Chapter 23

After finishing the meal that way, Leila returned to her room. Although it had been a fair amount of time, both the Emperor and the Crown Prince kept a continuous look of regret.

Back in her room, Leila dressed up in flowers to greet the Count and Raven.

She had never attended a ballroom and didn’t really know how, but she dolled up with as much care as if she were.

Even if she were in her pajamas, they were family who would tell her she was pretty, but she wanted to look her absolute prettiest for the faces she was seeing after so long.

Soon, after a brief wait, a maid announced the arrival of the Count and Raven.

Excited, Leila dashed out to open the door herself. However, perhaps because she was too elated, Leila tripped over her own dress hem and fell right down.

Hearing the commotion of crashing from inside, the Count and Raven startled and pushed the door open.

Before their eyes was Leila, fallen on the floor with a tearful expression.

“Ah, Father… Brother.”

Of all times to show them this kind of sight.

It felt frustrating, wondering if the effort she’d put into dressing up had been ruined.

“Are you all right?”

The Count and Raven rushed straight to Leila, casting worried gazes.

“No, this won’t do! Call a physician right away…!”

“Father… I’m fine. I just tripped a little, that’s all.”

Normally, this kind of fussing would have been the job of her brother, Raven.

At the sight of the Count, overflowing with doting father energy, Leila just smiled happily.

“Are you truly all right?”

Perhaps realizing himself that he had been overdoing it, the Count had on an awkward expression.

“Yes. I’m really fine.”

“But you looked like you were going to cry! If you hate the idea of calling a physician, I’ll carry you on my back!”

Unlike the composed Count, Raven was still in a high state of excitement.

“No, that’s… It’s been a while since we met, and I’m embarrassed to show you this kind of side…”

“What’s wrong with a side like that? Did someone say something? I’ll go find those bastards right now—!”

Raven’s momentum was ferocious enough that he looked ready to draw a sword and hunt someone down.

“No, that’s not it. I dressed up so pretty, and I was just worried if I fell and ruined it…”

“You’re always pretty no matter what you do!”

Even if she were covered in soot and wearing rags, it couldn’t kill Leila’s looks.

“Uh, um. Even so?”

“This once, I agree with Raven’s words.”

The Count bluntly affirmed Raven’s words.

“Anyway, I really missed you!”

Leila laughed brightly and hugged the Count and Raven.

Amidst the heartwarming atmosphere, the personal maid watching the scene cautiously opened her mouth.

“Pardon my audacity, but you are Her Highness the Princess.”

She knew that they had once been tied by a family relationship, but she was now a princess residing strictly within the Imperial Palace. She was no longer someone they could speak casually to.

At the polite yet cautious words, Leila’s expression hardened. The Count and Raven also belatedly realized that they had been treating her like they used to, and wore flustered expressions.

Before the Count could open his mouth to say anything, Leila spoke first.

“It’s just us here. At least during times like this, I want you to treat me like before. So you understand, right?”

Leila smiled gently as she looked at the maid. A subtle pressure emanated from Leila’s body, as if telling her to say yes already.

“However…”

“However? You were about to say it’s fine to do so, right?”

As if saying that was the only option she had, Leila continued to pressure the maid.

“We are fin—”

“I’m not fine with it.”

Despite the Count’s dissuasion, Leila had no intention of withdrawing her words. Just because she had become the Emperor’s daughter and a princess didn’t mean her relationship with the Count or Raven had vanished. The Count and Raven were still her father and brother.

Even if they couldn’t treat her like that in front of other people, there was only herself, the Count, Raven, and the maid here. As long as the maid pretended not to know, there would be no problem.

“…Understood. Please forgive my impudence.”

“It’s fine.”

Thinking she had heard the answer she wanted, Leila wore a satisfied expression and looked at the Count and Raven.

“As expected of our Lea!”

Raven, who would love whatever Leila did, gave a thumbs-up and admired her. Only the Count wore an awkward expression.

“We haven’t seen each other in a while, so let’s not make that kind of expression and talk about something else.”

