39 – The Princess’s Secret (2)
“I meet Her Highness Princess Amelia von Russell-Wittenberg, Princess of the Empire, Star of Estedorp, and descendant of great emperors. “I would appreciate it if you could be lenient on the fact that I am not familiar with etiquette.”
I bowed my head and spoke slowly and clearly so as not to make a mistake. Because I didn’t want to offend the princess.
Of course, I was not a nobleman, and I was not taught noble manners by an old woman. In other words, this kind of thing was called Youngjam disease.
I don’t know how the princess would receive her formal greeting, but when she lifted her head slightly, she was smiling.
“Meet Her Highness the Princess.”
Unlike me, Dorothy greeted me very elegantly. Although she wasn’t wearing a skirt, she pretended to catch it in the air and bent her knees in greeting.
“Puhuh… It’s okay if you don’t have to be so polite. I know you guys aren’t noble children, so let’s talk comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
Contrary to her first impression of her as cold and arrogant, the princess treated me and Dorothy gently. She seemed to know why she was so popular with the people.
“So, I’m very curious about what brought you, who are neither fully grown young men nor noble children, to me. Can you tell me?”
Okay, the water hose was turned on over there. Now the key was how to talk about it here.
The conclusion I came to was surprisingly simple. It goes straight without any hesitation. You might step on a landmine, but if you don’t have the confidence to make up a lie, it’s easier to tell the truth later.
“Her Royal Highness, I have a story to tell you about the Golden Lion who is currently imprisoned.”
As expected, the guard’s shouting was heard.
“Quiet your mouth!! How dare you mention someone who is shameful to even mention in front of anyone…!”
“It’s okay. Just keep talking.”
The princess calmed down the angry guard and looked clearly into my eyes. Her princess’s face was like the calm surface of a river. I swallowed her saliva as I looked at her expression that did not make a single movement.
“Next time, I’d like to talk in a place where no one is around.”
“Okay, Houston. Come here for a moment.”
Princess Amelia whispered to the guard who had shouted at her earlier. She couldn’t hear what was said.
Was that really good content? A strange tension lingered at the scene.
“Yes. I’m asking you to follow me.”
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Dorothy and I exchanged glances and followed the princess. This may not be the right answer, but there was nothing I could achieve if I didn’t move forward.
The place where the princess guided us was the reception room located inside her mansion. The scenery in the reception room did not catch my eye. The only thing flowing in this place right now was silence…
I opened my mouth because the silence that continued seemed like it would suffocate me at any moment.
“I wonder what happened between the Golden Lion and the princess.”
“If you know the name of the Golden Lion, you must have already heard it on the street… Did you come here to mock me?”
The princess looked at me, still with a transparent expression. There was no emotion, including anger, in her voice. This situation itself felt like a test given to me by Princess Amelia.
“No, that’s not true.”
“Then what?”
“I have come to offer help to the Golden Lion and Her Royal Highness.”
“Help? What kind of help are you talking about? There has already been a ruling on the s*xual harassment-related matter. Your actions now may help the Golden Lion, but they don’t seem to help me at all.”
The princess’ intention of saying, “If you know anything else, spit it out,” Was clearly conveyed to me without her having to say it.
“No. I’m sorry to say this, but the matter has not been resolved at all. Even if the Golden Lion is dealt with like this, there is no benefit to the princess.”
“Hmm, keep talking.”
“The Golden Lion is a frivolous person, but he has a reputation as a mercenary within the empire. The crime of molesting the royal family is a serious crime, but there are many nobles who have benefited from him, so it would be difficult for him to be put to death. If he survives, he will be able to avenge his injustice. “There is a chance that we will join hands with those who are jealous of the princess. In that case, the Golden Lion will become the princess’s weakness.”
“Can I ask why he thinks it’s unfair?”
“The princess didn’t put him in prison because she was molested by the golden lion.”
The princess’s face became cold. Her cold eyes, like the chill of a bitter cold, pierced through me. As the princess’s fierce gaze turned to me, I felt like even her heart froze.
