CH 35

The first time I heard of Lisittea Lemper was through Heiner and Rodolph.

As mentioned once before, their long-cherished desire was to find out the identity of the Gottfried Knights and convince them to betray Kellerhan, yet despite countless efforts, they suffered repeated failures.

When Heiner and Herbert almost gave up trying to coax the Gottfried Knights, the card Rodolph brought was Lisittea Lemper.

[There is no negotiator like this woman. If we hire this woman, even those stubborn Gottfried’s hounds will have no choice but to be convinced.]

It was like that.

Lisittea Lemper was a popular lobbyist when I was 19.

No matter how difficult the deal was, if Lisittea Lemper was attached, it would immediately be successful, and three laws were created as a result of her performance.

Because of her outstanding ability, there was rarely a talk about her family, so even when I heard her last name, Lemper, I couldn’t connect her to the lobbyist I knew, Lisittea.

[Really? She’s that amazing?]

Looking at the portrait Rodolph had brought, Heiner smacked his lips, and the people of the Duke of Lodgemund went to great lengths to hire Lisittea Lemper.

Yet she didn’t help Lodgemund.

It’s because of the iron rule of not accepting requests for impossible tasks in the first place.

Anyway, the conclusion is that this timid girl in front of me will become a person with tremendous abilities in the future.

I was lucky enough to have a relationship with such a talented person in advance!

Due to the nature of Kellerhan’s job (?), a connection of the lobbyist, Lisi, will be of great help.

“Miss Lisi!”

“Y-Yes!”

Lisi was taken aback by the sudden brightening of my voice.

I squeezed her hand with my eyes twinkling.

“Let’s get closer from now on.”

At those words, her eyes also began to glow.

“If I can get a friend like Miss Isabella, I’d love it!”

After chatting with her for a while, the maid of the Imperial Palace brought her new clothes.

Lisi changed into clothes that Her Highness the Princess had specially lent her and left the lounge.

Originally, it would be impossible for Lisi, who had no connections in the Imperial Family, to borrow the Princess’ clothes, but the Emperor paid attention to the fact that I was with Lisi.

Our conversation soon turned to the topic of my life.

“It must be very difficult for you because the environment suddenly changes.”

I smiled and said that it was okay at Lisi’s concern with her sincerity.

“The Duke is good to me, and the Young Lord also, so there is nothing to worry about.”

At those words, Lisi made a strange expression.

“Excuse me, Miss Isabella.”

As I left the villa where the lounge was located, she leaned over to me and asked in a small voice.

“Isn’t Young Lord Barmuth… a little scary?”

Yuta is scary, she said? I tilted my head.

Did she misspell ‘Duke’ as ‘Young Lord’? 

(they sound veeeery similar in korean: 공작 and 공자)

“If it’s scary, aren’t you referring to the Duke?”

“Of course, the Duke is also scary!”

Lisi made a fuss.

“But I don’t think the Duke would pay any attention to us because he’s been clearing out dark magicians, yet the Young Lord is a little different…”

Lisi turned her green eyes.

“The Young Lord is? How is he any different?”

“I feel like doing something that’s even a little irritating him will lead to big problems.”

“Is that so?”

I was really puzzled and asked again.

“Didn’t Miss Isabella feel it? Young Lord Barmuth…”

Lisi, who had been talking that far, suddenly shut her mouth and moved away from me.

“Gosh, we’ve arrived.”

She murmured.

Just as she said, we were back in the garden where the tea party was being held.

Perhaps the time for drinking tea at the table was over, adults gathered and enjoyed conversation, and children gathered among themselves, with simply men and women mixed without distinction.

And I saw the group of Lady Oris looking at us from afar.

Lisi suddenly stopped talking and pulled away from me as she was conscious of the group.

“It’s okay, Miss Lisi. If you’re worried about the future, I will take responsibility.”

I had taken a detour before, wondering if I was making things bigger, but since Lisi became my friend, the story was different.

I intended to help in any way I could if she had a hard time in the future.

When I held out my hand to say it was okay, she widened her eyes.

“Miss Isabella…”

It was the moment when Lisi tried to hold my hand, her tears welling up with emotion.

“Isabella!”

I heard a familiar voice from beside me.

I turned around and saw Yuta standing there.

Yuta looked at me and Lisi alternately with eyes full of unknown emotions.

Somehow, his atmosphere seems different from usual.

Come to think of it, is this the first time that there were other people besides Kellerhan and the people of Barmuth between me and Yuta?

“Who is… that… next to you?”

Yuta asked in a trembling voice.

I simply thought that he was shy

“Young Lord. This is Miss Lisittea Lemper of the Lemper family. Lisi, this is Young Lord Barmuth.”

I quickly introduced the two of them to each other.

Lisi also took a step back as if she was shy, and hid behind me.

“…Lisi? Are you calling her by name?”

Yuta’s eyes widened.

“Name? Ah, that’s right, we’re friends.”

“…So you made a friend.”

“Yes! I never imagined that I would make friends this quickly. Since it happened like this, Young Lord and Miss Lisi can also get closer… ”

“H-Haha! I just remembered something urgent, Miss Isabella. I’ll be going.”

