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Chapter 06
“Anyway, thank goodness Princess Lilit administered first aid to the knights. You all must be starving—please have the pancakes first.”
As soon as Alina gave permission, the knights picked up their forks and knives as if they had been waiting for her cue.
They had only been listening quietly while Klaus and Caden talked, but once they tasted the pancakes, they all added their own comments.
“I feel alive again after eating this.”
“So that’s why Caden made such a fuss. This is incredible.”
“It’s delicious!”
“If my stomach didn’t hurt, I would’ve eaten three plates.”
“Right? Captain, aren’t you already on your second one?”
“Be quiet.”
At Caden’s remark, Klaus warned him with a cold glare.
When Caden quickly avoided his gaze and focused on emptying his plate, Klaus turned to Alina.
“I was rude earlier. Honestly, I know the kitchen suffers a lot because of us. Preparing meals for every expedition can’t be easy.”
“No, it’s fine. That’s the kitchen’s job.”
“We only have the crown prince and princess left to capture, so you won’t have troublesome work much longer. Please bear with us just a little more.”
“…Yes.”
Alina stirred the cabbage soup with an awkward smile at Klaus’s words.
Watching her expression, Klaus added,
“I’m not just saying it. We’ve even found pieces of the stele, so it won’t be long before we capture the remaining royals.”
“You mean the stele that identifies Zenotat royalty?”
Alina, who had been serving cabbage soup, raised her voice without realizing it. The knights all nodded.
“That’s right. The ‘Stele of Judgment.’”
“Oh—Miss Riese, you said you’re from Zenotat? Then you must know about it?”
“I’ve only heard of it.”
Alina’s expression darkened.
The Stele of Judgment was a stone that glowed red when touched by a member of the Zenotat royal bloodline.
It was also the reason King Ranshel had no choice but to acknowledge his illegitimate children.
No matter how much Ranshel denied them, the stele confirmed the truth—making it official.
In truth, the stele was not only unfortunate for Ranshel, but also for Alina.
Her mother had been the daughter of a Zenotat viscount. Ranshel had violated the gentle young woman and tried to deny responsibility.
If not for the stele, Alina would never have been recognized as a princess. She might never have lived a life locked away in a cold palace.
She might not have died such terrible deaths—even after reincarnating.
But this time is different. I’m not going to die like that again.
Resolute, Alina set down the ladle and urged them,
“Please eat. The soup will get cold.”
“Yes!”
Klaus lifted the wooden bowl and tried the soup.
To a Malharque native, this clear-looking cabbage soup didn’t seem particularly appetizing.
But the moment he took a sip, warmth spread through his body and soothed his stomach. The food traveled down his throat and eased all the tension from his muscles.
Sweet cabbage, light vegetable aroma, savory bacon, fragrant thyme…
And the peeled, tangy tomatoes added depth to what could have been a simple soup. It was the kind of flavor one never grew tired of.
Princess Lilit’s healing magic was only a temporary quick fix—no true cure.
But this soup calmed the violent churning that had plagued them all day.
Klaus rubbed his now peaceful stomach and spoke.
“I feel much better now. Thank you, Miss Riese.”
“Me too, Riese. I thought I was dying these past few days, but this really helped. Thank you so much!”
Accepting their gratitude, Riese brought out strawberries.
“It’s nothing. I also brought some fruit—have some. But about that stele… If it hadn’t been destroyed, none of you would be suffering like this, right?”
“That’s true.”
Klaus popped a sweet strawberry into his mouth.
“Who could’ve predicted that the crown prince brat would smash his own national treasure before running away?”
“Like father, like son. Ranshel’s boy through and through.”
Caden shook his head.
Kineric, who inherited Ranshel’s cunning, destroyed the stele before fleeing—knowing it would hinder him.
Because the stele was gone, the Malharque knights couldn’t capture Kineric or the youngest princess. Even if they did catch them, they had no way to verify their identities.
Listening with a stiff expression, Alina exhaled quietly.
To think I’d ever feel grateful to Kineric.
She smiled at Klaus.
“I see. So… how did you find the stele fragment?”
“We found what we believe to be a piece of it in the ruins of the Zenotat palace.”
“‘Believe to be’… so it’s not confirmed?”
