FTMR 38

Chapter 38

 A Man Asked Me to Give This to the Princess

Seeing Anette’s swollen, red eyes from crying so much, Kardin couldn’t help but sigh in pity.

But at the same time, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

When had Anette ever cried so openly like this?

Letting it all out at least once wasn’t a bad thing—especially if it was by his side.

With that in mind, Kardin handed something to Anette.

While putting away her handkerchief earlier, he had found something he’d completely forgotten about.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a letter.”

Kardin replied in a deliberately indifferent tone.

“A man asked me to give it to you.”

“A man?”

Startled, Anette blinked in confusion. Kardin nodded, clearly displeased.

“Yes. While you were talking with Her Majesty, he asked me to deliver it. Said it was very important.”

“W-Who could it be…?”

Suddenly, the soft cushioned seat of the carriage began to feel uncomfortably stiff.

Even though she had absolutely nothing to be guilty about, Anette found herself glancing at Kardin like she had done something terribly wrong.

She recalled how he’d once said he didn’t like seeing her close to other men.

But she couldn’t imagine who it might be.

‘Could it be someone from Heyworth…?’

The envoy hadn’t returned, and there’d been no word from them. It was about time to wonder whether the alliance was going well.

Still, the cowardly king wouldn’t make a move out of fear that something might go wrong.

And even if he had sent another envoy out of desperation, there was no way he would’ve entrusted a personal letter to be delivered to her.

‘…It can’t be someone from the Royal Knights, either.’

There wasn’t a single man in the Empire who would write to her like this.

Gulping nervously, Anette reached for the letter Kardin offered her.

It was a pale pink envelope that looked like it might smell of roses, with her name neatly written on the front.

And beneath it…

“Audrey Melin?”

She muttered the name in a dazed voice. Kardin, who’d been pretending to pout, burst out laughing.

Realizing she’d been tricked, Anette glared at him.

“You said it was from a man!”

“It was from a man.”

“Liar…”

“I’m telling the truth.”

Kardin shrugged.

“It was from her father—Marquis Melin, the commander of the Imperial Knights.”

‘My daughter was very sad to hear the princess is leaving today. She gave this to me and asked if I could pass it along to Your Grace.’

Hearing the full story, Anette couldn’t hide her frustration. For a moment there, she had been so nervous that cold sweat had run down her back—for nothing!

Seeing her face all puffed up with anger, Kardin chuckled.

“Sorry. But there’s no way I’d just stand by while some shady guy tried to make a move on you.”

Let alone deliver a letter from one, Kardin wouldn’t even let the guy make eye contact with her.

“…What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

That didn’t sound like nothing.

It felt like he’d just said something outrageous, but Kardin simply feigned innocence.

When Anette stared at him suspiciously, he gave her a sly smile.

“Shouldn’t you read the letter, Princess?”

“Oh.”

Only then did Anette remember the envelope in her hand. With a flushed face, she began to open it.

Kardin watched her with a look of anticipation that matched her own.

‘She might cry again.’

Not that he was hoping she would…

Well, maybe a little.

He had to admit, it had been incredibly satisfying earlier when she didn’t want Mikhail to see her cry and buried her face in Kardin’s chest instead. Even wrapped her arms around his neck, quite naturally.

Sure, Mikhail wasn’t here now, so she probably wouldn’t come running into his arms again.

But still—he might get to wipe her tears or pat her on the shoulder.

He’d already seized her handkerchief earlier to satisfy his selfish desire, so Kardin couldn’t help but look forward to it even more.

Of course, none of this showed on his face.

If Anette even caught a hint of his thoughts, she’d never cry in front of him again.

Worse, she might start thinking of him as some sort of pervert.

But contrary to Kardin’s hopeful expectations, Anette didn’t cry.

As she quietly read the letter, her expression brightened little by little.

With a delighted face, she said,

“Lady Melin asked if she could write to me at the Grand Duke’s estate. She wants to recommend me some books.”

“Can we exchange letters?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The sight of her looking so radiant made Kardin’s heart skip a beat. He answered quickly.

“Of course. Yes, absolutely. If that’s what you want.”

