CH 27

“Ha….”

Then I was hit a second time at the sound of Eugene calling me by my name. When handsome men call my name, I become a shivering fan of them…. The two quickly grabbed me as I staggered with the thought of falling into three thousand guns.

I wasn’t envious of the emperor at this moment. Whoo.

“Ticia, if you’re not feeling well, we can come back tomorrow.”

“Oh, no, no. Sir, let’s go now. I want to go to the ‘Moonlight Garden’.”

I said, gently biting Eugene’s subdued voice.

‘Moonlight Garden’.

It was the place where Ariel, the heroine, went to when she visited the market and got drunk and acted cutely – of course she does – while drunk. She convinced both, the leader of the information guild and leader the assassination guild, become her own people with just one drink.

‘Nice. The core of Nodaji.’

As I was applauding on the inside, Cain asked in wonder: “If it’s ‘Moonlight Garden’, Isn’t it a tavern?”

“Yeah, well, I….”

While holding onto them I was able to feel their temperature. I answered with a little excitement as if it were a dream of mine: “A drink, I want to try it.”

I will avoid getting drunk unlike the heroine did, but I remember how the original mentioned that liquor here tastes great. It’s the delicious liquor from the original. I had to try this. In addition, many sparrows of the assassination guild come her often and the leader of the information guild often pretends to be a clerks here and eavesdrops on people’s stories.

‘It would be great if I could meet them at least once, wouldn’t it?’

For the heroine, it was possible to meet both at once. How nice would it be if I could do that too? With such a wish, I looked earnestly into the air.

“…….”

“…….”

After looking at me for a while, the two, who were exchanging glances, nodded their heads and started to guide me there. At first glance, their expressions were strangely stiff, so it bothered me, but when I saw the sign of the tavern that soon came into view, I quickly became uninterested in their reaction.

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“I think it’s her first time coming out.”

The two men talked in such a voice that Leticia could not hear.

Eugene replied to Cain’s murmur in an indifferent voice: “Yes, it’s her first time.”

They used to think she didn’t come out of the palace because she didn’t like the.

Answering Cain’s murmuring, Eugene responded calmly while looking at the Princess walking ahead:

“Maybe she was unable to come out because she got sick and there was nothing to control her sickness.”

In other words, there was no one to help her when she suddenly became sick. Cain, who understood the meaning of Eugene’s words, shut up with a complex expression on his face. She said she wanted to drink, but the way she said so was something different.

Yes, she must have felt insanely lonely. The pain alone must be immense. When the recalled the moment she stared into the air with some desperate atmosphere, their hearts seemed strangely tight again.

Cain said, lowering his glance: “She often become sick all of a sudden.”

Emma had told them that the amount of blood she vomits seemed to have increased. In addition, there were several times when she fainted in front of them and she also frequently grabs her chest above her heart and then smiles broadly when she looks at them.

With all the rumors going around the palace, it was said that the princess did not enjoy going outside her palace, but now that they got to know her, they knew that it wasn’t because she doesn’t like it, but because she was just unable to.

“Actually, she likes it so much”, murmured Eugene bitterly.

Cain looked up at Eugene’s words. The princess who was walking in front of them at a rapid pace, stopped, and read the sign “Moonlight Garden” with her mouth. The hoof of her robe had come off, perhaps due to her rapid speed. And her purple eyes, which often gave off a lonely feeling, were filled with a deep vitality.

Cain, who was watching her, said: “How are you going to do with the rumors?”

The rumors were about the princess trying to commit suicide. It was uncomfortable to say it out loud. Those who like to talk without knowing anything are just so cruel…

“The rumor should never reach her ears.”

“Even so, I prevented it from spreading outside. However, the Imperial Palace….”

It is easy to spread rumors in the Imperial Palace but preventing them spreading was very difficult.

Cain sighed and opened his mouth: “Her Highness must be….”

“You two! Come on!”

The conversation ended with the princess calling them with a big smile. She smiled so bright that one doubts whether she really was the princess who everyone called either an ice doll or a villainess. The two men watched her silently and hurried along with a strangely soft expression.

“Ticia, your hood has fallen dawn.”

“Oh, Sir Volton.”

Eugene smiled a little mischievously and put the hood back on her head in a way, that her face was covered by a deep shadow as well.

“And it’s better to match, so call me by my name as well.”

