Chapter 6

It was dizzy to think that a child was walking around the office.

It was more likely that things to do would increase.

In fact, Alteos said he didn’t like when his office became crowded, so only the prime minister, Lat, and sometimes Tan, were allowed to enter the office at all times.

Therefore, while Lat had to do his usual paperwork, he felt his head spin thinking that the work could potentially increase again.

Lilyca quickly called the attendant to bring her warm water, a cloth, a bag and a stepping board.

She seemed quite accustomed to calling people over.

She wiped the inkwell clean and started moving around to tidy up the office. The contents of the trash can were first put in the bag, before being thrown outside to separate the processed and non-processed documents.

To his surprise, the little girl seemed to be able to read letters.

When Lat asked, her face turned red and she mumbled quietly, “I know just a few of them.”

In addition to that, she worked much more diligently than Lat had expected, such as replenishing the stacks with new papers.

Tan, who came in a bit later, quickly noticed that the office had been cleaned.

“Thanks to the princess, the office is tidy.”

After complimenting her for her excellence, he gave her a glass bottle full of colourful candies and spoke, “I wonder if it’s okay to have the Princess do chores?”

Lilyca was delighted and gave candy to His Majesty and Lat, and later on to Bryn.

“Huh? Sir Wolf?”

Bryn looked at the candies in the glass bottle and asked. Lilyca nodded her head.

She carefully wrapped the glass bottle with both hands and lifted it.

The glass bottle was very pretty, the coloured candy inside beautiful, and even the taste was sweet.

“But isn’t calling him Sir Wolf too much? I know that I add “Sir” to his name, but am I wrong to do that?”

Bryn giggled at Lilyca’s question.

“Yes. But Sir Wolf’s synonymous with Sir Tan Wolf, so wouldn’t it be okay?”

She enjoyed the candy Lilyca gave her by rolling the sweet thing inside her mouth.

The Sol family had served the imperial family for generations and took great pride in serving the Takar family.

Therefore, if “Bryn Sol”, a direct descendant of the Sol family, was given the imperial princess’s handmaiden position, it was no different from saying that the adopted daughter would be treated as a real member of the imperial family.

Of course, some in the Sol family were angry that they attached Bryn to “a child who is not a real Takar”. But Bryn thought it was ridiculous.

His Majesty the Emperor was the emperor. If it was a Takar’s command, even if the other person was not a real Takar, you must serve them as if they were.

In addition, the current emperor’s temper was quite twisted, so the Sol family would be pushed away if they refused, didn’t they know that?

Besides, Bryn liked this princess much more than the real Takar family.

Her older brother, Bran, was a servant of the Crown Prince, and wasn’t he already on stomach pills? She liked the fact that her new master was ordinary. It made her stand out more in this monster heaven. Then, the princess looked into the candy bottle and asked seriously,

“Excuse me, Bryn.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Do you think I’m not growing up?”

Lilyca was still worried about Alteos’ words.

Bryn tilted her head at her question and asked,

“No, you’re growing well. Where did you hear that?”

“The truth is-”

Bryn giggled as Lilyca recounted Alteos and Lat’s conversation. Then, she said,

“Princess, can I tell you an interesting story?”

“Anything. Bryn’s stories are always good.”

Bryn started the conversation after laughing brightly at Lilyca’s words,

“Your Highness, I told you that the Takar family descended from dragons, right?”

“Yes.”

“Shall we talk more about the founding of our country? People in the old days used to be great wizards. They could do anything they thought. God told them to use their “will” for good, but people didn’t. And then there was a conflict, and the human continent broke down and sank.”

Lilyca’s ears pricked up. It was the first time she heard this story. When she was in the slums, all she could hear were swear words or talks about money. There was no chance for her to hear such an old story.

“But some people listened to God’s command and built a boat on top of the mountain. The moment the continent crashed and sank, a dragon came, grabbed the boat and flew away. Those on board survived. And they came over to this land where we are now.”

Bryn lowered her voice and took an eerie tone.

“At that time, the land was covered with dark forests and swamps, and there were all kinds of monsters living there. Dragons and humans set up their homes, fought against monsters, and pioneered the country.”

“Was that dragon a Takar?”

Suddenly Lilyca asked a question, and Bryn nodded.

“That’s right. It is said the dragon turned into a human and led the people. As the country expanded, some intelligent monsters asked if they could join the dragon as well.”

