Chapter 601
My Villains Episode 601
71. sword teacher(4)
It wasn't difficult to recognize the owner of the mansion. As I passed the main gate guarded by soldiers and entered the portico leading to the courtyard, there were several banners with family emblems hanging on the left and right..
A golden helmet drawn in the middle of a green background. This is the Helmworth family crest..
I do not memorize all the family emblems of the Kingdom of Milanol, but I am familiar with the emblems of the major families. The Earl of Helmworth is a family so powerful that it is called the 'Queen's Cradle', so it was natural for me to recognize the crest..
“sister!”
“May the brightest light come. Welcome, Her Royal Highness Princess Eadina..”
The person who welcomed us in the courtyard was Count Pasitea, a half-cousin of Princess Eadina. The 'cousin so lovely that Lionel can't even be compared' was what Eadina was referring to..
“A little late, right? Why are you out when it’s raining??”
“How can I just wait in my room when His Majesty comes to visit?.”
“Well, I guess so. Let's go in.”
“Yes, Your Highness…….”
Despite the princess's warm greeting, the Countess responded in an attitude that was calm and extremely polite, but at the same time felt cold..
Pasitea, who was trying to guide Eadina, suddenly noticed me and slightly twitched her eyebrows..
“……Teacher Ludo? why do you,”
“I brought it. I met you on the way.”
“On the way, you mean??”
“huh. Let's have a meal and talk.”
Leaving behind her puzzled cousin, Eadina entered the entrance of the mansion with a brisk pace..
Pasitea, who looked a little embarrassed at the sight of the princess calmly leading the way as if she were in her own bedroom, turned to look at me and asked a question..
“Mr. Ludo, what is this all of a sudden- No, for now, welcome to my mansion..”
“……Thank you for welcoming us. I didn't mean to be rude, but I followed Her Highness's advice and this is what happened..”
“okay. Did something happen??”
“Uh, that… … . I got some help from the princess..”
“It's help?”
“yes. I had a small accident.”
“Accident, that's some kind of bullshit... … . No, it's okay..”
Count Pasitea was also a student attending my lectures and was a strong member of each class..
During the first lecture yesterday, I didn't have a chance to have a real conversation with her. In the first place, conversation was not a very important element in swordsmanship classes, which were mainly focused on demonstrations and sparring. Count Pasitea seemed to be quite quiet, as if he were the one talking first like the other students..
In the duel hall, he seemed to be a student with only a high status but no presence, but the atmosphere seemed a little different now. As the head of a great family and the owner of a mansion, the dignity feels absurd..
Pasitea whispered instructions to the young maid standing nearby, then led Eadina's escorts and servants to the banquet hall across the courtyard. Then he motioned to me and hurriedly followed the princess who had already disappeared to the second floor..
Following Count Pasitea's guidance, we arrived at a small room. It was a small space that could only be entered through a short hallway and a corner attached to the reception room on the second floor, and would have felt cramped even if only 15 people were there..
Of course, although it was small, it was spacious enough for three or four people to dine together, and the interior decoration was very nice..
Next to the small fireplace with a green cover, there was a decorative side table covered with several large and small Oriental pottery pieces, and across from it was a terrace that was coolly open to the outside. The dining table in the middle of the room was a precious gem with its legs and top edge inlaid with gold, and the chairs were covered in gold, with their backs covered in soft velvet and even padded with soft cushions..
However, the place where Princess Eadina, who arrived first, was sitting was not the extravagant dining table, but the sofa next to the terrace. Pasitea sighed very softly when she saw her half-lying down on an antique sofa made of horsehair..
She glanced at the butlers and maids standing by the table to serve the meal, then opened her mouth..
“Your Majesty, before your meal, I have prepared tea that is good for restoring your energy..”
“Yes, thank you.”
The maids set out various tea utensils and filled tea cups. However, even after hearing the rattling sound, Eadina just sat blankly on the sofa and watched the scenery outside..
As the employees glanced at the owner with slightly embarrassed faces, Pasitea nodded as if she had no choice. The middle-aged butler handed the princess a teacup with a saucer on it..
“ice.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Only after putting three or four round ice cubes into the steaming tea cup did the princess begin to sip the tea. Eating or drinking in a place where there was no table was not only against manners but also considered unnoble behavior, but Eadina didn't seem to mind at all..
However, Count Pasitea seemed to be concerned about me and said something for no reason..
“This is not a palace with strict rules, but a private residence, so there is no need to worry about even the smallest details of etiquette..”
“……Ah, yes. That's right.”
The princess sitting on the sofa seemed to have heard me give a vague answer, and spoke in a slightly offended voice..
“What's wrong, sister? Ludo doesn't seem to have any thoughts..”
“……I apologize, Your Majesty. I said something meaningless,”
“Ah, how long are you going to be pretentious? These are all eyes too, this is it?”
The maids who received the princess' gaze quickly lowered their heads..
As I was sitting at the table eating snacks, I also made eye contact with her. Eadina must have read the incomprehensible meaning in my eyes, and smiled softly..
“……is it so. Are you hungry? Let’s start with eating first.?”
As if he had read the princess's thoughts, Count Pasitea hurried his employees to quickly prepare a dinner..
