“I see the glory of the empire.”
Lady Freiselben, who opened her eyes widely as if she was embarrassed for a moment, stood up and slightly pulled the hem of her dress and greeted me.
“Yes, Hi. What are you doing here?”
“Well, I was looking for my hair ribbon because it fell. It was a precious ribbon that I received from my dad…..”
Tears formed around the eyes of Lady Freiselben. Usually, if one cries like that, one would think she was sad because she lost her father’s gift, but in fact, what she was worried about was the punishment for losing her father’s gift.
No, to be exact, violence which was named punishment.
What would a mere 10-year-old know? I hated her while reading the [Prince!] series, but what she had been through in her past reminded me of my relationship with my grandmother.
“Where did you lose it?”
If you go back without finding it, you’ll definitely be beaten with a whip, but it’s not difficult to find a ribbon, so I should spare a moment.
“It was near here. It’s a large red ribbon with a string……”
It must have been matching with the red dress she is wearing.
“I’ll look for it too.”
“Really? Thank you, Your Highness.”
I raised my resting body and began to look around.
“Are you really thinking of helping?”
Lora asked as if she was dumbfounded, and I nodded slightly.
“Your highness, you need to abandon your excessive kindness.”
Saying so, she sighed.
Well. Kindness huh, I don’t think so. Since this is self-satisfaction.
If I don’t help, I’ll continue to think of the young me who wished for someone to appear and help me when I was being hit by my grandmother.
The garden is set up behind the mansion, and making us closer to the mountain than before. It’s not here, not there as well, just where did she lose it?
“I found it!”
Lady Freiselben, who was crawling on the ground, raised the dirty ribbon above her head and shouted. As I turned my head straight away to look at her, a huge ridge-like object was reflected behind her.
“Get down!”
“Pardon?”
And in the darkness behind her, the eyes of the monster with even more terrible darkness than that flashed.
Just a minute ago, the sharp fingernails of the monster pierced the spot where Lady Freiselben was standing.
The shattered trees around her proved that she would have died if she hadn’t ducked in time.
Lora quickly hugged me and jumped back.
“Hang on, the Lady…..”
“My mission is only ‘to guard Your Highness’.”
Well, that’s true but. It bothers me to see the fainted Lady Freiselben lying on the cold floor.
Since if we don’t save Lady Freiselben here, she’ll definitely be torn apart by those sharp nails.
“If we go five minutes from here, it’s where the banquet hall is connected. If that monster follows the smell of humans, a big accident will occur.”
“There’s knights stationed there, so it’ll be okay.”
In the cloud of dust, the appearance of a huge monster faintly could be faintly seen.
“Then can you at least lure it? As a princess, I have a duty to protect my people. But I’m weak right now, so I really need Lora’s help.”
I feel sorry requesting this of her, but I can’t ignore Lady Freiselben, who is about to die. She agonized for a moment and soon nodded.
“I understand. Once I lure it, please go around and hide behind a tree with the lady.”
Lora hugged me with one arm, and took out a sword with the one hand, and closed the distance.
“……..’s……. sc…..g…… d….”
A rough voice like a scratching metal came out of the monster’s mouth.
“The monster can also speak?”
“They usually can’t. That’s a bad sign. That is. I’ve heard rumors that monsters who are at least hundreds of years old have exceeded ordinary power and can speak but it’s my first time seeing it in person.”
She expressed her displeasure and filled her hand which was holding the sword, with strength.
“Put me down now. I’ll get in the way.”
If that monster is a very powerful entity, you can’t waste your strength just hugging me.
“There might be other objects nearby, so you must hide quietly okay?”
“Okay. I’ll stay still behind the tree after saving the lady.”
Besides, I have the power of the spirit which I received as a birthday gift from Leav in the past. It’s a one-time contract by a scroll, but it will definitely protect me when it’s dangerous.
Lora lifted her sword and slightly slashed the back of her hand for it to bleed a little. Then the monster raised its head and began to sniff as if to find the cause of the smell.
The ground thumped under it’s heavy weight. Then it paused, for a moment, it became calm.
The monster, who was looking around with strange creaky movements, deeply inhaled and muttered.
“……..ve…..s…….. me…….”
“I wonder what its saying?”
“I know right.”
I couldn’t understand even if I try to listen carefully.
“—Same race!!!”
As if it was a lie that he had stopped moving, the monster rushed in shouting with accurate pronunciation.
“Run!”
I was pushed by Lora’s hands and then I rushed to hide behind the tree. She blocked the hard claws of the monster with a sword, a sharp scraping sound spread out.
After exchanging attacks with Lora several times, the monster continued to attack even though it was bleeding black blood with one of it’s arms cut off.
The fresh air mixed with the slightly bloody smell, and the nasty smell poked the tip of my nose. I turned my eyes and ran carefully to Lady Freiselben, who was lying down.
I violently shook her, who was still not moving, but she has no thoughts of waking up at all.
“I have no choice.”
I’ll have to slap her in the face. As soon as I raised my hand to hit her, Lady Freiselben’s blue eyes opened wide.
“Are you okay?”
When she saw the battle between Lora and the monster, she backed away in surprise while sitting.
As I saw Lora’s right arm cut long by the fingernails and was bleeding, I thought that I shouldn’t hide quietly, but bring in knights at least.
I carefully pulled Lady Freiselben’s arm and hid behind the tree for now. The lady’s body was trembling like a leaf.
I clenched both of her hands and made eye contact. I felt bad seeing her eyes which were showing fierce waves of fear.
“Can you bring the knights?”
Her trembling gradually stopped. Lady Freiselben nodded with a pale face, and began to turn around and run following my gestures.
I held my head out from behind the tree and watched the battle between Lora and the monster.
