099 The Royal Strikes Back (4)
“I will eat well, my lord.”
“Yes, I will eat well.”
Sir Haynes greeted me, and I replied with a smile.
Progress was very smooth.
Yesterday, I listened to Kristel’s concerns and shared one of my concerns.
It was more like a small thorn stuck under a fingernail rather than a concern, but it was determined that there was nothing wrong with the main character taking care of it.
Prince Cedric was clearly wary of Lord Haines.
However, he did not give a proper answer to my question of what had happened.
That meant there was no evidence of the suspicion.
However, it was difficult to pretend that he did not hear his warning.
The prince was Toegye-gong’s ‘main man’.
I didn’t want to be the first victim of a cliché, ignoring the main character’s advice.
It’s true that Lord Haines saved my life, but I had to point out if he was hiding anything.
‘The Prince has told you to keep your distance from Sir Haines.’
‘Your Majesty?’
‘yes. It’s sad to hear such a story, but it’s a little bit too far away from Sir Haines all of a sudden. I’m sorry and I’m confused. He’s kind.’
‘That’s right. I didn’t feel anything strange about the teacher either.’
Christel answered. She and I were quietly contemplating in the middle of the flower garden.
How can I bring out my inner feelings without being awkward…
‘Let’s have a meal together.’
‘Shall we arrange a meal?’
Kristel and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and nodded bitterly.
Again, to open a person’s mouth, food had to be put in first.
“Madam Croque is great. The best sandwich I’ve ever had.”
“Laurence’s hands are the best. I’m glad you got it in your mouth.”
At Sir Haynes’ words, I suddenly returned to reality and answered.
The backyard of the Imperial Palace was not as beautiful as the gardens of Juliet’s Palace.
However, there were no passersby and it was quiet, so it was perfect for secret conversations.
As requested in advance, Benjamin and Canael were waiting inside the temple.
In the distance, I could see the temple knights escorting me.
“It’s a nice day.”
“yes. July in the new country is quite hot, but the zodiac is well worth the stay except for the period of fever. It’s not hard because the air is dry.”
Sir Haynes rolled his droopy eyebrows as he spoke.
How to hold a fork and knife, and her neat eating habits, seemed to be typical of an elegant noble paladin.
A few strands of his white hair fluttered in the wind.
I chewed on crispy bread, melted cheese, and hot ham and fried egg at once, choosing a horse.
gulp.
“Sir Johann Haines.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“that······. May I ask how you started your mercenary career?”
His eyes widened a little.
He didn’t lose his smile, but his face was a mixture of trouble and regret.
“I didn’t tell my story too much. To have you even set up a place like this…”
I made up my mind with the fragrant camellia tea and waited for Sir Haynes to speak.
He wiped his lips with a napkin and broke his luck.
“I was a mercenary before awakening as a paladin.”
I shook my head. He tilted his head and continued.
“From a very young age. Being a mercenary was the highest paying job, and it was also something I was good at. That’s why I didn’t quit even after I got my appointment.”
I wondered why he needed so much money, but that was a rude question.
Even though I knew I had to ask, it was hard to get the words out.
If it was a small noble, there were many in the Empire.
Baron Baron’s children, who were victims of the twin assassins, were also unable to use the portal due to poverty and rode a carriage.
I grabbed the teacup without saying a word.
“I have a son to take care of.”
Sir Haynes seemed to have penetrated my mind. Me and his eyes met.
“I am a child who has to take medicine every day. I had no choice but to pay for the medicine.”
“·················ogue.”
“It’s okay, my lord. It is not a disease to die.”
he said soothingly. I didn’t know what to say because of my facial expression.
I tried to reflect my face in the tea, but a camellia flower red like blood obscured my view.
Sir Haynes’ voice was still.
“Without the medicine, it’s just pain and suffering.”
“sorry.”
“Of course you are curious. It would be hard for me to trust someone like me.”
he concluded
It was no different from when he praised, ‘Princess Kristel’s reflexes are getting better and better’.
Her face, with whipped cream on the croissant, was drowsy as usual.
Whether it was a lie or not, I still couldn’t confirm because of the difference between his and me.
“Anything else you want to know?”
It was Sir Haynes who asked first.
It is true that my heart is weak, but if I go out really weak, I will only become a hogu.
It was a place I had made before, but I had to get a definitive answer at once.
I moved my lips carefully.
“You said that you came to protect me at the request of Crown Princess Kyung-eun. He also sent me a letter.”
“yes.”
The letter would not be a manipulation by Sir Haynes.
After he revealed his identity to me, I had several scenarios in mind.
Among them, Sir Haynes wrote the letter himself, reassuring me that it was a message from the Crown Princess, and later hitting the back of the head.
However, it took Sadie’s words to get on this route.
‘It’s a handwriting I’ve seen before.’
The night the note was taken from my hand, the boy said that the handwriting of the content was familiar.
The Crown Princess was the one who directly negotiated the pawn of Prince Jesse.
If the prince had seen her handwriting in the negotiation between the Empire and the New Kingdom, it was not strange that the typeface was familiar.
There was a high probability that the note was a personal letter from the Crown Princess.
“Are some of the contents of the request a lie?”
I asked. Sir Haines put the croissant down on the plate.
“What part?”
“The Crown Princess, did you order me to be killed after you delivered the letter?”
“no.”
The answer was adamant. I drank tea and organized my thoughts.
I wondered if the Crown Princess was trying to assassinate me, but looking back, it was a family with a lot of clutter.
If she really wanted to kill me, there was no reason to write a letter reminding me of her existence.
Just like when Guk-seo sent a young sul-su, it would be effective to hit without notice.
then.
“Are there any other requests you haven’t told me?”
“For example?”
“I’m asking if you have received Berner’s money as well.”
