Chapter 148

Chapter 148

The towering stone fort lying against the backdrop of a frosty winter sky was surrounded by a heavy atmosphere .

Maybe I felt that way because the fort lacked exterior decorations, or maybe because the snow had covered much of the entire area . Either way, unlike the calm serenity in the royal capital, the air around here was so palpable with tension that I couldn’t help stiffening up .

The knights’ composed, professional demeanour and the dignified way they held themselves as they greeted us didn’t help my case .

I better stay out of their way while I’m here .

Although I was plenty nervous, I mustered all the courage I could within my heart . But when I entered into the next room, I was unable to hide my surprise at how lighter and warmer the atmosphere was .

“It’s been a long time, eh? You ladykiller!”

The Commander of the Border Guard struck Sir Leon’s shoulder with a cheery smile, a world apart from the knights’ stony expressions from earlier .

Not to mention that he didn’t hold back at all .

“You are before a princess . ”

Sir Leonhard complained, his brows furrowed, but the commander refused to change his attitude and only offered me a simple ‘Excuse me . ‘

“I heard that Her Royal Highness is a big-hearted person . I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a rude country boy like me . Ain’t that right?”

He said so with a wink, and instead of getting upset, he laughed even louder .

He has quite the dynamic personality, but it seems like he’s a good person . ‘I don’t mind,’ I nodded with a smile and got a ‘See?’ in return as he gave Sir Leonhard a childish look .

The man had cropped golden hair and clear hazel eyes . Strong brows and a high nose bridge suited his strong personality well and properly reflected his firm will . His deeply-set features, tanned skin, and cheerful temperament all reminded me of the South American men back on Earth .

His body was on the larger side and looked even more muscular than Sir Leonhard’s . The guard uniform that was already smaller than a knight’s barely split at the seams .

The Commander of the Border Guard, and an old friend of Sir Leonhard… Ernst von Lieber .

They had apparently known each other since their days as apprentice knights .

The affable Commander Lieber and the caring Sir Leonhard hit it off when they first met, and they’d do anything together . When it came to sword training, it was said that Sir Leonhard’s opponent was no one else but the commander .

Sir Leon may have the upper hand in terms of agility, but Commander Lieber was superior when it came to raw power .

Their fellow knights-in-training were inspired by them; I heard that Sir Leonhard and Commander Lieber’s graduating class were full of highly skilled people, all pulled up by those two .  And that’s all from Rosemarie Reports .

By the way, I got all this info from the escort who had replaced Klaus . He was such a big Sir Leonhard fanboy that he had gathered more information than even me . I honestly related to him so much that I genuinely wanted to be his friend on a personal level .

“As usual, this guy’s a handful!”

“Look who’s talking…”

Sir Leonhard, who was repeatedly slapped on the back, could only respond with a grumble . But that cold attitude only proved the depth of their friendship .

“But why are you still single? If you don’t marry soon, the number of poor little ladies thinking that they have a chance will only increase, ya know?”

Owwie .

There’s one poor lady right here, Commander!

“That’s none of your business . ”

Sir Leonhard bitterly replied .

Yeah! Yeah! Don’t poke your nose in other people’s business!

If Sir Leonhard suddenly decided ‘Hm, why don’t I settle down right now?’, how will you take responsibility for that!?

I kept making silent remarks as the two continued their friendly conversation .

“Don’t tell me you think it’s a waste of time! Nothing beats the happiness you get when a lass welcomes you home, ya know?”

Commander Lieber has a really beautiful wife, or so I’ve heard .

Since his wife has a weak constitution, Commander Lieber, when appointed at the northern border, initially chose to leave his wife behind in the royal capital where it would be better for her body .

But she declared, ‘I don’t want to be away from you!,’ and followed along .  What a lovely-dovey couple . How enviable .

“Just tell His Majesty that you want to settle down already . Your child, whether it’s a boy or a girl, would surely bring greatness to the kingdom . ”

“Eh-”

Those words suddenly gave me a rude awakening .

Wouldn’t it be tragic if I have to encourage someone I like to marry another woman?

If he’s going to have a child then I’d love to… Huehuehue! As usual, my thoughts swayed too far from what was expected from a princess .  I am very sorry for being such a shameless girl . Still, I don’t like what I don’t like .

And even though it’s not like I’m his actual superior, wouldn’t all of that be sexual harassment if I said it out loud?

Various words and phrases swirled in my head, but none of it left my lips .

For a moment, I fretted, unsure if I was capable of even giving a decent response to this situation, but a sudden shadow was cast before me . When I came to and raised my face, I saw Sir Leonhard’s back .

“Ernst . I will not forgive you if you continue to be discourteous to Her Highness . ”

Sir Leonhard, standing between me and him, spoke in a low tone .  If it’s not my imagination, I think he’s quite angry .

I couldn’t see his face from where I was . However, through the flaps of Sir Leon’s robes, I saw Commander Lieber visibly surprised .

His hazel-coloured eyes were wide open .

“…I see . ”

Commander Lieber slapped his knee .

“I see! I see! It seems that I was careless!”

“…What are you talking about?”

Sir Leonhard questioned Commander Lieber, who had just let out another burst of laughs .  I wanna know too . How did the conversation even shift into that kind of mood?

“No, no . I’m often told that I can be quite thoughtless and sometimes insensitive, and that’s absolutely right . I’m terribly sorry, Your Highness . Please excuse my bad manners . ”

The commander knelt down before me and took my hand, asking for forgiveness, but he honestly looked overjoyed .

I couldn’t think of a reason as to why he was doing this or looked as happy as he did, but I managed to give him a nod .

“Please don’t worry too much about it . ”

I couldn’t fathom the reason why he apologised, so a vague reply was all I could muster, but Commander Lieber didn’t seem to mind in the slightest .

“Thank you very much . After all, Your Highness truly is a big-hearted person . Ain’t she?”

Commander Lieber thanked me before turning to Sir Leonhard for confirmation .

Sir Leonhard, however, stared at Commander Lieber while frowning .

“That doesn’t mean you can do anything you like . ”

“I know . It’s my bad . ”

Sir Leonhard sighed after a brief silence .

“There won’t be a second time . ”

With Commander Lieber’s final acknowledging nod, Sir Leonhard’s expression returned to the calm I was used to .

I realised I had been holding my breath all this time and let out a sigh of my own .

After that, we moved on to what we had originally come here to discuss: the intel regarding villages .

Commander Lieber’s face shifted into a serious expression when he began explaining a map spread out before us . In the end, I still had no idea what he had apologised for .