CH 36

The journey went smoothly, but Lindbergh, who he returned to after a few weeks, looked much more desolate than before.

Seeing as the corn stalks all collapsed and the people who were unable to withstand the cold lighting fires in the field to fend off the cold, he felt uneasy.

“We managed to survive with what little we had, but many people died of starvation because of it.”

A knight who was running closest to him said to him with a pale face.

As the horse running in the air approached the ground, someone threw a stone towards the group. As a signal, a tremendous number of people surged forward as if they were about to devour Carl.

“Kill them all and just take their empty skin!”

“Die like this or die like that!”

Despite the sunken eyes and the emaciated hand holding the scythe, the momentum remained intact.

There were also many women carrying very young children, and seeing the children hanging limp, unable to control their necks, Carl’s heart wavered.

“This wasn’t the time for romantic games in Heineken.”

Whether he heard his faint murmurs or deduced it from his expression, the knight reassured him, saying, “The soldiers from Heineken will come soon to take care of it, so don’t worry too much.”

In the end, they had no choice but to tread the sky path until they reached the royal castle.

“Prince Carl Lindbergh has arrived!”

“Open the gates!”

Carl also noted that the soldiers guarding the walls of the royal castle had a completely different atmosphere compared to before.

“It seems they’ve replaced all the soldiers.”

“Most of them are mercenaries. They say that Lindbergh had to urgently recruit mercenaries from other countries since there were no longer enough people serving the nobility.”

No matter what, does it make any sense to entrust the defense of my country’s castle to foreign mercenaries?

The mercenaries, upon seeing Carl Lindbergh’s appearance, chuckled among themselves and made mocking remarks.

The knights of Heineken wore expressions that seemed as if they had just swallowed icy water.

As fellow swordsmen, they were angered by the mercenaries’ disrespectful attitude towards the ruler, failing to observe the basic etiquette.

The mercenaries, who were making lewd gestures with their fingers and openly staring at the prince, straightened up their postures when someone walked out from the castle.

The knight who dismounted first assisted the descending prince and whispered in his ear.

“According to sources, they hired Lindbergh’s existing soldiers by doubling their monthly wages.”

“There is not even an ounce of consideration for their own citizens.”

Carl gnashed his teeth.

The knight smiled bitterly and advised him to maintain his composure before stepping aside.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re safe, Prince!”

A tall man with a still nervous demeanor approached the prince as if he were about to embrace him, spreading his arms wide.

“Chancellor Kitchener.”

Carl subtly dodged to the side.

“I was quite worried when you suddenly disappeared. You haven’t encountered any troubles, have you?”

Kitchener’s snake-like eyes glanced at the prince’s neck, then he smiled with a slightly relieved expression.

“Chancellor, you must have had a hard time guarding the castle alone. But now that I’m here, don’t worry.”

“I’ve been losing sleep, wondering how to kill those reckless ruffians who have no sense of purpose.”

Bloody bastard.

Carl wanted to spit at Kitchener’s carefree face as he chuckled, but he held back and clenched his fists.

“The knights of Heineken will show their worth, so stop worrying and rest your weary feet from today onwards. I, too, am tired from the long journey and wish to retire to my room quickly.”

Kitchener shouted, “Of course, of course. Escort the prince to his room!”

Carl noticed with a hawk’s eye that all the castle’s servants had been replaced.

“Since the knights have separate accommodations, would you please move in that direction?”

An expressionless attendant appeared and halted the knights who were about to follow the prince.

“Where to?”

When Carl asked, Kitchener replied.

“We can’t house foreign knights within the castle, can we? We have built separate buildings for them, so let them stay there.”

And it is acceptable to have foreign attendants and soldiers scattered everywhere?

Carl narrowed his eyes and gestured with his chin, pointing to the two closest knights.

“Send these two to my side. I need people I can trust.”

Kitchener looked puzzled.

“People you can trust? You have attendants, so why use knights for that?”

“Don’t question and just do as I say. It’s better to have someone familiar with the surroundings rather than someone completely unknown, don’t you think?”

As Carl leaned closer to Kitchener, his face took on a determined expression.

Kitchener, who had been momentarily entranced by the faint scent emanating from the prince, twitched his nose and whispered, “My prince, it’s good to see you’re still the same.” He wore an expression of relief.

