It was only a split second, but I knew immediately what was happening.
I’m quite familiar with the sound and the touch to pretend not to know.
It was when I surprisedly looked up at Caleb.
“As you wish.”
He gave a soft smile.
“I will return safely.”
His voice itself, as he added softly as if whispering, was caring.
“I promise.”
“Yes.”
Caleb’s smile became more pronounced.
My cheeks became hot at the same time.
I didn’t dare to look at his face any longer, so I shifted my gaze elsewhere.
While wondering when I’ll be immune to that face.
Caleb fastened the strap I had given him to the sword’s handle.
I had no idea the strap should be tied like that. Because it was a strap to wish for luck, I assumed it should be worn on his arm.
“Because it’s cold out there, why don’t you go into the barracks?”
Was there anything else he needed to prepare?
Oh, he said his preparation was finished, didn’t he?
‘Of course,’ I said, nodding.
We decided to go to the Royal Knights’ barracks, which had been set up.
There was a separate barracks for the Duke, but it was quite far away from where we were, so we went to the Royal Knights’ barracks.
It was the moment I tried to roll up the barracks’ cloth entrance.
Someone had rolled up the cloth ahead of me.
“Huh?”
“Lord Vessel?”
“Here you are, Commander and Lady Oreu. I was going to go find you first, but you arrived just in time.”
“Were you going to look for us?”
“I was actually looking for the Commander, but it’s fine. Please come in.”
As I tilted my head, Edmund moved away from the entrance while supporting the cloth to let me in.
After thanking him and entering the barracks, I realized why Edmund was looking for us.
‘Everyone appears to have gathered.’
In the barracks, where Edmund and Natalie and other Royal Knights were present, an unexpected figure stood up and greeted us.
“Lady Vessel……?”
What brings Vivian here?
Vivian stood up and greeted us as I blinked at the unexpected meeting.
I could barely speak after clenching my lips.
“Lady, why are you……”
“Oh, I brought her here. Vivian stated that she would like to serve us soup.”
“Soup?”
“Hunting is an activity that moves a lot, so I think they might be hungry in the middle.”
Vivian was the one who responded to my question.
She then took up the basket next to her.
Clatter- the sound of the bowl clinking was audible.
“I purposefully prepare for the other knights to ask them to look after my brother.”
“I was going to go find the Commander to ask him to join us, but the two of you came just in time.”
Edmund drew out a chair and motioned for me to sit.
Vivian took a bowl and tableware from the basket when I sat down with Caleb.
“I brought a spare just in case, but I did well.”
“I appreciate your sincerity, but you are not required to look after mine.”
Caleb’s words caused Vivian to stop for a moment.
“May I ask why?”
“I don’t eat before I ride a horse because I tend to get indigestion.”
“I see… then what about you, Lady Oreu?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to eat either. I’m not hungry at all.”
“How about we have tea?”
“Did you bring tea, too?”
“Yes, I’ll serve it as dessert.”
Vivian cast a backward glance.
Only then did I notice that there were several others besides the basket.
“You must have had a hard time bringing it.”
“The maids suffered more than I did. How about a cup of tea?”
Vivian inquired once more.
Well, I declined the soup, and declining the tea offer is somehow……
“If it’s not a bother.”
“Duke, how about you?”
“If it’s tea, I’ll gladly accept it.”
Vivian asked us to wait a moment because she was going to get the tea right after the soup.
Seeing her busy moving made me feel uneasy for no reason, so I stood up and tried to assist, but Vivian shook her head.
She said she even sent the maids outside because she wanted to treat the knights herself, so she said I should sit back and relax.
But, as she said, I couldn’t be at ease.
‘Perhaps because I knew that the real Elena was inside Vivian’s body.’
Unlike before, I was concerned about Vivian’s every move.
Vivian doesn’t care about me and is focused on getting the soup into the bowl.
‘I guess I became sensitive.’
It was inevitable to repeat the fact that I learned recently.