My voice was calmer than I expected. I made eye contact with him directly.
It was Sir Haynes who closed his eyes first.
[I make a covenant.]
“yes? for a moment,”
His voice turned into an oracle. I raised my voice in embarrassment.
The paladin could not make a ‘covenant’.
No, to be precise, no paladin was willing to take such a risk.
A priest who breaks the covenant is punished with ‘loss’. The scope of the loss was wide and deep.
There were those who lost family members or lovers, but there were also those who lost small amounts of money and trivial memories.
However, there was only one loss of the paladin.
A ‘seal of power’ follows the paladin who broke the covenant.
That was the reason the covenant was privatized among the paladins.
[I have never received any money from His Majesty. He is not my employee.]
Lord Haines’ mellow voice echoed through the courtyard of the temple.
He now swears to me with all his ether.
A cool breeze ruffled my hair once and went away.
[The Crown Princess has only asked me to deliver the letter and protect the Prince. I promise.]
Because he was a paladin and not a priest, there was no circle to illuminate his feet.
Instead, the silvery-white ether that spouted from his heart drenched his gray hair and poured down to the floor.
If the covenant was broken, he would lose his power forever because of the sin of swearing falsely by borrowing the power of the Lord.
He will be deprived of the honor and position of a paladin and will live the rest of his life with fingers.
-aaa
Eventually, the man’s ether disappeared. He slowly raised his eyelids.
“Sir, are you okay?”
“···············································································································“
“ha ha ha.”
My voice was distorted. He laughed briefly.
According to the Bible, there were only two cases in which a paladin could issue an oracle.
From https://noblemtl.com
One was when the covenant was made, and the other was when the cardinal-level paladin revealed ‘stigma’.
The former was not done by any sane paladin.
There were only six cardinal-level paladins on the continent, and the latter was also unheard of.
“You will be able to see the stigmata soon.”
“It would be.”
I answered. The next week, two cardinals said they would arrive in the Empire.
If there is a paladin among them, you might be able to see the precious organs.
“Then am I passing?”
“Where are you going to go and sleep? He even made a promise…”
I scooped plenty of scrambled eggs with truffle oil and put them in my mouth. I was upset.
A man who has a son to take care of has promised me a stable job and God’s blessings.
Now I had no choice but to trust Lord Haines. Why the hell did Sadie say that?
“Nevertheless, please be careful, Master Guk-seo. Your Majesty the Prince would know better…”
Sir Haynes laughed bitterly.
“Because he is a scary person. I do not choose any means.”
*
At the same time, the prosperity of the Penetian New Kingdom was in turmoil.
It was because the precious second princess stopped playing music for the second day.
“Your Majesty, even if you look at the face of a slave, please drink only one drink.”
“no. You don’t have an older brother…”
The child who was sitting alone in front of the huge table shook his head.
Tears welled up in her large, purple eyes. He was holding a pig statue in his hand.
The servants rolled their feet and lingered around the princess.
Cornelissa grew like a greenhouse and was only seven years old.
If you continued to refuse to eat like this, you would seriously harm your health.
The queen’s servant general swallowed a sigh.
I didn’t want to say harsh words to someone who raised me like a daughter.
But it was better than letting him starve again.
Guk-seo did not look at the princess today because she was attending a royal priest’s party.
So, it was clear that the Crown Princess would support her as well.
“Then do you want to go to your Majesty? Shall I ask you to have dinner together?”
“no. Mama and Mama are sick, but if I go, it will get worse…”
The little boy’s little face was contorted a lot.
King Christaner has recently grown mad, unable to recognize even his beloved daughters.
To be precise, it was painful to see the soup over her daughter’s face.
Cornelisser was young, but he knew how hard it was for his mother to see him.
Even if I wanted to be foolish because I didn’t want to eat alone or that my brother broke his promise, I had to put up with it.
My sister was very busy today. So he was alone until late at night.
“Then just one bite…”
“You have thought well, my lord.”
The servants hurriedly moved the dishes and tore the bread in place of the princess’s bracken hands.
Although he must have been hungry because he drank only water and juice, the child could not pass the food quickly.
I didn’t know if it was because I was sad or because my stomach was drowsy. It was probably both.
“Why didn’t your brother come after 100 days?”
“Your Majesty, if you eat well and sleep well, you will definitely come. Because he never breaks his promise to His Majesty.”
“But…. Now it’s close to 120 days. I mean, I’m good at counting.”
The city servants exalted the princess, saying, ‘You are wonderful, Your Majesty’.
It has been four months since Prince Jesse left the royal castle.
Until last year, the princess, who had difficulty in arithmetic, was now accurately calculating the date by herself.
If he had seen this, he must have been delighted and held his younger brother up high.
However, he was cruel and did not return to the new country even after the promised 100 nights.
Because he became the hostage of the empire.
“Can’t I just go?”
“Yes?”
The servants were startled by the princess’s question and questioned it.
“Since my brother can’t come, can’t I go to the Empire?”
“You don’t have to.”
Then, a low voice rang through the dining room.
The servants who surrounded the princess all turned around and bowed down to the visitors.
There was no need to reconfirm who the opponent was or why he was here.
Dark blonde hair reaching to the floor and deep blue eyes were dazzling.
“You’re the youngest.”
“sister!”
Cornelisser jumped off the chair and put him in Elisha’s arms.
She said she was going to be late, but she was happy that she came several hours earlier.
The face of the Crown Princess hugging her brother tightly was drenched with joy, which was rare.
He ran out of breath, and sweat was dripping from his forehead.
“I was in charge of the prince’s judgement. So I will go by myself.”
“yes?”
The youngest tilted his head. Elisha grabbed the child’s cheeks and whispered in joy.
“I’m going to the Empire, and I’m going to meet Jesse.”