episode_0022

“Is, is it time?”

The princess’s bold proposal.

At that proposal, a chill ran down my spine.

Lea smiled slyly and rested her hand on the table.

Then, with a twisted expression, she asked softly, “Why, are you afraid to talk with me alone?”

She made such an obvious remark so nonchalantly.

Which knight would dare to confront the princess alone?

“No, why would I be afraid of conversing with you alone when there’s someone I must protect?”

“Oh, does that mean you want to protect me?”

With her words, the royal room fell silent.

The other two princesses stared intently at me.

“Unfortunately, I am dedicated to my country. It seems challenging to serve only one princess.”

I forced a smile.

Then, pointing to Lea’s guards with her palm, she calmly said, “Besides, haven’t you already gathered many excellent knights under your command?”

While praising, she also declined.

In response to her flexibility, Lea raised a faint smile as if surprised.

“I heard you were of common birth, but your way of speaking is hardly different from nobility.”

I raised the corner of my mouth following her lead.

Of course, I spent five years exclusively in the royal palace in my past life.

“Yes, I already have many outstanding knights by my side.”

Lea picked up a teacup.

She began to pour sugar into it.

“But…”

A lot.

“The more troops, the better, right?”

A whole lot.

Soon, a sweet aroma wafted from the teacup.

Lea closed her eyes halfway and savored the scent slowly.

“Don’t you think so?”

I pressed my lips tightly at her question.

The first princess, Lea.

Twenty-four this year.

Like a seasoned strategist who has won numerous political battles, she didn’t utter a word of support.

Seeing her like that, I inwardly sighed deeply.

“Understood. I cannot go against the princess’s orders.”

With things as they were, I had no choice but to confront her head-on.

Regardless of the proposal, I would respond with a firm stance.

“Where should we go?”

Lea rose slowly from her seat.

Thanks to that, her full figure came into view.

Contrary to her usual gentle image, the princess was dressed elegantly in a sophisticated dress.

A white fabric that accentuated her figure.

With her mature appearance, she gestured towards the corridor.

“We have a reception room prepared; let’s talk there.”

I rose to follow her.

And glanced briefly at the other two princesses.

Anxious Irina.

She, too, wore an expression of not knowing Lea’s intentions.

The same goes for Lydia.

Arms crossed as if suspicious of the first princess, she had a blank expression.

“Vale, are you okay? If you want to refuse, just do it.”

“Yeah, who is she to take official knights with her?”

The two princesses glared at Lea as if she were a witch.

A repeated battle of wits.

Exhausted, I politely told them, “It’s fine; I’ll be back soon if you have any questions.”

An empty corridor.

Silent as if prearranged.

Lea strolled leisurely until she stopped in front of an elegant stone door.

“This way.”

The space looked suspicious at first glance.

Moreover, a strange scent emanated from within.

“Don’t worry; it’s just a simple reception room where magic is blocked.”

The door opened.

Inside, there was only a single desk and two chairs.

“A room for the nobles to gossip behind each other’s backs, perhaps?”

Lea chuckled lightly, covering her mouth with delicate hands.

As if she had frequented it herself.

“Understood.”

Once inside the room, it felt like magic was being blocked.

Still, there seemed to be no imminent threat.

The door closed.

In the end, I found myself locked in the secret chamber with the first princess.

“Well, while we’re here, let’s have another drink.”

Lea approached the table in the corner of the room.

And skillfully began to boil the kettle.

“Please sit; you must be curious why I called you here, right?”

With a restless heart, I sat on the chair.

The kettle began to bubble.

However, Lea did not turn off the heat.

She simply gazed at the steam rising from the kettle.

“Do you like the scent?”

“Yes… it’s a lovely fragrance, one I’ve never smelled before.”

Lea conjured steam with delicate fingers.

Then she fanned it out far and wide.

“My mother told me. In ancient times, there was a scent that enchanted the imperial prince.”

The Imperial Prince.

A nickname for the Emperor who was a Conqueror.

Could it really mean the scent that put him to sleep?

“My mother was known as the ‘Witch of the South.’ She was skilled in such scents and sorcery.”

Lea gathered her hair.

And began to tie it softly to one side.

Revealing a fair nape thanks to this.

There was a single black dot on that nape.

“So, my mother married the prince and protected Ekinah. Even though it’s a backward country.”

Lea lifted the teapot and approached me slowly.

Then she bowed and met my eyes.

“She was beautiful. Surprisingly so for a witch.”

An elegant dress.

A prominent chest due to the bow.

The scent of figs emanating from there.

The fragrance mixed with the smell of tea, making me dizzy.

“Thanks to her, I inherited similar talents as her daughter.”

I furrowed my brow.

Only as we drew closer did I realize the nature of this scent.

Silver Rose.

A magical herb used in confession spells.

“How could a princess use this…?”

“You’re starting to catch on, aren’t you?”

Lea, who had made me drowsy, came closer.

Her tone towards me had changed imperceptibly.

“Did you think you could disrupt my duel and safely leave the party?”

It had been a long time since the noble princess disappeared.

She spoke to me like a queen with a sensual face.

“It’s useless to struggle. My guards surround this room already.”

Lea flipped her hair over her ear.

This caused an even stronger fragrance to emanate from her.

