Ch.167Chapter 167: The Princess’s Observation Diary (1)

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Though not an invited guest.

Somehow accepted as a guest and spending time mingling with the original attendees.

The Imperial Princess, Lucius Bright Solarium, looked around the compartment that had fallen into silence as time passed.

“Mmm…”

It was merely a murmur, but the sound she made was so beautiful that anyone who heard it would find it pleasing.

“Mmmn…”

After stretching lightly, she looked around once more.

The compartment was extremely quiet, to the point where no one showed any distinct reaction to her movements.

When the train first departed.

The atmosphere in the compartment had been somewhat awkward.

Due to her unexpected presence and that of her knight escort.

But thanks to the efforts of her friend who had welcomed her after she boarded.

The mood had changed to one of warmth and friendliness.

She had lost track of time while chatting pleasantly with those sitting across from her.

As time passed, one by one, people succumbed to fatigue and leaned back in their seats to sleep.

And so the silence had naturally fallen.

Screeeech-!!

Occasionally, the friction of iron wheels could be heard as the train applied its brakes while passing over curved sections of rail, and.

“…”

Beside her, her friend who had fallen asleep with eyes closed while maintaining an upright posture.

Huff- Huff-

Across from her, the young noblewoman of her age who had fallen asleep with even breathing, and.

The friend’s younger brother who was using one arm to.

Visibly tenderly embrace the young woman while remaining still.

Whoo- Whoo-

…His breathing, though suspiciously regular for someone asleep, was nonetheless very even and rhythmic.

And then, the younger brother’s friend who had fallen asleep while gazing out the window from a distance.

“Your Highness, wouldn’t it be better for Your Highness to get some rest as well?”

Finally, if not for the kind voice of the shadow suggesting she rest like the others in the compartment.

The compartment was so quiet that she might have thought she was alone in this space.

Perhaps if the Imperial Princess, one of only two people still awake in this compartment, had fallen asleep, the shadow would not have spoken, and it would have been truly quiet.

Imperial Princess Lucius Bright Solarium turned her head toward the shadow who had broken the compartment’s silence with sincere concern and advice.

“I’m fine. I’m perfectly energetic with just four hours of sleep a day.”

With a gentle smile she had never shown when serving the Crown Prince in disguise at the palace.

“Rather than me, Wibel, you must be more tired, so please sit down and get some rest.”

She urged the shadow who had been working tirelessly day and night to attend to her to take a rest.

Whether it was the shadow or its master.

The atmosphere emanating from the two people urging each other to rest was far from the businesslike formality of a typical master-servant relationship, but rather filled with warmth.

Of course, when receiving such an honorable suggestion from one’s master, the proper attitude for a subordinate would be to at least pretend to reluctantly accept it.

“If Your Highness would rest first, then this Wibel could also sleep comfortably.”

The shadow’s attitude in refusing the offered rest was firm, but.

“Isn’t this why His Highness the Crown Prince, concerned about Your Highness’s tendency to neglect your own well-being, granted this vacation? This Wibel would feel worthy of the Crown Prince’s trust only if I see Your Highness get at least some rest.”

Yet he did not forget the kindness of considering the feelings of the one listening to his words.

“Hehe.”

A smile bloomed on Lucius’s lips upon hearing the shadow’s words.

“Thank you, Wibel.”

She was expressing sincere gratitude to her shadow without reservation.

This was the gratitude she rightfully needed to express.

While buried under piles of documents flying in from all corners of the vast continental empire, with dozens to hundreds of matters to handle each day.

Her shadow, who suffered even more than she did while attending to her as she neglected her own body to tend to state affairs.

Yet this shadow was worried about his master who was working relatively comfortably thanks to him.

As the one in the position of master.

She should not be stingy in showing gratitude to such a shadow.

This was the natural recognition embedded in Lucius’s mind.

“I’ll just look around a bit more and then get some rest. So relax and rest assured. There’s no safer place than here.”

Once more.

Lucius urged this shadow, who considered even the word “proper rest” a luxury while protecting her, to rest, giving a reasonable explanation.

And from the lips of the shadow, Wibel, who read the earnest expression on the Imperial Princess’s face.

“…When Your Highness puts it that way, this Wibel doesn’t know what to do.”

Came words revealing that he could not ignore his master’s earnest request.

Hearing this, Lucius seemed to seize the opportunity.

“That spacious seat over there would be suitable for you to rest, so hurry and sit there to get some rest.”

She gestured toward a seat where he could sit and rest.

“…I am grateful for such excessive kindness.”

The shadow, who had been standing at attention right next to where she sat except for just after the train’s departure, finally moved toward the resting place with extreme courtesy to his master.

“Hehe.”

A smile similar to the one before bloomed on Lucius’s lips as she watched Wibel’s back as he moved carefully, as if afraid to make even a footstep sound.

Though slow due to his careful movements.

Finally, her shadow, Wibel, sat down in the seat and maintained a respectful posture.

“…”

And fell asleep in a manner similar to her friend beside her.

If not for the black mask covering his face, which didn’t even reflect light.

And his faint breathing that would be imperceptible unless heard up close.

No one would know he was asleep.

Except for herself, who had often seen him sleeping like this.

“Sleep well…”

A voice filled with affection came from Lucius’s lips as she saw Wibel enter a complete state of sleep.

“Thank you for always caring for me and neglecting yourself, my dear one.”

She was conveying her sincere feelings, inaudible to others, to the man who was simply called her shadow.

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And so, the action taken by the Imperial Princess, the only one awake in the compartment, was as follows.

Despite having told her shadow that she would go to sleep right away.

“…”

Without a word.

