OKOBORE - WordPress.com · 2018. 11. 23. · That lady’s maid Illstra lent her was worried about...

OKOBORE HIME

TO

ENTAKU NO KISHI

The Leftover Princess and the Knights of the

Round

Book III: A General’s Melancholy

Story by: Riine Ishida

Art by: Ichiko Okiya

iii

Translator’s note:

The Japanese honorifics were kept in the translation of the

dialogues of the characters to show the respect or adoration

shown by the characters. Footnotes were provided upon the first

appearance of the honorific in the chapter to explain it.

Thoughts are signified by italics.

The titles for this volume are all based on wedding traditions

“something borrowed, something new, something old, and

something blue”.

iv

CHAPTER IV SOMETHING BLUE

OKOBORE HIME TO ENTAKU NO KISHI

- 5 -

The dry air reminded Leti where she was when she woke

up that morning. She was not in Solvelle. She was in Illstra.

“Good morning, Your Highness! How are you feeling

today?”

That lady’s maid Illstra lent her was worried about her

health because she got wet last night. Leti reassured her that

she was fine and began her morning preparations.

Leti instructed the lady’s maid and the other maids which

dress to prepare and which accessories would go with it. The

lady’s maid carefully brushed, styled, and applied perfumed oil

on her hair as a finishing touch. While all this was being done

to her, Leti remembered something and then unconsciously

searched for someone through the mirror on the vanity.

“Also,” started Leti as she looked behind her but stopped

speaking as soon as she turned.

“Princess?” asked the lady’s maid who stopped tending to

her hair since she moved.

“Oh, it is nothing,” said Leti as she faced the mirror again.

What am I doing? It has only been two days since Duke went out.

The General’s Melancholy

- 6 -

She was about to talk to him when she turned around out

of habit.

Leti was annoyed because she forgot that Duke was away

and it was she who made him go, or to be more precise, the

fact that having him beside her felt so natural was what vexed

her.

“May we know your plans for today, Your Highness?”

Leti looked outside to see the sun shining bright outside at

Illstra. She listed up in her mind the things she had to do and

crossed out the ones she had already accomplished. Based on

what was left, today was a good day to go out and visit the

town, a task she had given lower priority due to recent events.

“It is such a fine day outside. I shall go around and see the

castle town. Please call Craig in later.”

They went out to visit Illstra’s castle town that afternoon.

Most people in Illstra take afternoon naps during this time

when the sun is at its peak. They called this custom siesta. A

bell rings to mark its end, just like how it rings now.


- 7 -

Leti, covered in a veil, walked around the castle town with

Craig in tow.

“This liveliness is truly Illstra. Her citizens are all cheerful

and optimistic.”

Leti closely observed her surroundings as she walked

around. The Capital was a treasury of rumours and gossip. She

would have to dwell again afterwards about the words she

frequently heard around.

“Your Highness, any particular destination?”

“Call me ‘my lady’ for now since ‘your highness’ is too out

of place. As for the destination, I do not have any. I only

planned to look around to see the prices and gather some

information through the latest gossip.”

She was in Illstra already, so she should better use the

opportunity to gather personally information for any

simmering turmoil or war and the possible effects of

Northruth’s tariffs.

Leti looked like she was casually checking at the stalls, but

she was truly discreetly checking at the prices of the goods.

The prices were slightly higher compared to her previous trip,

but they were still within the reasonable amount. Normally,


- 8 -

when preparations for war were undergoing, prices of wheat –

the staple food would easily go up. However, as she checked

the prices around, there was not much difference as before.

Lastly, thought Leti as she turned her attention to a stall

selling jewellery and stopped in front of it.

“This is a beautiful amber. The design and craftsmanship

is splendid,” praised Leti for the most expensive-looking article

among all of those in display.

Normally, when a young lady of seemingly noble birth

showed interest in an expensive good, the seller would give her

a detailed description of the product to persuade her to

purchase it. However, the seller of this particular store grunted

at Leti’s praise.

“Well, that one is made by Northruth. It’s a good one,

but...”

“I see. Then how about that one beside it?”

“Now, this one is made from one of Illstra’s workshop.

Here take a closer look. See these intricate details of the

design,” enthusiastically described the seller and called out

another customer. “Hey, mister! Take a look here. I’ve got nice

goods on display!”


- 9 -

A tall man covered with a veil stood next to Leti. He

reached for the brooch that caught Leti’s attention a while ago.

“Oh, this is Northruth’s.”

Leti stole a look at the man beside her upon recognizing

his voice.

“Duke Nor...”

The man frantically stopped her.

“Why if it isn’t the sister of my best friend! What a

coincidence! No, I believe this is fate! Mister, give me

something to suit my best friend’s sister!”

The man was none other than August Karlzen Northruth.

This man was also known as the Silver Wolf Duke, just threw

away his dignity to keep his identity a secret.

The owner of the shop gave Duke Northruth a brooch.

“Here you go, young man! I pray for your success!”

Anyone who saw a young man buy a piece of jewellery for

a lady without even negotiating for the price despite the

expensiveness would think that he was buying a gift for his

intended.


- 10 -

“Here, take this.” Duke Northruth shoved to Leti the

brooch and then grabbed her hand. “Shall we go then?” He

dragged her away from the crowd before she could say

something.

Craig questioningly looked at Leti, but she shook her head.

She was willing to let Duke Northruth have his way for now.

The duke finally stopped walking after reaching some

shaded alley and blurted, “Why are you here?”

“I should be the one saying that. You were the one who

interrupted my visit to the town by calling me ‘your best

friend’s sister’. I did not know that you were the best of friends

with Prince Friedhelm. I am certain he would cry tears of joy if

I told him about this.”

“That was just a random excuse! It would have meant

trouble for the both of us if they knew our names! So I told

them that to prevent them from...”

“Illstra and Solvelle are in good terms. The citizens do not

feel any animosity towards me due to some tariff issue, unlike

you. I can be called by my name and it would not be a

problem.


- 11 -

The quality of the precious metal products crafted in

Northruth was exquisite, and this artistry was not only limited

to precious metals. They normally import raw materials and

then transform them into beautiful high quality products for

export. These products had slowly permeated Illstra’s market

and were already considered as threats to the locally made

products. Now, if the taxes for Northruth were lowered, then

it was reasonable for Illstra’s citizens to be scared of what this

might bring to their livelihood.

If Duke Northruth’s identity was revealed in the market,

the atmosphere would have definitely turned hostile and the

worst that could happen was a riot. Anyone would have

wished to hide their identity with such possibilities.

“Now that we have cleared that out, shall we go inside

some shop to take refreshments and continue this

conversation? I am tired from all the walking we did since you

did not even bother to match your strides with that of a

lady’s.”

Leti took the reluctant duke and Craig inside an open

teashop.

Most shops in Illstra are closed during siesta, but since

they are in the Capital, several shops along the main road

remains open even during this time to serve the tourists.


- 12 -

Their party was welcomed into the shop with a sweet

smile from the server.

Leti took off her veil to reveal herself a beauty. Likewise,

Duke Northruth, standing next to her was handsome young

man exuding an aura of wildness. Their dress and manners

were obvious signs of the high social class and bespoke of

young lovers out for a tryst.

“Are you a couple? Shall we prepare a separate table for

your companion?”

Duke Northruth appeared irritated at the courtesy shown

by the attendant, but Leti smiled and thanked her for the

consideration.

“August is my brother’s best friend. Please prepare a table

for three.”

