Chapter 10

***

“Ms. Hastred will do her best to keep her father alive.”

I meant she isn’t too young to get hit on, but she sighed unexpectedly. Like someone who knows the truth.

“Ms. Hastred?”

She smiled when he called her again because he doesn’t see her responding at all.

“It’s Silli. Just call me Silli. I’m just Cecilia Sarian because I haven’t been recognized by the Hastreds yet.”

Cecilia Sarian. The noble’s honorific “G” is excluded from my presence because I am a superior person. This natural consideration warmed my heart. I thought she was really thinking of me as a prince.

“And of course, I will also do my best to honor my father’s will as his child. It’s just that I don’t know how.”

“……?”

“Where is your father’s will?”

She asked the biggest question. She could see him inhaling deeply as if he is frustrated.

Where is my father’s will? What did that king want me to do?

As soon as I was born, I was almost always with my uncle, Grand Duke Raphnell. It should be for the sake of educating me, but my uncle gave me a lot of freedom and did not let me study even if I wanted to. I have been doing what I wanted to do rather than studying, but my uncle did not let my father and mother know that. My father and mother, and people around me thought I am well educated. My uncle only made me study so that I could do well on my father’s test twice a year. It is a way to teach basic things and figure out problems in advance and memorize answers.

Now I know it’s very wrong. I feel keenly that it is not helpful to me. No matter how young the country is, when I heard other people’s thoughts about the king who is my uncle, Grand Duke Raphnell I knew what my uncle had decided what to do with my education, and who kidnapped me while I was swimming in the middle of the night.

“The will of the deceased is often done at the discretion of the living.”

I shouldn’t have.

Silli murmured. She looked genuinely curious about what my father meant and what he wanted me to do. As I looked at her, the moonlight highlighted her nose. Her nose formed an elegant and dramatic line. Her profile further highlighted her age beyond measure.

A good person.

I suddenly remembered the word. Silli is a woman who is good enough to use the word good. A person who thinks about the true meaning of his dead father is and cares everything about me. Being a knight of both magic and faith, and a knight of the continent at a young age, she didn’t try to show off and even tried to take care of everyone. She is doing all that work as if she is only breathing. She always had a unique smile.

What kind of person do I really want to be?

I wanted to be a holy knight to protect myself. I wanted to protect myself even if I faced the threat of kidnapping again. I thought I could protect myself if I am as strong as her.

“You have to go back now. It’s cold when you are dressed like that.”

I looked at the ashes from the pipe on the ground and she held out her empty hand towards me as if she wanted to hold hands.

“I can walk.”

I said with my chin up straight.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Silli smiled and raised her hand.

Heuk

Ack, as soon as I jumped up, barely swallowing my breath, what I saw was the faint morning sunlight between the skyring curtains. ‘Oh, it’s my room.’ I thought so and laughed. This is my room? No, not my room, my mind thought, is this a prison, or a barn, or an abandoned stable?

I’m afraid this moment is a dream. I’m afraid I’m finally going crazy and dreaming things. What if I am just scratching the walls of that stable, while drooling and dreaming? What should I do?

“What should I do to protect myself!”

I shouted like that last night, but Silli didn’t answer. She just told me not to walk on the bloody road.

I don’t think her sword had a scent like that at all.

Silli did not say a word about my sword style. Sometimes she would only participate in swordsmanship class together, but I heard that her sword style is like that, and she never said a word of intervention. I am very troubled by the fact that she didn’t say good job or fix yourself like this. Why wouldn’t she say anything about my sword style? Is it too bad for her eyes? Of course it is, but for a child who only started, she must say something like you are doing great, try harder, or something like that.

From some point on, I was confused whether I was trying to be good at the sword or trying to get a word from Silli. Nevertheless, Silli did not say anything until the end.

***

By the time I started learning swordsmanship for nine weeks, a maid pushed a note, slightly visible under my soup bowl while I was eating. She did it without anyone noticing, so I naturally put the note in my sleeve.