Princess
At last Tristan kneeled down on his knees.
“Do you remember what I said?”
“Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I told you that if you commit suicide, your subordinate’s neck will fly as much as your age¹.”
So there is no need to be thrilled or surprised by his submission. This was supposed to end in the first place.
Tristan Rowenthal, the Blue Knight of the Western Front, a noble knight who doesn’t know defeat, and a commander who cares for his subordinates like me.
There’s no way such a man can escape to death. Your men’s necks will fly away in vain. Thus Tristan has no choice but to choose a servile life instead of a comfortable death.
Tristan frowned as if it were too much to recall the events of long ago.
“Yes, I remember.”
“I’m glad you remember. If you did, you’d better not forget it in the future.”
I ordered him to stand up and sit down.
We faced each other with the table in between. I took out the paper and pushed it to the other side.
<I ____________________________ transfer all my soul, body and property and rights to Erinnes Nisha Tantal².>
“It’s very important to leave anything in writing.”
“Shall I sign it?”
“To the last name.³”
Tristan lifted the quill without hesitation.
It was an elegant and neat style that would only fit in Tristan Rowenthal’s official documents.
I picked up the slave document and flung it into the air a few times to dry the ink.
“Oh, come to think of it. Well, it turns out there was a ruling in your prosecution today.”
Tristan was a condemned criminal whose execution was legally postponed. I convinced Aurest to don’t proceed with Tristan’s prosecution. However, Aurest turned his words around all the time and acted differently.
<Why don’t you just put him on death row?>
<It doesn’t look good…>
It took several weeks to persuade him. Aurest was far behind in the indictment. In the end, the verdict was made today. I will reduce his sentence in consideration of his contribution to the Western Front for not directly participating in the rebellion. I will take the name of the family from Tristan Rowenthal and send him to slavery instead.
Aurest did not acquit him until the end. Slave was a compromise. And I was guided by Tristan’s recruit.
“So you’ve become my slave as of today. How do you feel?”
“I’m glad.”
The answer was too cryptic to be sarcastic. It was a disappointing reaction.
Knights raised Tristan.
We passed the dark stairs into the hallway. Sunlight from the narrow, high window welcomed us, leaving a fine light mark on the mud-colored floor. It was the East Tower where Tristan was kept.
All of them call it the East Tower only, but the official name is St. Maselk Monastery, a monastery that many priests visited hundreds of years ago. Even now, when it was turned into a prison for imprisoning imperial or nobles, the beauty of St. Maselk Monastery was still there.
From the ancient times, the great ceiling paintings painted by artisans over 20 years passed through the solemn stone lantern, as if it had been there, and came out to the main gate.
The sky was clear and the wind tickling his cheek was gentle. A dazzlingly drawn Tristan muttered.
“It’s spring.”
He looked up at the clear sky without clouds. As I turned my head back, his dry chin grew more prominent. Black hair fluttered in the wind. The sun glistened on his black eyelashes. Tristan, who closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind and the sun, suddenly asked.
“May I ask you what day it is today?”
“April 1st.”
Two months have passed since the execution. Tristan’s jaw muscles wriggled. He raised his hand and slowly swept his forehead and bangs from his chin.
His revealed face was still.
“Yes.”
A roofless two-horse carriage was waiting outside. Tristan had himself sit on the cockpit, and I got into the carriage. After a while the carriage departed.
The surrounding landscape moved slowly. When I entered the main street, there were a lot of people. People bowed their heads to show examples as the carriage passed. I let one of my guards come to me in a long way. I gave him a silent order.
Knight Gereint Bell was in a confused expression. Tristan, sitting on the perch, glanced at him, immediately fell his gaze, and fulfilled the order.
The knight shouted in a loud voice.
“Blue Knight Tristan Rowenthal signed the Slave document! Tristan is a slave of her Imperial Highness!”
The people in the house stood out of the window and had a shocked face. Some man spit on the ground.
Some girl wiped her tears. Some priests looked for God.
I closed my eyes, ignoring all the sights and sounds.
In a few days, news will spread throughout the capital that Tristan has signed the slave document. Soon everyone in Tantal, perhaps even the people of other countries, will find Tristan Rowenthal in the hands of the Imperial Lady.
It was just the beginning.
I decided to postpone telling Tristan the truth.
If I told him right now, ‘I’m actually a friend of your mother, Vathorlia’s rebellion partner. I saved you at the request of Vathorlia, so let’s dream of revenge together.’ It would sound like a vicious joke.
So it would be better to let him know after he’s somewhat ready.
***
As soon as I arrived at the palace, I had a maid to wash Tristan. After long enough time to read a book, Tristan, who had finished the dressing up, appeared.
I put my chin on my hand and stared at Tristan. It turned out that the length of the pants was short, so his ankles were completely exposed. The buttons on the shirt were also tight as if they were about to rip. He looked ridiculous in ill-fitting clothes.
“What’s that, little boy?”
One of the maids said to me.
“Your Imperial Highness, there are no clothes of size for him. Should I call a seamstress?”
“Go ahead.”
While Tristan was taking measurements, he talked to the maid.
Parma, the maid of the Imperial Palace, who was always thorough in managing facial expressions, couldn’t hide her grim look today.
I enjoyed her change of expression interestingly.
“Your Imperial Highness, Prince Rowenthal⁴, ···”
“Tristan.”
The maid seemed to have a hard time pronouncing the name Tristan.