The Count knew what she was worried about, but she didn’t want to act like they had become strangers now. She didn’t want to see the Count or Raven speaking to her with honorifics. She felt she would feel a sense of distance and get hurt by it.

“Let’s… do that.”

Leila was right. It had been a long time since they last met, so rather than bickering over such matters, venting their feelings as she suggested was the right thing to do.

Although she had heard the Emperor’s public announcement regarding Keisran’s punishment, there was still a lot to talk about regarding that as well.

Whether she was really okay now, and whether life in the Imperial Palace was bearable.

She had a mountain of questions to ask her.

“So, how is it living in the Imperial Palace?”

The Count, wondering what he should bring up first, tossed out the question.

“Just… fine. His Majesty treats me well, and so does His Highness.”

If she said she wasn’t doing well, she worried the Count would fret, but if she said she was doing well, she worried he might feel left out, leaving Leila conflicted.

“That’s a relief. But the way you address them… are you still using those titles?”

It wasn’t really his place to say anything, but the Emperor and the Crown Prince were also Leila’s family. Terms like “Your Majesty” or “Your Highness” were far too stiff for family.

The Count’s heart ached all the more, feeling that this represented the distance Leila felt toward her new family.

Just as he, who had to let Leila go from his embrace, must be, Leila herself must be quite bewildered and confused by the current situation.

She had been living peacefully as a Countess’s daughter, only to find out she was a princess and immediately move to the Imperial Palace. And if that were all, it would have been fortunate. Thinking of what she had gone through before that made his heart hurt even more.

“That’s not it.”

“If it’s because of us, you don’t need to worry too much about it.”

The Count spoke bluntly, but with affection directed at Leila.

“Yes. Still, His Majesty allowed me to spend a month at the Count’s estate.”

“That is truly a… relief.”

It was news as joyful as Leila’s earlier words that they could come to the Imperial Palace to see her, or even more so. Whether continuing to maintain close ties with them like this was a good thing for Leila was hard to tell, but it was a feeling that couldn’t be cut off in one stroke.

Twenty years of affection was definitely not shallow.

Raven was a prime example. Ever since Leila left for the Imperial Palace, Raven had walked around looking as pathetic as a drenched dog. His naturally fierce appearance had wilted completely, terrifying others even more. But today, upon hearing the news that he could go see Leila, he had been overjoyed.

“How have Father and Brother been doing?”

“We have been doing… quite well.”

They hadn’t been doing well at all, but the Count didn’t want Leila to worry about them.

“You’re doing well, yet you’ve lost this much weight? Especially look at Brother’s face. His cheek fat has completely hollowed out.”

Leila spoke in a deliberately bright voice as she grabbed Raven’s face and pointed at it with her finger. Her face was full of pity.

It wasn’t just an idle remark she threw out; the Count really had lost weight, and Raven’s cheeks had sunken in. Because of that, his impression had become even sharper.

“Th-this is just a diet.”

Raven, equally reluctant to make Leila worry, hurried to make an excuse.

“You on a diet?”

The person who loved food so much? Whenever she told him he always ate too much, Raven used to proudly claim that because he was a knight, energy consumption was high so it couldn’t be helped.

He used to say you have to eat a lot to build up that much strength.

Leila pouted her lips.

At that sight, Raven’s eyes sparkled as if he thought she was too cute to handle. His fingers, twitching continuously, seemed to say he wanted to hug her to death.

“Don’t go on strict diets, eat well and sleep well. If I see you having lost weight the next time we meet, I’m going to scold you.”

Leila spoke with a deliberately stern expression, as if scolding him. Even at that sight, Raven just smiled like he was happy. A small smile settled on the face of the blunt-looking Count.

“So, are you all right now?”

Amidst the warm atmosphere, the Count tossed out another question.

The Count didn’t specify the subject, but Leila could guess what he was asking about.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m thinking of practicing swordsmanship more diligently given this chance.”

If she ever saw someone like Iana again, she intended to give them a thorough beating with her own hands next time.

