#60. The Knight Who Seemed Like an Assassin and the Farmer Who Might Be a Hero
“Are you trying to bargain with me right now?”
“It’s just a trade.”
Franz stuck out his pink tongue.
The polite little gentleman was gone — replaced by that damn brat again.
This is why I don’t like kids.
“How can you be sure you’ll be safe?”
“His Majesty assigned me a knight.”
“So that’s your big secret? A bodyguard?”
“Would you still say that after seeing Shade?”
Franz’s confidence didn’t waver in the slightest.
Shade? Was that supposed to be someone’s name?
“You brat, are you playing word games again?”
I reached out to flick his chubby cheek — but a sword sheath blocked my hand.
Startled, I turned around.
A stranger was standing there silently.
I didn’t even sense a presence. When did he get here?
If this man had been an assassin, neither Franz nor I would’ve survived.
“Who are you?” I asked warily.
The slender man had roughly cut dark blue hair.
Through the unkempt bangs, pale gray eyes gleamed coldly — lifeless, like a machine.
Was he even twenty?
Despite his boyish looks, there was a chilling, abyssal air about him.
Just his presence seemed to make the air temperature drop a few degrees.
“Introduce yourself, Elizabeth. This is my secret bodyguard, Shade.”
Franz proudly introduced him.
“His Majesty assigned you a new bodyguard — without consulting me first?”
“Sorry, that’s how it turned out.”
“Sir Shade, when did you receive your appointment?”
Shade didn’t answer.
He just stared at me with those transparent gray eyes that seemed to pierce right through everything.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Shade doesn’t talk,” Franz said for him.
“Does that mean he has a speech disorder?”
“I don’t know. His Majesty told me not to talk to him, and not to expect any replies.”
“Why?”
“Because Shade’s mission is to protect me from the shadows — unseen.”
“And that’s possible without saying a single word?”
“They said he’s exceptionally skilled at that sort of thing.”
“……”
“Shade’s been guarding me ever since Simon died. Sometimes even I forget he’s there. You didn’t notice him either, did you, Elizabeth?”
Not at all.
Which only made me more uneasy.
What if he betrays us? There wasn’t a character named Shade in the original story… He seems more like an assassin than a knight.
Even though Franz and I were talking about him, Shade didn’t move an inch.
His expression didn’t change.
It felt like talking to a wall — or a doll.
Still, I could tell he was a first-rate warrior, his body honed to perfection.
The same feeling I got from Nicolai and Claudia.
Knowing the original story is the strongest advantage possible. I know when and where each character appears, what happens, and how to use that knowledge to my benefit.
Ever since I possessed Elizabeth, I’d been calculating every move.
That’s how I avoided danger in advance — and even turned potential enemies into allies.
But there was a flaw in knowing the story.
When events occurred that didn’t exist in the original — like Simon’s death or Shade’s sudden appearance — I had no way to predict or counter them.
“No matter how skilled Sir Shade is, Franz, you can’t leave the palace with him.”
I made my stance firm.
But Franz didn’t back down easily.
“I can disguise myself! I’ve never been outside the palace, but I can act naturally enough!”
“Think about your position. You can’t act rashly in a time like this.”
“I never forget that — not for a single moment. I’ve always endured. The things I want always come last.”
His voice lowered.
This time, I couldn’t help but flinch.
“I have no talent, but I threw myself into sword training. I hid that I liked painting. I never told anyone my health was failing — because I’m a powerless crown prince.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“You don’t need to make excuses, Elizabeth. Lying low until I gain power — that’s my fate. But sometimes I wonder… how long do I have to live like this?”
“Franz…”
“When will I finally have power? Will that day even come? When all I have around me are enemies.”
He smiled as he said that.
A hollow, knowing smile — one far too heavy for a ten-year-old boy.
So was the life he had endured.
I wanted to be his strength — to help him stand tall as a proud crown prince that no one could shake.
But…
In the end, I’ve been forcing the same thing on him. Using ‘it’s for his sake’ as an excuse. Somewhere along the way, the boy named Franz disappeared — and only the title of crown prince remained. But the one I wanted to protect was just this child.
What truly was the right thing for Franz?
Should I risk everything to grant him freedom and happiness?
Looking at how grown-up he seemed today, I couldn’t find the words to answer.
“Please let His Highness come with us too, Sister Elizabeth,”
said Susan, who had been standing quietly behind.
Just having the older girl take his side turned Franz’s cheeks bright red.
“It must’ve been so suffocating to be confined all this time. I feel sorry for you, Your Highness.”
“……”
“I may not be much help, but I’ll protect you too, Your Highness. All right?”
Susan clasped her hands together, her big, doe-like eyes stabbing at my conscience.
Franz also looked up at me with pitiful, kitten-like eyes.
I pressed my aching temples.
“What do you think, Sir Shade?”
Even if he couldn’t speak, surely he could express something — or so I thought as I turned to him.
But Shade was already gone.
