---

67 Chapter

“The princess is currently spending time with me.”

Leo, who had been slouched in the chair, straightened his back and adopted a proper posture. The rapid change in his tone and the intimidation he exuded as if it were second nature made it clear he was a king, even if he acted casually in front of me.

“You are…”

Julian’s expression changed strangely upon spotting Leo. He straightened his posture. I furrowed my brow at Julian’s reaction.

‘Does Julian know that Leo is Alexandros?’

High-ranking officials probably knew that Alexandros had mixed in with the delegation. The king, especially a Sword Expert like Alexandros, showing up unannounced could be interpreted as a declaration of war. The reason Alexandros hadn’t come officially was likely because having a king accompany the delegation would diminish the nation’s prestige.

‘Perhaps the royal family or the Pope knows, and it’s likely Caesar is aware too… But does Julian, being the Chancellor, know?’

With power equivalent to that of a Marquis, it’s quite ambiguous to be sure he knows. However, seeing Julian tense up around Leo, who was clearly anxious, it seemed highly probable he had already received the information that Leo was Alexandros.

“…It seems I’ve interrupted. However, it’s a call from His Holiness the Pope.”

Julian lowered his posture. Leo’s previous demeanor vanished, and he looked down at Julian with sharp eyes. As Julian avoided Leo’s gaze, he turned to me.

“Princess, will you come with me?”

While lowering his posture, Julian firmly asked me.

“How dare you.”

Leo glared fiercely, radiating an aura of menace. I remained unfazed, but Julian momentarily forgot to breathe.

“How can someone like the Chancellor…”

“Leo.”

I stopped Leo from getting up. I smiled slyly at him.

“How rude to the Chancellor. You should follow His Holiness’s call as you are a subordinate.”

In an instant, Leo’s mouth shut. He couldn’t find a rebuttal, twisting his face as he gritted his teeth. It seemed he was quite frustrated.

When considering the king and the Pope, Alexandros, meaning Leo and El share the same status. Thus, if Leo, who was with me first, wouldn’t let me go, it was only natural for El, who called for me later, to step back.

However, right now, Leo had not officially revealed his kingly position. There was no reason to forcibly disregard El’s call.

‘Of course, I, the princess, can refuse, but…’

I could use my state of health to turn down an audience with the Pope. Furthermore, since it was a sudden call, I could argue that my refusal wouldn’t be rude.

‘But I’m going to go, you idiot.’

Leaving a fuming Leo behind, I stood up. I could feel his heated stare, filled with a meaning to not go, on my back, yet I grinned. His frustration was even more amusing than I anticipated.

I didn’t mind responding to El’s sudden summons because I was curious about why he sent Julian to call me, but I secretly wished to irritate Leo a bit more.

‘This guy, hiding his true identity from me.’

I didn’t know the exact reason. There must have been circumstances. However, it was rather disappointing that a friend was hiding something from me.

‘Does he think that if he honestly confessed to being the King of Atara, I would try to take advantage of him?’

Thinking that he might view me as such a small-minded person only annoyed me further.

“Let’s go, Chancellor.”

“Uh, yes…”

Julian, looking bewildered as he glanced between Leo and me, guided me. At a point far from where we had been sitting, I thought I heard the sound of shattered glass, but I dismissively ignored it.

If Leo had honestly revealed that he was the King of Atara, out of concern for his pride, he might have pretended to reconsider El’s call. However, I had no intention of being considerate about the pride of a friend who was hiding his identity from me.

“Do you know why His Holiness summoned me?”

I asked as I followed Julian. He sighed, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“Well, today’s particularly annoying. Of course, when the princess isn’t around, that guy’s always a mad dog. But today, it’s especially bad. Seriously. There’s no cure for his craziness…”

Having met Julian several times, I felt he lacked a certain decorum. Treating the Pope of the Empire so casually! At first, I worried for his neck when he called El a dog in front of him, but I got used to it.

‘By the way, how does El live normally…?’

Judging by Julian’s remarks and the reactions of the paladins who occasionally met El, he didn’t seem like an easy person to deal with, yet he acted as sweet as a cinnamon roll around me.

‘I was never that easygoing, even as a child. Eventually, I would just comply, but…’

I pondered deeply, feeling somewhat confused. The people around me seemed all so complicated and difficult.

‘Is El treating me with special care?’

Making such an inference was easy. The problem lay in finding out why he was treating me so specially. As Julian babbled ahead, I half-listened while seriously contemplating what could be the reason behind it. Then, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘It’s because I’ve been close since childhood, right? El considers me a close friend?’

The Kashmir Crisis was quick to notice.

More precisely, it was quick to pick up on things but could not relate any of that to love.

Julian guided me to a balcony that was previously draped with curtains. After exchanging brief greetings with him, I cleared my throat to announce my presence and drew back the curtains.

The moonlit balcony exuded a peculiar atmosphere. The gentle night breeze mixed with the scent of night flowers wafting in, along with the familiar fragrance of lilies, as I stepped inside.

“Your Highness, I heard you called for me.”

Leaning against the terrace railing, El was slowly closing his eyes. His sky-blue hair glistened mysteriously under the moonlight.

His head gradually turned towards me. His white eyelashes fluttered slightly, revealing silver eyes that shone even brighter than the moonlight.