Leti referred to Duke Northruth with his first name

without any hesitation. The duke froze for a moment when he

heard her call him in an intimate manner.

“You were the one who created this setting, were you not?

Or have you forgotten it already?”

“...Oh, right. You should be thankful for the consideration

I gave to your knight and did not make us lovers.”


- 13 -

His comment made her remember the setting she also

created, that she and Craig were lovers. They should act like

one, at least in front of Duke Northruth.

“I also have something to thank you for, Princess. Thank

you for the dramatic retelling of what happened yesterday to all

the guests for the wedding,” growled the duke as he looked at

Leti with eyes like that of a wolf wanting to bite off the throat

of his prey.

Leti tilted her head to one side and asked Duke Northruth

what he meant about it. This reaction irritated the duke and

her exaggerated act of remembering what he was referring to

made him more annoyed.

“That was not me. I only told Illstra’s maid that I had a

misstep and fell in to the fountain and Duke Northruth

happened to be there.”

“As if that were true! Your Highness’ story of falling into

the fountain accidentally has now turned into a whole new plot

that the Duke Northruth got surprised by an insect on the rose

and accidentally pushed off Princess Leticia to the fountain, yet

he did not even lent her a hand to stand up!”

The maids were extremely worried about her health when

they saw her soaked from head to toe last night. They grew


- 14 -

angry at Duke Northruth who did not even helped her despite

witnessing what happened. Since the duke was already not in

the good books of Illstra’s servants, they played the “pass the

message” game about the incident adding some details here

and there and the story Duke Northruth relayed was the latest

version of the story. This gossip spread across Illstra’s Royal

Castle like wild fire the next morning and the people who

knew the story laughed at Duke Northruth’s blunder.

“This may be a good thing. They may find you more

approachable after hearing about this ‘charming’ side of you.”

“It is not! I do not hate insects!”

Leti narrowed her eyes upon hearing this. If Duke were

there, he would have described her looking like a wolf eyeing

its prey.

“Really? I thought you did, based on a story I heard about

your childhood. When you were eight, you were surprised by

an insect and fell into the river and almost drowned. After that

incident, you displayed extreme fear of water, to the point you

almost cry whenever Prince Friedhelm tries to push you. Is it

hard to be both afraid of insects and water?”

“What?”


- 15 -

Duke Northruth was clearly discomposed because of the

story, but Leti who was relaying the story in complete

indifference, continued on divulging his dark history.

“Then the following year, you enthusiastically joined

Prince Friedhelm to go ghost hunting and when you did found

one, you cried, ‘Mother!’ ”

“No, I did not do that.”

“Then when you turned eleven, you were thrown off your

horse and flew. I am interested to know how it felt like flying.

Please, do tell me if you still remember this. During your

thirteenth year, you had your debut to the social world. You

invited a young lady who was a debutante as well to dance, but

she refused you because she wanted to dance with Prince

Guido. Is my recollection correct?”

Leti’s storytelling sounded sweet and yet she was having

fun at the expense of Duke Northruth.

“You Highness, maybe you could give His Grace a break.

I am at my limit as well.”

Leti was not sure how serious Craig’s words were, but it

was still an act of assistance for Duke Northruth. Even if his

lips were slightly upturned.


- 16 -

“That Fritz! Why does he have to share every single thing

to his younger sister!?”

“To protect Prince Friedhelm’s dignity, allow me to say

that he was not my only source for the stories.”

Since she also received some information from her other

brother, Prince Guido. He was the one who told her about the

flying off the horse and commented that it was amazing. She

remembered wishing to have seen it personally.

“Well then, I shall give you some rest and keep the other

stories for next time,” relented Leti. “I think you should not go

around the city alone without your guards. Aside from the

threats to your life, you are not used to this kind of hot

weather. Solvelle’s summers in the Capital are quite similar in

temperature that one would want to go to a cooler place.”

“I will keep that in mind, but this is also part of my job,

just like how it is for you, I presume.”

In the past, she would have said that this was nothing but

a whim of a princess, but she would no longer give this excuse.

She should now act as a queen would in order to be recognized

and accepted. Leti created an expression saying “of course”.


- 17 -

“Then have you heard about Illstra’s famous heat waves?

They say this year is quite severe.”

“There will be victims should it cross over the mountain

range. And yet there really isn’t anything we could do against it

once it does descends from the mountains.”

“Indeed. The most we can do is to expect there would be

victims and be ready anytime to dispatch teams prepared to

provide support.”

A mountain range divides Solvelle and Illstra. This is the

reason between the limited interactions between the two

countries. In other words, waging war against the other will be

a feat, thus, they have continued to be in friendly terms with

each other.

Due to this steep mountain range, going straight to Illstra

using this route is too dangerous. So to go to Illstra from

Solvelle, the mountain range is avoided, thus creating two

roads, one is southwards and the other is northwards.

The southward road is only tolerable to be passed in

winter because during spring to autumn, there is a threat of the

heat waves or extremely hot air. Such a weather is too much

for Solvelle’s people since they are used to having snow during

the winter.


- 18 -

The northward route passes by Northruth first and then

goes south again for Illstra Leti decided to take this road for

this trip.

Solvelle and Northruth is normally protected from the

heat waves by this mountain range. However, once in every

few decades, the heat waves will go over the mountain and

descend on the other side.

“So how did your real purpose of checking the prices

went?” asked Leti since they were already discussing business

matters.

“Not bad, I say. You have seen it for yourself, have you

not, Princess?”

The high quality products from Northruth were being sold

at reasonable prices. The fact they were also on display in most

shops meant that there was a demand for them.

The Dukedom of Northruth only has a small land and not

much natural resources. The country will never prosper with

just agriculture, so they set their eyes on having “skills” and sell

their products to other countries with an added value over the

raw materials alone. It is a good model Leti almost wanted to

emulate.


- 19 -

“Times are changing. If we simply keep this same manner,

Northruth would forever be treated as the ‘Buffer State’.”

Ambitious. Friedhelm once described Duke Northruth as

such. He would most likely not let his life end with simply

being Duke Northruth. He would wage war across the country

and gain more land and power.

“You have not changed at all since you were young,” said

Leti, her words sounded like it had a tinge of envy in it.

“Did Friedhelm say anything else?”

“He told me what your childhood dream was.”

“That bastard! And he only told me lies!”

Leti’s interest was piqued by his last comment and

wondered what lies did the young Friedhelm weaved to play

with the young duke.

“What lies did he tell you?”

“One was that his young sister, Princess Leticia, was a

sweet little girl with milk still on her lips and plays dolls.”

“...Oh, I see.”


- 20 -

“What ‘sweet, little girl’? You are clearly a queen bee who

likes playing with older men!”

“...I want to say a lot more about this, but for now, let me

say only this. Call me when you have decided to beat up my

stupid older brother. I will be glad to join you.”

What was that idiot thinking? How could he let other countries have

such a juvenile image of Solvelle’s princes? ‘Tis unheard of! I’ll surely

make him cry once I come home! Leti swore this oath as her anger to

Friedhelm continued to boil inside her.

“Then have you asked Prince Friedhelm what his

childhood dream as well?”

If Duke Northruth told Friedhelm of his own dreams,

then naturally Friedhelm would have shared the same

information.

“Yes. He said that all boys of Solvelle dreamed of being

one, though I have never understood why. Do you want to

know what it is?”

“No, I am not interested.”

Craig, who had been quietly listening to the conversation

up until now, lightly tapped the back of Leti’s hand under the


- 21 -

table and wrote something on it with his finger. “Northruth’s

men at the entrance.”

