I Became a Tyrant’s Maid - Chapter 54

I looked at the massive wall.

The wall, about as tall as a four-story apartment building, was so magnificent it could be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

“Once we’re inside, we must thoroughly conceal my identity.”

I nodded vigorously at his voice, which warned me in a whisper.

A Crown Prince enters the border without a procession, where only adventurers come and go.

If by any chance his identity as the Crown Prince were to be revealed, it was obvious that it would greatly damage Calix’s image.

“So from now on, addressing me as ‘Your Highness’ is forbidden.”

He advised me with a serious face, and I asked with a resolute expression.

“Then shall I call you Kay, like during the slave trader incident, Your Highness?”

“Do as you please.”

Calix took out two identity tokens from my luggage bag he was carrying.

“These are identity tokens from the adventurers in the cave.”

I received the small metal bracelet he handed me. While I was examining the unique appearance of the identity token, a necklace fell from his hand with a jingling sound.

“What is that, Your Highness?”

“Something quite useful. It seems you don’t know the Desart language at all, and language is crucial for hiding our identities.”

Calix wiggled his index finger as if telling me to come closer.

As I took a step towards him, Calix approached with a smirk and put the necklace around my neck.

“See. Can you understand what I’m saying?”

Soon, I covered my mouth in surprise.

My goodness. What he was saying was clearly something I’d never heard before, but I could understand it!

“This is amazing, Your Highness!”

I couldn’t help but genuinely marvel at this new technology.

“Then can others understand what I’m saying too?”

“If it’s a proper item, even your lip movements should be accurately translated.”

Does that mean it works for Korean too? I fiddled with the necklace Calix had put on me and glanced at him.

And I uttered just one word.

“Carrot.”

“……Why are you looking for carrots?”

“Oh my goodness.”

It seemed he didn’t even realize that I had shouted “carrot” in Korean.

It was truly an insane item.

If something like this existed on Earth, there would be no need to study English or Chinese!

T/n: I want this so bad!

“Your Highness, are you perhaps giving this to me permanently?”

To my question, Calix looked a bit embarrassed, raising his chin to look down at me as he answered.

“Do you think I’d give it and then take it back?”

“Oh no, of course not, Your Highness. I just asked in case.”

Although it felt a bit unsettling since it belonged to a dead person, I was overjoyed.

If I just wear this around my neck, it means I can freely use Korean, right?

I was already worried about forgetting my native language after not using it for months.

Gradually forgetting my language wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling. It felt like I was forgetting my true self.

“Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness.”

I liked it because it had a clean design similar to the accessories I used to enjoy on Earth.

“……You’re welcome.”

Calix’s ears quickly turned red.

Well, the weather is quite hot.

***

Perhaps because it was a border facing the desert, there weren’t as many people as I had thought.

Most were merchants or adventurers with rather shabby appearances.

“……I haven’t seen these faces before?”

The gatekeeper blocking the massive door asked, looking back and forth between me and Calix.

“State your identities.”

Calix nonchalantly presented his identity token, and the gatekeeper examined it with suspicious eyes and asked.

“Seeing a man and woman who’ve crossed the desert to get here……”

The gatekeeper’s gaze shifted to the luggage Calix was carrying.

I swallowed hard. Certainly, this place was less populated for a border.

The gatekeeper himself would have mainly dealt with familiar adventurers or merchants, so it was clear he would be more wary of strangers.

“Are you a married couple?”

For a moment, I felt dizzy. After such a long pause, that’s what he came up with!

The gatekeeper, seemingly taking our silence as affirmation, began to proudly boast about his deductive skills.

“It’s obvious. A husband who knows his way around a sword and a wife who’s come over from Posnia hoping to make some money.”

It seemed to have worked out well. This was much better than being suspected as strangers.

I quickly linked my arm with Calix’s and answered with a soft smile.

“Oh my, was it that obvious?”

I glanced at Calix.

Calix showed a bewildered expression for a moment before quickly turning his head away.

“Well, isn’t the groom a bit too shy? Hahaha!”

The gatekeeper, seemingly pleased with my response, laughed heartily.

“He’s always been a bit stoic. Right, darling?”

