Episode 103. The Idle Prince
At that time, the servant brought me tea, and His Highness Grayon wiped the sword again and said.
“I’m bored. You said you were playing too.”
“...”
To be honest, I thought of five curse words at the same time as those words.
This bastard isn’t even a neighborhood dog! If I were a noble lady, would you have called me that carelessly?
“This sword was with me in the Battle of Amata.”
“What a glorious sword.”
“What you gave me is no small feat, if you count it as glorious. Loire. Even His Majesty is pleased.”
“...”
"Locard said. I wonder whose head came up with this newspaper article.”
For a moment, my mouth felt dry. But I couldn’t say that the situation was bad.
His Highness Grayon wouldn’t behead me just because I helped him.
I thought hard about how I could make myself look the most insignificant and pitiful, and answered.
“I just happened to... I’m embarrassed.”
“Did he just happen to kick the pirate’s butt?”
“Huh!”
Locard Kydel, how far did this man go to flirt with His Highness the Prince?
No way...
Suddenly, in the forest where dawn was dawning, the heavy breathing of Prince Kydel that I had heard during the passionate kiss seemed to come back to my ears.
‘Even the craziest of men wouldn’t have said that. No way!’
My face turned bright red in an instant.
“Why are you blushing so much? It’s not natural to fight to live.”
‘You don’t know!’
When I realized that, I felt relieved as if the wind had left my body.
“Thank you for understanding, Your Highness.”
“I laughed a lot while listening to your story. There’s not much to laugh about in the palace.”
I laughed awkwardly along, gradually calming my heart that was pounding wildly.
It seemed that His Highness Grayon had called me to thank me for this. Tagar, thank you, awkwardly.
“I know Locard has been harassing you quite a bit, but you still help me. Is that pure goodwill?”
Of course, it was still too early to be relieved.
I tried hard to keep a firm expression and said,
“It’s debt repayment.”
“Debt repayment?”
“I believe Your Highness knows that Prince Kydel saved me at the palace hunting grounds.”
“Oh, that. Then I didn’t need to thank you. I just benefited from Locard, so I should be grateful to him.”
“That’s how it is?”
I laughed awkwardly, and he said elegantly, drinking his tea.
“There’s one thing I’ve learned recently. About people.”
“...”
If you’re going to sit people down and talk to them alone, why did you call me? Just put a rock in front of me and talk.
While I was being sullen, His Highness Grayon suddenly said the right thing.
“Locard is often right, but not always.”
Of course, Your Highness!
“No matter how good a person is, an illegitimate child is still an illegitimate child, and a low-ranking noble who relies on money to rise in status is still a low-ranking noble .”
“...”
Ha. What a load of crap.
At that time, the servant brought me tea, and His Highness Grayon wiped the sword again and said.
“I’m bored. You said you were playing too.”
“...”
To be honest, I thought of five curse words at the same time as those words.
This bastard isn’t even a neighborhood dog! If I were a noble lady, would you have called me that carelessly?
“This sword was with me in the Battle of Amata.”
“What a glorious sword.”
“What you gave me is no small feat, if you count it as glorious. Loire. Even His Majesty is pleased.”
“...”
"Locard said. I wonder whose head came up with this newspaper article.”
For a moment, my mouth felt dry. But I couldn’t say that the situation was bad.
His Highness Grayon wouldn’t behead me just because I helped him.
I thought hard about how I could make myself look the most insignificant and pitiful, and answered.
“I just happened to... I’m embarrassed.”
“Did he just happen to kick the pirate’s butt?”
“Huh!”
Locard Kydel, how far did this man go to flirt with His Highness the Prince?
No way...
Suddenly, in the forest where dawn was dawning, the heavy breathing of Prince Kydel that I had heard during the passionate kiss seemed to come back to my ears.
‘Even the craziest of men wouldn’t have said that. No way!’
My face turned bright red in an instant.
“Why are you blushing so much? It’s not natural to fight to live.”
‘You don’t know!’
When I realized that, I felt relieved as if the wind had left my body.
“Thank you for understanding, Your Highness.”
“I laughed a lot while listening to your story. There’s not much to laugh about in the palace.”
I laughed awkwardly along, gradually calming my heart that was pounding wildly.
It seemed that His Highness Grayon had called me to thank me for this. Tagar, thank you, awkwardly.
“I know Locard has been harassing you quite a bit, but you still help me. Is that pure goodwill?”
Of course, it was still too early to be relieved.
I tried hard to keep a firm expression and said,
“It’s debt repayment.”
“Debt repayment?”
“I believe Your Highness knows that Prince Kydel saved me at the palace hunting grounds.”
“Oh, that. Then I didn’t need to thank you. I just benefited from Locard, so I should be grateful to him.”
“That’s how it is?”
I laughed awkwardly, and he said elegantly, drinking his tea.
“There’s one thing I’ve learned recently. About people.”
“...”
If you’re going to sit people down and talk to them alone, why did you call me? Just put a rock in front of me and talk.