“I think it’s better to leave Tri-tristan’s education to someone else.”
“I think you are the right person.”
“I’m not used to polite bowing because of my humble origins, and I’m not good at teaching, so I’m not good enough to be a teacher.”
Most of the royal families and nobles generously overlook the manners mistakes of the imperial householders with the mind of ‘how bright would it be if the commoners were polite?’ However, when they feel bad, they takes the blame for small things and punishes them mercilessly. Sometimes they take their lives.
To prevent such a tragedy, the people of the imperial family stay up all night to learn imperial etiquette and etiquette, and strive to avoid being flawed.
Their manners are excellent because they are directly linked to the pleasing problem. Some of the maids used a manner superior to any nobleman.
Therefore, I first think, ‘Is this nonsense that a woman who has served for more than 30 years is still not used to manners?’
The maid is simply disorganized because she will teach over Tristan.
“Who knows best about the attitude his subordinates should have, and can teach best?”
Who is it? The maid, Palma. It’s you.
The maid quickly dodged.
“If Your Imperial Highness the Princess commands, I’ll try and find the right teacher.”
“Do you really need to do you? I already have the right teacher in front of me.”
“Thanks to the grace of the Emperor, Tantal has many talents. Definitely more than me,···”
I raised my hand and cut off the maid.
“Maid, I know you’re under pressure to teach over Tristan. Even if he’s a slave now, it would be uncomfortable to think that you’re teaching someone who was once a meritorious person.”
There was a gleam of hope in the maid’s face. I felt a little guilty, trampling on her hopes.
“But I don’t want to find anyone else with the best teacher in front of me, either. I won’t forget the right cases, so please teach over Tristan.”
The maid finally accepted.
Tristan was also an aristocrat, so he was used to the basic etiquette.
However, he had to forget how to treat his subordinates, how to behave modestly and imposingly, and how to greet guests as the owner of the house.
Instead, he has learned how to serve his superiors, humble and gentle manners, polite way of speaking, how to get out of the carriage, how to manage the tea cup, how to greet the host’s guest as a subordinate, and how to use flower petals and so on.
“What a great student.”
As the maid said, Tristan was a good student.
There was never a single sign of such a thing, even though he might have been offended by being rejected by the common people.
He didn’t even stretch out ‘why I had to learn this.’ Not only did he respect the maid as a teacher, but he also attended the class with sincerity.
Even yes. He seemed to review thoroughly.
The cautious maid’s attitude gradually relaxed.
I mumbled, throwing the birch into the firecracker barrel.
“I don’t have any business.”
A few days later, the seamstress brought out the finished clothes. Still, he was a man who stood out wherever he went, because he was tall and neat, as if his face was shaved.
He was so cool to wear clothes that fit well. Not only the maids, but also the knights glanced at Tristan, and began to say a word or two.
“Tristan.”
“Yes. What’s the matter?”
“Wow, you really answered…!”
In fact, everyone in the Imperial Palace sniffed at Tristan. It was the same with my guards.
“Hey, Tristan.”
“Did you called me? Lord Gareth.”
“Wow, did you called me? Everything happens in my life. I’ve been treated like this by you.⁵”
“It’s not a wonder. Lower your tongue.⁶”
“Oh, right.”
You can make a quarrel with him.
“Tristan, is this fun?”
“It’s pretty interesting.”
“Really? Let me try.”
I used to interrupt the class.
A knight named Gereint Bell discovered a new talent when the flower blossoms popped into class.
Geraint fell in self-praise for fear of his potential, and disappeared, caught in the hand of a maid.
×××
[1] I told you that if you commit suicide, your subordinate’s neck will fly as much as your age: It means if he committed suicide, Erin will kill as many subordinates as his age (if he’s 34, she’ll kill 34).
[2] Erinnes Nisha Tantal: this is the full name of Erin and this will be the official full name of Erin in my translations (exp. If there are better translation of her name than this, then comment it so I could change it ASAP). Her name in korean is 에리니에스-니사 탄탈 (e/ri/ni/e/seu-ni/sha tan/tal).
[3] To the last name: Apparently, if a nobleman signed with his/her last name or/ promised something and said “In the name of my <family name>”, it means the nobleman will really do it whatever happens as if the nobleman didn’t, his last name’s reputation and honor will be tainted. Swearing by last names is really a heavy gesture, as you put your whole family in line.
[4] Prince Rowenthal: Interestingly, in Korean language, children from a Ducal House is called a Prince or Princess but not the Prince or Princess for an Imperial/Royal house. A Prince from a monarch house is called a 황자 (hwang/ja), a Crown is called 황태자 (hwang/tae/ja), and a princess from the monarch house is called 황녀 (hwang/nyeo) while a child from a ducal house will be either called as 공주 (gong/ju) which means Princess and 공자 (gong/ja) which means Prince.
[5] Wow, did you called me? Everything happens in my life. I’ve been treated like this by you.: When he said “Wow, did you called me?” he was amazed because if a superior called it’s subordinate, most of the time, it means they need something. Since Tristan is a slave now, he’s of the lowest position in the society, and as Lord Gareth (the speaker) is an imperial knight, he’s really way higher than Tristan and he is amazed because before, he needs to respect Tristan as he is a “Prince” and the “Blue Knight”. He was so amazed that he said the next sentences…
[6] Lower your tongue: Speak informally. He was speaking to Tristan formally and because Tristan is a slave now, he shouldn’t be doing that.