As I responded affectionately, Calix stared at me intensely, seemingly flustered.

His ears had turned bright red.

It felt strange. Why is he getting embarrassed over something like this? He was fine with all that “my lady” talk at the masquerade.

Seeing his reaction, I felt a bit of satisfaction in teasing him.

“Newlyweds?”

The gatekeeper, excited to see new faces after a long time, continued to engage us. I responded as naturally as possible to avoid suspicion.

“We’ve been married for a while. Right, darling?”

Calix was still staring blankly with a flushed face. I poked his side repeatedly in panic as I continued speaking.

“Say something, really. Don’t always make me do all the talking. Geez, if it weren’t for his face, I wouldn’t be with such a dullard… Haha, this is how I live.”

I kept poking Calix, urging him to give some kind of response.

The gatekeeper chuckled at my words and made a deliberately lewd expression as he said,

“Still, good-looking food tastes better too. You must be happy, right?”

I wish he’d stop making us talk, but the gatekeeper seemed to have taken a deep interest in this conversation.

“Oh my, how can you say that? Really, even when I’m furious to the point my head’s about to explode, one look at his face and it all melts away, you know?”

I deliberately looked at Calix’s face and grinned widely.

And as I did so, I thought,

‘I think I might have a talent for acting……?’

Of course, I was doing this because I somewhat expected him to let it slide.

Indeed, Calix only blushed at my behavior without imposing any restrictions.

“So, what do you plan to do when you get to Desart?”

The gatekeeper asked warmly, and it was none other than Calix who intercepted the question.

He answered the gatekeeper, exuding an air of annoyance.

“Do I have to give you every little detail?”

Taken aback by the sudden sharp tone, the gatekeeper’s smile, which had been present throughout, slightly stiffened as he looked at Calix. Flustered by the abrupt change in atmosphere, I hastily blurted out,

“Oh dear, this man is a bit jealous. I think he’s bothered because you look so young, sir. Right, darling?”

Calix looked at me with an aggrieved expression, and I continued speaking soothingly while touching his right hand.

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, right? Calm down, darling. Okay?”

Calix stared at my face for a while before swallowing hard. The gatekeeper, seemingly unable to bear my cringeworthy act any longer, frowned deeply and waved his hand.

“Alright, alright, I can’t watch anymore. This is why young people… Go on in.”

Thanks to this, we were able to enter the Desart Empire quite easily.

“Why are you suddenly so proactive?”

Calix walked ahead silently for a while before abruptly turning around and questioning me accusingly.

“I’ve always been proactive, though.”

Calix’s face was still bright red, as if unable to cool down from the heat.

“Ah, I judged that it was best to act in a way the gatekeeper wanted in that situation. I thought posing as a married couple would allow us to pass through the checkpoint quickly without arousing suspicion. Of course, if Your Highness was uncomfortable, I can rectify—”

“Who said I disliked it?”

Calix cut off my words, and this time, it was my turn to be flustered.

“Keep it up. And don’t call me Your Highness at all until Ruel arrives in the capital.”

“Pardon?”

Calix, with a solemn attitude, very kindly repeated himself.

“That married couple act. It seems quite an ingenious idea. It will take quite some time to reach the capital to find a magician, and concealing our identities is essential.”

Calix approached closely, slightly bending his waist as if escorting me, and grasped my hand as he spoke.

“Don’t you think so, my lady?”

The corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk.

In fact, I felt an inexplicable thrill rather than the previous fear-tinged discomfort at his actions.

Well, there was a reason for Calix’s softened attitude, but there was an even bigger reason.

I was a bit creeped out by my own brilliant idea.

“Will that be alright with you, Your Highness?”

He had suggested it. Not me.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

I tried to cover my mouth with my hand to hide the smirk that was creeping up.

Squeezing his hand that was holding mine, I thought,

‘So it’s a temporary abolition of the class system, is that it?’

I might have been flustered at first, but opportunities to mess with a terrible boss without any consequences were rare.

“What kind of wife does Your Highness prefer? I’ll try to match it.”

My heart seemed to flutter at the thought of being able to act as ‘improperly’ as I wanted.

‘Take that, you jerk.’