While I was being sullen, His Highness Grayon suddenly said the right thing.
“Locard is often right, but not always.”
Of course, Your Highness!
“No matter how good a person is, an illegitimate child is still an illegitimate child, and a low-ranking noble who relies on money to rise in status is still a low-ranking noble .”
“...”
Ha. What a load of crap.
I wondered why I wasn’t talking about that today. As expected, I thought that Tagar and I were not compatible, and I gathered all my strength to keep from making a sullen expression.
“There is a clear limit to the loyalty that can be shown depending on one’s status. That’s what I thought. How can the loyalty of a farmer be the same as that of a knight?”
“...”
“But is loyalty really all I need, Loire?”
Huh, were you asking me that? He suddenly met my gaze, and I was embarrassed.
“I’m so foolish that I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Those who don’t know loyalty don’t expect anything in return, but instead take beatings and take risks, and those who have received the best education try to trade their loyalty. That’s the truth.”
‘I apologize for not knowing loyalty.’
I muttered to myself and looked at His Highness Grayon. I was already lost, not knowing where this conversation was going. But one thing was certain. The one who tried to trade his loyalty despite receiving the best education was Kalin Ankart. I also did not know what change this incident had brought to His Highness Grayon. He seemed to be reexamining everything around him, realizing his changed status due to this incident. The cotton cloth that had been moving diligently around the sword stopped.
He looked at me blankly and said,
“I will show my gratitude for your help. Of course, Milliora will not be happy if she finds out.”
“I am embarrassed to say this.”
I wondered if I had to apologize in such a mean way, but I bowed my head for now.
“If you are grateful, send me back quickly, Your Highness.”
“So, do you get that satisfaction? Do you feel it every day?”
He looked at me blankly and said,
“I will show my gratitude for your help. Of course, Milliora will not be happy if she finds out.”
“I am embarrassed to say this.”
I wondered if I had to apologize in such a mean way, but I bowed my head for now.
“If you are grateful, send me back quickly, Your Highness.”
“So, do you get that satisfaction? Do you feel it every day?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said last time. You serve Milliora to get the satisfaction of doing your best.”
This time, I opened my mouth in embarrassment for a different reason.
Why would you remember such trivial things?
Furthermore, the focus of his words was slightly off, which bothered me, but now was not the time to nitpick.
The tea in front of me was cooling down without even a single sip.
His Highness Grayon’s actions were generally one-sided and coercive, but there was no malice in the eyes he looked at me with.
I had no choice but to try my best to answer.
“Of course, I do not feel it every day, Your Highness.”
“Because Milliora kicked you out?”
“No, Your Highness. That’s not it... It usually feels like time has passed. Oh, I shouldn’t have done that back then, I should have done that back then.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s why, whenever I think of something, I do my best, and I don’t have any major regrets later. Of course, there are often times when I wonder why I did something so stupid back then, but if I go back, there’s a high chance that I’ll think of it as the best I can do...”
I suppressed my embarrassment and continued.
“When I do that, I don’t have much to complain about in life, or should I say I feel relieved that this is the way to live, yes.”
“That’s an interesting attitude.”
His answer was quite cynical. But I thought I saw a wave of confusion in his eyes.
The great regret in his heart. And the mixed emotions of resentment, sadness, etc.
But that must be my imagination. He was Tagar. He was in a different position from Her Highness Milliora, so there was no way he could live with such a mixed mind.
He put the sword back into its scabbard after polishing it a few more times and asked with a leisurely smile,
“So, do you think it was a success? Did you serve Milliora without any regrets?”
I sighed without realizing it.
“I... was placed on probation, Your Highness.”
He shook his shoulders and laughed silently.
“I see. Then, if you go back, will you still consider your choice the best?”
This bastard is teasing someone by calling them over.
“I can try a few more times, but I don’t think the results will be much different.”
After saying that, I felt a little discouraged.
Even if I could turn back time, the feeling of indebtedness I had toward Prince Kydel would not change. That shameless person would not change. What else would Kalin Ankart do?
I would avoid kissing Prince Kydel even if I had to jump into the flames, but I couldn’t say that to Prince Grayon.
And that wouldn’t stop my probation.
“Can I go now?”
I said calmly, but I was already slightly raising my butt. But His Highness Grayon pretended not to hear my question.
Damn... that bastard.
“When do you think the competition will resume, Loire?”
I hesitated for a moment. Should I tell him the high-level information the Count had given me?
However, monopolizing such information would only serve to get me ahead of my opponent.
However, if the Count gave me advice, it would only put him in a difficult position, so I had to pretend that it was my own idea.
“The third competition only had a starting point, Your Highness.”
His Highness Grayon’s eyebrows sank coldly. It was an expression I never wanted to see.
“You can go back. I enjoyed our conversation today, Loire.”
“Thank you.”
I politely bowed and left.
As I left His Highness Grayon’s reception room and entered the corridor, the wind cooled my cold sweat.
It had been a few days since Misha had come to visit. When Eria had announced her visit, I had to tremble in anticipation.