Leila clenched her fist resolutely and smiled gently. Far from looking reliable, the sight was once again just cute and lovable.

“You’re going to hold a sword with those hands?”

Raven looked at Leila’s hands with pity, as if looking at a twig that would snap if the wind blew.

“I’m not so weak that I can’t even hold a sword.”

Recalling how there had been a similar time once before, Leila forced a smile. Back then, it had been Keisran. Asking if she could even flick someone’s forehead with those hands.

The time she had spent with him at the Duke’s estate still remained just as it was in Leila’s head.

“And somehow, I think it’s good to learn it.”

“…Right, I suppose so.”

The Count nodded as if he understood.

“Then who are you learning swordsmanship from?”

Raven looked at Leila with a subtle expectation. It was the look of someone wondering if perhaps her swordsmanship mentor was none other than himself.

“That is… the Vice-Commander of the Imperial Guards…”

At Leila’s response, Raven wore a deflated expression. At that sight, Leila grew restless.

“Ah, Sir Resnaen must be better than me…”

Raven muttered quietly with a gloomy expression. Raven’s shoulders were slumped heavily.

“That’s not it… There’s a circumstance.”

She couldn’t proudly say what that circumstance was, but at the very least, it wasn’t with as good an intention as Raven thought.

“Well, yeah…”

With an expression that looked like he was oddly sticking out his lips, Raven continuously wore a depressed expression. At that sight, the Count clicked his tongue softly.

“Instead of giving unnecessary pressure to your young sister, go focus on your own work.”

“No, what did I even do…?”

“Even I think if she learned from you, she wouldn’t learn properly. Think about the past.”

When Leila first started, she had learned swordsmanship from Raven. Later on, she ended up learning from another knight.

The reason was obvious. Raven worried about Leila so much that he failed to train her properly. Even if she just tripped slightly, he would call a physician to examine her. In reality, the time spent receiving Raven’s worries and going to the medical room was longer than the time spent swinging a sword.

Remembering those memories, Raven winced.

“But that guy…”

“What guy, what guy. I’m sure he’ll teach her well enough on his own.”

The Count decisively cut off Raven’s complaints.

Once again, Raven’s shoulders slumped limply.

“Anyway, don’t worry about this fellow and learn well from Sir Resnaen. If it gets too hard, take breaks as you go.”

“Yes, I will.”

Sensing the Count’s worry, Leila smiled gently.

***

The next day, the long-awaited swordsmanship training finally began. Leila’s face was full of a smile containing the mischief of a troublemaker.

When Leila headed to the training grounds, Vice-Commander Haron was waiting for her. Remembering Haron’s face, Leila felt satisfied that her guess—that the one who beat up Keisran might be the Vice-Commander—had turned out to be correct.

“Nice to meet you.”

With a smile that held a different kind of welcome than the good kind, Leila wore a strange smile.

“Greetings to the Flower of the Empire, Her Highness the Princess. I am Haron Resnaen, Vice-Commander of the Imperial Guards.”

Haron respectfully greeted Leila. In his hand was a sword prepared for Leila. It was a sword made lighter than a standard sword.

“This is a training sword. Would you care to hold it once?”

Although it was said to be lighter than a standard sword, Haron was slightly worried whether that frail-looking woman would actually be able to hold it.

No matter how frail she was, she wouldn’t be so weak as to not even be able to hold a sword, but the Princess he saw in reality looked more delicate than expected. To make that body hold a sword felt almost rude.

However, Leila, who could easily lift a standard sword as well, had no trouble holding it.

Leila, who had been debating whether to swing it once, folded the thought away. Since this was meant for revenge against Haron rather than for the purpose of truly learning swordsmanship, she had no intention of letting it show that she was actually good at swordsmanship. Only then could she successfully finish her plan.

Regardless of what Haron was expecting, she wanted to take this opportunity to properly get revenge on the man who had dared to hit Keisran.

For instance, trying hitting him “by mistake”?

If she says it was a mistake, what could he possibly do about it?

