One Plus One
The next day, I timed it carefully and let my eyes open slowly.
The first thing I saw was Evangeline, curled up beside my bed and fast asleep. A faint shadow lay beneath her eyes, as if she had kept watch at my side all through the night.
The moment I shifted, she startled awake.
"...Ethan!"
Her blue eyes flew wide, bright with surprise and joy. She leaned over me in a rush and asked, carefully,
"Are you all right?"
The tail of her voice trembled. Worry and relief were tangled in it so tightly she could not have hidden them if she tried.
I hesitated, then answered on purpose in a voice gone a little hoarse.
"...I'm fine, Your Highness."
Only then did she let out the breath she had been holding.
"...Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness."
Watching her fold under the weight of that relief, I thought quietly to myself.
I can't keep burying myself in the original novel's script.
The Evangeline of the source story—a tyrant without blood or tears—and the girl before me now, her eyes reddening at the rims, were as far apart as heaven and earth. Of course, it might only have been because she was still young. But the girl in front of me, at least, was no cruel thing.
A few halting words passed between us in the awkward silence. Then Evangeline straightened, as if she had made up her mind, and looked at me.
"I will grant you a reward."
She declared it with all the solemn dignity of an imperial princess.
"Had you not sacrificed yourself, the curse would have fallen on me. So speak. Tell me what you want. On my name, I will give you a reward that is fitting."
The moment I heard it, my mind started spinning.
Should I ask for money?
I shook my head at once.
And what if I ask for gold and she tosses me something like a hundred thousand?
All I wanted was a thousand gold. Just enough to disappear quietly, and not enough to cause trouble. But she was the imperial princess. She might decide that was too little and hand me several hundred thousand instead. Swallow a sum like that, and I would become a target for every noble overnight—envy, jealousy, assassination threats, the whole miserable set.
Absolutely not.
That was the exact opposite of the peaceful life I wanted. I would take a reward, but not one so large it put a mark on my back. Something modest. Something that would not threaten my safety.
I'll open with a thousand gold and see how she reacts. If she thinks it's too small, that's when I bring out what I actually want.
I furrowed my brow as if I were still in pain, let the silence hang just long enough, and spoke.
"Then... I would like one thousand gold, Your Highness."
The instant she heard me, Evangeline's expression stiffened in a subtle, dangerous way. Her lips pushed out in a pout that hid none of her displeasure.
"...That is all?"
Her voice was thick with hurt.
"I wish to give you something greater—something worthy of your loyalty. Speak again. Is that truly all you want?"
Inwardly, I cheered.
She bit.
The board was set. Now it was time to lay down what I actually wanted. I shook my head in a hurry, as if the very suggestion overwhelmed me.
"N-no, Your Highness! A thousand gold coins is a fortune I could never hope to touch in a lifetime! Only..."
I let the words trail, then opened my mouth again with the gravity of a man who had reached a great decision.
"Forgive the presumption, but... there is one more shameless request."
"Speak."
"Please grant me leave to receive training directly from Dame Christina."
The air in the room froze.
"...What?"
Somehow, Evangeline's mood had soured far past where it had been a moment ago. The warmth was gone from her eyes. Only a chill remained. I pressed on anyway, doing my best to ignore that cold stare.
"This incident taught me something all too clearly. Without strength... a man can barely even keep himself alive."
I pushed myself up in the bed and met her gaze head-on.
"I don't know how long I will be permitted to remain at your side. But for as long as I attend you, I don't want to be nothing but a burden."
There was not a shred of falsehood in my eyes—only loyalty, pure and entire, toward the princess. Perfect method acting, of course.
"That is why I want to grow stronger."
When I finished, Evangeline simply stared at me for a moment, blank. Then she dipped her head and lowered her gaze. Her long, thick lashes trembled, and a faint blush rose over her pale cheeks. She answered in a small voice.
"...Very well. I will tell Christina."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
I bowed my head with a bright smile.
Heh. Beautiful. Perfect.
A thousand gold in hand, and private lessons from the future swordmaster thrown in on top. Buy one, get one. Talk about lucky.
Strength, money, and the princess's trust as a bonus. Was there a more perfect plan in the world? Outwardly I played the loyal retainer overcome with gratitude. Inwardly I sketched a rose-colored future and wore a very wicked smile.
It was three days later that I returned in earnest to my duties as a palace attendant.
"Enter."
I opened the door to the Chief Chamberlain's office, and the moment he saw me his expression turned exquisitely complicated.
"Are you well?"
"Thanks to your concern, I'm perfectly fine."
"...Hmph. I haven't the faintest idea by what means you won Her Highness's favor, but..."
He made no effort to hide his displeasure, and clicked his tongue.
"Congratulations. With the princess's trust, your road ahead should be smooth indeed."
It was not the voice of a man offering congratulations.
"But mark me. Disloyalty is death. Do not grow arrogant simply because you have Her Highness's confidence, and..."
Oh, here we go again, you old goat.
I poured out the complaint on the inside and, on the outside, wore the most deeply moved face in the world as I nodded along. His lecture ran on for nearly thirty minutes. At last he seemed to tire of it. He drew a sheet of paper from his desk drawer and held it out to me.
"Your schedule."
