Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Translator: wuttisyun

T/N: In typical yun fashion, I have made a terribly big mistake in my (which was why this one was late) so before you continue reading, I ask of you to reread the . If not, the first half of this chapter will not make any sense to you. Anyway, happy reading!

I lowered my gaze before opening my eyes to the man looking at me.

“Hm, if this is what His Majesty commanded me to do. This child, you’re giving me a strange feeling.”

His eyes that were staring directly at me without fuss were a vivid green, reminiscent of a snowy coniferous forest.

‘They look like glass beads.’

It was a different kind of green from Amor’s. Just when he narrowed his eyes, making himself look like a cat, I noticed something strange in his eyes. His round pupils were morphing and becoming oval in shape. Then, what seemed to be a beast dashed towards me and caught me in an instant.

W-was this one of his abilities too?

I wondered if his abilities were similar to that of Castor’s because he emitted yellow light when he used his powers. My face twisted as anxiety took over my body but little by little, I knew that his powers were very much different. Not only could I not feel any emotions being forcefully injected into me but unlike that day, the fear passed me by like a breeze.

“Hm…”

The man tilted his head. His eyes then returned to their ordinary colour and shape. Granius placed down the documents he had still been holding before asking.

“Did you feel anything?”

“No… I didn’t feel it per se, but at the same time, I can’t say that I didn’t feel anything. What was that? Are you a templar candidate? It seemed like a templar’s powers but it felt too weak to even be a candidate’s.

“I just run errands.”

“Who asks a girl to run errands? You can barely lift anything heavier than these papers.”

“If you want to complain, complain to the Emperor. Seeing as how the Duke would come by from time to time, it seems like he’s going to take you away to somewhere else for work soon. I don’t know anything so you can take care of it yourself.”

“Isn’t that too harsh for a person who had just returned from his business trip?”

As he spoke, the man lifted his hand and placed it on my head before beginning to stroke my hair.

“Hello?”

“Ah, isn’t it already too late for a greeting? I’m Soricks Nocta. But you can just call me Soricks.”

Others would only keep maintaining eye contact out of consideration for the other party but my gaze remained on him as I thought of what I should say next.

“So, you’re not a pest?”

After hearing my reply, Soricks squinted his eyes a little before giving a bitter smile. It looked like I touched a nerve.

“Cut me some slack. I know it’s what they use to call owls too. It’s degrading.”

“Degrading?”

“Yes, I am the templar for the God of eyes and owls, Canbarrus.” (1)

After covering his eyes with his hands, he revealed that one of his powers was the ability to identify the powers of another templar.

“Those who dress like me are templars too.”

He was wearing a white robe with a round collar. His outfit was made out of a thin, translucent material that exposed the curves of his body and was embellished with a gold pin that stretched from his left shoulder to the middle of his back. I remembered seeing such an attire when I was learning about Western culture as a subject on liberal arts.T remembered the culture being specifically that of the Greeks.

“Do you see this? This laurel leaf pattern is only given to those working in administrations.”

The thin fabric that had been wrapped around his body in many layers were embedded with silver laurel leaf patterns. Judging from the fact that there were only four leaves, I guessed that it was referring to the fact that he was in the 4th Administration.

Generally, the Empire was traditionally similar to that of Ancient Greece and Rome when it came to clothing and life as a whole. In comparison, Rubella’s hometown, the Kingdom of Walter, had a culture similar to that of the modern European era or the court culture of France and England.

Something felt strange. Though it seemed like we were in Ancient Greek and Roman times, there were also people here who wore modern day trousers and jackets. It was a strange mixture of European and Roman cultures. Did they intermingle to create this fusion because the countries were close to each other?

I had learnt a variety of things from my teacher but etiquette did not appear much in class, much less our cultures. Well, it was quite obvious to me that this was a fusion of cultures but this was not important.

In any case, this was an Empire with templars, divine powers and all sorts of fantastical elements.

“Anyway, what do I have to teach you? Do I teach you what you have to do here?”

“I don’t know. The Duke must have told you.”

