372 - The Key
"What do you an you don’t need close protection anymore?"
"Just what I said. I don’t think it’s necessary any longer."
The following morning, I summoned Baron Barin to issue my orders, but he openly defied .
"But, Your Highness, this is—"
"This is the Rauno family mansion. There shouldn’t be any problems. Besides, you and Sir Neil must have had a hard ti managing things with just the two of you. If Sir Wendy stops close guarding duties, you’ll have a three-shift rotation and get so rest yourself. Consider it a reprieve, Baron Barin."
I thought this explanation would suffice, but Baron Barin remained stubborn.
"Forgive , Your Highness, but has Sir Wendy caused you any discomfort?"
"It’s not that."
"If that’s not the case, I cannot comply with your command. The matter of how protection is arranged is not sothing the person being protected should decide."
That was it. My patience snapped.
Had he been one of my personal royal guards, he would never have dared to say such a thing.
Barely restraining myself from slamming my fist on the table, I lowered my voice.
"Baron Barin."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Your unsolicited advice has been noted."
"...Pardon?"
"If, as you say, the matter of my protection is not for to decide, then tell —what can I decide?"
"Well..."
"I’m asking whether I have the right to make decisions about my own safety and body. Baron Barin, don’t delude yourself. Your orders should prioritize mine over my brother’s. Unless—did my brother give you so secret directive I’m unaware of? Did he tell you to restrict my movents?"
"No, Your Highness! I assure you, that’s not the case—"
"Then follow my orders."
I fixed him with a steely glare.
If he continued to disobey, it would serve as undeniable proof that my brother was up to sothing.
Finally, Baron Barin relented.
"...Understood. I will comply."
Reluctantly, he agreed, though I was halfway convinced he was lying.
"Good. Then inform Sir Wendy that his close guarding duties are over, and summon Santian for ."
Baron Barin trudged out of the room, and soon after, Santian Rauno entered, his face flushed with nervousness.
"I’ve done what you asked. Satisfied?"
"Uh... yes."
Still as timid as ever, this boy’s shyness was starting to affect , making my own face feel warm. The awkwardness was unbearable.
Eventually, I broke the silence.
"You said you wanted us to be alone. Surely you didn’t an here? Move. Lead the way."
Santian, his face as red as a beet, nodded and led the way. But before taking a step, he hesitated and turned back to .
"Uh... The path isn’t exactly convenient for a princess. But it’s the only way to avoid being seen."
"As if anyone doesn’t already know, I keep calling you to play."
"This ti, it’s not about playing. J-Just follow ."
The Rauno family mansion was an architectural ss. Stairs attached to windows, doors leading to nowhere on third-story walls—it was a chaotic jumble born of haphazard expansions and renovations.
Navigating the mansion offered countless routes, but to move unnoticed, one needed intimate knowledge of the structure and the habits of its residents.
For Santian, it was second nature. Children were often better at navigating such places than adults, and as the future head of the Rauno family, Santian was unmatched in his familiarity with the mansion.
Santian led into a room across the hall. It turned out to be a break room for staff, complete with a restroom. From there, we entered the restroom, where a latched door connected to the neighboring house.
Apparently, the bathroom was shared by two households, with latches on both sides to ensure privacy. Whoever used it would lock the other side to prevent interruptions, unlocking it again when they left.
Ingenious.
I was mildly shocked by this clever display of resourcefulness. The commoners truly lived cooperatively, finding ways to share limited resources efficiently.
Thanks to this shared bathroom door, following Santian didn’t feel like a waste of ti.
He passed through the door with ease and exited onto the terrace of the neighboring house, where he led down a set of stairs.
But then he froze.
"Shh!" Santian crouched down, gesturing for to do the sa.
"Baron Barin, I wouldn’t worry too muChapter The princess probably dismissed close protection to give that boy so space. At worst, she’ll just wander within the mansion."
"...You think so?"
"Definitely. Let’s focus on guarding the main entrance and tending to her needs. I’m sure Prince Leo will understand."
Between the buildings, behind the main house, Baron Barin and Sir Wendy were talking. They hadn’t spotted us yet, but...
I knew it. My brother gave secret orders to the knights!
A wave of betrayal coursed through , and my hands trembled.
What should I do now? My carefully laid plans churned in my mind, threatening to unravel.
"Princess! Are you alright?"
Santian grabbed just in ti. Dizzy from the shock, I had nearly missed a step on the stairs.
As if on cue, a commotion erupted below.
"Wendy! Barin! The princess is gone!"
