Ch.6161. Adelheid Aisilia (3)

“You say you have something to talk about.

What could there possibly be to discuss with someone I’ve just met today?

I quickly bowed my head so deeply that my crown was visible, trying my best to suppress the waves of anxiety in my heart.

When a princess of the kingdom personally comes to see you and speaks to you.

If someone like me, a lowborn, were to face her with my head held high, it wouldn’t be strange if my head were cut off right then and there.

“I am honored to be in the presence of the esteemed Princess of the Kingdom of Aicilia.”

Fortunately, she seemed pleased with my prompt greeting and nodded.

“Raise your head.”

“How could I dare to raise my head before Your Highness?”

“Must I tell you twice?”

“…I am grateful for your consideration.”

As I raised my head, she examined me slowly just as she had when she first entered the banquet hall.

And once again.

Adelheid stared at me intently through narrowed eyes while stroking her angular jaw.

“Hmm…”

After letting out a sound of dissatisfaction and curiosity, she opened her narrowed eyes.

Adelheid lowered the hand that had been stroking her jaw and crossed her arms.

While this is something the men here pay no attention to at all.

Her posture emphasized her voluminous chest, making it rather uncomfortable for me to face her directly.

She asked leisurely:

“What is your name?”

“…I am called Ray.”

“Ray… judging by the lack of a surname, you don’t seem to be of noble birth. How were you able to enter this place?”

“I was able to enter thanks to my position as a servant of the County of Sianella and Master Ainel’s consideration.”

“I see, a servant… so you rose to the position of servant from a commoner’s status?”

I carefully shook my head.

“…I am not a commoner.”

“If not a commoner, are you saying you’re a lowborn?”

Adelheid tilted her head at my confession of being neither noble nor commoner.

Softly.

Her beautiful hair flowed down with the movement of her head.

“…My status is that of a slave and personal servant to Sione Sianella, the second daughter of the County of Sianella.”

“Hmm.”

I worried she might look at me with contempt like a rotten fish eye upon hearing I was a lowborn slave.

But she faced me with an even deeper and more intense amethyst-like beautiful and mysterious light.

“I thought the only person in this world I couldn’t read was the Emperor of the Empire.”

She began to mutter words that made no sense to me.

“That my eyes couldn’t see through a quasi-noble or commoner hidden behind a veil is one thing, but to fail to see through a mere lowborn is truly mysterious. At this rate—”

One corner of her emotionless lips curled up slightly.

“I wonder if you’re even from this world.”

Her words about doubting if I was from this world jolted me to full alertness.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“How much do you know about our Royal House of Aicilia?”

Shamefully, I don’t know much about the ancient history of the royal family or the legends associated with it.

Having lived as a slave all my life, how could my original master have been so generous as to let me read fairy tales about the kingdom’s history?

Or listen to the lyrics of minstrels singing praises of the royal family?

“I apologize… I only know of the holiness and greatness of the Kingdom of Aicilia, which was established after driving out the demons in the past, but I don’t know much about the royal family itself.”

“Then allow me to explain briefly.”

Adelheid raised her chin and continued.

“The royal family inherited the blood of dragons, and although we are said to be a diluted version, we inherited the power of dragons. These purple eyes are a privilege granted only to noble dragons.”

“Ah…”

“Moreover, thanks to atavism, I have…”

She stroked her hair.

“Even my hair is dyed purple. While my eyes are normally like others’… if I wish, I can fully utilize the power of the dragon’s eyes.”

Adelheid’s pupils changed.

From human to lizard-like. A faint blue light emanated from her vertically slit pupils.

Adelheid began to speak in a whisper so quiet that only she and I could hear.

“Indeed, even when I use my power to its fullest extent, I cannot read anything from you.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s absurd that a mere lowborn could evade the power of discernment imbued in a dragon’s eyes. So I ask you here and now.”

The princess’s calm, hostile voice penetrated my ears.

