Chapter 132: Welcome Back

It had already been a full day since I disappeared.

Taron’s Palace had been thrown into chaos because of my supposed runaway(?).

Of course, Patrick Waver, the butler, tried to remain as calm as possible as he assessed the situation first.

“Then you’re saying that none of the city gates reported seeing anyone matching my description.”

His question was aimed at Jade, who had asked around at each gate.

“That’s what they all said. It seemed like you left with real determination.”

“Good grief…! Just where did you go.”

My role in the Canel Kingdom was extremely important at present.

As the heir to the throne who had risen to Swordmaster, I had even suppressed the rebellion the kingdom’s chancellor had attempted to start.

Because of the kingdom’s public image, they wanted to wrap up that incident as quietly as possible, but rumors were impossible to completely stop.

Naturally, the news spread into nearby kingdoms as well, and along with letters asking about my safety, movements to gauge the kingdom’s condition began to surface.

If we exposed even the slightest weakness, it could become justification for war.

“We’ll start by searching the surrounding territories with the knights.”

“Could we even track down Master?”

“Shouldn’t we report this to the Royal Capital?”

For now, no word of my disappearance had leaked beyond Taron’s Palace.

Patrick intended to confirm everything accurately before reporting it.

“I’ll take care of that part myself.”

“Please do.”

The two continued their conversation like that.

Then, from outside, a soldier’s urgent voice rang out.

“The Crown Prince has returned!”

Since I had been officially confirmed as the successor to the throne, my title had changed.

At that shout, Patrick and Jade were so startled they couldn’t hide their surprise.

“Is that true?”

“Really?”

As the door opened, the soldier pointed toward the outer gate and continued.

“I ran here as soon as I confirmed that he passed through the front gate of the palace.”

“Goodness…!”

Patrick went out toward the front of the palace with Jade.

Soon after, a carriage slowly climbed up the path and came to a stop before them.

But I wasn’t the only one who stepped out of it.

“Please, step down.”

A woman with a strongly healthy appearance followed behind me.

Patrick couldn’t help smiling at the sight.

“Master! Welcome back.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to get angry?”

Honestly, since I had escaped the palace without a word, I thought Patrick would blow up at me.

But because his reaction was different from what I expected, it felt strangely off.

“Angry? More importantly, isn’t the young lady who came with you waiting? Let’s head to the reception room first.”

The young woman who arrived with me was Deborah Mineta.

However, Deborah’s attire was completely different from before.

Instead of the mercenary-like outfit she used to wear, she now wore a wide and luxurious dress favored by noble families’ young ladies.

Of course, the flashy dress was a bit unbalanced with her tanned skin, but it made an impression—one that stood out.

“Hey! How long am I supposed to stay like this? If this place is safe, shouldn’t I be able to change now?”

But as Deborah Mineta spoke in her rough tone, the atmosphere Patrick had been expecting shattered to pieces.

“All right. Patrick, guide her to a room where she can stay for a while.”

“A room, sir?”

“She’ll be staying here for some time.”

“I will serve her with all my sincerity.”

Patrick even carried her luggage as he guided her inside.

Once the two of them left, Jade, who had been standing quietly beside me, stepped forward.

“Master, what in the world happened? You vanished yesterday morning, and the entire palace turned upside down.”

“Sorry, sorry. Something urgent came to mind, so I went to the Kright Territory for a bit.”

“The Kright Territory, sir? But then who is that lady? You suddenly appeared with a woman, so I was really surprised.”

“Why? Are you interested? Won’t Sophia get angry?”

Sophia was the daughter of Trine Diego, the Royal Knight Commander.

Previously, Duke Alito had tried to force her into marriage with Count Diang Oulad under his command.

Of course, because I intervened, Diang Oulad’s crimes were exposed, and the matter ended safely.

And Jade and Sophia had been childhood friends who secretly liked each other without openly admitting it.

“Wh-why are you bringing up Sophia here!”

“I heard you went to see her right after the Duke Alito matter ended. Isn’t that true?”

“N-no, sir. I only went there to relay my greetings to Sir Trine personally.”

“You went to his house just to greet Sir Trine, who’s always at the royal palace?”

“Well, that…!”

His intentions were painfully obvious.

Seeing that expression, I couldn’t help feeling pleased.

In the original future, Jade had lost Sophia to Count Diang Oulad and spent his life wandering as a mercenary before finally becoming a Swordmaster.

Changing that future meant removing enormous pain and hardship from him.

“How about using this chance to marry Sophia? That way Sir Trine might finally have one less headache because of her.”

Sophia was twenty-eight this year.

It might have been nothing unusual in the Republic of Korea where I lived in my past life, but on the Phalon Continent, a twenty-eight-year-old woman, at the earliest in her late teens, at the latest in her early twenties, was expected to be married with children already.

Even so, because of Sophia’s looks and her father’s position as the Royal Knight Commander, marriage proposals from various noble families still continued to come.

“Me and Sophia? What nonsense are you talking about!”

“And what if someone else takes Sophia while you do nothing?”

“Pfft! Who would take in such a wild girl!”