Holding the sword like that, Leila stealthily glanced over to check Keisran’s appearance. He seemed a bit surprised by her appearance. However, Leila didn’t bother to acknowledge Keisran.

There were too many things holding her back from showing a close appearance with him. Especially since there were many people watching here.

“Have you ever learned swordsmanship before?”

“When I stayed at the Count’s estate, my brother taught me a little.”

It wasn’t just “a little,” she had actually learned properly, but Leila smoothly concealed that fact.

“Please swing it once.”

Thinking they should check her stance first, Haron spoke. At that, Leila deliberately swung the sword with a clumsy posture.

“It seems we’ll need to refine your stance a little bit.”

Haron spoke cautiously, worried she might feel offended by his words.

“Is that so.”

“Then please forgive my rudeness in touching Your Highness’s body.”

“Well, alright.”

Leila readily nodded. Soon, Haron approached Leila and corrected her awkward posture.

Her hand holding the sword was a passing grade, but her standing posture and the way she swung it were sloppy.

Haron meticulously checked every single aspect of her swordsmanship swing. He inevitably had to touch her body to teach her the stance, but he did his best to ensure she wasn’t uncomfortable.

That was when it happened. Leila, clumsily swinging the sword following Haron’s instructions, deliberately stumbled and stepped backward. In the process, she stepped hard on the foot of Haron, who was standing behind her.

It would have been better if it were dress shoes, but she couldn’t wear dress shoes to come learn swordsmanship. Still, because she stepped on it intentionally with force, the pain Haron felt was significant.

“Ugh.”

A suppressed groan slipped past Haron’s lips.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

Leila, who stepped on his foot once more as if pretending to step aside, wore an apologetic expression. While inwardly flashing a triumphant smile.

“It’s… alright.”

It was just being stepped on by someone wearing shoes that weren’t even formal leather shoes, so why did it hurt so much?

Haron forced himself to act like he was fine.

“Then would you care to swing it again?”

Since he had already corrected her posture once, Haron kept his distance and stood somewhat apart this time. Leila, who had intended to step on him one more time on the pretense of a mistake, wore a disappointed expression.

Well, she would be troubling him under the pretext of training from now on anyway, so she didn’t need to be too impatient.

After swinging the sword well following Haron’s instructions for the first time or two, this time Leila let go of the sword under the guise of a mistake. It was a training sword, dull and without an edge. The sword grazed Haron and planted itself straight into the floor.

It was a trajectory that was ambiguous to simply view as a mistake.

At the narrowly missed situation, Leila once again internally wore a disappointed expression.

That only lasted a moment.

“I am truly sorry.”

Leila deliberately put on a tearful expression and looked apologetic.

“It’s fine. Is the sword perhaps heavy?”

Haron spoke, thinking it was simply a mistake.

“It’s not that, I suppose it’s just because it’s awkward.”

“I see. For now, let’s practice swinging it a hundred times lightly.”

“…Alright.”

Since she couldn’t make mistakes all hundred times, Leila decided to swing properly and make a few mistakes mixed in.

Remembering the mistake she hadn’t managed to land properly earlier, Leila concentrated very hard as she swung the sword to catch the timing for her mistake.

The important thing here was that while it had to be a mistake, it also had to hit Haron accurately while looking like a mistake.

And soon, catching the timing, Leila deliberately let go of the sword right as she was swinging it downward.

It was drawing a more accurate trajectory compared to earlier.

“Ugh.”

Haron, hit in the flank by the sword that slipped from Leila’s hand, grabbed his side and let out a groan.

“I am trul…ly sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Wasn’t it a mistake?”

Haron spoke, forcing himself to act like he was fine. However, the flank that had been hit by the sword still throbbed.

“I keep making mistakes.”

Leila deliberately put on a gloomy expression, as if it wasn’t her intention either.

“It’s your first time, so these things can happen.”

“Thank you for understanding. But… does it hurt a lot?”

Leila asked worriedly, having read Haron’s distorted expression even though he was acting like nothing was wrong.

