Chapter 7
His face flushed bright red as he vehemently refused, and the sight was so adorable that I couldn’t help but laugh without realizing it.
In the end, I had to return to the tent alone. Before that, though, I went to the spot where Friedrich had fought earlier.
‘The final bosses are probably my half-brother and stepmother.’
What I was curious about was who had the audacity to send assassins so boldly, even during the triumphant procession where the emperor himself was present.
‘I need to check this out.’
But when I arrived at the place still reeking of blood, there wasn’t even a trace of the assassins’ bodies.
‘…What the?’
The time it took to wash Friedrich was barely thirty minutes. And in that short span, they’d cleaned up every sign of the assassination?
I scanned the surroundings with a confused expression. Given the time, the most likely scenario was that they’d dumped them in the nearby river.
‘They’re more organized than I thought. One wrong move, and I could really end up dead.’
For now, there was nothing more to learn there, so I headed back to the tent. On the way, I ran into the emperor, who was out for a stroll.
“Your Majesty.”
I bowed gracefully in greeting, and the emperor smiled faintly as he asked,
“Where have you been in such light attire?”
“I was on my way back from a bath, but I still feel like I smell of blood, so I was thinking of washing again.”
“Blood smell?”
“Someone tried to kill me.”
At my calmly delivered response, the expression vanished from the emperor’s face in an instant.
“Who would dare target you?”
“Exactly. Who would have the nerve to send assassins here, of all places, where Your Exalted Majesty is present?”
“Where are the bodies?”
“They were gone by the time I returned from washing.”
The emperor’s expression grew grave.
“I know you’re destined to be recorded in history as a great mage, Rene. But you need to take better care of yourself. How can you wander around so casually after facing assassins?”
“It’s not like this is the first or second time.”
I replied nonchalantly.
“Don’t you already have a suspicion about who’s behind it, Your Majesty? The ones who stand to gain the most from my death.”
Emperor Otto responded with a brief silence instead of words. A moment later, he let out a groan.
“Even so, I can’t punish someone arbitrarily without evidence.”
Fair enough—after all, no matter how certain the suspicions, the suspects are the empire’s empress and prince. I let out a small chuckle.
“But what if I end up dead because of that? You’d lose your greatest military asset. Are you okay with that?”
The emperor sighed deeply.
“I’ll assign you guards. No matter how strong you are, a father’s heart… Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes.”
“I’ll pass. Who knows if one of them is a spy for the people trying to kill me? That would just make it more dangerous, wouldn’t it?”
“Rene.”
“It’d be cumbersome, too. My handsome husband is more than enough for me.”
“That scrawny prince?”
The emperor asked with a disapproving look.
“Does he perform his duties properly?”
“Oh, Father, there are some things you shouldn’t say to your daughter…”
I said that, but I responded without changing my expression.
“Why do you think I demanded the prince of a fallen kingdom as spoils, even at the risk of suspicion for treason?”
I added a wink for good measure. The emperor’s face twisted in distaste.
“It’s been worth the risk. I’ve been quite happy lately.”
“I’m glad to hear that…”
“And you don’t know this, Your Majesty, but he’s not scrawny at all…”
Oops, now I’m the one saying things I shouldn’t to my father. I trailed off awkwardly and finished with a forced smile.
“Then, I wish you a peaceful night.”
I curtsied elegantly to end the greeting and returned to the tent. Then, I immediately sought out Elsa.
“Elsa, you have the list organizing the soldiers who survived the war, right? Can we check right now if there are any discrepancies?”
“…There are thousands of soldiers here.”
“Right, probably impossible?”
I sighed and shook my head.
“Five bodies vanished without a trace in less than thirty minutes. This has to be an inside job.”
“Have you changed? You usually don’t spare a thought for assassins, no matter how many there are.”
Her puzzled murmur made me flinch for a moment, but I quickly came up with a suitable excuse.
“I might not care about myself, but there’s Friedrich now. What if he gets in danger when I’m not around?”
“Hmm. From what I saw today, I don’t think you need to worry.”
“That’s true, too.”
Elsa thought for a moment before speaking.