“You seem to be looking better after working here for 3 months. I don’t think there’ll be anything wrong with getting closer with you, kid.”

“Was that your hunch?”

“Maybe. Could Canbarrus have given me that?”

Granius then said loudly.

“Hey, kid. I’m also a templar, you know?”

Then, Sorinx then laughed as his shoulders shook. He then tapped my shoulder before stretching his arm out towards me and holding out his fist.

“How do you feel about strawberries? There’s also grape, apple and many other flavours.”

When I saw the candy on his palm, I was a little stunned. Well, it was more like I was flustered because I was actually being treated like a five year old.

“Yeah, anything is fine but I like strawberry flavours the best. Thank you!”

“Oh my.”

I had accepted it gratefully since he did give it to me but for some reason, Sorinx who was observing me, looked suspicious.

He widened his eyes and looked at me carefully before smiling gently again. As if the earthquake that had just shook did not happen at all.

“You know, when you smile, your entire face changes. I always thought you were a little more blunt.”

“This child has a pretty good personality. Don’t even think about bullying the youngest.”

“What? I had just seen you smack this child on her forehead. Did I see that wrong?”

Then, Granius who had been awkwardly standing around coughed at nothing.

When I looked over to the Aedile, I could see him trying to take care of me at the last minute. After I arrived here, I had gotten better at bringing things to him. It was not the most happy, fun or pleasant experience to work here but at least it was calm and stable. Above all, there was a sense of peace here that i had not felt in a while from the dozens of regressions.

Even if this was only the calm before a large tsunami, there was nothing else I wanted for. I was already thankful enough that when the night came, the moon would rise before day came again.

But I still remained wary. The question I could not stop thinking about remained in the corner of my head.

Why did the tyrant, who made me kneel and trampled all over me causing me to repeat my life over and over again, bring me here?

After making me the moron who would do anything for him, why did he bring me here?

My growing wariness slowly spread like the ink on parchment.

***

“You have been appointed to the 4th Administration of the Central Palace, the Arventis Solatorium, as the Aedile’s maid.”

On an unfortunately sunny day, I finally caught a glimpse of the setting sun. Then, when night arrived, the moon and the stars then rose.

Everyone was safe except for Hannah who got seriously injured. Why? When I was supposed to be happy for surviving, I was sobbing sadly in the middle of the night. The inescapable sorrow I was feeling was constricting my heart and taking away all the joy and happiness I should have been feeling.

“Princess!”

“Princess! Ack!”

The times I had helplessly convinced myself that I was not sad repeated in front of my eyes and like that, dozens of days had passed. The screams of my dying maids. I was trapped in a nightmare where I had only myself to blame for not being able to escape this faster.

The dead remained and were holding onto me whilst begging me. Why? Why did we have to die? It was dizzying and noisy.

“Princess. It hurts. Hurts…”

“Do you want to live?”

I slept through a night when I could not even cry.

***

A dress that fell to my ankles, an apron and a head towel. I have seen a few rapid promotions in my previous life but I had never seen a rapid demotion before. This was my first. The people here seemed to think of me as someone who had a status slightly higher than that of a commoner. Like the child of a fallen noble.

‘Was a fallen noble considered a half-noble?’

It did not hurt to be taken care of but I was a little worried. It was fine now since I was wearing these work clothes but I was sure that the people I was seeing at my work would one day see me again in my coming-of-age ceremony at the Central Palace. If the child they knew to be their errand runner turned out to be a princess, it would be quite awkward for them. It would be as if they had asked the Chairman’s child to run a printer errand.

‘If I get caught, I’ll be pretty flustered.’

Then why did Castor leave me alone in this place where I would only feel uncomfortable and awkward? Did he just want to screw with me? Well, that was a possibility. If I thought about what kind of person Castor was, someone who enjoyed watching others in pain, I thought that that theory made some sense.

“… How uncomfortable.”

After coming here, the only advantage I had of being a princess disappeared. What was I if not someone with a gold spoon? A desperate and pitiful extra?

