"Huh? Lehan…."
"Yes, my lady."
Lehan patiently comforted Edellis, who still shed tears, while calling his name from time to time. Until her cries cease. After such a long time, Edellis raised her head.
"I'm sorry…. And thank you, Lehan."
"No, it's alright. Are you okay now?"
"Yeah…"
Although I still answered with a voice mixed with crying, I knew I couldn't just cry. After taking a few deep breaths, I managed to collect my emotions.
Then Lehan handed the tea to her to drink.
'You can't be in this state now.'
Edellis had been secretly caring for Lehan before. It's true that I was worried that there would be a backlash among others as I took care of him openly. However, it's not only her own death but also her father and all the people her knew would die, this time it will change. Even for them, it was right to take care of Lehan better than before.
When I thought about it, I decided that this wasn't enough. Edellis was wondering what to do.
'Once the Emperor who will kill me… He must be the Prince now? The Emperor's voice heard through the book wasn't that old. The current Emperor is older than my father.'
No matter how you got married, you should first avoid making contact with the Prince whenever possible.
Then she turned her head and made eye contact with Lehan who's sitting next to her.
'Then, how does Lehan get to know the Prince? When I later become Empress, is Lehan going into the palace too? If that's not the case, how can the commoner get to know the Prince.'
Edellis was contemplating two options and tapped on her knee once.
<1st plan: You have to treat Lehan well, so later when my life is in danger, he will convince the Emperor.>
'If I were very good at it, would he appeal to the Emperor once about how to save me?'
But will the Emperor listen to what the commoners say? I wasn't confident in that part. Still, he's a key figure, and he probably won't be without influence.
And this time she tapped her knee twice.
<2nd plan: I don't know if Lehan can stop the Emperor, so if she hears that she will become an Empress, she will run away.>
I wasn't sure if Lehan was be able to stop the Emperor and that I could avoid my dying fate. So, rather than being an Empress and the family being slaughtered, it would be better to run away and live as a commoner.
'But can a woman live alone outside? It's obvious that such a noble woman is difficult to live alone.'
Edellis peeked into the tip of her wavy blond hair and sighed. It was well-maintained, shiny, golden hair by anyone.
'Is there another option…? Whatever it is, let's be good to Lehan first. Much more than before.'
There was no time for this. Even in the meantime, the debutante was getting closer. Usually, after the debutante, the story of marriage begins to come out, so the day when the person who is making a debut this summer will get married wasn't too far.
"Lehan."
"Yes."
"You know, this isn't about me, it's about my friend."
Lehan noticed that the story of 'friend' brought up by Edellis was her own story. This is because while he was in Count, he had never seen Edellis interact with anyone outside.
"A woman can live alone…"
"No."
Even though Lehan was well aware that he wasn't polite, he stopped Edellis from talking.
"….Is it absolutely impossible?"
"Yeah. I know that, who was living in the arena not long ago."
"Oh, that's ridiculous."
'Is it necessary to enter the Imperial house without moving? But what if Lehan doesn't stop me at that time?'
Edellis, who was gloomy, said Lehan assertively.
"Aren't you nobles even though you're a girl's? Crimes against aristocrats are punishable with heavy punishment, but if you have nothing to lose, you commit a crime without considering that. Aren't the nobles actually not meeting robbers?"
"Right….."
"And have you ever thought about what to eat and live alone?"
"Farming?"
Edellis asked her father to take classes on agriculture. If there was any possibility of becoming an Empress, it was a preparation to run away from home and live alone.
I wondered if I need to know anything about crops so that I can grow and live.
Fortunately, when she showed interest in farming, the Count said that she didn't need to help with the territory already, but was proud and immediately called for the teacher. Encouraged by this, Edellis asked her father to take classes in herbal medicine, accounting, navigation, and neighboring countries in Serniair and Kanbi. Unfortunately, I couldn't learn nautical science because father strongly opposed it, but I have learned everything else steadily.
Lehan knew this too, so he wasn't surprised when I said I was doing farming.
"What will you do until the crops come out?"
"How about we get the jewelry before leaving the house? Even if you don't get as much value as you when live at the mansion, I think you can eat and live until harvest."
In fact, Edellis has been collecting jewels from before. Expensive, lightweight, and good for cash. However, the most worrying thing was safety.
"But my friend was worried that if she took the jewelry, she will robbed."
"… If so, take the escort."
"The knights are all people who swear allegiance to the family. How to take it, Can't it?"
It wasn't that she hadn't thought about taking the escort out. However, the knights, strictly speaking, belonged to the Count. What do they want to do to follow Young lady, the former nobleman who runs away from the County?
