The exploding bundle turned into ash that scattered like flower petals in the wind.

“That was so refreshing!”
“The Blanquer trash ended up like this in the end.”
“He probably wouldn’t be alive if he went up against her Majesty.”
“His Royal Highness truly is strong. He truly is the small sun of the Empire.”

I could hear the nobles chatting as they gave a standing ovation.

A couple healing priests were running toward young Duke Blanquer.

Vice Captain Élisabeth had pulled her sword out of the ground and was walking toward Imperial Prince Cédric.

The Imperial Prince was fine, but he probably needed a check-up just in case.

Ganael and Benjamin quickly packed our stuff while Christelle left first, saying that she was going to help the healing priests.

She must be thinking that they might need clean water.

The spectators flapped their fans and slowly called their attendants over.

“The two of you can head down as well.”

I addressed Benjamin and Ganael.

I watched the two of them nod their heads and descend the stair-like stands beforelooking back.

Sir Johann Geens was quietly standing next to me. It was almost as if he wasn’t there.

“Lady Belliard.”
“’The duel was so refreshing, like a glass of ade with pomegranate jam and lemon slices.’ There were quite a lot of newsworthy things. I think that I will be able to fill the magazine for a month with what happened today.”

The old lady behind me closed her notebook and smiled.

She must have figured out what I had been drinking.

I smiled bitterly and reached an arm out toward the Managing Editor of the < Biweekly Riester >.

She quietly gasped before happily receiving my escort.

The hem of her jade-colored dress started to move.

Sir Geens also silently followed behind us.

“How is your grandson doing?”

I cautiously asked.

Based on the story I heard in the Imperial Palace’s temple last time, Lady Belliard had a young grandson who had lost consciousness and could not open his eyes.

Her green eyes opened a bit wider as she looked at me. She seemed shocked at what I had asked.

“I didn’t know you would be curious about that, your highness.”
“I was unable to ask you about it at the last interview, Lady Belliard.”

Her face looked quite odd at my response. Her wrinkled lips seemed to be carefully choosing what to say.

“He is the same as usual, your highness. But for a royal priest to personally care about him like this……”

Her voice became quiet and she did not say anything else.

I did not ask either and walked the steps with her.

Our surroundings were extremely chaotic with attendants urgently rushing over to escort their masters, attendants looking after fainted nobles, and people excitedly talking about the duel.

I could feel some gazes and whispers directed toward me, but I completely ignored them.

I turned my gaze toward the location of the duel to see a pair of garnet-like orange eyes looking at me.

‘You did so well.’

I smiled at the bastard who quickly turned his gaze.

“His Royal Highness seemed to have listened to you, your highness.”

Lady Belliard put her notebook in her pocket and changed the topic. I did my best to drag out a response.

“……His Royal Highness is wise. I’m sure that he knew that there was no need for an unnecessary murder.”
“I’m not sure about that, your highness. Based on the young Duke’s attitude, it would not have been weird for him to die today. I’ve known for a long time that he was trash, but I didn’t know he would be so arrogant in front of the Imperial family as well. There are rumors about how he acts like he is the Imperial Prince when he is in his territory. They seem to be true.”

She had quickly regained her usual voice as she sharply continued speaking.

The short steps were coming to an end.

“I plan to choose between two directions with this article. There is a limit to the number of pages each volume of our magazine can have, after all. One will put the focus on his Royal Highness while the other would probably put the focus on you, Prince Jesse.”
“……”
“Which would you prefer, your highness?”

The old woman smiled and looked up at me.

The small glasses on the bridge of her nose was letting me know that she was still in ‘reporter mode’.

I wasn’t planning on appeasing her or defeating her from the beginning, so I simply smiled back.

Even if I managed to convince her to write the article in a way that was favorable to me, that would not be an act of goodwill, but a trade.

I didn’t want to have such a tricky relationship with the media.

“I wish to be far from people’s interests, but…… That is for you to decide, Lady Belliard. I can only wait as a reader.”

I stood on the ground and waited for her to descend the last step.

Lady Belliard was smiling as she looked at me.

Her expression seemed to be saying that I was quite an entertaining little punk.

