Chapter 9
“…!”
“Why are you outside?”
“Leni?”
Leni, who I had thought was resting in her room, was standing right in front of my door.
“W-why are you he-ere?”
I stammered in confusion.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I came to check… but Your Highness, where have you been at this late hour?”
“S-so, I was….”
“Your Highness?”
“Le…ni…”
Perhaps it was the relief of returning to my room and seeing Leni that made my vision spin.
“Your Highness!”
As I swayed and began to collapse forward, Leni rushed over and caught me in her arms.
‘Leni… it’s all okay now…’
“Your Highness! Please stay with me!”
Feeling Leni’s familiar embrace, I simply let my consciousness slip away.
“Her Highness still hasn’t opened her eyes…”
“She’ll wake up soon.”
“It’s already been a week…”
“You know better than anyone how strong Her Highness is.”
But Leni blamed herself, feeling as though everything was her fault.
The day after Aileen fainted, she heard that Sir Baumann’s deep wounds had been completely healed.
Leni immediately rushed to the hospital room, and as reported, she saw Sir Baumann’s sculpted, flawless face and a body that bore no scars at all. She was truly overjoyed.
The imperial palace had said that even if he survived, scars would remain—so she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.
“Perhaps it was Her Highness who saved me that day.”
“What? What do you mean?”
At Sir Baumann’s words that followed, Leni’s eyes widened.
“That day when Her Highness collapsed…”
Unable to sleep deeply due to his injuries, Sir Baumann had sensed Aileen’s presence as she quietly entered his room.
As she approached and gently patted his body, a pure white light enveloped him. Gradually, the pain faded and his body began to feel at ease.
However, fearing that Aileen might be startled if he suddenly opened his eyes, he pretended to remain asleep. After some time, the gentle patting stopped, and he saw Aileen’s small figure staggering as she left the room.
“Don’t tell me… Her Highness already…?”
“It seems so.”
The two of them instinctively realized that Aileen had already manifested her ability.
“I don’t know exactly when it manifested, but it seems she had been hiding it. She must have used her power because of me.”
“Ah… Her Highness… our Princess…”
Leni burst into tears at Sir Baumann’s words.
Sir Baumann pulled her into his arms and comforted her.
“I will repay the life Her Highness saved. Until then, please continue to stay by her side as you always have.”
While their conversation continued, Aileen’s eyebrows trembled slightly.
Already awake, I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt such a tender moment, so I lay still, unable to open my eyes, feeling awkward.
“Your Highness, you may open your eyes.”
“….”
“W-what? Has Her Highness woken up?!”
Startled by Sir Baumann’s words, I flinched slightly, then slowly opened my eyes and looked at the two of them, tightly embracing each other.
“Mmm… you two… look very close.”
At my words, Leni quickly pulled away from Sir Baumann’s arms.
Sir Baumann looked at her with a hint of reluctance before turning his gaze to me.
“Your Highness still cannot hide your expressions, I see.”
“Was it obvious?”
“Your eyelashes were trembling so much, I thought an earthquake was happening.”
“Then don’t do that in front of me!”
“How could I hide my love?”
Saying that, Sir Baumann lifted Leni’s hand and kissed the back of it.
…Wait, is that really the same cold-blooded knight Sir Baumann I knew?
The man who once radiated such icy aura that even flying birds would freeze now had eyes as warm as spring sunlight when standing beside Leni.
Leni, though blushing shyly, did not stop him.
‘They really are perfectly matched. A perfect pair.’
Pretending not to see them, I burrowed deeply into the blanket.
Since I woke from my deep sleep, Sir Baumann’s loyalty toward me had become something that could move even the gods.
He followed me wherever I went, and even if I took a few steps, he would ask if I was tired and lift me into his arms.
People seemed puzzled seeing the future captain of the imperial knights following me around, but when they saw Leni beside me, they seemed to accept it.
After all, everyone in the palace knew the two had confirmed their feelings for each other.
Even my father did not comment on Sir Baumann’s behavior.
Back when I was a newborn, Sir Baumann had often visited the princess’s palace to see Leni.
So, while I briefly felt uneasy about “stealing” a talented knight from the imperial palace, I soon thought, whatever will be, will be.
In any case, I had intended to bring him to my side in this life anyway.
I had no reason to concern myself with the circumstances of others—including my father and Lucas.
As Sir Baumann began frequently visiting the princess’s palace, it was inevitable that he would run into Lucas, who also treated my palace like his own home.
Lucas would bristle the moment he made eye contact with Sir Baumann, while Sir Baumann seemed to regard Lucas as insignificant.
