Princess Julia appeared in a golden nutmeg wagon pulled by six horses. It was already the time when the salon was in full swing.
âOh, Count Buchanan. How have you been?â
She greeted with a proud but somewhat haughty smile. Cesar laughed as if he was glad.
âYour Highness Princess Julia! My apologies to meet such a precious person in a humble state.â
âThank you for your hospitality. Miss Buchanan, Iâm relieved to see your familiar face but you look pale.â
Julia looked over Kyrie, standing with a stiff face behind Cesar. Cesar looked at Kyrie with contempt and smiled at Julia again.
âIt is because my daughter is nervous. Itâs the salon where the Princess is participating, so we had to prepare firmly.â
Julia laughed out loud.
âYou didnât look so gutsyâŚ..? Well, thatâs good. Iâd like you to show me around.â
Cesar headed to the garden with Julia in full service.
The garden was planted with acacia and cherry trees which were decorated with artificial flower decorations to erase the futility of winter.
In the sky, heat-producing mana stones were woven like threads, shining brightly, and the servants were busy putting air in the wind tunnel in case it was cold.
In the salon, a large group of fifteen people were chattering in fur. When Julia appeared there, everyoneâs eyes gathered.
After all recognition, the earthly princess did not give them any attention.
âWhat about the Legend? â
âThis way. â
People opened the way as Cesar moved. Among the crowds divided like low tide, the center of the garden, the right pagoda with another vine, was seen.
Nathaniel was there. With a light energy that no one allowed to access, he was looking far away with a decadent atmosphere with a half mixture of boredom and languor.
As soon as she saw him, Julia stopped walking.
âYour Highness?â
When Cesar asked carefully, Julia remained firm with her eyes wide open.
Cesar looked back at Kyrie, who was behind him urgently, with an impression.
âKyrie, what are you doing without looking at Your Royal Highness right nowâŚâ
âIs he the Legendary Lord?â
Julia asked quietly. It was a cool question, but Kyrie felt a heartbeat from Juliaâs voice.
Kyrie belatedly realized that Juliaâs gaze was nailed to Nathaniel and she remembered the fact that she had forgotten.
Nathaniel was too handsome, and Julia had a hobby of collecting handsome men.
ââŚâŚperfect. Perfect. Perfect.â
Juliaâs green eyes began to rise with bizarre aspirations.
âI want to have âŚâ
She murmured, goosebumps appeared on Kyrieâs arms. Fortunately, Cesar came out calmly on behalf of Kyrie.
âYouâre Highness. I can only go this far.â
âHmm?â
âIâm sorry I couldnât serve you until the end. I think Iâve been hated by the Legendary Lord.â
âHow did it happen?â
âA father with a daughter is always hated without any fault.â
Cesar laughed as if it was no big deal. In fact, he must had been very disappointed, but he didnât reveal it at all.
Nathaniel earlier had declared a ban on Cesar.
âIf you want to live, youâd better not come to me.â
It was definitely unusual to say if you were wrong, it would be a good enough reason to kill you, the reason was that he was apparently Kyrie Buchananâs father.
Cesar realized that Nathaniel would not kill him for most things, given the obvious special treatment.
Then he began to use the name of the Legendary Lord in a clever and mean way. As expected, the legend overlooked it.
âPlease excuse me, Your Highness Princess. Iâm sorry I canât serve you until the end.â
âItâs all right, go ahead.â
Julia seemed to have already used up all her kindness to Cesar.
She strode to the pagora, where Nathaniel was located, to see if she could wait any longer and she said rambunctiously.
âYouâre the Legend, arenât you?â
Kyrie was embarrassed inside. It was polite for the noble to be introduced by their acquaintances when they meet for the first time.
Julia ignored it and sat across from him without asking Nathanielâs permission.
âIâm a Princess. Julia Orewinbridge.â
Nathanielâs eyes narrowed very finely.
âYou donât seem to like it.â
Kyrie quickly sat down in an empty seat.
âLord Nathaniel, this isâŚâ
âIt would be nice if you could call me Jules.â
Julia apparently thought that her bold charm would work.
Nathanielâs clear eyes flickered carelessly. There was no answer, so Julia persistently spoke.
âYour Grace was a friend of my ancestor. What do you think of Sel Arellano? It must be quite different from when you lived.â
Finally, Nathaniel reacted. He smiled at someone who knew how beautiful his face was.
[Itâs different.]
A spark flashed in Juliaâs eyes, her cheeks trembled with laughter.
âWhy donât you come to Sel?â
[Sel?]
âYes! Why are you in this place?â
Julia pretended to be gentle and spread her hands, but no matter how much people looked at her, they could only feel arrogance.
