‘Huh?’

But Frederick’s consideration proved unnecessary. The princess moved on her own before his hand touched the table. The way she held the bowl and precisely inserted the spoon in the middle to eat the soup seemed familiar and natural, as if she had done it all her life.

‘What is this…… She’s as familiar as someone blind from birth.’

It was most unusual. Even losing sight in one eye often resulted in a messed-up sense of direction and depth perception. That’s why knights and soldiers who lost an eye on the battlefield initially struggled a lot. They could see objects but couldn’t gauge their exact positions, and their posture when wielding a sword, even walking, became awkward and distorted.

But even that case was incomparably more comfortable than losing sight in both eyes. Knights and soldiers who lost both eyes couldn’t do anything without someone’s help. Picking up a spoon, drinking water, moving—everything was impossible alone. That’s why many who had been fine before going blind couldn’t escape endless despair. And even if they accepted their situation, it took a very long time to live independently.

Yet the princess showed no despair from her sudden loss. He thought she was too shocked by the death of her entire family to care about her own tragedy, but even so, the way she’s so indifferent to her situation was strange. She was just like someone who had experienced blindness before.

‘Come to think of it, even before……’

Even while she was raging like a madwoman, the princess had turned her head precisely toward her opponent. Though awkward, the princess clearly recognized people and objects by sound and sensation alone and moved her body accordingly. And that wasn’t possible with just a day or two of experience and training.

‘……How strange.’

Frederick slightly bit his lower lip and examined Yerena with a serious expression. Unaware of how he was looking at her, Yerena was slowly moving the spoon to her mouth. The movement looked so stable it appeared elegant.

“I want to stop eating.”

“As you wish. I’ll call someone to clear this.”

Yerena put down her hand after eating half the soup. Frederick didn’t reprimand her for leaving the table almost untouched. Instead, he ordered the maids waiting outside to clear the table and attend to the princess, then quietly left the room. Outside the room, he ordered one of his subordinates in a low voice.

“Bring the Sedas maids who closely served the princess and the woman who was the princess’s nanny. I have something to verify.”

* * *

The day to return to the Empire was approaching, just a week away. The imperial army, unable to return home for over half a year, was all excited about going back.

Hayden and Knox, on Roshan’s orders, prepared for the return and had their subordinate knights and soldiers finish the remaining tasks. The most important of these was investigating and extorting the kingdom’s property under the pretext of war reparations, with some of the seized goods to be distributed to the soldiers. Because of this, the soldiers remained diligent and hardworking even at the end.

“This part is finished too…… Shall we take a short walk before lunch?”

“Sure.”

Hayden and Knox watched their subordinates excitedly counting gold coins before going outside. Then they walked along the palace corridors, which had become somewhat familiar, surveying the occupied territory they would soon leave.

“……I can’t understand.”

Hayden, who had been walking silently, suddenly spoke. Knox, who had been leisurely basking in the sunlight beside him, tilted his head slightly and asked.

“What do you mean?”

“His Highness appointing Frederick as the princess’s escort.”

“Hmm…… It would be more accurate to see it as surveillance rather than escort.”

“Frederick hates the princess. He’ll cause trouble with unnecessary provocations……”

“Like a few days ago?”

“You knew about it?”

“I heard about that incident long ago. Frederick was needlessly spiteful to the princess, wasn’t he?”

Unlike the worried Hayden, Knox appeared indifferent. Hayden felt somewhat hurt, as he had recently formed a bond with Knox over sympathizing with the princess’s plight.

Knox glanced at Hayden’s expression and inwardly clicked his tongue. His friend, known for being blunt, had recently developed subtly richer expressions.

“But what can we do? It’s His Highness’s order.”

Knox still thought the princess was pitiful. But that was as far as it went. He didn’t want to show consideration for her out of sympathy. Also, he found it difficult to accept a colleague questioning their lord’s orders due to some personal feelings about the princess.

“We just need to follow orders. Don’t think unnecessary thoughts.”

“……That’s true.”

At Knox’s fundamental statement, Hayden pondered briefly but soon nodded. But his eyes still held undisguised concern.

“She’s much better now though. It seems there would be no problem departing in a week.”

Knox was about to drop the topic of the princess but felt uncomfortable upon seeing Hayden’s expression and shared what he had witnessed today. Sure enough, Hayden immediately showed interest.

“You saw the princess?”

“Briefly this morning. She’s much calmer now. She seems to have accepted her situation.”