“Ray, male slave of Sianella. Reveal your identity.”

I couldn’t respond carelessly to Adelheid’s words.

There are a few things that come to mind as to why I can’t be read by her dragon eyes.

But even if I were to explain those things in detail.

Would this princess actually believe me?

That I was a Hunter on Earth who died in a Dungeon, only to fall into a strange world where gender roles are reversed.

And that this world is the ancient form of a world inside a dungeon that has already been destroyed.

And that I need to raise that silly daughter of the Count’s family, not the great princess, to save the world.

Honestly, it would sound more plausible if someone said a goblin suddenly contorted its body, went berserk, and evolved into an ogre.

Seeing that I couldn’t easily open my mouth, Adelheid snorted as if she had expected it.

“Not answering my question is quite rude. Well, your silence confirms that you’re definitely hiding something.”

The blue light disappeared, and Adelheid’s pupils returned to human form.

“…You will have a private audience with me after my coming-of-age ceremony is over.”

I’m doomed.

A private audience with a princess of the kingdom. And one who harbors deep suspicions about my true identity.

My head is already throbbing.

As much as I’d like to firmly refuse.

How could I, who can’t even casually refuse Sione, the most approachable person, possibly reject the princess’s words?

“…I understand.”

In the end, I agreed to the private audience with the princess.

Since she’s a princess… it should be easy for Ainel or Sione to get me out of it.

“Then I’ll see you then.”

I could only bow my head silently in response.

With those final words, the princess immediately went to join the heated discussion between Sione and Feira.

Then she extracted Feira and headed toward Yulia Feiosha.

It seems she had separate matters to discuss with the people of the Marquisate of Feiosha.

Apparently, Adelheid finished her conversation with me while also taking the opportunity to pull Feira away.

It seems that while I was drained from my encounter with the princess, Sione and Noah were also drained, as both looked visibly tired.

But why?

‘Why is he smiling again…?’

Noah must have had some serious misunderstanding again, as he was secretly smiling when Sione wasn’t looking.

That wasn’t all.

[Quest completed.]

[Sione Sianella’s growth rate will accelerate further.]

What on earth happened?

Even the quest to restore the strained relationship with Noah was completed.

I wonder what my master said during that tense atmosphere with Feira that even completed the quest.

As I was blankly staring at the status window, Noah hurriedly returned to his mother’s side.

His steps seemed particularly light, like someone who had shed a burden, so it seems the quest was definitely completed.

‘I don’t even know anymore.’

Let whatever happens happen.

I’m already exhausted just from the conversation with the princess.

At least for now, I don’t want to think about the quest, so I cleared my mind and approached Sione.

“How did your conversation go?”

“…Ray.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to go back to my room…”

Sione looked up at me, crumpled like a rain-soaked small animal, apparently worn out.

Although I was also completely drained and wanted to return to the room as Sione suggested.

In the end, I firmly shook my head.

“Lady Aria Allenar and Lady Leona Lephelia are still here. Please hold on a little longer.”

“Right, that’s true…”

“If you really can’t find the strength, remember the bet you made with me.”

“Ah, the bet.”

Recalling the bet she had made with me, Sione, who had been limp, straightened her posture again.

I spoke to Sione, who had regained her motivation.

“Then please speak with Lady Leona Lephelia first. In the meantime, I’ll look for an opportunity to… deliver a message to Lady Aria Allenar.”

“What…? Deliver a message? What do you mean?”

I inwardly sighed at Sione’s question.

“…Lady Siabel Sianella personally ordered me to deliver her message to Lady Aria Allenar.”

It was what Siabel had asked of me while lying in her sickbed before we came to the capital.

I plan to quickly deliver Siabel’s message now that Aria Allenar is alone sipping wine.

-If you don’t want to incur Aria’s hatred, it would be better to relay exactly what I said without the slightest deviation.

I stroked my neck, remembering the words she had whispered in my ear.

…I pray I won’t lose my head for blasphemy.