“Now, Veil. Will you speak?”

The princess bent her knees to align with my eyes.

Pressing my cheek firmly with her finger, she asked,

“Why did you ruin the performance and interrupt my duel?”

I didn’t answer her question directly.

Instead, I pressed her gradually numbing finger deeply.

Until blood oozed from being pricked by my nail.

Soon, crimson blood started to drip from the torn thumb.

Thanks to this, the hypnotic effect gradually weakened.

“I did it because things were getting troublesome.”

A clear answer spoken in my right mind.

At my response, Lea’s lifeless pupils widened.

“What… Troublesome?”

“Yes, if my guests get hurt, it’s my responsibility as a knight.”

Lea clenched her jaw.

Eventually, seeming to understand, she nodded slowly.

“Why did you hide your identity as a Swordmaster?”

“I didn’t want to be involved with the royal family.”

Was it because I was nothing like the ambitious person she had imagined?

Lea found herself speechless.

“W-why didn’t you want to be involved?”

“I thought it would lead to troublesome matters.”

With each repetition of ‘troublesome,’ tears welled up beneath Lea’s eyes.

No one had ever rejected her for such trivial reasons.

“Wait, so you refused me at the appointment ceremony just because it was troublesome?”

Lea’s tied-back hair bristled.

A stern face she rarely showed.

Her lips almost twitched on that face.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have to ask this time!”

“Understood.”

As things didn’t go as planned, Lea’s pale face flushed red.

“Was the, the sedative weak? I followed Mom’s recipe exactly…”

Her reddened lips.

They seemed to exude a faint rose scent.

“Well, it’s… just ambition. If you nurture it little by little, it’ll grow…”

The princess lowered my face soon after.

Then, decisively, she said,

“Alright… then here’s my final command.”

Is this where her true intentions surface?

I swallowed deeply as she gazed at me intently.

Would she compel me to follow her?

Or perhaps tell me to leave the palace if I became a nuisance.

For Lea, those who don’t follow her are thorns in her side.

Soon, her red lips parted.

Like she was looking at herself in a mirror, she asked me.

“By any chance… is there something bothering you?”

At the unexpected question, my eyebrows almost twitched.

What could be the intention behind this…?

Is this another elaborate scheme?

“Are you bothered by something?”

I asked sternly, as if under a trance.

In response, Leia covered her lips and cleared her throat.

“W-well. It’s just things that keep coming to mind or things that are annoying me.”

Leia stuttered nervously.

Is she trying to figure out which side I’m on among the royals?

Depending on my answer to this question, the princess’s attitude could change drastically.

As an enemy, or an ally.

Now it’s my turn to make a decision.

I blurred my voice as much as possible, pretending to be under hypnosis as I answered.

“Yes.”

Was that the answer she was looking for?

Only then did Leia smile faintly.

“Oh? And who might that be?”

The princess leaned in close, staring intently at me with her gunmetal blue eyes. She seemed confident of victory as she inquired.

“That would be…”

“That would be…?”

She asked confidently, expecting an answer.

Lydia too.

Not Irina.

Waiting for her name to come from my lips.

“Leia….”

The desired response.

Leia smiled widely like a young girl.

Then, she gently stroked my cheek as if handling an animal.

“Well, of course! I’m far superior to a half-breed and a border tribe.”

However, her touch soon abruptly stopped.

My words were not finished yet.

“The leather sofa… given by the princess.”

The sound of the boiling kettle ceased.

Gradually, the chamber fell silent as a tomb.

Leia’s already pale face turned even whiter.

Tremors ran beneath her eyes.

“S-so… you mean to say that the damn sofa I gave you is better than me?”

Leia’s face flushed crimson like my blood dripping from her fingertips.

Soon, she began to simmer like a boiling kettle.

“How dare this commoner mock a princess?”

The princess grabbed my collar.

“No, I really meant that the sofa…”

“Shut your mouth!”

The princess pushed me back into the chair she had been holding onto.

As a result, my body slumped weakly onto the seat.

“You dare waste the opportunity that came rolling towards you…”

The princess gripped a teacup firmly.

And unlike her noble demeanor, she drank it down boldly.

“Have you lost your mind from brandishing that sword all the time?”

Droplets of water fell onto her chest.

Enraged, Leia tightened her grip on her dress.

And without hesitation, she began to head for the exit.

“You’ve wasted my time, thinking of investing in such a foolish man!”

The clacking sound of the princess’s heels faded away.

Soon, she forcefully shut the door to the reception room.

“Your Highness, are you alright? Your complexion…”

“I’m fine, so quickly call the carriage. There’s no reason to stay here any longer.”

Perhaps due to her agitation, she couldn’t even compose herself outside.

She simply left the palace with brisk steps.

After her footsteps had completely disappeared.

I slowly opened my eyes.

And lightly brushed off the shirt Leia had grabbed.

“The scent is certainly strong.”

I looked down at my thumb.

Before I knew it, black droplets had formed on the wound.

The reason for the darkened droplets was simple.

Leia’s confession magic substance had been expelled along with them.

Having fought against the Crown Prince’s sorceress in the past, I was well aware of the countermeasures.

I flicked off the warm droplets with my finger.

And calmly returned to the banquet hall.

“The sofa was genuine though…”