Chapter 12
No wonder people say overwork can kill you.
Here I am, on my precious day off, heading on a business trip with my direct superior. One is my immediate boss, and the other is someone I’m close to—but still a noble whose status I can never match.
Even though I was brimming with joy at the thought that my resignation might finally be accepted, the workload hadn’t let up. I hadn’t slept properly, and now I held the reins with a pale, haggard face.
One of the virtues of male protagonists is often that they’re workaholics. But that may look admirable to others—definitely not to their subordinates.
The ideal boss is one who lets you leave on time, gives generous bonuses, and makes sure you actually take your holidays.
“Ha…”
“The twenty-third.”
“Eh?”
We were on a mountain path leading to the Frick territory, the very path where I might meet the female protagonist, Aurora.
Lombre, who was also holding the reins beside me, glanced at me and replied.
“You’re talking about the sigh you let out this morning.”
“You’ve been counting them too? Nitpicky men are never popular—”
I swallowed my words as Lombre’s eyes rose in that sharp way.
“Though that probably doesn’t apply to Your Highness at all.”
“Tsk.”
Wow. He just clicked his tongue at me. On my day off, while I’ve given it up to go on a business trip with him, he clicked his tongue at me. His character… unbelievable.
“But somehow, you look happy?”
Creed, with his one-man-army abilities, spoke, and I turned my head to him.
We’d been traveling to Frick territory since the crack of dawn, yet he looked perfectly calm.
In a way, he almost seemed excited, like he was going on a little outing.
“Who?”
“You, Amber. For someone sighing like that, you don’t look upset at all.”
“You’re incredibly observant, Creed.”
Usually, nobles are indifferent to others’ glances, living life as they see fit, and sometimes that makes them innocent or pure in unexpected ways—but Creed was far from that.
Maybe it was because he grew up alongside Prince Lombre. I couldn’t help the question marks floating over my head.
“Is there a reason you’re in a good mood?”
“Well…”
I whispered softly to him, afraid of upsetting Lombre, who seemed somehow out of sorts.
“My resignation might be accepted.”
“What? They’ll accept it?”
“They said they’d take it, as long as the promise we made long ago is kept.”
“What promise?”
The answer didn’t come from me, but from someone else.
“They said they’d stay by you until you found true love and became human.”
“……Ah.”
“Your Highness will find true love, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
After all, isn’t he heading to Mount Monde to meet that true love right now?
At my words, Lombre snorted, and Creed muttered quietly under his breath.
“Honestly… I don’t think that resignation will ever get accepted.”
“What kind of thing is that to say? Your Highness will finally be the one to lift the curse of the Herman Empire.”
The scarlet eyes that had carried a murderous and gloomy light now flashed with a lighter, almost playful glint.
It was a smile as gentle as the breeze brushing past the leaves.
Though a little resigned, it was still a smile, and I didn’t ask further.
From the time he was in the Baldaphric household until he entered the palace, there weren’t many moments when Lombre smiled.
Those past years had been a struggle to survive—and even now, a situation like this made such peaceful moments feel novel.
“You sometimes speak like a prophecy, and it’s really funny.”
Of course. I had read the original story.
I smiled brightly to hide the fact that I flinched inwardly.
“What do you mean? Your Highness is perfect in every way.”
And, being 15 years experienced in social life (including my previous life), I threw in a flattering comment.
“Do you really think so?”
“Don’t you? If Your Highness isn’t perfect, then who is…?”
Perfect. Of course, that includes perfectionist tendencies and the habit of refusing my resignation.
“Then what? You’re a monster, neither fully human nor beast.”
Unexpected words flowed from Lombre.
I watched his black hair sway as he moved. He wasn’t joking, he wasn’t sad—he was merely stating a fact.
“But in the end, all that matters is finding true love.”
Even this side of him was lovable, and the royal curse would only be lifted if true love were mutual.
Unrequited love is hard enough—mutual love? I shook my head at the strength of the curse imposed on such a beast in the legend.
“But really… very soon, you will meet them, Your Highness.”
“……”
“The one who truly loves you. I stake my wrist on it.”
I showed him my right hand, borrowing a line from a movie I’d seen in my previous life. His expression stiffened.
“I have work to do, so keep your wrist safe.”
Workaholic, indeed. He pouted his lips.
“The resignation…”
Creed muttered quietly as he watched the two of us.
“You’ll never get it done in your lifetime…”
There was a hint of concern in his voice.
“The territory is really far.”
I murmured. Coming to a village deep in the mountains without a navigation system was nearly impossible.
Even traveling by carriage would’ve been hard—doing it on horseback was pure chaos.
“This is Frick territory.”
We arrived at the entrance to Frick after riding a whole day.
We’d left at dawn, and now the sky had turned an orange hue.
“Holiday overtime pay is 1.5x, Your Highness.”
After galloping on horseback for hours, fatigue was unavoidable.
So much for my day off… not really rested, not slept comfortably… and all on a business trip with my superior.
“I’ll make sure you get your work pay, but where did this calculation come from?”
“Well…”
Where I used to live before possession, that was standard.
“Your Highness, have you heard of labor law or work regulations?”
I swallowed his meandering words and forced a laugh.
When a question is hard to answer, sometimes just smiling and staying quiet works.
“Oh, look! There are people outside!”
The sun was about to set. It seemed the palace had sent reinforcements, as a few knights were waiting at the village gates to greet us.
I dismounted and showed the palace emblem.
“We are from the palace.”
“Yes! We’ve been waiting!”
A knight with minor injuries responded briskly.
The villagers and even the lord had come, expecting palace personnel—but…
“I’m Gilmes Frick. I never imagined Your Highness would come for our territory!”
The lord of the territory was a large, genial man—looking like he could run a bakery on the street rather than govern a village.
He had clearly been well-fed, which explained his healthy appearance.
The knights around him echoed the sentiment, addressing him as “Lord” with tear-filled eyes.
Comments like “Looks like death isn’t in our fate” floated through the crowd.
“Oh, don’t just stand there! Please come into the castle quickly!”
The lord hurriedly ushered us inside, sneaking a glance behind him.
I followed him and glanced back—the scenery behind us was just ordinary, nothing unusual.
When our eyes met briefly over his shoulder, he smiled awkwardly. I mirrored his awkward smile.
“Why the smile?”
“Will the other Domesters arrive later?”
The lord asked cautiously, and I forced a small smile.
Yeah, sending only three people wouldn’t make sense.
“It’s just the three of us.”
“……”
The hopeful and excited faces around paled instantly.
They probably thought the palace had abandoned the village.
“You don’t need to be so frank, Your Highness.”
Creed couldn’t stand it and spoke to Lombre—but Lombre didn’t seem to think he’d misspoken.
“There are only three of us, but don’t worry. One of us is worth a hundred.”
Not only was Creed skilled in magic, but Lombre was equally formidable.
Being able to wield both sword and magic, his presence was extremely threatening even within the palace.
“No need to worry.”
“…Yes.”
He said that, but the worried look on his face gave him away.
“When did the Monters start appearing?”
“About six months ago. We tried to eliminate them ourselves and even asked private guilds for help… but they keep multiplying.”
The lord wasn’t unpleasant; I noticed several knights being treated inside the castle.
“That’s why when the palace sent Domesters, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.”
Yet sending only three was disappointing.
“What about your rooms? The inn had been booked for palace personnel—will you use it?”
“No. Two rooms here are enough. Your Highness can take one.”
Creed flinched at my words, and Lombre paused as he opened the guest room.
“What? Then what about you?”
“I’ll stay with Creed, like before.”
His expression was even more chilling and fierce than when facing Rinoel.
