NOVEL NEXT Particularly, events he didn’t personally experience, his knowledge was no better than a blank page.
Obviously, Rodite Page and Katy Rinse fit into this category.
‘Especially since I only heard the rumors and don’t know what sort of people they really are.’
At most, he remembered that in Pierce’s case, he took flight for a while, running away from Katy.
‘Princess Katy really loved Pierce a lot.’
It was a case of love at first sight, word for word.
‘Big brother!’
Once again, he heard a shrill voice.
At the same time, a snowy faced cute girl showed herself.
“Annette and Anna sis are bullying me.”
Annette Rinse was the second prince, Tomy Rinse’s, little sister and Anna Rinse was the third prince, Kallum Rinse’s, little sister.
An angry faced Katy.
Simon smiled as if he found her expression cute.
“So did you let them?”
Katy balled her fist as soon as his words ended.
“No way. I pulled out both of their hair.”
Suddenly, Simon laughed out loud.
“Hahahaha! Good. That’s my sister! Nice job.”
Raising his thumb at Katy, he continued.
“An eye for an eye. Do that, and others won’t be able to look down on you. Got it?”
“Un. Got it. I’ll remember.”
Katy nodded her head.
Her expression was serious, but due to her large eyes and face full of playfulness, she looked tomboyish instead.
Roan bitterly smiled inwardly.
‘To think such happy siblings would…”
Due to a complicated and twisted relationship, they would point their swords at each other.
At that moment, Katy’s line of sight turned toward Roan.
“Who’s this?”
Looking at Roan, who wasn’t much older than her compared to the others, she tilted her head.
Simon widened his shoulders as he sniggered.
“That person is the hero of this expedition and the savior of this brother’s life, Baron Roan Tale.”
“Ah!”
Katy exclaimed with a slightly surprised expression.
Her eyes glinted with interest.
‘He’s completely different than what I thought.’
Hearing his records, she imagined a macho giant.
But although Roan’s body was in fact extremely fit, he looked rather normal.
“I am Roan Tale.”
Roan deeply bowed as he introduced himself.
Only then did Katy extend her right hand and slightly lowered her head.
“Hello. I’m Katy Rinse.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, princess.”
Holding her hand, Roan gave a short military salute.
For a while, Katy scrutinized Roan’s face here and there.
‘He doesn’t look like much on the outside……’
She couldn’t believe such an ordinary looking guy raised such an extraordinary achievement.
‘Should I perhaps test……’
As she was mischievously planning.
The music that filled the hall suddenly stopped.
Everyone turned toward the front of the hall.
As if he was waiting, the kingdom’s Grand Chamberlain, Viscount Logan Dale, showed up.
With an enormous staff, he knocked three times on the marble floor.
“The kingdom’s sun, the proxy of our God Krea, his majesty Deni III is entering. All the kingdom’s loyal subjects, show respect.”
As soon as the introduction ended, a grand music filled the hall.
Through the wide open doors, Deni Von Rinse showed up in a magnificent suit.
Behind him, the queen and royal concubines followed.
Deni III exchanged greetings with the powerful nobles and heated up the dance hall’s mood.
Simon, and the nobles that followed him, also tried to get in Deni III’s line of sight and put up a fierce fight.
On the other hand, Roan searched for the ordinary guests that attended the hall instead of Deni III.
Meeting with famous philosophers, magicians, and even the big merchants that traded mainly around Miller, Roan put in all kind of efforts to pull in or fill up the things that the Tale region needed.
“Huu. It’s harder than I thought.”
Roan, who had been moving around the dance hall the entire time, walked toward a corner of the hall.
He met countless people and made various offers, but nothing was truly achieved.
Everyone was merely satisfied with simply making an acquaintance with Roan.
They didn’t attempt to make any connections deeper than necessary with Roan, who just became a noble from a commoner background.
Even the commoner merchants tried to line up with other powerful nobles rather than Roan.
An evaluation that Roan’s background wasn’t stable enough to make any profound connections.
‘It won’t become easy from now on either.’
Roan painfully smiled.
He didn’t think from the start that everything would go well.
If he continued to raise his strength and expand his influence, they will extend their hands to him first.
‘I’ll make sure they’ll become like that.’
Scanning the sight of the dance hall continuing on noisily and luxuriously, Roan drank the expensive wine.
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
‘Everyone’s fitting in really well.’
The only one that was out of place in this dance hall was Roan.
‘Hm?’
Then, Roan’s brows slightly furrowed.
His sight turned towards a corner on the right side.
‘It seems that there’s someone else besides me that doesn’t match the dance hall.’
Curiosity colored his eyes.
