Chapter : 11
Etern tried to calm the fluttering in her chest, forcing a polite, somewhat distant smile.
“I’m sorry. I got carried away and must have been rude.”
The boy, Ziggart, stared at her with a puzzled expression.
Etern clasped her hands in front of her dress, which was puffed up like an inverted flower bud, and gave a surprisingly mature, solemn greeting.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. My name is Eternin-Anne Giltros Risrumen.”
“Risrumen…?”
Ziggart slowly mulled over her words, furrowing his brows slightly.
“Are you… a member of the royal family of the Sidernel Empire?”
“My father is the honorable Emperor of Sidernel. But I am merely your contemporary, so please, treat me as you would any peer.”
Etern noticed Ziggart’s expression change in an instant. She clenched her fist inside her sleeve so he wouldn’t see.
Good, confused, right? I hope he gets even more flustered.
She said,
“I was so excited to hear that Your Grace would be visiting that I came out to greet you. But…”
Etern blinked her large eyes as she looked around.
“Excuse me, but where are the soldiers or attendants accompanying Your Grace?”
Silence returned. A sudden chill ran down Etern’s spine, but she tried to shake it off.
No way. Surely not…
He’s far too young and small to ride alone. There’s no way he came here by himself.
Ziggart’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her. She had expected him to look flustered, but he remained oddly calm.
“Please forgive me; I did not know you were the Princess. As you’ve heard, I have indeed come alone.”
Etern was momentarily dumbstruck, lips parting, before shaking her small head.
That can’t be. This must be a joke. How could a boy so young and fragile come all this way without a single attendant?
“All talk aside, how could Your Grace have come here alone?” she asked, crossing her arms. Her sharp eyes took on a surprisingly stern look for her age.
“Everyone said the same thing, but as you can see… I came.”
Well, look at that. Not a single slip-up.
At that moment, Ziggart tapped the leather bag slung across his body.
“See? I’m carrying my own luggage. If someone had been with me, why would I need to carry it myself?”
Etern pursed her lips. She had completely forgotten why she had come all this way, her arms folded tightly, eyes flashing with the sharpness of a weapon.
“Your Grace, it’s hard to believe. How far is it from your duchy? You must have been camping out for days.”
“The sleeping arrangements were a bit uncomfortable,” he replied casually.
“No, that’s not the only problem. Do you know how many dangerous beasts roam the plains and rocky deserts?”
“That’s true, too,” Ziggart answered, his tone increasingly nonchalant.
Meanwhile, Etern’s face burned red like a ripe plum or apple.
A child so small and fragile traversed such a perilous path alone—who would believe such a thing?
Same brazen personality as always! Not that it ever changed… wait, it didn’t. He was like this even as a child!
Alone with these secret grudges, Etern’s breathing grew heavier.
“Princess, are you unwell?”
“You’re lying… No, it’s because Your Grace is lying!”
Her sharp, chick-like peeping made Ziggart’s eyes widen.
Never before had she seen such a purely childlike expression in him. Etern was shocked to realize that even someone who had been as mad as a tyrant had once had a normal childhood.
“…I didn’t expect to be spoken to so informally,” he said.
“My intention wasn’t to offend. I apologize if I did. But still…”
“As far as I know, Princess, you are the same age as I am.”
Etern frowned suspiciously at the sudden statement.
When she didn’t answer immediately, Ziggart repeated himself.
“Or not?”
Yeah, but why is he bringing this up now? Does he want to compare birth records or something?
Etern tried to calm her rising anger with a deep breath.
“Your Grace is correct. But this is hardly the time to discuss it…”
“Then it’s settled.”
“Yes, settled… wait, what do you mean, ‘settled’?”
Etern’s voice rose in shock at the bizarre reply. Ziggart, however, had already returned to his annoyingly indifferent expression, pretending to adjust his collar.
“Since we are the same age, there’s no need to use formalities. Just speak casually.”
“What did you say? No, what?”
“Oh, never mind. I heard you were born in April, and I was born in March. So technically, I’m older than you. Scratch that about speaking casually.”
“Are you trying to cancel my life right now?”
Etern blurted out the remark in a sudden rush of emotion, anger getting the better of her despite trying to remain composed. Even she was surprised at what had come out.
“Hmm, what I said just now wasn’t meant like that…”
She tried to recover, but Ziggart cut her off.
“It sounded to me like you want to die right here. If that’s not what you meant, then what do you mean?”
Etern’s mouth dropped open.
“What kind of child says something so menacing?”
“Seems like my line to say, doesn’t it?”
“No, I said I didn’t mean it that way!”
This time Ziggart crossed his arms. His ruby-red eyes, like flames carved in fire, gleamed with a mischievous, triumphant light.
“Meaning or not, we don’t have time to waste arguing here. I was looking for someone suitable, so let’s get to the point.”
“Did you eat crickets before coming here or something? Your topics jump all over the place.”
“How did you know? They were crunchy and delicious. Anyway, will you grant my request or not?”
Etern wanted nothing more than to throw a sack of crunchy roasted crickets at him and send him back to his country. Yet…
The word “request” lodged sharply in her ears.
Who would come all this way and ask someone for a request? What could it be? I have no idea what’s going on. After barely surviving, is this really necessary?
Etern swallowed dryly and tried to speak calmly and evenly.
“What is this request of yours?”
Ziggart tilted his head as if astonished she didn’t already know, then dropped a bombshell directly in her path.
“Obviously, it’s to meet your father. What else would I request? What else would be worth coming all this way for?”