Even after losing both arms, the monster was still attacking sharply with its thick tail. Indeed, it was bizarre.
Slash.
However, the attack was dispersed by Lora’s sword.
The end of the tail that was cut, hit the tree where I was hiding and rolled on the ground. The black blood smeared on the soil created a thick stain.
“Grrrr……..”
At that moment, I felt like the hairs of my whole body stood up.
The breath I feel in my ears and the nasty smell. It was as if something was rotting away.
Something was dripping horridly from the canine the size of my arm, which was sticking out of it’s mouth.
“…….ce……. sm…..ell………I……”
It was a different entity from the monster earlier. Same race? Smell?
Combining what they said, it meant only one thing. “It smells like the same race.” What does that mean?
“…..Are you talking to me right now?”
As I quietly asked, I looked back at the monster. Even in the dark, the shining blood-red eyes were looking down at me.
“Your Highness!”
Lora, who had just knocked down the monster, noticed the monster near me and rushed over. But before Lora’s sword could touch, the head of the monster standing in front of me fell down.
“Rosiane!”
My dad, who threw away the gooey liquid-stained sword, hugged me. My dad’s hands, which were urgently examining me, was shaking a lot that it quite surprised me.
“Did you get hurt somewhere? We should go to the clinic right away.”
“I’m fine thanks to Lora.”
“However, you received a huge shock mentally, I’m sure—”
“I’m really, really, fine, dad.”
It was only after I calmed down my dad who was busily shaking that I could talk properly.
“The monster talked.”
“Talk?”
“Yes. I’m sure it said, ‘It smells like the same race’ …….”
“That’s why it came all the way down here. Deus, from now on, strengthen the security and dispatch a search team to wipe out nearby monsters.”
“I accept your orders.”
Dad didn’t seem to be too surprised as if there was something he could guess. Sir Boyd and the elite of Zion scattered throughout the woods.
“Rosiane. You really didn’t get hurt, right?”
“Yes and……..”
I swallowed back my next words.
It’s hunch of mine but, perhaps the monster wasn’t going to attack me. Of course, I’m not sure, but the moment I made eye contact with the monster, I somehow felt like that.
“And?”
“It’s nothing. More than that, Lora is hurt.”
At my words, my dad’s chilly gaze turned to Lora.
“We’ll talk after you receive treatment.”
“I accept your order.”
Lora, who answered briefly, quickly disappeared.
“You did well to call us. Thank you.”
Honestly, if I die because of the monster, it was a situation that couldn’t be any better for Lady Freiselben. That’s why, even though I sent her off, I didn’t expect much, but to think she would bring my dad.
“I’m only repaying your kindness.”
Lady Freiselben, who was far away, replied quietly.
The murky eyes under the half-lowered eyelids subsided deeper into the darkness.
* * *
On the second morning of the hunting competition, the body of the girl, who couldn’t eat, plummeted onto the cold marble floor.
There was a pretty loud noise, but Baron Freiselben could not shake off his soaring anger. Lady Freiselben stood up in front of the Baron immediately at the familiar situation.
He, who had been repeatedly going back and forth in the same spot as if he were mad, raised his head and shouted.
“You must be out of your mind! You lost that good opportunity?”
It was a situation that was hard to tolerate for him who missed his long-cherished dream right in front of his eyes.
If the princess had been torn apart and killed by the monster on the spot, what I had been working on all this time would have been able to shine. Isn’t it like blowing your nose without using your hand?
[tn: it means to achieve something without putting any effort]
I would have been able to send my daughter to the imperial family, receive a huge amount of *money and be able to play in a bigger gambling house, but my foolish daughter ruined it all. The more I think about it, the more angry I get.
[tn: direct tl was ‘dowry’ but he wasn’t going to marry off his daughter right? Im confused as well so I just put money instead.]
“…Because she seemed like a good person.”
Lady Freiselben murmured softly, recalling the princess who had willingly volunteered to find her ribbon.
“What?!!”
Of course, it was cruel violence that came flying in. There was a heavy look of resignation in her eyes.
The Baron is a person who has severe emotional ups and downs. So if I hang in there a little longer, he’ll soon calm down again.
“I told you didn’t I! That position is mine, no, yours!”
The baron, who had been giving a beating for a while, tried to calm his agitation with a cigarette in his mouth. However, infuriated to the tip of his hairs, he couldn’t come to his senses.
Even though his daughter’s body, curled up on the floor, trembled with pain, he recalled his happy future without even worrying about her.
“I opened my eyes and everything was ruined! That position is definitely yours!”
Lady Freiselben recalled the princess that her father told her. He said that she was ruthless, cynical, vain, and foolish. Therefore, she was not suitable for the position of princess, I must have it heard thousands of times so I was certain.
‘However, she was different.’
Meeting her in person, she was rather a fair person. She was moderately proud, but not arrogant, and she seemed to be expressionless as if cold, but she was somewhat affectionate.
“Then you should at least seduce a prince!”
Perhaps he didn’t know that it’s not something he’s supposed to say to his 10-year-old daughter, he let out a short sigh, throwing the half-burnt cigarette butt on the floor.
Lady Freiselben briefly recalled the prince who saved her yesterday.
If you pretend to fall somewhere in the forest, someone will save you, and if it reaches the imperial family’s ears, you will receive their attention at least once, it was what the Baron ordered.
However, she did not receive a single glance from the princes.
“They’re all interested in Her Highness only.”
At his daughter’s words, the baron swept all the things on the desk and threw them on the floor. The finely decorated vases and ink bottles rolled on the floor with disastrous sounds.
“If you’re going to say something like that, then just go out and die. You d*mn thing!”
It was in an instant that Lady Freiselben, who was looking at the Baron for a moment, pulled herself together and ran out of the room.