CYGD 24

Chapter 24

“If it’s something like that, I understand.”

It seemed he had made up his mind to do what he could.

When we returned, Kasia asked if a decision had been made.

“I can do it. It doesn’t seem all that difficult.”

Kasia didn’t seem to completely trust Luzenbik’s words, but she also appeared to have some expectations.

She then told us about the area where the people who collect herbs lived.

“I don’t know exactly where they gather them. I guess that’s a secret only they know.”

“Yes. That makes sense. But I’m not really curious about where they gather them. As long as they’re the same kind of herbs, it doesn’t matter where they come from, right?”

“Oh… So you’re planning to get them from somewhere else. Then let’s do that. If you can do just that, it’ll be a huge help.”

Luzenbik nodded and then asked if he could borrow a carriage.

“Of course. You’ll need it to carry the herbs back.”

“Then I’ll be on my way. I can’t say exactly how long it’ll take, but I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

When I heard that, I asked if I could come along too. Luzenbik hesitated for a moment.

“I might have to go deep into the mountains. Won’t that be too difficult for you?”

“Still, having someone to talk to is better than going alone, right?”

“I don’t care about that. Honestly, it would probably just be a hassle.”

He spoke firmly, and I lowered my head.

I didn’t know why I kept asking—my pride was getting hurt.

“The mountain is too dangerous. You could twist your ankle or worse. If it were somewhere with flat ground or a decent view, maybe, but here… it’s better if I go alone. Now, please prepare the carriage.”

Hearing that, I wasn’t sure what exactly he meant.

Was he saying he’d rather go alone because it might be dangerous?

So if it weren’t dangerous, he’d be willing to go with me?

Did that mean he didn’t entirely dislike me?

Thinking that, I nodded.

After lending him the carriage and the bit of commotion that followed, I sat down with Kasia and asked if she knew anything about Luzenbik.

“Being a prisoner of war is far more horrific than you can imagine. He probably can’t bring himself to talk about it. And it’s not just what he went through as a prisoner—the war took both his and Beatrice’s parents. Given Duke Meidern’s temperament, I doubt he let them off with just their lives.”

“…”

“Even if Prince Luzenbik is a bit curt with you, I think you should try to understand.”

“…Yeah. You’re right. I should.”

Although I had come out with Luzenbik, I returned alone.

We hadn’t spent much time together, but his absence suddenly felt immense.

I was surprised to realize I still had such emotions.

I thought all my feelings had withered away.

And before I knew it, a smile crept onto my face.

When I arrived back at the mansion, Beatrice came rushing out, looking startled.

“Your Highness, where did you go? Where is my brother?”

She looked at the carriage, clearly searching for Luzenbik.

Seeing that, I realized what she had been worried about.

“Did you think Luzenbik took me away to harm me?”

“No, Your Highness. Are you okay? You’re safe, right?”

She looked me over thoroughly.

“Yes. I’m fine. Don’t worry. Really.”

“Your Highness, you really need to be careful around Luzenbik. I never thought I’d say this, but…”

She looked deeply concerned.

“Alright. I understand.”

“Your Highness, my brother isn’t a bad person. He’s really kind and warm-hearted. But… after seeing what he went through, anyone would have ended up the same. At least I cried and screamed and showed my emotions. He didn’t even have that.”

“…”

She was probably referring to witnessing the execution of the king and queen.

“Beatrice…”

I looked at her with a guilty expression, and she smiled.

“Your Highness, I know better than anyone that it wasn’t your fault. But if you could just wait and trust him a little… If you give him a chance, I think he’ll return to the warm person he once was. Until then, please be careful and patient.”

“Alright. I will, Beatrice.”

He reminded me of a large dog that had been abused by people—aggressive because of his past.

“And Beatrice, don’t call me ‘Your Highness’ anymore. You’re a princess, too. I think we need to change the nature of our relationship. You’re not a maid.”

“But…”

Beatrice looked at me with wide eyes.

“Call me Hestia. I’ve never been happy being called that name before. My father, the king, always used it, but I hated them both. I came to hate the name, too. But if you call me Hestia, I think I’ll like it.”

“I…”

She looked like she was about to call me ‘Your Highness’ again but stopped herself.

“Call me Hestia, Beatrice. Please. That way, I’ll feel like I have a good friend, not just a maid.”

“…”

She hesitated for a long time, seemingly understanding my words.

And finally, she called me by my name.

“Hestia…”

When she called me, I was left speechless.

I was so touched that she had finally called me that.

“Yes, Beatrice.”

Her face turned bright red after saying my name.

When I held her hand, she looked at me.

“Don’t think of me as your superior anymore. I’m not saying this because I’m no longer queen—I just want us to be equals. If we’re going to rebuild the Kingdom of Pelmon, we need to start with that. The princess of Pelmon must stand proud again.”

“…Hestia.”

Tears welled up in Beatrice’s eyes.

“Let’s tell Kasia and Erkan, too.”

“Yes, Hestia.”

Her tears flowed even more.

“I want you to cry a lot, Beatrice. I think that’s what you need. Don’t ignore your pain—let it out.”

“I will, Hestia.”

She cried for a long time and, once she was done, smiled at me with relief.

“Well done, Beatrice.”

I took her hand and we went inside.

The servants looked at us curiously.

I told them Luzenbik had gone to get the herbs Erkan needed, and Beatrice smiled bitterly.

She seemed more pained thinking about her brother’s struggles than her own.

But she didn’t show it. From then on, we each returned to our tasks.

When I saw Beatrice trying to get to work, I told her to let others handle it and gave her the documents I had been reviewing.

They were materials from Kasia about the Jeifron merchant group—things she needed to know.

When I handed them over, Beatrice looked at me.

“Why are you giving these to me…?”

“Start from here.”

“Yes… Hestia.”

She seemed to understand and nodded.

The Jeifron merchant group handled a wide variety of goods, and among them were their main profit-driving products.

But there were also goods with very little margin or demand, which made me wonder if it was even worth maintaining those lines.

Even I had thought hard about that while looking through the documents, and Beatrice seemed to be doing the same.

Even if the profit was small, manpower and resources were still needed—perhaps that same money and effort would yield more elsewhere.

I was curious to hear what Beatrice would say after seeing that.

“This…”

She looked up after studying the documents for a long time.

“Hestia, what do you think? About these. Wouldn’t it be better to cut them? For the sake of the merchant group’s profit.”

“You want to propose that?”

Beatrice nodded.

She said it would be more efficient to redirect those resources elsewhere.

“Sir Kasia probably already thought of that. It’s strange. Why did he leave it as is?”

“I actually think that’s exactly like Sir Kasia.”

None of those goods were luxury items that would bring in big profits.

At first, I had the same question—why keep them? But I came to realize it was an act of sacrifice.

They were essential goods no one else would bother to distribute.

Like specialized formula for babies who couldn’t digest regular milk, Jeifron had been quietly fulfilling that role.

When I explained that, Beatrice listened with a surprised expression.

“I never thought of it that way. That someone had to take care of things like this.”

She fell into deep thought.

“Now that I think about it, Sir Kasia is very consistent.”

“He is. That’s why helping him is rewarding.”

“Hestia, you really are amazing. How people like that just gather around you… Even people with huge problems, who were about to give up because they couldn’t find a way out—you appeared.”

“…Is that how you see it?”

I had never imagined Beatrice felt that way.