CH 15

“Redian, get yourself together!” Checking Redian, Nevil shouted as if he sensed something on him.

“Ha…”

“Redian!”

He hurriedly pulled something out of his arms and grabbed it. It seemed to be connected to the restraint on Redian’s neck.

“Redian!”

At that time, Redian, who was breathing hard, slowly raised his head. A face that had lost its color and empty eyes. He looked completely changed.

“Redian, Redian!”

Nevil shouted and pressed the button connected to the restrain. However, Redian, who dragged his sword and approached Nevil, seemed to hear nothing.

“No!”

It was in no time that Redian tore off the restraint from his neck with his bare hands.

How could he do that? Where did you get that kind of power…

“Maze! What are you staring stupidly at! What if Redian runs out of control like this! Why don’t you bring a sedative bullet right away!”

“I-I-I can’t remember where… the s-sedative bullet was.”

Even when Nevil shouted, Maze, who was contemplated, only trembled.

Bam, bam! Driven to the end, Nevil threw every shield he could get his hands on, but Redian simply cut them down. It was an overwhelming difference in power. There seemed to be nothing more to stop Redian.

“Redian!”

“Who is Redian?” A creepy voice came from Redian.

“W-what? Urgh!”

“It seems that humans have forgotten my name in the meantime.”

Redian, who raised Nevil’s chin with the tip of his sword, laughed low. His blue eyes lost their focus, and his expression was still eerie.

“Didn’t I tell you I’d definitely come back?”

“What on earth are you talking about!”

“The woman you were looking for has finally returned.”

Unknown words flowed down the red lips.

“Redian, get yourself together. It’s me. Don’t you recognize me?”

“Shut up.”

The moment Redian raised the sword in his hand at once.

“Training is over, Redian.”

“…!”

“Redian!”

His hand, which had been burning red, stopped in mid-air.

“Stop and put the sword on the ground. It’s mealtime soon.”

“…”

Redian, who turned his head after my voice, looked at me.

“You have to eat rice and eat candy.”

Facing that pale face and bringing up the candy, it felt like my heart would burst out. However, I forced myself to speak in a carefree manner.

“I promised you. I’ll give you three the next time I see you.”

It felt as if his sword would fly at me at any moment. But for a while, he just fixed his eyes on me.

“…”

With very strange eyes.

“Today’s training is enough, so everyone gets out.”

“But Princess!”

“Get out.”

I waved my hand out. “I don’t want to get rid of any corpse.”

They seemed to be worried about me, who would be left alone with Redian. But when I saw their complexion, they were on the verge of fainting.

As I sent them away, only Redian and I remained.

“Ah, damn it…”

Is he coming back to his senses little by little? Redian, who dropped his sword, grabbed his head and staggered. It seemed to be the precursor symptom of the rampage that the trainers were afraid of. But is this kind of thing common?

“It’s annoying.” He, who was breathing heavily, muttered.

“Are you okay?”

I deliberately acted as if nothing had happened.

“I heard you slept well after eating the candy I gave you.”

“…”

“Look. I prepared this candy specially for you.”

Then Redian raised his eyes and glared at me. It was full of sharp coldness, probably because he was on the brink of a rampage. Even so… behind the scenes, he ate the candy I gave him and fell asleep quietly.

He’s unexpectedly cute.

“Didn’t you see it?”

“What?”

He opened his mouth as if he were annoyed. “There must be many Norma who can kneel down and swear an oath to Princess just like that guy earlier.”

“So?”

“Whether you engage in their training or receive their oath of loyalty, just go and do it to them.

“…”

His complexion got better, but his tone was sluggish.

“Don’t keep appearing in front of me and getting on my nerves.”

However, red veins stood in those pupils.

I must be crazy. I couldn’t believe I’d raise him as a big dog. If he wasn’t the one who would become the emperor, I’d already quit doing this and run away. But now, there was no way but to crash into it.

“It seems that I was bothering you.”

“…”

“Well, seeing how you immediately snap back after hearing my voice, it seems to be the case.”

“Ha.”

Redian burst out laughing as if it was absurd. Even though he smiled like crazy, that smile looked pretty.

“I wouldn’t have chosen you if I needed a toy to play with. Just like what you said…”

The sun was setting before I knew it. The red sunset spread and hovered between Redian and me.

“Those who would kneel and bow their heads at a single word of mine spread far and wide even outside the capital.”

The gentle wind that blew shook my hair.

“But I chose you, Redian, even though you were covered in blood and looked disheveled.”

“…”

Redian’s gaze toward me became strange at first glance.

“There is no favor without price.”

Of course. If he became the emperor in the future, I would have to live with a sense of pride as the lifesaver who saved the empire.

