episode_0017

“Delua. Could you tell one of the maids to prepare some water for washing?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, no. Let’s go together.”

My one and only escort.

I didn’t want to be away from him for even a moment.

At least for today.

“But, aren’t you washing?”

“I… mean?”

“You need to wash too?”

“Oh, I’ll take care of it.”

I thought for a moment.

“Um… Then shall we wash together?”

“Yes? But there are many eyes watching in the palace…”

“Ah, so it doesn’t matter as long as no one is watching?”

“That’s not it! Even if I’m a knight escort, how can a man and a woman be together…”

I guess he got used to me and his reactions became more toxic.

But it’s funny how he looks so flustered that he doesn’t realize that I’m joking.

Anyway, he’s a guy who’s fun to tease.

‘It’s fortunate that this guy is by my side…’

If I were alone, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight.

Having him by my side is my only comfort.

The chances that the Angelica guy who attacked me at the Academy is the one who killed Adrian are slim.

Rather, it seemed like this was the first time he had been targeted in this way.

‘It looks like there are a few colleagues too…’

That means there isn’t just one being targeting me right now.

Perhaps, like Angelica, there is also a possibility that the real culprit is not an individual but a group.

‘ha…’

My head really hurts.

In times like these, you need to relieve stress by cooling off.

“But, is it really not possible?”

“You can’t do that!”

A small bathroom in the annex.

In the end, I had no choice but to go in alone.

‘Ugh… But how long has it been since then…’

While I was washing, Deloitte watched the net at the door.

‘Ha… Still, it’s a bit of a shame?’

I was so sad about washing alone that I decided to try to move his heart again.

“Excuse me, Delua. Come in and give me a back rub?”

I opened the door slightly without wearing anything.

“Huh? Who?”

Someone was standing next to her.

Judging by the fact that he was wearing the same outfit as the guy, he must have been one of the queen’s guards that I saw the day before yesterday.

“Mama sent it.”

“Why? What’s going on at this hour?”

If it’s a contract for sponsorship, it’s already been signed.

And they even made a pledge to keep it a secret.

“…Mama told me to tell this to Floyd.”

“What is this?”

No matter what the guy was thinking when he saw me, I thought it was urgent so I handed him the letter and opened it while still naked.

[Adrian Floyd. I feel sorry for you. I was so flustered yesterday that I didn’t think about it. I need a reason to send you to Pelotte Estate. So I had no choice…]

To summarize the content, it is as follows.

If you want to send me to Pelot suddenly, you must give a proper reason to the king and officials.

However, it can be seen as a truly enormous demotion for a young elite who has risen to the position of court tutor to become an instructor at a local knight training school.

Even if it is the queen’s order, there needs to be a just cause to demote a nobleman who has risen to a central government position, and as it happens, there are negative rumors about him circulating in the palace.

The main point was that they were going to use that rumor as an excuse to frame me and demote me.

What I mean is this.

You’re telling me to become a criminal who assaulted a princess.

‘What the fuck…’

The one line of apology at the beginning was just for show, this was more like the queen’s order to just shut up and follow.

‘Sponsor’s ass…’

I don’t like it.

I absolutely hate it.

The crime of assaulting the princess.

Wouldn’t that level of crime usually be punishable by death?

No, okay, whatever.

Let’s say it’s not the death penalty, but as the queen said.

Even if you somehow manage to get to the Pelot Knights’ Training School, who on earth would listen to the words of the instructor who assaulted the princess and got demoted?

If this happens, my big dreams of starting a new life will all be shattered.

So I want to run and ask right now…

‘What the fuck!’

It really annoys me that this is not a false accusation but the truth.

‘Because of that piece of trash, Adrian…’

My precious second life was going terribly wrong from the start.

[…Let’s talk about the details when we meet at dawn. Leave quietly through the back door so that no one notices. Leave the guidance to Delua. Oh, and burn this letter as soon as you see it.]

I had already wanted to confront you in person, but our queen knew my feelings so well that she even suggested that we meet in person first in the last line of her letter.

Wow, how can you be so kind?

“Delua.”

“Yes!”

“Burn it.”

“Yes?”

“Burn it before anyone sees it. Your mother.”

“Ah… Okay, I understand.”

A flame rose above Delua’s hand, hot and intense enough to brighten up the surroundings, though it was nothing compared to the passionate color of her hair.

-Whoooosh!

It wasn’t even some kind of oiled paper, but the letter the queen had sent turned pitch-black in the blink of an eye and disappeared into the air.

“Did I lie or something? If you tell me to burn it, just burn it. Why are you looking at that woman’s face?”

