Sir Azertonâs eyes, who quickly sensed his studentâs change, filled with interest.
âAs much as Denkart has a lot of things, there are also many people who want to steal it. You have to be perfect so that they donât take them away from you. Of course, this is not my business, but.â
ââŠ.â
âYou must vow eternal allegiance to the Imperial Family Terua if you wish to become the true Lord of Denkart.â
With those words, Azerton left as if he had finished his business.
Edric, who was left alone, was lost in thought.
Having studied the history of the Terua Imperial family, he is familiar with the imperial family.
And there was the name of the Imperial family that he was particularly concerned about.
âThe Crown Prince, Lewis Howard TeruaâŠâ
As soon as he recalled the name, he remembered Lobelâs expression of regret.
This is because Lobel wanted the Crown Prince to attend the last public reading session more than anyone else. However, when Lobel discovered he was on a duty trip, he was very disappointed.
It would be nice if His Highness the Crown Prince had comeâhis expression clearly said so.
So, Edric asked suddenly without thinking about it.
[Do you really want to see the crown prince?]
[Yes, of course! His Highness Lewis is the greatest imperial family in history.]
Edric was shocked inwardly. He had no idea that Lobel talked so much about people other than himself. Especially in such an excited toneâ.
[Besides, he clearly distinguishes between public and private affairs, has a gentle charisma, good character, and is respected for his kindnessâŠ]
Edricâs expression slowly grew colder, but Lobel couldnât see it because he had turned his back to pick a book from the bookshelf.
So, while they were talking, Crimson, who was restless as he watched the two people from behind, managed to stop the conversation by saying something silly to get them to stop and ask him to eat snacks.
ââŠIs the Crown Prince that great?â
Edric remembered that time and muttered without realizing it.
Since Lobel wasnât there, the question was given to Crimson and Arif.
Crimson was pushing the wheelchair to go to the training ground, and then he rolled his eyes to see what he was talking about, while Arif tried to choose the answer carefully.
But, trapped in his own thoughts, Edric didnât even care about the two of them.
ââŠIâm glad Lobel is a commoner. If he had been a noble, there would have been no reason for anyone not to push him to the position of the Crown Princeâs servant.â
In the first place, he was relieved that he was his servant.
If it were Manellano or the other guyâs servantsâ with himself, he wouldnât have run into him.
All his life, he only wanted him to be his servant.
ââŠWhy am I thinking like this?â
Then, when he realized what he had been thinking, he was very shocked.
Not long ago, he felt bad for Lobel because he had to do chores, and he couldnât believe he thought this now.
He shook his head and looked out the window. There is still a lot of time left before he can meet Lobel.
However, he couldnât just stay still when he remembered that fact.
âPrepare the carriage.â
*****
Lobelia.
In the commotion of the big market, the name that had been almost forgotten could be heard clearly.
As I turned my head toward the sound, I saw familiar faces. It was our merchantâs family member.
Most of them turned their backs on me. However, thereâs no way I couldnât recognize the faces with our merchantâs unique purple vest.
How long has it beenâ.
I stared blankly at them, forgetting that I had to leave.
Tears welled up with joy.
ââŠYouâre Lobelia, right?â
It was the Oraboni, who had known me for a long time, who called my name.
Others carefully looked at the items on sale, and he was the only one looking at me.
However, up until now, he still has some doubts about it.
It was understandable.
My hair, which I usually let grow to my waist, was short, and I was dressed like a man.
âBut why are they hereâŠ.â
Our merchants didnât come directly to the big market in the capital, and most of their sales were in rural areas.
In the first place, assuming that we would meet here was impossible.
Even if they wanted to purchase something, it would be through a representative. They would never come as a group like this.
At that time, a middle-aged man with a warm impression came with a pile of silk on one shoulder.
ââŠDonât tell me, is Rainer Ahjussi also here?â (T/n: ìì ìš / Ahjussi means uncle or someone middle age man.)
He is the merchantâs family member I followed the best, the father of Oraboni. (T/n: Oraboni here is a nickname Lobel has for people who are older than her in the merchant, not her actual brother. I just put it as Oraboni not to make it hard to understand if I put brother. And family here means a group of people working together in the same organization)
But the merchantâs Oraboni moved quickly, perhaps because he saw the shape of my mouth as I muttered.
âYou⊠you! Youâre Lobelia, right!â
Before I could answer, he hurriedly approached me.
I backed off reflexively.
Then, in an instant, he stood close and stretched his long arm to me.
âLobelia! Stop right there!â
The merchantâs people reacted to the commotion.
âLobelia? Lobelia is here?â
They whispered and tried to look at me.
