Don’t Concern Yourself With That Book

I ignored his question and blatantly pretended that I had not heard it. But he looked determined. I could feel it from his firm arms that he was not willing to back down until I gave him an answer. Sir Ray asked as he raised his gaze from the ground.

“For as long as I worked as a knight, I’ve seen that expression on my lady’s face many times before. You look determined. People who have that expression on their face have something in common.”

Ray continued in a low voice.

“No matter what I say, those people will never listen. I’m sick and tired of trying to stop people like them.”

I seemed to have been given a glimpse to his past during his long monologue. As soon as I thought that, he gave a sigh filled with annoyance. He sounded as if he did not want to get involved anymore.

“What’s the point of me saying anything if they’re just going to do whatever they want?”

Like he really did not care anymore, he laughed heartily.

“If you know that, could you let me down now?”

“… Look at this. Why is this master being bothered by her knight just escorting her?”

The knight continued to nag at me for a long while. After I fixed my crumpled skirt, the knight bent over and pulled something out. I tried to ask what it was but he did not give an answer. Just when I frowned, he hung it over my neck.

“Please accept it.”

It was a necklace.

“What is this?”

“Insurance. I’ve said it before but I don’t want to be fired just yet.”

I gripped the small jewel in my hand before looking at it. As soon as I heard him explain that this jewel that was hanging from the necklace contained the power of a mysterious wizard that was passed on in successive generations, I wanted to return it right away.

“Doesn’t a knight need this more than me?”

“I have no need for it since I’m strong.”

“The route to Dane’s family home is dangerous. You should take it back. Even the strongest knights can die if they’re not careful.”

“It’ll be fine since I’m stronger than even the strongest.”

What he used as excuses to reject the necklace can only be described as spectacular.

“… You know I can see past your pretense right?”

He looked at me brazenly.

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

Gosh, the way he promotes himself is on the level of Steve Jobs. Mountain climbers know that the most important thing they have to be careful about is ‘overconfidence’. If any of them saw him, they would laugh at his brazen stance since he didn’t even know the basics.

“Of all the braggers I know, no one does it like you. This is not a compliment so don’t act so relaxed.”

Ignoring my mockery, he gazed towards the forbidden forest.

Did he notice? I was surprised he even glanced in that direction. I quickly tried to say something shamelessly because I didn’t know what he was going to do but he beat me to it.

“I know you won’t listen to me anyways but let me just say something.”

“…..”

“I will be joining Prince Dane for his trip so I’ll be gone for a week. In the meantime, I hope Your Highness does not die. What would’ve happened to you if I hadn’t showed up today?”

“…..”

“For the sake of Your Highness, this knight works very hard and continues to work overtime but this beautiful lady doesn’t even pretend to listen. This is such a great pity considering how loyal I am to you.”

I looked at him dumbfounded. … When did this knight care about loyalty? What a mess. We have a business relationship. Right? The Emperor pays you, you accept the money and protect me.

“I’m telling you to be careful.”

Sir Ray then knelt in front of me after helping climb over the fence. He brushed off my crumpled skirt with his hands.

“… I could’ve done that.”

“The Imperials should not be able to sit just anywhere.”

Looking at the top of his head, I was reminded of the exchange we just had.

I’ve already heard a little about his past from Dane. The knight who had been assigned to take care of us was actually forced to after being demoted from his knighthood.

He had no title, no family name and had not been affiliated with any of the higher-ups so it was obvious that he had no regrets when he left his then master.

Then why?

Dane, Fleon, Sir Ray and the friendly maids. Everyone surrounding me is so unique. However, even after being given names, they are still in the end extras in the lives of the attention-grabbing main leads. It was so sad.

“Please don’t get hurt while I’m away.”

Sir Ray took off his cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders before placing his headdress over my head. He explained that my face was too bright for his eyes.

“It’s weird how you would say such a thing so easily. What if I just die like this? You said you’d get in trouble.”

“Because I know you are not as immature as you look.”

I fixed my gaze on him after I squinted my eyes.

“I wonder how I look in your eyes?”

“I wonder. I do not dare to judge you.”

He spoke bluntly.

“I’ll take my leave now, Your Highness.”

Sir Ray brought one hand to his chest and bowed deeply. He bent his knees following the proper decorum to the tee. I couldn’t ignore the thought that he was just putting on a show.

“But where were you really trying to go?”

As I began to walk away, I heard a voice that sounded both a little serious yet cautious.

I answered without turning back.

“I’m not telling.”

I had decided not to look back but then I got nervous when I thought about what he might do and turned just my head around. I placed a finger on my lips. Shush. This is a secret even to Dane. Well, I had no idea whether or not that lazy knight would uphold it.

“To make it easier for you, I’ll clean the hound up so that it’d be as if it never left after you leave.”

Whatever. Let’s just think about it simply. In a week’s time, I would greet you with a happy smile only if I was still alive. Since I thought this might be the last time I saw him, I acted kindly instead of being rude and unfriendly.

Even though this had already been the second time I came, the 4th Prince’s Palace still looked big and beautiful. Instead of looking for the 4th Prince directly, I approached the nearest knight and introduced myself.

“This is the maid sent from the Terena Palace. I have a message from the 8th Child of the Great Emperor, Her Highness Ashley Rosé Kaltanias, for the 4th Child, His Highness Amor Noté Kaltanias.”