At that moment, my gaze shifted to behind Jade.

“I think it’d be wise to watch your words.”

“Sir? What do you mean? Wild girl? Even that word isn’t enough for Sophia—!”

Thwack—!

That was because Sophia was standing right behind him.

She had heard Jade’s words and couldn’t hold herself back, so she smacked the back of his head with her palm.

Jade toppled forward, then spun around and froze stiff.

“S-Sophia?”

“That’s right, it’s me!”

“Wh-why are you here…?”

“I came to give Patrick some cookies! And you called me a wild girl? Then what does that make you? A wild thug? A delinquent?”

Sophia’s face was flushed red—she was clearly furious.

At that, Jade glanced sideways at me with a helpless expression.

“Why? What could I possibly do for you.”

I walked straight inside.

Behind me, Jade and Sophia’s bickering voices echoed.

‘Honestly… the way they pretend it’s nothing while being so obvious about it….’

It felt a little cute, in a way.

Once inside, I went to the reception room and waited for Deborah.

A short while later, Deborah entered after changing back into her usual clothes.

“Now I can finally breathe. More importantly, when’s mealtime here? I couldn’t even eat properly because of that dress.”

“It should be soon.”

“The food’s good, right?”

“It should be more than good enough. Patrick’s cooking skills are excellent.”

Before long, the meal was prepared in the dining hall.

Moving there, I ate together with Deborah.

“It’s really delicious. I guess you’re using recipes from the Fordman Trading Company here too.”

“Then it seems even the Royal Capital of Mineta uses Fordman Trading Company’s recipes.”

“I never really paid attention to what I ate, but this was just too different. I bet they use this in our kingdom’s castles and territories too.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

“Why are you glad?”

“Because I’m the one who made it.”

“…What? Are you saying the recipe I just ate was made by you?”

As Deborah struggled to believe it, I couldn’t help smiling.

Naturally, from her perspective it was hard to understand.

“Fordman is my subordinate. And everything he sells is something I made.”

“Seriously? You’re not lying?”

“I have no reason to lie to the Princess of Mineta. Now, shall we get back to the main topic?”

“You mean about my kingdom?”

Deborah set down the teacup she had taken a sip from.

“What exactly is the situation in the Mineta Kingdom?”

“How much do you already know?”

“That your uncle, Harlan Mineta, took the throne—and that the Dior Empire is backing him.”

Deborah’s brows furrowed, and the corners of her eyes twitched.

Then she let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“Right. My uncle… no, that bastard dragged the Empire in with him.”

“It couldn’t have been easy.”

“He waited for the moment my father died.”

“You mean His Majesty Charta Mineta?”

Charta Mineta, the former king of the Mineta Kingdom, had been famous as a warrior of Swordmaster level.

However, he had suffered from a severe illness for many long years before passing away.

“I wasn’t even there. I was outside the capital, and by the time I returned, my uncle had already taken everything.”

“He planned it thoroughly.”

“Yeah. But is it really true that there’s a way to find it?”

That was the condition under which Deborah Mineta had followed me all the way to the capital of Canel Kingdom.

“To reclaim a kingdom, the rightful heir must come first. That’s why the assassins chased you all the way to the Kright Territory.”

“I already knew that!”

“Fortunately, your uncle Harlan Mineta didn’t get accurate information about your true abilities.”

From what I observed, Princess Deborah’s skill level was close to Swordmaster.

Meanwhile, the assassin had been inferior to her. Because Deborah’s full ability hadn’t been identified, they had delayed long enough for her to reach me.

Of course, even if the assassin had attacked, he wouldn’t have been able to kill her.

“They underestimated me. I almost died getting here.”

“You can relax now.”

“Are you sure about that? If things go wrong, the Canel Kingdom could end up on bad terms with both my kingdom and the Dior Empire.”

Given the current situation, the Mineta Kingdom had undoubtedly become a vassal state of the Dior Empire.

Naturally, if they continued targeting Princess Deborah, the Empire might formally declare war on the Canel Kingdom.

If it were only a matter of running away, it might be different.

But at a national level, the Canel Kingdom could be overwhelmed.

“They must think we’re weak.”

“I heard a bit on my way into the Canel Kingdom. Wasn’t there an insurrection?”

It was the incident where the kingdom’s chancellor had stirred up the bureaucratic nobles to try to claim the throne.

Naturally, a rumor like that couldn’t stay hidden.

“It was a trivial matter.”

“That was trivial?”

“There was hardly any damage. And the Dior Empire will never be able to set foot on this land.”

“Confident, aren’t you. Was the Canel Kingdom always this strong?”

Deborah didn’t know much about the Canel Kingdom. She had simply been fleeing south-west, away from the assassins, searching for a safe place.

“You’ll understand once you see it.”

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to rely on you this much?”

“Don’t worry. And if anything is uncomfortable or you need something, just tell Patrick.”

At those words, Patrick, who was pouring tea beside us, smiled.

“I will do everything I can to ensure the Princess is comfortable.”

“Thank you. I’ll be in your care.”

For the first time, Deborah responded with the voice and demeanor befitting a princess.

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