I cleared my throat and answered calmly.
“I don’t know about Arrental, but it’s not like that for me.”
Granada nodded once politely.
“I see. That’s good.”
Although she didn't seem to believe it very sincerely, Granada never again bombarded me with questions after that.
"I know you're tired, but I'll show you to your room. Since I didn't hear of your arrival in advance and was unable to prepare properly, I apologize for having to show you to the guest room today."
“It’s okay.”
Granada walked ahead as if telling me to follow her.
Callius whispered to me softly.
“Even though she looks like that, she’s a good person.”
“If Callius says so, I’ll believe you.”
It wasn't difficult because believing and being afraid can happen at the same time.
“I hope you have a good night.”
“Thank you. You too, Callius.”
I exchanged a quick greeting with Callius and followed Granada up the stairs, vowing to myself not to cry.
My maids ran after me, carrying my luggage.
As Chloe disappeared with Granada, sighs of relief were heard here and there.
The servants and knights who had been standing around each other were now mingling comfortably and exchanging greetings.
Many of Ronheim's knights and servants were family or lovers.
Even Mainz and Granada were siblings.
It is common for employers to avoid hiring butlers and maids who are blood relatives, due to concerns about embezzlement, bribery, and nepotism.
But in Ronheim, not many people cared about that.
“Herbar!”
“Martha!”
The tallest and most powerful knight, Herbaran, rushed out from among the maids, calling out to her, and embraced his wife, Martha.
The two were newlyweds who had gotten married in a hurry the day before Herbar followed Callius to Arrental.
Martha hugged Herbar and cried.
The knight named Karl, who was next to Herbar, also looked around among the maids, looking for someone.
The girl he was looking for raised her hand, pretending to be indifferent but unable to hide her excitement.
“Here you go, brother.”
These two, like Mainz and Granada, were siblings, each loyal to Callius from their respective positions.
“How have you been, you punk? You seem to have grown a bit since I last saw you.”
“It’s the same, isn’t it? No gifts or anything?”
“Isn’t it a gift that this older brother came back alive?”
"What."
“Mother, father?”
“They're just waiting for you, brother, no matter what.”
“Is everything okay at home?”
"Very."
Andrew approached the girl who was bluntly tapping Karl on the shoulder.
“Leviche, long time no see.”
"Oh, Andrew, I'm glad you came back safely. You're not hurt, are you?"
It was a very different kindness from the kind she used to show to her older brother.
"Thanks for your concern. By the way, where's Hillen? Have you seen her recently?"
Hillen was Andrew's younger sister. She was a seriously ill patient who had been bedridden for a long time.
Leviche reassured Andrew.
"We met yesterday. Hillen's been doing quite well lately. She even went for a walk yesterday. I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to hear that her brother is back in good health."
Andrew was greatly relieved to hear that.
Callius, who was looking around at his subordinates and employees greeting each other like that, smiled happily and gave an order.
"You can all disperse now. You've worked hard, so I'll grant you a reward vacation. Enjoy your time with your families."
"Thank you!"
The knights saluted politely.
The knights were very excited at the thought of being reunited with their families and lovers after a long time.
Among those who had already met the family working at the castle, there were bursts of tears and laughter at hearing the good news that had come during their absence.
As soon as they heard Callius's order to disband, some knights quickly left the castle and ran home.
The employees exchanged pleasantries with the knights and then rushed to Callius, as if they had more important matters to attend to.
“Prince!”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you came back safely.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
It was a fairly friendly relationship between employer and employee.
Even though there was a big difference in status, neither Callius nor his employees were concerned about such things.
More and more employees flocked to Callius.
“But why the sudden wedding, Prince?”
“I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I heard from Brentian that you were getting married and bringing a wife.”
“Even the Princess of Idelian...”
“What on earth happened at Arrental?”
Callius calmed the employees who were asking all kinds of questions out of concern and curiosity.
"An official announcement will be made soon. We'll have some answers to your questions then, so just wait."
“When is that?”