“Haha, this much is fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

Only this last remark from her was sincere. Since he said he was fine, it meant she could probably hit him by mistake a few more times.

However, perhaps not wanting to get hit again, Haron watched Leila’s training from further away than before.

It was a distance she could have hit if she made up her mind and flung the sword, but it was a distance too ambiguous to pass off as a mistake.

‘Hmm.’

She didn’t think she would clear all her pent-up resentment in a single day, but she had only hit him about two times so far. Considering Keisran’s injuries she saw in the medical room, that was far too weak.

As Leila pondered what to do, she came up with one method. For that, she would have to endure a little bit of trouble herself, but she decided not to care.

Leila, who had swung the sword properly this time, turned her body to say something to Haron.

“This time it was alrea…”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Leila stepped on the hem of the dress she was wearing and fell straight down. Although it wasn’t fancy or trailing because it was a training dress, it was long enough to be stepped on and cause a fall.

The very moment she turned her body to look at Haron, Leila ended up falling toward where Haron was. At the same time, the sword she had been holding struck right against Haron’s body.

“……”

Haron, hit by the sword, couldn’t say a single word. He couldn’t even let out a moan. Of all places, the spot where he was struck by the sword was truly… dangerous.

Leila also realized what spot she had hit and wore an ambiguous expression.

‘I didn’t mean to hit that place.’

No matter how bad her feelings toward Haron were and how she did it for revenge, she had her own lines she kept.

So no matter how angry she was and how much she disliked him, she knew the places she shouldn’t hit.

Leila herself was flustered and couldn’t readily pick herself up and toss out words asking if he was alright.

That was when it happened.

Keisran, who hadn’t stopped glancing at Leila even while training, quickly approached her and draped his jacket over her body. This was because Leila’s skirt hem had ridden up a bit as she fell.

“Let me help you up.”

Ignoring the state of Haron, who had turned pale from being hit in his vital spots, Keisran wore a worried expression toward Leila.

“Ah… thank you.”

How did he know and come to help her up again?

Leila calmly took Keisran’s hand and stood herself up. Although dirt had gotten onto her dress, she didn’t care much.

More than that, she was grateful to Keisran for caring for her like this, and at the same time, she felt a little sorry for Haron, whom she had hit in an unexpected spot.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Even knowing she shouldn’t approach her like this, he couldn’t just pretend not to see after seeing her fall. He worried if a scratch might have formed on this delicate skin.

“I’m fine. It’s just that Sir Resnaen…”

Leila stealthily looked over at Haron. Haron still hadn’t come to his senses. Only then did Keisran look at Haron with an ambiguous expression as well.

Being the same man, he could vividly guess what kind of pain Haron was feeling right now.

“……Ugh, I, I am fine. You too, return to your place.”

Haron spoke with a stern expression, forcing himself to act like he was fine. At Haron’s words, Keisran obediently returned to his spot.

As he returned to his spot, Keisran opened and closed the hand that had held Leila’s hand a few times. It felt like that sensation still remained.

“Are you really alright?”

Not daring to cast her gaze toward that spot or do anything about it, Leila wore a troubled expression.

“Y, yes… It will be fine as time passes.”

“I see. More importantly, since I haven’t held a sword in a long time, I’m a bit tired. I just want to drink a cup of water…”

“I will have a knight bring it.”

“Would you do that? Then if possible, I’d like that knight over there to bring it.”

Leila pointed out one of the knights on the training grounds.

“That knight, you say?”

Haron, turning his head to follow Leila’s finger, wore an ambiguous expression. Understandable, since that was the knight who had fought Keisran and been beaten to a pulp. He had recovered his body enough to come to work and train, but he wasn’t in a particularly pristine state.

Haron wondered why, leaving other pristine knights alone, she was asking that knight in particular to bring water.

“Yes.”

Ignoring Haron’s doubt, Leila proudly nodded.

“However, that knight is not in good health. It might be better to ask another knight…”

To begin with, fetching water was something other knights could do anyway. But Leila had a reason for singling out that knight.

