As expected, the place is guarded much more heavily now.
I now stood rely a few hundred ters away from the mansion she lived. And from here, I could already tell just how much security had been increased after the king’s death (or to be more exact, after his death was revealed. He had been dead for a long ti, I presu).
Yeah, sneaking in seems to be a bad idea. I don’t have any spells I can use to help
with stealth, and if they catch , they will no doubt think I’m there to assassinate the princess under Flau’s bidding.
I got no choice. I just have to walk through the front gate and ask for permission. If she’s there anyway.
I straightened my robes and combed my hair. Naturally, I had to look my best in front of those soldiers.
As expected, the mont they saw
walking in their direction, they imdiately surrounded
while pointing their spears towards my direction. There were at least twenty of them, all geared up in chainmail armors and steel helts. There were even a handful of mages, all aiming their staves towards
as well.
“Halt! Identify yourself!” The man who seed to be their leader shouted at .
“My na is Charles Pendleton and I’m here to have an audience with the princess,” I spoke as clearly as I could. “She had received
before and she could vouch for my character and loyalty. I had served her before and I shall serve again.”
I said all that while looking at him straight in the eye. That was how you proved to people that you weren’t lying—show them your firm and unbending confidence.
“Charles… Pendleton?” He scratched the stub on his chin. “Can’t say that I have heard of such— Wait, you… you were that Divine Tempest kid who beat that Frost Dragon, didn’t you?”
“That’s .” I flashed my brightest smile. Co on, just let
through. You must know you guys can’t win against a mage of my caliber, right?
That hope, however, was soon dashed to the rocks when one of his subordinates just had to decide to open his mouth.
“Sir! We have a report that he was actively collaborating with Lady Flau! I don’t believe we can trust him, Sir!” Tch, this telltale!
The look on the knight captain's face promptly darkened. Crap, it's crisis managent ti!
"That might be right, good sir, but that was in the past. I thought of her as a simple court mage, nothing more and nothing less. In fact, I felt betrayed by this recent developnt. I thought of her as a friend and this is how she repays my trust? That filthy necromancer needs to be hanged and burned at the stake, I say! Right in that order!" I finished my acting by folding my hands and giving him my frown. There! That should do it!
The man paused for a second or two, before replying with nervous sweat. “I-I see. So you’re not with her anymore, Milord?”
“That’s right. What would I have to gain by associating myself with a necromancer? I might be young but I have my house’s na to uphold, even all the way out here.”
If I assud correctly, they should already know that I was a son of an Earl from the Holy Empire, thanks to all the rumors. So, I could intimidate them by that alone. The nobles of the Empire were highly respected, not just in the Empire itself but also in its annexed kingdoms.
"M-my apologies, Sir." He quickly bowed. "I have wrongly misjudged you. You idiots! Lower your weapons!"
And with that order, I gained access inside.
------
I was then escorted to the mansion proper, where I had to et with this Edge person first before I was granted a eting with the princess. To my relief, she indeed was still there, and not in the castle. Though as compensation, the pri minister had assigned to her the king's old royal guards to be her bodyguard. And that Edge person was their leader. Naturally, as one who was most responsible for her safety, he had to screen
first to decide whether I was a threat to her or not.
And so I was brought to the living room, where I was told to wait for his presence.
Damn, this thick atmosphere… it's like I'm in a police station, about to be interrogated…
The soldiers didn't leave as I sat on the sofa. They just stood there, guarding the two pairs of doors to my left and right.
Around 15 minutes later, he finally made his appearance.
He was what you would expect from a typical young knight guarding a princess—blue eyes, blond hair, good looks, and a frown that showed you he ant business. He didn't wear armor though. He instead wore a green semi-formal long coat, with a blue and white shirt underneath.
"So, you're the boy that wants an audience with Her Highness."
He took his seat across , crossing his legs in the process. I could see his sword peeking out his coat.
"My na is Edge Sterling, and I am the head of Fiania's royal guard, and the son of Duke Wellington, the Pri Minister. It's a pleasure to et you, Charles Pendleton."
This attitude… he's being intentionally impolite. You don't cross your legs in front of your guest. He doesn't offer his hand nor does he give a bow. And most importantly, he doesn't crack a smile.
He’s the son of a Duke. And not just any Duke, but the Pri Minister himself. That’s why he can afford to act so cocky. I’m just the son of a no-na (and nonexistent) Earl to him.
"I’ve heard of you. You have visited Her Highness before, correct?"
"That's right!" I gave him a smile. "She'll tell you that I am welco."
"And you did it with an introduction letter written by Flau. And you made the princess pay you quite the handso amount of money. How curious. Tell . What did you do with that money?"
Damn, he sure did his howork. And just like that, he began his interrogation.