"What? She was in the room just monts ago, with that boy!"
"That’s what I’m saying—she’s not there anymore! She left right after you switched shifts!"
"Dammit!"
The knights bolted in every direction.
The knights would begin searching the mansion now. While it wouldn’t be difficult to confront them with a sharp question like:
“I’m right here. So, what did my brother order you to do?”
I didn’t feel the slightest inclination to ask.
For now, I wanted to turn away from the betrayal my brother had dealt .
"Princess, shall we keep going?"
Santian must have noticed the turmoil on my face. I nodded.
"Yes. Let’s go. Take sowhere, do sothing..."
When I’m angry, my thoughts often veer into ruthless fantasies about how to dismantle and tornt my adversaries.
Sches, gossip, and alliances are but refined tools for bringing an enemy to ruin. But true destruction? That requires relentless, calculated cruelty.
For instance, targeting soone’s children is effective for a parent. For soone with filial piety, their parents beco the weak point. Threaten them directly, and they’ll posture with false bravery, but endanger their spouse? They’ll surrender without hesitation.
Human beings are creatures most vulnerable through their connections. As a ruler, one must wield fear as a tool to crush adversaries.
But what if the adversary is my brother?
I couldn’t bear to imagine it.
The brother I knew, the brother I once trusted, had always put my safety above all else.
Should I just fake an injury?
I let out a hollow laugh and followed Santian. At that mont, the thought of disappearing altogether seed preferable to facing my brother’s betrayal.
"We’re almost there. Watch your step," Santian said, gripping my trembling hand tightly.
After weaving through the labyrinthine mansion, we descended into the underground.
As I suspected, Santian had brought to a hidden passage.
Not the most romantic place for a confession, I thought. But under the circumstances, it was perhaps the best option.
Just take away.
Santian knelt before .
"Princess, I know this isn’t the best ti to confess. I also know my status isn’t befitting of you."
Sure, you don’t even know proper decorum.
Kneeling with your left knee down and right knee up? That’s a knight’s pledge, not a lover’s vow. What a fool. Can I even trust this idiot? And offer your hand, at least—how am I supposed to respond otherwise?
But despite his awkward posture, Santian spoke with surprising gravity.
"But I want to tell you this: My family is not inferior to any other noble house in the world. Though we’ve fallen now, the Rauno family was once a na known far and wide."
"…If you’re going to claim nobility, you should make it sound convincing."
"It’s not a claim. The Rauno family is the direct descendant of the Laono House, the first noble house recorded in history."
"The nas sound similar, sure. Fine, I’ll humor you. So, do you love ? Will you truly love ?"
Santian’s expression hardened, and he suddenly stood, leveling his gaze with mine.
"Don’t dean yourself like this, Princess. I am doing everything I can to be worthy of you."
"A re commoner? Claiming descent from a house that vanished three thousand years ago doesn’t elevate your status."
"I knew you wouldn’t believe . That’s why I… borrowed this. It will prove my lineage."
Santian pulled sothing from his coat.
A dark, weathered rod—it was a key, an ancient type long out of use.
Gripping the key like the hilt of a sword, Santian approached an iron door, its surface cold and unyielding, with frost emanating from behind it. Unlike other hidden passageways, this one had been sealed for a long ti.
He inserted the long key, its length nearly matching his forearm, into what seed to be the keyhole.
Clack. Clack-clack. Clack-clack.
The key scraped against the aged tal as Santian forced it into place. The iron door, heavily corroded, resisted stubbornly, but Santian’s determination overca it.
Finally—Thunk! The key fully inserted, the sound of bolts releasing echoed behind the door.
The door creaked open with an eerie groan.
No magic seed involved—just an ancient chanism designed to open under its own weight once unlocked. A system of gears inside matched the notches on the key, turning to release the latch.
This also ant the door could only be opened with the key, even from the inside.
Just then, a voice called out.
"Princess! Where are you?"
The knights were closing in. Lerialia turned to Santian, urgency in her eyes.
"Let’s go. Show everything, and love ."
The boy and the newly-of-age girl stepped into the dark corridor.
Santian shut the iron door behind them, reversing the key to lock it once more.
"Princess!"
"Please, Your Highness!"
By the ti Baron Barin, Sir Neil, and Sir Wendy arrived, the faint echoes of footsteps had vanished into the depths of the hidden passage.
Engraved on the worn iron door—faded by ti and weather—was a na.
/ Baneca Laono /
The na of a sorceress who once ruled an age long past.
As the knights despaired, another boy ca running toward them.
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