"What?"
Marilyn's response left Riezel standing there in blank surprise.
In the next moment, Marilyn spoke again, not giving him any time to recover from his shock.
"Honestly, there was no need to ask that question, especially not from you, Mr. Riezel."
Marilyn spoke calmly, her gaze fixed on Riezel's eyes.
"Weren't you also willing to give up the chance to become a noble?"
Upon hearing this, Riezel eventually understood what Marilyn was trying to convey.
"I know that in your eyes, being a princess is definitely better than being an attendant, but to most people, being a noble is certainly better than being a commoner."
"Given that you voluntarily gave up the chance to become a noble, why do you think a princess choosing to be an attendant is a bad thing?"
Marilyn's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Do you even know what a princess is?"
"In my eyes, a princess is someone who usually has to stay confined in the royal palace, and no matter where she goes, there are always people following her. She can only stay in places deemed 'safe' by others or dress beautifully to show off the royal family's dignity and status when necessary."
"If I'm being honest, a princess is just a decorative piece for a kingdom. Even if she's unwilling to accept this and works hard to train in swordsmanship or magic to make a name for herself, it only adds one or two more flattering comments to her role as a decorative piece."
"And then, when the time comes for the kingdom to need her, she'll be arranged to meet some noble for marriage negotiations or even have the marriage arranged without any negotiation at all."
As Marilyn spoke, her tone grew more scornful.
"A so-called princess actually has no freedom at all, living within a framework set by others, following other people's wishes. Compared to this, being an attendant is nothing."
"As an attendant, you only need to follow your master's orders, but as a princess, you must obey many people's orders, where even a mere knight could tell you something like—no, it's too dangerous; you can't go out."
After saying this, Marilyn lowered her eyes.
"You might not believe it, but many princesses who are swordsmen actually look forward to becoming someone's attendant."
"For those used to seeing various struggles, rather than unrealistically hoping for a prince on a white horse to rescue them from their cage or wishing their future spouse would be a noble who'd treat them well, they would prefer to form an attendant contract with a kind and gentle magician."
"At least that way, they wouldn't have to marry someone they don't like."
Marilyn's words clearly revealed a deep dislike for the concept of 'noble'.
Of course, this was something Riezel could relate to.
You couldn't expect every high-ranking individual to be like Kagaya, treating even the lowest-ranking subordinate like their own child, with kindness and warmth.
Being born a noble inevitably involved various schemes and temptations.
In such an environment, you couldn't say there weren't any good nobles, but those who were purely good were probably as rare as phoenix feathers.
Rather than hoping for a noble to be a good person, it was better to place faith in a magician who had achieved great success through their own efforts and had even forced a kingdom to recognize them as someone worth pledging loyalty to.
That way, even if you were just serving them tea and water, it would probably be better than living with chains.
Marilyn wanted to convey this idea.
"Of course, there have been princesses in history who ended up with the wrong master and became tragic victims."
Marilyn's voice grew indifferent.
"However, compared to those, princesses who become depressed and never find happiness after marrying a noble are overwhelmingly more common."
Upon hearing this, Riezel fell silent.
At this point, Marilyn returned to the original topic.
"As far as I'm concerned, I really hope that child can find a worthy master to serve."
When Marilyn said 'that child' and 'worthy master', she naturally meant Lizbeth and Riezel.
"Due to her background, that child's treatment and environment in the royal palace were far worse than those of an ordinary princess. You know, not only did His Majesty nearly forget about her existence before she became a Sword Master, but he also deliberately cut off her interactions with other members of the royal family."
"Whether His Majesty's decision was made out of kindness, not wanting to see that child be excluded and bullied by his other children, or if there's another reason, no one really knows."
"However, if she continues to stay in the royal palace, sooner or later, that child will face misfortune."
Needless to say, this was actually what Marilyn wanted to say by keeping Riezel around.
"I understand your point about not wanting to accept constraints, especially those from the royal family..." Marilyn paused for a moment, then continued, "But you don't need to resist so much. It's not something that can't be changed."
"What do you mean?"
Riezel looked at Marilyn in surprise.
