TPSR 07

Chapter 07

“A favor?”

“I need suitable transportation and an escort. I’d like you to prepare them as soon as possible.”

At my request, Carlos frowned.

“Where did what I just said about keeping your head down go?”

“That’s precisely why I’m saying this. I need to go to the West. I can’t travel such a long distance alone.”

Originally, I had planned to wait a little longer, but I had changed my mind.

If this artifact could conceal my identity even a little, then it would be better to move as soon as possible.

“Once we formally establish the guardianship, the imperial family’s surveillance will become stricter. At that point, even the necklace won’t be enough to hide who I am. It would be better to move now, while their watch is still loose.”

The West was the land of mages.

It was also a place where magic users, free from the influence of demonic energy and without enemies in the interior, tended to gather.

And above all, in that land…

He should still be there.

I had to meet that person as soon as possible.

“You come asking for protection, yet before even half a month has passed, you intend to leave the ducal territory….”

Carlos looked me over coldly.

There was not a trace of trust in his gaze.

“And what reason do I have to grant such a request?”

“You already know that I came here to avoid the emperor’s eyes. So if you truly suspect my intentions, you can report me to him. Tell him the princess is here and have him take me away.”

At my bold response, Carlos narrowed his eyes.

“It’s necessary.”

“…Is it related to the purified stones?”

“Probably.”

Carlos remained silent for a while.

His expression suggested he was trying to gauge what kind of plan I could possibly be forming after fleeing the emperor to come here.

As if he could ever guess what I was thinking.

He would never even consider that it might be something to help him.

Our gazes clashed in midair for a long moment.

“……”

Carlos was the first to look away.

He closed his weary eyes tightly, then opened them again.

“…I’ll think about it.”

It was at that moment.

Bang!

“Father!”

The study door was flung open with a crash, and a sharp voice rang out.

Before I could even turn my head, a large shadow strode across the room and slammed a hand down on the desk.

“I heard the princess came here—what in the world is going—!”

The boy, shouting in agitation, turned his head and then froze.

Jet-black hair—the symbol of the ducal house. Green eyes, likely inherited from his mother. A face that had yet to lose its youthful traces.

…Damian Carter.

The legitimate heir of the ducal house.

And the man who, originally, would have been my elder brother.

This is the first time I’ve seen his face so young.

The last face I remembered was older—and rougher.

Since he had always worn a mocking smile whenever he saw me, it felt strange to see him lose his composure like this.

A beat later, he seemed to recognize me despite the changed eyes and hair, and his face twisted.

“How dare you set foot here, Your Highness.”

His murderous voice fell over my head.

“I knew you were insane, but to think you’d be this deranged. Have you now decided to gamble with your own life as well? If that’s why you crawled in here—”

The nonstop stream of sarcasm made my head spin.

Of course.

Where would that artillery of mockery ever go?

Unlike Carlos, Damian did not hesitate to insult a member of the imperial family right in front of me—though always just carefully enough to avoid being charged with treason.

I couldn’t even count how many times this man had raised my blood pressure in private meetings.

Of course, back then I hadn’t stayed quiet either. But now the circumstances were different.

“Damian, that’s enough.”

“But Father!”

“Enough.”

Carlos waved a hand irritably, stopping Damian.

“Princess. You’d better take your leave.”

“Yes, I understand.”

At Carlos’s timely instruction, I rose from my seat at once.

Carlos was one thing, but there was nothing to gain from facing an agitated Damian.

“Then I’ll be going.”

I hurried past Damian with quick steps.

As if I’d willingly run into him.

I ignored the sharp gaze that clung to me until the door closed behind me.

In the study, after Lorea had left—

“Father, what are you thinking? Why in the world would you even—!”

“Lower your voice. You’re making my head pound.”

Carlos leaned back in his chair after cutting off Damian’s raised voice.

“How is the eastern territory?”

“…The recent monster attacks have increased. I’ve cleared out their nearby habitats, so it should be fine for a while.”

“It seems the demonic energy has already reached below the mountain range.”

“We’re supplying purified stones regularly. And we recently purchased more. It’s not yet something you need to concern yourself with.”

At Damian’s answer, Carlos nodded slowly.

The reason the eastern lands of the ducal territory—closest to the heart of the demonic energy—were still operating without issue was thanks to Damian and his knights.

“And the matter I instructed you to investigate?”

“I looked into it, but there’s no information anywhere in the capital or the empire regarding the purified stones you mentioned. Through the guild, I confirmed that even the imperial family seems unaware of their existence.”

“You’re certain?”

“Yes. But what exactly are these stones? You said they’re dozens of times more effective than ordinary purified stones.”

Instead of answering, Carlos pulled out a palm-sized box and handed it to Damian.

After checking its contents, Damian’s eyes widened.

Dozens of dark red purified stones were piled inside.

“What on earth…?”

“The princess brought them. She claims she can provide as many as I want. On the condition that I become her guardian.”

“…Guardian? What does that even mean?”

Damian’s face filled with confusion.

He had been shouting in anger earlier, but had his father truly lost his mind?

“For some reason, she asked to be protected from the imperial family.”

“What nonsense—”

“That’s exactly what she said.”

Damian’s face contorted.

“That’s absurd. She’s the imperial devil, beloved by the emperor himself. Why would that woman need protection?”

Lorea Friese was the worst kind of person.

How many had fallen to ruin because of a single word from that cruel princess? And how she wielded the emperor’s authority to manipulate the people at will.

Damian ground out his words.

“She must have some other scheme. And you’re willing to believe that cunning witch? Who knows what trick she’s planning?”

“Yes, I know. It’s suspicious.”

Carlos closed the box.

“That’s why you’ll watch her.”

His sunken red gaze fixed on the study door through which Lorea had disappeared.

“Whether she is truly innocent—we’ll find out by observing her.”