“I’m so curious I won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
Mainz sternly rebuked the employees who surrounded Callius and held him down.
“What are you all doing, you rude people! The Prince needs to rest, so everyone, please disperse now.”
The employees backed down obediently.
Their faces agreed that they should not further trouble Callius, who had just returned home from a long journey, because of their curiosity.
Mainz protected Callius as if he were his knight escort.
"It's late at night. You should go and rest for today, Your Grace. I've prepared a bath to warm you up."
“Thank you, Mainz.”
"You're welcome."
Alex clicked his tongue at the sight of the employees standing there, staring blankly at Callius.
“There are a lot of nannies here, too. Anyway, I heard you’re popular.”
Even as he said that, he was smiling as if it wasn't a bad thing that Callius was popular with his people.
Andrew tapped his shoulder.
"Didn't you say that the Princess treasured that teddy bear and pillow as much as her life, and asked you to take good care of them? She really entrusted her life to someone else and left it there, so carelessly?"
Andrew grumbled with a completely different expression and voice than when he was worried about his sickly sister.
Only then did Alex realize he was still carrying her teddy bear and pillow, and gasp.
“I have to return it.”
“That little girl is annoying a lot of people, isn’t she?”
Andrew patted Alex.
Alex, who had received comfort he didn't really want, was annoyed by Andrew's nagging about Chloe.
"Don't be so harsh. But she is my lord's wife now. You should be respectful."
Andrew snorted.
“What is courtesy to the Idelian royal family?”
Alex couldn't stand it any longer and said something to Andrew.
“Andrew, you’ve been nagging the Princess ever since last time. Stop it. Has the Princess done something bad to you?”
"What?"
"She was so kind to us all the way to Ronheim. The cultural differences must have been quite uncomfortable, but she didn't show any signs of discomfort in front of the Uttar tribe, instead expressing gratitude."
Alex remembered how Chloe had acted when she had parted ways with the Uttar tribe.
Although they didn't show it, none of their colleagues would have been surprised to see Chloe so delighted by the simple gift from the chief's wife.
Chloe, who lived in the splendid capital of Arrental, in a palace adorned with gold and jewels, would not have been pleased with such a gift.
Yet, Chloe was so happy that she kept the necklace around her neck as she followed Granada up to her room.
Alex argued with conviction and strength.
"She's different from the Idelian royals we hate. She seems like a good person."
Andrew laughed in disbelief when he heard that.
"What, are you crazy? Where did you find yourself siding with the Idelian royal family? Don't you know that southerners are always nice and hateful? Do you still naively believe that?"
“Isn’t it just that you’ve decided to hate her, so whatever she does seems hateful?”
Andrew sighed.
“Are you being fooled by those Arrental guys and doing something stupid again?”
"Tell me. If the Princess is wearing a kind mask to deceive us, why must she go to such great lengths to deceive us? It might be fine for our lord, but why must she do this to us?"
“Of course, they have some kind of plan! The Arrentals...”
Alex sighed at the repetitive story.
"Andrew, not all Arrentals calculate their every action like you think. It's not nice to criticize someone without any specific knowledge."
“What? What did you just say?”
“Did I say something wrong?”
The tone between the two people became increasingly sharp.
Even though they were the physically fit and sturdy knights of Ronheim, they had returned from all kinds of hardships.
He went to the battlefield to fight under the orders of the Emperor of Arrental, and after enduring an uncomfortable time in the Arrental capital with his exhausted body, he finally returned home.
Both of them were so tired that they were more tired than usual.
Brentian, who had been upstairs with Callius for a while, came down and witnessed the two men confronting each other.
“Why don’t you both disband and stay?”
Brentian asked, but Andrew, too excited to hear, turned around and started to question Alex as if he was about to hit him.
"Alex. Why are you so protective of the Idelian royal family? Do you feel special being appointed as the doll's nanny?"
He grumbled and thumped the head of the teddy bear on Alex's back.
Then, a clanking sound of metal hitting metal came from the doll's head.
“...?”
Andrew, Alex, and Brentian all turned their gazes to the teddy bear.