âSel is much better. Iâll lend you the whole palace, not a single floor, the estate must have been returned to you, but it will take time to build a new mansion or find a suitable place. I want you to stay in Sel.â
Nathanielâs smile deepened every minute. Kyrie noticed that Nathaniel was like Julia. He was very courteous, and Julia was kicking as hard as she could.
âYour Highness, why donât we talk a little more and then tell some stories?â
âDonât come in, Miss Kyrie.â
âDoesnât the Crown Prince wonder how Lord Nathaniel is doing?â
Julia stopped at the meaningful words. She looked at Kyrie as if she was shooting, and smiled as she shook her cheek.
âOh, I see. Iâm sorry, Miss Buchanan. Youâre right. My brother was also wondering how Nathaniel was doing.â
Kyrie swept her chest (PR: idiom for feel relieved). Julia was more tactful than Eden.
âIâd like to ask Miss Kyrie to join us. Kirier. If I say it to myself, I think Iâm going to talk about secrets of the Royal Family without realizing it. You know me, donât you?â
Throughout the conversation, Nathaniel rarely spoke, and Julia spoke enthusiastically or appreciated his face about the benefits of staying in Sel.
Kyrie indirectly restrained Julia whenever Nathanielâs smile deepened in the meantime.
Finally, Nathaniel brought up the topic first.
[I just realized that youâre a wizard]
Julia was pleased.
âYouâre interested in magic, arenât you?
[I am, Kyrie, hold this up.]
ââŚâŚâ
He moved his eyes slowly, looking at the cane, and Julia and Kyrieâs eyes strangely followed it.
[Do you know the lab in Orewinbridge?]
Kyrie breathed in on the main subject that came too suddenly.
At that moment, something like interruption(a blockage to mind, more or less a psychological blockage) appeared and blew the air.
Time began to flow very slowly. Julia opened her eyes. And moved her chin up and down like a broken nutcracker.
âI, I donât knowâŚâ
[About my seal.?]
âTo find, out, aboutâŚâ
[Did Orewinbridge send it?]
âOh, ah, ah, ah âŚâ
Juliaâs chin rattled. Nathaniel did not laugh at her.
[The answer is wrong. You wonder how the Emperor sealed me. You know that neither. Right?]
[The Emperor would have coveted the position of Kyrie Buchanan]
âTh-tha-thatâs ri-ri-rightâ
Juliaâs condition gradually became strange. She gasped like a suffocating person and drooled from her mouth.
The blindfolding condition lasted too long. There was a vague sense of anxiety that Kyrie should not leave her alone anymore.
âNataniel! â
Kyrie rose from his seat and hugged Julia.
The world is back on track.
Hugging Julia as if to hide her from Nathaniel, Nathaniel giggled with a polite cynical smile.
[I donât know anything about this.]
âWhat did you do?â
[I just casted a spell.]
âWhat kind of magic!â
[Itâs the magic that you almost got trapped in.]
(T/N:Referring to that mind Magic she got in last chp)
Kyrie blinked her eyes.
âHow did you know that?â
[The forest animals are quite competent.]
âWas it such a scary magic?â
[Thatâs what happens when you increase the intensity.]
âShe wonât have any mental problems or aftereffects, she wonât right?â
[Unfortunately, you stopped it too early for that to come.]
He spoke as if he were really sorry. Kyrie looked down at Julia in her arms, unable to hide her embarrassment. She seemed to be out of her mind yet.
[Let that sit down. Because she wonât remember.]
Fearing Nathanielâs words to end, Julia stepped away from Kyrieâs arms on her own.
She remained still like a doll, and Kyrie looked around anxiously. People were still looking this way with admiration, but they seemed to know nothing.
[Now, hereâs what I found out.]
âWhat did you find out?â
[First, the Emperor is the only one who knows a little bit about the events of the founding of the Empire and it was not reported to the other members of the Royal Family]
Nathaniel spoke monotonously as if to explain the chess rules.
[The Emperor only told me, âI donât know anythingâ, âI thought you were dead.â]
âVallabriga wanted to ignore what happened to Orewinbridge.â
[It must have been unfair to die from the work of the ancestors..]
A faint contempt appeared on Nathanielâs face and then disappeared.
[Second, the Emperor doesnât know that I can use magic.]
âIs there no record left?â
[That was the third. The Emperor only knows that I was asleep with the magic of Orewinbridge, but surprisingly no information. So where was it recorded?]
Kyrie answered without blocking.
âIt must be at the Royal Library or the lab of Vallabriga.â
Nathaniel leaned back in the chair, he put his arm on his armrest and struck his chin.
When his long fingers covered his lips, all that was left was a pair of eyes shining like a blue supernova.
[You should have wanted something to covet]
(T/N: this line was directed towards Kyrie)
The covered lips seemed to be smiling for some reason.
* * *
ăHe wonât like it.ă
Leschaux said.
