Chapter 70
“You truly are our benefactor, Lady Liri.”
In the VIP room of the main branch of 앙뜨완 제과점.
Olivia looked out the window and exclaimed in admiration.
“So if customers spend over a certain amount on bread, they get the dessert that was supposed to be released next month as a free gift!”
When I first proposed the idea, everyone seemed reluctant.
—Most reactions were along the lines of, ‘Why would we just give away something so valuable?’—
But the results were explosive.
Even though it had only been a week, the main branch had already achieved a full quarter’s sales.
Not to mention that flies were swarming around the factory bakery.
“How do you come up with ideas like that? It seems you have an innate talent for business as well, Lady Liri.”
Hehe, well, in the world I used to live in, that kind of marketing was everywhere.
Having seen countless examples before, I was confident it would succeed.
And His Majesty’s portrait.
Honestly, that print was made to satisfy my own desire to have a photo card.
But the response was far better than I expected.
I even saw people exchanging them through direct trades on the street today—!
See? They didn’t realize it, but everyone likes His Majesty…
“How can we ever repay this? For you, Lady Liri, we can do anything. If you ever need something in the future, just say the word.”
“Oh, come on. We’re business partners, after all. This much is nothing….”
Even after that, Olivia kept pouring out endless admiration and praise, to the point I felt dizzy.
So I looked out the window to settle my stomach, and—
“…Huh?”
For a moment, I doubted my eyes.
The endlessly long line in front of the bakery, and moving nearby—
As I hurriedly grabbed my coat, Kadiyan swiftly prepared to leave as well.
“O–Olivia! I’ll be heading back now!”
“Already?”
Olivia looked disappointed, but I didn’t have the leisure to linger in parting sorrow.
If what I just saw wasn’t a mistake.
That familiar silver hair—
‘No way.’
I can’t lose him—!
Is this real?
The silver-haired His Majesty I wondered if I’d ever see again in my lifetime was right there in my sight.
Why—why is he walking alone down this street—!
‘I can’t let this slip by.’
I pulled my coat hood low over my head and began tailing His Majesty.
If he happened to be working, I planned to be satisfied with a brief feast for the eyes and pass by.
But he just seems to be walking?
Then it’s fine if I follow him, right?
If you’re asking why I don’t just greet him openly…
It’s because this way, I can look at His Majesty for a long time without putting too much strain on my heart!
Silver-haired His Majesty is the best…
Who knows when I’ll see him again, so I have to look as much as I can while I have the chance.
“…Saintess.”
“Yes?”
As I followed His Majesty while keeping a certain distance, Kadiyan spoke to me.
Kadiyan, like me, had his coat hood up, so from the outside it was hard to tell who he was.
“Who is that man that you’re following while even concealing your presence?”
“Huh?”
At Kadiyan’s question, I widened my eyes and looked at him.
Kadiyan seemed to have no idea why I was reacting like that.
“You don’t know who he is?”
Kadiyan stared closely at His Majesty walking ahead.
Then he shook his head.
“I do not.”
“Sir Kadiyan, you are the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard… correct?”
“That is correct, but….”
An awkward silence flowed between us.
Hmm. It seemed Kadiyan wasn’t very perceptive. That can happen.
Anyway. It would be troublesome if I told him that man was His Majesty and he made a startled sound.
“Then I’ll tell you later.”
We decided I would explain later and continued following His Majesty.
After wandering through alley after alley, His Majesty stopped at a dead end.
“….”
A tense silence fell, without even the sound of breathing.
“…You’ve followed me quite far.”
A low, composed voice flowed from His Majesty’s lips.
The sensation that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.
It was unmistakably His Majesty’s killing intent.
What? Is he about to fight someone here?
Alright. If anything happens, I’ll secretly provide support too.
I swallowed nervously, clenching the ring on my right index finger.
“….”
When is the enemy coming out?
Enough time had passed that if we’d poured in hot water and waited, instant noodles would’ve been perfectly cooked.
But no enemy appeared.
By the way, our His Majesty—just standing in front of a wall—how does it look like a fashion photoshoot set?
Even if you closed your eyes and pressed the shutter with your toes, every shot would come out A-cut quality.
‘His face does all the work…! Who’s the Minister of Cultural Heritage in Zendal? I need to meet them at once and propose designating His Majesty’s beauty as a cultural treasure…!’
I was inwardly shedding tears at his moving beauty when His Majesty suddenly disappeared from view.
And when I found him again—
“…Oh.”
From beneath my neck, where I was hiding against the corner wall of the alley, I felt the cold edge of a sharp blade.
At the same time, Kadiyan moved in the blink of an eye and pointed his sword at His Majesty.
And Captain Henkel, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, aimed his sword at Kadiyan’s back.
…What is this useless composition?
“….”
With the finger wrapped in a protective barrier, I gently pushed His Majesty’s sword away.