"Why not take someone other than the knight as an escort?"
It didn't seem easy to find a reliable mercenary. What if that person is aiming only for jewels and gold coins?
"… Like me."
Edellis, who was deeply thinking, turned her head and looked at Lehan so that she could hear his whisper.
"You?"
"Yeah. I'm not a member of the family, and is armed enough to become an escort."
Edellis's mouth came out of the air.
'Why didn't I think about this?'
Lehan was originally a gladiator and was trained in the County, so it was right that he had power. Even though he wasn't even a knight. I brought him myself. And now it was also my escort.
'If I run away and meet the Emperor, will Lehan stop him at least once?'
However, one problem remained.
"Are you, really?"
"Yeah."
"When I try to get out of the house like my friend, if I ask you to go with me, will you follow me?"
Lehan was already living a stable life here. But if I leave this place with myself, it's obvious that I will suffer.
"Yeah."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Didn't I swear to protect you in the first place."
"Although….."
"So, please tell me before you leave."
"...."
What's wrong with him that he followed me?
"Okay?"
Edellis didn't understand why he was doing this. However, seeing Lehan speaking firmly as if confirmed, Edellis made up her mind.
"You can't change your words later. If I ever leave this place later, you will go with me. Understand?"
"Of course."
Edellis smiled with satisfaction. Now, if there is any confusion, I can ask with Lehan and Count.
"Thank you, Lehan."
"No. Anytime, anywhere, when you're in danger, I'll save you. Even if the lady is not the daughter of a Count."
Edellis heart pounded upon hearing Lehan's words.
"From anyone."
"…..I know who the other person will be."
"If it's really difficult, I can take the lady and run away."
Lehan smiled and talked playfully. Even if he did that, it seemed that he had no intention of running away.
"That's what I was hoping for."
I will always be ready to run away.
She was stabbed by the Emperor's sword and closed her eyes, even at that moment, the memories of the present seemed to come to mind.
*****
"I don't want to go to debutante."
The time of peace passed day by day. The chilly weather in early spring became the summer when the debutante was held.
And in the Empire, it was the rule for all the nobles who turned 18 to make debuts at the Imperial Ball. In other words, Edellis has to make a debut this summer.
'I am at the Imperial ball that who has live with the Imperial family. It can't be said.'
But there was a problem. My father strongly said that even though I didn't know anything else, I had to take the debutante.
―If my daughter, who doesn't even go out of the house, doesn't even make a debut, I don't think I can close my eyes comfortably.
Her father's comments about when he die reminded Edellis a memory she had seen in the book. The scene where her father committed treason after she died. It was a rebellion that he caused to repay his daughter's resentment, but eventually failed.
I couldn't argue that I wouldn't go anymore because of the appearance of my father who was screaming in blood. Eventually, Edellis was forced to get ready to go to the debutante and came out of the front door to get on a carriage to the Imperial Palace.
Then, Lehan, dressed much more stylish than usual, was waiting for her.
Shrack…shrack-
As Edellis walked, Lehan turned his head and noticed her coming.
"....."
When they made eye contact, they looked at each other for a moment, they're different from usual.
The sound of my heart beats so hard that I was worried about the others can heard it. Lehan waited for Edellis to come down in front of the stairs. And finally, he leaned toward Edellis and reached out his arm. Lehan took a deep breath and asked in a slightly trembling voice.
"Can I escort you, my lady?"
Edellis smiled brightly, placing her hand on Lehan's arm and expressing acceptance.
"Of course."
It was a debutante that I didn't want to go, but when Lehan said that he escorted me, I got courage.
'If anything happens, Lehan will be able to stop it!'
But from far away, when the Imperial Palace began to be seen, Edellis sighed again without her knowledge.
Edellis continued to sigh, and Lehan couldn't bother.
"Do you want to go back?"
Lehan said as if Edellis would turn the carriage as soon as she said she wanted to return.
She just sighed because she guessed he would be left to put it into practice.
"…I want to go back, but, ha… I don't think I can."
Edellis knew she couldn't return, so she sat in the feeling of being dragged into the slaughter house.
The carriage stopped while she sighed.
I arrived in front of the banquet hall. The carriage door opened, and Count Brill came to escort her.
"Lehan. I'll only dance one song and come out quickly. Understand?"
Lehan wasn't a noble, and because he was young, he couldn't join the banquet hall.
"Okay. See you later."
As Lehan nodded at Edellis's words, Count Brill took Edellis hand and walked in. While being led by her father's hand, she kept looking back. Until Count Brill openly said let's go in.