Bryn raised her arms high above her head and said,

“There were wolves this big. Their descendants are said to be the Wolf family. There also were snakes as thick and big as a rhododendron tree, and their descendants are called Sandar.”

Lilyca’s eyes widened. So, she was saying that Lat’s ancestor was a snake and Tan’s ancestor a wolf?

Bryn wrapped up the story.

“The dragon made them human, and they swore allegiance to the dragon. It is said that if they disobey the dragon, they will return to their original form. So, if you look at the crests of high nobles, they are often animals.”

Then, with a slightly bored face, she said slowly,

“And as if to prove it, they are all strong, and hmm, very healthy.”

“I see.”

Lilyca exhaled a long breath. It would have been much more exciting to listen to this story by a bonfire in the dark of the night, but hearing it now was interesting too.

‘I understand better, Lat is a snake and Tan a wolf. It suited them. It also explained why they didn’t always get along.’

“So, the Princess is growing up well. It’s just that they are growing up too well.”

“Yes.”

Lilyca nodded her head vigorously. She went on to ask,

“Then do Bryn’s family have such a story?”

“Yes, it is said we were crows. We were smart and cunning, so the dragon kept us as servants.”

At Bryn’s words, Lilyca laughed and nodded. She now understood why Bryn’s headband sparkled.

‘Bryn knows a lot more about the Imperial Palace than I do.’

Of course, the little girl thought she would, but every time she heard a story like this, she realised it anew.

‘I can’t work properly if I don’t know anything.’

A contract princess. A contract daughter.

Even if it was something that came as an addition to her mother’s contract, and it wasn’t expected of her, Lilyca’s pride depended on it.

Somehow, Lilyca wanted to finish this contract splendidly.

That way, she thought she would be proud when she finished the contract and moved into a house with a garden with her mother.

So, she really needed information. Information that would make her a great princess.

“Bryn.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Sit here.”

Lilyca tapped the seat next to her. Bryn said, “I’m sorry.” and sat down lightly on the sofa.

“I want to be a great princess.”

If she was going to become a princess anyway, wouldn’t it be better to be an excellent princess rather than a mediocre one?

As Lilyca expressed her wish, Bryn nodded earnestly and said, “I understand.”

“But I don’t know anything about the Imperial Palace. My knowledge is limited about the nobles, and above all, the imperial family. Bryn, you know much more than I do because you have served the imperial family for a long time.”

Lilyca held Bryn’s hand tightly and said with the purest expression on her face,

“So, Bryn, will you help me?”

“Oh, my goodness…”

Bryn, her cheeks slightly red, suspired.

As a member of the Sol family who has served the Takar for a long time, she never imagined she would hear such words from a Takar.

The blood of the Sol family, deeply engraved in her bones was boiling. “Of course, Princess. I, Bryn Sol, will help you with all my heart. Leave it to me.”

“Thank you, Bryn!”

Bryn looked at her twinkling eyes and asked, “So, what do you want to know first?”

“The Imperial Palace.”

“The palace?”

Bryn tilted her head, a bit surprised. Lilyca explained,

“From now on, this is my house. But it’s not just that I don’t know its structure well yet. I don’t even know who lives there.”

No matter what kind of house someone entered and what he had to do there, the first thing he needed to understand was its hierarchy.

She had to figure out how people moved, what their allegiance was and their identity. Only then would she be able to move freely and proceed to the next step.

Bryn smiled broadly.

“I understand. You can trust me.”

The next day, it was the floor plan of the palace that Bryn preciously put on a long table. If it was known that she had an item that was meticulously marked with every secret passage, her tongue would be removed. Unaware of it, Lilyca was just amazed.

“How many rooms are there? It’s amazing. What’s this passage?”

“It’s the servants’ aisle. It’s connected to those servants’ doors.”

“There’s a separate way for servants, huh… I didn’t know. What about this?”

“It’s a secret escape route.”

“If it’s a secret escape route, is it okay to draw it on the map?”

“Normally not,” Bryn replied nonchalantly. “But the Sol family has a deep connection with the imperial family.”

“As expected, I’m glad I asked Bryn.”

“Fufu.”

Bryn smiled lightly, then rolled up the map and said,

“After roughly studying the Imperial Palace’s structure, it’s best to walk around to help us memorise it. Even if it’s bothersome.”