Leti did not move her head to check on this information

and simply followed Craig’s example and wrote “understood”

at the back of his hand.

Duke Northruth looked sickened by this short intimate

conversation the couple in front of him shared.

“Please allow me to say this. Do those kinds of things

when you are alone!”

“Oh,” smiled Leti.

Leti and Craig were simply exchanging warnings, but Duke

Northruth thought that they were playing a little lovers’ game

with their hands underneath the table.

“Then we shall do just that. I hope you enjoy the rest of

your day, Duke Northruth.”

She had already discussed all the topics she had to as the

next queen of Solvelle, so there was no point in staying. She

left Duke Northruth in the shop and Craig was right behind

her.


- 22 -

The sun’s heat was scorching even with a veil so she

decided to return straight to the castle, lest she becomes a

swooning princess in the middle of the road.

“Craig, remember this. Duke Northruth’s dream was that

he would not end as Duke of Northruth only. He is a threat to

Solvelle,” warned Leti to Craig as the Vice-Commander of the

Royal Chivalric Order. The problem with Duke Northruth was

his ambitiousness was not only for show; he has enough

wisdom and intellect to follow through.

But maybe, I am the one who is ambitious. To like an ambitious

man, I think I have bad tastes.

Duke Northruth’s eyes filled with such ambitiousness

reminded her of Lion King Alexander. This might have been

the reason why her estimation of the duke had become soft.

“Has Duke Northruth’s ambitiousness shocked you?”

inquired Leti as she faced him since her companion had been

silent for some time.

“No, I find it fitting of His Grace. What shocked me was

His Highness, Prince Friedhelm’s childhood dream. But then

again, now that I think about it, even His Highness had been a

boy just like me.”


- 23 -

Leti wondered what this universal dream of Solvelle’s boys

had using his older brother as the basis of it.

“Is that to be a king?”

“If all boys wanted to be a king, then wars would have

never ended in our country,” laughed Craig.

“Is that so? I think all girls dream of becoming a princess,

though.”

So she was wrong. It was not to be a king. But she could

not think of anything else her brother would want to be aside

from that.

“I used to have the same dream once, but it has turned out

to be an impossible dream for me. But I have come into terms

with it and finally realized that I want to support the young

ones in achieving their dreams.”

Leti felt that time had indeed passed upon hearing those

words.

Just as her father had taken the first step towards

reconciling with Craig, Craig had also made a step forward. But

it was still up to him whether he would continue on with it or

not.


- 24 -

“Well then, what shall we do with His Grace’s man?

Should we try and lose him?”

A man had been following them ever since they left the

shop where they left Duke Northruth. He did not feel like he

was planning to do anything and did not have anything to hide

as well.

“Then let us have him report something that will let Duke

Northruth’s guard down about us. How about doing

something couples usually do? Do you have any suggestions?”

Leti asked Craig who was walking half-a-step behind her just

like how attendants should.

“I have been away from that field for a long time

already...hmmm...how about holding hands?”

“Now, that is a cute suggestion I did not expect to come

from who I thought Craig Barde is.” Leti smiled, mirth evident

in her eyes. She reached out her hand to the knight, telling him

to take her hand.

“How does it feel?”

“If ever my wife and I had a daughter, she would probably

be your age, and this would be how it felt like escorting her.


- 25 -

And that time had passed by this much enough for her to be

this old.” And that is not a short time at all, realized Craig.

Then, there is hope.

Several people came to call upon Leti after she had

returned to the castle to rest. Everyone was worried about her

when they heard she fell into the fountain. She accepted all her

callers with a gentle smile while remembering Duke

Northruth’s bitter expression when he told her about the story

being spread around.

“I now see the merits of showing people proper courtesy,”

murmured Leti.

Every visitor believed, without a doubt, that Duke

Northruth was at fault about what happened. This made her

realise how important one’s normal behaviour was. Duke

Northruth was, most of the time, hostile towards everyone so

they only treated him as “a mere duke of a meagre region”.

But Leti was somehow envious of that treatment. It was

proof that he was a threatening reformist pushing forward his

ideas in the world.


- 26 -

“Princess Leticia, a message from His Royal Highness,

Prince Victor. He asked if you could meet him at the rose

garden.”

She normally would have refused the invitation, but she

thought this could be his excuse for a strategy meeting so she

decided to go and visit the garden that night.

“I am sorry for calling you out here, Princess. I would

have gone to your room, but...” apologised Victor.

“No, I did not mind. Talking privately somewhere is like

telling Duke Northruth to suspect us.”

The rose garden showed a different kind of beauty at night

compared to how it looked yesterday with a twilight tone. The

bright moonlight and the light coming out from the windows

of the castle casted a glow on the flowers. The rose garden

showed different personalities during the morning, afternoon,

and night. Leti was satisfied upon witnessing this

phenomenon.

“I would like to start our strategy meeting immediately,

but the truth is, I only wanted to see you, Princess,” joked

Victor.


- 27 -

His speech sounded casual but he was truly worried about

her when he heard about the rumour with Duke Northruth.

His gentle kindness was something to be admired of; it was

because of this he was naturally liked by people.

“It seems some strange rumours had been going around,

but do not give them heed. I simply had a small misstep in my

negotiation.”

“Would you mind telling me the details?”

“Of course, I mind. I could not possibly simply discuss it

with the next king of a foreign country.”

Illstra is a friend, but a different country nonetheless. Any

country would always consider prioritizing their own benefits.

They may become enemies in the future.

“We talked about being a praiseworthy heir and that I

should work hard to be someone like you,” explained Leti,

indirectly referring to the truth behind the rumours that she

and Duke Northruth were talking about politics that time.

Victor no longer held on to it after hearing this. They had a

silent agreement to no longer talk about this, so he changed

the topic of their conversation.


- 28 -

“Where did you get that brooch? Based on the style and

craftsmanship, this is made in Illstra, is it not?”

The brooch Leti had pinned on her dress stood out of

place among her present outfit. It was unusual seeing Leti in

such an uncoordinated ensemble, because she was always

dressed impeccably from her gown to her accessories.

“Duke Northruth had given this to me as a bribe to buy

my silence. We happened to meet each other earlier today

when I went out to walk around the town. I almost called him

by his title.”

Victor understood what Leti meant despite her brief

explanation.

“Hahaha,” laughed Victor. “You should have called him

out loud then and there. You are such a kind princess to

forgive him with just a brooch. Maybe I should also search for

something I could ask you to keep a secret. And then I would

give you a ring to adorn your ring finger.”

“You are giving it to the wrong person.”

Leti, as usual, shrugged off Victor’s overt attempts at

flirtation.


- 29 -

“What happened to your engagement with the princess of

Kielf?”

Victor already had a fiancée and they were only waiting for

a good time to wed. However, the “good time” never came, so

Victor was still enjoying his life as a prince.

“Who knows? Kielf’s political situation has been unstable

recently and there has been no development ever since.

Thanks to that, my younger brother, Saverio, would be

marrying before I do,” explained Victor, his voice did not have

a tinge of envy or regret. He said it plainly, as what he was

saying were only facts.

The monarch is married to the country. Both Leti and

Victor will inherit their respective crowns in the future. They

understand fully that their marriage to someone is part of their

“job” as the king and queen of their own countries.

“If my engagement with Kielf’s princess is broken, maybe

we could discuss ours again? I had given up on it before, but

maybe, this time...”

