IPTCS 27

Chapter 27 

He wasn’t wondering because he didn’t know the identity of the knight assigned as her guard.

Rather, Prince Michael’s irritation surged alongside a question: why was the knight he had assigned to guard his puppy girl standing in the training ground, receiving her enraptured gaze without permission?

“Sir Hatten, thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all, Miss Eugene. Was the outside air too cold for you?”

Unaware of Prince Michael’s sharp gaze, Sir Hatten, like a younger sibling devoted to him, scurried over to Eugene, casting a fond, admiring look at her.

When he noticed dust from the training ground settling on her cheek, he gently brushed it away.

“Here, there’s some dust on your cheek.”

“…!”

With a kind smile, he wiped Eugene’s cheek. Prince Michael’s eyes widened in anger at the audacity of a mere knight touching his puppy girl’s face without permission.

“…He’s far too close.”

The displeasure in his tone was obvious. The chamberlain accompanying him paled at the unusual atmosphere, sensing trouble. Even the palace knights’ messenger standing nearby quietly fell silent, wary of the prince’s mood.

Prince Michael stared at the training ground for a long time in complete silence. Eugene and her companions, hidden from him by the shadows of the columns, had no idea. They laughed and chatted for a while before finally leaving the training ground.

Only after watching the back of his puppy girl did Prince Michael finally turn sharply and stride down the corridor.

“Your Highness?”

Where is he going? Surely he was going to spar in the training ground first…

The chamberlain Bartel, flustered by the unexpected movement, asked. Prince Michael didn’t even glance back at his followers and simply said:

“To Sir Baoren.”

They headed toward the captain of the palace knights’ office, leaving the training ground.

“Your Highness!”

Surprised by Prince Michael’s sudden visit, Sir Baoren hurriedly tried to tidy his cluttered desk and went to greet him at the door.

Prince Michael sat down in the designated seat and immediately got to the point.

“I’ve read the request you submitted.”

“Ah, thank you, Your Highness. As I reported in writing…”

Knowing that Prince Michael disliked wasting time, Sir Baoren calmly tried to present the rationale for the request, citing the reasons sent via messenger.

“…Although this is a mission with a strategy already outlined, the difficulty is extremely high. I believe sending a few highly skilled palace knights instead of general soldiers would reduce casualties—”

“Send them.”

“Excuse me?”

Before Sir Baoren could finish explaining, Prince Michael interrupted.

“You argued that dispatching the best knights is the most efficient approach.”

Previously, when the prince had requisitioned the most skilled knights from the order, Sir Baoren had expressed reluctance. Hatten, who was reliable in any mission, had been pulled away for the protection of a non-critical person—a royal pet!—and Sir Baoren had argued that Hatten should be assigned elsewhere. But the prince had cut him off without hesitation.

• Is this mission really that important?

At that single remark, Sir Baoren’s confidence in explaining the urgency gradually faltered. To Prince Michael, nothing was more important than the safety of his puppy girl. Every argument for efficiency was systematically countered, leaving no room for doubt.

So for this particular mission, Sir Baoren had carefully prepared extensive reasoning to justify sending Hatten. Yet, even with all preparation, when facing the meticulous prince, he anticipated that Michael would find a few flaws and require additional persuasion.

“Excuse me, Your Highness. Based on my experience observing palace knights for many years, for a high-difficulty mission like this, it is absolutely necessary to include Sir Hatten—”

“Agreed.”

“…Yes?”

“Do as such.”

“…Yes?”

Seeing Sir Baoren’s dazed expression repeating the same phrase, Prince Michael frowned.

“Must you answer three times to satisfy yourself?”

“Oh, no!”

Startled, Sir Baoren quickly replied.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Though he still didn’t understand why it was so easy to get approval, he accepted it. Prince Michael noticed Sir Baoren’s confusion but saw no need to explain further. He merely offered one reason, to avoid misunderstandings about the importance of the person under protection:

“The timing is different this time, so the importance of this mission has increased.”

Especially since the mission involved traveling far away, it seemed significant. While quietly reflecting on the image in his mind, the prince felt a surge of irritation.

‘She’s far too casually close to her guard…’

He chastised the knight internally: a guard should not become so intimate with the person they protect, as personal attachment could compromise judgment during critical moments.

Thus, Prince Michael convinced himself that maintaining professional distance was necessary.

Sigh.

Felix exhaled dramatically, as if the ground had swallowed him.

“Senior…”

“Felix, quiet.”

Eugene lounged on the sofa, as drained as Felix, scolding him gently.

“Why? You’re not calling me ‘Sir Felix’ anymore?”

“Sir? What…?”

“Goodness. Immediately changing faces just because your senior isn’t here?”

Felix teased Eugene but then realized again that his senior wasn’t present, and his expression fell into gloom.

“Oh, senior… I’m even being scolded by this little one. Please come back, senior…”

Muttering to himself, Felix continued to sulk. Eugene snorted, then corrected her posture to look at him over the back of the sofa.

“Pathetic.”

She lightly jabbed him with her words, then adopted a serious tone and advised:

“Sir Hatten has been recognized for his abilities and assigned a mission that suits him.”

A true fan should wish for his success. Eugene comforted herself as she lectured Felix.

Yet, the mood that had settled was not easily lifted.

For the rest of the day, Eugene listened to Felix’s sighs, sinking into the soft cushions of the armchair.

Meanwhile, Prince Michael, having removed the distraction that had annoyed him, quietly hoped that his puppy girl would return to visiting the training ground.

He occasionally glanced at the door of his office, behind a table set with snacks, during work.

“….”

Yet, contrary to his expectation, the soft white-haired girl did not open the door to enter.

“Your Highness…?”

Only his subordinates, visiting for reports, faced the prince’s cold glare without understanding why.

‘Why…?’

Michael’s brows furrowed deeply.

Days passed, then a week, but nothing changed.

Even in the daily reports, there was no special change. Though she hadn’t gone to her beloved garden recently, she was reportedly still resting in her room.

Prince Michael, having received only written reports, hadn’t sensed anything unusual. Eugene often spent entire days indoors, exploring the palace or playing in the playroom, so this was not uncommon.

But no matter how much time passed, he could not see his puppy girl, even though she was in the next room.

“Chamberlain.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Bring her here.”