But it was amusing to see myself becoming agitated on my own.
“Is there anything else you require?”
It was when Vivian inquired of the Knights.
Lord Madin extended his hand.
“Well, I don’t have a spoon on my side. Could I have one, please?”
“Please wait……”
“Here you are.”
He was speaking to Vivian. But, in terms of spoon location, I was the closest.
Before Vivian moved, I grabbed the spoon.
“Thank you.”
“No worries.”
Lord Madin took up the spoon. It was then that my hand touched his.
Lord Madin let out a ‘gasp’ and quickly withdrew his hand.
“I apologize!”
“Yes?” What happened all of a sudden?
“I reached out and touched your hand, Princess.”
“Princess……?”
Who was he referring to when he said “princess”?
Lord Madin then said as I blinked in embarrassment.
“You’re the daughter of His Highness the Archduke, aren’t you?
“Well, yes. Right?”
On the surface, yes.”The Archduke is the sovereign of the principality, so you are a princess.”
That’s why he addressed me as Princess!
I only thoughtlessly rejoiced at my new realization for a split second.
‘To think it’s been awkward since the beginning.’
Was this the cause of the nervousness the whole time?
“Please treat me the same way you used to.”
“How could I do that to a princess……?”
Could you not address me as ‘princess’?
I’m not sure if I’d been hearing that since I was a child, but hearing such a title now made me feel so embarrassed that I wanted to scratch my arm.
Even more so now that I’ve realized the position isn’t really mine.
“However, I have not yet been recognized.”
“Is there anything else that should be recognized? Lady, I heard the Archduke embraced you and was convinced you were his daughter. Isn’t the recognition already over?”
“That’s correct. Furthermore, aren’t you going to follow His Highness back to the principality after this hunting competition?”
Following Lord Madin’s words, another member added.
Those words alone piqued my interest.
Because I never considered accompanying the Archduke and Archduchess to the Principality.
“I……”
Clang- Something broke so loudly that my heart sank.
“I-I am sorry.”
The source of the sound was Vivian. The teacup had broken and was scattered in front of her feet.
“My hands were probably slippery, so I slipped. I’ll clean it up right away.”
Vivian knelt on the floor, her face flushed. She then started picking up the broken debris with her bare hands.
“Stop right there. You’re going to get hurt.”
“But if I leave it this way, other people might get hurt……”
“I will clean it up, so get out of the way.”
Edmund stopped Vivian by putting on gloves he had removed briefly.
“We will help, too.”
And at that, Caleb as well as other Knights members woke up wearing their gloves.
“Everyone just sits down. Commander too, please sit down. This will not take long to clean, so none of you need to stand.”
“Even so, we must work together to clean it up so that it can end quickly.”
“Well, then……”
Edmund was no longer able to persuade them after Natalie’s response. Instead, he turned to face Vivian.
“You, too, Vivian, take a seat. Don’t just move around and step on debris.”
“I am sorry, brother.”
Vivian sat down beside me, her face solemn.
“Are you all right?”
“Thank you for your concern. I’m just a little surprised……”
“Still, I’m glad you didn’t seem to be hurt.”
“I apologize, Lady. I promised you tea, but instead of tea, I bothered my brother for nothing……”
“It was a mistake.”
“Still, I apologize. I’ll make another one soon.”
“You said you were surprised. It’s fine if I don’t drink tea, so don’t overdo it and just rest.”
“But I’m almost done with everything. I only needed to pour the tea into the teacup, so I took it out, but I dropped it……”
With her hands trembling, Vivian said she would continue to serve tea.
Despite her surprise, seeing her trying to do her job made me feel sorry for her.
Apart from the fact that, my concerns have been occupied by Vivian.
“All we have to do is drink tea, right? Then I’ll serve it to you.”
“What? Lady, I shouldn’t have asked you……”
“You stated that all you had to do was pour it into the teacup. Then please take a seat.”
I moved cautiously after Vivian was seated. Fortunately, the floor had been almost completely cleared.
