Chapter 6

The next day, Via brought Seira and Luna with her to visit the Crystal Palace. After Alex returned, a large number of gifts had been delivered to the Purple Jade Palace.

Via had heard that dresses and accessories for maintaining appearances were prepared, so she intended to enter with just her person, without buying many more dresses. Perhaps the prince had considered Via's face.

"The prince will be here shortly."

The one who responded was a kind-looking head attendant with laughter lines around his eyes. Seira and Luna were made to wait in another room, while Via was led to a waiting room.

Soon, Alex entered, talking with his aides.

"Via, what's the matter?"

Via bent her knee in the perfect posture of a noblewoman.

"I came to express my gratitude for the gifts."

Alex, who had only known the simply dressed Via until now, couldn't help but squint at the sight of Via, dressed in the gifted dress and adorned like other noblewomen.

The beauty of Via standing before him was breathtaking. Her hair, as soft as silk, flowed gently down her back, and the deep blue dress with a blurred hue emphasized her porcelain-like white skin. Though slender overall, her chest rose invitingly, revealing a hint of allure amidst her pure beauty.

There is no princess as beautiful as this in the palace, Luitas muttered to himself. Indeed, his master was speechless, entranced by her.

"Your Highness?"

When addressed, Alex hastily cleared his throat.

"They suit you well."

"I thought so too."

Via said without a hint of shame.

"That's why I wanted to show them to Your Highness."

It seemed Via had no intention of putting on a facade for Alex. Realizing he wasn't being perceived as a man, Alex felt oddly dejected.

"I appreciate your visit, but I have something to do now."

His somewhat cold tone was unavoidable.

Via, seemingly unconcerned, shrugged nonchalantly.

"I have free time, but Your Highness does not.

So, what appointment do you have? I heard there were no official engagements today."

She had confirmed the prince's schedule before visiting. However, when Alex averted his eyes, looking troubled, Via immediately realized she had stepped into a forbidden area.

"Oh, you're going to visit a familiar princess, aren't you? How thoughtless of me."

"No, it's not that!"

Alex, misunderstanding in a completely different direction, shouted in denial and then fell silent.

"Then, where are you going?"

Staring straight at Gruek, he seemed to be intimidated by her beauty and averted his eyes unnaturally.

"Is it someone you need to hide?"

Luitas interjected, sounding exasperated.

"Your Highness has also experienced such things, hasn't she?"

"Luitas!"

Alex's attempt to stop him was too late.

"Experienced such things?"

Via looked at Alex with a playful expression.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not just for fun."

Alex, who had been happily declared to have enjoyed it just like Via, couldn't help but retort to the nearby Via.

Incidentally, this conversation was taking place in the carriage on the way to a secret outing. For the princess, such outings to the city were a form of entertainment, but for Alex, they held a deeper meaning.

You should know the true lives of the people.

This was the advice given to Alex, who had only known life within the palace and the knight's order, by Gruek. After receiving a knighthood, Gruek, as a close aide to the first prince, became deeply involved in the politics of Ancheise. As he learned about national wealth, economics, and diplomacy, he began to visit various cities with a small entourage to better understand the lives of the common people. Despite encountering danger at times, his skills and intelligence allowed him to connect with people with hidden faces and obtain various information.

After hearing Gruek's stories, Amon and Luitas also began to venture into the lower city as a form of training, and Alex, dragged along by his three mischief-making friends, started to leave the palace as well.

However, if the queen were to find out, it would be a serious matter, so they had to cover up their absences. The head attendant of the Crystal Palace and the senior officers of the Antore Knight Order were forced to become their allies. While Alex and his companions were out, it was said that they were training at the knight's order, and they used the names of the knight's order members to pass through the palace checkpoints.

"How did you get past the checkpoint?"

When asked in the carriage, Via proudly explained that she used a maid's identity card.

Upon hearing that Alex was going on a secret outing, Via cleverly asked to be taken along. Alex, who had complained that he had expected this, was skillfully persuaded and, along with her guard Ebeck, was forced to come along.

Incidentally, the carriage was a four-seater, with Alex, Via, and Amon in the first one, and Luitas, Gruek, and Ebeck in the second. To act alongside Alex, the identity card Via was using today belonged to a maid who worked in the knight's order.

"How much do you know about the lives of the common people, Your Highness?"

Via tilted her head cutely, but her question was clearly mocking Alex.

"Do you know that you need money to buy things?"

"I know that much."

Alex replied with a frown, but in fact, when he was first taken out by Gruek, he had been unaware of this.

"How do you enjoy the market without money?"

Queen Tsitti lived a life surrounded by luxury but was not given money directly.

"Oh, I have money. Here it is."

Via took out an emerald necklace from a hidden pocket in her coat. She had asked Seira to bring her usual clothes and had thoughtfully brought the jewels as well.

"Mother received many pieces of jewelry as gifts from the emperor. She taught me to exchange them for money and use it for fun."

"Exchange them for money?"

Alex was dumbfounded.

The idea itself was beyond his comprehension.

"There are countless money changers in the capital of the empire. I exchange them for small amounts of money and use that to buy things."

"Who taught you this? Even if the knowledge came from Queen Tsitti, she didn't have the freedom to leave the palace."

Amon asked earnestly.

"My mother's trusted head maid. She passed away, following my mother, but she took me to the city when I was young. The two who came with me earlier are her daughters. They have the same hair and eye color as me, so I always borrow one of their identity cards."

"To think the princess could leave the palace so easily."

Looking at the princess beside him, Alex sighed deeply. He had never imagined that such a thing was possible, having been deceived by her frail appearance.

"There seems to be a serious problem with the security."

"I think the more serious problem is that the first prince was leaving the castle."

Via replied solemnly to Alex's heavy statement.