Chapter 60

"Nice to meet you! I'm Hans Remaik!"

"......Nice to meet you, Remaik-san. I am Amaryllis Aearas. I am grateful to you for coming all the way from afar."

"Huh? Don't be so formal. Just call me Hans. Besides, the other place was too old-fashioned for me, so I'm glad to be called here. Looking forward to working with you."

"Yes, I look forward to working with you, Hans."

As she took the outstretched hand, Hans suddenly widened his eyes and then grinned.

She wondered what was going on, but Hans answered her question himself.

"Sure enough, princesses are not just pretty to look at, but they're really soft too. You smell nice, and I'm really lucky."

"That's... that's good to hear..."

She had already instructed the guard knights to remain silent unless there was danger, so they didn't move, but she could sense their frustration from behind. Even Edgar, who was sitting with them, seemed anxious about Hans's attitude.

Lilith, who had never experienced anything like this before, was at a loss about what to do with her hand, which was still being held.

Then, an unexpected voice interrupted.

"I can't take it anymore! What is this? If I had just kept quiet, you would have gotten carried away! You're being rude to Lady Lilith! Let go of her hand right now!"

"Ouch!"

Lesse, who was supposed to be standing behind the guard knights, suddenly appeared in front of Lilith and forcefully slapped Hans's hand.

The hand was released, but Lilith was taken aback by the sight of Lesse, whom she had never seen act this way before.

Taina, who would usually intervene, was quietly glaring at Hans.

"What? I was just greeting her. But you're cute too? What's your name? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I have no name to give to someone like you!"

Lesse was indignant at Hans, who showed no sign of remorse.

As she watched the two of them, Lilith gradually calmed down.

(What a problem... I didn't expect it to go this far.)

Like Edgar, many craftsmen have a rough personality and don't pay much attention to etiquette, so she had asked the knights to remain silent. However, Hans's behavior was worse than she had anticipated.

Given her position, she couldn't just let it go.

"Hans, that's enough. She is a young lady entrusted to me by Lord Buzoni of Freud. I won't tolerate any rudeness towards her. And I am the Crown Princess of this country. You don't need to flatter me, but you should at least show some respect."

Straightening her back as much as she could, Lilith firmly stated.

At times like this, she wished she were taller.

They say you grow while you sleep, but it didn't seem to apply to Lilith.

As everyone swallowed their frustration, thinking Lilith could have been stricter, Hans lowered his hand from Lesse and turned back to Lilith.

Then he stood up straight and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry! I—no, I got a bit carried away... I was very rude to this young lady!"

"No, no, I..."

After apologizing to Lilith, Hans bowed to Lesse as well.

Lesse, confused, looked to Lilith for help.

"Hans, stand up. You're making Lesse uncomfortable. Just be more careful from now on."

"Thank you!"

Hans bowed to Lilith again and slowly straightened up.

Looking at his face, Lilith realized that Hans's previous behavior had been deliberate.

(He's more of an artist than a craftsman... He's definitely eccentric.)

Thinking about the future, Lilith swallowed the sigh that was about to escape and glanced at Hans, who smiled broadly.

Despite being about ten years older than Lilith, he looked like a boy.

(Well, it is the prince's choice. There must be no mistake... surely...)

Lilith somehow convinced herself and left the scene with Lesse, who was still pouting, and Taina, who looked exasperated.

Incidentally, the reason Frederick, who was supposed to be sitting with them, remained quiet was that he was trying hard not to laugh.

From Frederick's perspective, Hans's rude behavior seemed deliberate.

He probably wanted to see Lilith's character, Frederick speculated.

"That's quite a risky curiosity."

"Indeed, it is. He must be very confident. He's quite naive."

"Do you dislike that type, Mr. Fuh?"

"I don't dislike them. It just makes me feel embarrassed, as if I'm seeing my own past."

"Past?"

"As you get older, you realize how embarrassing your past behavior was, and every time you think about it, you want to bury yourself under the covers and squirm."

"Really? I still do that all the time, especially when it comes to the prince."

"Ah, I see. That means Lady Lilith is still on the path to becoming an adult. It's good that you're aware of it."

"Yes..."

Despite Frederick's comforting smile, Lilith still felt uneasy.

Then, she suddenly remembered what Frederick had said earlier.

"Hey, Mr. Fuh, what kind of embarrassing past do you have?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Mr. Fuh, that's unfair. You're seeing my embarrassing actions now, so you should tell me at least one."

"Hmm. You have indeed entertained me a lot... How about I tell you one of my best stories?"

"Yes! Though I'm a bit suspicious of your words, it's fine. So, what happened?"

Lilith leaned forward, excited.

However, Frederick grinned and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I won't tell you now."

"What? That's mean."

"Embarrassing pasts are not something you can easily share with others. That's why they're called embarrassing pasts. So, when you successfully complete Shana, I'll tell you."

"Hmm... Okay. I was going to complete Shana anyway. And the prospect of hearing Mr. Fuh's embarrassing past is a great motivator."

Seeing Lilith clench her fists, Frederick laughed again.

Being with the princess was never boring.

That's why he felt like sharing his own secret—his embarrassing past.

He was also looking forward to Lilith's reaction.

Thus, Lilith's passion for completing Shana was reignited.