Chapter 37
The noisy scene from a few hours ago automatically flashed through her mind.
“We will serve only our lord until we die!”
“As long as our lord doesn’t abandon us, I’ll follow him even into the Forest of Death!”
“Hey, but we already went to the Forest of Death.”
“…Don’t pick a fight, okay? Anyway, lord, you know how I feel, right?”
Ahem, “Lord, my loyalty is entirely to you. So please don’t worry!”
Since she already knew their hearts, there was no hesitation. And since she had decided to accept any trouble that came from directly rejecting the king’s offer, there was nothing to hold back.
“Their affiliation will be with the First Royal Palace Knights…”
“Who gave you permission to take my knights, Father?”
All eyes turned to Riana, who interrupted the king’s speech.
Riana didn’t care about the attention focused on her and tilted her head defiantly. That attitude was seriously disrespectful in front of the king.
Naturally, the king raised his voice.
“Hey, hey! Am I not the one speaking here?”
His wide face showed utter surprise as if he never imagined Riana would act like this.
The crowd murmured.
The first princess confronting the king at an event honoring her and her subordinates’ achievements.
Moreover, the topic was the status of the famous first princess’s personal guard.
It was an open secret that the king was wary of the first princess, and rumors had recently spread that she was going to marry abroad.
For the nobles who loved gossip and spreading rumors, this was very interesting.
Riana knew perfectly well how to use this atmosphere.
“My knights and I clearly rejected that offer, so I don’t understand why this is being brought up again — and with the exact opposite result from the answer we gave.”
“Riana!”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you know what nonsense you’re talking about right now?!”
The king shouted, but Riana shrugged her shoulders with a face showing no understanding.
“What nonsense? I don’t make up lies like some people.”
“What, what did you say?! Are you saying I’m making things up? Are you really saying that?”
Riana’s calm, mocking face and the king’s flushed red, raging face—who looked crazier was obvious without further inspection.
Riana didn’t stop there and added one more thing.
“My knights and I didn’t work hard to protect Roun hoping for any reward. So you don’t have to give us that reward you insist on. No, please don’t give it. That’s our wish.”
“Riana!”
“If I stay here any longer, I’ll just ruin the mood of the banquet. Since I’m such a considerate person, I’ll go first.”
With a playful smile and cold words, Riana turned and walked toward the door.
No one stopped her as she left the banquet hall with twenty-five knights.
“…”
The king, whose dignity was so tarnished in front of hundreds of nobles that he was sunk to the floor, couldn’t control his trembling body filled with anger, while the queen and Raindel stared blankly only at the door Riana had left through.
And leaning against the wall not far from the door, watching this mess, was Ianhardt.
“…Interesting.”
He muttered in an unreadable voice.
Unlike the noisy palace center where the banquet was held, the area near Riana’s palace on the far outskirts was quiet.
“Everyone, go inside and rest now.”
At Riana’s words, the guards exchanged glances.
“What? Why are you all looking like that? Got something to say?”
Obviously, Riana could read those looks well.
After a brief intense exchange of glances, Ail was pushed forward.
‘These guys don’t even treat me like a leader normally…!’
Though they were in the same unit, the guards generally trusted Kyle more than Ail.
The fact that Kyle was Ail’s younger brother by just a few minutes was useless information to their comrades.
But whenever there was trouble, they protected Kyle and pushed Ail forward.
Because he was good at talking.
“L-Lord.”
“Yes?”
“…Is it really okay for us to come out like this? Even if so, he is still His Majesty the King…”
Ail’s words were silently agreed to by the guards.
After Riana openly exposed the king’s nasty behavior, she quickly left the banquet with her guards.
You could tell without seeing that the banquet became a complete mess after they left.
Of course, their worry wasn’t about etiquette toward the king.
“What if, like before, the lord has to pay a price again?”
They worried that Riana might suffer again because of them.
Those who had been through that time remembered it, and those who joined later recalled the stories.
It wasn’t a good memory, so naturally, the mood dropped.
They also regretted if only they had rejected the offer more firmly, this wouldn’t have happened.
“…Really.”
At that moment, Riana’s sarcastic words broke through the gloomy mood.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“But…”
“This old man can’t do anything this time. At least nothing that others can see.”
“Huh?”
Question marks appeared on the faces of Ail and the other guards.
Judging by the king’s red, furious face and trembling fists from earlier, it wouldn’t be surprising if a big problem broke out tomorrow.
The king looked like he deserved ten times worse crap than he got.
“I said it openly at the banquet. You and I never agreed on that.”
“…You did say that.”
She had really roasted the king hard.
Riana’s sharp words made even Ail unable to follow with a reply.
With a somewhat reluctant nod from Ail, Riana shrugged her shoulders, then smiled slyly.
“Because I said that, Father can’t do anything.”
Still, the guards didn’t fully understand what she meant.
Well, for those not in the noble and royal world, the honor they risk their lives for is just empty to see.
Riana leisurely walked over and sat on a stone.
“The reason Father could do that foolishness today was that he thought I wouldn’t respond to his words.”
“Respond?”
“Yeah. He probably thought I wouldn’t openly contradict him. Like I always bowed my head before. If I had stayed silent then, no one would have known we rejected it.”
“Ah…”
Ail seemed to catch on and let out a slow sigh.
“High-ranking people risk their lives for power and honor. My father, the king, is no different. So it’s better to cause a scandal openly like this.”
“So you mean he can’t do anything…”
“Right. Since it’s already been exposed that he tried to steal the knights who swore loyalty to us, there’s no way he can do anything more to us.”
At this situation, if her knights joined the royal palace knights? The gossip-loving nobles would make up all kinds of rumors.
And the king hated having his reputation tarnished more than anything.
Well, he would obviously meddle with her marriage.
Though he hated his own bloodline, Riana, born and raised a royal, skillfully hid her true feelings and showed her usual deep smile.
“If you’re worried, go inside and rest now. If you can’t sleep because you’re too worried, say so ahead of time. I’ll personally help you fall asleep.”
“Ah, Lord!”
“I’m so sleepy! I think I have to sleep right now!”
Hearing Riana’s boast and playful threat, the guards finally relaxed and bustled around with smiles.
“Understood, let’s go in quickly.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Lord, don’t forget you promised to check the magic ritual tomorrow!”
One by one, the guards went inside, and the noisy garden quickly became quiet.
Riana gazed at the sky for a moment, then lowered her head, feeling a gaze.
Her two brothers, who looked different yet similar, were watching her.
“What are you doing not going in?”
At that calm question, Ail shrugged and replied.
“Then why aren’t you going in, Lord?”
“Hmm, can’t sleep?”
“…None of us can put the lord to sleep, though.”
Ail deliberately said something useless and acted cheeky.
That wasn’t what he really wanted to say.
‘Are you sure the lord won’t be harmed at all?’
But he couldn’t say it because Kyle shook his head to stop him.
Their lord was extremely cautious about showing weakness, no matter who the opponent was.
The exact reason was unknown, but they guessed it was because of the environment they grew up in.
‘…I wish I could take some of that burden away.’
All Ail and Kyle could do was stay by their lord’s side, hoping for her peace of mind.
