PNA~40

  Chapter 40

Erne had come out to see Windsor off as he left for the royal palace.

She waited until he finished getting ready, and during the inspection of the carriage he would be taking, they had a brief conversation.

It was Windsor who had first proposed the contractual marriage.

Erne had been hesitating to ask him something that had been on her mind since breakfast. She wasn’t sure if it was the right time to ask—or even if she was allowed to ask such a thing at all.

But she had a strong feeling that if she didn’t ask now, she would never get the chance again.

For reasons unknown, Erne cautiously reached out and tugged the edge of Windsor’s sleeve.

“I have something I want to ask.”

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

Thankfully, he was as composed as always.

That steadiness gave Erne a strange sense of relief, enough to summon the courage to ask him.

“Windsor, why are you so kind to me? Is it because I’m Shuknen’s teacher?”

She had rehearsed the line over and over in her head.

Windsor had abandoned his vacation in Vanessa to accompany her to the capital. He had involved himself in everything that concerned her—declaring himself the princess’s guardian. He provided her with food, shelter, and protection.

At first, it puzzled her. Why go to such lengths?

Was it because she had reformed Shuknen? Turned him into a better-behaved child?

No matter how she looked at it, none of the questions she asked herself justified all he had done for her.

So, she decided it was best to ask him directly.

Windsor heard the question and laughed brightly, as if he’d just heard an amusing joke.

His radiant smile dazzled more than usual today.

“You’re my teacher too. Thanks to you, I’ve learned so many things.”

That’s it? Erne’s face fell disappointingly.

Seeing her expression harden, Windsor gave a cryptic smile and added,

“And because I like you.”

Her expression, which had been contorting in confusion, suddenly froze.

Like someone who had forgotten how to breathe, Erne inhaled sharply and stood still.

Windsor’s confession shook the logic Erne had clung to—denying his behavior as merely part of a “parent-teacher conference.”

She had also tried to ignore the way he’d referred to Marquis Damian as “father-in-law” or “maternal grandfather.” It had been easier to pretend not to notice.

Erne wanted to turn a blind eye to the romantic flags flying around her. She had truly believed she could avoid interfering in the original plot and live a peaceful life!

But his heartfelt confession made it impossible for her to respond easily.

Erne struggled to come up with a proper answer for a long while. In the end, Windsor spoke up first, as if he had expected this reaction from her.

“Please don’t feel pressured. As you taught me, let’s just start with ‘that’ first.”

‘That’? Erne tilted her head in confusion.

Windsor answered brightly.

“‘Some.’”

Some? As in… flirty pre-relationship tension? As Erne furrowed her brows in confusion, a memory flickered to life.

Ah… Could it be…?

Erne remembered her lessons at Cheonghakdong about “healthy relationships between the sexes.”

“…You mean ‘some’?”

“Yes, ‘some.’”

Windsor was as diligent a student as Ash, Selene, and Shuknen. He remembered everything from her lessons—such a devoted student… or rather, parent.

“We’re ready, Duke. It’s time to depart.”

Now it was truly time for him to leave.

Erne offered him a brief farewell as he climbed into the carriage.

“Be careful, and… come back soon.”

“Be careful” was sincere—she genuinely hoped for his safety.

Who knew what might happen at the palace, which was now in the grip of two cockroaches?

And “come back soon” had a bit of her personal wish mixed in.

Everyone in Douglas had been kind to her, but the place was still unfamiliar.

To her two-part farewell, Windsor responded with a soft laugh and mirrored her words.

“Yes, Princess. I’ll be careful—and I’ll return quickly.”

Would he really be able to? Probably not, but strangely, Erne believed him.

It was… comforting.

Erne stood there for a long time, watching his carriage disappear into the distance.

For a very long time.

＊ ＊ ＊

“That woman was Young Master Shuknen’s etiquette teacher? From that remote place, Vanessa? No, if she met the missing princess in Vanessa, she should’ve escorted her straight back to the capital!”

“Quiet, Urn.”

Windsor raised a hand to block his ears.

Urn was great—except for being too talkative.

They were heading toward the royal palace to get a better grasp of the current situation. It was an effort to reorganize after the recent chaos.

Windsor had never cared much for royal affairs.

What mattered to him was his own profit.

The fact that he was taking action now proved how serious the situation had become.

Urn muttered bitterly about the current state of affairs.

“I mean, really—what is going on? The Queen is murdered overnight, and then Marquis Damian, who brought back the missing princess, is thrown into prison as the prime suspect.”

