“Your Majesty, I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“For a member of the imperial family’s guard, does it matter if they’re a noble? If they’re the heir of a noble family or hold a key position in a knight order, wouldn’t it be difficult to do both?”
Guards for the imperial family were rarely for the sole purpose of ‘guarding.’ The majority of the time, it was for political reasons.
“Usually, that’s the case, but they’re rarely at their side 24/7. In the first place, those duties are taken care of by the palace guards or the knight order itself on a rotating schedule… There aren’t really any restrictions. Why do you ask?”
“…I had a bad feeling.”
And that bad feeling quickly became a reality. I scowled when the person, who had arrived with a confident stride, burst in.
“Hey! I talked to my dad and I’m going to be your guard!”
“…”
Oh, Lord…
I stared blankly at the man who was waving his now perfectly healed hand toward me. His trousers were wrinkled and covered in dirt. His loose white shirt was unbuttoned three buttons down, revealing his collarbone and chest, and his vest was simply draped over him without a single button fastened.
This was not the attire of someone entering the imperial palace, not even by a long shot. It was even less the appearance of someone who was claiming to be a guard. Even a mercenary wouldn’t go to a noble’s escorting job dressed like that.
He seemed to interpret my frozen expression in some way, and he winked and smiled.
“Haha, were you scared because I said I was going to the southern tip of the kingdom? Don’t worry anymore!”
“…”
I wanted to tell him that he, who was standing right here, was my real worry, not the distant southern tip.
“And this is the maid who’s going to take care of you!”
“Hello, Your Highness Princess Titania. It’s an honor to serve you! My name is Debby, and I’ll be serving you from now on.”
I narrowed my eyes at the cheerful maid and Lysianthuses, who was puffing out his chest and smiling with his bright white teeth.
Barbara, the maid who had been serving me while I stayed at the Empress’s palace, had just arrived with some new snacks and froze at the sight of this ridiculous scene.
“…Who did you say was my guard?”
“Me! They were going to send some weakling like William, so I told them I’d go instead.”
The way his eyes twinkled proudly made him look like an excited puppy begging for praise.
Oh… He really is a dog, in many ways. I took a deep breath.
“…Lysianthuses, aren’t you a member of a knight order that’s operated by the Castrain Ducal Family?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah! We’re both technically under my dad, but I am the commander of one of them!”
Lysianthuses rubbed the area under his nose with an incredibly proud expression, as if he was shy.
I wasn’t complimenting you, you crazy bastard.
“…You’re a commander of a knight order, and you’re saying you’ll be someone’s guard?”
“Oh, that’s because the important stuff is handled by the vice-commander, Rev! A guy like me just annoys him anyway, so he told me to disappear somewhere he can’t see me and give him a break!”
“I clearly asked for a lackey… no… someone I could use… someone who could be handled easily…”
“You’re always talking back to me and bossing me around.”
Lysianthuses tilted his head as if asking what the problem was.
“Are you crazy?! Do you have no sense?!”
Seeing his expression, I could no longer hold back and screamed.
“No, are you for real?! The second son of the House of Castrain, and a commander of a knight order at that! Is going to be someone’s guard?! Huh?!”
“What’s the problem?”
“I wanted a subordinate I could boss around easily, not someone I have to be careful with just to ask them for a glass of water!”
“I can get you a glass of water anytime.”
My blood pressure skyrocketed, and I clutched the back of my neck. I couldn’t win because he wasn’t making any sense.
The maid named Debby, who had followed Lysianthuses and greeted me, opened her mouth with a sparkle in her eyes.
“I can get you water anytime, Princess! You don’t have to bother the second young master with it!”
Barbara, who had been watching this chaotic scene, put down the plate of scones she was holding, poured cold water from a nearby water bottle, and handed it to me. I chugged the entire glass.
Seeing that, Debby poked Lysianthuses’ side. It made an audible ‘poke’ sound. She looked like a cute maid with short brown hair and impressive orange eyes, but every time she moved her fingers, it made such a distinct sound. Was she a sword fighter?
“Oh, so the Princess was really thirsty and said that. I guess she was disappointed by how dense you were, Second Young Master!”
“Oh, really?”
