Chapter 6

The thought of a child tidying up the office made Altair feel dizzy. It was more likely that the work would increase. Altair, who disliked crowds, had said that only Lat, the prime minister, and occasionally Tan could enter the office at any time. Since Lat, the prime minister, was already doing the work of a secretary, such as organizing documents, the thought of more work piling up made Altair feel dizzy. Lirika quickly called a servant to bring warm water and a cloth, a broom, and a footstool. She seemed quite accustomed to giving orders. She cleaned the ink bottle and began to tidy up the office, moving around. She sorted the documents, putting the processed ones in the broom and separating the unprocessed ones. Surprisingly, it seemed she could read. When Lat asked, she blushed and said softly, “I don’t know everything.” Besides that, she was much more diligent than Lat had expected, even replenishing new paper. Tan, who entered halfway through, immediately noticed that the office was no longer messy. "Thanks to Your Highness, the office is much tidier." He praised her, saying, "It’s excellent. I was thinking, maybe we could give Your Highness some minor tasks," and left a glass jar filled with colorful candies. Lirika happily shared the candies with His Majesty and Lat, and later with Brin. "What? Sir Wolf?" Brin looked at the jar of candies and asked. Lirika nodded. She held the glass jar with both hands, cherishing it. The glass jar was beautiful, and the colorful candies inside were lovely and sweet. "But isn’t ‘Sir Wolf’ too many? And I thought ‘Sir’ was added to names, not titles. Am I wrong?" In response to Lirika’s question, Brin chuckled. "That’s right. But since ‘Sir Wolf’ refers to Tan Sir Wolf, it’s fine, isn’t it?" She savored the sweetness of the candy Lirika had given her. The Sol family had served the royal family for generations, taking great pride in serving Taker. If Brin Sol, a direct descendant of the Sol family, was assigned as a lady-in-waiting to the princess, it meant that the adopted princess would be treated like a real royal. Of course, some in the Sol family were indignant that Brin was assigned to a child who wasn’t a real Taker. Brin found this amusing. It was an order from His Majesty. If it was Taker’s order, even if the person wasn’t Taker, they should be treated like Taker. Moreover, if things went wrong with the current Emperor, the entire Sol family could be pushed aside. Didn’t they know this? Personally, Brin liked this princess much more than the real Taker. Her older brother Bran, who was a squire to the Crown Prince, was already living on stomach medicine. In this palace full of monsters, being ordinary and standing out was appealing. At that moment, the princess, looking at the candy jar, asked seriously, "Brin." "Yes, Your Highness." "Do I not grow?" Lirika was subtly worried and concerned about what Altair had said. Brin tilted her head and asked, "No, you’re growing well. What did you hear?" "Actually—" Lirika told her about the conversation between Altair and Lat, and Brin chuckled. "Your Highness, would you like to hear an interesting story?" "I like any story from Brin." In response to Lirika’s words, Brin smiled brightly and began her story. "His Majesty, that is, the Taker family, are descendants of dragons, as I’ve told you, right?" "Yes." "Let me tell you more about the founding story. The ancients were great magicians who could do anything they thought of. God told them to use their will for good, but they didn’t. Chaos ensued, and the continent where humans lived broke and sank." Lirika perked up her ears. She had never heard this story before. In the slums, all she heard were curses and talk about money; there was no chance to hear such old tales. "But some people listened to God’s command and built a ship on the mountaintop. As the continent broke and sank, a dragon flew in and grabbed the ship, flying it away. The people on the ship survived and moved to the land where we now live." Brin’s voice lowered, becoming eerie. "This land was covered in dark forests and swamps, and all kinds of monsters lived there. The dragon and humans fought the monsters to establish their territory and build a nation." "Is that dragon Taker?" Lirika suddenly asked, and Brin nodded. "Yes. The dragon transformed into a human to lead the people. As the nation expanded, some intelligent monsters asked the dragon to let them join." Brin raised her hand high. "Among them was a wolf as big as this. Their descendants are the Wolf family. There was also a snake as thick as a giant tree; their descendants are the Sandar family." Lirika’s eyes widened. So, Lat’s ancestors were snakes, and Tan’s were wolves? Brin concluded her story. "The dragon transformed them into human form, and they swore loyalty to the dragon. If they betrayed the dragon, they would revert to their original form. That’s why many noble crests feature animals." She then added with a slightly disgusted look, "And they all seem to be very, very strong." "I see." Lirika exhaled. It would have been even more exciting to hear this story around a campfire on a dark night, but it was still very interesting. 'So, Lat is a snake, and Tan is a wolf. They fit. Their bad relationship fits too.' "So, Your Highness, you are growing well. They just grow too well." "Yes." Lirika nodded firmly. She then asked, "Does your family have a similar story?" "Yes, we were ravens. We were clever and smart, so we were kept as servants." In response to Brin’s words, Lirika smiled. It made sense why Brin’s headband always sparkled. 'Brin knows much more about the palace than I do.' She had expected this, but it was still a realization every time she heard such stories. 