Huh?

My brows furrowed at his unexpected response. Of course we would look alike since we were the same person. Besides, I’d heard such comments countless times before. Nevertheless, his words somehow felt different from similar compliments I’d heard until now.

I stared intently into Sever’s eyes, trying to decipher his intentions. Before I knew it, words escaped my lips.

“So, do you hate me, Duke?”

Even I didn’t understand why I blurted this out. Asking such a question served little purpose. Sever wasn’t thoughtless enough—nor cruel enough—to tell a child he disliked them, especially because of their mother.

Yet I deliberately pressed on. “No, I just heard something. From Mother, that you were disloyal to her.”

“…”

“So I wondered if you hated me too. That would be unfair. I don’t like being disliked.”

The knights around me suddenly looked bewildered—more precisely, perplexed and anxious. For good reason too, since regardless of the reality, a noble expressing dislike toward royalty could potentially be considered treasonous. Had these words come from my mouth when I was Emperor, everyone present would have fallen to their knees begging for forgiveness.

But I was a princess now, a child, and my words could easily be interpreted as innocent mischief. “So, do you hate me?”

Sever’s lips tightened slightly at my question. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He would probably respond coldly, distantly, without sincerity, saying how he couldn’t possibly feel that way. Then he’d likely add something about a knight’s duty to be loyal to the Emperor.

With these thoughts, I shook my head dismissively. “Ah, never mind. I was just joking. Now that we’ve seen a rabbit, shall we head ba—”

“I do not hate you.”

Suddenly, Sever’s voice interrupted me. Since I’d anticipated his answer, I turned my head indifferently. But when I saw his expression, I felt an unexpected flutter in my stomach.

Standing in the middle of the pouring sunset, he wore a subtle yet bitter smile. “I have never once hated His Majesty. Therefore, I do not hate Your Highness either.”

“…You’re lying. Are you saying that because you’re afraid I’ll tattle to Mother?”

“No.”

“Then why haven’t you shown your face at the palace for years? Mother was furious that you didn’t respond to her summons multiple times.”

“What I hated was myself.”

…Why?

Why would you hate yourself? What reason could you possibly have to hate yourself?

You were so perfect, so brilliant, admired by everyone. That’s why you could look at me with that frown and contempt-filled gaze while I stood amid bloodshed.

Being so perfect, why would you hate yourself? You, who polished yourself with pride and self-esteem more than anyone else?

An unnameable silence fell between us. The knights exchanged glances, each wearing a different expression. His unexpected answer pushed me into silence.

Then Lord Philon, standing beside me, spoke up. “Your Highness, I believe there’s a misunderstanding. The Commander is more loyal to His Majesty than anyone.”

“That’s right. Duke Kelliard is the person who respects His Majesty most in this world.”

What do you know?

I couldn’t tell how he normally presented himself to the knights. But continuing this conversation was pointless since the root of this relationship was between Emperor Estria and Duke Sever Kelliard, not Princess Esht.

‘Forget it. What’s the point of prying further?’

I thought to myself while pouting.

“Really? Then Mother must have misunderstood something.”

How could that be possible when I saw it with my own eyes?

“Oh, it’s getting late. Sela will worry. Shall we go now?”

The knights exchanged glances at my words. When Sever stepped slightly aside, I walked confidently past him.

‘Hating himself? Just making excuses.’

I decided to think of it that way. It was easier. Even if it had been a misunderstanding, too much time had passed, and it couldn’t possibly have been a misunderstanding to begin with. I clearly remembered the look in his eyes that day.

I opened my mouth to ask about the way back when, beneath the soft setting sun, I noticed an unexpectedly elongated shadow and blinked in surprise.

“Finished?”

“Uh… Daddy?”

Lerrhagen stood at the forest entrance. His soft silver hair had absorbed the sunset’s glow, elegantly tinged with red. Below it, his indifferent, languid face looked at me, then at the knights behind me, then back at me again.

“How did you get here?”

I hadn’t told him I was coming here.

“Estria’s aide was looking for you.”

“Ah.”

“I came to pick you up while I was at it.”

While at it?

‘Come to think of it, how did he know I was here?’

I stared at Lerrhagen with some doubt, but he averted his gaze as though it wasn’t anything remarkable.

‘Does he have some method? Or is he just an entity that knows everything?’

Regardless, he had come to pick me up, and I was immensely grateful for his power at that moment since it would save me from the extremely uncomfortable situation of having to ride in the same carriage or horse as Sever.

“Then I’ll go back with Daddy. Thank you for your hard work today. For protecting me.”

I deliberately waved my hand with a bright smile. The knights smiled back brightly, waving their hands in return, though they quickly realized what they were doing and resumed their formal postures.

I’m getting less embarrassed by these antics the more I do them, I thought to myself as I lightly grabbed Lerrhagen’s clothes. I looked at him with eyes that said, “Please get me out of this wasteland quickly,” when suddenly Sever’s voice rang out.

“Will His Majesty attend the hunt in a few days?”

Would the Emperor not attend an official imperial hunt? But Lerrhagen and I knew that wasn’t what Sever meant. Lerrhagen glanced at Sever before responding.

“I don’t know.”

The moment he finished speaking, the scenery around me changed. Thanks to Lerrhagen manifesting magic without a shred of mercy or hesitation, I instantly returned to my room.

“Haah.”

I exhaled deeply.

“I’m really tired.”

But before I could finish my sentence—

“Your Majesty, where have you been?”

I turned my head at the sound of Rigan’s voice. He had apparently been waiting here before we arrived, standing to one side with an armful of documents.

His face was slightly furrowed, and seeing him, I responded indifferently. “Sitchif Forest. I went for a preliminary survey. Well, the plan didn’t quite work out.”

“You should have told me. I was surprised. I came to report something, and suddenly Your Majesty was nowhere to be found.”

“Why, was there something urgent?”

“Not really. I just came to make a report and was surprised when you weren’t in your room. You’re not usually one to disappear for long periods without notice, so I requested Lord Lerrhagen’s help. I didn’t expect him to find you so quickly, though…”

Saying this, Rigan glanced at Lerrhagen.

Following his gaze, I also turned toward Lerrhagen. Come to think of it, Lerrhagen had found me quite quickly last time too, when I followed the kidnapper. How was that possible?

Perhaps sensing our gaze, Lerrhagen glanced at me indifferently and spoke. “I’ve brought her back safely, so I’ll be going now.”

“Ah, wait a moment. Don’t forget about the upcoming hunt.”

“Right.”

After my hasty reminder, Lerrhagen answered briefly. Soon after he disappeared, I exhaled deeply once more.

“But if you went to the forest, why were you gone so long?”

“I met the Central Knight Order. They stopped me from entering the forest. I wasted some time there. They absolutely wouldn’t let me in because I was alone. This is why being a child…”

“That’s natural. Normal people don’t let children into forests in the first place. But shouldn’t you have returned sooner then?”

“I was going to, but…”

However, as I continued speaking, I suddenly recalled Sever’s face and closed my mouth.

That face without a trace of emotion, yet he said he had never hated me. I wasn’t naive enough to believe it outright, but for some reason, it was noticeably different from how I’d seen him these past few years. It kept bothering me.

“It’s nothing. There was a small incident. What matters is that I could enter the forest. Thanks to that, I roughly understood the terrain.”

Rigan looked somewhat puzzled when I suddenly changed the subject. But soon, he pulled something from his chest and handed it to me.

“Actually, I was looking for Your Majesty because of this.”

“What is this?”

I took the document pouch from Rigan’s hand. It was from the Magic Tower, sealed with the Tower Master’s magical seal.