“Tell me what you want.”

“Um.”

I swallowed up the words, ‘I don’t think it’ll be too late to talk about it in detail after you become the emperor. Instead, I said, “You have to remember me.”

“…”

“Every day, think about how good I’ve been to you every moment.”

Was it because of the red sunset? At the moment, Redian’s face seemed a little blushed.

“Use me to do the exercises you love so much every day.”

In addition, his eyes were softened.

“Don’t let unskilled trainers tie you to such restraint.”

“…If it wasn’t for the restraint.”

Maybe it was because of his silver hair that covered his eyes, but he looked somewhat sorrowful.

“I would have killed Nevil.” He murmured, slowly sweeping down his face with one hand. It was clear that he was disgusted with what he had just done.  

“I can only stop when I’m strangled, and my whole body is crushed.”

“No. it’s not the restraint that stopped you. It’s me.”

“…”

“So there’s no need to blame yourself.”

Redian looked at me again.

“How did you stop me? Did you use that key again?”

“That’s…”

“How did you do it?”

Come to think of it. I called Redian’s name just because of my reflex. I didn’t expect him to react to my voice.

“I don’t know. Maybe because my voice is pretty?”

“Princess.”

My god, at last, the boy called me with his mouth. Even more, not using ‘you’ but ‘princess.’

“To be exact, you stopped the sword after recognizing my voice.”

“…”

“Well done, Redian.”

At my praise, Redian closed his eyes and opened them again.  “Really…” Then he opened his lips and bit them as if he were about to say something.

I finally burst out laughing when I saw Redian like that. It was fun to tease him.

Ah, right. I have to go back and give the duke some ointment. Darkness was deepening where the sunset had receded. Only then I realized that I had stayed here too long.

“I have to go back now.”

“You always come and go as you please,” Redian muttered, his eyebrows narrowly furrowed.

“By the way.”

“…”

“Three, as promised.”

I placed the candy on his palm before grabbing my necklace. I could feel it then.

“Sleep well today too, Redian.”

That Redian’s eyelashes trembled.

* * *

The gathered trainers snooped around Redian’s cage but couldn’t get close.

“When and how on earth did the princess show up at the training ground?”

They turned their eyes in all directions and looked around. They couldn’t let their guard down since they knew that the timing of Siani’s appearance was very suspicious.

The trainer repeatedly confirmed her presence and said, “Sigh, did you see her overpower Vallentin at once? I didn’t expect him to be obedient to her.”

Their faces faded into contemplation.

“Is Vallentin the problem? What about Redian? It was the first time I saw him making an expression.”

Even when they saw it with their own eyes, things that were hard to believe happened one after another.

“Do noble ladies learn swordsmanship these days?”

“Even if they learn it, it should be just for liberal art, but is that really a skill for liberal art?”

The trainers gathered there were also swordsmen with skills and accomplishments well-known outside. Even from their point of view, Siani’s swordsmanship was unusual.

“Can we just trust Lord Irik like this?”

No matter how much she was called a princess, she was a young lady who hadn’t reached adulthood. It was natural for her to be curious at first, but in front of Norma, it was normal for people to feel scared and run away.

“Maybe I should change sides now.”

“Eii, His Excellency must have an idea about it, right?”

Then a trainer lowered his voice. “There were rumors that she was the daughter he gave up upon. Think back to when her engagement was annulled with Grand Prince Benio.”

The annulment of Grand Prince Benio and Siani Felicite. Everyone remembered it clearly.

“Even when the princess’ engagement was annulled, His Excellency didn’t say a word to protest about it.”

It was an incident that caused a stir in the entire capital.

“It’s true that she’s his biological child. But didn’t her engagement get annulled even with such a noble status?”

Such jokes mocking Siani were popular.

“Giggle. What’s the use of not being recognized by His Excellency no matter how hard she try?”

“In addition, she was born after killing her mother, and no matter what she would do, she couldn’t be forgiven.”

They were mocking her.

The daughter was born after killing her own mother.

The red-eyes witch who cast Duke Felicite into darkness.

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

“Yes, yes.”

They were sure it would be okay because they already checked and confirmed that the princess wasn’t there… However, they were missing out on something. That even the ceiling also has ears.

* * *

“What?”

I twirled the key between my fingers. The crystal stone embedded in the key turned into a video sphere and floated around. Inside, the basement was vividly broadcasted. For a professional possessor, safety measures like this are basic.

“His biological child, huh. Tsk, tsk.”

It was like this. They talked about me like I was the worst villainess every time.

Fortunately, I wasn’t a pushover. John, Baylo, Thomas, etc. I wrote down the names of the guys I saw on the video sphere one by one. It was the death note for all of them.