“You will have to give up on it as well,” finished Leti.

“Solvelle and Illstra are both big countries. Coregency is nearly

a fantasy.”


- 30 -

They would be both monarchs. Marrying each other

would just fill their days with endless problems. Even if they

happened to love each other, they cannot marry as long as they

were tied to their countries.

“Then how about marriage with Duke Northruth?”

Leti smiled wryly as Victor tried to pry answers from her.

He was probably curious as to who the next queen of Solvelle

would marry.

“A definite no. He had refused it once already.”

“Refused? An engagement with the First Princess of

Solvelle?”

“Well, I am grateful he did.”

This topic started being discussed after she had her social

debut. The internal affairs of the Kielf Empire had already

been unstable that time and Solvelle felt the possible dangers it

could bring. In order to strengthen the country’s ties with the

Buffer State Northruth, they thought of engaging Leti with the

young duke.

Leti had already prepared herself then. It was not a bad

proposition, and yet Duke Northruth dismissed it without any

second thought.


- 31 -

At that time, Leti was worried she was at fault and he

found something lacking about her as a princess so he refused

the engagement with her.

Now I know what he was thinking then. It was not because of

her.

“Oh, Your Highnesses! What are you doing here?”

Leti and Victor immediately put on their guards when they

heard the voice that cut their conversation.

“Duke Northruth!”

The rose garden had a maze-like structure so when he

threaded the garden stealthily, Craig and Victor’s guards did

not notice him until he was right behind Leti and Victor.

Leti did know what the duke’s purpose was for coming

into the garden at this time. Either he was looking for Victor,

or he was suspecting her. She recalled the whole conversation

she had with Victor to check if they had talked about anything

that could reveal them, fortunately, there was none. They were

safe for now even if Duke Northruth heard their conversation

from the beginning.


- 32 -

“I am sorry if I had interrupted your discussion,”

apologized Northruth. “Was it about something important?”

His look did not even have an ounce of remorse.

“Yes, we were. I heard Princess Leticia fell into the

fountain so I was asking about her health. I heard the man

with her at that time was startled by an insect, pushed her to

into the fountain and did not even lend her a hand. I did not

know such shameful man existed,” Victor said sarcastically

behind his dazzling smile.

Duke Northruth seemed to send Leti a look asking her to

correct the story, but she chose to ignore him.

“Very well then, allow me to excuse myself now. Have a

pleasant night,” bid Victor as he chose to back down for now.

When he turned his back to Duke Northruth and faced Leti,

he mouthed, “Please keep him occupied.”

Leti smiled to show Victor she understood his request to

keep the duke busy for a while to give him some time to check

on the substitute bride, Nicola.

“I was worried about you after we separated today, but

you seem to be fine,” said Leti.


- 33 -

But if she was truthfully worried about him, she should

have sent a maid to ask about him that afternoon after she had

gone back to the castle. She did not, and this proved her words

were only for show.

“Thank you for your kind-hearted words.”

“Kind-hearted” was quite emphasized. This was enough

for Leti to judge that he had been listening to her conversation

with Victor for some time. She should never really let her

guard down around him.

“You were talking about wedding partners, were you not?”

“It is an important matter for anyone carrying the weight

of their own country on their shoulders. Maybe you should

also start searching for your First Wife?”

None of Duke Northruth’s four current wives carried the

title of Duchess of Northruth. They were only given the titles

of Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Consorts of the Duke of

Northruth. This meant that he was still yet to have an official

heir.

I am certain you have particularly high standards. Leti was sure

he was searching for a princess of some kingdom he could

target the throne afterwards. She was reviewing the list of the


- 34 -

royal families of the neighbouring countries to see if there was

anyone who would fit the duke’s standards when he suddenly

approached closer.

“I seem to require much from my wife, and I cannot find

anyone who possesses all of them.”

See, silently commented Leti as she simply smiled at him.

“I like my woman clever. She would be standing beside to

me after all.”

“One could come to that conclusion if they look at your

present wives.”

A wife with only a pretty face would be lacking for him.

He wants his duchess to be someone who understands politics

and economics and could applaud him and his reforms. Aside

from that, the woman should also be able to satisfy his

ambitious nature. That woman could be...

“Your Highness is surprisingly slow."

Leti blinked twice at Duke Northruth’s wry smile. She

repeated their conversation in her head and quickly searched

her memory if she missed anything to deserve the comment.


- 35 -

While she was busy reviewing their exchange, Duke

Northruth reached out and plucked a rose.

“Princess, your beauty is nothing compared to this rose.”

The stem of the rose could not be easily cut without a pair

of scissors, but he picked up a flower with his fingers alone.

“But, I guess, it can serve as a complement to it,”

continued Duke Northruth as he inserted the rose in between

her ear.

The scent of the rose and the light touch of the petals

confused Leti even more. She unconsciously took a step back

for some space to clear her head, but Duke Northruth took a

step forward.

“You are not only beautiful, but also smart and could carry

the weight of your country on your shoulders. Who would

have thought that my ideal wife had just been close to me all

along and had overlooked her until I saw you, Princess, talking

with Prince Victor. What a late realisation.”

Leti finally understood the meaning “slow” and the rose.

He said she was slow; well he was late for her. Why this man! He

was the one who refused marriage to me once. The moment he realised I


- 36 -

was the heir and to be queen, he now comes here courting me! I do respect

his strong will, but this is just unacceptable!

Ambitious man. That was how Friedhelm once described

Duke Northruth. He had no plans of staying as “The Duke of

Northruth” all his life. This was the reason why he declined

marriage with Solvelle’s “first princess”. If he married her,

Northruth’s connections with Solvelle would be strengthened,

nothing else but that. But if he married the “crown princess”

of Solvelle, he would be the husband of the future queen and

could be granted powers, or rather he would get the authority

over a big country of Solvelle.

“The fourth princes of the Kielf Empire and the Kingdom

of Illstra, the eighth prince of the Empire of the East, locally,

the heir of the Marquis Kleinschmidt. If you are interested, I

can tell you all of the names of my husband candidates, but I

warn you, it will take such a long time you might find yourself

full of all the names I will mention.”

Leti clearly showed him that he was only one of many

perspective husbands and that marriage with him had long

been a closed topic. But she did keep a smile on her face as she

recited the names of some of the men to keep the atmosphere

light.


- 37 -

“I think you have forgotten to include a name in your list,

Princess.”

Leti took a step back to put some distance between them

and then she felt something tickling her back. Before she could

even swear under her breath, she found herself cornered by

the duke. Behind her was a wall of rose bushes. If she pushed

further, thorns awaited her.

Should I hit him at the nape with the Knight Sword to render him

unconscious? Or should I just punch him at the stomach? What should I

do? Her patience with him was at its end.

As she was thinking of the best way to teach the duke a

lesson, her eyes met his.

“Are you willing to help me,” she asked with her eyes and

the she remembered he said he found Duke Northruth’s

attention to her was uncomfortable at best. He was also at the

end of his patience just like her.

Then do it. Leti slanted her eyes and glanced at Duke

Northruth. This was enough for him to understand that he had

her permission.


- 38 -

At that exact moment, the air in the rose garden became

charged. It felt dangerous.

Duke Northruth was surprised by the hair-raising presence

he felt. He pushed Leti away to distance himself and turn

around to look.

Leti expected the duke’s sudden movement so she was

prepared for it and gracefully kept her balance even though

Duke Northruth pushed her.

“Your Grace, may you please end this flirtation now?”

