Chapter 6
“Did he say why he went to slaughter the elks? Loch, that crazy bastard.”
“Well, something happened on the first night or…”
As the morning came, the voices of Cerulian and Bobbi were heard from outside the newlyweds’ bedroom door.
“I told you she is a complete waste of resources.”
As soon as the maid, who had prepared face-washing water, opened the bedroom door and left, Bobbi and Chesney’s eyes met. Bobbi hurriedly lowered her voice and swept back her hair that gently covered her face like a fine cloth.
“Loch will kill me if I go in the bedroom. You go, Bobbi.” Urged Cerulian.
“All right.”
Knock, knock. Bobbi, after knocking on the opened door, entered the room, gently closing it behind her. “Did you sleep well last night, Your Majesty?” She asked as soon as she saw Chesney.
“Yes…”
Chesney wanted to hide the fact that she hadn’t slept one bit. Especially in front of the cool and graceful Bobbi. And she had heard through their conversations over the past two days. That Bobbi and Cerulian were so close with her husband that they called him ‘Loch’. Among the two, Bobbi, of all people, was particularly close with White. Because even Cerulian used to ask Bobbi about his situation.
“Mr. Primera has some work to take care of, so he went to Kaupoon first. We will leave after lunch, pass through Seiclen, Topu, and Paicah, and arrive in Kaupoon in four days.”
“I see.”
“Should I bring the lunch here?”
“Yes, please do that.”
Not long after Bobbi left, the maids brought in a fine, delicious-looking steak. But it didn’t even touch Chesney’s lips. Later in the day, she sat alone in a large carriage on the way to Seiclen, a small town northernmost of Sepion. And she also had to spend the night alone in an expensive inn.
* * *
Guards in the border area were bound to be rough and crude. Because while other guards fooled around with foreign women, they had to deal with monsters in the border area, where there were very few people.
“You must prove the status of all parties and hold each pass issued from Seiclen Immigration Office.”
Guards in the border area made a mischievous tyranny when Bobbi, a woman, asked for the border passage as an agent of Emperor Belcansus.
“Your Majesty, didn’t Duke Atelian write an official letter for you?” asked Cerulian, rolling down a window in the carriage. His dark grayish blonde hair brought up an image of a wolf or reindeer fur. And his cloudy blue eyes also gave off a somewhat mysterious atmosphere.
“No, that…” Chesney started to speak, and was cut off immediately, further making her feel useless.
“Then there’s nothing we can do about it. Don’t worry. I don’t want to spend all day convincing them. They’ll tell us to just leave, since we don’t have a chance to enter Belcansus.”
Chesney’s chest fell one level heavier at those words. She blushed with guilt. Had she been a real princess instead of an illegitimate child, none of this would be happening. Once started, the blame was unable to be controlled.
“We can’t. Cel, hurry up and go to the immigration office.”
Bobbi gathered Cerulian’s fine hair together and raised it high, then took a flat, stiff scarf from her husband’s black suit jacket and tied it tightly around his neck.
“Such a shame that Loch isn’t here, of all times.”
“Our schedule is all messed up. It’ll be sundown by the time you get back. Then we’ll be stuck in Sepion for a day.”
Chesney, who felt it was her fault that they were stuck in the border area like this and that White had left first last night, balled her fists tightly. She had to do something.
“I’ll try talking to him.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your Majesty, the guards around here are rough. You don’t really have to…,” said a frowning Bobbi trying to stop her. Seeing her face like that made Chesney feel out of breath. Like she was on the brink of tears. She thought she had become used to the feeling of being hated, but truth be told she hadn’t.
“But I’m still going to try.”
She wanted to prove something; to show Bobbi and everyone else at this very moment that she was worth the title ‘Empress of Belcansus’.
“A rule’s a rule. According to the entry regulations of Sepion,” said the guards in an explaining tone, looking down at Chesney as if teaching her. When they said that, she quickly intercepted their orders.
“You all are contract mercenaries with the imperial family of the Sepion Empire, right?”
Duke Atelian used to talk about various things while treating Chesney like a nobody, so the smart, young girl had accumulated some knowledge little by little.
“Yes, that is right.”
“My father, Duke Atelian, pays his taxes with a hefty load of gold every year to the Royal Family. And he supports several businesses in the Sepion Empire. So perhaps…”
When her voice cracked unappealingly, she quickly stopped talking and caught her breath.
“So perhaps my father may be able to say a word when the Royal Family is deciding on a mercenary group to protect Seiclen. Because he wants this marriage to be perfect, which is like a diplomatic relationship between Sepion and Belcansus.”
“But, Your Majesty, the rules state that we m–”
“I’m not sure if you know this, but at our wedding ceremony, there weren’t only aristocrats; the Empress of Sepion also attended. She blessed me with her presence, so she’ll also want us to arrive on time in Sepion.”
“…….”
The border guards were quite stirred. The illegitimate child from the House of Atelian was more elegant than they had expected. So perhaps, contrary to the rumors, she might have actually been loved by Duke Atelian. If not, how in the hell did she get such a high level of education and that confident voice?
“We apologize. We’re mercenaries who are only used for muscle, so we don’t think too much and just insist on abiding by the rules. I would like to apologize for any discomfort or concerns, Your Majesty.”
A middle-aged man who looked like the guards’ main representative came out and apologized, taking off his cap. When he did that, the other guards also removed their caps and bowed.
“To ensure that there is no more delay, we will allow everyone here to enter, as an exception. I hope you can forget our rudeness and enjoy the rest of your travels.”
The group finally crossed the border of Sepion and entered Belcansus.