Chapter 9

Chapter 2 A Handful of Goodwill1

Judith had a dream after a long time. It was a faint lucid dream.

Jermel appeared in the dream.

He was laughing at the woman singing the encore song at the Imperial Palace Opera Hall.

“How many gems do you think they scraped off Rosetta to put a tiara like that on the stupid second princess?”

Had it not been the imperial family being ridiculed, Judith would have answered.

“The empire is rich today.”

A tiara adorned with 240 diamonds was placed on the head of the second princess.

For the first time, the emperor invited leading craftsmen to create an opera for the empress who will complete it.

The tiara sparkled so much that she wondered if there was anything in the world as expensive as that.

A diamond the size of a fist, a chain of diamonds flowing from a tube of hair.

Judith watched the princess’ tiara as if possessed.

‘Beautiful.’

The princess was royalty.

Even though she became a knight, Judith, a commoner, would not even dare to look at her, and she was too noble to compare with Judith.

Even if she wore the tiara, the place where she stood was too far.

Even though she knew that, strange feelings boiled up in Judith’s heart.

‘The Princess and I are different.’

Born with the same limbs.

When the princess was born, her father was the emperor.

But Judith was born with something different and lacking in her large joints, so she couldn’t buy a tiara or even a single headdress for herself.

She’d never worn a tiara like that before…. 2

“Are you interested in tiara?”

“……I’m not.”

“Your reply was late.”

Jermel laughed at her.

“It’s nothing special. It’s not even gold-plated, and you’re interested in a tiara like that.”

“……”

“Do you want to have it?”

Judith didn’t answer Jermel’s question.

It was rare for her to to not answer.

Jermel turned his head as if he knew her answer.

In the next moment, the place that used to be the Opera Hall suddenly turned into the Imperial Palace.

“You’re late, Sir Judith.”

“…Leader…”

“Don’t stand there foolishly, close the door first.”

Jermel was wiping the princess’ blood from his hands.

Judith was sure. That the person who fell over there was definitely the second princess, and she was dead.

There’s no way one can survive after bleeding so much like that.

Thud. Thud. Her heart was beating fast.

“I’m sorry to call you on your day off.”

It was Jermel’s specialty to apologize with no sign of apologetic face.

Judith did not ask what had happened. Instead, she asked something else.

“What should I do?”

“Get rid of it.”

“……. There will be many people trying to find the princess’ body if I remove it. It may spark suspicion on the captain.”3

“Then disguise it as suicide.”

Jermel threw the blood-soaked towel into the fireplace.

Disguise it to be suicide? How the hell?

Her heart beat incessantly in front of the second princess’ body.

She pretended not to, but her composure was truly disturbed.

She heard a tongue click.4

When she turned her head, Jermel was pointing at the steps of the Imperial Palace.

Judith understood Jermel’s will.

“… Okay, I got it.”

She said with trembling lips. Judith climbed the stairs with the princess’s body around.

Jermel was looking at her from a distance.

As if to see how far she could do it and how she would do it.

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

Whose heartbeat is this?

Is it the me of the past, or the me watching this dream?

Judith quickly figured out what she had to do.

Still, she didn’t dare to. She couldn’t believe the reality that she had to damage the princess’ body.

There was a clear reason why it should not be like this.

However, her compulsion won.

Just follow, follow, and be comfortable.

Judith liked being comfortable. So she didn’t think about it anymore. She did as she was told.

She pushed the princess’ body with all her might.

The dark hair that had once worn a tiara fluttered across the dirty stairs.

Blood stains spread sparsely on the stairs.

When a person rolls down, it makes a surprisingly loud noise. The sound of a blunt object crashing echoed in her ears.

The bare shoes fell down the stairs and finally.

Crack. There was a sound of a broken neck.

She only stared straight at the body of the limp princess, and Judith felt as if she had broken her title.

Jermel was still leaning against the railing.

He stared at the princess’ corpse, then looked up at Judith.

“Good job.”

There was no scorn or contempt in his eyes. She just did like the dog who brought the ball, just to be thrown a simple compliment.

Jermel moved as if he were saving himself the trouble.

The difference is that she carried the princess’s body.

She went down the big stairs.

“The dame and I were patrolling the Imperial Palace together today. We heard the screams of the princess and ran over.

“….Yes.”

Now, the princess’s body was completely lost no matter where you looked. Blood quickly bled from the princess’s head.

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

Her heart, which was beating several times faster than before, did not calm down at all.

“It’s convenient to have a subordinate who listens well.”

“……Thank you, sir.”

“As this mission is unofficial, there will be no additional compensation.”5

Saying that, Jermel put down a glass box.

Judith couldn’t take his eyes off the box. What was contained in the glass box was unmistakably the Opera Jubilee Tiara.

The emperor gave it to the second princess as congratulations on the opera’s completion…

The dazzling tiara shone enough to capture attention at a glance.

Judith reached for the box as if it were about to fall.6

“No matter how precious a tiara is, is it worth the life of a princess?”

Her hands were trembling.

“It wouldn’t be weird if someone stole it during the commotion, right?”

At the sweet question, Judith nodded recklessly.

Maybe it was because he saw his subordinate acting like she had swallowed her tongue, Jermel looked satisfied.

“I trust that the dame will continue to work for me in the future.”