The knight whispered to the knight beside him before escorting me to Amor’s room. According to proper etiquette, I should have looked for the Head Maid first but since when have I followed the rules? I was in a bit of a hurry and the tactful knight handled it without question.

The door opened and a room filled with green greeted me as it did two days ago. The scent of plants tickled the tip of my nose. Just like he did that day, he was sitting on his bed with a thick book flipped upside down next to him. Perhaps he had just been reading.

“So it was you.”

The boy looked quite surprised.

“I didn’t think you would come look for me again.”

“You asked me to come over again, didn’t you?”

I replied shamelessly.

I halted my advance across the room as I was met with a cold gaze. His face stiffened as he tried to hide how he was flustered.

Because the amount of plants that filled the room, I thought I entered a botanical garden.

“… So you’re alive.”

“You sound as if you were hoping I was dead.”

“Who knows. I might have.”

His cloudy green eyes. Within his pupils, I could see a small glow akin to that of fireflies.

Maybe he was giving me a slight welcome. He looked at me with curiosity reflected in his eyes as if he thought he would never see me again.

“Why did you come see me?”

“I have something to say.”

“… To me?”

“Yes. Something. From me to you.”

He frowned at how I fragmented my words. I grinned.

“I’m sorry for meeting you in these clothes.”

“…..”

I had been lowering my back this whole while. Only after the knight who escorted me here closed the doors and disappeared, did I straighten my back and smiled.

“Let me introduce myself.”

My voice was crystal clear as I stood up straight proudly. Facing the cool green eyes, I said without hesitation.

“I am the 8th child of the Great Emperor, Ashley Rosé Kaltanias.”

The faint smile on the Prince’s face dissipated.

“Forgive me for my rudeness the other day, ‘dear brother’.”

His eyes, which resembled a small forest, shook slightly. I didn’t avoid his gaze. The wind that blew through the open window rustled the leaves, making crunching noises. When the nose died down, the goosebump-inducing silence fell upon us.

“Brother.”

I swear I saw his face twitch but the reaction went away as soon as it came.

The Prince was now agitated.

“Can I approach you any further?”

I had asked for permission but I strode forward anyway. Now that I have revealed my identity, it was now alright for me to ask questions and behave like this.

“Did you get sick anywhere in the middle of the night?”

Amor spoke elegantly as he took a sip from his evidently cold cup of tea.

“Not at all. I was completely fine. Do I look unwell?”

The fact that he was blowing at his cold tea only further showed how he was embarrassed.

“… The person I thought I knew had changed completely and I just wondered what was the reason behind this change. Which one of the versions is the real you?”

“It is whatever you see in front of you, dear brother.”

This was something I stayed up all night to plan for. If I had to look for him again, I cannot afford to act in front of him anymore.

“Ah, does your head perhaps hurt? Or maybe is it your cheeks?”

The Prince, who was accustomed to aristocratic behavior, raised one of his fingers and tapped his cheek. He may have been smiling but there was a fire burning in his eyes.

Maybe he did not enjoy the fact that he was flustered in this situation.

“I heard that being hit hard on the head can really shock your mind. I wondered how you could act so shamelessly when you were just a maid.”

I grinned proudly as I heard his descending tone that was obviously mocking me.

“If you’re curious about my cheek, you can just ask.”

The Prince raised his eyebrows and looked puzzled. It was as if this was not the reaction he had expected.

How could he have expected a little girl to approach him wearing the clothes of a maid and proclaim that she was his sister?

But he already knew that I was his sister, didn’t he? Smiling brightly, I removed the bandage on my cheek.

“Now that we’ve come this far, I have no reason to hide this, right?”

“…..”

Riiiip!

His eyes widened but he remained silent. I had no intention of letting this boy go. I fixed my gaze on him as if it would make him stay put.

“Are you disgusted?”

The red scar I revealed looked like a blood stain. So, when people first see it, they would flinch in surprise. They would think that it was such a shame since the rest of my skin was pale and healthy. It would have been less noticeable if the scar was a little darker.

“Sigh…”

Taking advantage of the fact that he was shocked, I unwrapped the cloth that tied my hair together. Since I did not need to pretend to be a maid anymore, I could let my hair down. I thought it had been tied neatly but the hair was falling all over the place. I smiled bitterly, thinking about Anna’s clumsy hands, before meeting the Prince’s gaze.

“What do you think? How do you feel after seeing my cheek?”

Any sort of appreciation would be nice. I should be able to benefit from this chance. I patted my skirt before grabbing it and bending my knees slightly.

“Brother.”

I held myself to be as graceful as a painting as I placed a smile on my face.

“All I can think about is how ashamed I am to appear in front of you in such a fashion. But I would like you to see how desperate I am.”

I slowly closed my eyes.

“I really hope you’ll listen to me.”

Fortunately, my body was blessed with long and thick eyelashes so I could force myself to tear up easily. Ignoring the fact that I should not be doing this considering my age.

In this quiet and desolate room, the leaves continued to rustle as if the plants were trying to speak for him. I examined his reaction.

T/N:

Hope you had fun reading this chappie~~ Since my exams have just finished and I have figured out my scheldule, I’m now releasing 3 chaps/wk on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thanks so much for reading DCYB!