“To dispose of bodies that quickly, they’d need at least one person per body. If ten people deserted the camp, it would stand out, so I’ll look into it.”
She’s so capable.
Just then, someone quietly lifted the tent flap and slipped inside. It was Friedrich.
Elsa tactfully excused herself, and I smiled in satisfaction at his now pristine appearance.
But the wound on his cheek still stood out. I need to treat it before it scars.
“Come here.”
I beckoned to him. Friedrich hesitated, then approached and knelt before me.
I noticed his posture only after I’d started searching for the ointment. In a bewildered voice, I told him,
“Sit comfortably.”
“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s because you’re unnecessarily tall.”
I replied offhandedly, then squeezed out the ointment and applied it generously to the wound.
“We can’t let it scar.”
“Will you discard me?”
His abrupt question came in response to my absentminded mutter. I looked at him, wondering what he meant, and after a brief hesitation, he added,
“If I become flawed.”
“Don’t worry too much. It won’t scar. This ointment works wonders.”
“…”
At that, Friedrich’s gaze wavered. I chuckled and said,
“You don’t need to be touched just because I’m using top-grade ointment. You got this wound protecting me—it’s the least I can do.”
“…I’ll be more careful.”
“With what?”
Friedrich pursed his lips for a moment before answering.
“My face.”
“Huh? Oh, right, of course you should.”
But even with my agreement, Friedrich’s expression didn’t brighten. Is he upset because his face is injured?
That makes sense. To him, that pretty face must be incredibly precious and beloved.
“I did ask you to protect me, but I didn’t mean for you to get hurt in the process. I can basically… protect myself.”
No, this body can’t fight at all. Please, by any means, protect me!
Desperately ignoring the voice in my head, I put on a tough front.
“Anyway, let’s sleep. It’s almost midnight.”
We lay down side by side, as we did every night. And after some time had passed,
I turned my head and saw the younger version of Friedrich. He’s adorable today too… but why does he look so troubled?
‘When he’s in his adult form, that expression just looks innocently vulnerable.’
But as a child, it makes him seem so pitiful. I asked with concern,
“What’s bothering you?”
Friedrich startled, then suddenly pulled the blanket over his head to hide his face. What?
“What’s wrong?”
When I tried to pull the blanket down, Friedrich resisted with all his might.
But after midnight, I’m the stronger one! After a few tugs, I won.
“Why are you suddenly hiding your face?”
“…Just because.”
Friedrich lowered his eyes and replied in a small voice.
“I don’t think it’s a very cute face.”
Out of nowhere, self-deprecation? No, it makes sense. That porcelain-like face of his has a crack now.
“You’re cute. Haven’t I seen your younger face before?”
“I’ve never seen it with such a big wound.”
“…”
Hearing him say that made me feel guilty as the one responsible.
“But why are you suddenly obsessing over whether your face is cute? You used to hate it when I called you cute.”
“…”
Friedrich didn’t answer and turned his head away. Cleverly, in a direction where the wound wasn’t visible from my side.
Has his body getting younger turned his mind childish too? Or is it really puberty? Either way, I should soothe him.
“You’re pretty and cute, Friedrich. Not ugly at all.”
But Friedrich didn’t seem convinced. I furrowed my brow and asked,
“What do I have to say to make you believe me? Should I call someone in right now to confirm?”
“…”
“Ugh, do whatever you want.”
Whether it was Rene’s personality rubbing off on me or not, my patience ran out quickly. I turned my back with a huff and lay down.
***
“Nothing.”
The next day, at Elsa’s report, I furrowed my brow.
“At least five to ten. Not a single soldier deserted the camp last night.”
“Are you sure?”
“I checked all the nobles’ private troops. Can’t you see the dark circles under my eyes?”
“Ah, this is a headache. Then what, outsiders infiltrated all the way into the emperor’s camp? Is that even possible?”
“If the inside spy is high-ranking, it’s not impossible, but…”
Elsa glanced out the window, her gaze shifting briefly to the person across from me.
“Why is he like that?”
She was referring to Friedrich, who had donned a hat that completely covered his face.