‘Maybe I should try copying Sir’s gaze.’
I briefly considered whether that might make Lucas afraid of me.
Separately from the comfort Lucas gave me, my plan to step on the sprout was still ongoing.
“Erin! Where are you going!”
“….”
That annoying, ant-like pest.
Ever since Lucas learned to walk and run, he had been trailing after me nonstop.
I thought I had hidden perfectly, yet I couldn’t understand how he always managed to find me.
Did he plant someone in the princess’s palace? Or did he cast some tracking magic on me?
With uneasy thoughts, I absentmindedly checked my body.
“Y-you were here just now… where did you go?”
Gasp!
Hearing Lucas’s voice, I clamped my mouth shut.
While I stood still, he seemed to be getting closer.
“Erin! Miss!”
Holding my breath and staying completely still, his voice gradually began to fade.
I slowly removed my hand from my mouth.
“Phew!”
Once my nose and mouth were freed, I gasped for breath.
Regaining my breathing, I looked around—and finally noticed my surroundings.
Where am I?
It seemed I had gotten lost after running away and hiding wherever I could from Lucas.
“Ah, what is this!”
Looking down, I saw my wrinkled dress.
The dress Leni had carefully dressed me in that morning was now dirty and crumpled. The ribbon I had worn in my hair was gone, and my golden hair—once neatly arranged—was now a tangled mess like an autumn field.
“I’m definitely going to get scolded by Leni later…”
Sigh… second life, age four. Life is so hard.
I dusted off my dirty dress and forced my exhausted body upright so I could return to the princess’s palace.
“…Ah.”
A sigh escaped my lips.
I had gotten lost.
Realizing that, all my energy drained away.
“No, Erin. Get it together!”
I raised my short, chubby arm and slapped my soft cheek.
I couldn’t just stand here waiting for someone to come rescue me.
“Haa…”
I began walking aimlessly through the unknown area.
If I walked long enough, someone would appear and recognize me. Then I could return to the palace.
“….”
But this was really too much.
“Seriously, how remote is this place?!”
I couldn’t hold back and shouted.
How could I not run into a single person?
No matter how far I walked, it was astonishing that Lucas had been able to follow me at all—because I hadn’t encountered anyone.
Come to think of it… I had passed that same tree before.
And that stone decoration too…
“…Scary.”
What kind of place is this where all I see are trees and those spindly towers sticking up?
My unease began to grow.
Growl…
Whether my stomach had good timing or bad…
“Bad stomach, quiet! Stay calm!”
I patted my protruding belly with my hand.
“Ahh…”
Thanks to that, I calmed down a bit—just as I was about to set off again—
Rustle.
I heard the sound of a branch being stepped on somewhere.
There hadn’t been any sound just moments ago…
“W-who’s there?”
Thinking it might be Lucas, I called out—but there was no response.
“Hello!”
“….”
“Anyone there!”
“….”
“Is anyone there!”
“….”
“Please just come out already…”
Rustle. Rustle.
Hearing my increasingly quiet voice, the footsteps that had stopped began moving toward me again.
Gulp.
“….”
I swallowed hard, picked up a small stone from the forest floor, and held it tightly.
As the sound approached, my breathing grew rougher.
“Y-you… who are you!”
My tongue had become so stiff I could barely speak properly.
“Puff… puff…”
I took a defensive stance, ready to throw the stone at any moment, glaring toward the bushes.
“And who might you be?”
A person stepped out, pushing aside the tall grass, wearing a gray robe pulled down over their nose.
Because of the hood, only their shadowed lips were visible—making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female, young or old.
“How did you get into my front yard?”
The person who appeared ignored my question and spoke only what they wanted.
From the voice, it sounded like a young man.
“Who are you calling ‘sir’?”
“Sir?”
This is the imperial palace—my home—and yet he’s calling it his front yard.
“Here is not your sir’s home, but my—”
“I am the greatest mage in this empire…”
Growl…
“….”
“….”
“Are you hungry?”
“…Y-yes…?”
Growl…
“Good grief… why is your stomach making noise like that today?”
Embarrassed, I once again slapped my innocent belly.
“Hm.”
The man hummed, looking at me with interest.
“At your age, it’s only natural to be hungry. Come with me.”
He softened his earlier suspicious demeanor and extended his hand toward me, as if inviting me to take it.
“Where to?”
Did he know who I was and still suggest that?
Or did he just assume I was a lost child, based on my dirty clothes from hiding and crawling around in the forest to avoid Lucas?
“Come on, take my hand. Let’s go get something delicious to eat.”
Seeing me hesitate and stare at his outstretched hand, the man urged me again.
