Became the Escort Knight of the Villain in the Romance Novel

12 – Festival (2)

The founding day of the empire was an important day that could not be compared to any other event in the empire.

It was a week-long festival, a day to celebrate the beginning of the empire, so much attention was drawn to it.

If there is a problem, it is that the festival will be held in the Duchy of Julis and the capital this time,

Because of that, thanks to the duke who went to the capital, Irene was in charge of all the work.

When I see Irene’s face getting fatter enough to realize that people are getting thinner day by day,

As Nana, who sees her closest to her, Pena can’t help but feel sorry for her.

“Isn’t that why he collapses from overwork?”

“How many hours has it been?

“Okay. Because she’s been like that since sunrise. Excluding the time to eat, it will be 10 hours.”

Oops. I swallowed her drool and looked at Irene.

What did I do when I was 15? She let out a sigh for a moment at the sudden bitterness, and then tapped Lopena on the shoulder.

“Why?”

“I’ll bring you something sweet. Did you bring some melted chocolate? When you’re having a hard time, you’ll feel better if you eat something sweet.”

“Okay.”

As Lopena left, I stared at Irene, who was still standing in front of the pile of papers.

In fact, as long as she was working, she and I were standing, but since her body was strengthened in her own way, I don’t know if I can dare to compare the fatigue she feels with her.

The good news is that the opening ceremony of the festival will begin a little later.

It might be time for her to take her eyes off those damn papers for a moment.

“Whoa.”

She looked at her papers for a moment, then sighed, then threw her head back and gently closed her eyes.

She looks pretty tired from the way she massages her eyelids.

“Are you okay?”

Irene flinched at those words and narrowed her eyes for a moment, then looked at me and slowly pursed her lips.

“…No. Really, none of that is okay. I want to sleep like this, but I can’t.”

“Because I have an opening speech in 30 minutes.”

“I should have learned magic. Then I would have sent out an alter ego instead.”

He looked really tired. If it was the same as usual, she would say this even though she didn’t spit out a complaint even during that difficult schedule.

After kneading under her eyes for a moment, she sighed and covered her papers.

“Where is Lopena?”

“I went to warm up the chocolate. She likes to eat sweets when she is tired.”

“…Thank you for caring about me.”

“I didn’t care.”

Having said that, I shrugged her shoulders once and opened my mouth with a grin.

“It’s just that it’s inconvenient.”

Then, Irene looked at me blankly, then she lowered her head and muttered quietly.

In a very small voice that even I couldn’t have heard.

“Thank you.”

Unexpectedly, you have a lot of shyness. It seemed that the corners of his lips were twitching.

#

Puuuong-

The sound of cannonballs announcing the beginning of the celebration of the founding of the empire echoes through the duke’s residence.

At the moment, Fena shuddered at the roar of a bomb exploding, and Irene spat out displeasure at the sound with her expressionless face.

“It’s always loud.”

Since it was a festival held every five years, she must have heard this a few more times unlike me.

Irene shook her head as if she was really tired of it, and smiled bitterly as she grabbed the hem of the dress she was wearing.

“Let’s go, there are thousands of people waiting for us.”

When she opened her mouth in a gorgeous golden dress, a large number of people started to move after her.

First of all, as an escort knight, I was taken for granted, exclusive ladies-in-waiting to hold her dress, and even knights to prepare for the unexpected.

Before the Duke returned at the end of the festival, she was the owner of this Julis, so she must have been a natural figure.

However, even among such numerous people, Irene was still an insensitive face,

I wondered if I could see her nervous, but I just laughed hysterically.

Chuck, Chuck.

At the entrance of the duke’s residence, numerous knights were waiting for Irene.

The loud sound of the spear hitting the ground at regular intervals was heard, and soon after passing through Irene’s entrance and stepping on the red carpet, someone shouted.

“Salute to the master of Yuris-!”

“Ha-!”

Boo Woo-

The sound of a trumpet resonates in the air as if it vibrates the air.

Soon, the sound of overlapping footsteps, the sound of clashing spears, and the shouts that erupted from the mouths of the knights all at once made my body shudder.

There were hundreds of knights. The absurdity of 20,000 knights did not materialize here either,

The energy sent by the knights called the elite was truly amazing.

Standing in the center of the sound, my body flinched and reacted.

“Stop.”

However, the noise that was so loud disappears in an instant.

When the ring symbolizing the headship of Julis appeared in the air, all actions stopped as if the sound that had engulfed this place until now was a lie.

Ttogak, Ttogak.

Before long, she moves her steps in front of her. As if walking on clouds, her graceful steps made people stop breathing and stare at Irene.

The 5 families that protect the empire. Roman of the sword, Medivh of the magic, Kilrogg of the eye, Hattan of the shadow, and Julis of the shield.

Among them, someone exclaimed in exclamation as if admiring the appearance of the owner of Julis, which symbolizes the shield.

“Huh…”

It was admirable. Even I, who was with her, felt like her heart was pounding at the sight of her.

If the name nobility had to be given to only one person, it would probably have to be given to Irene because her appearance was so elegant.

Finally, her steps stop, and the countless crowds in front of her fall silent.

There were so many people that I wondered if all the people in this territory had come.

Each line of sight flies and pierces like an arrow. Some have a cold gaze, others a gaze full of goodwill.

However, most of those gazes were directed at Irene, and most of them were slightly expectant gazes.