On the right side’s corner, a young woman sat there.
A woman with a faint smile, enjoying her wine.
Although she wore a plain looking dress compared to the others, she somehow exuded an elegant grace.
Unconsciously, Roan kept staring at her.
Then, the woman’s gaze, that was watching the dance, suddenly turned.
For a moment, Roan and the woman’s eyes met.
“Hhm.”
Unable to avoid her gaze, Roan awkwardly smiled and lightly lowered his head.
The woman too, at their unexpected intersected gazes, quickly lowered her head in panic.
Both of her cheeks blushed.
An awfully shy look.
Roan smiled at that sight.
He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a corner of his heart relax.
At that moment.
“Roan.”
Checking the mood, Ian Lancephil walked over.
He, who was walking over after finishing a short chat with Deni III, saw Roan and made a peculiar expression.
“She’s Princess Aily Rinse.”
He abruptly threw Roan a few words.
Roan wasn’t sure at first what he was talking about, but soon realized what he meant.
‘She’s a princess.’
The woman who couldn’t fit in with the dance and was sitting alone by a corner just like him.
Surprisingly, her identity was in fact the kingdom’s princess.
‘Was there a princess called Aily?’
He searched his memory including the one from his last life, but couldn’t remember such a person.
Most likely, she was married off to a noble just like other princesses and spent her life without any tribulations.
Then, Io continued his words.
“Princess Aily’s mother was a maid in the palace. Because of that, she doesn’t have any followers or supporters unlike other princes and princesses. Furthermore, her mother’s life ended merely three days after giving birth to the princess. Because of that, the only one in the world related to her by blood is his majesty the king. But……”
His line of sight turned towards Deni III.
“His majesty, the king, doesn’t seem to hold Princess Aily very dearly. I never saw the two of them talk to each other by themselves.”
A bitter countenance filled his face.
“The loneliest and saddest person within the palace is probably Princess Aily. Probably because she doesn’t have a relationship with anyone besides her guardian knight and the wet nurse that looked after her since she was young.”
To spend time on Aily, who didn’t have any power or influence, the kingdom and its current situation wasn’t very favorable to do so.
‘Hhm.’
Roan somehow swallowed the thoughts that rose up to his throat.
Somehow, it felt similar to his current state.
A former commoner officer that just became a noble.
Although he hooked people’s eyes for a moment thanks to the fame from the war and the expedition, that much was the limit.
For Roan, whose background was low, people tried to keep a certain amount of distance.
“She’s a pitiful person. She’s the same without any friends or family.”
Io let out a short sigh.
At that moment, the music that was filling the hall, changed.
The royalty and the nobles, and the guests as well, began searching for a partner as if they had been waiting.
“Sir Count Lancephil. Will you dance with me for a song?”
Even to Io, a noblewoman walked over and extended her hand.
Winking at Roan, Io soon headed toward the center of the hall.
‘So this is the aristocratic society.’
It might seem like beautiful dances on the outside, but in truth, there should be bloody politics flying back and forth.
Roan unconsciously turned his sight looking for Aily.
She had moved her seat further into the corner than before.
Although she was a kingdom’s princess in name, nobody in the hall requested a dance from her.
From another perspective, it was same for Roan.
Even though it was an etiquette for the men to offer the dance first, there were times when the women approach first.
But there were no women that walked up to Roan.
Although old ladies amongst the guests sent passionate glances from time to time, Roan struggled to ignored the gazes.
Roan’s sight kept going toward Aily.
“Is there really no one to dance with?”
“Hmph. Really.”
The young girls sitting on the left side complained with small voices.
Glancing over the men in the hall, the girls frowned.
“There’s only old nobles.”
“All the good men were taken by the princesses.”
A brusque voice.
Then, the girls’ expression brightened for a moment.
“Look. It seems Princess Aily didn’t find a partner again today.”
“That’s why she gets the nickname shadow princess.”
He could hear sneering voices.
Roan unconsciously turned and faced the girls.
“Hhm.”
“Hm.”
Sensing Roan’s gaze, the girls were coquettishly laughing.
Lightly tapping at their neck, they let down a shoulder.
Roan squinted an eye.
It wasn’t from the girls’ behavior.
‘A shadow princess……’
Somehow, he felt bitter.
He didn’t know why. His heart moved on its own.
Roan turned his head again toward Aily.
She didn’t seem to care what others said and thought about her.
Her expression was unperturbed and her eyes were deep and bright.
“Huu.”
Roan let out a short sigh and slowly moved his feet.
Io, who had been staring at Roan even while dancing in the center of the hall, made a strange expression.