” May I go there, Dame Seria?”
“Do you need anything? I’ll give it to you if you tell me. The debris has not yet been completely removed.”
“Can I please have a teacup and a teapot?”
Natalie warmly accepted my request. Vivian had already broken the teacup, so I didn’t forget to take another one from the basket.
While I was pouring tea at the table, Vivian kept saying she was sorry, and I kept assured her that everything was fine.
After pouring all of the tea based on the number of people, all of the members who went out to clean up the debris returned.
It was just as I was about to pour everyone a cup of tea and drink it myself.
“Wait, Elena.”
Caleb came to a halt in my actions and pointed to the teacup in front of me.
“This is broken.”
“Oh, you’re right.”
The rims were slightly damaged. I would have drunk the tea without realizing it if I hadn’t looked closely.
“It must have been broken by bumping into each other while the maids bringing it. I apologize. I’ll bring a replacement.”
“No, it’s the tea I’m going to drink, so I’ll bring it.”
I raised myself up, dissuading Vivian from trying to get up in a hurry.
‘I’m glad there’s a lot of extra.’
There were still many teacups in the basket.
It occurred when I inadvertently reached into the basket to retrieve a teacup.
“Ah!”
My fingertips were pricked.
There were blood droplets on my thumb when I pulled out my hand.
“Lady? What happened?”
“Are you all right?”
Edmund and Caleb both jumped up and approached me at the same time.
Edmund and Caleb both jumped up and approached me at the same time.
“It’s fine. I only had a small cut. It’s nothing.”
“What do you mean by nothing when the blood is flowing down like that? It looks like your hand is ripped!”
Oh, really?
Edmund’s words caused me to look at my thumb again, which surprised me.
Blood continued to flow down my thumb, which I thought would only be a few drops.
I thought I’d only been lightly poked.
“Lady, give me your hand.”
“Elena, your hands.”
Edmund and Caleb both said this to me at the same time.
With the other hand holding a bottle of holy water.
It was only a split second, but I knew immediately what was happening.
I’m quite familiar with the sound and the touch to pretend not to know.
It was when I surprisedly looked up at Caleb.
“As you wish.”
He gave a soft smile.
“I will return safely.”
His voice itself, as he added softly as if whispering, was caring.
“I promise.”
“Yes.”
Caleb’s smile became more pronounced.
My cheeks became hot at the same time.
I didn’t dare to look at his face any longer, so I shifted my gaze elsewhere.
While wondering when I’ll be immune to that face.
Caleb fastened the strap I had given him to the sword’s handle.
I had no idea the strap should be tied like that. Because it was a strap to wish for luck, I assumed it should be worn on his arm.
“Because it’s cold out there, why don’t you go into the barracks?”
Was there anything else he needed to prepare?
Oh, he said his preparation was finished, didn’t he?
‘Of course,’ I said, nodding.
We decided to go to the Royal Knights’ barracks, which had been set up.
There was a separate barracks for the Duke, but it was quite far away from where we were, so we went to the Royal Knights’ barracks.
It was the moment I tried to roll up the barracks’ cloth entrance.
Someone had rolled up the cloth ahead of me.
“Huh?”
“Lord Vessel?”
“Here you are, Commander and Lady Oreu. I was going to go find you first, but you arrived just in time.”
“Were you going to look for us?”
“I was actually looking for the Commander, but it’s fine. Please come in.”
As I tilted my head, Edmund moved away from the entrance while supporting the cloth to let me in.
After thanking him and entering the barracks, I realized why Edmund was looking for us.
‘Everyone appears to have gathered.’
In the barracks, where Edmund and Natalie and other Royal Knights were present, an unexpected figure stood up and greeted us.
“Lady Vessel……?”
What brings Vivian here?
Vivian stood up and greeted us as I blinked at the unexpected meeting.
I could barely speak after clenching my lips.
“Lady, why are you……”
“Oh, I brought her here. Vivian stated that she would like to serve us soup.”