Did he burn his brain cells while using fire magic? It seemed the House of Castrain had scammed me.
Grand Duke, please switch him out… If you have a problem with me, just tell me…
“…Barbara, do you want to be my personal maid?”
“My goal was to live an invisible life in the Empress’s palace, blending in like water and…”
Barbara trailed off as she watched the two fools in front of a perfectly fine water bottle debating over ‘who had the right to get water first when a guard and a maid were right next to the water bottle.’
Right, I never intended to take someone from the Empress’s palace with me on a long, arduous journey.
“…If Her Majesty the Empress provides a generous travel allowance, I’ll go.”
“I’ll add more to that money.”
I pleaded with a sincere heart.
“Did you come willingly, or were you ordered to?”
When the Princess called her into the room alone and asked her, Debby thought it was a bit unexpected.
“They asked suitable candidates if they would be willing to serve the Princess, so I accepted!”
“Why?”
“They said they would pay well. And I really, really like pretty things. Serving Young Lady Vivi is great, but there’s a lot of competition!”
“I see.”
The Princess Titania, whom she had only heard about, was indeed pretty. Her skin, which was a little too pale, looked like it was made of frozen snow. Her blinking green eyes and hair like silk threads. She was a picture-perfect princess straight out of a fairy tale.
However, if that were all, she wouldn’t have thought much of it.
“Do you know how to handle poison, medicine, or a sword?”
“I know the basics of all three, but I am most proficient in medicine. I can detoxify most poisons. But as for a sword, I cannot take on more than three knights at once.”
“If I ordered you to kill someone, could you do it?”
Her voice was intensely calm. Debby answered, “Yes.”
“Even if the target was an innocent child?”
“I would still do it.”
“…But you would report it to the House of Castrain and wait for their judgment, is that right?”
“Yes.”
Debby was the blade, the poison, and the medicine that the House of Castrain had officially sent to Princess Titania. Debby understood her own position better than anyone. Debby would carry out whatever the Princess commanded without hesitation. She would not falter even if it meant sacrificing an innocent child. She would simply report every single detail to the House of Castrain. It was unknown what the House of Castrain, upon judging all these actions, would decide for the Princess—whether to retrieve Debby, leave her be, or use Debby to eliminate the Princess.
This was also a test that the House of Castrain was giving the Princess. Although Lysianthuses had volunteered to be her guard, he couldn’t possibly stay by the Princess’s side 24/7. He would probably only stay until the end of the奉獻祭 (Votive Offering).
The Princess had garnered too much attention from too many people because of this incident at the imperial palace. Whether it was because of the House of Castrain or the Princess herself, no one knew what would happen during the奉獻祭 (Votive Offering). That’s why they didn’t stop Lysianthuses’ stubbornness.
Did the Princess realize this? The girl who had just been screaming at Lysianthuses like a child and shouting in disbelief now had frighteningly calm eyes.
“Was there an order to eliminate me in an emergency?”
“No.” Debby smiled faintly. “No matter what happens, Your Highness, you are Young Lady Vivi’s benefactor.”
“So what if it was all a misunderstanding? What if I intended to kill Vivi, not save her, and everyone was wrong?”
“That’s not for me to decide.”
“I see.”
Ironically, Debby was reminded of the Grand Duke of Castrain and Young Lady Vivi by the Princess.
‘People don’t change easily, but you can’t make a simple judgment about someone who is capable of changing themselves.’
The Grand Duke of Castrain told her to keep a close eye on the Princess, who had shaken his children.
‘I cannot give the card of the House of Castrain to someone who does not know the weight of what is in their hands.’
It was a valid point. In other words, if Princess Titania could truly hold the card of the House of Castrain without acting rashly or using it only for herself… he would give it to her?
‘Titania Unnie won’t trust Debby.’
Their lovely youngest daughter said something a little surprising to Debby. Debby expected Vivi to ask her to take good care of Titania. After all, how much had Vivi begged when Princess Titania was lying sick at the palace?
‘So Debby… just… watch over Unnie. Without prejudice.’
The Grand Duke of Castrain had also told her to keep a close eye on the person. Wasn’t that the same thing? Debby was a little confused.
