Chapter – 29
“Ares knight? What brings you here?”
Hadn’t he been jumping in joy, saying he could finally leave the medical palace?
Of course, this wasn’t the medical palace, but since he was the crown prince’s knight, shouldn’t he now be in the crown prince’s palace?
Ares smiled brightly and answered in a refreshing voice.
“His Highness Yulion ordered me to return as Your Highness’s close escort.”
“My close escort?”
“Yes. Actually, even before the unfortunate incident, I was supposed to guard Your Highness. It’s nice to finally serve you properly!”
For a moment, the memory of my first meeting with Ares crossed my mind.
I remembered him smiling brightly, saying he had been assigned as my guard and asking me to take good care of him.
“Did you forget, Your Highness?”
Ares puffed out his lips with a hurt expression, probably reading my face.
“No, there were just so many things going on. Um… Anyway, I look forward to working with you again, Ares knight.”
When I held out my hand for a handshake, Ares relaxed his face and grabbed my hand, grinning foolishly.
“Yes, please leave everything to me!”
No, that sounded more like a errand runner than a knight.
Just as I thought that, Ares’s expression turned gloomy again.
“Your Highness, you were just thinking I sound like an errand runner, weren’t you!”
I was too stunned by how accurate he was to respond.
At this rate, maybe he shouldn’t be a knight at all.
For example…
“Your Highness, you’re not thinking that I should have another job besides being a knight, are you?”
……Let’s stop thinking.
No, I should just stop thinking.
When I failed to deny it, Ares started complaining in detail about how I could think such a thing.
Could it be that Yulion sent him to me because he was too noisy to keep around?
The day Yulion came to see me was right after I finished making the eye drops and sent them to the Empress, then returned to Garnet Palace.
“I’m sorry. I got angry yesterday.”
As soon as he arrived, Yulion bowed his head, making me flustered.
Someone might misunderstand and think Yulion had been furious yesterday.
It was a very formal apology, as if he had truly done something serious.
“You don’t need to be that sorry. I wasn’t that angry.”
“But it was an action that failed to consider the patient’s condition.”
“Anyway, I’m fine.”
I answered cheerfully, but Yulion’s eyes only grew more complicated.
“You always say you’re fine.”
“Huh?”
Confused by his quiet remark, I asked back, but Yulion shook his head and changed the topic.
“……Anyway, did you take your medicine today?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That’s good. Don’t forget to take it properly.”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
The atmosphere felt strange.
Yulion seemed to have many things he wanted to say.
But even after waiting, he said nothing else.
Silence formed between us like a closed loop.
“Should I speak first?”
Yulion probably came to have dinner with me.
But why did he come to the bedroom and create such uncomfortable silence?
“Oh, right. He used to come to the bedroom often.”
He would come to pick me up and ask me to have dinner together.
But I didn’t know why it felt particularly awkward today.
“Well, then, it’s about time—”
Just as I was about to speak to break the silence—
Knock, knock. A knock sounded, and the chief attendant’s voice followed.
“Your Highness, what you asked for has been prepared.”
Yulion and my gaze both turned toward the door.
The chief attendant did not enter, seemingly waiting outside the door.
Yulion held out his hand to me and said,
“Dinner has been prepared separately. A soup that is nutritious but easy on the body.”
“Separately…?”
I took Yulion’s hand and tilted my head.
This is Garnet Palace—my palace.
When and how did Yulion order food separately in my palace?
“This way.”
The confusion didn’t last long.
When I stepped out of the bedroom, the chief attendant smiled kindly and guided us into the garden.
And then I doubted my eyes.
There was a makeshift table, a wind barrier, small bonfires, candles placed everywhere, and even a food tray—all perfectly set up.
“What is all this…?”
I couldn’t finish my sentence due to shock.
I looked up at Yulion, who was nodding with a proud expression while surveying the setup.
“I thought you disliked feeling confined. So I prepared it from my palace.”
“No, then you could have just called it the dining garden.”
“It’s quite a distance. I heard you went for a walk this morning. You shouldn’t move too much since you haven’t fully recovered.”
I didn’t know how to react.
Of course I was grateful.
I was grateful, but I felt it was a bit excessive.
I wondered what the attendants who had carried all this from the crown prince’s palace to the garden were thinking.
My face felt hot, so I turned slightly away from the attendants.
But Yulion seemed quite satisfied, lightly smiling as he led me.
“Please sit.”
“Ah, yes…”
The atmosphere was certainly nice.
It felt like I could leisurely enjoy a meal even if it was just a bowl of soup.