“Yes. And it’s okay, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

It was boring to stay in the room all the time, so Lilyca quickly jumped out of her chair.

Lilyca and Bryn walked around the palace grounds. Often there was a room blocked off by soldiers.

Each time, Bryn’s eyes narrowed, but she had to turn around to appease her bubbling annoyance.

It was not easy to look around because the Sun Palace alone was enormous.

In addition, as they walked around actively, everyone they met had to step back toward the hallway and get used to bowing to Lilyca.

“Princess.”

“Lat!”

Meeting a familiar face, Lilyca greeted him warmly. Lat, who said hello in return, raised his head and commented,

“You look busy.”

“I’m walking around, trying to figure out the structure of the palace.”

“The structure?”

“Yes, it’s my house, so I thought I should know.”

“That’s right.”

Lat smiled brightly when she said that.

“Was there a place you could not go into?”

“Ah! Yes. There was a place the soldiers blocked.”

“Oh, dear.”

Lat smiled coldly before speaking kindly to Lilyca.

“If you go to the Knights-Guards’ room, Tan will be there. Talk to him and tell him about those soldiers.”

“Yes.”

“What is the Princess’s last name?”

“Takar.”

“Yes, do not forget that.”

Lat straightened his back and looked at Bryn, then said,

“It’s wonderful to have the support of the Sol family.”

Bryn grinned. Lat said that he would excuse himself first, and when Lilyca allowed him, he quickly walked down the corridor and disappeared.

Lilyca asked, looking back at Bryn.

“Do you know where the Knight-Guards’ room is?”

“Of course.”

Bryn began to walk with a brisk gait, and Lilyca followed behind.

There was a considerable distance between the Sun Palace and the Sky Palace. In addition, there were other small buildings on either side of it, and the Knight-Guards’ place was one of them.

Knights stood guard in front of the Knight-Guards’ building, a wide smoke chamber behind them.

Everyone gathered in twos and threes and chatted, but only one person stood far from them and guarded the door diligently. That person was familiar, and Lilyca widened her eyes.

“Sir Lauv.”

Lauv greeted her.

“Nice to see you again, Princess. What made you come this far?”

“I’m here to see Tan.”

“The Commander-in-Chief Wolf is inside.”

When Lilyca stepped inside, she heard a roaring voice exclaim, “the Princess is here!”

Lilyca stiffened in surprise, then barely answered,

“H-hello.”

No wonder everyone was looking this way with sparkling eyes, so Lilyca stretched her back.

Everyone was very tall, so she wanted to look a little taller.

She wanted to tiptoe, but the skirt was too short, so it would be obvious if she did that.

Still, she raised her heels slightly, so that it was not noticeable.

“Hm? Princess? What are you doing here?”

As it became noisy outside, Tan rushed out of a room. From the inside, a bitter cry rang out, “Commander, please, the documents-!”

“I’m here because I have something to tell you. I met Lat earlier-”

Lilyca stopped talking. She was concerned if it was something that could be said in front of so many people.

Tan nodded as if he knew when he saw Lilyca hesitating.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He gave her a big hug and Lilyca let out a small scream in surprise.

Tan turned his head to her and said,

“Now, you can whisper, right? So, it’s okay for the maid to put her weapon down. If she takes something like that in front of a Wolf, she’ll die.”

Astonished, Lilyca turned around and saw Bryn holding a dagger.

The knights around them were looking at her with narrowed eyes.

‘They look like real wolves.’

Lilyca saw some of the knights’ attitudes getting threatening, so she quickly said,

“Bryn, it’s okay.”

“You must not recklessly touch the Princess’s body.”

Bryn spoke sharply and put the dagger away. Lilyca didn’t know where the dagger came from.

Bryn shrugged.

“That’s why I apologised beforehand. And isn’t it fine since we are friends?”

“Friends?”

When Lilyca opened her eyes in surprise, Tan made a puzzled face.

“Aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are! So, I’m happy, extremely happy.”

Lilyca said with a bright smile on her face.

Tan thought, ‘How cute.’ And listened to her again.

“So?”

“Well-”

Looking around, Lilyca whispered in his ear. It was a story that members of the Wolf family with good ears could easily perceive, but appearances were important, weren’t they?

“That’s why I came to borrow a knight.”

At Lilyca’s words, Tan lightly rubbed his chin and smiled,

“I’ll be the one to go.”