My ever-growing dissatisfaction was erased just a few moments later when the Duke came.

“Princess.”

The Duke stared at me and said hello.

“Have you been well?”

He asked kindly. Under the sky which was white and pure like a lily’s, I could feel warmth as if a blanket was being wrapped around me.

“Hernandez Durzel Von Develo greets the 8th Child of the Empire.”

His voice sounded tired which was a given since it was early in the morning and sounded gentle. I gazed at Hernandez’s face which could easily contend for the most handsome man in the novel.

“Has it been a week?”

He took my hand and lifted it before kissing my fingertips loosely which surprised me since he did not tell me he was going to do that in advance.

The noble Duke knelt on one knee before kissing a maid. I was taken aback for a moment by the absurdity of the situation.

“Could you call me Hernan comfortably?”

The young man with stark white hair had eyes clearer and brighter than any pair I had ever seen.

‘He said he was 19.’

He appeared in my palace three months ago by himself and explained himself calmly unlike my Aedile who would hit me in my neck without warning. I did not know where I was supposed to go and what I had to do.

“I apologise but you might have to suffer a little.”

Of course, I was quite surprised at his words. I had never thought I would be the recipient of such consideration before.

“… Do you have anything you find difficult?”

Unlike Sir Ray, there was an air of seriousness around Hernendez.

If Sir Ray was mature because of his natural physical age and serious appearance, the Duke’s plastered smile filled with grace and behaviour made him feel like an adult much older than his age.

But when I looked closer, I wondered if he was actually nearing 20. He looked very young. Dane, who had just had his birthday, was 16 and Fleon was 17. Just like Hernandez, Sir Ray was 19. When the original novel began, they were all in their early twenties.

Staring at him, I spoke clearly.

“Are you asking if I’m having a hard time? They’re all so very nice to me. But for how much longer do I have to wear these clothes? These clothes are not pretty at all.”

So what if he was the most handsome man in the novel. In the end, he fell in love with Rusbella and was dumped by her.

Three and a half months later, the Duke’s face which I had been seeing two to three times a month was not welcomed.

“My apologies. I couldn’t get you better clothes. I’m sure there is an attire that is more fitting for my lady from one of the probationary maids on the 1st or 6th Administrations…”

“But those are clothes for maids.”

“Yes. But that would not be the only dresses the Princess will wear.”

“Of course.”

He smiled as if it was a pity and made eye contact with me.

“I apologise for having you placed in such a humble and shabby place.”

He knelt down without hesitation. I blinked. Since we were in a room out of most people’s sights, the floor was very dirty.

“Hmph. If you know, then change it. How could I call this shabby cloth a dress?”

I was grumbling and complaining about my skirt to stick to the image I had made for myself of a naive and immature princess. To place it in perspective, it was more comfortable to wear skirts than to walk around in a stifling dress. The Duke paid attention to every one of my words.

“I see. I’ll take that into consideration.”

Once again, at every word I spoke, he would shift his eyebrows or purse his lips and after every sentence, he would reply with a friendly nod and a sad gaze. Even if I complained till the point anyone would think was annoying, he would always respond the same way.

Just as how the novel <The Light of Rusbella> depicted him, he was very friendly.

His personality was exactly as he was described to be. Well, if he was to be different from his depictions like Amor, then his personality would not be able to handle Castor.

“You must have been very tired since it’s so early in the morning but I apologise for only being able to meet you at these hours. It’s the only way I would not expose your identity or interrupt your work.”

“Hmph. You’re always apologising.”

“Haha. Let me continue from where I left off about the Aedile. We had stopped because of the lack of time. Do you remember that?”

“Uhm, what was it? I don’t know. Mister Hernan!”

I did not know if I was just being faithful to my role of a moron, it was pretty annoying of me to have laughed naively in such a situation. He nodded without even hesitating for 0.1 seconds before beginning to explain again.

“The first Emperor…”

I was amazed. This was his 23rd time explaining it to me. Was this the patience he practised by being with Castor?

T/N:

(1): I could not find this name in any records of roman gods so i just direct tled the name.