Chapter 18 – D―Day Afternoon

After Amber left, time flowed unusually slowly. George worked at the restaurant, then came home to organize the books Amber had read. He even cleaned and prepared dinner, so when Merin returned from outside, she looked quite surprised.

The day was terribly long. Even the next morning, as he went to work, George thought so. Luckily, despite feeling out of it, he did well at work. As a waiter, he even got tips that day, so Merin made tea to celebrate.

“How was today?”

“It was fine. I got tips too. It’s nice to earn with my looks.”

They’d grown close enough that he could joke with her.

It turned out Amber got her skillful hands from her grandmother. Merin brewed tea perfectly. It tasted better than the tea served at the restaurant for 5 silver, so George, with his unexpectedly refined palate, drank two cups.

Someone knocked at the door around that time. Until then, neither George nor Merin—and certainly not Amber, who was in the capital—had expected it. Who would have thought that knights would show up in Napolia, where outsiders rarely visited? That they’d come looking for George.

“Who is it?”

Thinking it was just the neighbor or an old carpenter passing by, Merin opened the door and nearly fell over. For someone who’d married at twenty and settled in this small village, the visit of dozens of armored knights was extraordinary.

Merin’s eyes moved quickly. The armor bore no family crest, but their bearing showed they were no ordinary men.

A young man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward. He had slender eyes and full lips. He was very handsome, but looked a bit nervous.

“I heard there’s a young man named George here. I’ve come to see him.”

“George?”

Merin’s eyes widened. Thinking back, there was no reason for knights to come to this house except for ‘George.’ Unlike his unknown origins, her family had always lived quietly.

A young man who’d lost his memory. Knights coming to find him. Merin, who’d always suspected he wasn’t an ordinary person, realized something was seriously wrong. Was he a pirate after all? Had he seduced someone important, or done something to bring knights after him?

He did look the type… Maybe she was imagining things because of the novel Amber had been reading.

Anyway, the priority was to handle the situation. She decided to pretend not to know him, but her plan fell apart when George came out, looking for her.

“Is something wrong, Merin?”

And the knights and the young man reacted immediately.

“So it’s true. You were here…”

Led by the young man, dozens of strong men knelt. George was inside the house, so if anyone saw, they’d think it was because of Merin.

…Would something like this ever happen again in her life?

In the past, Merin thought her wildest moment was having a one-night stand with a knight. This was far more shocking. She knew she shouldn’t greet them here, so she hurriedly invited the young man and the knights inside. As the big men filed in, the house filled to bursting.

Soon, the young man spoke to George.

“Your Highness. This is no place for you. Given the current situation…”

Your Highness? As soon as Merin sensed something was very wrong, George asked sharply,

“Who are you?”

“Huh?”

Apparently, they hadn’t coordinated beforehand, because the young man looked stunned.

“You don’t know me…?”

“Do people ask questions they know the answer to?”

George’s demanding look made the young man uneasy. He introduced himself, more formally than before.

“You really don’t remember! Petricks Arno! I was your Chief Secretary, closest to you!”

He even put a hand on his chest, but George’s face said, ‘So what?’—he’d never heard of him, and his attitude was, ‘Who are you?’

Watching, Merin had no idea what was going on. If they didn’t know, how could she? So she asked the knights, “Would you like some tea?” They waved her off, but when she poured a cup, they accepted it.

Meanwhile, the two men kept arguing.

“This joke isn’t funny, Your Highness.”

“I don’t see why I’d joke with someone I don’t know.”

“You’re speaking informally to a stranger, aren’t you? That’s because I’m Petricks Arno!”

“…”

“See! Your Highness, we won’t solve anything by arguing here. You need to return and handle things.”

“So what exactly needs handling?”

“You know. Or maybe you haven’t seen the notices looking for you, the Prince…”

‘This shabby place?’

Merin glared at Petricks, but George asked,

“Prince?”

“…You don’t remember?”

Petricks looked stunned, again.

He was handsome, but every time he made that kind of face, he looked rather silly. That’s what Merin thought. If the seventh knight to receive tea hadn’t thanked her, she might have clicked her tongue.

“Thank you, Lady. You’d do well running a tea house.”

“Right? I’ve often heard I have good skills for such a humble place.”

“Don’t mind what the secretary says.”

When Merin returned after serving tea to the knights, the foolish conversation had ended and the situation had changed a lot. The young man, Petricks, had realized that the Prince they were seeking had lost his memory, and, somehow, even discovered that he was under the delusion of being a d*ldo.

And George…

“I’m not a d*ldo? I’m a Prince?”

Having learned the truth, the Prince couldn’t close his mouth. Petricks, the secretary serving the Prince, declared mercilessly,

“Yes, Your Highness, you were as much a libertine as any d*ldo.”

When he added, ‘Frankly, it wouldn’t matter if you were a d*ldo,’ George looked like he wanted to die. Maybe he was thinking, ‘D*mn it.’

“Please come with us. We’ll help you recover your memory.”

Petricks knelt once more.

“Lord Dieldo Edem Kate Otranie.”