#186. Our princess canât be like this?
[Chief, isnât this the person?]
âHuh? who?â
[Why are you here? The thief who ate the lariette from the team leader a few days ago.]
ââ¦Ah, that bastard who robbed on a broomstick?â
Only then did Limon recognize the man and nodded.
He was such an insignificant bastard that he hadnât kept it in his memory at all, but at that time, the thief would have known why he would make such an angry expression when he saw him.
Thanks to that reaction, the man turned around when he realized that Limon really did not know him, not pretending not to know him.
âì´ ê°ìë¼ê°! Who am I to be like this!!!â
The man charged at Limon, brandishing the broom he was holding.
No, I was trying to run.
âWhat are you doing?â
âomg!?â
â¦if it werenât for the low voice that came from behind just in time.
A knight in splendid armor appeared behind the hardened man holding a broom.
Lucas looked at the man with stern eyes.
âWhat is your name?â
âMy name is Max Powell. be well.â
âMax Powell⦠I see. You are the servant who started serving his sentence a while ago.â
One more time to nod.
Lucas raised his gaze slightly and continued.
âBut what are you going to do with that broom?â
âyes? ah! This is soâ¦â
Max hurriedly hid the broom he was holding behind his back.
However, it was not a broom to be hidden, and above all, a face full of cold sweat was spewing out more truth than words.
âI guess you need some extra discipline. I will give you separate instructions, so go straight to the correctional center.â
âYes yep!â
Max bowed his head and left as if running away.
Lucas, who shook his head at the sight, put a hand on his chest only belatedly and bowed respectfully to Limon and Julia.
âI apologize on behalf of the servant. The lack of education in the head family caused trouble to the guests.â
âOh Iâm fine.â
Julia readily accepted the apology.
Limon, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes.
And after taking a closer look at Lucasâ armor and its sentence, which were more colorful than the other knights, he opened his mouth.
ââ¦I donât really care either, but there are a few things I want to check instead.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âHe must be a prisoner who was just caught in the act of stealing that bastard, so why are you acting as a servant here?â
âHe is a prisoner. Iâm just doing chores at the countâs house to replace my sentence.â
âAh, you mean the edification system that the Sea Serpent Count family is proud of?â
âyes. He still looked ugly because he lacked discipline, but if he learns his duty well, he will return to society as a much better person in the future.â
âIs that great? As expected of the benevolent Count Sea Serpent.â
Looking at Lucas who calmly said that he should not hate people even if he hates sins, he nodded admiringly.
Limon tilted his head.
âBy the way, knight man. Itâs nice to be great, but after all, doesnât that mean that this countâs family is full of convict-turned-servants?â
Sensing the subtle meaning hidden in the words, Lucas replied calmly.
âIt is true that many of them served time in prison, but most of them became new people after being reformed.â
âEven if the knights say so. I was worried about the body that was about to be attacked by that less rehabilitated prisoner.â
âIf you are concerned about safety, we will attach a dedicated escort.â
âNo, I am a person who hates being accompanied by escorts.â
Limon shrugged.
And muttered to himself in a loud voice.
âThis is troublesome. Iâm such a coward, so at this rate, I think Iâll just want to get away with it and run away from the performance, let alone practice because Iâm scared.â
[â¦whoâs a coward?]
âWait a minute Leeâ¦?â
Yuna-kyung almost slipped off her shoulder at that absurd statement, and Julia tried to leave in embarrassment.
Limon stopped them with a slight wink.
There is no way that he, who has been investigating the countâs family for the past few days, does not know about the origins of the servants and maids. Of course, I never cared about it that much.
Even so, there was a reason for doing this obvious thing again.
No matter how you look at it, Lucas is a high-ranking knight.
And if you were a senior member of the blue dragon clan that Limon knew, and he was from a prestigious family, your response in this situation was already decided.
âThen, what can I do to help you reassure you?â
Limon grinned at Lucas, who came out exactly as he had expected.
âOh, not so great. I have a very trivial requestâ¦â
* * *
âYouâve wasted too much time.â
Lucas clicked his tongue lightly.
Originally, I had planned to stop by just to check if the gazebo was built well.
It was later than expected because he had to accept Limonâs absurd request.
I didnât really regret it.
The fault of the servantâs discipline was always the countâs responsibility. It would be rather fortunate if I could get over this with that much request.
Anyway, itâs true that itâs delayed because of it.
So, as soon as Lucas met Rose, he bowed his head and apologized.
âIâm sorry, Princess. There was a small problem, and the report was delayed because I had to solve it.â
ââ¦Why now?â
âyes?â
âOh no. itâs nothing.â
ââ¦?â
Lucas was puzzled.
Originally, as a princess of the blue dragon clan, she never lost her composure and composure under any circumstances.
But today, strangely, she couldnât find any composure.
No, I even felt restless.
Itâs like being a girl who welcomes an unwanted guest just before the concert sheâs been waiting for begins.
âNonsense thoughts.â
Lucas shook his head to get rid of the nonsense, and opened his mouth with a clearing of his throat.
âHow are you feeling?â
âIt has improved a lot.â
ââ¦Really?â
âYes, of course.â
Lucas couldnât erase his worried expression even after hearing Roseâs snappy answer.
