Crunch, Crunch.
Sena nibbled on his chocolate. His brow furrowed slightly.
“Ugh. Bitter. Not tasty at all.”
This was what they called dark chocolate, with a cocoa content exceeding 70%.
It was also the only chocolate that diabetic patients could eat.
He had asked Old Man Elundir in the palace to produce it.
Cutting out sugar was harder than one might think.
Normally, sweetness was desired, and since diabetic patients tended to like sweet things, they often ended up with diabetes.
…Of course, he wondered if this taste could be comforting.
‘Well, it’s better than having nothing.’
Sena neatly folded the chocolate in paper and stacked it.
‘Once every three days!’
After marking the schedule diligently, Sena turned his gaze. He saw the piles of herbs.
The herbs scattered around the room were prepared to handle most illnesses.
He didn’t prepare too much on purpose. Since it was for the royal family, they could easily acquire more, and the important thing was how to use the herbs.
“Just need to finish up.”
The sunset outside had just crossed the horizon.
Night was approaching.
It was the last night in the palace.
Sena closed his suitcase.
It would be difficult to find these herbs again once they were used up.
No need to be regretful.
There was still time left, and the journey back home was long.
“Sylvia, are you sure that’s all you need?”
“…A knight can manage with just one sword.”
Sylvia was dressed comfortably.
A lace-adorned white blouse and loose pants. It looked like the least expensive outfit she owned, resembling pajamas.
‘At least it’s not a dress.’
Looking at things like this, she didn’t look like a Teutonic Knights, who were said to be the strongest in the Empire.
Wearing dazzling silver plate mail would draw attention quickly.
“Senior, are you sure it’s okay?”
“I have quite a few things in my suitcase.”
“Not that, though. Is your body really okay to move around?”
“If I have a sense of balance, I’ve adapted somewhat, so it’s okay.”
Sena looked around again. He saw scattered clothes.
He hugged each garment and began folding them neatly in their places.
Cough, cough.
Sena coughed weakly. Luckily, no blood came out, but Sylvia flinched each time he coughed.
He wasn’t that weak yet.
“You could ask a maid to do that. Seriously.”
As if disappointed, Sylvia came over and helped fold the clothes.
Though blunt, there was no junior like Sylvia.
But it would be nice if she folded symmetrically.
“I’ll do it. Keep people out, Sylvia.”
“Anyway, no one but Her Majesty comes to Sena’s room. If Her Majesty comes, I can’t stop her.”
Sylvia assumed Sena’s glance was due to discontent with the symmetry and proceeded to fold.
Sena’s clothes. They seemed smaller than they actually were. Whether it was because of the perception of weakness or not, they seemed smaller than they looked.
‘This…’
Sylvia’s hand stopped at a familiar piece of clothing.
It was a robe she had often seen since her Academy days. The white robe still maintained its color, but it was heavily patched.
There were even darn marks inside.
Sena was known for valuing items and clothes. He was quietly famous for being stingy.
But this was too much.
“Oh, you don’t have to fold that. I’ll wear it outside again.”
“Senior, why don’t you get a new robe?”
Sylvia’s eyes felt itchy. Sena awkwardly smiled. There was a sad truth behind it.
-Cherish it.
The robe was a gift from Cruyff when Sena entered the Academy.
Of course, he didn’t keep it all this time because it was a gift from that stubborn priest.
-If you can’t wear this, your next clothing will be a priest’s vestment.
…He really hated that. Sena intended to cherish that robe until he died.
“It was a gift from Cruyff on my birthday.”
“Oh.”
Sylvia shook her head. She looked at the robe with a wistful gaze. It was a cherished item filled with precious memories.
It touched her heart to see Sena’s kind nature to still hold on to something so precious after all these years.
‘Compared to him, I…’
Sylvia quietly recalled the items she received on her birthday.
It was apparently a villa in some distant domain. Judging by the fact that she couldn’t even remember its name, she had received it and left it abandoned.
‘Now’s not the time for this. I need to help Senior. I’m his knight.’
Shaking off her thoughts, Sylvia reached out to start folding the next piece of clothing.
“When did you finish folding everything?”
“Oh? Just now.”
For reference, he even folded Sylvia’s share of her mess.
After folding the last piece of clothing, Sena brushed off his hands and stood up. He wanted to take everything, but that would reduce the amount of herbs he could carry in his suitcase.
He took a few steps back and glanced around the room. It was well-organized. Still imperfect, but it would do.
Looking towards the door, Sena spoke.
“Luna.”
–Yes.
“Come in.”
The door opened promptly.
Luna’s face, which he hadn’t seen in a long time.
He felt a pang of guilt towards her.
Unlike Serilda, he hadn’t spoken much with Luna.
She was often on night duty, and he frequently sent her on errands during the day.
Luna must have had it harder than Serilda. But he never divided the work between them.
It was intentional. He purposely avoided building closeness for today.
