I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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49 Chapter

“I really wanted to meet you all. The Duke was strutting around like he’d won the lottery because he had a daughter! It made me green with envy!”

“Ha, ha…”

“Oh! Princess Aria! Thanks to you, the social circle has become quite heated! They say you’ve started selling accessories called harnesses and body chains? At such a young age, you’re impressive! These days, servants keep saying harnesses are all the rage; if you don’t wear one, you’re behind the times!”

“Thank you.”

“I hear the young lady has taken the social scene by storm. It’s only been a few months since she entered! Impressive!”

And so, the Emperor, not particularly good-looking, turned out to be an incredible chatterbox.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward as the Emperor poured out compliments without giving a moment’s pause for thanks.

Watching Aria, who was wilting under the barrage of nearly violent praise, I realized that I wasn’t in a position to worry about someone else.

‘Is he trying to incinerate me with his gaze?’

I thought, desperately avoiding Diego’s fixed stare. Ever since stepping into reality, Diego and I had been playing a game of eye tag.

‘Ack! No!’

I tried to ignore the burning gaze and screamed internally.

I knew that simply making eye contact wasn’t a big deal, but avoiding it to this extent was starting to seem odd.

‘Oh come on! Just let it go!’

‘What the…!’

‘Good night… sweet dreams…’

But no matter how casually I tried to act, the memories of our last encounter made me want to die.

‘Who would have thought Didi was Crown Prince Diego!’

I mentally banged my head against a wall. Who would think that a man collapsed on the street from an assassin’s attack would turn out to be a crown prince?

I had been thinking of Didi as no more than the son of a Count; I was losing my mind.

To hide my twitching lips, I brought my trembling hand to my teacup, but soon realized that the Emperor’s gaze, which had been showering Aria with compliments, was now directed at me. I nearly spat out my tea.

An ominous smile was forming at the corners of the Emperor’s lips.

“I really wanted to meet Princess Kashmir.”

“Your Majesty.”

As the Emperor started to speak, Diego shot me a sharp look, murmuring lowly.

Trying to suppress his laughter, the Emperor seemed completely unfazed, directing all his attention towards me.

“Who could say no to such a splendid person who just kicked my son, the Crown Prince, to the curb!”

“Cough!”

“Ha…!”

I nearly spewed my tea once more at the Emperor’s completely unfiltered words.

Diego squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with one hand. It was another start.

The sight of Diego’s expression made the Emperor laugh maniacally.

“Ah hah hah! I’ve been teasing Diego about this all this time! He’s got a splendid face just like mine, yet he got dumped by the Princess of Crisis!”

“What?”

“Your Majesty, please forgive me for being flustered.”

“Shut up, you foolish Duke! I’m just enjoying this! So, Diego got dumped by the princess and has been freezing cold ever since…”

“Your Majesty!”

Sitting in the middle of the conversation, flanked by Caesar and Diego, they tried to rein in the Emperor’s wild tongue, but the Emperor continued, clearly enjoying himself.

“A love triangle! Isn’t it thrilling? I was just watching it unfold from my throne. Youth is indeed wonderful. In my day…”

The Emperor was a man who sucked the energy right out of you just sitting across from him.

With my own mind almost blank, I stared into space with tea in my mouth when my eyes met Diego’s. Startled, he formed a resolute expression and seemed to mouth something.

‘Spit it out.’

“Kuh! Cough! Cough!”

“Shushu!”

Without thinking about the weight of the sentence, I spat the tea all over my lap as if under Diego’s spell. My eyes widened in surprise at the sudden confrontation.

As I unexpectedly spat my tea, the Emperor halted mid-sentence, and surprised Caesar and Aria shot up.

“Are you okay? Isn’t it hot?”

“Check if you’re burned!”

“Oh, I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s cold tea. I just… choked a bit…”

I managed to speak through my constricted throat, holding back Caesar and Aria, who were making a fuss. Meanwhile, Diego jumped up from across the table.

“We should change clothes since yours are wet. I shall guide Princess Crisis to the changing room.”

But I hadn’t spilled that much.

It seemed the reason Diego wanted me to spit out was to find a way to escape this place—

Caesar and Aria shot sharp glares at Diego, while the Emperor’s look of amusement turned toward him.

“Kid, are you joking?”

“Your Majesty, please maintain some decorum…”

“Alright, alright. Then let the Crown Prince guide the princess.”

Diego looked exasperated at the Emperor’s overly trivial words. Only then did the Emperor wipe the playful smile off his face and issue serious commands. Now that he was serious, it only made him look more playful, but a command from the Emperor was still a command. I stood up, following Diego.

“Then, Princess, please follow me.”