“We won’t know until a Zenotat royal touches it. We haven’t confirmed it yet, so we haven’t even reported it to His Majesty.”
Klaus sounded more respectful now, seemingly apologetic for his earlier attitude.
But Alina didn’t notice—she was deep in thought.
“Where is the fragment now?”
“For now, over there.”
Klaus motioned toward a small side table beside the hearth.
A tiny jewel-like box sat atop it. Alina hesitated, then asked,
“May I see it?”
“You’re curious?”
“Yes. It’s a treasure of my homeland—I’d like to take a look.”
“It might disappoint you. It looks like an ordinary rock.”
“That’s fine.”
Klaus nodded generously, softened by the warm soup.
“Then please, take a look.”
Alina tightened her grip on her apron and approached the side table.
The knights—including Caden—were too busy savoring their soup to notice her.
Klaus opened the box latch to reveal a small shard of stone.
Just as he said, it looked no different from a piece of glass you might find in a vegetable garden.
“Would you like to touch it?”
Alina’s heart pounded at the casual suggestion.
Feigning calm, she declined.
“How could I? It’s meant for His Majesty.”
“But since you’re from Zenotat, I thought you might know something.”
“I worked as a kitchen assistant back in Zenotat. I’ve only heard stories about the stele.”
Klaus accepted her excuse and studied the shard.
“If it turns out to be real, the palace workers will be the first to test it. You’ll get to touch it soon enough.”
“Who will confirm whether it’s real?”
“Normally His Majesty would, but he’s ill. So the second most powerful mage in the empire—Princess Lilit—will verify it.”
Alina thought for a moment.
“If this turns out not to be real… Will that cause trouble for you or the knights?”
Klaus shrugged with a light chuckle.
“Not at all. We’ll just be disappointed. We’ll continue searching for the real one.”
“That’s a relief.”
Alina stepped back with a smile—quietly memorizing the shard’s appearance.
“Thank you for showing it to me.”
Klaus hesitated.
“Miss Riese…”
He seemed to have something on his mind.
“May we request your help again tomorrow?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’d like to ask you to prepare the knights’ meals again. I mean no disrespect to the kitchen, but… I’d prefer to avoid the sous-chef’s cooking for a while.”
“We’d like that too,” Caden added, raising his hand.
Looking around at the knights, Alina smiled brightly.
“I’d be happy to.”
This was good. Alina was genuinely grateful for the captain’s goodwill.
If not for him, she would’ve been forced to attempt infiltration on her own.
“Alina!”
On her way back from the training grounds, Alina stopped by the vegetable garden—only to flinch at someone calling her from behind.
She quickly looked around and spotted fluttering silver hair.
“Rihart!”
“Ali—!”
“Shh!”
Alina rushed forward and covered Rihart’s mouth.
His golden eyes widened above her fingers.
“Whuh ish iht?”
“You can’t call me that.”
She removed her hand and spoke firmly.
“My name is Riese. You have to call me Riese. Understand?”
“Riese?”
Rihart blinked his golden eyes.
It was the first time she’d seen him clearly, and his eyes had a strange charm.
The way the sunlight shone through his golden irises made her want to confess not just her name—but everything about herself.
No. I can’t.
She steadied herself and repeated,
“Listen carefully. If someone finds out my real name is Alina, I can’t stay here anymore.”
“Then where would you go?”
“A place where I can never give Rihart anything delicious again.”
“No! That can’t happen!”
Rihart threw his arms around her, shaking his head wildly. His silky silver hair brushed her cheek.
Alina gently asked him, as if asking for a promise,
“So what will you call me?”
“Riese. Alina is Riese.”
“That’s right. Good job.”
She smoothed down his hair, which was fluffing up with static.
Rihart, clinging to her as if afraid she’d disappear, glanced up at her cautiously.
“When it’s just the two of us… I can call you Alina, right? Riese is my Alina, right?”
“Yes. It’s only a secret from everyone else.”
At her answer, color returned to Rihart’s face.
“Then… can I get delicious things again?”
“What kind of delicious things?”
“Things that won’t make my stomach hurt. Things that make me feel full.”
“…That’s all you want?”
Such a simple wish.
Hearing the boy’s earnest hope made Alina’s throat tighten.