The page was packed with the duties I would be expected to carry out from now on.
"Move exactly as it is written. There must not be so much as a hair's breadth of error."
"Yes, sir! I'll keep it in mind!"
I folded the paper neatly, tucked it into my coat, and smiled. The Chief Chamberlain opened his mouth one last time, as if he could not quite let me go.
"Listen, Ethan. You have been lucky enough to receive an opportunity. The moment you grow drunk on that luck and lose your beginner's mind, you will lose everything. You must always act with humility. And with humility again."
His eyes bored straight through me.
"And above all, you must never mix any private feeling into your conduct within the Imperial Palace."
"Yes, Chief Chamberlain! I swear it on my life!"
I answered at full volume, like a fresh recruit snapped to attention, and snapped off a crisp salute. The Chief Chamberlain looked thoroughly fed up and waved me away. I left his office at once.
Alone in the empty corridor, I carefully unfolded the schedule I had just been given.
Mornings and afternoons attending Her Highness, and from four in the afternoon, training under Dame Christina.
The morning attendants clocked out at six. That meant two full hours every day under the future swordmaster.
Oh, hell yes.
The corner of my mouth climbed toward my ear before I could stop it. Money on one side, and the strength I needed to survive taught to me in person by a genius knight. The princess's trust was a bonus. This was exactly the perfect picture I had wanted.
I was still basking in that satisfaction when a careful voice reached me.
"Um... Mr. Ethan."
I looked up. The maid who had shown me around a few days ago was standing there.
"Rachel, isn't it?"
I said her name with a smile, and her shoulders gave a small tremble.
"You... remember me."
She could not quite hide her fluster, but she answered as calmly as she could manage.
"You guided me from my very first day. What kind of person would I be if I forgot?"
At that shamelessly smooth reply, Rachel's face flushed as red as a ripe apple.
"What brings you here?"
"Ahem!"
She cleared her throat as if to cool the heat in her face, then finally came to the point.
"Her Highness is waiting in the garden. I-I'll show you the way."
The way she stumbled over the end of it was rather cute. I smiled to myself and followed her.
She led me to the Imperial Palace garden, where dazzling sunlight poured down over the grounds. Beneath a pavilion of white marble columns, Evangeline sat alone, reading with elegant composure. When she saw me approaching, a bright smile bloomed across her face.
"You've come, Ethan."
"You called for me, Your Highness."
Evangeline set her book aside and indicated the chair opposite her with one hand.
"Sit."
"How could I dare share a table with Your Highness..."
I ducked my head in a hurry, and she laughed softly.
"If I say it is fine, who would dare object? Sit."
Her tone was firm and gentle at once, and I could refuse no longer.
"...It is an honor, Your Highness."
When I took my seat, Evangeline lifted the teapot herself and poured a fragrant cup before me. The clear amber stream filling the cup was as lovely as a painting.
"The tea steeped exceptionally well today. The flavor should be remarkable. I selected the leaves and brewed them myself, so drink."
At her words I carefully lifted the cup.
She's gotten awfully forward.
Only a few days ago she had planted me like a folding screen and done nothing but steal glances. Now she was inviting me to tea herself and pouring it with her own hands. I took a sip of what was in the cup.
And stopped dead.
"...This taste."
A fragrant floral scent spread through my mouth and wrapped softly around my tongue. It was a blissful feeling, as if I were drifting on a bank of clouds. Warmth slid down my throat and filled me, gentle all the way to my stomach. Evangeline must have read the change in my face, because she smiled with quiet satisfaction.
"It seems it pleases you."
"Yes, Your Highness. I am unworthy of it, but this is the finest tea of my life. It tastes all the better for having been brewed by your own hand."
"Honeyed words."
Evangeline laughed softly.
"Countless people have flattered me so... and yet, strangely, yours do not sound empty."
Her blue eyes held nothing but sincerity as they looked straight at me.
"...Haha."
I could only laugh, awkwardly. Evangeline's character seemed to have changed completely from the original. And yet she still struggled to meet my eyes, just as before—bold enough to lay her heart open, then helpless with embarrassment the moment their gazes actually tangled. She was exactly like a girl fallen into first love.
And that was what unsettled me. A flash of possessiveness lit her eyes, a hunger to make me entirely her own. If things kept on like this, I might lose every last shred of control over my own life. The sense of danger closed in.
Then Evangeline cut through the awkward air.
"Christina."
Christina, who had been standing like a shadow beside the pavilion, stepped forward.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"How do you intend to teach Ethan, starting today?"
"I plan to have him join the Rose Knights' training and teach him from the very fundamentals."
At Christina's answer, Evangeline seemed to consider something for a moment. Then she charged her, her voice firm.
"Very well. But remember this. Ethan saved my life. He must not be seriously hurt in the course of training. Do you understand?"
"...As you command."
Christina answered shortly and ran an unreadable look over me. Only then did Evangeline seem satisfied. Her expression softened again as she turned back to me.
"So she says, Ethan. Will you be all right?"
"If she is willing to teach me, it would be the greatest honor."
"It will be hard. But I believe you are more than capable. So do not give up."
Sincere encouragement and trust lived in her eyes.
"Yes, Your Highness! I'll work hard!"
I answered with spirit.
And so my lessons began.