Leila’s targets for revenge included not only Haron, but also the knight who had fought Keisran.

That was why Leila opened her mouth proudly.

“His face is all multicolored, so I figured if he brings the water, the water might taste better too.”

It was an absurd logic, but Leila was confident. She knew that sometimes, illogical arguments worked even better. Especially since she couldn’t blatantly say she disliked him like that, she didn’t have any suitable reasons coming to mind.

“What kind of…?”

At Leila’s preposterous words, Haron wore an ambiguous expression.

It was actually his first time having a conversation with the Princess today, but somehow she seemed very different from the Princess in his imagination. It also didn’t seem to match her appearance.

However, she was the Princess. He couldn’t dare talk back to the Princess’ words. As if he couldn’t help it, Haron called the knight Leila designated and told him to go bring water.

Wondering why it had to be him, the knight wore a puzzled expression but obediently brought the water. Just then, a water fountain was set up within the training grounds for knights to easily drink water.

Regular knights could just turn on the tap and drink, but they couldn’t make the Princess do that, so he would have to put it in a cup. Thanks to that, the knight had to go inside the Imperial Palace to get a cup and then draw water from the fountain.

“The water is… quite lukewarm.”

Leila, who received the cup brought by the knight, said indifferently. However, clear dissatisfaction was contained within her words.

“T, then should I go draw a new one?”

“No. How could I go and trouble you like that? You must be very busy too, where would you have the time to go draw my water?”

On the outside, it sounded like sweet, considerate words for the knight, but reality wasn’t like that.

If he understood that and didn’t go fetch new water here, it would be equivalent to him saying his swordsmanship training was more important than the Princess. That could also lead to an act of disrespecting the royalty.

Leila had said it precisely knowing that to begin with.

“No. I will go draw it again.”

Although walking was still uncomfortable due to his unhealed injuries, he couldn’t just sit still when the Princess spoke like that. In the end, the knight had to go back inside the Imperial Palace and draw fresh water. A few ice cubes floated and bobbed inside the cup of water.

Leila’s expression as she looked at the newly fetched water by the knight was strange.

“My… it must be very cold. If I drink this, my hand will freeze and my throat will freeze too.”

“Th, then…”

“No. I can’t go and trouble you, so even if I risk getting frostbite, I suppose I must just drink it.”

In the end, this meant she was telling him to go fetch it again. At the situation of having to go draw it fresh twice, the knight’s expression slightly distorted.

Making him go fetch water even though it was hard for him to walk, just how much was she going to put him through hell over and over?

The knight forcedly hid his sullen heart. However, he couldn’t deceive Leila’s eyes.

“You must be having a hard time. I suppose it must feel unpleasant that someone who used to be a Count’s daughter suddenly appeared as a princess and is making you run such minor errands. I understand. I’ll just go draw the water myself.”

Leila could have made a maid fetch it instead of going herself, but Leila said so deliberately. In fact, she could have made a maid do it from the very beginning. But the reason she didn’t was because that was her intention from the start.

When she said she was thirsty because it was hard, she hadn’t even trained hard enough to warrant that.

As if she would really go draw the water herself, Leila moved her body. Limping deliberately came as a bonus.

She hadn’t fallen for this reason, but it was helping quite a bit.

At that sight, the knight grew restless. Haron, watching from the side, cast a reprimanding gaze toward the knight and stepped in instead.

“It seems Kishan is feeling unwell because his body is uncomfortable. He definitely has no intention of looking down on Her Highness the Princess. So I will go draw it instead.”

At those words, Leila’s expression turned skewed.

At times like this, he was quick to take the knight’s side, so why wasn’t he like that when dealing with Keisran? Especially since the situation back then and the situation now intertwined, making it feel like Haron was favoring Kishan.

“Alright. Let’s do as Sir Resnaen says. How can I force someone who dislikes me? It seems you don’t even want to fetch water for me.”

It was a severely exaggerated expression, but no one could get angry at those words. Because her counterpart was the Princess.

“Th, that’s not it.”