"I sold Flau the carcass of the dragon I slew. And she told
to get the money from her. It was a loan from the princess to her."
I decided to answer honestly. Lying would only make things worse.
“You don’t find it odd—” Here, his eyes narrowed. “—that she told you to co to Her Highness instead of paying it out of her own pocket?”
“Back then, I trusted her,” I answered. “A sha that trust had been wasted on a necromancer.”
“I see. I would hold it to your poor judgnt, but we all have been fooled by her.” His lips turned into a smirk. “So, what would be the purpose of your visit now? As you should know, we are in quite the state of disarray like now. Not to ntion that Her Majesty was still in the middle of her mourning. Do you truly believe it is wise to bother her with your visit?”
“It is necessary.”
“Oh? If it is, then you should speak to
first. I am in charge of her safety, in case you haven’t noticed.” His smirk grew bigger.
He doesn’t want
to see her. That much is clear. Now how should I handle this in a polite and non-confrontational manner?
“I apologize, but this is sothing I can only speak with her. I promised to do so when I first t her. I am not to speak of it to anyone, even the son of the pri minister himself.”
I looked at him right in the eye. I didn’t break eye contact, but I tried to make my expression as polite as I could. “Show firmness but not rudeness.” That’s what Fiora told
on how to speak with a noble.
His smirk disappeared. “Fascinating. So she trusts you that much. I wonder why. Sotis, Her Highness can be too trusting for her own good.”
And now a subtle insult to my trustworthiness. This is how nobles are supposed to mock each other.
"Very well." He stood up. "I shall escort you to her room. As much as I am responsible for her well-being, I cannot go against her wishes. When I inford her of your arrival, she ordered
to bring you to her room, and so that’s what I will do.”
So all this ti you’re just being a dick for no reason. Yeah. Sounds noble-like, alright.
He then brought
to the princess' chamber with an entire squad of knights in tow. On the way, he explained that she was still in mourning, so she had no interest in taking in the matters of the state into her own hands yet. For now, his father, the pri minister would be the one running the country.
Sounds like the perfect setup for his dad to be the new de-facto king with the princess just being a puppet. But hey, it’s not my problem. If she doesn’t want to rule, then maybe it will be better for the kingdom overall to just make the pri minister do all the work. Not that I know what kind of guy the pri minister is.
After climbing up two sets of stairs and walking towards the east wing of the mansion, we finally arrived in front of the princess' room.
"Here it is.” Edge spoke. “Her Highness’ chamber. Now, mind your manners while you’re in there, alright? Unfortunately, she has ordered that she wants to speak with you in private, so we are unable to accompany you inside. We’ll be standing out here, ready to co in if anything happens.”
“Of course.” I gave him a respectful smile. “I will only give the princess of the Fiania Kingdom the utmost reverence she deserves.”
I wonder if he might have any designs on her. Usually, that’s how it goes, right? The son of the pri minister wants to be the next king so he tries to woo the pretty princess. That might be why he’s so hostile to . He doesn’t want
to get close to her in case I end up making her fall for . I chuckled internally. Hah, he must think of
as so womanizer, thanks to the rumors.
He then gave a firm knock on the twin mahogany doors. “Your Highness. He’s here.”
“Send him in.”
Two knights walked forward and opened the door for . I walked in before they closed it once more behind .
And there, I saw her, standing on the other side of the room, looking right at .
The first thing I noticed was the dress she wore. No longer she wore an all-white dress. Her dress was now as dark as the night itself. Fitting considering she was in a state of mourning. Black was also considered the proper color to wear for a funeral in this world.
And then, her smile. It was tainted with bitterness. No longer was it the bright, spring-like smile she showed
all those months ago.
“You ca, Milord.”
“I did,” I replied. “I just had to make a visit after hearing what happened to your father.”
“Father… To think that Lady Flau had done that to him… Oh, please, don’t just stand there. Take a seat. Anywhere you want.”
I looked around the room. Naturally, as befitting for a princess, it was a large and luxurious room. The chandelier, the curtains, the carpet, and the two paintings decorating the room—I bet all of them are really expensive.
I decided to be bold and chose the bed to sit on. When else would I get the chance to sit on a cute princess' bed? If I could, I would even smother my face all over that dark red sheets and pillows, enjoying the scent of a princess.
Ah, I really shouldn't be thinking about perverted things now. It'd be bad if I get a stiffie in a ti like this.
"Milord, I have a request to make." She clasped her hands with a nervous look on her face.
"Yes?"
"Please, save Lady Flau! She might be a necromancer but she’s a good person! I’m sure of it!” She bowed as low as she could to the point that her hair fell down to the front.
Well, this is… unexpected.