“Do you know how prestigious the position of a knight is in Heineken? If not now, when will we ever press our advantage? I’ve been disregarded enough in Heineken. I want to show them what they’ve been missing.”

At Carl’s words, the two knights frowned.

Kitchener nodded and instructed the others to move out, leaving only the two knights.

“Position yourselves in the closest proximity, so you can come running even in the middle of the night if called.”

The attendant nodded in response to Carl’s command.

“By the way, would you like to have a meal or take some rest?”

“I feel like my buttocks are about to break from sitting on the horse for so long. My skin is all worn out too. I plan to soak in warm water, apply ointments, and take a full day’s rest. Please inform His Majesty and Her Majesty as well.”

Kitchener furtively touched the prince’s buttocks, saying, “Oh no, we mustn’t let the prince’s precious buttocks be hurt.”

This is the exact point that makes him nauseous.

After Jeon Woo-young opened his eyes in Carl Lindbergh’s body, Kitchener didn’t come across him several times, but whenever they met, he would sexually harass him.

He wanted to break Kitchener’s wrist right away, but he endured it for a great cause.

Thud.

After the door closed, the knights moved busily.

They examined the four corners of the room and put on a serious expression.

It was to avoid possible surveillance.

With his ears and eyes covered, he relaxed and lay down on the sofa, leaving the bed behind.

“It’s quite surprising even if you roughly know the situation.”

Carl laughed at the experienced and old knight’s words.

“I was surprised as well.”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever noticed an Alpha smell that disgusting.”

Another young knight stuck out his tongue.

“Ah, you’re an Omega?”

“Yes, that’s right. I may be recessive, but…”

“I am concerned about what difficulties the other knights might encounter there.”

The experienced knight chuckled at Carl’s words.

“Don’t worry. What country is Heineken? It’s a country of information.”

A wrist wrapped in cloth emerged from between the silver armor.

“We have various ways to communicate among ourselves.”

“That’s truly unnecessary worry, Prince.”

The knights chuckled softly and began filling the bathtub with water instead of the worried prince.

Although Carl tried to stop them from entering the bathroom, one of the knights rolled up his sleeves, saying, “We should be attending you.”

After seeing off the knights who would have to endure in cramped and shabby rooms for a while, I lay down in my own room.

The knights nodded in acknowledgment, saying that as long as there were walls and a roof, every room was the same, and they left.

The room hadn’t changed at all.

The mysterious handsome statue, the elaborate patterns on the wallpaper and ceiling, everything remained the same.

Outside, the voices of mercenaries grew louder as they argued among themselves, exchanging rough words.

It hadn’t been more than a few hours, but I already missed Heineken.

The image of Adrian’s hurt look and Belfry’s tidy face flashed through my mind.

“It’s been almost a year since I entered this novel. Why do I still feel like an outsider? Like a stranger.”

My voice sounded even more desolate as I spoke out loud.

Without Leia, Marco, and Elizabeth, the castle felt even more desolate.

I tried to push Adrian’s scent out of my memory by burying my nose in the pillow instead of curling up my body.

Ah.

I wanted to feel a sense of belonging.

I put effort into focusing on Leia and wanted to take care of her, and after meeting Adrian in Heineken, I didn’t feel much resistance to building a life with him. The reason became clear as I crouched small in this spacious room.

I must have been lonely.

“Jae-young.”

A name that belonged to the only kin I had in this world and the other world.

Today, I missed her terribly.

I wish I could blend in with the warm people of Heineken Castle, but that’s not my place.

I needed to find the Royal seal quickly and hand it over to Leia so that I could go anywhere.

And figure out what I should do to make a living.

The wide bed was cold, so I gathered the blanket around me, creating a nest.

Since high school, there hasn’t been a part-time job I haven’t tried.

There were times when I couldn’t straighten my back all day at the garlic farm, and there were times when I spent the whole day cutting meat at the processed meat factory.

I kept talking about bread, which might have annoyed other people, but I spent the longest time at the bread factory.

The hourly wage was good, the smell was pleasant, and perhaps because it was a place that produced soft and fluffy warmth, the people there were also warm.

I quit there because I passed the firefighter exam.

I only actually worked there for six months.

I don’t know if all the efforts I made to survive will shine here as well, but I believe I can do anything, right?