For a meal prepared at a count's mansion, there were few dishes. First of all, the table wasn't that big, and instead of serving the dishes one by one as Eadina wanted, the table was filled all at once..
Still, the taste was great. Whole steamed guinea fowl, grilled bread mixed with basil and generously drizzled with olive oil, cold oyster soup with shrimp and mushrooms, milk fritters with honey, potato and beef pancakes with sour lime sauce, etc. It seemed like it could be compared to royal cuisine, except that none of the dishes focused too much on decoration..
“……The appetite is really great..”
The princess, who was just munching on gently steamed cod, opened her mouth slightly when she saw my quiet but quick meal..
“No, was I foolish for not expecting it even after seeing that size?.”
It seems that Eadina was planning to ward off those around her as soon as the table was filled. But they couldn't do that even after seeing me eating, so they had the maids serve more food..
I didn't hesitate and kept eating. The food was so delicious, but it was because I hadn't eaten anything properly, including last night's dinner..
Also, the calculation that the longer the meal lasted, the shorter the time to talk to Eadina would also play a role. I don't know what brought me all the way here to talk about it, but from the looks of it, it didn't seem like it was going to be something light. My honest feeling was that I wanted to avoid it as much as possible..
However, with two noble people, a princess and a great lord, in front of me, I couldn't just sit there until the end. I could have continued eating until just before the afternoon lecture started, but I couldn't do that because I could feel Eadina getting more and more anxious..
“……Oh, I enjoyed it..”
The princess's pure white face lit up as she watched me leaning against the backrest and drinking wine..
“Finally - hmm. Was it not enough??”
“Not at all. It was a great meal. I feel like I want to eat more, but I think that would interfere with my afternoon lecture..”
“is it so. It shouldn't interfere with the lecture..”
Eadina looked relieved and winked at the maids. Perhaps they had read her mind, but more than ten people, including the maids who served the meal and the servants who carried the food, cleared the table in an instant..
“Her Royal Highness, what should you drink after a meal?,”
“it's okay. Wine is enough.”
The princess raised her glass and defeated the middle-aged butler, until finally only three people remained in the hall..
“The reason I invited you to my beloved cousin's mansion was partly because I wanted to treat you to great food, but primarily because I wanted to have a conversation in peace. You probably guessed it well..”
I was a little skeptical when the princess finally got to the point..
“Oh, is that so? There is no space for comfortable conversation in the Training Hall.…….”
“No way. How many ears are there to listen?.”
“That doesn't mean... … We had a conversation without any difficulties just yesterday, right??”
Eadina sneered as if it was nonsense..
“You don't think that was a secret conversation yesterday, do you? Guard knights with ears brighter than dogs or cats were following one after another..”
Well, knights in this world usually possess superhuman physical abilities. And that 'superhuman physical ability' also included extremely developed senses. It may not be comparable to a bunch of human radar, but it was natural that the knights of the Royal Guard had hearing that was incomparable to that of ordinary people..
“Are you saying this place is different??”
“sure. Here, my beloved cousin is with me..”
I glanced back at Count Pasitea, but she showed no reaction. I was just quietly sipping wine..
The princess must have realized that I did not understand the situation, and continued to explain with a cynicism in my face..
“This inner room was created by my maternal grandfather to have private conversations with close friends. Unless you're an archmage, you can't eavesdrop on anything inside..”
“……okay.”
I couldn't feel it at all because the magical power was sealed, but from what I heard, it seemed like a magic similar to a sound-absorbing barrier was surrounding the room..
“In fact, it is more important to be able to separate the guards..”
“Guard knights, you mean??”
“yes. They value my virginity more than my life. These leeches can only be separated if there is a reliable guardian like Pasitea here..”
“……uh. hmm.”
Pasitea, who had been sitting quietly at the princess's cold words, opened her mouth..
“Your words are too harsh. They are the princess's loyal knights and will sacrifice their lives to protect Her Majesty at any time..”
“Isn't that a bit wrong? Lord Ogier and fools are not my knights.”
“Your Majesty, what I want to say is,”
“Ah, that's enough. Okay, stop it..”
The princess waved her hand in a bit of annoyance and looked back at me again..
“Anyway, there are no eavesdropping ears now. No matter what you or I say here, there won't be any external problems..”
“…….”
“Of course, I'm not saying that you should reveal everything you're feeling. It's an opportunity to be a little, a little more honest..”
“……I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you want to hear??”
“first.”
Eadina's eyes sparkled at my question..
“I don't think someone as talented as you came this far away to be a teacher..”
“…….”
“Obviously, you have something else you want. There's something I'm aiming for at the Royal University or the Royal Capital. That's right?”
I didn't answer anything, but the princess continued talking regardless..
“I won’t ask what you are aiming for or what your ultimate goal is. I have no intention of revealing that either. There isn't that much trust between you and me yet.?”
“…….”
“But the low-level goals that need to be achieved before that can be shared with a little courage. Maybe we can help each other.”
“If you give and receive help,”
“That's literally it. Well, it would be better if you became my subordinate... … . You only care about your own honor and are not the kind of person who will be loyal to anyone.?”
Princess Eadina's small, white face was colored with unknown excitement and anticipation..
I paused for a moment, facing that face. And after much thought, I slowly opened my mouth..
Comments