Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Private Treatment
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We arrived in front of the First Imperial Princess's mansion.
As I'd noticed before, the mansion was quite modest compared to an office or the Radiant Knight Order headquarters.
"The elder should be ready for interrogation sometime tomorrow."
Leah, dressed in her white uniform, glanced at me.
Perhaps because there was no one nearby.
She spoke in the familiar, casual tone she'd used back when I'd hypnotized her.
"Because his injuries are severe, Damian took him to the knight order."
"To the knight order's infirmary?"
Leah shook her head at my question.
"No, he's calling in private healers to treat him in secret."
"I see..."
I nodded as I watched her open the door.
Then, I furrowed my brow for a moment.
'Then couldn't I have gone along and had them treat me too...?'
With a puzzled expression, I followed the First Imperial Princess down the dark hallway.
Maybe because it was early dawn, the hallway was extremely dim.
Moreover, not a single attendant was in sight, even though this was the princess's residence.
It felt just like the secret sanctuary of a goddess from mythology.
"It's so quiet..."
"Yeah, I'm sensitive when I sleep, so I always stay alone no matter what."
Leah turned the doorknob to her bedroom.
When the elegant wooden door opened, a vast room appeared, contrary to the mansion's modest exterior.
A queen-sized white, fluffy bed.
Moonlight poured onto it, making it sparkle.
But what caught my eye even more wasn't the bed.
The enormous bookshelves lining one entire wall.
And the ancient tomes piled on the floor.
It was exactly what you'd get if you combined a library and a bedroom.
"Have a seat in the chair and wait. I'll go get the herbs."
Leah, still in her white uniform, headed calmly to a small room attached to the bedroom.
I slowly sat down in the leather chair near the bookshelves.
And I looked down at the books on the table.
"The Prince..., Valerian's Fifty Stratagems..."
Virtues a ruler must uphold, tactics from famous commanders, and so on.
Just as expected from her, a brilliant strategist even in my past life—the books she read were complex.
While flipping through books as I waited for the princess.
One book with an especially flashy cover caught my eye.
'What kind of book is this?'
No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like a tactics manual.
I peered closely at the cover and read the title.
"The Slave Knight of the Northern Grand Duchess...?"
The title was unusual compared to all the tactics books I'd seen so far.
'Well, knights do get treated pretty roughly, like slaves.'
I flipped the cover without much thought.
But the more I read, the more my impassive eyes began to twitch.
Because I realized this book wasn't just a simple novel or tactics manual.
"Enjoying the room?"
"Yes... There are so many books, so I was looking through them while waiting."
Leah had returned, having taken off her uniform jacket.
She was back in a form-fitting white shirt.
In her hands was a basket filled with herbs and medicines.
But the princess nearly dropped the basket right then.
"Hmm— For someone who's only swung a sword his whole life, these must all be tough reads... Hold on."
The moment she noticed the book I was reading.
She froze as if her whole body had gone numb.
"S-Stop, Veil! Stop reading!"
Leah rushed over to me in a panic.
Panting heavily, she tried to snatch the book away.
"Yes...? Alright."
I calmly handed the book back to her.
She glared at the page I'd been reading, eyes wide.
Then, with her blue eyes flicking toward me accusingly, she asked.
"H-How far did you read...?"
"If you mean the content, just the first page or two."
Leah swallowed hard and checked the opening.
Realizing there was nothing much there, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Haa..."
Only then did Leah calm down.
The princess finally began explaining the situation to me.
"This is, well... It's an etiquette guide on how a knight should properly attend to a grand duchess when they meet."
Embarrassed at having lost her composure in front of me, she made excuses with a flushed face.
To reassure her, I responded with a friendly smile.
"Ah—then I definitely need to read it. I'm from commoner stock, so I'm still clumsy with court etiquette."
When I said I'd read it.
Leah shook her head even more agitatedly than before.
"N-No need! You already have perfect manners ingrained."
I'd thought she disliked me, but she actually thought well of my etiquette.
That was a relief.
"Thank you for thinking so."
If I play this right, I might easily get a lead on the arsonist.
"Now, enough about books. Let's start the treatment. Got it?"
The princess hid the book secretly under her bed.
Then, she approached me with the basket, trying to act nonchalant.
"Could you show me your back?"
Perhaps because of the book, her formerly cold face now showed rich emotions.
Realizing she had a human side too, I smiled faintly.
Then, I slowly offered her my back.
Water sloshed in a small bowl.
The princess soaked a towel in it and gently placed it on my back.
She wiped away the small bloodstains and dirt.
"Not too cold?"
"It's fine."
Leah wrung out the towel stained red with blood.
Then, she caressed my back again with a fresh one.
An awkward atmosphere.
The only sound was dripping water droplets.
To break this maddening silence, I casually spoke up.
"Having someone wash my back is a first."
"..."
Even after my offhand remark, Leah silently continued wiping my back.
Soon, in a calm, womanly voice, she asked back.
"Didn't your parents do it for you when you were little?"
"Both passed away long ago. Rebel attack."
The towel on my back stopped abruptly.
"I'm sorry."
