Chapter 89
Chapter 89
"By the way, do you two ever meet separately?"
One busy day while Logan was absorbed in reviewing troop training reports, Patrick suddenly posed this unexpected question.
Logan couldn't hide his bewilderment.
"Huh?"
"My future daughter-in-law—ahem, ahem. I understand the Crown Princess is serious about knight order training, and I know you're busy. But even if you haven't held a formal engagement ceremony, you're still betrothed. It seems like you two only meet when there's work to be done."
"Ah... Haha. Well, that's... I suppose I should visit her once things settle down..."
Logan fumbled for words before hastily redirecting his attention to the documents.
But his father wasn't letting it go.
"No matter how much work I've dumped on you, I don't want to stand in the way of my son's youth. I'll handle things today—go and rest."
"Huh?"
"Spend some time with Crown Princess Ellen. She's off duty today too."
"...Father, that's—"
"It's not like this was an arranged match—you two chose to get engaged! Now hurry up and go!"
SLAM!
His father forcibly shooed him out and shut the door behind him.
Logan stared blankly at the firmly closed office door before exhaling a small sigh.
With the civil war looming, leisurely dates were hardly a priority.
But when he's this insistent...
At the very least, he should humor him for a day.
Unbeknownst to himself, his footsteps lightened as he turned away.
"Young Lady!"
"I told you never to wake me up! Today, I am one with my bed!"
Ellen shot Laila a warning glare before burrowing deeper under the covers.
But for some reason, Laila didn't back down.
"This is no time to laze around! His Highness Prince Logan is here to see you!"
"WHAT?!"
The words jolted her awake.
The sleep demon that had been clinging to her soul vanished instantly, and before she knew it, Ellen had shot upright in bed.
"Wh-why is Prince Logan here?!"
"Oh, for goodness' sake! Isn't it obvious?! A date! A date! I was worried about why he hadn't visited until now!"
Laila's exasperated reply flushed Ellen's face crimson.
A... date?
After beating up several suitors, she had assumed romance would never be in the cards for her.
The realization left her even more flustered, her mind blank.
"What are you doing?! Wash up first! I've already drawn your bath!"
"H-huh? Oh, right."
"I'll prepare your outfit. Finally, time to take out that dress."
"D-dress?"
"You weren't planning to go on a date in armor, were you?! Hurry up and wash!"
Propelled by Laila's inexplicable forcefulness, Ellen found herself helplessly herded into the bath.
Logan finally met Ellen a full three hours later.
"S-sorry for the wait, Your Highness. You must've been here a while...?"
"It's fi—"
Turning at the sound of her voice, Logan trailed off mid-sentence when he saw Ellen.
A thick shawl draped over her bare shoulders, a floral-patterned dress cascading like waves to accentuate her slender waist.
A translucent amethyst necklace and matching earrings complemented her fiery red hair, completing a breathtakingly beautiful appearance.
Huh...!
This was the first time Logan had seen Ellen dressed up since their initial meeting at the matchmaking event. He froze momentarily.
His prolonged silence made Ellen's expression falter.
"Is it... strange? I'm not really used to clothes like these..."
"No. Absolutely not."
"Huh?"
"I was just surprised—you look unexpectedly stunning, Princess. Beautiful. Truly."
His firm denial followed by blunt praise brought a faint smile to Ellen's face.
Logan smiled slightly in return, though his next words weren't exactly tactful.
"But aren't you cold? It's the middle of winter—just a shawl seems a bit..."
"No! I-I'm fine!"
Her smile stiffened, and she abruptly turned away.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
A luxurious carriage drawn by four horses—a rare sight in MacLaine—drew the attention of the territory's residents.
"Whose carriage is that?"
"Must be the lord's."
"But it doesn't bear the family crest..."
"I saw! It's the Grand Prince's fiancée..."
The murmurs of onlookers kept their distance.
Peering through the carriage window at the scene, Ellen now wore Logan's red cloak draped over her shoulders.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've properly explained the territory since your arrival. I thought I'd give you a tour of the town, but... Even inside the carriage, it must be chilly. Should we just head back for tea?"
Snow fell in pristine white flakes.
Pretty as it was, a thin dress, shawl, and one extra cloak weren't enough to brave the cold.
But Ellen's answer was firm.
"No. I'm fine. Really."
Her slightly flushed face did seem genuinely unbothered, and it felt awkward to insist otherwise.
Well, she is a Force user. She'll be fine.
Smiling at the thought, Logan spoke up.
"Then let's go. I'll guide you through everything."
"That over there is the sewer system. Ah, it's a bit smelly, so let's not get too close. It's designed to naturally drain household waste outside."
"It's definitely less pungent than Grandia's. I thought it was just because it's newly built."
"The sewer itself probably smells worse. But the residents' hygiene is much better."
"There really are a lot of smiling faces."
Ellen observed the territory's people stealing glances from a distance.
Their shabby clothes weren't much different from Grandia's commoners, but listening to Logan's explanations, their faces did seem cleaner, adorned with faint smiles.
That aside...
Is this... a date?
The thought kept nagging at Ellen.
"If conditions were better..."
He was passionately explaining things, but none of it resonated with her.
If this was all, he could've just assigned her a guide.
The cloak on her shoulders was warm—but that was it.
Her heart grew colder by comparison.
Disappointment crept in.
And then she startled herself with that thought.
How stupid...
What had she even expected from a relationship born of mutual convenience?
Embarrassed, she clutched the cloak tighter—
"You're... bored, aren't you? My apologies. This is all I know how to show you..."
A cautious voice snapped her back to attention.
"N-no! Not at all! The town is fascinating! And, um..."
She waved her hands frantically, but even she could tell how awkward she sounded.