“Someone who was standing here just vanished — how did no one notice?”
“Don’t be curious, Elizabeth. You’ll get used to it after a while.”
I couldn’t help but sigh.
Franz and Susan exchanged a secret glance.
“Shade’s probably preparing our outside escort, right?”
“Otherwise he wouldn’t just disappear.”
“I doubt Elizabeth will let us go that easily.”
“Miss Elizabeth is too kind-hearted. If we sincerely ask, she won’t be able to refuse.”
“You’re even cleverer than the Marquis of Nettleton says.”
“I’m flattered, Your Highness.”
Excuse me?
I’m still standing right here, you know?
I grumbled inwardly at the sight of Franz and Susan lost in their own little world.
“Are you sure this is the first time you’ve met? You two look like a pair of child lovers.”
“Wh-What are you saying? Don’t say something so rude to Lady Nettleton!”
“There’s a bit of a height and age gap, sure, but that’ll fix itself in time. You two look good together.”
I teased him deliberately.
Flustered, Franz looked away, his ears and even his neck turning red.
Susan suddenly chimed in, her own face as pink as a flower.
“I’m only serving His Highness as his retainer.”
“That’s all?” I asked.
She smiled brightly.
“His Highness is so adorable. I hope I can have a son as lovely as him one day.”
A suffocating silence followed.
The only thing I could do was pretend I didn’t see Franz’s face contorting in shock.
Nicolai remained silent.
And, as expected, the rumors spread.
“They say His Majesty’s tired of Elizabeth now?”
“Well, he’s infamous for being a womanizer. What did you expect?”
“I heard she had a complicated past. Apparently, more than one man’s life was ruined because of her.”
“She always acted like she was so pitiful — guess the villainess is finally getting what she deserves. She really was too full of herself.”
Even the commoners were busy cursing my name.
People who once admired my beauty, wealth, and power — and even envied my love life — all turned their backs on me in an instant.
So this is selective outrage, huh? They can’t help being discriminated against by nobles, but they can’t stand seeing one of their own treated better.
The cunning Marquis Brendan exploited that resentment perfectly.
He spread malicious rumors about me with the help of bribes.
I’d done the same thing before — together with Owen and Douglas.
Because it was effective.
Villainess. Tyrant. Harbinger of ruin.
The dark shadow of the original story was once again covering the Empire.
If I couldn’t find a new path, someone other than Claudia might end up leading the revolution.
I need to build a faction that will side with me. For that, I’ll need Boritz’s help.
I glanced at Boritz.
As usual, his face was hidden beneath a large hood.
I couldn’t see his expression, but I could tell he was happy Susan had come to visit.
Between the two of them sat a small flowerpot with purple blooms.
“I was sad when its condition suddenly worsened… but maybe I should reduce the sunlight and nutrients to slow its growth. Thank you for the advice, Lady Susan.”
Boritz’s voice was full of admiration.
Susan blushed and smiled bashfully.
“A healthy plant sometimes declines faster — just like people.”
“As expected, your wisdom is beyond me, Lady Susan.”
“Oh no, I’m the one receiving great help from you, Mister Boritz.”
“P-Please, speak more casually. You’re a noble lady, and I’m just a humble farmer…”
Boritz stammered, flustered.
Used to his reaction, Susan turned to Franz.
“What do you think, Your Highness? Do you think the flower will recover?”
The word “Your Highness” seemed to make her awkwardly lower her eyes.
Franz, still dazed from earlier, suddenly blinked and came to his senses.
“It will recover. The god of harvest, Teratoris, will bless your efforts.”
Was he just happy that she’d spoken to him?
His green eyes shimmered — only to lose their light again as Susan turned away.
Franz stared after her retreating back with a wistful look.
Our Franz, becoming a tragic character already… Hang in there, kid.
My nose stung a little, but I couldn’t forget today’s real purpose.
I turned to Boritz.
“Mister Boritz, you’re still researching crops, aren’t you?”
“…Huh?”
Startled, Boritz dropped his trowel.
All I did was talk to him, and that was his reaction.
Unlike Susan, he still seemed uncomfortable around me.
“I want to cultivate plants that can help the poor. Medicinal herbs are too expensive. It’s probably impossible for someone like me, though…”
His voice trailed off like a whisper.
“Why do you humble yourself so much, Mister Boritz?”
“I’m just a farmer who works the soil. I’ve never had a proper education like Lady Susan.”
“Not every farmer worries about the poor.”
“That’s only because I know what poverty feels like…”
He hunched his shoulders and bowed his head, as if ready to burrow into the ground.
He’ll be known one day as the hero who saved the people — but right now, he’s so timid. In the original, Boritz develops famine-resistant crops after the revolution. But I can’t wait that long.
I needed to awaken him as soon as possible.
If I wanted to share in the glory of his achievements, if I wanted to raise my own reputation as his patron — I had to act now.
Even if it meant unleashing my inner villainess to do it.