"There's no reason for you to apologize, Your Highness."
I forced a smile and slowly shook my head.
I regretted answering reflexively to the imperial's question.
"Even if it was karma from my father's deeds, I'm still his daughter. I think it's right for me to apologize on his behalf."
I glanced back at the self-reproachful Leah.
And smiled brightly as I said.
"It's alright. How easy could it be for His Imperial Majesty to rule this vast empire alone?"
I turned my head forward again.
And quietly expressed my gratitude to the princess.
"I'm grateful to you, Your Highness."
The princess set down the towel.
And asked in a puzzled voice.
"To me...?"
I closed my eyes gently.
"Yes. I can see it. Ever since you began participating in state affairs, Your Highness Leah, this country has been getting better day by day."
Then, recalling the prosperous empire I'd seen while patrolling Norton.
"The market children have their smiles back, and welfare facilities like hospitals and orphanages have increased a lot."
"Hmm... How do you know what I've done..."
"There were plenty of cadets who admired you since our academy days. I heard it nonstop from them."
In truth, I knew from my past life's memories, but to spare her feelings, I grinned awkwardly and brushed it off.
"Admired me, huh? You're at that age."
Leah chuckled and wrung out the towel.
She took out the ointment and smiled maturely.
'We're only two years apart...'
Leah always tried to maintain an adult demeanor.
Of course, as the empire's eldest daughter, it was natural, but seeing her use casual speech in private like this made her feel like a fresh young lady my age.
"Anyway, having someone tend to my body like this is a first."
I grinned cheekily.
Leah pressed her lips together briefly, then forced a straight face as she said.
"I-It might sting a bit from here on, so brace yourself..."
The princess swallowed deeply.
And gently placed her palm on my back.
As our skin touched, our mana began to resonate and mingle.
Thanks to that, I could clearly feel her tension.
Her pure mana seeped into my back.
Soon, she infused it with healing magic.
A warm, ticklish sensation enveloped the wound pierced by the curse.
A stinging pain.
With that pain ending, the light green healing magic completely eradicated the curse.
"Haa..."
She sighed in relief as the spell succeeded.
Her tension released, she flopped onto the bed.
"How is it? No more pain, right?"
I'm not especially insensitive to pain, so it hadn't hurt much even before treatment.
Still, thanks to this, I didn't have to bother with the infirmary.
"Yes, it's like it never happened. Thank you so much."
Leah closed her eyes contentedly.
She leaned her head back, releasing the tension she'd built up.
"No need to thank me—I'm the one who should be grateful."
Leah lifted her head with a much brighter expression.
"Thanks to you, I shook off that wicked spell, and I feel better overall."
Bathed in moonlight, she had a halo effect.
Her blue eyes sparkled softly as she said to me.
"Thank you, Sir Veil."
At that moment, she responded as the dignified First Imperial Princess.
In kind, I placed my fist over my heart.
And bowed my head like a proper knight.
"It was just my duty."
I'd received thanks from the empire's First Imperial Princess.
Satisfied, and since it was late, I thought about leaving.
With this much face time, I could ask about the arsonist separately tomorrow.
But...
The princess noticed my intention and smiled faintly as she said casually.
"Having someone watch over me does put my mind at ease."
Leah undid a couple of buttons on her shirt, which felt stuffy after wearing it so long.
She lightly covered her thighs with the blanket and said.
"Why, uncomfortable staying here?"
She looked at me, awkwardly seated in the chair.
Her half-lidded blue eyes seemed to peer into my heart.
"Yes, I wonder if I have the privilege to stay in Your Highness's bedroom."
However, I didn't fall for her wordplay trying to take control.
I answered honestly in response.
"Damian might try to kill me if he found out."
I shrugged.
The First Imperial Princess tilted her head nonchalantly and said.
"It's fine. You staying here overnight is perfectly reasonable."
"Reasonable?"
When I asked back, the princess crossed her legs.
She placed her hand on them, rested her chin, and said.
"Yes. You're uncomfortable because you're the first man I've let into my bedroom, right?"
"That's true, but..."
"But I'm also the first one to wash your body, so it's an even trade."
Miracle logic.
It sounded plausible, but it was just more wordplay.
Still, she clearly had no intention of letting me go easily tonight.
She picked up a tactics book from beside the bed and said indifferently to me.
"Your wounds need two more hours of rest to fully heal anyway. So relax and stay."
"Understood..."
I had no choice but to nod.
Having to spend the next two hours here awkwardly with Leah...
In this space full of boring books, no less.
I glanced at Leah as she put on her monocle.
Her expression was more serious than anyone's while reading.
Seeing her like that made me think I should read a book too.
"Your Highness..."
"Yeah, speak."
Thanks to the book, perhaps.
She'd gone cold and serious again.
Looking at such a princess, I asked innocently.
"Could I read 'The Slave Knight of the Northern Grand Duchess' again from earlier?"
The empire's First Imperial Princess, thinking she'd fully confined me to her bedroom and seized control.
Rich emotions began blooming on her face once more.
"Absolutely not!!"
Seeing that, I chuckled to myself.