No matter how you look at it, Roseâs complexion was haggard, and even a tinge could be seen around her eyes.
Clearly, she was more than normal and more lively than usual.
How can this happen in just one day?
In all likelihood, the aftereffects of not sleeping for the past six or six days and focusing solely on work must have struck at once.
âprincess. Iâve said it before, but no matter how busy you are, you have to get enough sleepâ¦?â
Lucas suddenly blinked his eyes.
It was because while we were talking, we noticed something that had suddenly protruded from behind Roseâs back.
ââ¦pillow?â
ââ¦!â
Why are there pillows and neck pillows in Roseâs office?
Rose, hearing Lucas muttered casually, was taken aback and straightened her back, hiding the pillow completely behind her back.
And he said it with a cough.
âI have enough rest already. Donât worry about me, especially since Iâm going to get a good nightâs sleep today.â
âIs that soâ¦?â
Lucas shook his head.
Normally, I would have thought that I would end up just saying that and overdoing it in the end.
Besides that pillow, chamomile tea, which is good for a good nightâs sleep, and a softly burning scented candle.
For some reason, seeing the scenery of the office, which seemed to be fully prepared for a nap rather than in the middle of work, felt strangely persuasive.
Of course, there was absolutely no way that their diligent princess would fall asleep during work hours.
âThen I will report you. This is a story Iâve heard from people connected to the royal family, but the movements of Prince Carolâ¦â
âIs that so. We need to be more vigilant.â
âAlso, we are continuing to pursue witches of the 27 genealogy of magic, but no matter whatâ¦â
âI understand. Please continue the search.â
âAnd the preparations for the eventâ¦â
âProceed like that.â
ââ¦ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lucas suddenly made a strange expression.
Obviously, he listens to the report with a serious face and is giving instructions dutifully.
It was because, strangely, I felt that Rose was not concentrating on her work or that she was nervous about something.
Especially in the sense of sneakily glancing at the window.
âUsually, I would have started earlier, but why todayâ¦? no, thatâs fortunate Stillâ¦â
âCan I continue reporting, Princess?â
âof course.â
Unlike his mind full of wandering thoughts, Roseâs unwavering answer led Lucas to continue reporting.
I was talking about the small things after passing all the important agenda.
âNext is about the gazebo you ordered yesterday.â
âHow was it?â
âI stopped by the garden to check it out and it was well built to fit in with the surroundings. But there was a small problem there.â
ââ¦small problem?â
âyes. A servant who has not yet been disciplined uses violence against the invited performerâ¦â
âYou mean the performer is hurt?!â
bang!!!!!
That moment.
Lucas stiffened.
It wasnât just because of the desk split like canned millet or the mighty psionics that spewed out like an explosion.
It was because of Roseâs behavior when she hit the desk and jumped up, and her face was full of anxiety and nervousness.
âAnswer me Sir Lucas! What happened to the performer? Are you seriously injured? what did the doctor say? If you need a healer, immediatelyâ¦!â
âGeez⦠Calm down. The princess performer was not hurt.â
âDidnât you say that the servant was violent against the musician!â
âI stopped before that.â
ââ¦then is the performer okay?â
âDonât worry, there are no injuries.â
Lucas answered calmly, even though he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Thanks to that, Rose sighed with a relieved face, as if she had finally calmed down her agitation.
But thatâs for a while.
She put on a frozen expression this time.
âWhat did the servant do?â
âI am currently undergoing additional discipline at the correctional center.â
âAre you saying that you are only being disciplined for committing a serious crime of harming a guest at your home?â
âAnyway, it ended in an attempt. I didnât think there was a need to deliberately impose aggravated punishment, so I just dealt with it according to the procedure.â
Roseâs pupils shook.
As if tolerating or conflicting with something.
She closed her eyes, but finally nodded and opened her mouth quietly.
âThatâs it.â
ââ¦Are you all right?â
âyes. Iâm sorry for trying to hurt the guest of the main house, but itâs not right to punish someone who has already been punished.â
âI didnât ask that question in that sense, Princess.â
Lucas muttered inwardly.
Even he, who had been helping her for more than ten years, had never seen Rose like this.
Not to mention the initial strange nervousness and outright coldness, including the still clenched fists.
But he didnât bother to point it out.
On the surface, he just looked at Rose, who had regained her original calm demeanor, with trembling eyes.
âThen, the reason why the musicians are late for todayâs practice must be because of the commotion.â
âAh, practice must have started.â
âWhat do you mean?â
I havenât heard any sound outside the window yet, but it seems like I started practicing before I knew it.
To her puzzled, Lucas calmly explained.
âFor safety reasons, I was asked to move my accommodation to the main building, so I gave permission to use the main buildingâs parlor for practice.â
ââ¦wasnât the drawing room in the main building very well soundproofed?â
âyes. Itâs quiet enough that I used it when I opened the salon, so you wonât have to worry about noise because itâs the main building.â
ââ¦â
And after a while.
This time, Lucas couldnât help but think to himself as he watched Rose look at him with resentment for some reason.
I donât know what the hell happened to our perfect princess.