Craig Barde of Solvelle’s Royal Chivalric Order exuded a

threatening aura as he stole up to Duke Northruth’s back. He

did not hide his displeasure towards Duke Northruth. If he

had fangs, he would have been baring them now.

“Why you! Do you know who you are speaking to with

such impudence?”

“It is but natural for a knight to protect his princess from

harm. I cannot simply let this go.”

Duke Northruth called Craig impudent but he did not

even draw out his sword. He simply made his threatening


- 39 -

presence known and that was enough for Duke Northruth

back off.

“Craig,” called Leti and she threw to him the rose Duke

Northruth had inserted in between her ear. Craig silently drew

his sword and swiftly cut the rose with a swing too fast for the

naked eye to see.

The cut rose hit Duke Northruth before it descended the

ground. Craig had already returned his sword back to its sheath

producing a shrill, metallic sound. This brought Duke

Northruth back to his senses.

“A crown suits our princess more than a rose. Please

excuse us.”

Leti held on to Craig’s arm as they walked out of the

garden. When she passed by the duke, she wished him a “good

night” and flashed a triumphant smile.


- 40 -


- 41 -

Once they were out of Duke Northruth’s sight, Leti let go

of Craig’s arm.

“That was splendid. I liked it,” praised Leti, satisfied with

what she saw.

Craig, however, smiled wryly and replied, “I thought it was

too much.”

“Too much is just enough for that man. He thought he

could court me that easily with a few compliments.”

They separated that afternoon on such a perilous note and

yet the moment he realised marrying her was an advantage, he

immediately changed his stance. One might could even admire

him for his quickness of action.

Maybe one has to be like that to be reformist, thought Leti. She

would have to consider carefully what she wanted to do about

this issue. Marriage to Duke Northruth was not bad at all. That

was why it had been raised before.

“I shall be careful from now on, and avoid being alone

with Duke Northruth. You should also stay by my side as

much as possible. Oh, I forgot that being seen together is how

we should be in front of him.


- 42 -

Their cover story of being lovers was still applicable.

These things tend to slip from the mind.

“I think that for people like His Grace, it is better to

refuse them clearly and do not let them expect anything.”

“I shall do so next time. I no longer need to act as the

gentle and kind princess.”

Leti made some longer strides to walk ahead of Craig.

“The time has come for me to change that image. I have

to make everyone see me as the strong future queen of

Solvelle,” said Leti. She turned around to face Craig, her eyes

saying she knew about everything and asked him, “Has your

opinion about me changed after knowing me?”

Craig no longer saw the point in feigning ignorance and

raised up his hands in surrender.

“I cannot fathom why and how you came to be called as

the ‘Leftover Princess’ in the Capital.”

“Because I have acted as one up until now, the beautiful

and kind-hearted perfect princess. But I cannot be the

Leftover Princess anymore because I will be the queen.”


- 43 -

Her eyes were overflowing with firm resolve; eyes he had

seen in his former master. And these eyes made him believe

that she would be a wise ruler.

“Your Highness, let us put the examination on hold for

now. We have to focus our efforts for Solvelle and how we

should face His Grace, the Duke of Northruth.”

“I feel like nothing is impossible with you supporting me,”

smiled Leti.

“I should have lent my hand earlier I have always had this

bad habit of focusing too much on what is in front of me that

I tend to lose sight of the bigger picture...And I thought I had

matured already.”

“I think you are mature enough.”

“It is not about my age...”

“I was surprised you did not refuse being my examiner. I

am certain His Majesty was surprised as well. He had decided

to push through with this plan despite knowing he would be

refused to in the end.”

Johannes might have had a hand in convincing him, but

still, Craig was the one who accepted the request of his sworn

enemy.


- 44 -

“Maybe that is because of the time that had passed and

not because I have matured. Ever since I came here in Illstra,

those days seemed farther and farther in the past.”

Craig had obstinately refused to make that one step

forward. But the moment he did take that one step, the

succeeding steps followed easily. Whenever he remembered

those times, he could now say, “Indeed they were all in the

past”.

“I think having Your Highness order me around had me

distracted.”

“Oh, now you are talking.”

Leti and Craig’s relationship had become a little closer.

They could now exchange jokes.

“Since you are willing to cooperate with me, I have one

request. There is one knight in the Order I wish to have for my

Knights of the Round. Would it be fine for me to take him

after the wedding?”

“I think you should be asking Commander Johannes’

permission and not mine.”

“I already talked about this with Johannes, so I should tell

it to you next, should I not?”


- 45 -

Craig nodded at Leti’s respect for protocol since she asked

for both the Commander and the Vice-Commander’s

permission.

“It will be an honour to be part Your Highness’ Knights

of the Round. I shall gladly send him off.”

“You really do not mind whoever I choose?”

“A man does not go back on his word. Please get anyone

you wish.”

Craig escorted her until to her room and Leti bid him

good night. Once she was inside, she grinned. She had been

holding it until she was alone in her room.

“You should have not given your word to commit

yourself, Craig Barde. I do not care a wit even if you cry later

on,” said Leti just like a villain in a story would.

Leti visited the Knight King’s Study. She normally asks

Duke whenever she wanted to know about something about


- 46 -

“men”. However, he was not present at the moment, so she

had no other choice but to ask the other men of her

acquaintance, the reincarnations of the Knight King.

“How long does a man’s wounded heart take to heal?”

asked Leti with Craig in mind.

He had separated paths with his master, but the time that

passed had lessened the anger he felt. How much did he still

feel about their past? Right now, she thought she was only a

few steps away from reaching out to him. However, if she

miscalculated, then her “grand theatrical plan” would have

been for naught.

“Heart...”

There were three kings in the room and they thought of a

different “heart” and not the master-servant relationship Leti

was pertaining.

“...a lifetime. Especially if it is because of someone you

have sworn to be your partner for life.”

“...a lifetime. Especially if it is someone you’ve already

married.”


- 47 -

The two kings in the Study tonight was Administrative

King Karlheinz and Heart-Broken King Ludgar. Both of them

had bitter memories about women.

Leti felt bad for turning the atmosphere heavy with her

question. She thought she was being considerate when she

selected the time where Lion King Alexander was not present

since the importance he placed on his relationship with his

retainers led him to his demise. One-Armed King Oswald was

also not present since the crown prince whom he thought to

be his ally, though maybe Oswald’s case was not a type of a

master-servant relationship, betrayed him.

“Please forgive my ambiguousness. I was not referring to

relationships with women but with men,” clarified Leti.

“Oh that kind? Like between friends or master and

servant?”

“Yes, a heart wounded by the betrayal of his master.”

“But as kings, I think understanding our retainer’s feelings

is hard,” pondered Ludgar.

“Understanding their feelings is a good thing. But we

should not be caught up in doing only that. We are monarchs

and should never be a retainer.”


- 48 -

“A wise ruler’s words are difficult,” said Leti.

“Is that so?” Karlheinz replied as he smiled serenely.

“But I think Queen Leticia is a wise ruler as well.”

Ludgar’s words were somehow believable since he knew

of Leti’s life as a part of history. However, it was only

“somehow” since he did not come originally from Solvelle.

“Well, thank you for the complement, but right now, I am

just a princess who likes having older men serving her even

during the day.”

“Eh,” Cried Ludgar in disbelief. “Please let me serve you

too!”

“I said I liked older men, have I not? I shall consider you if

you were born a few hundred years earlier.”

“Don’t ask for the impossible! Tsk. I’m going home now

and look for a new love.”