But then, he let out a sigh, looking sulky.

“Haah, I thought I’d get to have you all to myself at the Grand Duke’s estate…”

“Ahem.”

“If Lady Melin starts writing to you, I’m sure my niece or even Her Majesty the Empress will follow suit. I didn’t realize you were this popular.”

Though a bit embarrassed, Anette didn’t seem to dislike his teasing. She just pretended not to hear him.

Seeing that, Kardin chuckled and was about to tease her a little more—

Knock knock.

A knock came from outside the carriage.

“Your Grace. We’ve located a clearing and a lake not far from here,” came the voice of Morten, the deputy commander of the escort knights.

“Princess, we’ll be camping here for tonight. Is that alright with you?”

As she stepped down from the carriage, holding Kardin’s hand, Anette nodded.

If they entered a nearby village with such a fancy carriage and an entire knight order, it was obvious they’d attract unwanted attention and rumors.

Besides, she was quite used to camping. It didn’t bother her at all.

With her approval, Kardin began giving orders to his subordinates.

Meanwhile, Anette quietly looked up at the sky.

Back when they left the palace, the sun had been high in the sky, but now it was sinking below the horizon, dyeing the sky a deep red.

Escaping the palace had been difficult, but the journey north from the capital had gone surprisingly smoothly.

She’d only dozed off for a short while, but they’d already come quite far.

It was finally sinking in—she had truly left the palace and was on her way to the Grand Duke’s estate.

Then, a thought suddenly hit her. She had cried in front of the entire knight order.

Embarrassment washed over her.

‘I thought I made a dignified first impression… but it’s ruined!’

Her first impression wasn’t particularly dignified to begin with, but Anette had no idea.

As she made a distressed face, she caught sight of the sparkling lake beyond the knights who were gathering firewood and setting up tents.

It hit her—she needed to wash up and tidy her hair.

‘I can’t do anything about the puffiness, but cold water should help a bit.’

And while she was at it, she could rinse her tear-stained handkerchief.

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

Seeing her glance around frantically, Kardin tilted his head.

“Can you not call me that?”

“…?”

“Sigh, never mind. Have you seen my handkerchief?”

She was sure she had it just a moment ago.

Kardin flinched at her question.

But he quickly turned his head, so Anette didn’t notice.

“Samuel!”

He raised his hand and called out to his aide.

Samuel, who had been standing nearby watching the knights, ran over at once.

“Yes, Your Grace. Do you have an order for me?”

He asked innocently, but Kardin simply nodded.

“Keep our princess company for a bit.”

“…Pardon?”

Both Samuel and Anette, who was about to search the carriage, stared in shock.

“Your Grace?”

“Princess, you must be thirsty. I’ll go fetch some water from the lake.”

“No, Your Grace. You should let me handle something like that—”

“Samuel, stay here.”

Without letting anyone object, Kardin quickly made his way to the lake.

Leaving behind Anette and Samuel, who were now awkwardly standing in front of the carriage.

‘He said not to get close to other men…’

As the thought crossed her mind, Anette glanced at Samuel.

‘Could it be… Samuel looks like a man, but is actually a woman?’

“Are you a girl?”

“…Excuse me?”

Samuel tilted his head, clearly confused by the sudden question.

“No, nothing.”

Anette shook her head, realizing how ridiculous her thoughts had been after hearing his undeniably masculine voice.

She let out a bitter laugh and unconsciously followed Kardin’s retreating figure with her eyes.

Sensing her gaze, Kardin turned around and waved at her from the lakeside.

Startled, Anette quickly looked away. To hide her flustered state, she resumed her search.

“What are you looking for, Princess?”

Samuel peeked inside the carriage to help. Though he couldn’t exactly be her “companion” as ordered, his eyes gleamed with a desire to be helpful.

Anette scratched her cheek and mumbled awkwardly.

“My handkerchief. I’m sure I had it earlier, but now it’s gone…”

Hearing that, Samuel smacked his forehead.

“Oh, that obsessive collector…”

No wonder his master had suddenly disappeared.

Samuel realized Kardin had run off to avoid interrogation.