But at that moment, I completely turned my back on them and ran away.
I canât get caught!
As soon as I thought about it, I started running like crazy in the opposite direction to them.
âStop there, Lobelia!â
He came after me with all his might, shouting my name.
However, I couldnât come right away due to the crowds of people in the big market.
It was the same with me running away. I had to move through the crowd with difficulty.
Finally, after barely hiding in the alley, I covered my mouth with both hands.
After a sudden chase, I could hear the sound of my heart beating fast.
âI will die if I get caught⊠I canât.â
There was a more gloomy sense than joy.
Because of me, my family and the people at the merchant could all be in danger.
If it is revealed that I served Young Master Denkart while disguised as a man, a huge amount of reparation that canât be repaid even with the full amount of money and the crime of deceiving the nobility will be added.
Holding my breath, I leaned against the wall and hid my head slightly.
In front of me, I saw our merchant family, who chased me to the alley. Fortunately, they didnât seem to know that I was hiding here.
Among them, Oraboni was punching his chest as if he was frustrated.
âShe was here. I saw Lobelia clearly with these two eyes!â
âAre you sure you saw it right?â
âThatâs right! It was definitely Lobelia. Do you think I canât recognize her? How long do you think it has been since Iâve seen Lobelia!â
The merchant family members covered their foreheads as if they were in trouble or sighed.
But there wasnât a single person who wanted to go back.
After exchanging glances, they scattered all over the place as if they were trying to find me somehow.
I put my head back into the wall and hid. This is really touching, but⊠it was a big problem.
âAh⊠Iâm going crazy. How do I go back?â
I had to cross the market to get to the Denkart carriage.
But right now, it was impossible because there were people from the merchant.
âI canât keep doing this here.â
I kept looking back and forth between the blocked alleyways and where my family was.
Fortunately, I didnât wear a servantâs uniform today.
Because I donât know if Gerald Oraboni, who is sad to be the second sharp eye in the merchant, will notice the clue from the Denkartâs pattern engraved on it.
Still, I was at a loss on my way back.
As I covered my face, drenched in sweat in nervousness, I heard someoneâs voice.
âDo you need help?â
When I turned my head, I saw a boy standing in the shade of an alley.
âI didnât even sense him⊠Who is he?â
No, I shouldnât have heard a conversation.
I put my index finger on my mouth and asked him to be quiet, âSsh!â
But the boy only laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
âDonât worry. Thereâs no one. Theyâre all gone.â
ââŠHa.â
I took a step at a time as I was breathing hard.
ââŠIs he planning on doing something bad to me?â
I glanced sideways again at the escape route.
But it wasnât necessary.
I didnât know it when I saw it in the dark, but he was a skinny, white boy who reminded me of the Young Master in the past.
I couldnât find any pressure living on his bright face.
âI can help you.â
SoâŠI guess, I need to bring a cloak from somewhere. The boy added.
âYou donât have to worry. I know the way here very well. I can take you where you want to go unnoticed.â
Even though he was kind and gentle, I couldnât shake the feeling that he was planning something bad.
So I didnât trust him.
The daughter of a merchant family canât be deceived. Thereâs nothing free in the world.
Meanwhile, the pretentious boy stood in front of me before I knew it.
And his hand is pointing to my shirt.
Exactly the silver button on my jacket.
âThat button.â
It wasnât gold, but it was finely crafted and quite expensive.
âIf there is one, everything will be solved.â
I looked around suspiciously at the boy who was still in that state.
First of all, the appearance was exceptional.
Uniquely, he had curly hair with a mysterious color like natural turquoise, which came down to the middle of his nose.
Nevertheless, he was a boy with a strong, soft impression rather than messy, perhaps because of the corners of his mouth that rolled up nicely and the smooth and thin jawline.
But a personâs appearance is not everything. Every part of his gentle manner made me feel a little bit uneasy.
As I was being chased all over the place, it was also annoying that he tried to get close to me without any boundaries skilfullyâ.
ââŠJsnât he a real con artist?â
I thought that maybe he might call his group and kidnap me.
Even if itâs not as good as our Young Master, theyâll be seduced by his appearance, regardless of age or gender, so I should be carefulâ.
But the boy shook his head at my suspicious gaze, smiling softly as if he wasnât a strange person.
The movement shook the bangs covering his forehead, revealing clear eyes like the sky of autumn.
I was drawn to his beauty.
The double eyelids were shallow, but between the clear pupils, a straight bridge of the nose was placed, and there was a cut diagonally across the upper part.
I was so sorry to see that it was covering up his good looksâ oh, wait.
For a moment, a very polite tone came out of my mouth.