Leaving behind a visibly displeased Caesar and Aria, I stepped out of the reception room.

As I stepped outside and shook off my slightly damp clothes, a crisp sound of fingers snapping echoed followed by a warm breeze enveloping me, drying my wet outfit in an instant.

“Oh…”

“I know the basics of magic.”

A voice, now rather familiar, tickled my ears. I flinched and hesitated, finally lifting my head to meet the owner of that burning gaze.

His azure eyes shimmered with strange emotions as they met mine.

Crown Prince of the Solarit Empire, Diego Ilias de Helios Solarit.

Didi, with whom I’d created small memories in a cabin.

I wasn’t quite sure how to treat him, Diego, or Didi.

“…If you could have just said it outright, why did you offer to take me to the changing room?”

“Because I wanted to escape from that spot. You seemed like you wanted to as well, didn’t you?”

So, he was trying to avoid the awkwardness, it seemed.

To be honest, it was quite uncomfortable being there, so I nodded cautiously. Diego chuckled.

“You must have been quite flustered. The Emperor loves to stir things up. But I apologize on his behalf.”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

‘I think you might be the one who isn’t fine…’

Though his face bore a perfect poker face, Diego’s ears were practically glowing red. I thought it was somewhat cute, but I quickly turned my head, not wanting him to feel embarrassed.

Honestly, if I were the target of the Emperor’s teasing, I would have felt like nose-diving into my teacup to escape the situation, so I completely understood his feelings.

“Since we’re out now, how about we indulge in a little escapade? How about just stepping into the next reception room for a bit?”

“I’m okay with that.”

I contemplated which was more uncomfortable: being alone with Diego or facing the Emperor again. I suspected that standing in front of the Emperor would be far more awkward; it seemed better to stand before Diego while anxiously worrying about being found out.

“Then come this way.”

With a grin, Diego led the way, opening the door to the room right next to the one we’d just been in.

Following him inside, the room looked nearly identical to the reception room, except for a slight difference in color scheme.

Seeing Diego sit down on the couch on the right, I naturally took a seat across from him. As Diego rang a magic bell on the table, the servant quickly entered, preparing refreshments before disappearing.

In the awkward silence, I raised my teacup. Diego, similarly raising his cup, slowly opened his mouth.

TTTT-

“Cough!”

As my nickname spilled from Diego’s lips as if it was the most natural thing, I nearly spat out tea again. Thankfully, I managed to swallow, merely coughing lightly, but my embarrassment was at an all-time high.

‘Does he know?’

I stared at him wide-eyed, forgetting all about maintaining my expression. Diego met my gaze directly, sporting an enchanting smile.

“The Duke and the second princess call you Shushu. Is that your nickname?”

“Y-yes? Um, yes. It’s a, uh, nickname.”

“I was wondering if I could also call you Shushu if we become close.”

As Diego, with his unwavering composure, asked me while beaming, I accidentally nodded in a daze.

“Thank you. When we’re alone, you can call me Didi whenever you want. It’s my nickname.”

“…It’s an honor. When I get to know you better, I’ll call you that then.”

The moment “Didi” escaped his lips, I nearly shouted at him if he was teasing me right now. I bit my lip and tried to appear nonchalant. My head was spinning from the rapid pace of events.

I stared hard at Diego in front of me. He continued to smile, his eyes crinkling but never breaking our eye contact. To judge from his attitude, one could say I had been too cautious, but there was no definitive evidence to confirm that.

‘Let’s just push through.’

Spinning my wheels didn’t help. I had never been good at hiding anything anyway. Rather than feeling that dirty feeling of having my feelings held hostage, I’d prefer to just point the gun at my own head and verify the reality.

“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell anywhere these days? Perhaps your abdomen?”

Since it wasn’t publicly known that Diego had been attacked, my sudden question would surely sound bizarre. A slight ripple passed through his bright blue eyes, but it quickly vanished as delight took its place.

“Actually, I got hurt in the abdomen recently.”

“How lamentable. Are you alright?”

“Yes. Someone treated it very nicely.”

Once again, a strange atmosphere fell over us. Diego and I were looking at each other as if we were gauging each other’s reactions.

‘This guy caught on, didn’t he?’

And I was certain of it.

There was no way he couldn’t have noticed, considering how far we’d gotten with this. For a moment, I forgot my manners and scratched the back of my head, letting out a deep sigh.

If it were to be revealed that I was Mir, it could very well complicate my future plans. I needed to curb Diego’s mouth.

‘I doubt money would buy his silence. But then again, I also don’t think he wants to hold my weakness over me…’

Observing Diego’s relaxed posture as he leaned his chin on his hand, I sighed.