Seeing Logan's slightly stiff expression, she felt guilty but couldn't think of what to say.
Her mind blank, Ellen could only avert her gaze.
This is...
Logan was equally flustered.
In his past life, by age fifty, the only women he'd interacted with were female mercenaries rougher than most men or imperial knights who'd stabbed him in the ribs.
If you could even call that "interacting."
With such laughably limited experience, his words to the bowing Ellen were far from smooth.
"Then how about we ride horses instead? That should be more fun than this stuffy carriage."
A ridiculous suggestion to a woman in a dress.
He sighed at his own words—
"Y-yes! Let's do it!"
Unexpectedly, she responded enthusiastically.
"Race you to the foothills! The loser grants the winner a wish—no, a favor!"
"Huh?"
"Go!"
Neigh!
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
Having changed from her elegant dress into a plain training uniform, Ellen arbitrarily declared the race and took off.
Sure, she'd looked beautiful in the dress, but the sight of Ellen galloping in her simple attire was far more vibrant—far more her.
Should've done this from the start?
Logan chuckled and urged his horse after hers, a beat behind.
Wearing a dress and acting prim really isn't my style.
Ellen laughed freely, feeling her stifled mood vanish.
How long had it been since she'd ridden purely for enjoyment?
The wind rushing past her skin made her cheer—
"Then, excuse me!"
Whoosh!
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
A horse shimmering with golden Force streaked past her.
What? Force?!
Dumbfounded, she burst into disbelieving laughter.
"That's cheating! I can't do that yet!"
She shouted and hurriedly gave chase.
Strangely, though, the fleeting scent that brushed past her in that brief moment lingered in her heart more than the hours spent together in the carriage.
Unconsciously, a bright smile remained on Ellen's face.
Neigh!
"Whoa, easy! I won. Fair and square, right?"
"Using Force is cheating!"
"The rules never said otherwise."
Logan grinned shamelessly, chest puffed out. Ellen glared but couldn't help snorting a laugh.
Seeing her, Logan laughed heartily for the first time in ages.
"So, what's your favor?"
"Huh?"
"The winner gets a favor, remember?"
"Ah... Haha. Well..."
"What? You raced like your life depended on it without even thinking of a favor?"
"Ah! Now that I think about it, I do have one."
"What is it?"
Thump.
The one receiving the favor was the one with sparkling eyes.
"I'm getting hungry—let's eat."
"...That's it?!"
"The winner's favor."
"Ugh, seriously...!"
"Hm? Were you expecting something else?"
"N-no, not that, but..."
Her flustered reaction made Logan laugh again, and Ellen soon joined in.
The lunchbox Laila had painstakingly prepared tasted especially delicious that afternoon.
Their ride continued until late afternoon, only stopping when MacLaine Castle came into view, far from the town.
Neigh!
"Further ahead is the soldiers' training grounds. Let's circle back another way."
"Can't we just go see it?"
"Huh? Well, I don't mind, but... I might just bore you with more explanations."
Ellen chuckled at Logan's self-deprecation.
"I'm a knight too! If it's soldier training, I should definitely see it. It's not like I'll be fighting alone."
"If you insist."
Logan smiled in reply, and soon, they witnessed the training of a thousand crossbow cavalrymen.
"Fire!"
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
A volley of quarrels followed the command.
Horses and riders crossed paths seamlessly.
Moving with mechanical precision under Chief Instructor Kai's orders, the soldiers' coordination would impress even a layman.
"Truly impressive. Even a knight could be caught off guard."
Ellen was genuinely awed by the crossbow cavalry's might, something she'd only heard about.
Reading her expression, Logan smiled and replied.
"That's the idea."
"I heard you developed those crossbows too?"
"I just provided the idea—Hamar built them."
"I heard the town was your design as well."
"Haha. Yes. Just the idea."
"And that you turned this wasteland into plains."
"Ah, yes. It just... happened."
The relentless praise made Logan laugh awkwardly.
"You're incredible. But training soldiers like this while also drilling knights... Are you preparing for another war?"
"......"
The follow-up question inevitably stiffened Logan's smile.
"Was that... out of line? I just heard rumors..."
He knew rumors were inevitable given his projects.
But since no one had ever asked him directly, he was caught off guard.
"No, no. Well... How should I put this? For my family, I'd do anything. If it calls for war, I'll wage it. And to do that, there are times I must avoid war."
"Hmm. You don't seem like the avoiding type."
"Hmm..."
I'd avoid it if I could. But since I can't, I fight.
Logan forced down the words rising in his throat and smiled wryly.
Ellen tilted her head, studying him quietly.
Her months in MacLaine had shown her an astonishing territory.
A land thriving so much it was strange rumors hadn't reached the capital, formidable military strength, and unheard-of weapons like the rapid-fire crossbow.
An advanced city—MacLaine Town—and the smiling faces of its people, all created by the man before her.
It was almost unbelievable.
Yet he tirelessly worked, training whenever he had a spare moment.
There were even unbelievable rumors that he never slept.
He seems... like a man running from something. Even after achieving all this... Why?
Come to think of it, his bright smiles—like when they'd raced earlier—were rare.
What does he see that I don't?
She grew a little more curious about him.
And perhaps she wanted to see him smiling more than that troubled expression...
No! Not that!
Ahem. Ahem.
"I asked a pointless question. Let's head back. I'll treat you to a splendid dinner."
"Huh?"
Of course, the one to suffer for that "splendid dinner" would be Laila.
And when Laila saw Ellen—who had swapped her pretty dress for a training uniform—her eyes nearly popped out of her head, forcing them to postpone dinner.
From then on, whenever Ellen had a day off from knight training, it became routine for her and Logan to race across the territory on horseback.