“Karial.”

The silver-haired girl greeted me gracefully, lifting her skirt in a curtsy. It seemed she hadn’t given up, even after being turned away at the door last time. Today she wasn’t alone; she was accompanied by her maid.

“What brings you here?”

“I heard rumors that you had been taken to the temple. I was back at my family’s estate for a short time… I heard the rumors late and came to check on you out of concern.”

Concern. It was the same reason as before. I could see the worry and pity in her eyes as she looked at me, perhaps especially at my right arm. I found that somewhat reassuring. Whatever her reasons for coming, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check our relationship while Zetak was away.

“It feels strange just standing here talking. Come inside.”

She looked surprised and her eyes widened as I opened the door.

“In Your Highness’s room?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Oh, no, it’s just… I heard that you never allow anyone into your room, Your Highness…”

Her cheeks were flushed, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. Was she imagining something strange?

“Don’t be confused. I only want to offer you some tea. Besides, I live with my servant, so it’s not really true that I don’t let anyone in.”

“…I also heard you’ve acknowledged him as your lover.”

She murmured. Karial bit her lip, obviously upset about something. But the moment passed quickly. As soon as she entered the room, her behavior changed completely. She began to examine every corner of the room with what seemed to be fascination. Her gaze was so intense it was almost disturbing.

After all, this was just a dormitory provided by the Academy. From the moment you enrolled, even royals were treated like normal students, so the accommodations were the same for everyone. What could be so interesting that she would inspect everything like that? Her eyes finally settled on my bed.

“It’s just a standard bed provided for you. Aren’t you planning on getting another one?”

“Is there any reason to change it?”

“Not really… but still, your servant doesn’t seem very attentive. He must adapt the furnishings to his master’s preferences.”

As I sat down at the table, she took the seat opposite me.

“By the way, where is your servant? This doesn’t look like his free time.”

“You don’t seem to like my servant very much.”

“I apologize if it came across that way. Rey, go and make some tea instead. Since his servant isn’t here, you’ll have to fill in.”

She tried to sound casual while subtly putting Zetak down. By having her maid serve in his place, she made Zetak look like a useless servant who couldn’t even look after his master properly.

As we waited for tea, Karial looked at the bed with a look of disgust, as if she could imagine what had happened to him there. After staring for a while, she spoke slowly.

“That boy… he was the servant you fired five years ago, wasn’t he?”

Her words took me completely by surprise. No one had recognized Zetak before, even though he hadn’t bothered to use an alias. Given that five years had passed and he hadn’t grown at all, it probably didn’t make sense to most people. His face, too, had changed – marked with scars and snake-like scales.

Karial hadn’t recognized Zetak at first either, which made it all the more surprising when she said it now.

“Did you investigate him separately?”

“He is a child tainted by demons. I was quite worried… I happened to look at his records from the Administration Palace. That’s when I noticed that he had the same name as the boy from five years ago.

“Isn’t that unusual? An earl’s daughter remembers a servant’s name for five years. Especially one who wasn’t even part of your household.”

Nobles often can’t even remember the names of servants who work in their own houses. Or rather, they don’t want to remember. In the same way that people don’t notice a stone lying in the street, nobles don’t see their servants in the same way.

Except for a few special ones, of course. Anticipating my comment, Karial replied without a hint of surprise.

“I only remember him because he was the child you favored. You cared enough for him, and even though you got hurt because of him, you didn’t turn him away.”

Her words reminded me of the incident when I had stepped on a broken perfume bottle. I didn’t remember it firsthand; I’d heard about it from Zetak. I wondered if this incident had become a rumor, but what Karial said next was quite different.

“I heard he accidentally injured His Highness by carelessly swinging your sword.”

“Did that happen?”

As I searched my memory, a long-buried memory began to surface. It became clearer as if color had been added to a black-and-white picture.

“I will learn to wield a sword one day. When I grow stronger, I will protect you, Your Highness, just like a knight!”

Zetak had said this with a smile as bright as the sun. He looked incredibly happy at that moment. Maybe that’s why I handed him the sword from my waist. Just seeing that smile made my hand move on its own. He wanted to learn how to use a sword, so I assumed he wanted to try swinging it. That must have been what I thought.

He was only a child, with no training, and had never held a sword before. He swung it dramatically but lost his balance under the weight of the blade and fell. If I hadn’t caught him, the sword would have cut deep into his abdomen. If he had been unlucky, he might even have lost a few fingers.

Looking back, it’s puzzling. The injury I sustained wasn’t from him falling and cutting me, as she had claimed.

“Your Highness! Your hand…! Your hand…!”

I had caught the blade with my hand. Given the situation, I had no chance of catching Zetak’s body. I didn’t even think about protecting my hand; the moment I sensed danger, I had already grabbed the blade and forced it off course to save him from injury.

Why did I save Zetak? Was there a reason to go so far as to grab the sword with my bare hands? At the time, I didn’t question it – I just thought it was the right thing to do. But now that I think about it, I wonder why I committed such a seemingly senseless act.

“Are you all right?”

“I… I’m not hurt! I’ll get the priest right away!”

I grabbed Zetak’s hand before he could rush out. I remembered him looking back at me, his red eyes filled with tears.

“This is just my injury.”

“Your Highness…?”

“I said I was injured while practicing with the sword alone. Make sure it’s treated as such.”

I had injured myself with a sword. That was on a completely different level from accidentally injuring myself with a broken perfume bottle. If the truth came out, Zetak would not be safe. Whether it was intentional or a mistake, it was clear that he would be sent to prison.

I too would be questioned about non-existent conspirators and thrown out of the palace. That’s why I said what I did, and for some reason, Zetak clung to me and cried.

All he could say was, “Your Highness, Your Highness,” as he buried his head in my chest and cried.

“I don’t understand why you’re crying. Why can’t you just answer?”

“I… I will. I’ll say that, Your Highness. I will never forget this kindness. I will remember all the favors you’ve done for me.”

“All the favors…? I don’t remember doing anything particularly nice for you.”

“That’s all right. You don’t have to remember. I’ll remember everything. One day I will definitely… repay you, Your Highness.”

What did he mean by that? Anyway, that incident eventually became known simply as my injury. Only Zetak and I knew the truth. So how does Karial know?

“Who told you that?”

“I can’t remember exactly, but… I heard it from a servant who was working in the palace at the time. They said they happened to witness it.”

“Happened to?”

This incident had taken place in my private garden. Could a palace servant have wandered into an area he shouldn’t have without my permission and just happened to see it?

… Zetak must have told her. For some reason, I had a strong feeling that he had. I didn’t know why he would tell her such trivial things, but I was sure of it.

“Fine. Let’s say I remember him because he was a child I favored. But what does that mean?”

” That boy is a commoner. He even comes from an orphanage.”

She laughed and her green eyes seemed to sparkle with cunning.

“He may come from a national orphanage run by the palace, but the fact remains that he is a child without parents. You must know how difficult it is for such a child to enter the palace.”

“…”

“Unless he has a recommendation from a noble house.”

She emphasized the part about the recommendation of a noble house. But something else nagged at me – Zetak’s origins.

“I… it’s an honor to serve you, Your Highness!”

Eyes wide open. Mouth agape in surprise. It was as if he had seen someone unexpected. Something began to form in my mind. If Zetak had really met me before he became an attendant…

“… An orphan.”

Yes. It would make sense to assume that we met there. I couldn’t remember the exact name of the orphanage. However, I had been to an orphanage operated by the palace.