CH 125

Subjugation and Rakain (16)

If she looked at this situation, it seemed as though they were the masters and the others had just been the uninvited guests.

Perhaps they had felt it too, but for a moment, the procession was disrupted and a buzzing noise could be heard.

Roelin was embarrassed by the disturbance as she looked straight ahead before she gazed back at the Duke of Bönt once again and slowly opened her mouth.

“Duke…”

However, she had no choice but to keep quiet while she was trying to call out to him. It was because she saw a smile that lingered on the lips of the old noble.

‘You did it on purpose.’

Should she call this a battle of spirit? Roelin smiled quietly when she eventually noticed the Duke of Bönt’s intention. When the Duke heard some sound, she started to cough awkwardly.

At that time, someone steered a horse forward from the noisy Rakain’s side.

“I’m Count Skeller, who came forward to serve the Princess.”

“Hah, Princess? How dare he……”

She could hear that someone was muttering in a choked-up tone from behind herself. It was then followed by some words of patience.

She looked at the man who introduced himself as Count Skeller. He was a middle-aged man with a stern impression along with sharp eyes. It was also the first time she had seen the man.

She wondered how many of the nobles of Rakain Kingdom whom she actually knew by their faces.

Roelin still looked at him. Then, Count Skeller turned his gaze from the Duke of Bönt and looked at Roelin as if he had felt her gaze.

The distance was quite far away, so she couldn’t really see his expression exactly, but she could just tell that much.

After confirming that his gaze had reached her, she opened her mouth at the Duke of Bönt loudly as though she was deliberately telling him to listen.

“I’m afraid I’ve come the wrong way, Duke. Let us promptly return. I’m really sorry that everyone has come a long way for me, but it was all in vain after all.”

“……what?”

The Duke of Bönt blinked in bewilderment and gazed at Roelin. Her unexpected words clearly showed that he was lost.

She looked at the Duke and turned towards Lucy. Then, Lucy approached Roelin as if she had been waiting all along and bowed deeply in courteousness.

“Here you are, Empress.”

In Lucy’s words, the title of the ‘Empress’ was especially highlighted. The Duke of Bönt raised the corners of his mouth as if he had only noticed then before he instantly nodded.

“No, it’s our duty to serve the Empress, so please, don’t mind it.”

Just like Lucy, he emphasized the status, ‘Empress’, and ordered the Knights in preparation to return.

“Oh, no, this is……”

It was Count Skeller who became embarrassed by the unexpected decision. He was at a loss in front of a sudden change without a moment to respond, but only after seeing that Roelin tried to get back on the carriage did he hasten up.

Of course, even before he got near Roelin, he was blocked by the knights who had been escorting her.

“Prin, no, Empress! How could you do this to me? His Highness and the Queen are already waiting for you at the Palace……”

“Didn’t they say that the person whom they had been looking for was a ‘Princess’? So, I don’t think there’s any reason for me to visit then.”

Roelin was just about to get into the carriage when she looked back at Count Skeller and said so in a cold tone.

The Count had his face all crumpled up when he realized his mistake belatedly. No, it was accurate to say that it had not been because of the mistake, but due to the contempt received by the ‘Fake Princess’.

‘She was the unlucky twin……’

He murmured to himself as he gritted his molars on the outside and calmed his emotions.

Anyway, this mission was given to him by the King personally, so he had to do it all properly.

Count Skeller pressed down his anger and bowed politely.

“I have made a great disrespect towards the Empress. I apologize deeply, so please, forgive me and proceed yourself to the Palace.”

“……”

Roelin stared at the man who bowed to her and glanced aside. Not only Lucy, but even Duke Bönt could be seen to be twitching his lips.

She smiled slightly at them before she opened her mouth in a cool tone towards Count Skeller once again.

“Since the Count has apologized like this, let’s move on just this once.”

“Aa, thank you, Empress. Then, let us go this way. We already have a carriage ready to take you to the Palace……”

“We will escort you to the Palace.”

The moment Count Skeller tried to guide her with a forced smile, the Duke of Bönt intervened. Then, Count Skeller frowned before he immediately corrected his expression and opened his mouth again with another exaggerated smile.

“What do you mean? This is definitely the Kingdom of Rakain and the guidance to the Palace is of course the law that should have been followed.”

“It is our duty to serve the Empress, not you. Even if this isn’t Seroif. No, because it’s Rakain, shouldn’t it be even more so then?”

How could they actually trust them to entrust the safety of the Empress like this?

To put it in common words, Duke Bönt’s words had that kind of meaning. Count Skeller understood the meaning of the Duke of Bönt as his cheeks twitched before he opened his mouth again with a more determined expression.

“The carriage is ready, so let us go together, Empress. His Majesty misses you a lot. He is really looking forward to the arrival of his precious ‘sister’ too.”

Count Skeller aimed at Roelin’s ‘familial love’. Anyway, having seen that she had come here after receiving the news that her mother was in a critical condition, it was clear that her heart for her family still remained.