‘Yes, Roan. If it’s you, you’ll be able to see beyond her outer appearance and conditions and into her true self.’
His mouth slightly curved up.
All the while, Roan went up to Aily.
“Hello. Princesss. I’m Roan Tale.”
“Ah…… You’re the hero of the expedition. I heard you saved my…… brother Simon.”
She hesitated for a moment at the word brother.
‘Her voice is really clear and gentle.’
Roan unconsciously smiled.
Aily too softly smiled and lightly bowed.
“I am Aily Rinse.”
It was a smile that made one feel happy just as much as her voice.
On top of that, she was polite and courteous.
Roan quietly gazed at her two eyes.
Aily calmly stared back at the gaze, but soon slightly lowered her head.
Both of her cheeks were once again colored red.
‘A shadow princess…..’
His eyes calmly squinted.
‘There’s nothing as truthful and definite as a shadow.’
Roan extended his right hand toward Aily.
“Princess. Would you dance with me for a song?”
A soft voice.
Dance, and a kind of dance that nobles do; he never danced nor had a chance to even take a good look at one, but that didn’t matter.
‘Even if it’s wrong or awkward, I think that it would be fine.’
Strangely, he felt calm.
Aily raised her head and stared at Roan.
Without a word, Roan brightly smiled.
Quietly, the two gazes met.
A moment after, Aily shyly smiled and nodded.
“I would like to.”
*****
“Nanny.”
Aily’s voice slightly trembled at the end.
“Princess. You’re a bit late today.”
Margaret, the nanny, who had been cleaning the study, brightly smiled and lowered her head.
Usually, Aily wasn’t one to stay at a dance for long.
‘Since others look down on her saying something like shadow princess or whatnot……’
No, in the first place, Aily wasn’t one to enjoy dance halls.
‘But today, she stayed for quite a while.’
Margaret’s gaze turned towards the guardian knight, Greg Katis, who was naturally standing by the door.
Sensing Margaret’s gaze, Greg faintly smiled.
An expression as if something good happened today.
‘What happened?’
Tilting her head, Margaret looked at Aily.
“Ah……”
Only then did she realize that Aily’s expression was very bright.
A gleeful expression as if she had the whole world.
“Nanny.”
Aily’s face was brightly blushing.
“I met someone good today.”
A calm yet somehow slightly raised voice.
“So, someone good?”
Margaret made a surprised expression at the completely unexpected words.
On the other hand, Aily was still calm and composed.
“Un. Someone good.”
Margaret slightly frowned.
And soon glanced at Greg.
Greg slightly nodded at Margaret’s gaze and walked out of the study.
Standing in front of the door and meticulously checking if there was anyone walking that way or hiding, he heightened his senses.
His figure was natural, as if something like this had happened multiple times before.
Margaret looked around just in case, and whispered with a small voice.
“Princess. What do you suddenly mean, someone good?”
Aily faintly smiled at those words.
“I met the expedition’s hero, Baron Roan Tale.”
“Roan Tale……”
Margaret was also very familiar with the rumors about Roan.
She asked again in a careful voice.
“And you say that he’s a good person?”
“Un. We talked a bit while we danced and he was a really good person in various ways.”
At Aily’s reply, Margaret’s expression turned stiff.
“A dance? Did Baron Tale offer the dance first?”
Aily lightly nodded her head.
Margaret’s voice became even smaller.
“You didn’t say anything strange first, did you?”
“Anything strange?”
Aily asked back with a smile.
Margaret looked around the place once more.
“Things like a house leasing business, rail transportation, or Seil trading…….”
“Stop.”
Aily raised her right hand and shook her head.
Margaret quickly closed her mouth.
Staring into her eyes, Aily faintly smiled.
“Nanny. Don’t worry about something like that because I never let something slip from my tongue.”
A dignified and confident expression unlike the shy look from before.
Margaret exhaled a short sigh.
“Huu. But even so…… there wasn’t a single incident like this before. Just in case……”
A worry filled voice.
Aily tightly squeezed Margaret’s two hands.
“Nanny. Don’t worry. The man called Roan Tale, he’s surely a good person.”
A clear and gentle voice echoed from her lips.
Margaret’s expression relaxed when she heard her.
‘Right. Since princess’s eyes for people are exact.”
Until now, it hadn’t been wrong even a single time.
Because of that, they could do unimaginable things without anyone knowing about it.
‘A good person……”
Margaret recalled the rumors about Roan that she had heard.
‘What kind of a good person is he? A friend? Or perhaps……”
Her heart thumped for some reason.
It was a feeling mixed with anticipation.
A strange mood filled the study.