Chapter 25
“W-Wait a second!”
Without meaning to, the words burst out of me. Saldir and the boy stopped in their tracks. I made eye contact with Jute, who was looking at me with shining eyes. And then Saldir turned back toward me with a bright smile.
“Sorry, Little Goat. We’re in the middle of training. I think this guy here pretended to get lost just to sneak a look at our cute little goat. Maybe we should just ignore him, like he’s not even there?”
Saldir said with a smile. Somehow, that bright smile didn’t feel like a real one. Was I just imagining it? And were his teeth clenched? But… there’s something I need to ask…
“Then before you go, just one—”
“Ah, busy, busy.”
He cut me off before I could finish. Saldir turned his head away and completely blocked my view of the boy. Earlier, he had only partially blocked him, but now it was like he was deliberately trying to keep me from seeing him.
“What would our cute little fairy have to ask some random lowborn who got into the ducal house by some fluke? I’m off. Go about your business, pretend we were never here. And this one? He was sent to retrieve a dagger, but he somehow ended up walking in the complete opposite direction of the training grounds. Might get fired soon. Our lovely fairy doesn’t need to waste her time on such useless trash. Just forget about him, okay?”
Was I imagining things? He seemed awfully tense. …No, I wasn’t imagining it. It was clear that there was something strange going on—too intense for a simple reply. Saldir gave me and Myra another bright-eyed smile as he added,
“Don’t even remember his face. Got it?”
With those forceful words, he grabbed the boy and started dragging him off. The boy lowered his gaze for a moment at Saldir’s words, then let himself be pulled away. Soon enough, both Saldir and the “lackey” were completely out of sight.
“…He asked who Verdette was on his first day here, and now he’s snooping around here? You—come here.”
Saldir’s voice, gritted through clenched teeth, faded into the distance. It felt like a storm had just passed. Myra and I stood there blinking at each other.
“To be honest… saying I shouldn’t remember his face is kind of pointless. He’s pretty handsome.”
After a moment, Myra muttered casually.
“Right?”
I replied without hesitation.
He had disappeared so cleanly, it felt like I had just dreamed him up. Now that he was out of sight, I could finally think straight again.
Did he really look similar? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t really remember the man’s face clearly—just before I died, I hadn’t had the chance to memorize it. What did stick with me was his golden eyes. But the boy I’d just looked at had ordinary black eyes.
Maybe I just instinctively compared any striking face I saw to him. I shook my head. There was no point in dwelling on a question that had no answer.
“Maybe we’ve been out walking too long. Let’s go back in. Hebe might come looking.”
“Okay.”
Myra and I held hands and began walking back toward the main building.
But something felt off. The closer we got to the main building, the livelier the atmosphere became. It was the most animated I’d ever seen the ducal estate since I arrived.
Recently, the mood had been heavy and subdued. There had even been a kidnapping attempt on me, and ever since, a quiet but thorough background investigation had been going on among the Saelcar servants.
So what was going on?
“…It feels kind of noisy.”
“Huh? I didn’t notice anything.”
I muttered, and Myra blinked up at me. She truly seemed unaware. I must have been more sensitive than her.
“Let’s go check inside. Feels like something’s up.”
We climbed the steps leading into the main building and entered the hallway that the residents often used. That’s when we saw Head Steward Wibil and a footman walking excitedly toward the entrance. When they saw us, their faces lit up even more.
“Congratulations, young lady!”
“Congratulations!”
“F-For what?”
“Please, come inside! Lady Horna is waiting for you in your room.”
Myra and I exchanged confused glances. For Wibil—the top steward—to look this cheerful, something big must have happened. Since they were congratulating me, it didn’t seem like bad news. Still bewildered, I followed them toward the inner chambers. As soon as Myra and I entered—
“My darling sweethearts!”
Horna rushed over and wrapped us both in a tight hug. Then, still hugging us, she lifted us off the floor. Myra and I looked at each other in surprise at her strength.
“Congratulations! You’ve both been selected to enter the Imperial Palace!”
“Eh?”
“The Imperial Palace?”
Myra and I blinked in disbelief. And right then, I saw Myra’s face light up with pure joy. She cupped her cheeks and shrieked in the highest-pitched voice I’d ever heard from her:
“We’ve both been chosen as playmates for the 13th Princess?!”
The 13th Princess?
I looked around, confused. Neither Horna nor Myra answered me—instead, they were too busy celebrating together. I stood sandwiched between them, unsure what was happening, until I finally got the whole story.
“Apparently, both of you made a great impression during the interview.”
Turns out, the day I was almost kidnapped was also the day we had gone to the palace for a playmate interview with Princess Anna. I vaguely remembered Hebe mentioning something about the imperial palace.
That day, noble girls of similar age from across the capital had gathered for the interview. Myra had also been there, which explained why she got kidnapped the same way I did. The noble girls found in that building were probably other candidates from the interview as well.
The 13th Princess was the second daughter of the Fourth Concubine and the thirteenth child in the imperial family, hence the title. At first, I’d assumed that meant she held no power, but according to the adults, that wasn’t the case. The Empress had passed away a year ago, and the 2nd and 3rd concubines were off in the countryside recovering from illness. That left the Fourth Concubine—the 13th Princess’s mother—as the Emperor’s current favorite.
“…Is being a playmate a good thing?”
I frowned and asked.
“What do you mean?! For noble girls, there’s no better title than being a royal playmate!”
Six-year-old Myra thumped my arm in excitement, her grin stretching from ear to ear.
“Is it really that great?”
“Of course! It’s the easiest, most prestigious, and safest way to rise in the world!”
Myra began explaining.
The title of royal playmate meant serving directly beside royalty, issuing orders to knights on their behalf, and gaining honor. Even after being dismissed, the title stayed with you, forever enhancing your noble reputation.
“But… I’d rather train my body. Maybe enroll in the academy, become a knight or something.”
“…Huh? Why? This is way more honorable and way easier.”
Myra furrowed her brow. No good. We clearly had different values. At that moment, Horna, who had been listening to our conversation, stepped in.
