Chapter 88…
Clearas tried to answer in a panic, but his face flushed bright red.
‘What am I even supposed to say?’
Last night, he couldn’t sleep because he was scared of the thunder and lightning, so His Majesty helped him fall asleep?
…Humiliating.
There was no way the Duke of Berndt could admit he cried and couldn’t sleep because of a thunderstorm. He would rather die.
Then what—should he say they talked and played together last night and accidentally fell asleep?
…Still humiliating.
He was the Duke of Berndt! Not only did he fail to properly protect His Majesty, he even fell asleep beside her like nothing!
Either way, it was disgraceful for House Berndt.
Clearas dropped his head, unable to bring himself to speak.
“Clearas did nothing wrong! I was the one who barged in!”
At that moment, Elli woke up and stepped in front of him.
Rilkia took a deep, heavy breath, forcing herself not to shout again.
It was hard to imagine Clearas had kidnapped Elli.
No one had moved her, so she must have walked here on her own.
“Why… what on earth…”
She tried to ask calmly, but her breathing kept turning ragged, and she couldn’t get the words out.
Rilkia closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.
Calmly… calmly… Everything has a reason.
First, she needed to understand what happened.
What—
“How could you do this! Your Majesty, how could you act like this, ignoring all security! If anything had happened to you, Nerendice could have fallen!”
So much for being calm!
Rilkia finally exploded.
“How! How could Your Majesty go off without telling me! Anyone else is fine, but me—you should never deceive me!”
“I-I’m sorry… I really am!”
“The problem isn’t whether you’re sorry! What would you have done if something truly terrible happened! How can it make sense that no one knew where Your Majesty went?!”
“I just wanted to give him some popcorn and come right back…!”
Elli shut her mouth before she said too much.
She couldn’t reveal Clearas’ secret to everyone.
She tightly pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut.
“…I got sleepy and accidentally fell asleep!”
Clearas, who had been shrinking beside her, snapped his eyes wide open.
What was she saying?
That wasn’t what happened.
“That’s not—”
“Why did you do it behind my back? In secret!”
“Because you would’ve stopped me! I wanted to eat popcorn alone with Clearas and talk to him!”
“…Ah.”
Rilkia grabbed the back of her neck.
Madam Laval, watching from outside the door, also grabbed her neck.
So that was it. No wonder their princess had been acting so mature these past few months. All that was just groundwork for this giant disaster?!
And of course, when their princess caused a mess, it had to be royal-sized!
“Your Majesty… ah… haaa…”
Feeling the cold, icy atmosphere of the adults, Elli shrank again.
She had finished all her excuses… Only an apology was left.
This time, Elli truly was in the wrong.
“I’m sorry… I wanted to eat popcorn with Clearas alone, so I came without telling Rilkia, and I really was going to go back right after eating…”
Even after she said all that, the sharp gazes of the adults didn’t soften.
Did they not intend to forgive her?
Fear crept up Elli’s spine.
Still, she had to finish her explanation and apology, so she spoke through trembling breath and rising tears.
“Hic… we were talking and it was fun, and… sniff… without thinking… hic… I fell asleep!”
Elli finally burst into tears.
She felt she didn’t even deserve to cry, so she tried to choke the sobs back into her throat.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t—hic—mean to make everyone worried… hng…”
As she swallowed her tears and apologized earnestly, Elli suddenly realized something.
Rilkia had gone completely silent.
Elli had expected to be scolded and listened quietly.
But silence felt even scarier.
People say that when someone has given up on you entirely, they don’t even get angry anymore.
Was her loyal Rilkia unnie so disappointed she was going to abandon her? That must never happen!
“R-Rilkia unnie…? Ah!”
Elli looked up—and froze.
Rilkia was standing upright as always, looking down at Elli…
…with tears streaming down her face.
No hiccups, no sobbing—just silent tears falling like beads.
That was more terrifying than shouting.
It was like when she once stubbed her toe so hard she cried before she even felt the pain.
No sting in the nose, no heat in the eyes—just tears falling instantly.