Since I could use divine power of the guardian type and blame it on the ring, I occasionally used it openly like this.
Perhaps he hadn’t imagined an enemy capable of using divine power, because His Majesty’s wariness deepened.
“Who sent you?”
“…I got lost.”
“You think that excuse will work—.”
He paused.
As if recalling that he’d heard those words somewhere before, His Majesty fell silent and stared at me.
His voice was lower than usual—I wanted to hear more—but he truly is sharp.
“The road to Your Majesty.”
I slowly lowered my coat hood.
“Hehe. Your Majesty, it’s me.”
“Saintess?”
“Your Majesty?!”
“….”
As if they had rehearsed it, the three swords swiftly slid back into their scabbards.
“…Saintess, did you follow me because you knew it was me?”
Gasp.
That sudden honorific speech made my heart drop.
I see. With Captain Henkel and Kadiyan here, I get this special treatment…!
Unbelievable. I’m so glad I got caught.
‘Ugh. All I can hear is my own heartbeat. It’s dangerous, so don’t make eye contact with His Majesty.’
If I fall any deeper, there’ll be no turning back…! Let’s not look at his face.
…But shouldn’t I look at his face? He’s silver-haired! He’s His Majesty!
‘No…!’
While fighting my desires like that, I realized something strange about His Majesty’s question.
“Of course I followed because I knew it was Your Majesty…?”
“How did you know it was me?”
Is that something he needs to ask so seriously?
It’s obviously him at a glance.
I tilted my head.
“You’re completely Your Majesty.”
“…He is not.”
Kadiyan refuted from beside us.
“To my eyes, he looks like an entirely different person.”
…Kadiyan truly must lack discernment.
How could he fail to recognize His Majesty right in front of him!
Just because his hair color changed, you don’t recognize him?
As the Saintess, I began pointing out one by one what Kadiyan was missing.
“But the placement of his features, the muscles filling out his uniform, hair that wouldn’t snag on a comb even once, those legs that can’t possibly be human proportions—!”
Suddenly, thud. A large, warm object covered my mouth.
I don’t know where this interruption came from, but I still have more to say…!
“If you examine the details, it’s clearly His Majes—mmph…!?”
I had been talking only to Kadiyan and realized too late…
Why is His Majesty’s palm covering my mouth right now—!!
I—I need to get away.
My breath is on His Majesty’s palm—!
‘No. No!’
I struggled against this unbelievable reality.
“Calm down.”
Ah—if you whisper like that by my ear, do you think I can calm down…?!
“Saintess…?”
Kadiyan called me in a nervous voice.
Perhaps intending to preserve my image in front of Kadiyan, His Majesty said,
“It seems the Saintess is excited by her outing. She said she wishes to see more of the streets, so we’ll walk a bit longer before returning. It would be best if the knights move separately from behind without drawing attention.”
Having said that, before Kadiyan could notice anything strange, he suddenly lifted me up and slipped out of the alley.
“Uaaah….”
They say loyalty is what matters most to a sailor.
Showen was wandering the streets, feeling bitterly betrayed by that very loyalty.
He was completely penniless—not even a single copper coin.
And it was all because of his disloyal father, the captain of the 데이데른 호, Deren.
A few days ago, the 데이데른 호 had docked at the port city of Zendal.
“Anyone not back on the ship by morning gets left behind!”
On the night before departure.
As usual, the crew drank at a tavern, and the drunken captain, Deren, had said that.
He thought it was just a joke said in drunkenness.
Who would have thought he meant it?
On the morning of departure, Showen woke up alone at the tavern, and the bright daylight streaming through the window sent chills down his spine.
He ran frantically to the harbor, but the 데이데른 호 was already the size of a fist, heading vigorously toward the horizon.
That was yesterday.
“Damn. I’m hungry.”
Grrrr.
Clutching his stomach rumbling like thunder, Showen groaned.
No money, no job, no place to stay.
According to schedule, the 데이데른 호 wouldn’t return to Zendal for another month.
Even if he camped at the harbor, only the seagulls would keep him company.
A perfect setup to die in a foreign land.
So he went up to the imperial capital, hoping to explain his situation and rely on a distant relative living in Zendal.
That part had been fine.
“I thought I could find them if I just knew their name….”
He had assumed he could locate the house by his relative’s name, but it was impossible.
Was the country of Zendal always this vast?
An empire is truly an empire.
Even the capital is this enormous.
Though it was winter, the imperial capital of Zendal was not particularly cold.
During the day, the temperature rose quite a bit, and under the blazing sunlight, Showen’s bronze skin flushed red with heat.
I’m thirsty.
“Oh.”
Suffering from thirst, Showen stopped walking.
Come to think of it, there was one more familiar face he knew in Zendal.
‘Liri.’
Seeing the familiar face for the first time in months, Showen raised his hand to greet her—
But upon noticing the man beside her, he quickly turned his body away.
