It is unimaginable now, but in the past, I used to sit in the cool shade with Thierry and share delicious food. The food that Maud, our friend who worked in the kitchen, secretly packed for us was not plentiful, but it was our precious daily sustenance.
"Your Highness, please have some more of this. Maud gave us plenty today!"
"Lari, eat too.”
"Yes, I am eating it too. You need to eat a lot during your growth period, so I am sorry that I always provide you with insufficient food."
"Why, Lari, I'm sorry. I know you went through a lot of trouble to get this for me."
"Your Highness..."
"As long as I can be with Lari, I don't care if I don't eat much. I wouldn't mind staying here forever. But you wouldn't want that, would you? If you don't want it, I don't want it either..."
"Oh, my Prince. You were so quiet when you were little, but to think you have grown up to be so sweet... I am already full from the overwhelming emotion."
"Talking nonsense again. There isn't even much of an age difference."
I missed the sight of Thierry, his vacant eyes filled with a brilliant light, like sunlight slowly filtering into the shade. Though it happened only a handful of times, there were moments when he smiled as brightly as the spring sunshine...
I wiped away a few tears with a wistful look on my face. It was because I involuntarily choked up when I recalled how he had grown up to be someone with such a regrettable personality.
Even though he had become an Emperor with a vast empire at his feet, he now looked as if he had lost his light, like someone who had swallowed all the shadows.
'Ah, I feel so conflicted. If there were even a shred of leeway left, I would pin my hopes on a sliver of hope and pray for the agreement to fizzle out. But in this state, it seems like it will be hard to even find out anything by staying here.'
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like there was no mercy.
I couldn't even dare to imagine the possibility of revealing that I was Lari. If I were to reveal that fact, it would probably be a desperate struggle to buy time right before dying.
Moreover, since the story had deviated so much from the original work, it was uncertain whether Thierry's twisted nature would return even if he met the original heroine.
Even in the original work, his personality was described as ruthless and cold-hearted, but he wasn't portrayed as such a warmonger and a bloodthirsty tyrant.
'It gets more and more complicated as we go on.'
Of course, I came all the way here because I wanted to find out about my death, but the bond I had with Thierry also had a significant influence on my choice.
However, dealing with him, who had changed drastically, was more of a chore than I had expected; far from receiving help to figure something out, I felt as though his very presence was blocking everything.
As if to remind us that not even the slightest trace of the lovely prince remains, he now appears terrifyingly cruel.
"Oh? There was a passenger."
I was startled and sprang up from my slumped upper body. I hadn't sensed any presence at all, but I heard a man's voice from nearby.
"That famous foreign Princess? Is that right?"
The surprising thing was that Rood didn't take him too seriously.
'So I'm famous. I guess I'm quite a hot potato in this imperial palace.'
Rood let out a grunt of displeasure as he saw the opponent approaching with only his head raised. I craned my neck from my seated position to look at the tall man.
"... Who are you?"
He was a handsome man whose short purple hair and mysterious jade-colored eyes were the first things to catch the eye.
Compared to his slightly raised eyebrows, his eyes were very droopy, and perhaps due to a mole under his left eye, despite his languid impression, he looked strangely ill-tempered.
"Oscar Bellic, please feel free to call me Oscar. Ah, would you feel more at ease if you called me the Vice-Commander of the Imperial Knights?"
I scanned his face gently, then realized belatedly that he was wearing a knight's uniform.
'Isn't the vice commander a high-ranking person?'
I fidgeted slightly, hesitating for a moment as to whether I should stand up and show my respect. Oscar then lightly pressed my shoulder and smiled, as if telling me to just stay seated.
"If you are getting up because of me, I apologize, but could you please stay seated a little longer? I will make sure not to disturb your rest."
To be honest, you yourself are a hindrance...
I pressed myself close to Rood, giving him a wary look.
"I was at the border on the day I was escorting the Princess, so I could not see you. I had been wanting to meet you anyway, and now we finally meet."
I looked at Oscar, who was smiling at me with his eyes, with wonder.
The more he spoke, the more I felt like he seemed more like a playboy than a knight. On the surface, he appeared calm and indifferent, but his personality seemed rather sly and sociable.
'No, rather than saying he's sociable, I guess you could say he's a bit of a maverick...'
Oscar said he wouldn't disturb me, but he plopped down a short distance away from me and continued speaking. It was a natural action, flowing like water.
"By the way, how did you become close? The dog isn't usually that well-behaved."
Leaning his head comfortably against the tree, he turned his head toward me and lowered his gaze to Rood.
"I think he likes me. Thankfully, he followed my lead well."
"Oh, is that so? He isn't the type to cling to His Majesty like that; anyone watching would think he is a wolf raised by the Princess."
It’s not wrong. Feeling a bit guilty for no reason, I smiled awkwardly and rolled my eyes.
"Ahaha, I see..."