“Please be safe on your way home, Lady Belliard. I will pray that your grandson gets better soon.”
“Thank you very much, your highness. I pray that you are full of blessings as well.”

Lady Belliard’s attendant immediately walked over to attend to her.

The two of them bowed respectfully before walking away.

Sir Geens and I then quickly walked to the duel area.

“Are you okay, your Royal Highness?”

The bastard seemed to be implying that it was to be expected and didn’t respond

There was not a single scratch on his pretty face. There weren’t even any on the back of his hand.

‘Right, who the heck was I worrying about?’

Percy, who had been on my shoulder the whole time, flew over to his shoulder.

“We should be asking if you are okay, Prince Jesse.”
“Yes, I am okay. There was a barrier there.”

I immediately responded to Vice Captain Élisabeth’s question.

Ganael had not gone to the carriage, and was standing next to her. His face looked much more haggard than before the duel started.

The young Countess was personally calming the shocked young boy.

“As for the young Duke’s condition…”
“You son of a bitch, you’ll regret the fact that you did not die today.”

I stopped mid sentence and gasped in shock.

Our main character was seated next to young Duke Blanquer, who was being assisted by the healing priests, while whispering threats into his ear.

It looked as if she had come not to help with the healing but to slow it down.

The way she was pointing with her opera glasses seemed quite thuggish.

Nobody seemed to be able to step up and stop Christelle as the Imperial Prince was remaining silent on the matter.

Furthermore, she was the only child of Duke Sarnez, one of her Majesty’s favorite vassals.

The bloodied young Duke lying on the ground groaned and opened his mouth.

“Oo, ugh…… Young lady Sarnez……”
“Does it hurt? It hurts me too. Seeing shit like you gives me a headache thinking about the Empire. A damn kid, who has barely just stopped drinking breast milk went out into the world and only learned how to be a shitty jackass. Vice Captain Élisabeth’s future hubby almost fainted because of you.”

‘Future hubby?’

“That’s enough, young lady Sarnez.”

I gently placed my hand on her arm.

Christelle finally raised her head, saw me, and smiled brightly.

“Oh my, you’re here, your highness! I was telling the young Duke that I hope he returns home safely.”

‘You looked more like you wanted to escort him to the afterlife instead of his house……’

“Let’s head to the carriage. We might be the snack for the nobles’ teatime and then their dinner drink if we stay here any longer.”
“As you wish, your highness.”

She gently stood up.

The Imperial Prince showed signs of leaving as well, making the healing priests all get up to respectfully bid him farewell.

It was definitely a coincidence that one of the priests and I made eye contact in the process.

“……”
“……”

Her curly red hair that looked as if it was on fire was fluttering under her robe.

The clear sepia eyes were glaring at me with a grudge.

I became anxious at the woman’s intense emotions toward me and could not say anything.

I missed a few beats before remembering who she was.

“Young lady Blanquer. Please return home safely.”
“……I will see you next time, your highness.”

It was Eva Blanquer, the young Duke’s younger sister and the one who had tied the scarf to his sword earlier.

She was a beautiful girl who would make anybody turn in shock at her beauty, but her gaze toward me was so vicious that words could not describe it.

I presumed she was quite upset that her brother ended up like this.

I thought that he brought it upon himself, but no family member would be happy about this matter.

‘……There should be no hidden meaning behind seeing me next time, right?’

“Okay then.”

I nodded my head toward the young Duke who was bleeding all over his body and started walking.

I had no sympathy toward the person who threw a sword at me, but I hoped for his recovery because I didn’t want Christelle and the Imperial Prince’s future to be hindered because of this bastard.

The Imperial Prince and his attendant, David, were walking in front.

Christelle, Ganael, Vice Captain Élisabeth, and Sir Geens were walking with me.

“……Kind of relationship?”

‘Hmm?’

I stopped walking for a moment.

I looked back, thinking that I heard a weird question, but Eva was turning away from me without hesitation.

She bent down to inspect her brother’s condition again.

‘Did I hear wrong?’

“I heard that the young Duke’s right hand will never be able to feel anything again. Holy fire burnt everything down to his nerves, so healing powers are unable to restore them.”

Christelle explained in an extremely satisfied voice.

The nobles all respectfully greeted the Imperial Prince as we headed toward the carriage.

