current heir to the duchy and the title of minor Duke is my younger brother Deger. He is my only comrade, but he is a man who has no room for good words.”
“Is that because he is a libertine? Grand Duke Joelvy is foolish in that regard.”
Limepale smiled bitterly.
“I will never deny that my father is a wise monarch, but it is also true that he is a boring man. Not only the duchy but also the inland countries cannot imagine a woman becoming the official successor to the family. I have been dissatisfied with that since I was very young. If my younger brother could lead the duchy without any problems, I would have accepted it even if it was a bit unfair. However, he will never be able to maintain the duchy’s reputation.”
“I understand what you are saying, but I have no idea where or how I should start helping you right now. If your younger brother already has the status of a minor Duke, is there anything more you can do?”
“I think so.”
Erdene tilted her head with an interested expression as if she would listen to all the interesting things.
“Really? For example?”
“If I could make my younger brother the Grand Duke and eliminate all those who want to put the duchy in their hands, wouldn’t I have a chance?”
“I didn’t intend to hide it, but I guess I can’t hide anything from Your Majesty.”
Erdene grinned.
“At least in the areas where I’m sharp, yes. There’s no benefit in hiding it. Tell me. I don’t mind having a leisurely conversation, but my time is precious.”
Limepale’s eyes moved slowly.
Instead of waiting for her to gather her thoughts, Erdene asked her directly.
“Do you want to ask me to persuade the knight to give up his feelings for Roelica?”
Limepale asked back.
“May I ask why you thought that, Your Majesty?”
“I saw the Princess’s expression change when he talked about Roelica. He wanted to hear a word about Roelica, so he risked both of them, but the Princess went along with this unreasonable act, and it seemed like you didn’t want him to know about Roelica. I’m sorry if I over-estimated it.”
The Princess’s gaze wavered faintly.
She confirmed Erdene’s words with a charming and lonely smile.
“You didn’t over-estimate it. You saw it correctly. Yes, as Your Majesty said, I want Eorshin to stop and forget the Empress of the Empire. It’s not realistic.”
“Are you saying that as his master? Or...?”
“Both. I would never keep a dangerous person close to me. Eorshin is special. He doesn’t know it at all...”
Limepale’s eyes, which trailed off, suddenly turned bright. Erdene also observed the change with interest.
Limepale said.
“Your Majesty may not know, but my position in the duchy is very unstable. It is too unstable to have someone like Eorshin as a close guard who could explode at any time.”
“As far as I know, the master of the duchy, Grand Duke Joelvy, dotes on his only daughter. Does he have another daughter besides the Princess?”
“No. That is true. My father... The Grand Duke loved me, his first child, very much and still does. However, it is different from the way the former Emperor of Hirschsten loved Your Majesty. My father only thinks of me as a pretty daughter, and does not see me as a future successor to the throne of the Grand Duke.”
That was it. Erdene thought.
In addition, the doubts she had when she heard that the Princess wanted an audience early in the morning were resolved at once.
Limepale had not come to Vetor just to sympathize with Eorshin’s vain and impossible love story. She pretended to be a cheerful and bright young lady, but when Erdene saw the ambition that had been hidden behind her smiling face for a very long time and cleverly, everything made sense.
Erdene said,
“So the princess is dissatisfied with that.”
Limepale was still smiling brightly, but a sharp emotion similar to murder flashed through her sharp eyes for a moment.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The current heir to the duchy and the title of minor Duke is my younger brother Deger. He is my only comrade, but he is a man who has no room for good words.”
“Is that because he is a libertine? Grand Duke Joelvy is foolish in that regard.”
Limepale smiled bitterly.
“I will never deny that my father is a wise monarch, but it is also true that he is a boring man. Not only the duchy but also the inland countries cannot imagine a woman becoming the official successor to the family. I have been dissatisfied with that since I was very young. If my younger brother could lead the duchy without any problems, I would have accepted it even if it was a bit unfair. However, he will never be able to maintain the duchy’s reputation.”
“I understand what you are saying, but I have no idea where or how I should start helping you right now. If your younger brother already has the status of a minor Duke, is there anything more you can do?”
“I think so.”
Erdene tilted her head with an interested expression as if she would listen to all the interesting things.
“Really? For example?”
“If I could make my younger brother the Grand Duke and eliminate all those who want to put the duchy in their hands, wouldn’t I have a chance?”
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