Chapter 31
“That’s right. His name is Gerald Freeman.”
Benjamin studied Gerald closely.
Ariella had already told the chamberlain she wanted him as her personal guard knight.
“Of course, it’s true that he should be commended for saving Your Highness from danger.
But that doesn’t mean he needs to be a guard knight.
He’s nothing more than a squire, isn’t he?”
“I heard he’ll be knighted next year.”
“But he is not yet a proper knight.
How could you possibly…”
“Even so, he saved me from danger.
Isn’t that exactly what a guard knight is supposed to do?”
“Be that as it may, how could a commoner knight serve as Your Highness’s guard?
This concerns the dignity of the imperial family.”
Benjamin was firm.
But she could not back down either.
“I’m not saying I want only Gerald as my attendant.
I just want that knight to stand in front of my chamber door.”
Ariella’s stubbornness deepened the chamberlain’s sighs.
At last, he carefully began.
“But in times like these, such an out-of-place appointment could easily become the source of ugly rumours…”
The meaning behind his roundabout words was clear.
With Dmitri gone to war, if someone unqualified was appointed as her guard, the gossip would be inevitable.
Scandalous, shameless rumours.
Gerald, who had been darting his eyes around, suddenly went pale.
Slowly, he crossed his arms over his chest, wearing the frightened, pitiful look of a cornered swallow.
“Are you going to keep your arms up like that?
What on earth are you thinking?”
When Ariella clenched her teeth, Gerald lowered his arms at last.
She shook her head.
“That’s exactly why I’m making this request to you in private, Chamberlain.
Honestly, who would suspect anything when they see that face?
I am the wife of the crown prince, who is praised as the empire’s unrivalled beauty.”
Benjamin gave Gerald a sidelong glance.
“That may be true, but rumours are like wildfire in dry grass.
Once they spread, they cannot be stopped.”
He let out a long sigh.
Ariella decided it was time to drive the final nail.
Ah—she slumped against her chair, pressing a frail arm to her forehead.
“Just thinking about what happened to me earlier today…”
Her breath faltered, as if she might faint at any moment, and Reyna rushed forward to dab at her forehead with a handkerchief.
Of course, there wasn’t a trace of sweat, but she worked diligently anyway.
“If His Highness were to hear of this incident, he would be terribly worried.
And he has to depart so soon…”
Benjamin’s brow furrowed slightly.
“There will never be such an incident again.
I swear on my honour to protect Your Highness’s safety.”
“I know the great empire of Tripina is secure.
But sudden dangers can strike at any time, can’t they?
Just like today.”
“That such a massive stone nearly crushed Your Highness…
How could something like that happen within the palace walls?
I can hardly believe it…”
“It was the size of a house.
Wasn’t it?”
“A… house…”
Gerald cupped his hands in the air, mimicking the stone’s size, echoing Ariella’s words.
“If not for him, I would have been gravely injured.
A great war will soon begin, and if something like this happens inside the palace again, what then?”
Benjamin was silent for a long moment before finally nodding.
Ariella cheered inwardly.
“Very well.
If it is Your Highness’s express wish, then so be it.
I will make the arrangements at once.”
The memories she gained through Gerald might not prove useful.
Still, Ariella wanted him nearby.
It could be considered a reward for the hardships of her past life, or a kindness extended to a man with a good heart.
Before long, Benjamin excused himself, saying he would see to the matter quickly.
Once the room had quieted, Gerald finally spoke in a low voice.
“Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
“I will do my most.”
“At what?”
“My mother always said a caterpillar should eat pine needles.
She also said blessings beyond one’s station bring misfortune with them.
But she told me the heavens always smile upon those who strive.
Don’t you think so?”
Gerald had always been this talkative.
Listening to him now, Ariella couldn’t help but smile.
Meeting him again made her realise the truth of her second chance at life.
Closing her eyes, it almost felt as though she had returned to those days.
Without him, her time in the tower would have been unbearable.
“But I’m still not sure if I deserve such a favour don’t feel like I accomplished anything that great.”
“What are you saying?
Don’t forget.
You saved my life.”