"It means that it's not you who is in a hurry, but the people from the royal family, especially His Majesty." Marilyn replied flatly. "He's the one who most wants you to enter into this contract."
At these words, Riezel's heart stirred.
"So you're saying I have room to negotiate?"
Indeed, this was something that could be negotiated.
If the current terms of the contract were unacceptable, it was entirely possible to make adjustments until an acceptable compromise was reached.
"You are the youngest Sword Saint in history, only seventeen years old, unprecedented and probably unmatched in the future. No one can imagine how far you will grow."
Marilyn continued, her voice still flat.
"Moreover, since you're also a Tactical-Class Magician, the royal family definitely doesn't want to offend you easily, lest they drive you to their opposing side."
"They just want to ensure that you won't be detrimental to them or this kingdom."
"In that case, as long as this goal can be achieved, they will definitely be willing to compromise and accept any conditions you propose that they can agree to."
Marilyn then concluded with a final remark.
"If you really think it's feasible, I hope you'll seriously consider it. After all, having an outstanding attendant isn't a bad thing for you, right?"
With that, Marilyn bowed to Riezel.
"I've said all I need to say, and the rest is up to you, Mr. Riezel."
After saying this, Marilyn continued pushing the tea cart, passed Riezel, and left the hallway.
Riezel watched the maid's disappearing figure, lost in thought.
"Consider it, huh...?"
Riezel murmured to himself before leaving the hallway.
===
Frenzel Residence, Riezel's Room.
It was the room Riezel had used for his recovery, where he had lain for a full month.
Although this room, along with the rest of the mansion, had once been completely destroyed by his Rea Laevateinn, it was restored by the court magician and now looked exactly like the room he had stayed in before.
Seeing its perfect appearance, it was hard to believe this room was no longer the original.
Once Riezel returned to this room and closed the door, he sat down on the bed.
At this moment, he was contemplating whether he should really take Lizbeth as his attendant.
Previously, he felt he didn't need any attendant, but now he began to hesitate.
One should know that the purpose of attendants was to protect their magician master, allowing them to cast magic smoothly during intense battles without interruption from enemies.
However, Riezel didn't need such a thing.
As a swordsman and magician who also knew the technique of Concurrent Chanting, he could remain calm and composed even in intense battles, casting magic without worrying about interruptions or needing protection.
Moreover, he wasn't an important figure or the like who needed to be accompanied and protected everywhere, so he preferred the freedom of being alone.
For this reason, he had never considered taking on an attendant.
Now, however, after listening to Marilyn's advice, he began to think seriously about it.
He realized that there might be times when he actually needed an attendant to protect him.
"Dimensional travel..."
Riezel muttered to himself, recalling dimensional travel.
Every time he performed dimensional travel, only his consciousness entered the dimensional channel, traveling to another world while his physical body remained in this world. Although it was only for a day, his body left in this world was undoubtedly unprotected and could be vulnerable to attacks at any moment.
Even though he could use magic to protect himself before conducting dimensional travel, the protective effect of magic was ultimately limited.
For instance, the Veil Breath he used last time was said to resist all attacks, but its duration and defensive effects were still limited.
If someone attacked him, could this defensive magic continuously protect him for a whole day?
Definitely not.
In other words, during dimensional travel, his body that was left on the Akasha Continent still had a risk of encountering danger.
Even if the risk wasn't high, it was better to be safe than sorry, right?
What if something unexpected did happen?
After all, it wasn't unheard of for someone to sneak into his room and attempt an assassination.
Moreover, knowing that he had now become a prominent figure, with his reputation spreading across the continent, he expected that some people might plot to target him.
For instance, countries hostile to Jinas would certainly consider assassinating a promising seventeen-year-old Sword Saint and Tactical-Class Magician to prevent him from appearing in Jinas's army or at their borders in the future.
If they knew he would be sleeping in his room for an entire day periodically, it would be a perfect opportunity for them to plan an assassination.
In such a case, a reliable attendant who could protect him at all times would be extremely important.
"Should I give it a try?"
Riezel muttered in a hesitant tone, a frown on his face.
As he recalled Lizbeth's beautiful face, which often looked pitiful, the frown on his forehead finally eased.
"Alright, let's give it a try..."