“That’s not it…”

“Okay. You’re hurt, so go wash up. Because I’m vibrating inside your body.”

“Yes? But I’m an escort…”

Delua lifts her shoulder with a flushed face to check her own scent.

“Hey you. Go wash up, can you change for a bit?”

“……”

“This guy hasn’t slept since yesterday. Let’s give him a little break. Are you going to keep him awake for 48 hours straight without any shift changes?”

“Delua. I’ll stay here instead, so you go to the captain and report this matter, then go wash up.”

“Oh, no. I have a mission…”

“It’s an order.”

“But…”

“Didn’t you hear? And now you. You’re so annoying. You stink…”

Delua eventually couldn’t stand the embarrassment and ran out in an instant.

‘Oh, I feel sorry for no reason…’

It was all because of that damn Adrian, and it ended up looking like I took my anger out on him for nothing.

Well… it’s true that it smells.

‘But if we’re going to stay together all night, we have to wash up…’

* * *

“Did you call?”

“I was waiting anyway.”

It’s past midnight.

I was able to reach the queen’s quarters using a secret passage with Delua.

Gossip is a luxury.

Let’s get straight to the point.

Although I didn’t show it much, I’m human too, so I raised my voice a bit as I explained my position.

So the queen must have been fully aware of my feelings.

“That’s not wrong.”

“Yes. In order to complete the etiquette education method, the other person’s consent is essential. If I, a new instructor from a foreign land, were to be falsely accused of assaulting a princess…who would believe me, follow me, and acknowledge me?”

“I guess so.”

“Haoni Mama. Please go in a different direction…”

“I understand your concerns, but it’s already been decided. If you don’t come up with a suitable alternative right now, I can’t do anything about it. I’ve already notified the manager, and tomorrow, when the sun rises, the matter will be dealt with quietly and quickly because it is a matter of fact.”

I sigh.

You’ve already filed the case, and the limit is until sunrise.

This queen is uselessly quick at handling things.

‘As an alternative… Can’t you figure out something like that yourself? If you’re going to send me back to my hometown to exploit me…’

I had been thinking about it for hours before coming here anyway.

But no suitable idea came to mind.

That makes sense, because no matter what, you have to be convicted to some extent to be demoted.

You have to be good at tightrope walking, but isn’t it something that can’t be called assault or something like eating a princess?

“Don’t worry. I told the manager that there are rumors and suspicions that you assaulted Purua, but I have no evidence. However, as the biological mother of Princess Purua, I cannot just leave you alone. So I will send you to the knight training school run by my uncle in the territory ruled by my father, and I will monitor you and test you. ”

If you say it like this, I’ll be left speechless.

‘It’s true that I even assaulted him…’

“I’m not too happy about you being falsely accused either, but this is the only way for now. I’ll explain it to your father and uncle thoroughly, so don’t worry too much.”

okay.

That statement is also true.

Pelot is a land ruled by the Marquis of Prominence, the queen’s father. Since it is not a direct fief of the king, if the queen gives it the proper push in advance, it may be possible to live a more comfortable life than expected.

‘ha…’

You came to persuade me, but I ended up being persuaded.

‘I haven’t seen Queen Emilia like that, but is she smarter than I thought?’

-Sharararang!

It was a moment where I had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Suddenly a clear mobile collision sound was heard.

‘Is it windy inside the building?’

As I was thinking so simply, the queen’s expression changed in various ways in those few seconds.

From surprise to anxiety.

From joy and ecstasy to anger again.

Then, in confusion.

She looked at me one last time and let out an annoyed voice.

“Get out of here quickly. His Majesty has arrived.”

“Yes?”

What the heck is this absurd talk all of a sudden?

Before I could even come to my senses, I was being pushed from behind by Delua and pushed towards the entrance.

“Stop pushing me, Delua. I’ll go on my own two feet.”

But my wish could not come true.

The queen’s knights suddenly barged in, panting.

“Mama. His Majesty has already entered the hallway!”

“What?”

The queen looked embarrassed and grabbed my arm.

“Don’t ever let anyone know you’re here… If you get caught, you have to remember that the only thing you’ll get is death.”

The queen, biting her lips as if she was nervous, pushed me into her bedroom.

Even Delua, who is trying to use me as a surveillance station.

And after a while, a thick man’s voice began to be heard from beyond the thin door.

“Emilia. Are you finally ready to make a move?”

“Your Majesty. What are you doing here at this hour…”

“Hahaha. Are you trying to pretend not to know me? Since you already know everything, you should stop doing things that don’t suit you. More importantly, are you after Floyd?”

My name suddenly came out of the mouth of the king whose face I didn’t even know.

My heart started pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst.