/
She’d only been staring at the stern for a few moments, but her body and mind were already tired. Catherine made her way down the aisle dedicated to the VIPs, covered with her red carpet.
In front of the nearest cabin, a familiar silhouette stood vaguely. It was Damian. Looking at Catherine with a blank look, he soon recognized her and said.
“No, Lady. Where the hell did you go after leaving me? But you look pretty good with it.”
“Everywhere I go, I don’t have to get Damian’s permission to go out.”
“What upsetting words— you haven’t already forgotten what Sir Cesare said, are you? Even if it looks like this, I was coming as the Lady’s escort. Did I come because I wanted to?”
Damian’s face became sharply pouty. When a big man just made such a face, she felt like she had a younger brother. But she thought he looks like a handsome uncle.
「I’ve been there.」
“Where?”
「On top.」
“Why?”
「Watching.」
Damian glanced at the cat with a suspicious look.
“Why are you talking so short all of a sudden? Hey, chatter. Are you sick or something? Is your tongue broken?”
He seemed to call Meow a chatter.
“I told him to keep it as short as possible. It’s troublesome if they find out his identity while floating in the open sea—”
“Sir Cesare is here, so what are you worried about? Even if the Great Devil comes out of nowhere, if it’s Cesare’s defense, all the priests and paladins on board will not be able to open their mouths.”
It was an unreliable remark from beginning to end.
Damian casually followed her into the cabin and spent time with her. They didn’t have great conversations, and there were a few personal stories that had never been shared before.
She was not particularly curious about the conversation with him, but there was a lot of information that would make her more awkward because she got to know him.
“There are three dots on my pelvis horizontally, and I fell asleep when I was young when I touched it.”
Like the structure of his body.
“One day, the one who tried to bully me was so cheeky that I couldn’t stand it that I secretly visited him at dawn and shaved his head off. He cried the next day.”
Behind-the-scenes stories from his school days.
“The 1st Knights of the Imperial Family are the knights I belong to, yet there aren’t many strange people. They all have families and a variety of skills, thus small and tiny incidents occur on a daily basis. Because it is dirty, the captain’s personality is maintained. They often joke that you’ll be the group’s future leader, and I’m so scared of that sound that I start to pee. I mean, I’m not afraid of the captain; I’m afraid of not being able to control the chaos.” (t/n : I don’t really get some part in this part;;)
The knight captain’s backstory.
Among them, the most surprising story was—.
“Damian, aren’t your jokes getting wider and wider?”
“It’s not a joke.”
Catherine asked again, crumpling her forehead as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Then, you’re really the Prince Chevrok’s—”
“Son, though I’m an illegitimate child.”
It was the fact that Damian was part of the imperial family.
Catherine, speechless, scratched her chin and turned her head toward Meow. It had been a long time since the yellow cat rolled over and fell into a sweet sleep.
“There aren’t many people who treat illegitimate children now, so it’s meaningless.”
No. Regardless of how they treat him, shouldn’t he hide that?
“You just thought that I should hide it, right?”
“Yes.”
Damian smiled softly at the answer without hesitation. He had been rummaging through the box of biscuits for an hour, leaving only one or two biscuits left.
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon anyway, so I told you in advance.”
She pondered the meaning of those words.
“Is Prince Chevrok aboard here by any chance?”
“No, even if it’s not him, there are enough people I can mention to the point that they sound like him.”
Come to think of it, Damian once persuaded her and mentioned, “There are many people who don’t get along well with me.” It seems that not everyone has lived a peaceful life, including Cesare.
“Is it a secret that everyone knows?”
“Exactly.”
If so, it was fortunate. She thought they had to exchange secrets because it was such a great secret. However, before she spoke, Damian leaked another excessive personal information, evoking the atmosphere.
Although it was painful for her ears, thanks to Damian, the feeling of falling to the floor was very flat.
It was after the sun had set over the horizon when she came to her senses. Cesare came to her cabin just when she wanted to get out.
It was the same outfit when they went to the theater together, but the less sensitive atmosphere flowed, perhaps because of the naturally flowing bangs.
He said, naturally placing Catherine’s hand on him.
“There are a lot of flying flies that cling to you, so it can be boring. It doesn’t matter where you go, so don’t miss Sir Damian.”
“Okay— Oh, and I’m going to be your disciple for the time being, so I hope Cesare knows that.”
Cesare raised his eyebrows.
“Disciple? If it’s because of what you said at the theater, you don’t have to worry about it.”
“No. Honestly, it’s obvious what people will ask me. They’ll ask what kind of relationship I have with you. It’s the easiest thing to respond to.”
Damian, who was still following, asked Catherine.
“Lady, do you have any other reason to hide that both of you are lovers?”
She hides it because they’re not lovers.
“Ah! As expected, you were in a secret relationship. Well, if Sir Cesare’s lover is announced to the world, there will be more uninvited guests, many people will be jealous, and maybe even life-threatening—Wow, as expected you are wise.”