“Huh? By your name?”

The princess looked at Eugene with a surprised face. And then she stumbled again as expected. It was clear that she wasn’t in a physical condition where she couldn’t come out alone. Nevertheless, Cain came to support her in a hurry while wrinkling his brows.

Then the two men spoke one after another: “You can call me Eugene. Eugene de Volton is my full name”, and “Please call me Cain.”

Then the princess stumbled again. When they approached in surprise, her trembling eyes reflected the light strangely, as if they had become moister. The two blamed themselves, saying she should have rested more. Looking at their darkening faces, the princess smiled fondly and brightly, pretending to be fine as always.

“I will, I will. So… Eugene. Cain.”

She also seemed to be thrilled. Maybe it was her first time calling someone else’s name in a friendly manner. Eugene thought about it only then. He and Cain think of Leticia as friends who gradually grow closer. But it looks like Leticia doesn’t knows that that is how they think of her.

‘It’s not a given.’

The more Eugene spends with Leticia, the more things he didn’t know about her beforehand come to light. She just wanted to have a friend but that wasn’t something she was allowed to have. There were many things which Princess Leticia wasn’t allowed to have or do: The throne, going outside the palace and of course the freedom of having a healthy body. The freedom of living a little longer.

‘None of her dream were possible.’

Not even calling others by their first name.

‘I don’t want to pity her….’

Even though the Princess hadn’t experienced any of this, she knew their value. Despite all her dreams failing again and again, she lives with a smile on her face. I do felt sorry for her. The two handsome men carefully led Leticia inside, trying to gain back control of their faces, which were constantly distorted with pity.

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The tavern ‘Moonlight Garden’ was the third most famous place in the capital because of its famous delicious liquor. It is said that people who visit this place once, cannot go to other taverns afterwards. The inside of this place was crowded because of how well known it was.

“Ah.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

Both men were unable to stop the passers-by.

I ended up being pushed by a person once while I was looking for an empty seat. But it was fine. The delicious ‘Moonlight Garden’ beer will soon enter my mouth.

“It’s all right.”

If we just sit down, we might be able to see an information guild leader, who may be disguised as a clerk, today. I felt good, so I bent my lips gently under the hood and talked to an unknown person.

All he might have seen was only my mouth, but once he heard my voice he paused and once he saw the glimpse of a smile on my mouth, he paused again. Being faced with a startled look, I tried to playfully lift the hood slightly and lowered my hand. The person, who was unable to breathe for a moment, breathed out loudly as if his tension had eased. Because this body is that of an imperial princess, I can’t show my face, so I just smiled under the hood.

“I, no, Ticia!”

“Eugene?”

I was being led by Eugene without resistance on my part. He was leading me in a hurry when I heard a loud noise from behind. I glanced behind me and looked at the man, who had stumbled and fell. His face became very, very, very red….

Hehe. As expected. Leticia unnie’s beauty! Is her voice this perfect as well? It’s obvious that that’s the case with Eugene’s voice as well. Hi hi.

Having this confirmed, I feel excited again. I nodded inwardly, glancing anxiously at him and then looked away. There I found two people looking at me with worried faces.

“Didn’t you get hurt?”

“Ticia, I’m sorry I didn’t look at you properly.”

Their faces were full of remorse.

What? What’s the problem? Is it because that person slightly touched me? It just really just a slight touch! It’s been a while since I became a fan of Leticia’s face1.

The faces of these handsome men were full of shame, and that’s only because of me. No matter how you look at it, these men were kind and subtly straightforward.

Maybe that’s why they were sub-male-leads.

“Don’t you need to take painkillers?”

……even if it’s sometimes out of the blue.

At Eugene’s serious words, I hurriedly waved my hand and said,

“That was nothing. It’s all right. So let’s sit down.”

“This much….”

Is it Cain this time? I soothed them with a little work. It was only when they sat. A voice hit my ear through a loud noise.

“Are you lying? A member of the royal family is dying?”

“No, this guy! Did I hear it clearly? Someone you know works at the palace. But!”

I was then watching Eugene’s silver gray eyes and Cain’s dark eyes sitting side by side.

“Well, the wicked princess is dying, isn’t she? If it’s true, isn’t this a happy occation?”

At that moment, the faces of the two handsome men crumpled at the same time.