“Soup?”
“Hunting is an activity that moves a lot, so I think they might be hungry in the middle.”
Vivian was the one who responded to my question.
She then took up the basket next to her.
Clatter- the sound of the bowl clinking was audible.
“I purposefully prepare for the other knights to ask them to look after my brother.”
“I was going to go find the Commander to ask him to join us, but the two of you came just in time.”
Edmund drew out a chair and motioned for me to sit.
Vivian took a bowl and tableware from the basket when I sat down with Caleb.
“I brought a spare just in case, but I did well.”
“I appreciate your sincerity, but you are not required to look after mine.”
Caleb’s words caused Vivian to stop for a moment.
“May I ask why?”
“I don’t eat before I ride a horse because I tend to get indigestion.”
“I see… then what about you, Lady Oreu?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to eat either. I’m not hungry at all.”
“How about we have tea?”
“Did you bring tea, too?”
“Yes, I’ll serve it as dessert.”
Vivian cast a backward glance.
Only then did I notice that there were several others besides the basket.
“You must have had a hard time bringing it.”
“The maids suffered more than I did. How about a cup of tea?”
Vivian inquired once more.
Well, I declined the soup, and declining the tea offer is somehow……
“If it’s not a bother.”
“Duke, how about you?”
“If it’s tea, I’ll gladly accept it.”
Vivian asked us to wait a moment because she was going to get the tea right after the soup.
Seeing her busy moving made me feel uneasy for no reason, so I stood up and tried to assist, but Vivian shook her head.
She said she even sent the maids outside because she wanted to treat the knights herself, so she said I should sit back and relax.
But, as she said, I couldn’t be at ease.
‘Perhaps because I knew that the real Elena was inside Vivian’s body.’
Unlike before, I was concerned about Vivian’s every move.
Vivian doesn’t care about me and is focused on getting the soup into the bowl.
‘I guess I became sensitive.’
It was inevitable to repeat the fact that I learned recently.
But it was amusing to see myself becoming agitated on my own.
“Is there anything else you require?”
It was when Vivian inquired of the Knights.
Lord Madin extended his hand.
“Well, I don’t have a spoon on my side. Could I have one, please?”
“Please wait……”
“Here you are.”
He was speaking to Vivian. But, in terms of spoon location, I was the closest.
Before Vivian moved, I grabbed the spoon.
“Thank you.”
“No worries.”
Lord Madin took up the spoon. It was then that my hand touched his.
Lord Madin let out a ‘gasp’ and quickly withdrew his hand.
“I apologize!”
“Yes?” What happened all of a sudden?
“I reached out and touched your hand, Princess.”
“Princess……?”
Who was he referring to when he said “princess”?
Lord Madin then said as I blinked in embarrassment.
“You’re the daughter of His Highness the Archduke, aren’t you?
“Well, yes. Right?”
On the surface, yes.”The Archduke is the sovereign of the principality, so you are a princess.”
That’s why he addressed me as Princess!
I only thoughtlessly rejoiced at my new realization for a split second.
‘To think it’s been awkward since the beginning.’
Was this the cause of the nervousness the whole time?
“Please treat me the same way you used to.”
“How could I do that to a princess……?”
Could you not address me as ‘princess’?
I’m not sure if I’d been hearing that since I was a child, but hearing such a title now made me feel so embarrassed that I wanted to scratch my arm.
Even more so now that I’ve realized the position isn’t really mine.
“However, I have not yet been recognized.”
“Is there anything else that should be recognized? Lady, I heard the Archduke embraced you and was convinced you were his daughter. Isn’t the recognition already over?”
“That’s correct. Furthermore, aren’t you going to follow His Highness back to the principality after this hunting competition?”
Following Lord Madin’s words, another member added.
Those words alone piqued my interest.
Because I never considered accompanying the Archduke and Archduchess to the Principality.
“I……”
Clang- Something broke so loudly that my heart sank.
“I-I am sorry.”