While I was pondering a reply to her letter of protest, she came to me because she couldn't stand it.
Misha Loire is a big kid who doesn't lift a finger for others. But she even sweated and taught me how to dance.
And yet I didn't attend her ambitious coming-of-age ceremony...
It's all because of pirates.
"Pirates who will boil in salt water in hell!"
When I swore out loud, the door opened, and Misha asked with an angry, pointed face,
“What? What did you just say?”
“Misha! No? J didn’t say anything just now.”
“Well, what else would you have to say! Right?”
I still couldn’t think of an excuse to give her, but I was still a little relieved that Misha had come to see me again.
If she really hated me, she wouldn’t have come all the way to the palace.
“Misha, did your coming-of-age ceremony go well? I’m sorry I couldn’t come.”
“It went well. Did you think I wouldn’t be able to do anything without you? Did you think that?”
“Oh, no. Of course not. I’m sure your violin playing was wonderful, wasn’t it?”
Then she answered with a bashful smile.
“You said last time. You serve Milliora to get the satisfaction of doing your best.”
This time, I opened my mouth in embarrassment for a different reason.
Why would you remember such trivial things?
Furthermore, the focus of his words was slightly off, which bothered me, but now was not the time to nitpick.
The tea in front of me was cooling down without even a single sip.
His Highness Grayon’s actions were generally one-sided and coercive, but there was no malice in the eyes he looked at me with.
I had no choice but to try my best to answer.
“Of course, I do not feel it every day, Your Highness.”
“Because Milliora kicked you out?”
“No, Your Highness. That’s not it... It usually feels like time has passed. Oh, I shouldn’t have done that back then, I should have done that back then.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s why, whenever I think of something, I do my best, and I don’t have any major regrets later. Of course, there are often times when I wonder why I did something so stupid back then, but if I go back, there’s a high chance that I’ll think of it as the best I can do...”
I suppressed my embarrassment and continued.
“When I do that, I don’t have much to complain about in life, or should I say I feel relieved that this is the way to live, yes.”
“That’s an interesting attitude.”
His answer was quite cynical. But I thought I saw a wave of confusion in his eyes.
The great regret in his heart. And the mixed emotions of resentment, sadness, etc.
But that must be my imagination. He was Tagar. He was in a different position from Her Highness Milliora, so there was no way he could live with such a mixed mind.
He put the sword back into its scabbard after polishing it a few more times and asked with a leisurely smile,
“So, do you think it was a success? Did you serve Milliora without any regrets?”
I sighed without realizing it.
“I... was placed on probation, Your Highness.”
He shook his shoulders and laughed silently.
“I see. Then, if you go back, will you still consider your choice the best?”
This bastard is teasing someone by calling them over.
“I can try a few more times, but I don’t think the results will be much different.”
After saying that, I felt a little discouraged.
Even if I could turn back time, the feeling of indebtedness I had toward Prince Kydel would not change. That shameless person would not change. What else would Kalin Ankart do?
I would avoid kissing Prince Kydel even if I had to jump into the flames, but I couldn’t say that to Prince Grayon.
And that wouldn’t stop my probation.
“Can I go now?”
I said calmly, but I was already slightly raising my butt. But His Highness Grayon pretended not to hear my question.
Damn... that bastard.
“When do you think the competition will resume, Loire?”
I hesitated for a moment. Should I tell him the high-level information the Count had given me?
However, monopolizing such information would only serve to get me ahead of my opponent.
However, if the Count gave me advice, it would only put him in a difficult position, so I had to pretend that it was my own idea.
“The third competition only had a starting point, Your Highness.”
His Highness Grayon’s eyebrows sank coldly. It was an expression I never wanted to see.
“You can go back. I enjoyed our conversation today, Loire.”
“Thank you.”
I politely bowed and left.
As I left His Highness Grayon’s reception room and entered the corridor, the wind cooled my cold sweat.
***
It had been a few days since Misha had come to visit. When Eria had announced her visit, I had to tremble in anticipation.
While I was pondering a reply to her letter of protest, she came to me because she couldn't stand it.
Misha Loire is a big kid who doesn't lift a finger for others. But she even sweated and taught me how to dance.
And yet I didn't attend her ambitious coming-of-age ceremony...
It's all because of pirates.
"Pirates who will boil in salt water in hell!"
When I swore out loud, the door opened, and Misha asked with an angry, pointed face,
“What? What did you just say?”
“Misha! No? J didn’t say anything just now.”
“Well, what else would you have to say! Right?”
I still couldn’t think of an excuse to give her, but I was still a little relieved that Misha had come to see me again.
If she really hated me, she wouldn’t have come all the way to the palace.
“Misha, did your coming-of-age ceremony go well? I’m sorry I couldn’t come.”
“It went well. Did you think I wouldn’t be able to do anything without you? Did you think that?”
“Oh, no. Of course not. I’m sure your violin playing was wonderful, wasn’t it?”
Then she answered with a bashful smile.
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