Kyrie was taking a night walk with him, Leschaux would often stop by to see Kyrie after Nathaniel returned to the countdom of Buchanan.
âI donât quite understand. Do you hate it when people covet you?â
ăHe probably thinks itâs natural for humans to covet him. Youâre the one heâs talking about.ă
âOkay, thatâs a perfectly unconvincing answer.â
Leschaux walked silently for a while under the night sky where the moon rose. The dry bush garden on Buchanan Street was surprisingly well suited to him.
Given that Nathaniel also fit well like a picture, she didnât even know that the deep sinking atmosphere of transcendent beings fit well with winter.
ăI have said this to you before. Youâre the only one who means something to Nathaniel.ă
âI see. That was the first thing I wasnât convinced about.â
ăYou asked for evidence.ă
âYou didnât answer.â
ăIâll answer now because in the past, we were also favored by Nathaniel in that way. Of course, but I didnât know back then that was how he cared about someone.ă
Leschaux looked up and looked at the moon. Despite the cold air, no breath came out of him.
ăIn the past, Vallabriga and I woke Nathaniel up.ă
âWas he asleep at the time?â
ăThatâs right. In the past, we found him in the ice and thought we had met a god or a devil. So we made a wish, Vallabriga is the founder of the country, I had the strength to helpă
Leschauxâs voice lowered.
ăNathaniel made it happen.ă
âWas it only the Lord and Vallabriga that meant something to Nathaniel at that time?â
ăThatâs rightă
Leschaux stopped walking and popped his hand through the bushes. There was a strange color of worm sitting on the finger that came out again.
ăFor us, humans are this much. A wormă
Kyrie listened to Leschauxâs explanation with mixed feelings. A strange-colored worm fluttered its wings on Leschauxâs finger.
ăWe can push and kill humans for fun as much as we want. But we wonât bother to do it. You donât have a hobby of pushing down on all the bugs you see on the street either.ă
âI suppose so.â
ăThatâs how you usually ignore bugs but one day, one of the bugs bites your toes and calls your name. Kyrie Buchanan, wouldnât you be surprised?ă
âOf course Iâd be surprised if a bug called my name.â
ăSurprised. Itâll be fun. So you might listen to a bug that can call your name. Itâs not going to be that difficult.ă
Kyrie easily realized that she was the bug who called his name. The first person to wake Nathaniel up from his sleep in Hercula.
That was who she was now, and previously, it was Vallabriga Orewinbridge and Lore Leschaux.
âWhat about before then?â
Kyrie suddenly dropped her thoughts and asked.
âThen if I⌠if I want something from Nathaniel, he can make it happen. Itâs too easy for him.â
ăThatâs right.ă
âBut because I didnât ask him for anythingâŚâ
ăNathaniel isnât doing anything right now.ă
âAre you sure?â
ăPositive.ă
âHow can you be sure?â
Leschaux looked back at Kyrie.
Cherry-colored eyes, as clear as colored glass, resembled Nathaniel. The worm on the fingertip flew away before she knew it.
ăBecause Iâm no longer a human being.ă
Kyrier had goosebumps on her arm without realizing it because of the cold echo of the answer. She just pretended to be cold and rubbed her arms to avoid looking.
âThatâs a reliefâI donât think Iâll ask him for anything.â
ăItâs not just about that.ă
âNot just that?â
Leschaux looked at Kyrie with glimmer.
ăLetâs say you have a bird that you cared about. Letâs say one day itâs being chased by other birds.ă
It was a bug earlier and now, a bird. If Kyrie had said it was okay, she would have thought it would be easy to be referred to as an earthworm.
She clenched her lips as she recalled Nathaniel, who was probably watching this side of the house somewhere.
ăYou are the only person in the garden of the world, and what if the only bird that can call your name is about to die?ă
âThe Buchanan is not such a weak family.â
ăThatâs what we see.ă
ââŚâŚplease continueâ
ăYou might think like this. Letâs kill all the other birds. One bird on my shoulder is more important than a million unnamed birds.ă
Leschaux looked at the moon.
The moon was like a fine ring in his red-purple eyes, Kyrie heard the cold sound of water standing deep in the snow, close to the heart.
ăSo Kyrie Buchanan. Please use the Legendary Knight and the Patriotic Knight. So no one can look down on you.ă
Leschauxâs low, rough voice easily penetrated Kyrieâs heart without any interest (T/N: ëšěĽëŻ¸- No matter how hard you put in your human endeavors, you feel aesthetic emotions when you canât overcome your given conditions)
ăBecause when something happens to you, you donât know what heâll doă
Leschaux left the mansion leaving the words.
Leaving some consolation.
âBut you donât have to worry too much. Nathaniel likes to be polite. Heâll keep his dignity unless itâs something that should be done.â