“I don’t know about Arrental, but it’s not like that for me.”
Granada nodded once politely.
“I see. That’s good.”
Although she didn't seem to believe it very sincerely, Granada never again bombarded me with questions after that.
"I know you're tired, but I'll show you to your room. Since I didn't hear of your arrival in advance and was unable to prepare properly, I apologize for having to show you to the guest room today."
“It’s okay.”
Granada walked ahead as if telling me to follow her.
Callius whispered to me softly.
“Even though she looks like that, she’s a good person.”
“If Callius says so, I’ll believe you.”
It wasn't difficult because believing and being afraid can happen at the same time.
“I hope you have a good night.”
“Thank you. You too, Callius.”
I exchanged a quick greeting with Callius and followed Granada up the stairs, vowing to myself not to cry.
My maids ran after me, carrying my luggage.
***
As Chloe disappeared with Granada, sighs of relief were heard here and there.
The servants and knights who had been standing around each other were now mingling comfortably and exchanging greetings.
Many of Ronheim's knights and servants were family or lovers.
Even Mainz and Granada were siblings.
It is common for employers to avoid hiring butlers and maids who are blood relatives, due to concerns about embezzlement, bribery, and nepotism.
But in Ronheim, not many people cared about that.
“Herbar!”
“Martha!”
The tallest and most powerful knight, Herbaran, rushed out from among the maids, calling out to her, and embraced his wife, Martha.
The two were newlyweds who had gotten married in a hurry the day before Herbar followed Callius to Arrental.
Martha hugged Herbar and cried.
The knight named Karl, who was next to Herbar, also looked around among the maids, looking for someone.
The girl he was looking for raised her hand, pretending to be indifferent but unable to hide her excitement.
“Here you go, brother.”
These two, like Mainz and Granada, were siblings, each loyal to Callius from their respective positions.
“How have you been, you punk? You seem to have grown a bit since I last saw you.”
“It’s the same, isn’t it? No gifts or anything?”
“Isn’t it a gift that this older brother came back alive?”
"What."
“Mother, father?”
“They're just waiting for you, brother, no matter what.”
“Is everything okay at home?”
"Very."
Andrew approached the girl who was bluntly tapping Karl on the shoulder.
“Leviche, long time no see.”
"Oh, Andrew, I'm glad you came back safely. You're not hurt, are you?"
It was a very different kindness from the kind she used to show to her older brother.
"Thanks for your concern. By the way, where's Hillen? Have you seen her recently?"
Hillen was Andrew's younger sister. She was a seriously ill patient who had been bedridden for a long time.
Leviche reassured Andrew.
"We met yesterday. Hillen's been doing quite well lately. She even went for a walk yesterday. I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to hear that her brother is back in good health."
Andrew was greatly relieved to hear that.
Callius, who was looking around at his subordinates and employees greeting each other like that, smiled happily and gave an order.
"You can all disperse now. You've worked hard, so I'll grant you a reward vacation. Enjoy your time with your families."
"Thank you!"
The knights saluted politely.
The knights were very excited at the thought of being reunited with their families and lovers after a long time.
Among those who had already met the family working at the castle, there were bursts of tears and laughter at hearing the good news that had come during their absence.
As soon as they heard Callius's order to disband, some knights quickly left the castle and ran home.
The employees exchanged pleasantries with the knights and then rushed to Callius, as if they had more important matters to attend to.
“Prince!”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you came back safely.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
It was a fairly friendly relationship between employer and employee.
Even though there was a big difference in status, neither Callius nor his employees were concerned about such things.
More and more employees flocked to Callius.
“But why the sudden wedding, Prince?”
“I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I heard from Brentian that you were getting married and bringing a wife.”
“Even the Princess of Idelian...”
“What on earth happened at Arrental?”
Callius calmed the employees who were asking all kinds of questions out of concern and curiosity.
"An official announcement will be made soon. We'll have some answers to your questions then, so just wait."
“When is that?”
“I’m so curious I won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
Mainz sternly rebuked the employees who surrounded Callius and held him down.