'But I can’t do my job without knowing.' Contract princess. Contract daughter. It was a job that came with her mother’s ‘Contract Empress,’ even though it wasn’t in the contract. It was a matter of Lirika’s pride. Lirika wanted to complete this contract excellently. She wanted to feel proud when she moved into a house with a garden after finishing the contract and returning to her mother. So, she needed information. Information to become an excellent princess. "Brin." "Yes, Your Highness." "Sit here." Lirika patted the seat next to her. Brin said, "I’m honored," and lightly sat on the sofa. "I want to be an excellent princess." If she was going to be a princess, wouldn’t it be better to be an excellent one? In response to Lirika’s words, Brin nodded seriously, "That’s right." Lirika said, "But I don’t know anything about the palace. I don’t know about the nobles, and especially, I don’t know anything about the royal family. You’ve served the royal family for a long time, so you know much more than I do." Lirika held Brin’s hand tightly and said with the brightest expression she could manage, "So, will you help me now?" "Oh..." Brin sighed with a flushed face. As a member of the Sol family, who had served Taker for generations, she never imagined she would hear such words from Taker. The Sol family’s blood, deeply ingrained, boiled. "Of course, Your Highness. I, Brin Sol, will do my best to help you. Please entrust it to me." "Thank you, Brin!" Brin, with sparkling eyes, asked, "So, what do you want to know first?" "The palace." "The palace?" Brin tilted her head, surprised. Lirika said, "This is my home now. I can’t not know its structure. I don’t even know who lives here." To do anything in a new home, one must first understand its structure. One must know the paths and the people. Only then can one move freely and do the next thing. Brin smiled widely. "Understood. Trust me." The next day, Brin brought a detailed floor plan of the palace in a long tube. It was a dangerous item to possess, as it showed secret passages, but Lirika was just amazed. "So many rooms? Incredible. What’s this passage?" "That’s a servant’s passage. It connects to servant’s doors like this." "There’s a separate servant’s passage? I didn’t know. Then what’s this?" "That’s a secret escape route." "Can it be drawn like this?" "Usually not." Brin answered calmly, "But the Sol family has a deep connection with the royal family." "I’m glad I asked Brin." "Hehe." Brin smiled lightly, rolled up the floor plan, and said, "Once you have a rough idea of the structure in your head, walk around yourself. It’s best to do it with your own feet, even if it’s a hassle." "Yes, it’s not a hassle at all." Being stuck in a room was boring, so Lirika jumped out of her chair. Lirika and Brin walked around the castle. Sometimes, they were blocked by soldiers. Each time, Brin’s eyes narrowed, but they had to turn back with regret. The Sun Palace alone was vast, making it difficult to explore. Moreover, as they moved around, Lirika had to get used to soldiers bowing and saluting her in the corridors. "Your Highness." "Lat!" Lirika greeted the familiar face happily. Lat, after greeting, looked up and asked, "You seem busy." "I’m exploring the palace to understand its structure." "The structure?" "Yes, I need to know since this is my home." "That’s right." Lat smiled. "Is there anywhere you can’t enter?" "Ah! Yes, there were places blocked by soldiers." "I see." Lat smiled coldly and said kindly to Lirika, "If you go to the Royal Guard’s quarters, Tan will be there. Ask him to assign a guard to you." "Yes." "What is your surname, Your Highness?" "Taker." "Yes, don’t forget that." Lat straightened up, looked at Brin, and said, "It’s excellent that you have the Sol family’s assistance." Brin smiled. Lat bowed and left the corridor quickly after Lirika’s permission. Lirika turned to Brin and asked, "Do you know where the Royal Guard’s quarters are?" "Of course." Brin started walking briskly, and Lirika followed. There was a considerable distance between the Sun Palace and the Sky Palace, with smaller buildings on both sides. The Royal Guard’s quarters was one of them. In front of the building, which had a large training ground at the back, guards were standing. They were chatting in groups, but one was standing alone, guarding the door. Lirika recognized him and her eyes widened. "Sir Laub." Laub greeted her. "Your Highness, what brings you here?" "I’m here to see Tan." "Sir Wolf, the commander, is inside." As Lirika entered, a loud voice echoed, "Your Highness!" Lirika was startled and managed to respond, "I’m glad to see you too." Everyone was looking at her with bright eyes, so she straightened her back. They were all very tall, and she wanted to appear taller. She wanted to stand on tiptoe, but her dress was too short, so it would show. Still, she slightly lifted her heels, just enough not to be noticeable. "What? Your Highness? What brings you here?" The noise outside made Tan rush out. A pained cry of "Commander, please, the documents—!" came from inside. "I’m here to talk. I met Lat earlier—" Lirika stopped, wondering if it was appropriate to discuss this in front of so many people. Tan, seeing Lirika’s hesitation, nodded. "Excuse me for a moment." He picked her up. Lirika let out a small scream. Tan turned to her and said, "Now, we can whisper. So, you can put the weapon away. Wolves will kill you if you pull it out." Lirika turned to see Brin holding a dagger. The surrounding knights were looking at her with tense eyes. Some of them had their pupils shrink, and Lirika quickly said, "Brin, it’s okay." "You must not touch the princess’s body without permission." Brin said sharply and put the dagger away, though Lirika didn’t know where. Brin shrugged. "I said I’d excuse myself. And isn’t this level of friendship okay?" "Friendship?" Lirika’s eyes widened in surprise, and Tan looked embarrassed. "Isn’t it?" "No, I’m glad. I’m very glad." Lirika smiled brightly. Tan, thinking she was cute, leaned in again. "So?" "Yes—" Lirika looked around and whispered in his ear. Though the wolf clan had good hearing, the formality was important. "I’m here to borrow a guard." Lirika’s words made Tan rub his chin and laugh. "I’ll go."