That much was the truth, even if the one he had saved was her in another life.
“What?
But…”
“And one more thing, just to be clear—I have absolutely no romantic interest in you.”
Gerald’s face lit up instantly.
The worry he had been carrying was plain as day, and it left her speechless.
“Ah, thank goodness.
People around me were worried, you see.”
“Worried about what?”
“Well… I’ve been told I’m rather handsome back in the village.
They thought maybe the crown princess might, well, you know…”
“No.
Absolutely not.”
“Then I’ll devote myself fully to training in swordsmanship and spearmanship.
I’ll give everything to protect the Highnessesan and and and repay my debt.”
“That’s a fine idea.
But aren’t you nteresinterestedddordsmanship?”
Gerald quickly lifted his head.
“How did you know that?”
“Well… I only had to look at your hands.”
Puzzled, he glanced down at her own hands instead.
They were scarred and rough, but it was impossible to tell from that alone whether he was serious about swordsmanship or not.
“Is… that so?”
“Yes.
The spots that should be calloused are perfectly clean.”
Ariella answered shamelessly.
He didn’t need to devote himself to swordplay.
The swallow knight only needed to flit about, carrying tales back to her.
“So you don’t need to practice swordsmanship or spear fighting.”
“Th-then what should I do?”
“Keep your ears and mouth open.
That’s the surest way you can repay your debt.”
Leaving Gerald looking baffled, Ariella rose from her seat.
Night had fallen deep over Dmitri’s castle, shrouding it in heavy darkness.
Even the starlight trembled within the suffocating black.
Only three days.
After that, Dmitri would be gone.
She felt like a butterfly caught in the vast current of fate, its wings fluttering helplessly.
Could she really change anything at all?
Ariella’s gaze fixed on his castle, still cold and lifeless.
Soon even its master would leave it behind.
Dmitri was said to be too busy preparing for war to spare even a moment of rest.
Thunderclouds swelled across the night sky, rolling in like dark fog.
With a long sigh, she tried to ease the heaviness in her chest.
***
Though summer was near, the dawn air still carried a chill.
Ariella watched the soldiers, fully prepared for the departure ceremony.
Their faces were solemn, heavy with resolve.
Then, against the faint glow of daybreak, Dmitri strode toward her, slow and steady.
His armourmmered with cold light, trailing a fleeting afterimage.
Perhaps it was the atmosphere of the dawn, but even though only three days had passed, it felt like he had returned from a long journey.
Ariella straightened her neck, hiding her unease.
She wanted to appear every inch the crown princess as she sent him off.
Dmitri stopped close and gazed at her in silence.
“I heard you appointed a guard.
Choose yourself, no less.”
The unexpected question made Ariella blink.
Dmitri leaned his head slightly, his gaze shifting to Gerald behind her.
His brow creased faintly.
“That’s your type?”
Her eyes followed his, landing on the swallow knight standing awkwardly.
She snapped her head back toward Dmitri.
“You shouldn’t say things like that about people.
And what are you implying?
I have very high standards, you know.”
Dmitri gave a short laugh and lifted a shoulder.
“That much seems true.”
He caught the ends of her hair between his fingers.
The playful glimmer in his eyes dimmed suddenly, like dawn sinking into silence.
Meeting those dark eyes, an unexpected emptiness swept over her.
Ariella smiled to hide it.
Calm, poised.
She couldn’t let him leave worrying about her.
He was only eighteen, still so young, no matter how much he pretended otherwise…
“I should lock you in the tower before I go.”
The tenderness that had briefly bloomed vanished all at once.
“Was that supposed to be a joke?”
“Don’t cheat on me.
If you do, I won’t grant you a divorce.”
“Cheat?
What are you talking about?”
“Everyone says so.
That the princess of Forenze replaced her crown prince with a guard knight.”
“You can’t possibly believe such ridiculous nonsense.
And it’s annulment, not divorce.
And please, stop talking about that tower.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“At first, I meant it sincerely.
But now… every time I say it, your face gets more amusing.”
Ariella shot him a glare filled with every insult she knew.
Dmitri only laughed again.