The source of the sound was Vivian. The teacup had broken and was scattered in front of her feet.
“My hands were probably slippery, so I slipped. I’ll clean it up right away.”
Vivian knelt on the floor, her face flushed. She then started picking up the broken debris with her bare hands.
“Stop right there. You’re going to get hurt.”
“But if I leave it this way, other people might get hurt……”
“I will clean it up, so get out of the way.”
Edmund stopped Vivian by putting on gloves he had removed briefly.
“We will help, too.”
And at that, Caleb as well as other Knights members woke up wearing their gloves.
“Everyone just sits down. Commander too, please sit down. This will not take long to clean, so none of you need to stand.”
“Even so, we must work together to clean it up so that it can end quickly.”
“Well, then……”
Edmund was no longer able to persuade them after Natalie’s response. Instead, he turned to face Vivian.
“You, too, Vivian, take a seat. Don’t just move around and step on debris.”
“I am sorry, brother.”
Vivian sat down beside me, her face solemn.
“Are you all right?”
“Thank you for your concern. I’m just a little surprised……”
“Still, I’m glad you didn’t seem to be hurt.”
“I apologize, Lady. I promised you tea, but instead of tea, I bothered my brother for nothing……”
“It was a mistake.”
“Still, I apologize. I’ll make another one soon.”
“You said you were surprised. It’s fine if I don’t drink tea, so don’t overdo it and just rest.”
“But I’m almost done with everything. I only needed to pour the tea into the teacup, so I took it out, but I dropped it……”
With her hands trembling, Vivian said she would continue to serve tea.
Despite her surprise, seeing her trying to do her job made me feel sorry for her.
Apart from the fact that, my concerns have been occupied by Vivian.
“All we have to do is drink tea, right? Then I’ll serve it to you.”
“What? Lady, I shouldn’t have asked you……”
“You stated that all you had to do was pour it into the teacup. Then please take a seat.”
I moved cautiously after Vivian was seated. Fortunately, the floor had been almost completely cleared.
” May I go there, Dame Seria?”
“Do you need anything? I’ll give it to you if you tell me. The debris has not yet been completely removed.”
“Can I please have a teacup and a teapot?”
Natalie warmly accepted my request. Vivian had already broken the teacup, so I didn’t forget to take another one from the basket.
While I was pouring tea at the table, Vivian kept saying she was sorry, and I kept assured her that everything was fine.
After pouring all of the tea based on the number of people, all of the members who went out to clean up the debris returned.
It was just as I was about to pour everyone a cup of tea and drink it myself.
“Wait, Elena.”
Caleb came to a halt in my actions and pointed to the teacup in front of me.
“This is broken.”
“Oh, you’re right.”
The rims were slightly damaged. I would have drunk the tea without realizing it if I hadn’t looked closely.
“It must have been broken by bumping into each other while the maids bringing it. I apologize. I’ll bring a replacement.”
“No, it’s the tea I’m going to drink, so I’ll bring it.”
I raised myself up, dissuading Vivian from trying to get up in a hurry.
‘I’m glad there’s a lot of extra.’
There were still many teacups in the basket.
It occurred when I inadvertently reached into the basket to retrieve a teacup.
“Ah!”
My fingertips were pricked.
There were blood droplets on my thumb when I pulled out my hand.
“Lady? What happened?”
“Are you all right?”
Edmund and Caleb both jumped up and approached me at the same time.
Edmund and Caleb both jumped up and approached me at the same time.
“It’s fine. I only had a small cut. It’s nothing.”
“What do you mean by nothing when the blood is flowing down like that? It looks like your hand is ripped!”
Oh, really?
Edmund’s words caused me to look at my thumb again, which surprised me.
Blood continued to flow down my thumb, which I thought would only be a few drops.
I thought I’d only been lightly poked.
“Lady, give me your hand.”
“Elena, your hands.”
Edmund and Caleb both said this to me at the same time.
With the other hand holding a bottle of holy water.