I thought they might be from another territory.

She must be trying to ascertain how long the image she has shown now will last.

And as if to fulfill that expectation, she immediately opened her mouth while looking at everyone who was looking at her.

“Today is the day the sun first appeared in the world. It is also the day when Evangelium was illuminated and the shield was lifted.”

A clear voice spreads throughout the audience. Even though she did not use magic, many people nodded their heads at the voice that clearly came into their ears and focused on her words.

There were many people in this place, but they just stood there, not showing any movement, as if they were one body.

It was only silence that covered this vast plaza, but that silence was dominated by just one person.

When a woman named Irene Uris opened her mouth, it was her voice that filled the plaza.

When she shuts her mouth, all that remains is a silence where not even the sound of her breathing can be heard.

Can this be called a leader’s talent?

I was amazed at how he overwhelms the crowd even though he just uttered a single word.

It was not something that could be easily followed. No, to be precise, it was impossible to even try to imitate.

Sir Chris, who was looking at her like that, opened her mouth small and let out her drool.

“Awesome.”

Hagi, it wasn’t the feeling of intimidation that a princess who hadn’t even had a coming-of-age ceremony yet would have.

She was a king who ruled this place, and she looked like a person who was fit for the position of head of the house of Julis.

I looked into Sir Chris’s eyes with admiration, then turned my gaze back to Irene.

Before long, Irene opened her mouth again.

“You have worked hard for this Julis and her empire, and you have done your duty. Even though I’m just a cattle owner, I’m the shield of the empire and the rightful head of Julis. I would like to express my gratitude to you and give you a break to lead the empire anew.”

She gently closed her eyes for a moment, then opened her eyes and slowly opened her mouth.

“I hope you enjoy this founding day festival for a week. To the point of being very tired.”

Shortly, cheers erupted. A shout so huge that it was mistaken for an earthquake.

Lo Pena shook her head as she looked tired of those people, and Irene looked at them with an expressionless face.

Her emotion hidden deep in her expression was joy, so I looked at her with her happy face.

“Brilliance to Yuris!”

“Glory to Evangelium!”

Hwiik-

The plaza heats up with the joyous shouts mixed with the sound of the whistle.

The sound of the trumpet that had stopped echoed again, and the petals scattered toward the air began to color the surroundings in harmony with the colors of autumn.

It was the beginning of the establishment day festival.

#

However, unlike the beginning of the festival, there was really nothing that changed my situation.

The only thing that has changed is that the shadows under Irene’s eyes are gradually getting darker.

At this point, I was just worried. Can I leave it as it is?

Even at this time, when the moon was not full and dawn was rising below, she hadn’t asked for sleep.

The festival started and until dawn, the bright light from torches and streetlights was shining outside.

Indeed, if it’s this bright, it’s understandable why he pressed Count Glaskan to get the magic stone mine.

Unlike the bright outside, Irene was staring at the documents by relying on a single candle.

Taking off her glasses, as if her eyes were dim, she sighed and turned her gaze to me.

“…I can’t see the end. But where did Lofena go?”

“You told me to go to bed earlier.”

“Is that so? I’m out of my mind right now.”

“Can’t you go to sleep now? Take care of the rest tomorrow.”

“…Can you say that even after seeing this?”

When I said she pointed the tip of her chin to her own desk.

My tongue stuck out at the pile of paperwork piled up on her desk, and Irene shook her head before putting her glasses on again and opening her mouth.

“I’ll probably be able to get it all done in a couple of nights. And when I finish this, maybe another pile of papers will come to me.”

As if bitter, she drank the cooled tea and tapped her pen and said to me.

“If you are tired, you can go in first. I can protect my own body enough.”

At that, I shrugged, and Irene returned to focus on her papers without reaction.

Standing for such a long time was not hard, but it was quite boring, so she was barely getting rid of the boredom by leaking tiles on the floor one by one.

‘Twenty two, twenty three…’

Took-

Then the sound broke my concentration.

Hearing the sound of something falling on the paper, he raised his head and before he knew it, he saw Irene lying face down on her desk.

“…Are you asleep?”

I must have been tired. It was short in front of a lot of people, but he gave a speech, and he handled a heavy task on behalf of the duke.

In fact, she had already reached her limit. She must have had a hard time just carrying out that tight daily routine, but she took on this task silently.

She looked at her with pity for a moment, then carefully removed her glasses from the side of her face, put them in one place, and covered her body with a thin blanket.

Even though it was autumn, there was still a chance of catching a cold.

And then I turn my gaze and look at Irene’s sleeping face.

Seemingly exhausted, a new close breath could be heard from between her slightly parted mouth.

How tired must I be to fall asleep like this?

Her cold aura that had always enveloped her, and her pressure on her shoulders disappeared, and her face looked so comfortable.

She looked at that face for a moment, then quietly backed away.

Whoop-

I extinguished the candles and covered the windows with curtains, and darkness began to fill the room in an instant.

Although the light shone slightly through the thin curtains, it was still bright, so I wouldn’t wake up.

Kiki-

I opened the door slowly to prevent her from waking up, and I quietly whispered as I turned around and looked at Irene for the last time.

“…Good night.”

As much as in your dreams, please rest in peace.

Clap-

And the door closes. The only thing left in the place where I left was the sound of small breathing coming from sleeping Irene.