I didn’t know that the Sword of Wisdom would be so picky about who held it.

‘It was calm when I was tying the handkerchief on it though. I guess it’s basically an ego sword.’

“All of the blades that were stabbed into him were heated with fire, so he will also have a lot of scars and burns. He might limp for the rest of his life if he is unlucky.”
“You seem quite happy about that, young lady Sarnez.”
“Is it that visible, your highness? Am I smiling right now?”
“Yes, you look like the happiest person in the world right now.”

Christelle laughed out loud at my comment.

There seemed to be some good feelings in her eyes as she looked at the Imperial Prince’s back.

Vice Captain Élisabeth, who arrived in front of the two carriages we arrived in, kissed Ganael’s temples and opened the door.

‘The two of them are really close.’

“Eek!”

Ganael looked inside the carriage before taking a step back in shock.

Vice Captain Élisabeth, who also looked inside after seeing the young boy’s reaction, also seemed astonished.

I quickly walked to see what was going on.

“Why are you… Lady Belliard?!”

My body moved before my mind and I too took a step back.

Even the Imperial Prince, who was about to walk past us, also flinched.

Lady Sarah Belliard, whom I had just left moments ago, was coming out of the Juliette Palace’s carriage.

“Why are you coming out of there, Lady Belliard……”
“Hohoho, shall I call it a middle-aged romance? I will really be making my leave now. Goodbye, your Royal Highness and your highness.”

Her white hair fluttered as the old woman elegantly bowed and walked away.

I blanked out for a moment as I watched her leave.

Her demeanor and movement were so natural that none of the nobles looked toward us with any suspicion.

‘What the hell did she do in an Imperial family carriage? Do we need to capture her?’

I was having such thoughts when Ganael, who was tightly holding the carriage door, looked inside and asked.

“……Benjamin-nim, what were you discussing with Lady Belliard?”

‘Who?’

*

“This is huuuuuge! You put an outsider in an Imperial family carriage, so you have to tell us everything!”

– Pipipipi!

Christelle, who was seated to my right, quickly talked away.

Percy, who was on her knee, chirped in agreement.

Benjamin, who was seated across from us with Vice Captain Élisabeth to his left and Ganael to his right, smiled awkwardly.

There was a pretty and colorful envelope in his hand, similar to the one I saw a few days ago.

‘Wow, was she being serious when she said a middle-aged romance……’

“There shouldn’t be any reason for me to be here.”
“Your Royal Highness, I agree with you but I think it is too difficult for you to get off now.”

The Imperial Prince bastard, who was seated to my left, grumbled with an arm on the window.

It was extremely cramped with six people inside a four-person carriage. The Imperial Prince was also very tall with long legs, so it would be even more uncomfortable for him.

However, it was always difficult for the person seated by the window to get in and out of the carriage.

The Imperial Prince’s body was hot and Christelle’s body was cold, so my body temperature was quite uneven, being stuck between them.

About two minutes ago…

Christelle and Vice Captain Élisabeth shared a look that seemed to say they found something juicy before abducting Ganael, the Imperial Prince, and I, pushing us into this problematic carriage.

I snapped back to my senses to find us in the current situation.

The middle-aged man sat in this oppressive formation with five people and one animal surrounding him. This carriage was acting like an interrogation room on wheels.

I could see Sir Geens and an anxious David outside the window.

“If you have that kind of relationship with Lady Belliard, we will not ask anything more about that……”
“It’s not like that, young lady Sarnez.”

Benjamin gently cut her off.

His always benign face looked awkward for a bit before his face relaxed as if he had given up.

He slowly handed the envelope in his hand to me.

“Benjamin?”
“Please open it, your highness.”

He calmly responded. I gulped.

My respect for his privacy warred with my curiosity as I contemplated my next action. He said that I could open it, which fueled my indecision.

However, I thought that lightsabers might shoot out of Christelle’s sparkling eyes if I just sat here.

I clenched my fingertips for a moment before calmly taking the content out of the envelope.

Neatly printed words revealed themselves.

‘Questions from the readers to the author of < Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness >.’

‘……Huh?’

—
Translator’s Comments

Benjamin whaaaaat?

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