She like Damian’s side. He is the only one who misunderstands and wraps up it.
Catherine quietly closed the door and left so Meow could rest. Just before arriving on board, Cesare whispered a small whisper in her ear.
“I’ll tell you in advance, but you’ll be pretty tired.”
Catherine shrugged as if not to worry.
“Don’t worry. If it’s a banquet, I’m used to it too.”
Then she rummaged through her tote bag, took out a fountain pen, and put dots under her eyes. Two too.
This would not be Catherine Orléans by anyone looking at it.
The ship that came was already crowded with people, and it was also luxurious. Chocolate poured from a great fountain above the slow ship, and a pink liquid flowed like a stream around it.
Recognizing her gaze, Cesare lowered his body and whispered softly.
“It’s champagne. Food and drinks are not recommended, as they are very dirty.”
“It can’t be. Do people wash their hands in that champagne?”
“It’s a relief if you just wash your hands.”
She should never drink it. She should be careful not to drink alcohol.
She pretended not to, but Catherine was completely surprised. She was a woman who attended several luxurious salons led by rich ladies. However, it was safe to say that it was the first time for such an expensive and noisy banquet.
When Cesare appeared, everyone’s attention turned to them.
Not exactly Cesare, but Catherine, who was standing next to him. They were so explicitly interesting that I could feel Damian shivering with a tired face behind her back.
“Your Highness, Cesare.”
There was an old man who was the first to approach in an unknowingly quiet atmosphere. A familiar old white-haired old man held Cesare’s hand with an emotional face.
“I sincerely congratulate you on the successful subjugation of the evil dragon! This old man can’t tell how happy I am to see Your Highness again after a year.”
“The Count has gained weight, perhaps it was worth living.”
“My my, as I got older, I couldn’t help but gain weight.”
“Don’t be nervous. The Count has been showing signs of gaining weight since you were ten years old.”
“It’s polite to pretend you don’t know that.”
Catherine had to be surprised one more time in less than five minutes after she came on board. At first, she wondered how he treat the elderly as a child, but come to think of it, human Cesare was as old as Shagweed II.
‘The Emperor turned 140 this year, so Cesare must have been around that.’
Of course, he is a great devil who lives easily for about a thousand years, but it felt strange that even a human Cesare was over 100 years old.
Only a few chosen people who exceed human limits are entitled “transcendents” and enjoy a long life span of nearly 200 years.
The number of Transcendentals can’t exceed three even within the Iterana Empire, the dominant power on the continent. Their existence is one of the main factors in judging the military power of a country, and it is also a point that those who wield swords and learn magic are admired.
Catherine stands here as a disciple of Grand Duke Cesare Christopher, one of those great Transcendents. Of course, although she’s actually a contractor, not a disciple. Catherine smiled contentedly at her great position.
As expected, this is the only way to dedicate her soul.
After a long greeting, the old man’s eyes turned to Catherine.
“Your Highness, are you really not going to tell me the name of the woman next to you?”
Cesare glanced down at Catherine.
She was worried. As long as she follows Cesare, she will not have a peaceful leisure time. If so, how can she make it a little less troublesome?
Fortunately, the right answer quickly came to mind.
“Oh, old man! I am Cesare’s discipline. My name is Anne Magie. I am from the Southern Kingdom.” (t/n : honestly Catherine really bad at finding a name for her and just keep picking her sister’s name lol)
“Hmm?”
Cesare and Damian were not surprised by her sudden foreign appearance. Damian rather said, ‘This woman will start again.’ Because of her face, an atmosphere was formed where everyone in the group accepted Catherine’s existence as a foreigner.
Eventually, the old man who was watching Catherine with a sharp gaze relaxed his expression and raised his hand.
“Oh, this can’t happen. You’re a disciple of Your Majesty Cesare! I’m Cole Sanders. I’m the prime minister of this country. Nice to meet you, Miss Anne Magie. Is it worth here for the Southern Kingdom?”
She didn’t know the old man, who felt warm, was the prime minister. Catherine smiled.
“This place is heaven. Everyone treats me well because I’m next to Cesare.”
“I guess so. But, you are fluent in the Imperial language. How long did you learn?”
“It’s two months.”
Prime Minister Cole burst into admiration.
“Two months! As expected from the disciple chosen by Your Highness Cesare. This will make the sound of imperial talents suffering. The Grand Duke, whom everyone admires, has received his first disciple, but she is, after all, a foreigner!”
“Everyone is going to die of hunger.”
“Ah, yes. Right now, this place is overflowing with people who will die of hunger. It’s worth watching.”
Catherine, who pretended to be a foreigner and was naturally talking, failed to respond to the last remark. This is because she made eye contact with a softer brown-haired man beyond the chocolate fountain.
‘Ah—Damn it.’
The enemy is said to meet at the one-legged bridge. Catherine closed her eyes tightly and opened them at her rushing stress.
Of all things, it was really a Percyville.