He really comes here only when he had been rejected.

Ludgar bid them goodbye and disappeared. He did not

look like a king but a simple lad looking for love.


- 49 -

“I could not even imagine him to be a king who will

change the world. I feel like listening to fairy tales when I hear

stories of him,” commented Leti.

Karlheinz probably shared the same opinion as Leti and

gave her a wry smile as he looked up from his book.

“I thought you did not like hearing about the future.”

“About myself as Queen Leticia, yes, I do not. Even King

Oswald who is my great grandson is still a ‘someday’ for me

and not just a future. But going as far as King Ludgar already

sounds like a fairy tale.”

“I see.”

“Have you heard anything about him?”

“Indeed I have. A poem which I heard from a king after

King Ludgar. It was quite an intriguing poem that I

remembered it quite easily.”

Karlheinz closed his book and placed it on the desk.

“The king rushed through the battlefield along with the

rain–”

One only had to hear it once to remember. It was that

memorable.


- 50 -

Leti woke up in the middle of the night because she

thought she heard the rain. But it was not, and only the sound

of the rustling leaves. She could not help but start reciting the

poem she heard at the Knight King’s Study.

“The king rushed through the battlefield along with the

rain,” but she did not continue. “Reciting this poem in the

middle of this dry land cannot not give it justice.”

The poem was fit to be recited during a quiet, rainy day.

Leti looked forward for such a time and went back to sleep

again.

While Leti and Craig where having a hard time dealing

with Duke Northruth, Duke was quite successful in tracking

Charlotte. It was only a matter of time for them to locate her.

“Your made-up story looks like to be the truth, Duke.”

Duke nodded at his colleague’s comment. The more

information they gather about a young eloping couple, the

gloomier their faces became.


- 51 -

Duke weaved a story before while he was searching for

some information about them that the husband was a swindler.

Now, the information they had gathered so far was giving

more and more credibility to Duke’s made-up story. A witness

said that he saw the young wife sell her personal belongings at

a pawnshop and the couple were discussing how to divide the

money.

“If that is the case, then this whole mission will not be

completed with just returning Princess Charlotte. This will be a

big investigation for both Illstra and Solvelle.

Duke were prioritizing these things first. The first one is to

return Princess Charlotte to the castle until the wedding.

Second was for her to finish her own wedding ceremony safely

and lastly, to let Leti do what she wants. So where capturing a

wedding swindler organization would fall into?

“Who would’ve thought that His Highness, Prince

Saverio’s ‘Princess Charlotte is being deceived,’ to be true? Say,

Duke, where should we lead our horses next?”

Duke thought of where would be the next possible

destination of Charlotte after he heard his colleague call him.

“Let’s check on the pawnshop in the next big town,

Princess Charlotte might have sold another of her personal


- 52 -

belongings there. We should also send a letter to Her Royal

Highness and Vice-Commander informing of them our

current situation. We could write it in our code so no one else

could understand it even if it goes to the hands of other

people.”

Duke’s Solvelle party had just started their journey towards

the next busy town when they had two encounters. The first

was with the Northruth party.

“Oi! The Northruth group,” whispered his colleague as

they were entering the town.

The three Royal Knights of Solvelle hurriedly hid in the

back alley to see what the other party was doing.

The Northruth party seemed to be asking around as well

about an eloping couple just like what Duke and company had

been doing from the start. They looked like they did not get

any information and were preparing to leave the area.

“What was that? They looked like they were also searching

for them. Weren’t Princess Charlotte supposedly be heading to

Northruth for refuge?”

Duke found what the Northruth men did to be strange,

since based on Leti’s theory, the man Charlotte eloped with


- 53 -

was connected to Duke Northruth and that was why he knew

about Charlotte’s elopement. If that were truly the case, the

Duke Northruth’s men should not be looking for Charlotte

since she would be the one coming to them. They only had to

wait. His previous speculation about the situation was no

longer one. It now seemed to be the truth.

“What if His Grace really just accidentally passed by

Princess Charlotte and id not know that she eloped with a

swindler?”

Then they could still secure Charlotte before Northruth

does.

Duke and the other knights hurriedly went out of their

hiding place the moment the enemies were gone but they

bumped into a young man on their way out.

“Are you alright...eh?” Duke started asking if the lad was

fine but he was surprised to see that the man shared the same

face as Victor. His mind was already starting to come up with

answers why Illstra’s First Prince would be out here until he

realised that it was not Victor, but, “Prince Saverio?”

“Are you Solvelle’s Royal Knights? Are you searching for

Princess Charlotte? Have you found her?”


- 54 -

Duke and the other knights tried their best to calm the

agitated Saverio and told him that they were still searching for

her. Then they requested him to return to Illstra’s Royal Castle

first since they were quite certain they already have her track.

“No! I will join the search for Princess Charlotte! I will not

go home to the castle unless she is with me!”

In the end, Duke and the other knights lost to the zeal of

Saverio and accepted him. One of the knights was dispatched

to send the letter to Leti containing the latest information

about their search and the fact they had found Saverio. The

remaining members of the party, Saverio, Duke and the other

knight would continue searching for Charlotte. They were

already close to catching up with her. Just another day of

travelling in horseback and they would surely reach her.

We are now too close to Northruth territory. They have all the

advantages from knowing the lay of the land and their number. Even if we

did get Princess Charlotte first, they could easily take her from us.

They also had Saverio to protect. If the Northruth party

engaged them to steal away Charlotte, protecting both the

Princess and the Prince is difficult.


- 55 -

“Search for any young lady with blonde hair and purple

eyes,” instructed Duke to his colleague as he decided to put up

a little act.

Four days before the wedding, Leti received a message

from Victor calling for her.

When she arrived at the cathedral where the wedding

would be held, the place seemed whimsical with all the

patterns drawn on the floor by the light passing through the

stained glass windows. Inside it were Nicola, the lady’s maid

and other attendants together with Victor.

“I am sorry for calling you out here Your Highness. We

are rehearsing the wedding ceremony.”

“I thought Nicola would be the one to play the bride on

that day?”

They had decided before during their previous meeting

that Leti would be attending the wedding as the First Princess

of Solvelle, so she had no idea why she was called to this

rehearsal.

“Well, you see, something unexpected happened.”


- 56 -

Leti looked at Nicola who was standing on the middle of

the red carpet being supported by the maids and she saw her

stumble and heard her yelped upon taking a few steps.

“I understand now.”

“I appreciate your astuteness, Princess. And to show you

my gratitude, please join me for some tea later.”

“And I admire you for your obstinacy, Prince Victor.”

Nicola could not even make three steps without faltering

and losing her balance due to the volume and the length of the

dress. How could she even be expected to walk gracefully?

Leti could not help holding her sigh. She understood that

Nicola was chosen based on her resemblance in features with

Charlotte and her knowledge of Solvelsh. Now, her

background of being a merchant’s daughter caused them a

setback. She did not know how to walk wearing something like

the wedding dress.

“After practicing for a while, she had finally able to make

three steps with falling down.”

“This is bad. Charlotte can walk naturally in the dress

without any problem. Anyone who sees Nicola walk like that

will easily figure out that she is not Charlotte.”


- 57 -

“Yes, I agree. We are trying to prepare something in case

that happens, but could you please try and teach her if

possible?”

“I will see what I can do, but there are only three whole

days left before the wedding. She would have to practice all of

those days to not be an embarrassment to the guests.”

Leti approached Nicola and looked at the dress.