Lisi suddenly cut me off and said so, and then she disappeared as if she was running away.

What is it? It would be nice if the three of us could play together.

I was a little disappointed, yet Yuta held my hand tightly next to me.

“Let’s go, Isabella.”

I was a little surprised as it was the first time we held hands rather than just touching it, then Yuta said.

“She seems to have some really urgent business.”

Somehow, Yuta’s voice sounded a little excited, but I’m mistaken, am I not?

“Are we in the game too?”

I followed Yuta and asked.

Most of the kids in the stadium were watching Yuta and me with their heads all the way back, not interested in the ball.

Apart from not liking Barmuth, they’re very much interested.

“The game isn’t fun.”

Yuta shook his head.

“But everyone is participating. We too… ”

“Let’s just stay by ourselves.”

He looked right at me and said.

Was Yuta originally a child who spoke so firmly?

I tilted my head at the strange side of Yuta I felt today, as well as us holding hands.

He must have been nervous about the tea party at the mansion, and it seems that he hasn’t relaxed enough yet!

Hmm, hmm. That’s right.

If you have a shy personality, you might not want to play a game where the kids get tangled up and compete.

“I’d like to. Then let’s take a rest.”

I came to a quick conclusion and sat down with Yuta on a bench under a large garden tree near the stadium.

Besides me and Yuta, there were a few other children who were too weak to participate in the game and were sitting under the trees in the garden, so we didn’t stand out as much as we thought.

I saw a scene in which a gorgeous blonde boy who looked about 12 years old asked the Imperial Palace servant to bring him a drink, so I asked for a cool drink from the servant next to me.

Soon Yuta and I were watching as the kids passed the ball and kicked it into the net, cold lemonade in one hand.

Is it a tchoukball?

It’s a well-chosen sport that even children can enjoy.

It was when I was thinking such silly thoughts.

“Hey.”

It was familiar, yet unlike Yuta’s voice, I heard an unpleasant voice that made my spine chill just by hearing it.

Looking up, as expected, Heiner was standing there.

Heiner had four big boys behind him who looked like thugs.

It was so threatening that I was very nervous.

What should I do? If Heiner does any harm to me and Utah.

I looked around to see if there was anyone I could turn to for help.

“The 1st Knights aren’t here to protect you today, though? The adults are also far away.”

However, there were only children around who desperately pretended not to be interested in this side.

The blond boy who had asked the attendant for a drink earlier was looking at me, but he didn’t seem to be of much help.

“Did they say you’re Isabella Schwires?”

He leaned over to me.

Surprisingly, Heiner didn’t seem to hold a grudge against me.

Rather… Could it be the eyes of a predator who enjoys watching its prey struggling?

There were goosebumps all over my body

How many times have you looked down at me to be able to look at me like that?

“Brother Heiner, stay away from Isabella.”

Yuta murmured in a low voice.

Yet he snorted at Yuta and ignored his words.

“What if I don’t want to? What are you going to do? Are you going to make a fuss again when His Imperial Majesty is here?”

I bit my lip.

The other day, it was in Barmuth’s courtyard, that’s why we were able to act relatively freely, yet today is different.

Causing trouble in the Emperor’s presence is never wise, even if I’m the victim.

“I’ll give you one last chance.”

Heiner raised one of his fingers and waved it right in front of my eyes.

“Break off your engagement and come to my family.”

He spoke in an arrogant, familiar, now weary tone.

“Even if you lower your head now and say, ‘I was wrong,’ I’ll make it happen. I don’t like it, but what can I do when my father wants you so much? And besides, wouldn’t I be better than this insignificant bastard?”

Saying that, Heiner pushed Yuta’s head with his index finger.

Yuta lowered his head.

I could see the boy’s hands shaking on his laps.

My goodness, how could he lay his hands on Yuta?

The other day, I was lucky enough to somehow subdue Heiner, but Yuta is 4 years younger than Heiner and very fragile!

He might be able to handle a sword, but it would be impossible for him to fight a real person!

I was so angry that I hugged Yuta and looked up at Heiner with ferocious eyes.

“What? You will hit me?”

I was getting angry with all my might, yet Heiner was still making fun of me.

“I will never go to Lodgemund, so wake up.”

I gritted my teeth and spoke, emphasizing letter by letter.

“And Young Lord Yuta is a hundred times better than a human like you.”

I felt Yuta flinch in my arms.

At the same time, Heiner’s face contorted.

“Don’t you have eyes for anything? Indeed, that’s why you must have turned away from the radiant Lodgemund and went to the family of the hounds that wags its tail at the Imperial Family.”

Heiner, this guy really couldn’t come to his senses after being hit like that the other day.

I don’t know if he’s insulting me, but his remarks that insulted Yuta and Kellerhan raised a fever in my head.

“Don’t call me the Duke ‘hound’.”

So it was like that. I said something bold that I wouldn’t have normally said.

“Because Duke Barmuth is far better than despicable Lodgemund.”

“You really…”

That was the moment Heiner grabbed my face.

“Aaakh!”

I couldn’t quite figure out what had happened.

All I saw was Yuta clutching Heiner’s wrist at a bizarre angle.