“You don’t hate her? For killing your father and using him as her corpse puppet?”
She straightened herself. With a forlorn smile, she replied, “Father… he had done many, many terrible things… things I never knew about, being the naive girl that I am. And Lady Flau… she had told
everything. His cri wasn’t only ending Mother’s life.”
To my surprise, she decided to sit right beside .
“He… would take any woman he fancied to sleep with him, no matter if she agreed or not. Commoners, nobles, even adventurers… there were no limits to his desire. So, mostly the nobles, he would allow to return once he was bored with them. But others, he would just kill after he’s done with them.”
Her voice shook. I could see her palms whitening as she gripped her dress.
“So have tried to stop him of course. Once, there were a group of nobles conspiring of a coup d’etat to overthrow him. But Lord Sterling and Lord Basilisk put a stop to them before their sche could happen. Their punishnt was for them and their entire family to be quartered in secret, but not before Father had his way with their wives and daughters.”
At this point, tears started to trail down her cheeks.
“There was also a commoner, who tried to assassinate him after he took his betrothed, right before the day of their wedding. His attempt was also foiled, thanks to Sir Edge and his royal guards. His punishnt? He was whipped over and over until he died from his wounds. All the while his betrothed was forced to watch. She ended up slicing her own throat out of grief.”
She’s now actively choking in between her words. She even had so snot falling down her nose, which she quickly wiped with her handkerchief. Normally, I would be disgusted by the sight, but I would be a cruel and heartless person if I did not excuse her haggard appearance right now. Gently, I put my hand on her shoulder and spoke, "it’s fine if you don’t want to continue. I understand your—”
“No, you must hear it all! Every vile deed Father has done! Then you'll see why it's unfair for Flau to be hunted down like this!
Suddenly, she snapped in anger, moving her face uncomfortably close to mine. Just as quickly, however, she retreated, before returning back to her tears.
She’s torn. Between loving her Father like a child should, and hating him for all the things he did, she didn't know how she should feel.
She's a good person. I'm glad Flau managed to heal her. She deserves that and more.
"And then… and then there's the matter with—"
I decided to do sothing even bolder. I wrapped my hands around the back of her head and pulled it down to my chest.
Naturally, this took her completely by surprise.
“M-Milord? What are you—"
“Shh. That’s enough. You don’t have to say anything else."
And then, she exploded into tears.
I let her cry into my chest, patting her back like an older brother would. Ironic, considering I'm certainly much younger than her. Well, biologically anyway.
I couldn't help myself. I had to comfort her. I'm just weak to a girl's tears, especially when it ca from an innocent princess like her.
Damn, she sure slls nice…
I scolded myself. What am I getting turned on for? She's sobbing like a wreck right now and all I can think of is perverted stuff?
Munyu~
Goddamnit, now I’m noticing her breasts pressing onto
as well. Co on, Hugo, bear it! Activate your Sage Mode!
Thankfully, it didn’t last long. She promptly recovered, and with a bashful smile, she straightened herself and wiped her tears with another pair of dry handkerchiefs.
“A-apologies for that… shafully emotional display."It's alright." I gave her the best comforting smile I could muster. "Anyone would react like that with that kind of a father."
She then took my hands and grabbed them firmly with her own. And they were still as soft as ever.
"I'm glad I t you, Milord. Before you ca, I only had Lady Flau to converse with like this. Ever since we t, she had been very kind to . She would listen to my word and tell
how to solve it. Thanks to her, I learned that a princess must be strong for the sake of her subjects. And with Father gone, I will beco Queen soon. I'm not sure if I'm ready for the responsibility, but I have to try, for the sake of my people."
Once again, I had been chard by her innocence. Normally, I wouldn't buy such a rhetoric right away, but I sensed no falsehood in her words and expressions. It's just like Fiora when she said she wanted to rule for the sake of her people, though in her case, she was far more confident in doing it compared to her.
"But," she continued. "I broke one of her rules today. I had cried in front of a stranger. A ruler should not show weakness, she said, for there are always snakes slithering around them. Though, I couldn't imagine Milord being one of those snakes. You are a friend, just like her.” She giggled.
Wow, Flau's not holding back, is she? Though it's better that way. A ruler can't be as naive as she is. She'll just end up being a puppet that can't see through the lies of her advisors.
"So,” I decided it’s ti for
to ask my questions. “Did you know that Flau was a necromancer?”
She shook her head. “No. I only know about it now. I only thought of her as a master alchemist all these years, ever since she appeared and served under Father.”
“How did that happen anyway? Did she just walk into the castle and ask for a job as a court mage?” It couldn’t be that easy, could it?
She smiled hearing my question. “You want to hear about her, Milord? Then I should start from the very beginning.”
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