Windsor nodded slowly.

The Kingdom of Nesheld was a coalition heavily dependent on its high-ranking nobles.

Major national decisions were made through their votes, and their wealth helped sustain the population’s daily life.

There had long been rumors that the late Queen had already squandered the royal finances.

“She killed Princess Hestia, and that same year, the kingdom faced several invasions…”

Pirates attacked from the eastern and western coasts, and in the northern region of Lachik, waves of war refugees had flooded into Nesheld.

Naturally, by accepting so many displaced people, the kingdom became even poorer.

There were plenty of war-weary, starving people, but Nesheld was deeply conservative and lacked abundant resources.

Windsor, recalling these long-standing, chronic issues, muttered under his breath,

“See, this is why you don’t leave the house for too long. Without the master, the dogs run wild.”

While agreeing with Urn’s remark, Windsor was also mocking Fasina and Derek, who now controlled the palace.

This only made Urn more frustrated.

“This is no time to be relaxed! There’s been word that Babylon has seized the palace. Even the laundry maids are Babylon people!”

“Oh ho.”

“Oh ho? My lord, how can you say that?!”

“Think about it—it might actually be better this way.”

Windsor shrugged and smirked.

Urn had no idea how terrifying his master could be when he acted like this.

“Better… how?”

As he cautiously asked, Windsor glanced at the massive palace gates opening before them and raised his head arrogantly.

“You can tell exactly who the culprits are, right? It’s like they’re announcing it to the world: ‘Yes, I did it.’ If everyone in the palace is from Babylon, it’ll be easier to clean house later. No need to hunt for hidden rats one by one.”

“…Seriously…”

Urn trembled and stared at him in disbelief.

At a loss for words, Urn stammered, then grew serious and lowered his voice.

Even though they were in a fast-moving carriage, now that they were in the palace, caution was necessary.

He leaned in and whispered,

“Then what shall we do? Should we pull out all the Douglas people currently in the palace? We can’t risk mixing them up during the purge.”

Of course. Urn had impressed himself.

Windsor smiled in satisfaction and nodded as if it were obvious.

“Good. You’re finally using your head.”

“Thank you. You truly are brilliant, my lord. As expected of you!”

They exchanged warm compliments.

Had Erne been there, she would’ve fainted and slowly backed away.

＊ ＊ ＊

‘Shuknen said he’d come this afternoon, but there’s still time.’

Now alone at the Douglas estate after Windsor’s departure, Erne felt a strange unease.

When she returned to her bedroom, the signs of her having woken in the night had already been cleaned up—maids must have come while she was away.

Their polite but cautious demeanor left her scratching her cheek awkwardly.

She lay on a massive bed so wide she could roll twice in either direction and not fall off, and her energy drained all at once.

‘I need to get Father out soon.’

She wanted to believe that if she just explained everything, it would be fixed. But it wasn’t that simple.

They said even military power had transferred to Derek—meaning Babylon had completely seized the palace. They would do whatever it took… even kill her… to keep control.

Especially that woman, Fasina. She had always wanted to become queen.

And if Erne made a wrong move now, she might end up devoured by the pro-Babylon forces.

Even if she managed to survive, she might be forced into the role of a puppet queen—doing exactly as they told her.

To them, she was just the perfect recipe: young, naïve, and politically clueless.

At that thought, Erne instantly knew what she had to do next.

Relying on Windsor for a while was fine—but she couldn’t lean on him forever.

‘Has the original story already begun?’

She didn’t even know that much, so she decided to focus on what she could do now.

‘The Crows.’

Erne rose as if in a trance and opened the window.

Warm sunlight and a cool breeze tickled her face.

‘The Queen’s death must’ve thrown Nesheld into chaos. Rivera and Noma must be worried. I need to let them know I’m safe. I need their intel, too.’

Erne stretched out her hand and softly called,

“Coco.”

From afar, the flow of wind shifted—and with a flutter of wings, a black crow landed on her finger.

Coco, who had been cawing from a distance, fell silent at her touch.

Like greeting an old, familiar friend, Erne gently stroked his wing and whispered,

“Can you tell them? Tell Rivera and Noma I’m safe here. And… I want to meet soon.”

Caw.

With a short cry, Coco turned and flew away the way he had come.

As Erne watched the clever bird fade into the distance, she stood in quiet stillness.

She was the master of The Crow Guild—the intelligence network that controlled Nesheld’s information from the shadows.