“I know that walking with this kind of dress is difficult,

but you could try thinking about it this way.”

Leti could walk gracefully no matter how long or

voluminous her dress is, all thanks to her lifelong training as a

princess. And she particularly remembers one action necessary

to do so.

“No one can see what goes underneath the skirt.”

The reason why Leti could keep up with Duke’s walking

speed and her posture straight was because she was making

quick steps concealed underneath the dress out of anyone’s

sight. Doing that kind of rigorous movement with a straight

face was part of being the perfect lady.

“For this kind of dress, walking normally is almost

impossible because the front has a tendency to be caught by


- 58 -

your foot. When you walk, remember to kick away the dress

from the inside. It was made to withstand that much.”

“Kick away, Your Highness?”

“Yes. Try walking that way now.”

The wobbling Nicola did as Leti told her. She kicked away

the dress as she took a step, but the layers of the silk did not

even budge.

“How was it?”

“Oh, it is easier to walk that way.”

Now, all that was left was for her to walk elegantly while

doing so. Only practice could do that.

The lady’s maid is enough to judge if Nicola’s walk is elegant and

stable enough. We should leave now before Duke Northruth finds us here.

That man was sharp. If he got hold of the information that

rehearsals were ongoing in the cathedral, he would joyfully

come running here. If he knew Leti was here, he would know

that she was involved in this Charlotte’s substitute bride

incident. She wanted to avoid that as much as possible.

Leti was about to call Craig to tell him they were leaving

when she noticed some commotion happening outside the


- 59 -

closed doors of the cathedral and she thought she heard a

familiar voice.

“Let me through!”

He did come. Leti and Craig hid immediately behind the

shadow of one of the cathedral’s pillars.

“Duke Northruth, the cathedral is currently off limits to

visitors.”

Victor hurriedly went out in front to meet the duke and

distract him to hide Nicola as the maids quickly put on the veil

to hide her face.

“I should be the one complaining. I have told your guards

here several times that I have come here with a request from

His Eminence and they would not let me in. Are you hiding

anything in here?”

“Please excuse the discourtesy of my guards. May we

know what His Eminence has requested?

“He wanted to know if Princess Charlotte had already

completed her Something Four.”


- 60 -

Something Four– something old, something new,

something borrowed, and something blue, was one of the

wedding traditions being observed. Tradition says that if the

bride wears all of these items on her wedding day, they will live

happily ever after.

The something old is usually the ring of the bride’s mother

or grandmother. The something new can be a new gloves or

veil. The something borrowed may be the handkerchief of a

friend wishing the couple joy and a blue ribbon tying the

bouquet will be the something blue.

“Do not tell me that the Something Four is not yet

complete until now?”

“Of course it is already complete.”

“May I see the things that have been prepared? I know

that the something old is usually the bride’s mother’s ring. His

Eminence had requested me to collect the ring so he could

bless it with holy water.”

Charlotte’s lady’s maid looked at Leti’s direction with a

troubled look. Leti noticed the problem with that single

expression. Charlotte eloped with the ring on her finger!


- 61 -

They could easily do something about the borrowed

handkerchief, the something blue and something new. But the

something old, a ring with the name of the bride’s mother or

grandmother engraved on it, could not be produced by Illstra

at once.

They can have one prepared, but not right at this moment! Leti

thought desperately how to get out of this sticky situation.

Duke Northruth was not someone they could easily give some

random excuse and drive away.

“Is there any problem? Was the ring forgotten in

Solvelle?”

“No, Your Grace...but...”

Duke Northruth was almost harassing Charlotte’s lady’s

maid to get what he wanted. Leti was about to step out of the

shadows when Craig stopped her.

Craig placed a finger on his lips, silently requesting Leti to

stay back and watch. He quietly walked towards Duke

Northruth.

“Your Grace, the ring is with me. Princess Charlotte

entrusted me to hold it for her today since she would have a


- 62 -

fitting for her gloves and was afraid to lose it because of the

need to wear and remove it several times.”

On Craig’s hand was a neatly folded white handkerchief. It

seemed like he had a ring but Duke Northruth doubted that he

was bluffing.

“Craig Barde. Show it to me”

Craig nodded silently and opened the handkerchief; inside

it was a feminine silver ring band.

“Princess Charlotte’s mother’s name is engraved in the

inside. Does Your Grace know of her name?”

“Is Your Royal Highness aware of this?”

“I am personally closely acquainted with Princess

Charlotte’s parents.”

“I am not stupid enough to believe that. Tell this to your

princess: think carefully whose side she will take.”

Duke Northruth took the ring and said that he would

borrow it for a while then turned around on his heels and

walked away.


- 63 -

Leti watched him go from the shadow of the pillar and

was finally able to let go of the breath she had been holding.

We were able to fool him this time.

But this will be the last time. Having Leti’s knight present

in this rehearsal was peculiar. He could easily deduce that Leti

had planned this.

At least we were able to get out of this one. There is nothing more I

can do now but to prepare myself in facing Duke Northruth straight on.

Leti fired up herself as she took a step out of the pillar’s

shadow once Duke Northruth was outside of the cathedral.

“You saved us from a tight spot there, Craig. I had not

anticipated Charlotte leaving with the ring.”

“It was all a coincidence, Your Highness. But because of

that, His Grace now knows about your involvement in this.

Please forgive me.”

“I do not mind it,” reassured Leti. “But I do feel sorry for

your ring. It should now be worn by Charlotte or Nicola on

the wedding ceremony and they are both unrelated to you.”

Leti immediately understood where did the ring Craig

presented to the duke came from since it had the same name

as Charlotte’s mother. The ring was...


- 64 -

“Your late wife’s ring. I am sorry, but could you lend it to

us for now until the ceremony is over? Duke Northruth had

already seen it and it should be the ‘something old’ now.”

“It is an honour to be of use. This quick idea is also thanks

to you, Your Highness.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Up until recently, I had forgotten that I have the ring

with me. I was able to present this ring because Your Highness

had reminded me of my wife.”

“I see. But I think I did not do anything to be thanked

for.”

Leti went to Victor and explained the situation after

getting Craig’s permission. Victor profusely thanked Craig for

his help.

Leti brought Craig to the Royal Garden as the sky was

starting to turn red. She decided to enjoy first a stroll around

the garden before returning to her room, thus taking the

longer route.

“I was surprised Your Highness knew my wife’s name.”


- 65 -

“I have memorized the family tree of all the titled families.

I can tell you the names of your older brother, his wife and

even the names of your nephews and nieces,” replied Leti to

Craig who was walking a few steps behind her. She possessed

knowledge expected of a royalty.

Craig looked at Leti as if he was seeing someone through

her and spoke “...His Majesty was like that as well. He never

forgot what he had seen or heard once.”

His Majesty and Craig had a falling out in the past and

ever since then, Craig never set foot in the Capital. He chose

to continue on staying in the front lines. This story was enough

for anyone to infer that there was some antagonism happening

between them. Decades had already passed since then. Craig

was now able to bring up the topic of His Majesty on his own.

“Are royals difficult creatures to comprehend,” naturally

asked Leti, unsurprised by his opinion because that was

normal, and she was the one out of the ordinary – she who

accepted her father having three wives as a simple fact.

“No, I believe I have come to understand them on a

certain level. I can no longer say I do not understand even if I

wanted to. I am not that young anymore.” Craig’s voice

sounded with a tinge of regret.


- 66 -

“Do you regret the past?”