Because if he did, she wouldn’t help.
“There’s something you need to do right away.”
Sena handed her a letter.
“Deliver this to Marquis Ashmont.”
“Yes, Sena-nim.”
Luna politely accepted the letter in a soft voice.
She didn’t raise any questions. Sena was curious, so he asked.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“It’s my role.”
Luna smiled faintly. She politely bowed and left the room.
‘She’s a good maid. A remarkable maid, indeed.’
Luna had never disobeyed Sena’s words. Her response was always ‘yes’, and she efficiently carried out tasks and requests more quietly and reliably than anyone else.
She would make a good maid.
At Marquis Ashmont’s estate.
After Luna left and enough time had passed,
Sena turned around.
“At 1 a.m. tonight.”
He remembered the time he first arrived at the palace.
77 days. Now it was 64 days.
He had stayed in the palace for a total of 13 days.
There had been quite a lot going on in such a short period.
At first, he wondered how it would be, but Astria turned out to be nicer than he thought.
Astria, who had been labeled by the public as a tyrant.
…He couldn’t deny that label anymore.
Nevertheless, Sena believed Astria was a good person.
She understood the circumstances of her subjects.
She listened to the grievances of the unjust.
She didn’t indulge in unnecessary things, only what was necessary.
While he didn’t hesitate for a moment to eliminate traitors, she cherished the flowers in the garden.
Above all, she trusted and followed his words without complaint.
Truly, truly.
He hoped she would live a long life.
Unlike himself.
“We’ll leave the palace, find a carriage, and escape to an unknown place.”
“…”
Sylvia bit her lip slightly.
Is there really no other way?
She knew best the emptiness that followed Sena’s disappearance.
It was beyond imagination.
The everyday stability that Sena brought was irreplaceable by anything else.
“I wish you could come with me.”
Sena extended a small hand. Sylvia raised her head slightly and looked at that hand.
Her head told her to resist.
But Sylvia’s current emotions were overwhelming joy.
She couldn’t resist that joy, so she held his hand.
“Whoever tries to stop us, I’ll definitely send Senior back home.”
“You’re reliable. When did you grow up like this?”
Sena laughed as he gently patted Sylvia’s head.
Sylvia blushed slightly. At this moment, she felt like she had returned to the noblewoman she had abandoned years ago.
However, suddenly Sylvia couldn’t shake off her practical concerns.
“…But how do I escape?”
“Huh?”
“It won’t be easy. If they’re causing a rebellion at the ball, they must think the Empire has fallen. But that was only true until yesterday when Duke Reinhardt, who was influential until then, was implicated.”
The imperial palace.
A place where even an ant’s movement is reported.
Escape from such a place was, by Sylvia’s standards, impossible.
Alone, she might have found a way somehow. Teuton was relatively free to come and go, and skill-wise, she had confidence.
‘Holding each other and leaping over rooftops might be an option. But eventually, I’d be caught at the walls. If I cause a commotion, Senior Chris will show up. If Senior Chris catches us, even if we had ten of me, we couldn’t escape.’
However, Sena was more cunning than he appeared.
Escaping was his specialty. Not just talk, but the real deal.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan too.”
From the start, the calculations were already made when entering the palace.
The only worry was that the palace was so vast; her legs might hurt.
“I think mornings would be better to avoid Senior Chris. After work, he’s like a blade.”
Sylvia seemed to not entirely believe Sena had a plan.
“Trust me a little.”
Sena grinned. Even so, the trust seemed lacking.
“How can I trust you? Leaving the palace is no easy task. Do you know how many gates you have to pass?”
“I know, I know. But I’ve really thought this through.”
To get out, four gates had to be passed.
It wasn’t simple. Honestly, just stepping out meant knowing Astria wouldn’t allow it.
Moreover, once caught, escaping a second time would be even harder.
Yet Sylvia looked skeptical.
“Tell me. Otherwise, I’ll find my own way.”
“…You’re really suspicious.”
“Think about what Senior has done so far.”
Sena was clueless outside his field.
More so than anyone.
She was Sylvia, and she knew that better than anyone else.
“…Do I really have to show you?”
“Just saying it is fine.”
Sena hesitated.
‘I can’t just say it.’
Just the thought was embarrassing; speaking it was impossible.
Might as well show her.
With no appointments this afternoon and planning to stay in his room until dusk anyway.
Above all, he needed to get used to embarrassment. Mistakes due to embarrassment were unacceptable.
“Alright.”
Sena nodded reluctantly, unable to meet Sylvia’s eyes.
“Um, could you step outside for a moment?”
Sylvia blinked.
Sena’s face turned red down to his neck.
What was going on?
Nevertheless, Sylvia nodded.
“I’ll wait by the door. Let me know when you’re done.”
“Okay.”
After Sylvia left.
Sena, whose face was now crimson, quietly opened a drawer.
A maid’s uniform was neatly folded inside.