……If not for the attendants surrounding us.
“Everyone, withdraw. I wish to spend time alone with Bi.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Perhaps reading my mind, Yulion waved them away, and the servants and maids moved far back.
That made me feel even more embarrassed, so I cleared my throat and picked up a glass of water.
“Um, Yulion. I am grateful, but—”
Yulion turned his eyes toward me while drinking water.
Looking at his golden eyes flickering like candlelight in the dimness, I spoke carefully.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just eat in the dining garden next time?”
“……Are you displeased?”
Yulion put down his glass and frowned slightly.
Afraid I might make him upset, I waved my hands and hurriedly continued.
“No! I really like it! But… um…”
“You like it, so what is the problem?”
“The attendants prepared all this, right?”
“Yes.”
“I feel very embarrassed… It’s just a bowl of soup, but this is too much.”
“Even if it’s just one bowl, one should eat comfortably and happily. That’s what I heard is good for health.”
If I said this situation wasn’t comfortable, he would probably be disappointed.
Feeling troubled, I just smiled awkwardly and took another sip of water.
“Is it something to be embarrassed about? After all, we are a couple deeply in love.”
At Yulion’s casually spoken words, the water I was swallowing almost shot back out.
I barely swallowed it with air and asked,
“So that’s how it should look. This is your strategy.”
So, he meant this was prepared to show that we were a lovey-dovey couple.
Thinking from that perspective, it did seem quite good.
‘But I can’t do this twice.’
Since the stage was already set, I thought I could enjoy it properly and then ask him not to do it again.
“Alright. Thank you for making such an effort.”
“You’re welcome. You have done many things since becoming the crown princess. I am grateful. Please think of this as my repayment.”
“Hmm, I understand. If you insist.”
The soup was soft when I scooped it up, with a thick, smooth texture.
A deep savory richness rose from the bottom, with a salty first taste and a sweet aftertaste lingering on my tongue.
It was unexpectedly delicious, so I ate absentmindedly, until a sudden thought came to me.
“Oh, right, Yulion. Is Blancche still refusing to confess?”
“Yes. She claims she is innocent.”
“How shameless.”
“At this point, the one who confessed honestly, the council chairman, looks kind.”
“Because he almost died. When people are cornered, they tend to grab even a straw.”
The chairman, who had said he would do anything if ordered, had been dragged away and sentenced to 20 years of forced labor in the western labor camp.
“What about the other criminals?”
“Same as the chairman. Their titles were stripped and they were sent to the labor camps.”
Considering they had tried to scheme against royalty, it was a rather lenient punishment.
“It’s finally coming to an end.”
“Yes. All thanks to you.”
“I couldn’t even catch the core and the head.”
“You showed that there is a core and a head. Catching them is now my duty. You should focus on recovering your health as much as possible.”
“Well… I really am fine.”
I averted my gaze and took another spoonful of soup.
Yulion let out a small laugh.
After a few more spoonfuls, the soup bowl was already empty.
Was it because the soup was too delicious?
Was it because of the cool breeze, the crackling bonfire sound, and the warm orange candlelight that I liked so much?
I slowly, very slowly finished the remaining soup, enjoying the moment.
Yulion’s eating speed had also slowed considerably.
Was it because he was full?
Or because he felt the same way as me?
I didn’t bother asking.
Barmid, a council member, quietly came to see me late at night when I was preparing to sleep after dinner with Yulion.
“I greet Your Highness. I am sorry for visiting so late. The affairs of the medical palace were too busy…”
Barmid greeted me with a warm smile, but looked at me with mixed emotions.
I returned his greeting happily, glad for his visit.
“It’s fine. I was waiting, Councilor Barmid. Please sit.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. How is your health?”
“I’m fine. I don’t feel any pain. Jened, prepare tea.”
Sitting on the sofa across from Councilor Barmid, I faced him.
He seemed like someone who had many things to say, but he could not easily speak.
“This is rooibos tea.”
Jened brought the tea, and the fragrant aroma spread throughout the reception room.
Only then did Barmid slowly speak.
“Your Highness…”
He stopped again, looking at me quietly as if unsure what to say.
His dark blue eyes were full of curiosity.
I also had something I wanted to ask Barmid.
Whether he knew anything about my mother if he was from the Aylon Kingdom.
What kind of person my mother was.
I wanted to ask, even just a little, about someone I missed.
And what Barmid said next was like a drop of timely rain to me.
“You resemble Shahadna-sama very much.”
Shahadna Cheper Aylonstanya.
The name of my mother, whom I desperately wished to see even in my dreams.