She couldn’t give an answer.

She swallowed her saliva with a dry throat.

Judith opened the glass box in front of the dusty window.

Click.

The box opened gently.

“……”

Judith looked at herself reflected in the window while wearing the princess’ tiara.

On top of her gray hair like the cloudy winter sky, a dazzling tiara showed off its presence.

It was a tiara that suited her well. It was a tiara that would be hers.

Even in her reflection, Judith stood devastated for a long time. Like a broken person.

Jermel, who was approaching before she knew it, looked at Judith and said. With those eyes that looked at her like a bug, like a pig.

“Do not forget my kindness.”

“…….”

“I’m telling you to not disappoint me.”

That was the end of it.

Her eyes opened wide in a flash.

As soon as Udit woke up, he constantly vomited.

“Ugh, hurk, hueek….!”

She felt a little better after running to the sink and throwing up for a long time.

Her pounding heart felt like it was going to break.

Judith washed her face with cold water enough to hurt his cheeks with trembling hands.

Even after rinsing and rinsing her mouth, it still felt dry.

‘Worst… It’s worse than the dream of being chased by a killer.’

The word nightmare was not enough.

But that nightmare was not just a dream. It’s what she did.

The death of the second princess Josefina was quickly buried.7

She was suffering from madness.

She had frequent seizures and was hysterical.

Because of that, her accidental death was regrettable, but that was it.

After the premature funeral, everyone forgot about the princess. Even the tiara that was given to her.

Judith wiped the water from her face with her cold hands.

Her fingertips trembled finely.

‘That tiara… Is it still there?’

It can’t be.

Even though she knew, Judith felt unbearable.

The tremor stopped after a while.

It was after seeing the uniform hanging on the wall that she calmed down to some extent.

Bottoms and white tops that are easy to move in like horseback riding clothes.

The Red Knight’s uniform gave Judit a sense of relief.

“… It’s okay.”

Judith spoke to herself as if someone was listening. it’s okay, it’s all right.

She walked over to the wall and pulled out her uniform and pajamas.

Yesterday she received The flat pass ID that had written on the identity and affiliation.

A member of the Red Knights. Judith.

A bronze plaque engraved with the seal and name of the imperial family. Even so, at this moment, it was more precious than the princess’s tiara.

She hugged her uniform tightly. For some reason, she felt like she was about to cry.

Her heart, which had been beating so hard, was beating as quietly as someone who had found stability.

“She’s late.”

“She’ll come when the time comes.””

“Don’t talk nonsense. Does it make sense that a new knight is late from the first day?”

“What if she doesn’t know where the commander’s office is?”

“Ho…”

A cold gaze came from Deschamps green eyes.

If that’s the case, he seems to be willing to let her go around the imperial palace 200 times.

The atmosphere of the commander’s office was different from usual.

The commander, who would have been the first to get angry in the first place, was relaxed, and Deschamps, the lieutenant, was nervous.

“It’s understandable.” You don’t have to step up when you’re a newbie, do you?”

“Then you have to go earlier. Does anyone enter the commander’s room?”

“Why do you keep picking a fight, it’s only been 20 minutes. Calm down.”

“It’s been 20 minutes!”

“Why are you annoyed?”

Giryu thanked his mother for giving him strong eardrums.

“This is all because of you scouting. How much did you show that you liked it? It’s too much! You should’ve done it in moderation!”8

Deschamps seemed to have decided to pour all the nagging on me today.

He complained nonstop.

“Why are you doing something that’s not like you…!”

“Oh, you complimented me before, but now why are you so angry!”

In the end, Giryu’s patience broke down due to the strife of all kinds of annoyance.

He wasn’t very patient in the first place.

“Is there something wrong with your head? If you split it into two, another person will pop out? You said I did well before!”

He had applauded him for scouting the Aether master, now he was going crazy and crying. Giryu’s anger pierced the sky.

“Sorry for being late.”

The door to the commander’s room opened with good timing. It was Judith.

“You, ah, Red Knight Judith has arrived.”

She had cut her air. Giryu knew right away.

The area near Judith’s neck was cleaner. However, she was breathing heavily and her uniform was all over the place.

Even before Giryu opened his mouth, Deschamps scolded Judith.

“Look at the time now!”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I’ve never seen a new knight this late. Is this your life as a knight?”

“It’s not.”

Because of the offense she had done, Judith averted her eyes first.

Deschamps, who had a knack for tackling newcomers, was never easy-going. He was a warning to new knights.

“Listen carefully. You’re a new knight. I heard that Commander Giryu scouted you himself, but do you think that’s something to brag about? It’s a mistake if you trust the leader and think you can do anything!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“The concept of time is basic! From now on, be punctual. Do you understand?”

“I have nothing to say. I’ll keep in mind the time management of time.”

Even if she was a genius or something, she’s a rookie knight who now has to show respect in front of the commander.

If it weren’t the commander’s office, harsher actions would have happened.

For Judith who had returned, this much was cute to her. She did something wrong in the first place.

“Deschamps, that’s enough.”

“What are you talking about?”

His green eyes flashed sharply, as if he hadn’t even started yet.

Do you want to give the impression that you are in power from the first meeting?

‘He didn’t have that kind of personality when we were young.’

A lamentable atmosphere shook my hand.

“Dame Judith, why are you late?”

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