Chapter 89…
Clearus lifted his head at Dulcen’s consolation.
“…Was I really cool?”
Thankfully, our young duke recovered quickly.
Riding that momentum, Dulcen exaggerated his praise.
“Of course! I thought our young lord had already grown up enough to be preparing for an heir!”
“Grown up…!”
Clearus’s expression brightened instantly.
It was excellent comfort.
Dulcen flinched.
“No, I mean—not right now, of course. Just that you seemed that mature.”
“Mm.”
So he looked like an adult, huh.
That alone was enough reassurance for Clearus.
Besides, he had kissed Eli last night, held her hand, and even slept together.
Now even the captain of the knights said he seemed like an adult.
‘Does that mean I can marry Eli…?’
He was still young, but if he was an adult, couldn’t he get married?
Strength returned to Clearus’s body, which moments ago had been limp like seaweed melted in water.
Watching him, Dulcen reconsidered his own words.
Was calling someone mature really such a huge compliment? Since when?
Only Dulcen—who had no idea what “secret” the children had shared the previous night—was left confused.
* * *
It rained all morning.
Receiving a messenger bird soaked from the rain, Rilkia read the letter with a grave expression.
“Due to the sudden rain, several parts of the road are flooded. It may take longer for the carriage to arrive.”
“Oh, how long?”
“You were originally scheduled to depart after lunch, but it seems it will be just before dinner.”
Since the carriage was empty and could travel at full speed, it could arrive much faster than Eli’s group had.
But weather was an unpredictable factor no one could control.
“If things get worse, it may even arrive after dinner. So for now, just assume we’ll be waiting at the inn.”
“Until dinner….”
Eli’s already-drooped shoulders sagged even further because of the rain.
She had never imagined being stuck inside a small inn could feel so suffocating.
Last night had been fun.
The unfamiliar environment itself had been entertaining.
But after one day, it no longer felt unfamiliar.
The cramped, shabby room, the creaky bed, the old sheets—everything that felt fresh yesterday had already lost its charm.
“I will check if there are any toys we can retrieve from the carriage.”
Because it was night when they arrived, they hadn’t been able to unload everything.
They only carried important and expensive items they could each shoulder.
There was no need to bring toys to an inn meant only for sleeping, so toys naturally fell to the bottom of the priority list.
“Mmh….”
She wasn’t interested in toys.
Eli rarely played with toys anyway. She preferred running around outside.
But now she quietly obeyed Rilkia’s words.
Rilkia had cried. She had been too worried… scared she wouldn’t find her.
Eli was mature enough to understand that she shouldn’t whine about wanting to go out when Rilkia was already distressed.
She only stayed quiet trying to behave—but the atmosphere grew too heavy.
“…….”
“…….”
But she had nothing to say.
She couldn’t say she was bored, and saying she was fine would be a lie.
Seeing Eli trying so hard to read the mood made Rilkia feel even worse.
“…Either way, you wouldn’t be able to go out because of the rain.”
She couldn’t tell Eli to play freely, but seeing her so slumped was heartbreaking.
At Rilkia’s excuse-like explanation, Eli forced a smile.
“Yeah, that’s true. I’ll just stay in the room until the carriage comes.”
“…….”
Rilkia’s heart collapsed.
No, this wasn’t what she meant…
Her young monarch wasn’t supposed to smile so forcibly, hiding her feelings.
She had snapped earlier because her nerves were stretched to the limit, but she regretted raising her voice.
What if Eli stayed distant from her now?
But if I apologize now, Her Majesty might misunderstand and think that behavior is acceptable!
Ignoring it made her feel guilty, apologizing made her anxious about Eli’s future behavior.
She believed that Eli would learn quickly if told only once…
But safety came first.
Safety over feelings.
Suppressing her discomfort, Rilkia bowed her head.
“Then please rest. I’ll inform you once we receive more news.”
“Okay. Rilkia unnie, you rest too.”
Her voice was weak, yet she still worried about Rilkia.
How could she be so kind?