‘Ah.’

The moment I gazed into his eyes, I sighed inwardly. They sparkled vividly, almost as if dusted with fairy powder. They were captivatingly beautiful, still holding an angel-like face.

‘But.’

As a Sword Master, I couldn’t fail to sense the tension flowing from him. His knuckles, protruding from the grip on the railing—which looked as if it might break—were visible, and I noticed the slight tremor at the corner of his biting lips. His pristine white teeth were visible, ready to draw blood.

He avoided making eye contact with me, and the dark emotions cascading from those silver eyes seemed to drip down.

El was suppressing his anger. And it was likely due to me.

“Are you angry with me?”

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should bring it up, but eventually opened my mouth. He looked like he might be dangerous at that moment, and touching him didn’t seem advisable, yet turning back didn’t suit my style.

“…Does that matter?”

In response to my question, El closed his eyes again. After a brief silence, he finally spoke. As his delicate lashes lifted again, all the feelings that had been pouring from his eyes seemed to have been contained.

“I can’t ever be angry with you anyway.”

El smiled with a face that was typically neutral. The smile was human-like, as if it were carved from stone. His countenance appeared so innocent and refreshing.

Being the Pope of an entire Empire, it wouldn’t be easy to downplay his authority.

With his head lowered, El approached me at a slow pace and carefully tucked my stray hair behind my ear. His face took a position just beyond my shoulder, and our gazes briefly crossed.

“What right do I have to be angry at you?”

The caressing voice that tickled right by my ear was certainly not a figment of imagination.

“While you cannot be angry, it sounds like you are indeed upset.”

I pointed it out calmly, and he sealed his lips. The silence was a confirmation.

Pulling back slightly to observe his expression, I was halted by El gently squeezing my shoulder. He still wouldn’t show me his face.

“I know it’s polite to have a conversation face-to-face.”

“This time, let’s break that politeness.”

“Elior.”

“….Ah.”

As I softly called his name, he exhaled a sigh that sounded almost like a moan.

“Show me your face. It’s been quite a while since we last met.”

After I concluded the negotiations with El, I had been visiting the temple in between but hadn’t been able to due to various engagements lately. It had been several weeks since it was just the two of us.

I grasped El by the shoulders and gently pushed him away. He stepped back willingly.

Our gazes locked, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words.

‘This is hard.’

Having spent my life fighting monsters for my survival, monsters were more familiar to me than humans, and I wielded a sword better than I could hold a conversation. My world had recently become very narrow, with only Aria being the one I could consider close.

Human emotions remained difficult for me.

I couldn’t read the meanings behind the darkness that enveloped his silver eyes. Nonetheless, I couldn’t take my gaze away from the deep emotions that seemed to fall, somewhere far away, and I silently stared at El for a long time.

His eyes gradually traveled over me and ultimately fell to the ground.

“Why are you angry?”

The only emotion I could discern from those eyes filled with a tangle of feelings was a thread of anger, prompting my question. As I tucked his slightly tousled hair back behind his ear, I did so as gently as possible.

My hardened fingertips grazed El’s pale ear. He bit his lip. After contemplating for a while, he finally spoke.

“…I was angry at myself for being greedy with your kindness.”

An unfathomable response. Still unreadable emotions. Having only dealt with monsters, who could be ended with a slice of my sword, humans felt like an enigma.

“So you’re not angry at me then.”

“I can’t be angry with you.”

“Then why aren’t you looking me in the eye?”

El shut his mouth. He stubbornly stared at the ground.

Unaccustomed to humans, I struggled to discern the truth in his words and understand the complexities behind his emotions. Monsters didn’t speak, and even intelligent ones couldn’t harbor complex feelings.

Yet I was quick on the uptake. My instincts helped me gauge the situation, a primal sense. While I might not fully grasp the emotions the person in front of me held, I could predict the actions that would arise from those feelings.

‘How come the princess is so perceptive? It seems like she knows all my thoughts! She’s incredibly sensitive.’

Thus, the countless praises I received along these lines weren’t entirely truthful. I wasn’t understanding the innermost thoughts of others; instead, I merely skimmed the surface of their feelings and prepared for whatever may come. When confronted with emotions I didn’t comprehend, I sometimes misinterpreted those feelings.

“Please look me in the eye. If not, I won’t know how to treat you, El.”

The eyes are the windows to the soul. No matter how adept one is at concealment, one cannot alter their soul.

That’s why whenever I converse with others, I always make sure to make eye contact, reading what their eyes convey before acting.

‘Grrr… rawr!’

This too was a habit I developed while confronting monsters. The direction of their gaze. The level of taint in their magical energy. The emotions drenched therein. Understanding all of that was imperative for survival.

“…I’m not as kind as you think I am.”

El slowly parted his lips.

I already knew he was treating me differently from others.

‘A close friend… Maybe.’

I wasn’t sure if my suspicion was right.

I didn’t know how to interpret feelings that remained hidden from me, so I would replace them with emotions I did understand.

“I’m probably the kind of person you dislike. Cruel, violent, indifferent to life, childish, you know, that sort of person.”

El slowly lifted his head. His silver eyes filled my vision.

“And I hoped you wouldn’t see me like that.”

Once again, I faced the unknown.

 

---