Chapter 44

44 “Royal Guards”

Eleanora’s POV ~

The blonde tomato stew guy helped me to hire a wagon and accompanied me.

Although i wanted to refuse the idea because he may know my real identity if i do so, but soon i realized he already know my identity.

When we hired a wagon i didn’t told him that i was from the Dalton duchy.

So how did he know?

I stared at him and he was avoiding my eyes, trying to look outside of the window.

“How did you knew?” I asked him.

“K-Know What?” He asked back.

‘So he is playing dumb?’

.....

“How did you knew that am going to the Dalton Duchy?” I asked with a cold voice.

“W-Well, i saw you to get down from the wagon that had the Dalton crest...” He replied as he scratched his neck awkwardly.

‘This makes sense, but...’

“Why did you approach me?” I asked with a wary eyes.

Because of my identity as the crown prince’s fiance and the duchy’s princess; People would rather to stay away from me.

Not to mention commoners do that to every nobles.

So why did he approached me?

“Ummm... I was sent by the duke to protect you in shadow and help you in need.”

“H-Huh?” I was stunned as father did mentioned that he will find someone to help me with my training but i declined as i don’t need anyone else to teach me...

And i don’t think a commoner merchant like him would know about our discussion anyway.

If father trusted him that means he is trustworthy.

But i still have to test him more.

“So, what did my father told you to help me up with?”

“Sword training to succeed the duchy.” He replied and i sighed in relief.

Only father and i know about this plan.

I smiled at him as i could tell he was really sent by my father otherwise he wouldn’t know this.

But isn’t he a bit too young for this? I think he would be fourteen or fifteen.

“So what is your name?” I asked as i can’t refer him as a ‘blonde’ or ‘tomato stew’ always.

“Ain” He replied after staying silent for a moment.

After we reached our duchy, i invited him to come in but he refused.

Saying that he has some works to do. He followed me because he was just curious about the girl he was going to teach.

I was tired too, so i didn’t asked for much.

The next day; As soon as I opened the door of my room, I sighed at the white uniform.

‘How did I end up like this?’

The emperor sent a two royal knights to protect me.

Introducing themselves as Anthony and Edmund respectively, they alternately guarded me.

They even stayed up all night at the door of my bedroom every day, saying that night time was the most dangerous.

Why did the emperor give this order?

In the current situation where the local political factions were too busy with securing their own estates to fight, it’s unlikely that anybody would try to harm me.

In addition, more than half of the regular knights were out of the capital, which led to an increase in each remaining knight’s workload.

In this situation, the emperor sent me not one, but two royal knights who were supposed to protect the royal family alone.

Did that mean that the emperor had no intention of freeing me?

Is he trying to monitor me?

I tried to live without paying attention to such stuff, but I couldn’t because these two royal knights kept following me.

Suddenly, I broke into laughter.

I didn’t get this kind of treatment when I become a 18-year-old empress, but I’m getting this special treatment now when I’m still the daughter of the duke and the crown prince’s fiancee.

Maybe because i am a saintess now?

“Lady, you have a letter from the border.”

When I was laughing in this contradictory situation, Maria and Jennie came with a letter from the border, which I received a month after everyone including my dad left.

He seem to sent this letter right after he left but it took more then a month to reach here.

My heart was pounding. I immediately opened the seal to read it.

‘Daddy... I miss you so much”

Tears blurred my vision as i continued to read my letter.

“My lady...”

“What’s up?” I asked with a subdued voice.

I could see Jennie and Maria’s concern for me in their eyes, So i desperately tried to hold back my tears, but the butler seemed to have already noticed that I was emotionally charged while reading my father’s letter.

The butler signalled to them to get out of the room to give me some space.

I silently looked at the two leaving and started to read the letter.

There was nothing much but i could feel his warmth in it.

He told me about his journey and how the work on the border was going on.

How i should manage my works and all. Take care of my health, how i should start my training.

But his last words in the letter left me speechless.

‘Stay away from mens. They are all like animal.’

“...”

‘Aren’t you also a man, Daddy?’

I burst into laughter as soon as i thought what kind of expression daddy would make if he heard me asking this to him.

I am afraid of animals. The smaller they are the more am afraid.

I could fight monsters, demon beasts with no hesitation but the moment i would see a little puppy or bird; i could tremble in fear.

So, my father is telling me to avoid mens like the way i avoid dogs?

‘This is really hilarious!’

I was laughing hard when i suddenly heard someone knocking in my...window?

‘Who would knock in the window? A killer?’

‘But why would a killer spy come in knocking?’

But then i noticed a boy with blonde hair, who wear a black merchant type dress and had a maroon coloured cape over it.

“Tomato Stew?”