Even after Rilkia had raised her voice at her!
Should she just apologize now—say she was sorry for yelling…?
No no no! Absolutely not!
After much struggle, Rilkia held back her words and turned around.
Just today, she thought. I’ll endure just today… no, until the afternoon.
When they moved to Lord Sothen’s castle in the evening, she would show Eli around and arrange a space where she could play with Duke Berndt.
Just a little longer—let her be the strict one for a bit more.
It was for Her Majesty’s sake… yes, for Her Majesty’s sake…
…Yet, serving Her Majesty felt far more difficult than becoming the captain of the royal guard.
“Ugh…”
Leaving the room, Rilkia leaned against the door and buried her face in both hands.
Sliding down until she nearly sat on the floor, she trembled.
Dulcen approached and patted her shoulder wordlessly.
He understood perfectly well how she must feel.
It wasn’t easy scolding such an adorable monarch. But someone had to play the villain…
“You! The only reason I have to be the villain is because you failed to properly raise Duke Berndt!”
But instead of gratitude, she vented her frustration.
Dulcen was dumbfounded.
“…Seriously? Who snaps at someone who’s trying to comfort them?”
“I do, why? This is all because of Duke Berndt!”
“Ahem…? Have you forgotten that thanks to our duke, we weren’t robbed by bandits and reached this inn safely?”
Dulcen was nothing like Clearus, who stubbornly took the blame.
He was sly, and he never let himself lose.
“…….”
“Have you forgotten—?”
Damn it.
Rilkia buried her face between her knees again.
She had momentarily forgotten that achievement.
Once again, she alone became the villain.
She hated the world.
Rilkia lifted her head, eyes shimmering with tears. She couldn’t remain the only villain forever.
“Lady Raval!”
Just then, her eyes landed on the perfect scapegoat.
Lady Raval, returning with tools for Eli’s morning grooming, flinched at the ominous call.
“Y-yes, Captain of the Guard?”
“I need to discuss something urgently.”
Rilkia’s expression was as solemn as a general marching to war.
Lady Raval became tense as well.
Even nodding made her neck feel stiff like it might creak.
“What is it? Don’t tell me it’s really an assassin…?”
“…That’s not something I’d discuss with you.”
“Oh… right.”
Lady Raval, still shaken from the morning’s commotion, was on edge.
Her mind went straight to assassins and kidnappers.
But Rilkia’s face held a seriousness close to that level.
“Then what is the matter that’s equally important?”
Something as important as stopping an assassin.
That was…
“What do you think Her Majesty likes to do for fun?”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s extremely important. The carriage might not arrive until the evening. We might even have to stay another night at this inn. We can’t just leave Her Majesty moping like that all day.”
Lady Raval quickly snapped back to focus.
“Right, that is important! The things our princess would enjoy are…”
“Yes.”
“…Oh my.”
Lady Raval pressed her fingers to her forehead.
“…Shopping?”
“…….”
Rilkia mirrored the gesture.
“Shopping. Here.”
“Well… perhaps we could recreate the palace experience? Summon local merchants and have them bring goods to the inn?”
“Hoh.”
Lady Raval acted fast.
“Ah… but that was before she lost her memory. Afterward, she didn’t really play at all.”
“Ah.”
“The closest thing to playing she did was chatting with Babian and Juruna… and aside from that it was training or studying.”
“…Ah.”
“Recently, it feels like she’s forgotten how to play, and it breaks my heart.”
Lady Raval dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve.
Rilkia couldn’t even cry now. She just closed her mouth quietly.
Training done like playing—was that training or playing?
Strictly speaking, it was training.
Even the difficult training, Her Majesty happily and enthusiastically participated in.
So lately, the focus had naturally shifted more toward training than play.
Her Majesty seemed to enjoy it, so Rilkia had been excited too…
But maybe this had been too much.
She should’ve made sure she had time to play.
‘Have I been committing child abuse…?!’
No matter that she was the monarch—she was still a child! Seven years old!