If something hurt too much, tears poured like rain.
And right now, Rilkia was crying like that.
Because of Elli.
Each tear from Rilkia felt as heavy as a boulder.
Drop, drop.
Elli’s heart pounded—thud, thud.
“…I’m sorry.”
This wasn’t an excuse-like apology. It came straight from her heart.
Rilkia bit her lip and shook her head.
“…There is nothing Her Majesty cannot do. It is my failure for not guarding you properly.”
“No! Rilkia unnie, you did nothing wrong!”
Elli desperately hugged Rilkia’s leg.
She would rather be scolded.
She never wanted to see Rilkia sad because of her.
Seeing Rilkia upset made Elli upset, too.
“It’s my fault. I asked her to stay with me a little longer…!”
Then Clearas stepped in as well.
He couldn’t let everything end up being Elli’s fault.
“I should have made sure to return Her Majesty safely, but I was selfish and wanted to stay with her… It is my greater fault!”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“?!”
Rilkia, having wiped her tears at some point, looked at Clearas with a dry, stern gaze.
She had spoiled him a bit too much, hadn’t she? Duke Berndt?
Their princess was guilty of nothing no matter what she did—but the Duke was not.
“If Her Majesty wanted to go swimming on the bed, you should have stopped her and brought her back, or called me. You know very well how dangerous this situation was, don’t you?”
Her voice was sharp, and she cornered Clearas coldly.
“…Yes…”
Clearas drooped like a wilted plant.
“If the inn had caught fire while we didn’t know Your Majesty’s whereabouts, if bandits had attacked like last night—something truly terrible could have happened. You experienced that yourself, so you can’t deny it.”
“It was my negligence…”
“Exactly! It was the Duke of Berndt’s negligence! As a subject, if your monarch walks down the wrong path, you must correct her, not happily join in!”
Under Rilkia’s scolding, Clearas seemed to sink into the floor.
Dulsen debated stepping in—ten times over—but quietly backed away.
‘I’m sorry, my lord. I don’t have the courage to challenge her either.’
He wanted to shout, “Our lord is still a kid! Don’t crush his spirit!” but even he had to admit Clearas was clearly at fault.
“If the two of you stay together, who knows what trouble you’ll cause next. As your guard, I strongly recommend that you ride separate carriages from now on.”
“!”
“Gasp!”
She said “recommend,” but it was essentially punishment.
Both children looked up at her in shock.
Maybe… maybe if she saw their pitiful eyes, she would reconsider?
But Rilkia’s firm gaze did not soften.
“Of course, it is only a recommendation from your guard. The final decision is for Your Majesty to make.”
“…No… I’ll do as you say…”
Elli slowly released Rilkia’s leg and stepped back, wilting like a soaked flower.
Clearas glanced back as he walked toward the door—he looked like a leaf boiled too long and left limp.
The two children looked at each other sorrowfully, as though being separated forever, before heading to their respective guardians.
“Even so, it is a great blessing that you are unharmed. My heart nearly dropped, thinking we had lost our princess…”
“I’m sorry, Madam Laval… I’m sorry, everyone…”
“No, Your Majesty. We’re just grateful you’re safe.”
“Truly grateful.”
Elli returned to her room in Madam Laval’s arms.
Fabian and Jurna, who had been anxiously watching from the hallway, followed her inside.
“Because of the rain, the replacement carriage will take some time to arrive. We will stay at the inn until lunch, so please remain quietly in your room.”
Clearas had been quietly staying in his room… but now he would have to be so quiet they couldn’t even hear him breathe.
His guilt for not sending Elli back in time was so heavy that he couldn’t protest—he just nodded.
Even then, Rilkia did not soften.
“Hmph,” she said, then turned sharply and left the room, as if she had never shed a tear.
Once they were alone, Dulsen finally spoke.
“You did well. Even though you got punished, it was far better than staying silent. You were admirable.”
It was Dulsen’s attempt at comfort.
He, too, had been scolded by Rilkia many times.
He knew very well how much Clearas’ soul must be aching right now.
