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Chapter 26
“For example, things like harming the prince’s person.”
The solemn gray eyes turned to the prince.
He neither pressured nor rebuked, yet the prince answered as if pushed.
“…No.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
Dane, a seasoned knight and father, skillfully lit the lamp even without light.
Soon, the once-dark room was filled with brightness.
Dane didn’t stop there—he began cleaning the now-messy room, piece by piece.
“You don’t need to go this far, Sir.”
“If left like this, someone might get hurt. I don’t have the proper tools to clean it neatly, but… I’ll let someone know on my way.”
The vase thrown by Chessa and the chair thrown by Abel were tidied up.
“Dad, I’ll help too!”
“Nope, you’ll hurt your hands. Just wait by the prince’s side.”
Neither the room’s owner nor the young friend of the owner, but the young knight was the one who busily tidied the old bedroom.
“That’s about done, Your Highness. I couldn’t fix the root issue, but this will require a technician. I’ll inform someone right away.”
“…Alright.”
“Thank you for keeping my daughter company. Well then, we’ll take our leave.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow!”
The father and daughter, who didn’t seem alike at first glance, gave their farewells in their own way.
Her round eyes were bright like the forest after rain.
* * *
Her carefully adorned face twitched slightly after three hours of preparation since dawn.
“Could you… say that again?”
Even the maid refilling the tea and refreshments shrank back from the Queen’s aura.
But the girl, only half the size of an adult, spoke clearly and without hesitation.
“I’m sorry. I’m truly honored by your proposal, but I can’t stop being the First Prince’s playmate.”
Clink.
The untouched teacup was set down.
The Queen slowly chose her words, carefully masking her surprise.
Watching her, Abel recalled the conversation she had with her father.
‘Dad, are we rich?’
‘…Huh?’
‘Can we still get by even if you’re fired from the knights?’
‘Why are you asking that all of a sudden…? Even high-ranking people can’t just fire royal knights willy-nilly.’
‘Not even the king or queen?’
‘You should say “Your Majesty.” Hmm… Why is my daughter suddenly so curious about this?’
The proposal itself wasn’t appealing.
But the proposer was the problem.
What if my dad gets fired from the knights because I said no?!
Because of that, Abel had no choice but to ask Dane Delafion’s opinion.
Thankfully, Dane didn’t disappoint his daughter.
‘Do whatever you want, Bell.’
‘Really?’
‘I won’t be dishonorably discharged for something like that. And even if I wasn’t a knight, I could find work elsewhere. I’m not that incompetent, you know.’
Dane smiled gently, as if it truly wasn’t a big deal.
‘You must really like the prince, huh?’
‘He’s handsome. Faces like that are rare, Dad.’
‘…Right.’
There may have been some misunderstanding in communication, but the biggest concern was completely resolved.
Swinging her feet that didn’t touch the ground, Abel reaffirmed her stance.
“I’ll always be the First Prince’s friend.”
“You must be closer to the prince than I thought.”
Clink!
The delicately made teacup hit the saucer with a sharp sound.
Her elegant lips moved like a lark.
“Yes. It’s good to have such a friend.”
“Right? It is good. Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!”
“So polite too. …I’m sorry, but could you leave now? I have a headache.”
That’s because your thoughts are wicked, Your Majesty.
Each hiding their true feelings in their own way, the tea time came to an end.
Her twin-braided hair fluttered in the wind.
Abel, unable to contain her excitement, bounced on her way to the detached palace.
“The weather’s so nice!”
It was the perfect day to lift the spirits of a child prone to gloomy thoughts.
Then, from around the corner, a tall figure appeared.
“Huh?”
“Oh.”
Short hair. Murky golden hue. Bluish-gray eyes.
Cardel Lucio.
“Ugh, what a pain. Hope she’s not looking for trouble.”
Still, a fight picked isn’t one that can be avoided.
Abel lifted her chin on purpose and widened her stride.
Looked like she’d pass by quietly.
“DELLAFION YAAAAAANG!”
At the moment she let her guard down, the body just before puberty lunged ferociously.
“Really? A fight?”
Abel instinctively tensed her thighs.
Lowering her upper body and fixing her stance, she swiftly extended an arm.
Got her.
Whooooosh!
Cardel Lucio (or what used to be) spun in an arc and crashed like a waterbird into the corridor.
Or so she thought.
Tap, tap-tap, thunk!
A long hand hit the floor like a gymnast.
“Wow.”
Using her palm to support herself, Cardel flipped three times and landed on her feet.
“I won’t fall for the same move twice!”
“Wow, impressive.”
Her triumphant smile was charming, but Abel wasn’t interested.
Applauding the acrobatics like a spectator, she turned and dashed to the detached palace.
“Ah, Delafion Yaaaang! Wait up just a sec!”
If she catches me, this’ll be a headache.
Her rarely-used intuition blared alarms in her ears.
The chase ended more easily than expected.
“Nice to see you again, Delafion Yang! Huff”
“In society, we don’t call this ‘seeing again.’ We call it ‘getting caught.’”
“Details, details.”
“Ugh, if only I were a bit taller!”
Abel sighed, blaming her lazy growth plates.
Though, it wasn’t just her short legs to blame.
Her opponent was a would-be knight, three years older.
Abel might’ve been strong, but she couldn’t match someone with that much stamina and reflexes.
“So what brings you here, Lady Count?”
“Oh, just checking if you received the roses I sent.”
“I still can’t give you back the sword though.”
“So you did get them!”
Her sharp eyes curved gently.
Even Abel, used to goodwill more than malice, was thrown off by the blatant change.
“Um… did you hit your head really hard during the duel? Like, permanently hard?”
“Huh? No. The doctor said there’s no serious damage.”
“I see…”
Well, if there was, her family would’ve already sued by now.
Relieved that she wouldn’t be dragged into legal trouble, Abel now looked more kindly at the older girl.
“Then what brings you here?”
“You see, Delafion Yang…”
“Yes?”
The way she fidgeted was like someone about to confess.
And Abel, watching it, could only be baffled.
“I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days. About why I lost.”
“Yes?”
“I really did train hard. I didn’t slack on theory or practice. Slept only four hours a night…”
“Wait, what was that?”
“I said I trained really hard?”
“Not that.”
“I didn’t slack off?”
“Not that either.”
“I only slept four hours a night!”
“Correct! I mean—no, what?!”
Abel grabbed her pink hair in disbelief.
Is the world going mad?
“Why are you only sleeping four hours a night?!”
“Because I can’t afford to waste even an hour! Studying swordsmanship, practicing it myself, sparring with others! Isn’t it the same for you?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Well anyway, after losing to you, I thought long and hard.”
Cardel completely ignored Abel’s answer.
Furrowing her brows, she explained with all seriousness.
“I think I was arrogant. I underestimated you without knowing who you were. I said I’d protect my honor, but I was secretly sure I wouldn’t lose.”
“And?”
“So if I get to know you better, it’ll become clearer.”
“What will?”
“The reason I couldn’t beat you.”
“I just slammed you down with brute force.”
“It can’t be that simple.”
“I’m telling you I won with strength, what’s with all this extra talk?”
Crossing her arms, Abel glared at the girl who was a head taller.
This time, Cardel’s blue-gray eyes were filled with nothing but goodwill.
“Excuse me, Lady Count.”
“Yes?”
“This isn’t about skill. I just—”
“No! That can’t be.”
“It is.”
“Even the person involved can misunderstand. People don’t know themselves best.”
“I’m especially strong, that’s all.”
“No way.”
