Chapter 25
A Little Closer
The first reason I was ignorant of information was that I had only become an adult a few months ago. In the Kingdom of Lundra, minors were protected regardless of status or rank. Education was mandatory, and only carefully filtered information was given.
The second reason was my own will. As the firstborn and next to the crown prince, Shade, I didn’t want to be a younger sibling who seemed too interested in politics.
Shade was already lonely enough, and one day he would rise to the loneliest position in Lundra. I wanted to stay by his side simply as Shade’s family. I wanted to stay seated in the shadow behind him.
I thought that being thoroughly separated from the world was the most royal way for a royal who would not become the ruler—because in Lundra, before being a person, a royal was a symbol.
A princess who spoke of peace in the land, the kingdom’s safety, and love for its people—that was the image I had to show.
“They are our people of Lundra. Wherever they live, they must be just as happy as they would be in the kingdom. And meeting the wrong neighbors should never ruin their lives.”
My resolve to remain a symbol did not mean ignoring the kingdom’s people. I had always been curious about them, and what I learned today troubled me.
Sir Mathis and Sir Diego nodded quietly.
“Do they form groups or act in an organized way?”
“I’m not sure to that extent, Princess. My apologies.”
“There is no need for you to apologize, Sir Diego.”
Rather, it was fortunate that Sir Diego knew anything at all.
I wondered if the royal family of Lundra knew what Lundrans living in Owen were experiencing. This incident happened among commoners outside the border. The eyes and ears of the royal family and nobles might not have reached them. I would have to speak with Damon once he arrived in Owen.
Just as our conversation was wrapping up, a maid brought several dice. I thought we only needed one, but she had brought quite a lot.
“Diego, please teach us the game now. Young Master Mathis, you don’t mind playing, do you?”
“Of course not. It is an honor to play a game with the Princess.”
Watching Sir Diego roll the dice in his hand made me think of a fun little prank.
“I heard games are played with wagers.”
“We don’t always need to bet, Princess.”
Sir Diego replied.
“But I want the game to be a bit more exciting. How about it?”
“I cannot possibly place a wager with Your Highness.”
“Very well, Princess.”
Mathis and Diego answered at the same time. Sir Diego frowned slightly and shot a crooked glare at Sir Mathis.
“Princess, Leo is really no fun.”
“He sounds like an exemplary knight. But I’d still like to try betting. Will you endure it for me, Young Master Mathis?”
Since it was his own princess speaking, there was no way Sir Mathis could refuse. Perhaps this stubbornness was born from being raised as a princess.
“Endure? Not at all.”
“Splendid. The wager will be this: the losers must each grant one wish to the winner.”
Satisfied with getting my way, I smiled. I felt like a mischievous fairy from an old folktale, one who torments the brave hero.
Indeed, if an evil villain appeared, Sir Mathis would be the first to leap forward. I could almost picture him wearing a hero’s tunic and charging straight at the villain.
Sir Diego explained the rules of the dice game.
“It’s called ‘The Liar’s Dice.’ Because you must guess your opponent’s hand with very little information, both luck and deduction are necessary.”
And then—Sir Diego won every single round.
He won the first round so easily that Sir Mathis protested, saying Sir Diego was too familiar with the game. Sir Diego conceded, calling the first round practice.
Then the second round, the third, and the ones after—Sir Diego alone kept winning. Sir Mathis kept insisting each was another practice round for one reason or another. Though he seemed indifferent at first, he became the most heated.
Between them, I quietly laughed. The new game was fun, and their logical sparring was even more entertaining.
“Princess.”
At the same time that I heard Cedric’s voice behind me, I felt the backrest of my chair get slightly heavier.
When I turned my head, the weight disappeared. Cedric placed his right hand on the table and leaned his upper body forward—no, toward the table, not toward me. He bent slightly to look over the table.
“Good evening, Duke.”
“A pleasant evening to you as well, Princess.”
Cedric felt a bit closer than usual, but he was always so neat and polite that I never felt he was being improper.
His face was the same as always: straight lips, a high nose bridge, eyebrows neither too thick nor too thin—giving him a refined look. I had only thought of his eyes as calm, but up close I noticed the sharp angle at their corners. His eyelashes were on the longer side, though not very thick.
Seeing his face anew startled me. I’d forgotten how handsome Cedric had been when I first met him—so handsome it had flustered me. I had simply gotten used to it.
His cherry-colored eyes moved beneath his lashes as he met my gaze. In an instant, I snapped back to my senses. I felt embarrassed for staring too intently at his face—so unladylike. My heart thumped.
As I was scrambling to think of something to say, the knights’ voices chimed in.
“Greetings, Duke Deayerton.”
“An honor to see you, My Lord.”
Sir Mathis and Sir Diego stood and greeted him in full Lundran knightly manner.
Cedric nodded slightly to acknowledge them. The knights sat again.
“You were playing Liar’s Dice, I see.”
Cedric glanced at the table and immediately recognized the game.
“Yes. The rules are simple, but winning isn’t easy.”
“Luck matters most in this game.”
Cedric lightly lifted my cup to inspect it.
“Princess, you said Sir Mathis and Sir Diego are knights of the kingdom.”
“That’s right. As kingdom knights, they must be loyal to the royal family, but they haven’t sworn an oath to me. I am a lady who respects the honor of knights.”
“Then may I become Your Highness’s knight? As your knight, I shall bring you victory.”
Cedric grinned playfully. I didn’t know he could smile like that. His refreshing humor made me feel even more cheerful.
“I ask that you restore my honor, then.”
Smiling, I offered the back of my hand. Cedric lightly pulled my fingertips toward him, then let go. He neither touched my hand with his forehead nor with his lips. It was just a joke.
“Yes, Princess.”
Cedric looked into my eyes again and smiled. He had been smiling more often these days, but I felt this was the first time he smiled with sparkling eyes like that.
A maid brought another chair for Cedric. With him joining, the entire flow of the game changed. Calling the first round practice, Cedric won the next one before the turns even went around twice.
We covered our cups and shook them. The dice rattled inside. Then all three cups hit the table upside down.
Cedric placed his cup between us. As in the previous rounds, he opened it just enough for me to see. The dice were rounded at the edges, and one happened to land standing upright on its blunted corner.
“In this case, you may press it down with your finger to flip it to the face you want.”
Cedric explained a rule I didn’t know. I tapped the upright die with my index finger, and it immediately showed its top face. Cedric smiled.
“Well done. Shall you try leading this round yourself, Princess? You’ve seen how your knight does it.”
“Yes, I will!”
Sir Mathis, who had finally gotten used to the game, Sir Diego, who was good at it from the start, and me—now armed with Cedric’s secret technique. The match became perfectly balanced.
“I lost.”
Sir Diego raised his arms first. Sir Mathis let the die fall from his hand with regret. I had won.
Cedric gathered all the dice from the table in one hand and placed them into my cup.
“A trophy for you, Princess.”
“Thank you, my knight.”
I lifted the cup full of dice and smiled. To the crestfallen Sir Mathis and weary Sir Diego, I said I would save my wish for next time.
“How about dinner with your knight, Princess?”
“With pleasure.”
I placed my hand onto the one he offered, as was knightly custom. In my other hand, I held the dice cup.
Cedric glanced back for a moment. I figured he must be checking the spot he had just left behind.