As the situation kept turning strange, Kishan frowned heavily.

“It really is fine. Ah, by the way, is it alright for me to train here?”

Leila, who had already turned Kishan’s dislike of her into an established fact, deliberately asked while reading Kishan’s expression.

This time too, Kishan had no choice but to go bring water. Haron wanted to step in somehow and resolve the situation, but even for him, no words to persuade Leila came to mind.

It was sorry for Kishan, but it seemed best for him to just go draw water one more time.

However, Leila had no intention of letting him off easily. This little bit of hellish running around wasn’t enough to clear her feelings about Kishan.

Of course, he had already been beaten up quite a bit by Keisran, but that was getting beaten by Keisran, not something she herself had done.

Even if Haron was the one who actually hit Keisran, she couldn’t just let Kishan go since he had provided the pretext. Taking this opportunity, she also wanted to find out what on earth he had said to Keisran to make him so angry.

‘It surely wasn’t anything normal.’

Before long, Kishan brought the water back. However, this time too, Leila didn’t take the water right away.

“This seems a bit less cool. Earlier, I said it felt like it would freeze because there was too much ice, but that doesn’t mean I told you not to put any ice in at all.”

At those words, Kishan flared up slightly. Then you should have said so from the beginning!

“Then how much ice should I put in?”

Kishan asked precisely about the number of ice cubes to avoid going through futile trouble yet again.

At those words, Leila opened her eyes wide and looked at him.

“Are you getting angry at me right now?”

It was an expression that looked slightly frightened. It wasn’t actually like that, but Leila knew well how to make the other person angry.

“C, could that be?”

Kishan spoke while grinding his teeth slightly.

“It could very well be. Right now, you even look a bit in a bad mood. I’m unnecessarily sorry. Because of me.”

Leila deliberately drooped the corners of her eyes and wore an apologetic expression.

Just looking at that appearance, it looked like Kishan was getting angry for no reason, and because of that, Leila was flustered and uneasy.

“……That’s not it.”

Thinking that if the other person weren’t the Princess, he would have already flown into a rage long ago, Kishan forced a smile. Watching the two of them like that, Haron worried about what he should do.

Looking at her attitude, it seemed she just had a complaint against Kishan himself. If it weren’t for that, there was no way she would act like this. The fact that she singled out Kishan from the beginning was also true, and she was picking fights for no reason.

Thinking up to that point, Haron frowned at a thought that suddenly occurred to him.

‘Could this…?’

Now that he thought about it, he too had taken a few hits from Leila. Although she called them mistakes, there were far too many mistakes in a short span of time.

And there was a subtle commonality between himself and Kishan. He had hit Keisran, and Kishan had fought Keisran.

Since Leila was someone who originally knew Keisran, it was possible she was deliberately taking revenge regarding him. However, having thought up to that point, Haron shook his head, saying there was no way.

Leila and Keisran were not a simple relationship. Weren’t they a kidnapper and his victim? How could she possibly be taking revenge on people who had tormented her kidnapper? That made no sense.

***

 

It felt like some resentment still lingered, but perhaps because she had gotten her revenge, Leila’s mind felt a bit refreshed.

 

Especially when she thought of Kishan, who was seething with anger yet unable to express it and struggling in frustration, it felt thoroughly satisfying. The fact that he was a patient who had been beaten by Keisran didn’t bother her in the slightest.

 

‘Why on earth did you go out of your way to pick a fight with Keisran in the first place?’

 

Since she didn’t know the exact circumstances, it was technically possible that Keisran had actually done something wrong, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe that.

 

The Keisran Leila knew, as well as the Keisran of the rumors, was never someone who would pick a fight and start a brawl without a reason.

 

Returning to her room shortly after, Leila washed off the grime from training and changed her clothes.

 

Waiting for Leila after her shower was the news of Cahill’s visit.

 

‘He came faster than I thought. Well, I suppose he would.’

 

When she sent a letter to Cahill, Leila had written that since she couldn’t go see him in person, he could come directly to the Imperial Palace to see her if he was curious about details regarding Keisran.