No matter how I looked at it, he didn't seem like he was going to leave anytime soon, so I started wondering if I should just slip away first. I stroked Rood's fur and pretended to look into the distance, trying hard to avert my gaze from his stinging eyes.
"Damn it, you bothered following me all the way here."
But suddenly, Oscar blurted out something completely out of the blue. Startled, I glanced at him and saw his face furrowed as he looked somewhere to the side.
"Lord Oscar."
A man approached the tree and spoke. Perhaps because I was hidden from view by the tree, the man immediately told Oscar what he wanted.
"Seeing you resting leisurely here, you certainly seem perfectly suited for the mission."
"What are you talking about? I'm super busy."
Oscar, who looked more idle than anyone, replied seriously. The other person, as if accustomed to Oscar's audacity, paid no heed and simply said what they wanted to say.
"Starting tomorrow, please provide a personal escort for Princess Elisha from Ashtad."
...Of all people, it has to be me.
I awkwardly rubbed my cheek. I was unsure how to react.
Should I reveal that I am here, or should I keep my breath held like now?
Hmm, but anyway, since I'm curious...
'Shall we wait and see how Sir Oscar reacts for now?'
I stared at Oscar silently. He expressed his dissatisfaction without hesitation, as if he didn't particularly care if I heard it.
“I don’t like it.”
"You have to do it even if you don't want to."
"Have you ever seen me fighting while protecting someone?"
It was absurdly nonsensical and arrogant for a knight's answer.
"I have seen plenty of people taking the lead in killing."
"But why are you making me do this when you already know?"
"I told Sir Oscar that the strongest, smartest, and quickest-witted person would be the right fit, but."
As if anticipating Oscar's refusal, the other person responded fluently and without hesitation. However, with him saying no so firmly, there was no way perfunctory praise would work...
"...That is true."
It totally worked.
"Come to think of it, you have a point. I am sure there is someone who could do a better job than you."
"No, that's totally my business."
"No. I will look for an even more elite knight."
"No, it won't come out. Because I'm the most elite."
“Are you sure?”
"Of course."
"Oh, dear. Then I understand that Sir Oscar, the most elite of Podia, will serve as Princess Elisha's bodyguard."
"Good. Excellent judgment... Huh? Wait, what did you say?"
"You may report to the Crown Prince's Palace starting tomorrow. For your information, this is by His Majesty's order."
The other person put the perfect period at Oscar, who had a look on his face that said, 'This isn't right.' I chuckled, wondering if the banter was finally over.
Whoever it is, they know how to perfectly tame Oscar. They're really toying with him.
"...Haha, should I kill him?"
Oscar let out a sinister laugh, as if he shared the same thought as me.
"Oh dear, I have too much work to do right now, so I won't be able to. If I feel like dying, I will ask you separately then."
"I suppose I should hope he dies of overwork, befitting an aide."
Huh? If you mean an aide, Wagen? I remembered the handsome guy who was mediating the situation in Ashtad in his own way.
"It’s not what I want to hear from you, Sor, who is left with nothing but instinct, but I still don’t understand what the difference is between you and the wolf lying over there."
"I'm better than you, a snake. Reptiles are disgusting, you know."
It was around the time I was getting sick of their childishness, wondering if this was really a conversation between high-ranking officials of a country.
"Princess Elisha."
Suddenly, Wagen called out to me. I don't know how long he knew I was there, but he approached naturally and greeted me.
With slightly widened eyes, I looked up at him, who was smiling politely with a beautiful face.
"As you have heard, Sir Oscar Bellick will be in charge of the Princess's escort starting tomorrow. For your information, his only intention in refusing the mission was his discomfort with the escort duties themselves; he harbors absolutely no ill will toward the Princess, so I ask for your understanding."
I was so engrossed in listening to their ridiculous conversation that I didn't even have time to misunderstand.
"Yes. I don't misunderstand."
I answered with a faint smile. For a moment, I thought I saw a strange look on Wagen, but it was so fleeting that I couldn't be sure if I had seen it correctly.
"However, I heard that you are skilled at handling wolves, and seeing you now, it seems those rumors were not exaggerated. I was worried because he would bite anyone he encountered while wandering around without His Majesty, but thanks to you, Princess, the amount of work I have to do to clean up corpses has decreased lately."
“Ah, a corpse?”
Could it be our Rood? He was very wary of people, but he never harmed anyone...
Wagen stared at me for a moment as I recoiled in shock, then gently curved his eyes.
"I'm joking. Do you really think that wolf would kill a person?"
"Phew, I knew it, right?"
A sigh of relief mixed in. I met Rood's dark eyes, which were sparkling gently, and softly stroked his hair.
"...Did you perhaps come here because you were deceived by our empire?"
I looked up at a very faint whispering voice. Oscar, who had been whispering close to Wagen, abruptly pulled away as soon as I raised my head.
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