She was observing the couple sleeping across from her.

When the two were still awake earlier.

Toward the couple who had shown only tenderness regardless of her gaze.

She had only displayed curiosity on the surface of her face.

But now, the Imperial Princess, no longer needing to be conscious of surrounding gazes.

In her gaze as she looked at the sleeping couple across from her, there was something different from mere curiosity.

How should one express it?

It was difficult to define anything from her silent gaze as she simply looked across at them, but.

“So this person is…”

A Sacred Sword Wielder…

Judging from the small voice of the Imperial Princess that followed.

The Imperial Princess of the Empire seemed busy identifying future talent that would lead the next generation.

The observation did not last long.

The light in her beautiful golden eyes, which deserved all the praise they received, dimmed slightly.

“Indeed…”

It took less than a minute for the Imperial Princess to utter words indicating she had finished her observation.

What had she observed with those eyes to make even a faint admiration appear in her voice?

“So this is what it takes to be chosen by the Sacred Sword.”

From the words that came from the Imperial Princess’s mouth.

It seems she had been observing something that ordinary people could not see with her golden, shimmering eyes.

“To persevere on your own path without breaking or shattering despite the frustration of talent that showed no signs of blooming… truly admirable.”

Though she couldn’t have heard it from anyone.

From Imperial Princess Lucius’s mouth came a soft appreciation of Lillian Shiz’s life journey, as if she could vividly see the traces of the life this woman had lived until this day and time.

How was such a thing possible?

It was because of the golden light that, though dimmed now, still shimmered in her eyes.

Golden eyes.

Along with the special ability called True Words or Word Spirit that she was born with.

She was able to perform this miracle because she exercised another ability to read the past of people who were defenseless in their sleep.

Though she had never met her directly.

Ever since hearing the news that the eldest daughter of House Proxian, one of the oldest families supporting the Empire, had been chosen by the Sacred Sword that had not appeared for a long, long time.

She had wanted to read her past if they ever met.

The memories weren’t all bright and hopeful.

Though born with talent for wielding a sword.

Despite feeling the crisis of falling behind due to a strange inability to awaken her special talent.

The memories revealed her unwavering determination to walk the path she believed in.

And her struggle to steady her wavering heart despite these challenges.

But throughout reading these fragmentary memories of Lillian Shiz, one sentiment remained in Lucius’s mind.

“Truly admirable. Really.”

It was respect for someone who had achieved her current success without yielding despite having every reason to waver.

In fact, when she first met Lillian Shiz.

The Imperial Princess had doubted whether this girl of her age was truly a Sacred Sword Wielder chosen by the Sacred Sword.

From the heroic tales of the Great Holy War a thousand years ago that the Imperial Princess had enjoyed reading since childhood.

For someone wielding the same Sacred Sword that the great hero had brandished to bring the miracle of victory to humanity.

-Hehe.

-Just being with the sword makes me happy.

-The train’s speed makes the scenery change so quickly, which is amazing but a bit disappointing… Oh, why do I think that? Well, if we go too fast, it feels like the time I get to spend with Kal like this gets shorter…

She had only seen the image of a girl hopelessly in love with the man beside her.

The reason she had used the power residing in her eyes, which placed some burden on her body even if not severe, was to satisfy her curiosity about Lillian Shiz’s true nature.

Of course, she didn’t dislike the way Lillian Shiz had acted before falling asleep across from her.

Though it was difficult to express.

Because she herself always harbored the impulse to act spoiled like that with the person who made her heart feel at ease just by being together.

As her thoughts reached that point, the Imperial Princess’s mind was again filled with the image of the bare face of her precious person, whom she had never seen without his mask.

“Ahem.”

After deliberately clearing her throat to dispel such idle thoughts, the Imperial Princess said.

“I’ve seen well. Your past, it’s truly admirable.”

Words of praise came for Lillian Shiz, who had inspired even slight admiration in her.

And now the Imperial Princess’s gaze was fixed not on Lillian Shiz.

But on the man who was preciously caring for Lillian Shiz seated beside him even while asleep.

The golden light in her eyes, which had slightly dimmed, now shimmered brightly.

Just as she had read Lillian Shiz’s fragmentary memories and inferred the life she had led.

The Imperial Princess decided to read the memories of this man who had occupied a significant portion of Lillian Shiz’s fragmentary memories.

Just in case.

Though it seemed unlikely from her observations when boarding the train.

If this man was unsuitable to be beside the Sacred Sword Wielder.

For the sake of the Sacred Sword Wielder who would be needed to overcome the great crisis that might come.

She had taken this action out of concern that she might need to separate this man from the Sacred Sword Wielder.

She knew.

That reading someone else’s memories without permission was an extremely rude act.

That’s why she had imposed a restriction on herself to read only the memories that flowed unconsciously when people were asleep.

But this time, she felt she needed to commit this rudeness knowingly.

“Haa…”

With a light sigh, the Imperial Princess’s gaze, with its golden light shimmering more intensely, was completely fixed on Kal.

After reading all the fragmentary memories emanating from Kal’s unconscious in what seemed like an instant, from Lucius’s lips came.

“…I really did something unnecessary.”

A lament filled with indescribable embarrassment.

Making her worry about him being unsuitable seem foolish.

Most of the memories flowing from the unconscious of the man tenderly caring for the Sacred Sword Wielder sleeping beside him.

“…This is embarrassing even for me to watch.”

Were filled only with affection for the Sacred Sword Wielder, Lillian Shiz.

“This is completely different from what I heard from Iriana…”

Around that time, a voice filled with confusion came from the Imperial Princess’s lips about the man’s demeanor being completely different from what she had heard from her friend.