 

However, Cahill hadn’t readily sent a letter saying he would do just that. Cahill had never stepped foot outside the Duke’s estate even once in his entire life. Even within the Duke’s estate, he hadn’t lived freely. Because of that, he felt a vague fear and anxiety about stepping outside the estate.

 

Given that, she had expected it to take some time for him to come find her, but seeing him arrive this quickly meant he must have been extremely curious about Keisran’s punishment and the detailed situation.

 

At the maid’s words, Leila nodded, granting permission for Cahill’s visit. At that, the maid wore a slightly dissatisfied expression but obediently followed the order.

 

The Emperor disliked Leila getting involved with Keisran, but he hadn’t expressed any particular objections regarding the other members of the ducal family.

 

A moment later, guided by the maid, Cahill cautiously revealed his presence.

 

“G—Greetings to the Flower of the Empire, Her Highness the Princess.”

 

He wanted to act comfortably as before, but Leila was different now. Cahill offered his greeting with an awkward expression. His hesitant demeanor showed just how nervous he was right now.

 

“It’s been a while.”

 

“You can… speak comfortably.”

 

In the past, even though Leila was older, neither of them had officially inherited a noble title yet, so they used formal speech with each other, but that wasn’t the case anymore.

 

“Um, shall I?”

 

Actually, it had felt awkward ever since she started using formal speech toward Cahill back at the Duke’s estate. He was a child a whole six years younger than her.

 

“Then you may head out.”

 

Leila said to the maid, who was still holding her ground. At those words, the maid bowed her waist and obediently left the room.

 

“Have you been well?”

 

Even at a glance, it looked like he wasn’t doing well, but Leila asked anyway, wondering how Cahill might have been holding up.

 

“…Just…”

 

Cahill made a distorted expression that looked like he was about to cry.

 

“Come here for a moment?”

 

Leila, who had been sitting in a chair, beckoned with a tap of her finger. At those words, Cahill hesitated as he approached her.

 

“Closer.”

 

Wondering why she was acting like this, Cahill wore a puzzled expression. Even so, he obediently followed Leila’s words.

 

When he followed her instruction to come closer, Cahill found himself standing right in front of Leila before he knew it. Thinking this was a bit too close and trying to step back, Cahill was startled by Leila’s action of pulling him in and hugging him right then and there.

 

Cahill, who tried to push her away because it was awkward, couldn’t bring himself to do so upon feeling the warmth of her embrace, which was much warmer than expected.

 

Leila simply patted Cahill quietly. He probably hadn’t received proper comfort or care back at the Duke’s estate.

 

Even if the Duke’s estate itself hadn’t vanished, the position of the Duke was vacant, so Cahill’s standing must have become ambiguous as well.

 

Considering his age of 14, it must have been overwhelming for him to handle alone. And there certainly wasn’t anyone around to soothe him.

 

She wondered if she and Cahill were even close enough for her to do this, and whether she really needed to go out of her way to act like this, but she couldn’t just pretend not to see Cahill. Right now, there was nobody by Cahill’s side.

 

Cahill always reminded her of her past self.

 

Someone who had to wander alone, receiving neither affection nor care from anyone.

 

As someone who had experienced the same situation, she wanted to comfort Cahill.

 

The material wealth of life was no match for people’s affection. She too had lived a fairly affluent and wealthy life before her father’s company went bankrupt. Yet, things like that hadn’t provided her with even a shred of comfort.

 

Tears that he had been holding back until now poured from the eyes of Cahill, who was buried in Leila’s embrace. He had never cried because he desperately wanted to avoid showing others that he was crying. Was it because he had already shown Leila his crying face last time, or simply because it was Leila? As he was held in her arms, he couldn’t hold back the tears.

 

Leila didn’t make a single fuss and gently patted Cahill’s back.

 

Just how long had they been like that? Cahill finally stopped crying. And then, when he tried to pull his body away out of sheer embarrassment, that was when it happened. A maid announced the visit of the Crown Prince.