Chapter 15

For three days after that, I couldn't see Mother or His Majesty. When I went to the office, Lat said, "The two of them have been in a long meeting, so they are resting together and won't come to work." Attil had a face that said, "I found out something I didn't want to know," and Lirika was worried. "Is it okay for the meeting to go on like that? I think Lat should attend the meeting instead of Mother." Does Mother have something to talk about with His Majesty? Lat would know much better. In response to Lirika's words, Lat made a face of disgust and said, "I will never attend that meeting." Tan laughed maniacally alone. Lat threw a ball of paper at the back of Tan's head and said, "So, you can take it easy for a while. You don't have to come to the office. Both of you." Tan caught the second ball of paper Lat threw and turned around. With a face that still seemed to be suppressing a smile, he said, "If something comes up, I'll let you know, so don't worry." The two were pushed out of the office by the Prime Minister and the Head of the Knights. Lirika stretched her shoulders and said worriedly, "Is Mother okay?" "It might be physically difficult for her, but Uncle wouldn't go that far." Attil answered casually, hesitated, and then looked at Lirika. Lirika shook her head at him and said, "Forget it." "Apart from physical strength, it's just strange that Mother is having a meeting. Of course, I like Mother very much, but..." I don't know why Mother is talking to His Majesty about assassins for so long. Attil cleared his throat. "It's a pointless worry." "Is that so?" "What are you talking about? I was getting anxious waiting for you." Fay, who had been waiting nearby, approached with quick steps. Brin and Bran were already quickly attached to the two. Fay smiled and looked at Lirika. "Hello, Princess. I haven't had the chance to formally introduce myself." "This is Fay, and this is Lirika." In response to Attil's introduction, Fay frowned. "Must you do that?" "Why? What?" "That's just like His Majesty." Fay's words made Attil's face stiffen slightly. Before he could say anything, Fay quickly bowed deeply to Lirika. "I greet the noble 'Takar of the Land.' May your name shine like a star. I am Fay of the Sandar family. Just Fay." Lirika's eyes widened. She had learned it, but this was the first time she had received a formal greeting. She had heard that it was old-fashioned and not used much outside of ceremonies. "Pleased to meet you, Fay of the Sandar family. I'm Lirika." Fay raised his head and smiled. "It's an honor to receive your first name, Princess." The royal family has a first name and a second name, and they use the second name publicly. The first name is used by those who are close—this custom remained a hundred years ago, but now everyone uses the first name. Lady Glendrin had told her this. It felt like she was really a princess, making her heart race. Fay pulled Bran, who was standing next to him, and said, "This is Bran Sol. You know him, right?" "Yeah, Brin's older brother, right?" Bran bowed. "I greet the noble 'Takar of the Land.'" "Call me Lirika." The Sol family has no title, so they can't introduce their family and name to the royal family. However, there is no royal family that doesn't know the Sol family, which Lirika thought was an interesting point about the Sol family. Fay had beige hair that reached his shoulders, parted and braided to the right. 'Now that I think about it, Lat also has long hair. Do all the Sandar family members have long hair?' Lirika quickly pulled Brin, thinking she would ask later. "This is Brin Sol, my close lady-in-waiting. She is a very dear friend of mine." Brin placed her hand on her chest in amazement and then elegantly greeted, "I greet the noble ones." Fay was impressed by Brin's boldness in greeting everyone at once, and Bran pressed his stomach. Attil looked at Brin askance. Lirika calling her a 'dear friend' didn't sit well with him. A Sol? He ignored Brin's greeting and pulled Lirika's hand. "Huh? Your Highness?" Lirika started to walk in surprise, and the rest of the group followed. Attil, who was about to say something in response to Lirika's voice, bluntly said, "You invested in a fraudster, right?" "A fraudster?" "Yeah. That Uba or something. He's a fraudster, but I heard the Empress invested in him. Did you too?" Lirika stopped. Attil stopped almost simultaneously without pulling her by force. When he turned to look at her, she said seriously, "He's not a fraudster." "What?" "Uba is not a fraudster. He's a good person." "That's a characteristic of a fraudster." "He's not a fraudster." "How do you know?" "You can tell by listening to his story. He's not a fraudster." "Investing in a flood is always a gamble. How can you guarantee it's 100% possible? That kind of guarantee is what fraudsters do." "No, Uba has different experiences." As Lirika stubbornly answered, Attil's expression began to stiffen. "What are you trying to do?" "What do you mean?" "That guy is a fraudster. Do you think everyone in the world is a good person?" "I know that best! But Uba is not a fraudster." "Then what are you going to do?" "What do you mean?" "What are you going to do if he's a fraudster?" As their conversation became more intense, Fay awkwardly intervened. "Why are the two of you fighting over this person?" "You're right. I don't think this is something the two of you should fight over." Bran also chimed in. Attil crossed his arms and looked down at Lirika, who also looked back at him without backing down. "If that guy is a fraudster, from now on, you have to come to me for permission before investing in anyone." Lirika straightened her back. "Okay. If he's not a fraudster, then..." Lirika frowned. "Please don't call the people I trust fraudsters." "Okay." "I'm okay with that too." Both were satisfied with the agreement. Lirika quickly grabbed Attil's hand again. Attil looked at Lirika in surprise, thinking they would part ways after such an argument. But Lirika had a face that said, "This is this, and that is that," as she held his hand. 'I see.' Arguments like this are okay with Lirika. Attil held her hand back. Lirika asked, "I have a question." "What is it?" "Do you really have a fief? What kind of fief is it?" "I do have a fief, but it's in the north, so crops don't grow well." "Wheat is sensitive to cold, so you might need to change the crops. But even if you change the crops, it might not be very valuable." Fay shrugged. Lirika was puzzled. "It's not good land?" She thought the land of the Crown Prince would naturally be good. "It's not as harsh as the land of the Inro family, but it's not good land either." Fay added, and Attil said, "Being able to cultivate such land is what makes a king." "I see." But cold land, no. She didn't like snow. Stepping on snow barefoot felt like burning or being cut sharply. She could endure summer heat, but winter cold was scary. What if her nose or toes fell off? She always worried about this at night. "But it's very beautiful in the summer." Fay nodded at Attil's words. "The birch forest is beautiful. Summer is really pretty. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries—there are all kinds of berries everywhere. We pick a lot to make jam or syrup. Even if we fill a bucket, there are still plenty. Bears eat them frantically too. Oh, and there's a lot of honey. Nuts also grow quite a bit." Lirika's eyes widened. "It sounds amazing." "I'd like to invite you to the fief in the summer. I'll probably stay in the capital this year, though." "Yeah, please invite me. No, invite me." Lirika's words made Attil frown in thought before he said, "When you have a bodyguard." "Ha, right. Your Highness also needs to choose a bodyguard, right?" Fay added subtly. Attil didn't say much and started walking again. Fay and Bran exchanged glances and sighed. Lirika said, "I've had raspberry jam before. It was very beautiful. It sparkled like a gem, and it was very sweet... There are so many of them?" Amazing. It sounds like a dream fief. Lirika muttered, making Bran laugh. Attil tapped Lirika's head and said, "Jam is made by boiling sugar. Actual rasp