CH 21

It was seven o’clock in the morning, and the sky was a cloudless blue sky.

In front of the gate of the mansion, there was a horse-drawn carriage, a wagon, and about 20 members of the royal knights’ monster subjugation unit selected by His Highness Gresis.

“Good morning everyone. I’m Lilith, the wife of His Highness Gresis. Nice to meet you.”

When I smiled at the knights, they saluted me with their right hand on the left side of their chests.

“Lilith, Dr. Crane and Mai are already on standby in this carriage. Come on.”

His Highness Gresis held out his hand to help me get on the carriage.

“Thank you.”

After getting on the carriage with the help of his hand, His Highness Gresis dashed in and sat down to my left.

“Your Highness, it’s still cold, so please use a lap blanket.”

Mai, who is sitting across from me, gave me a blanket. The fluffy texture makes me feel comfortable.

When His Highness Gresis closed the carriage door and sent a signal from the window, the knights all straddled their horses and we left for the frontier.

It takes four days to reach the frontier by horse-drawn carriage.

There are four people in the carriage, including me.

Directly across from me in the maid Mai, next to her is the royal doctor Crane, and to my left is His Highness Gresis.

The Royal Monster Extermination Unit that runs parallel to the carriage will serve as my escort, and one person will ride in the carriage while changing every break.

It was decided that His Highness Gresis would ride the carriage first.

Looking at the scenery from the window after the carriage departed, I remembered the time when I came to the Tenar Kingdom.

“When I came to the Tenar Kingdom, I fell asleep because I was hit by a barrier, so I didn’t have time to see the scenery.”

When I smiled at His Highness Gresis, His Highness fell silent, and for some reason the inside of the carriage became silent.

Did I say something strange?

While I was wondering, His Highness Gresis opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry Lilith, that was a lie.”

“A lie?”

When I was looking at the face of His Highness Gresis, it was Mai, not His Highness Gresis, who answered me as I tilted my head.

“I explained that being hit by barriers makes you sleepy, but humans don’t get hit by barriers. I’m sorry for lying.”

Mai lowered her head.

“The medicinal herb tea I served to Her Highness was a tea that has a sleeping effect. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, please raise your head. Was there a reason?”

They are kind. After spending time with them, I understand that they’re not the type of people who can easily hurt others.

“The only information we had about Lilith is that she seems to be a sickly and problematic princess. For example, there was a danger that monsters would pick up the scent of humans and attack the carriage. In order to avoid that, I decided to put you to sleep. They just followed me. Because beastmen hate humans, the aristocrats that we stayed with also agreed to that.”

His Highness Gresis explained it to me.

“That’s right. That’s good. . .”

“It was good?”

“Yes, I was sleeping all the time, so I couldn’t say hello to everyone at the accommodation, and I only bothered Your Highness by having you carry me, so I wondered if my common sense as a princess was questioned.”

I’m relieved that it wasn’t my fault.

“No. Lilith always acted like royalty.”

Mai and Crane nodded at His Highness Gresis’s words.

“If that’s the case, then it’s fine. Your Highness, there shouldn’t have been any problems even if you kept quiet about this story. But thank you for telling me honestly. I learned that Crane was a very kind-hearted person.”

When I smiled, His Highness Gresis’s expression remained the same, and only the animal ears twitched.

As I wondered what he was thinking, His Highness Gresis’s right hand was placed on my left hand so that our palms overlapped, and our fingers entwined with each other.

How embarrassing.

Unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events, when I looked at Prince Gresis, his champagne-like yellow eyes were filled with a more serious look than usual.

“Lilith is kind.”

Having him stare straight at me makes me feel even more embarrassed and my heart beats faster. Somehow, my face was burning hot.

Feeling awkward, I shift my gaze to the two people across from me.

“That’s right.”

“I agree.”

Mai and Crane agree with His Highness Gresis’s words.

The two people across from us didn’t seem to notice that we were holding hands because our hands were hidden by the lap blanket.

I feel like I’m doing something very wrong.

“I don’t think it’s enough to say it like that, but thank you.”

I pretend to be calm.

His Highness Gresis, with our fingers intertwined, firmly grasped my hand and showed no signs of letting go. Moreover, sometimes His Highness Gresis’s fingers stroke my fingers, so it’s hard to get over the embarrassment.

What does this mean?

I look at His Highness Gresis as if to appeal silently.

“What?”

I would like to ask you something. But it’s kind of awkward for the two people across from us to know that we’re holding hands.

“No, nothing.”

I had no choice but to look down while flushed.

“What’s wrong with Her Highness?”

Mai sensed my behavior was suspicious.

“No, nothing.”

“But your face is red.”

Mai was very worried about me, so I told her as honestly as I could.

“That’s. . . His Highness’s fault.”

I hoped that His Highness Gresis would sense it and let go of my hand.

The troublesome thing was that Mai, Crane, and for some reason even His Highness Gresis just gave me a warm look, and in the end, my hand was tightly held until the knights changed.