Yerena, who had been acting like she would die at any moment, had become quite docile after spending time with Frederick, experiencing some change of heart. Since last evening, she had even swallowed some food she had been refusing for days, and no longer harmed herself like someone who had lost her mind.

Hayden let out a small sigh of relief at Knox’s words. Hearing his friend’s sigh, Knox thought for a moment and stopped walking.

“Hayden.”

“Yes?”

“Let me give you one serious piece of advice. Lose interest in the princess.”

“What do you mean……”

“At any other time, I wouldn’t have cared if you took an interest in a conquered kingdom’s princess or even eyed the queen. But not the princess of Sedas.”

“……”

“She’s a woman the emperor wants. A woman destined to be presented to that man. Besides, His Highness also……”

Knox was about to voice thoughts he had unconsciously harbored but quickly closed his mouth, realizing his mistake. However, Hayden seemed to have already guessed what Knox had not said. In fact, none of Roshan’s close knights were unaware that Roshan was showing interest in the princess.

Knox remained silent for a moment before he continued walking. Hayden followed him. Knox spoke while looking straight ahead.

“……What I’m saying is, don’t draw attention to yourself by showing interest in the princess. You know. The emperor is constantly looking for excuses to target His Highness. Even a small rumor about His Highness’s knight being involved with a prisoner to be presented to the emperor would harm His Highness.”

Hayden quietly nodded at his friend’s words. It was true. The princess was a woman he should never have taken an interest in from the beginning.

Hayden turned his head with a bitter feeling to look outside. The third-floor corridor they were walking through was formed in a continuous arch shape and was wide open, making it a good place to feel the breeze. As he gazed at the scenery outside, he stopped in his tracks when he spotted a path crossing the garden in the distance.

Knox, who had been half a step ahead, turned around to look at Hayden and then shifted his gaze to where he was looking. In the distance, they could see a woman with long, shimmering golden hair dressed in a black dress, two women supporting her, and Frederick following closely behind them.

Frederick kept glancing back repeatedly while following the princess. His obviously concerned demeanor was clear even from a distance.

At his friend’s awkward steps, Knox frowned and looked behind Frederick. About twenty paces behind Frederick was a black-haired man. Tall stature, handsome features unmistakable even from afar. It was their lord, Roshan. Knox opened his mouth with a blank expression at this unprecedented sight of their lord.

“His…… Highness?”

* * *

Yerena, dressed in black, walked carefully despite the support of the women on either side of her, seemingly frightened. However, her steps were neither awkward nor unbalanced. Frederick, walking right behind her, recalled what the woman who was Yerena’s nanny had told him as he observed her.

‘The princess received education from an early age on the orders of the late king.’

‘Education? What kind of education?’

‘From around the age of four, the princess…… was educated to live even with her eyes covered. Consistently.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know the exact reason. Just that it was like a tradition passed down in the royal family……’

‘Have you seen other princesses do this? For example, in previous generations?’

‘No. To begin with, princesses are remarkably rare in the Sedas royal family…… Princess Yerena was born after a very long time, so the king was overjoyed when she was born.’

For some reason unknown, the dead King of Sedas had given his daughter a strange education. Almost as if he had anticipated that his daughter’s eyes would go blind someday.

‘Wouldn’t she know herself?’

Frederick, his curiosity piqued, briefly contemplated looking at Yerena’s back with her black veil, but then shook his head. There was no guarantee that the princess, who had negative feelings toward him, would answer willingly if he asked, and besides, it had little to do with his current duty. He had no time to worry about such things now.

Frederick turned his head slightly to glance behind him and inwardly sighed. He was already tired of playing nanny to the princess under the guise of being her escort, and now his nerves were on edge with his lord’s incomprehensible behavior added to the mix.

‘……Why on earth is His Highness acting like this?’

Behind Frederick, at some distance, stood Roshan. However, he concealed his presence so well that Yerena, unable to see, didn’t notice his existence at all.

‘The princess has requested permission to visit where the dead royals are. What should we do?’

‘Grant it. Let her go.’

‘Yes. Then I’ll take her there right away.’

‘……Wait.’

‘If you have instructions, please tell me.’

Roshan had ordered Frederick in advance. Not to let the princess know he was there.

‘I’ll go too. But the princess must not know I’m there.’

As it was his lord’s command, Frederick followed without question. But he felt uneasy. Somehow, it felt like greatly deceiving the princess.