“Maybe,” he replied pensively. “If I could return back to

the past now, I might have acted differently. But I think my

younger self would still do the same thing. I simply cannot

abide by the decision to abandon people to their deaths.”

The strategy His Majesty took that time split Craig. His

rational mind said it was the right thing, but his emotional

heart did not agree.

“As I grew older, and came to be on top, I finally realised

that even I, given the same situation, could only make the same

decision. I can no longer criticise His Majesty for his choice.”

He already lost his youth; his youth that allowed him to

see only what was in front of him. Having a wider horizon

might sound admirable but that also meant he lost his

righteous heart.

“A question for you, our young, future Queen. What

decision would you have made if you were in the same

predicament?”

Tension was brewing between the lands and an all-out war

with the neighbouring empire was not far from reality. Craig

asked Leti what she would have done for that case. Would she


- 67 -

break up the army to save the village and the platoon there? Or

would she consider the big picture and abandon them?

“Is that a question for my test?”

“No. This...is a personal question. I am searching for a

path that could lead me to the place I want to reach.”

He was given another chance to think, something he could

do “now”.

“I understand Your Highness might think me too late

already in asking this question. But as you see, I am not a noble

man. Much time had already passed since that incident and I

had never asked that question.”

He had been afraid that after much thought, he would

regret the decision he made. “If I were truly noble, I would

have not vented my anger to His Majesty. I would have

blamed my powerlessness to save them.”

Craig told Leti that he was the most egoistic and harshest

person.

“Going on my own with my men was like suicide. I was

confident he would understand my desire to help, that he

would order me to go and save the village with more men. But

he did not. I felt betrayed and angry.”


- 68 -

In his anger, he shook off the King’s hand and had never

seen him since.

Craig painfully felt how young and immature he was at

that time.

“Then why did you not quit Order?”

Craig brought up his face upon hearing Leti’s question.

“You could have severed all ties with Father, quit the

Order in your anger and lived peacefully in your homeland.

Yet, why did you continue on standing in the frontline? Is it

because you wanted to atone for what had happened and

prevent the same tragedy from happening again?”

Leti just made guesses in some of what she said, but this

was because she thought Craig wanted to be a “true knight”

more than anyone else did, and so he stayed in the Order.

“Father was supposedly making preparations to inherit the

throne at that time. His heart would have already been that of

a king. The reason why he did not even explain his decision to

you was because he had expected to be blamed for it.”

“...Expected?”


- 69 -

“Yes. The king carries everything. He will not say ‘I shall

carry your burden,’ because that is something of a second

nature to him, something so natural that he could not have

even thought of those words.”

If her father had said those words to Craig, they might

have not parted ways. But Leti could only surmise, and could

only say this reply. “I also want to be a ruler like that.”

That was how she should be.

Craig was drawn to Leti. She appeared to be exuding with

strong resolution to carry the country on her shoulders. Seeing

her that way made him decide that he also had to look forward

to the future.

“I owe this opportunity to face my past to you, Your

Highness. You made me remember about my wife’s ring.”

He had the ring with him as a memento of his wife, but it

never even reminded him of the face of his late wife because

he was blinded with rage. It was always the eyes of his former

master, which he recalled.

“Once I have safely escorted Your Highness back to the

Capital, I shall visit my wife. It had been too late already, but I

want to face her death slowly.”


- 70 -

“Are you going to quit the Order?”

“The anger I felt that time no longer burns in me. The

only thing left is my broken dream.”

The sunset painted Craig in a red hue, but it was not the

crimson for blood or rage, but rather a gentle and warm

colour.

“Your Royal Highness, all boys of Solvelle only have one

dream.”

Friedhelm and Guido shared the same dream as well long

ago. And that was...

“To be a knight of the Round. I wanted to be a member

of the Knights of the Round.”

There was no hint of regret in his voice. Craig did not

regret his decision of throwing away that future. But the

feelings he had at that time when he still held on to that dream

still lingered inside him, feelings he could now describe as

nostalgic.

The two of them quietly stared at each other, until their

silence was broken by the call of a knight of the Order.

“Your Royal Highness! Vice-Commander!”


- 71 -

The two were brought back to reality by the knight’s

obviously urgent call.

The knight went out to search for Leti and Craig since

they had not yet returned to Leti’s room. As soon as he found

them, he immediately passed on to them the letter he was

tasked to deliver.

The letter was addressed to both Leti and Craig and

though the sender did not write a signature, Leti knew by the

handwriting that it was from Duke.

“They might have some news,” said Leti as she opened the

letter.

The letter looked gibberish at first but it was actually

written in a code used by the Order. This way, even if

Northruth gets hold of it, they would not understand it.

“Oh. I see.”

Leti was able to decode the letter without even asking for

Craig’s help, and then passed it on to him after she finished

reading it. Craig was surprised.

“A close chess playmate will always teach me how to read

the annually changing code of the Royal Chivalric Order. I can

read this much on my own.”


- 72 -

“The Order should review our information management

system,” commented Craig as he shook his head.

He thought Leti’s source was Duke or some other young

knight attracted to her beauty, but no. Her source was none

other than the head of the Order, Commander Johannes

Müller.

“Based on the letter, our fight shall start from here on.

Well, we will not lose.”

Leti remembered Duke Northruth’s face and swore to

herself that she would make his arrogant face contort out of

humiliation.

“A silver ring with the correct name. This is probably a

memento for someone close to Craig Barde.”

While Leti and Craig were busy reading Duke’s letter,

Duke Northruth was busy examining the ring in his hand.

“Coincidence is a scary thing. I thought this was my

winning hand.”


- 73 -

Now, why did Duke Northruth knew that Charlotte’s

something old was a ring and it was not here? That was

because he saw them.

On his way to Illstra, he happened upon a carriage that

was stuck in mud and its passengers were a young couple. The

wife was wearing an old silver ring and she had the air of

young lady of the first circles. The husband was handsome, but

his manners were of the middle class at most. He heard the

husband almost called the lady “princess” but stopped at last

sound and addressed her instead as “Charlotte”. This was

enough for him to conclude that the couple were eloping due

to the disparity in their social class. At that time, he thought

nothing of this little episode. He only pitied them for the

tough life they would have ahead of them and continued on

his journey until he safely arrived at Illstra.

Since he was invited to the wedding as a friend of Solvelle,

he thought of greeting the bride after he had arrived. However,

after he went out of his way to pay a courtesy call, he was

refused. And when he pressed about it, they only said

Charlotte was too busy with the wedding preparations.

“They acted so strangely that I noticed they were keeping

something.”


- 74 -

It was during this time he remembered the young couple

he encountered on the way, and how the lady was referred to

as “Princess Charlotte”. He immediately realised what was

happening so he immediately ordered his men to search for

evidence about this as he acts as the diversion to hide their

movements.

“Lord August! An urgent letter has arrived!

Duke Northruth immediately opened the letter sealed in

red wax. It contained information that his men had already

found and secured Princess Charlotte. They could also bring

almost in time for the wedding.

“It was impossible for you find her before I do without

even knowing the general direction she went.”

Illstra had no idea what kind of man did Charlotte eloped

with and where they were headed to as they did their search.

On the other hand, Duke Northruth saw them on the main

road going to Northruth, so he at least had some idea as to the

route they would take.

“What will you do know, Princess Leticia?” To the beautiful

and secretly intelligent future queen of Solvelle, be prepared, for your crown

is mine to take. Duke Northruth smirked like he was the villain

of a story.***End of Chapter Four***

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