“What are you all doing, you rude people! The Prince needs to rest, so everyone, please disperse now.”
The employees backed down obediently.
Their faces agreed that they should not further trouble Callius, who had just returned home from a long journey, because of their curiosity.
Mainz protected Callius as if he were his knight escort.
"It's late at night. You should go and rest for today, Your Grace. I've prepared a bath to warm you up."
“Thank you, Mainz.”
"You're welcome."
***
Alex clicked his tongue at the sight of the employees standing there, staring blankly at Callius.
“There are a lot of nannies here, too. Anyway, I heard you’re popular.”
Even as he said that, he was smiling as if it wasn't a bad thing that Callius was popular with his people.
Andrew tapped his shoulder.
"Didn't you say that the Princess treasured that teddy bear and pillow as much as her life, and asked you to take good care of them? She really entrusted her life to someone else and left it there, so carelessly?"
Andrew grumbled with a completely different expression and voice than when he was worried about his sickly sister.
Only then did Alex realize he was still carrying her teddy bear and pillow, and gasp.
“I have to return it.”
“That little girl is annoying a lot of people, isn’t she?”
Andrew patted Alex.
Alex, who had received comfort he didn't really want, was annoyed by Andrew's nagging about Chloe.
"Don't be so harsh. But she is my lord's wife now. You should be respectful."
Andrew snorted.
“What is courtesy to the Idelian royal family?”
Alex couldn't stand it any longer and said something to Andrew.
“Andrew, you’ve been nagging the Princess ever since last time. Stop it. Has the Princess done something bad to you?”
"What?"
"She was so kind to us all the way to Ronheim. The cultural differences must have been quite uncomfortable, but she didn't show any signs of discomfort in front of the Uttar tribe, instead expressing gratitude."
Alex remembered how Chloe had acted when she had parted ways with the Uttar tribe.
Although they didn't show it, none of their colleagues would have been surprised to see Chloe so delighted by the simple gift from the chief's wife.
Chloe, who lived in the splendid capital of Arrental, in a palace adorned with gold and jewels, would not have been pleased with such a gift.
Yet, Chloe was so happy that she kept the necklace around her neck as she followed Granada up to her room.
Alex argued with conviction and strength.
"She's different from the Idelian royals we hate. She seems like a good person."
Andrew laughed in disbelief when he heard that.
"What, are you crazy? Where did you find yourself siding with the Idelian royal family? Don't you know that southerners are always nice and hateful? Do you still naively believe that?"
“Isn’t it just that you’ve decided to hate her, so whatever she does seems hateful?”
Andrew sighed.
“Are you being fooled by those Arrental guys and doing something stupid again?”
"Tell me. If the Princess is wearing a kind mask to deceive us, why must she go to such great lengths to deceive us? It might be fine for our lord, but why must she do this to us?"
“Of course, they have some kind of plan! The Arrentals...”
Alex sighed at the repetitive story.
"Andrew, not all Arrentals calculate their every action like you think. It's not nice to criticize someone without any specific knowledge."
“What? What did you just say?”
“Did I say something wrong?”
The tone between the two people became increasingly sharp.
Even though they were the physically fit and sturdy knights of Ronheim, they had returned from all kinds of hardships.
He went to the battlefield to fight under the orders of the Emperor of Arrental, and after enduring an uncomfortable time in the Arrental capital with his exhausted body, he finally returned home.
Both of them were so tired that they were more tired than usual.
Brentian, who had been upstairs with Callius for a while, came down and witnessed the two men confronting each other.
“Why don’t you both disband and stay?”
Brentian asked, but Andrew, too excited to hear, turned around and started to question Alex as if he was about to hit him.
"Alex. Why are you so protective of the Idelian royal family? Do you feel special being appointed as the doll's nanny?"
He grumbled and thumped the head of the teddy bear on Alex's back.
Then, a clanking sound of metal hitting metal came from the doll's head.
“...?”
Andrew, Alex, and Brentian all turned their gazes to the teddy bear.
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