“I know the princess’s secret. Based on the circumstances so far, I believe that what the princess did to the Golden Lion was not intentional, but an accidental act that would have happened in an unexpected situation. If you are going to get rid of the Golden Lion, you will have to do more than that. Because the princess has the means.”
There was no answer coming back to the princess. She didn’t have time to think about whether she answered right or wrong. Since she has already committed, conveying her opinion until the end is the best and best option in the current situation.
“Therefore, I would be grateful if you could tell me exactly what happened to the Golden Lion and the princess. I will do my best to help the princess with her problem. However, I would like you to release the Golden Lion as compensation for the work.”
The princess, who had been listening to her story, broke the silence and opened her mouth.
“It’s a funny thing to say because you’re requesting a trade in front of the princess of the empire… Baby, there’s one thing you don’t know. You have to have what I don’t have for it to be a trade.”
Her attitude as a princess was extremely cold. However, I feel that the conversation that continues now is an extension of her test as a princess.
“Even if the Golden Lion is released, it would be very easy for me, the princess, to silence him, and although you dared to say that you would help me, there is no reason to trust you, a boy with neither skills nor credibility guaranteed. Rather, now. “I feel that it would be extremely beneficial to kill you, who knows my secret, right here.”
“Her Royal Highness.”
“Says are always easier said than done. I have always been wary of and dealt with braggarts like that. The courage to defend a man who dared to molest the princess is incredible.”
A blade was pointed at my neck. The cool warmth of the metal touched my skin. One thing that surprised me was that the person who pointed the knife at my neck was not the princess.
“If that’s all you want, then die right here and now.”
The person who appeared behind me without any sound or presence was ready to cut off my head at any time. However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of making his next move carelessly.
Somehow Dorothy’s rapier was pointed at the princess’s neck. Dorothy growled at the unidentified man with her eyes filled with murder.
“If you touch even a single hair of my master, I will pierce this woman’s throat like this.”
It was a situation that happened in an instant. A heavy silence lingered in this place.
No one was able to move in this imminent situation.
Just when it seemed like this bloody standoff would continue forever…
What broke this silence and tension was none other than the princess’s laughter.
“Puhahahaha, ahahahaha!”
The princess burst into laughter, clutching her stomach with both hands. It seems like this situation is really fun. She started laughing like a crazy person. As tens of seconds passed, the princess’s laughter gradually calmed down.
She spoke, wiping away the tears that were lingering in her eyes from laughing.
“I knew you were being reckless, but I never thought you would put a knife to the princess’s neck without hesitation. You are such fun girls after all. Oscar, put away the knife.”
When the princess gave her order, the blade pointed at my neck was withdrawn.
“Dorothy, it’s okay now.”
In the same way, Dorothy also picked up her rapier, but she stayed by my side without losing her nerve.
Only then did the princess lose her calm sleep-like expression and smiled the same way she did when they first met. She spoke softly.
“I don’t hate people who have courage and try to achieve results. I knew you would come looking for me from the time you visited the Golden Lion in prison.”
From then on, the princess was talking as if she had been watching.
“However, before I talk about why I asked the golden lion, there is something I want to check about your abilities. Would it be okay if I test whether you really have the ability to help me with the situation I am in?”
“Don’t you need credit?”
Then, Princess Amelia’s amethyst-like eyes shone coldly.
“I have good eyes. I can at least detect when people are lying. In that sense, I have come to the conclusion that you can trust me. However, ability and credibility are different. I hope I can prove that here and now. .”
As we continued the conversation, I had a strong feeling that the princess was testing me, and it seems that this was her intention from the beginning.
“Good. How can I prove my abilities?”
“Maria, you may come in.”
Then the door to the reception room opens. A girl who appeared to be about the same age as Dorothy and I approached the princess with excited steps, her pink hair flowing as if she had been waiting.
“Princess~ I thought you were going to die from exhaustion waiting!”
“The story isn’t over yet, so just be quiet.”
The girl named Maria heard the princess’s words and her mouth became dry. Princess Amelia continued by saying this.
“Maria is a wizard and Oscar is my bodyguard. Have a mock battle against the two of you and show me your abilities.”