As expected, the place is guarded much more heavily now.

I now stood merely a few hundred meters away from the mansion she lived. And from here, I could already tell just how much security had been increased after the king’s death (or to be more exact, after his death was revealed. He had been dead for a long time, I presume).

Yeah, sneaking in seems to be a bad idea. I don’t have any spells I can use to help me with stealth, and if they catch me, they will no doubt think I’m there to assassinate the princess under Flameu’s bidding.

I got no choice. I just have to walk through the front gate and ask for permission. If she’s there anyway.

I straightened my robes and combed my hair. Naturally, I had to look my best in front of those soldiers.

As expected, the moment they saw me walking in their direction, they immediately surrounded me while pointing their spears towards my direction. There were at least twenty of them, all geared up in chainmail armors and steel helmets. There were even a handful of mages, all aiming their staves towards me as well.

“Halt! Identify yourself!” The man who seemed to be their leader shouted at me.

“My name is Charles Pendleton and I’m here to have an audience with the princess,” I spoke as clearly as I could. “She had received me before and she could vouch for my character and loyalty. I had served her before and I shall serve again.” 

I said all that while looking at him straight in the eye. That was how you proved to people that you weren’t lying—show them your firm and unbending confidence.

“Charles… Pendleton?” He scratched the stub on his chin. “Can’t say that I have heard of such— Wait, you… you were that Divine Tempest kid who beat that Frost Dragon, didn’t you?”

“That’s me.” I flashed my brightest smile. Come on, just let me through. You must know you guys can’t win against a mage of my caliber, right?

That hope, however, was soon dashed to the rocks when one of his subordinates just had to decide to open his mouth.

“Sir! We have a report that he was actively collaborating with Lady Flameu! I don’t believe we can trust him, Sir!” Tch, this telltale!

The look on the knight captain's face promptly darkened. Crap, it's crisis management time!

"That might be right, good sir, but that was in the past. I thought of her as a simple court mage, nothing more and nothing less. In fact, I felt betrayed by this recent development. I thought of her as a friend and this is how she repays my trust? That filthy necromancer needs to be hanged and burned at the stake, I say! Right in that order!" I finished my acting by folding my hands and giving him my frown. There! That should do it!

The man paused for a second or two, before replying with nervous sweat. “I-I see. So you’re not with her anymore, Milord?”

“That’s right. What would I have to gain by associating myself with a necromancer? I might be young but I have my house’s name to uphold, even all the way out here.”

If I assumed correctly, they should already know that I was a son of an Earl from the Holy Empire, thanks to all the rumors. So, I could intimidate them by that alone. The nobles of the Empire were highly respected, not just in the Empire itself but also in its annexed kingdoms.

"M-my apologies, Sir." He quickly bowed. "I have wrongly misjudged you. You idiots! Lower your weapons!"

And with that order, I gained access inside.

------

I was then escorted to the mansion proper, where I had to meet with this Edge person first before I was granted a meeting with the princess. To my relief, she indeed was still there, and not in the castle. Though as compensation, the prime minister had assigned to her the king's old royal guards to be her bodyguard. And that Edge person was their leader. Naturally, as one who was most responsible for her safety, he had to screen me first to decide whether I was a threat to her or not.

And so I was brought to the living room, where I was told to wait for his presence.

Damn, this thick atmosphere… it's like I'm in a police station, about to be interrogated…

The soldiers didn't leave as I sat on the sofa. They just stood there, guarding the two pairs of doors to my left and right. 

Around 15 minutes later, he finally made his appearance.

He was what you would expect from a typical young knight guarding a princess—blue eyes, blond hair, good looks, and a frown that showed you he meant business. He didn't wear armor though. He instead wore a green semi-formal long coat, with a blue and white shirt underneath.

"So, you're the boy that wants an audience with Her Highness."

He took his seat across me, crossing his legs in the process. I could see his sword peeking out his coat.

"My name is Edge Sterling, and I am the head of Fiania's royal guard, and the son of Duke Wellington, the Prime Minister. It's a pleasure to meet you, Charles Pendleton."

This attitude… he's being intentionally impolite. You don't cross your legs in front of your guest. He doesn't offer his hand nor does he give a bow. And most importantly, he doesn't crack a smile.

He’s the son of a Duke. And not just any Duke, but the Prime Minister himself. That’s why he can afford to act so cocky. I’m just the son of a no-name (and nonexistent) Earl to him.

"I’ve heard of you. You have visited Her Highness before, correct?"

"That's right!" I gave him a smile. "She'll tell you that I am welcome."

"And you did it with an introduction letter written by Flameu. And you made the princess pay you quite the handsome amount of money. How curious. Tell me. What did you do with that money?"

Damn, he sure did his homework. And just like that, he began his interrogation.

"I sold Flameu the carcass of the dragon I slew. And she told me to get the money from her. It was a loan from the princess to her."

I decided to answer honestly. Lying would only make things worse.

“You don’t find it odd—” Here, his eyes narrowed. “—that she told you to come to Her Highness instead of paying it out of her own pocket?”

“Back then, I trusted her,” I answered. “A shame that trust had been wasted on a necromancer.”

“I see. I would hold it to your poor judgment, but we all have been fooled by her.” His lips turned into a smirk. “So, what would be the purpose of your visit now? As you should know, we are in quite the state of disarray like now. Not to mention that Her Majesty was still in the middle of her mourning. Do you truly believe it is wise to bother her with your visit?”

“It is necessary.”

“Oh? If it is, then you should speak to me first. I am in charge of her safety, in case you haven’t noticed.” His smirk grew bigger.

He doesn’t want me to see her. That much is clear. Now how should I handle this in a polite and non-confrontational manner?

“I apologize, but this is something I can only speak with her. I promised to do so when I first met her. I am not to speak of it to anyone, even the son of the prime minister himself.”

I looked at him right in the eye. I didn’t break eye contact, but I tried to make my expression as polite as I could. “Show firmness but not rudeness.” That’s what Fiora told me on how to speak with a noble.

His smirk disappeared. “Fascinating. So she trusts you that much. I wonder why. Sometimes, Her Highness can be too trusting for her own good.”

And now a subtle insult to my trustworthiness. This is how nobles are supposed to mock each other.

"Very well." He stood up. "I shall escort you to her room. As much as I am responsible for her well-being, I cannot go against her wishes. When I informed her of your arrival, she ordered me to bring you to her room, and so that’s what I will do.”

So all this time you’re just being a dick for no reason. Yeah. Sounds noble-like, alright.

He then brought me to the princess' chamber with an entire squad of knights in tow. On the way, he explained that she was still in mourning, so she had no interest in taking in the matters of the state into her own hands yet. For now, his father, the prime minister would be the one running the country.

Sounds like the perfect setup for his dad to be the new de-facto king with the princess just being a puppet. But hey, it’s not my problem. If she doesn’t want to rule, then maybe it will be better for the kingdom overall to just make the prime minister do all the work. Not that I know what kind of guy the prime minister is.

After climbing up two sets of stairs and walking towards the east wing of the mansion, we finally arrived in front of the princess' room.

"Here it is.” Edge spoke. “Her Highness’ chamber. Now, mind your manners while you’re in there, alright? Unfortunately, she has ordered that she wants to speak with you in private, so we are unable to accompany you inside. We’ll be standing out here, ready to come in if anything happens.”

“Of course.” I gave him a respectful smile. “I will only give the princess of the Fiania Kingdom the utmost reverence she deserves.”

I wonder if he might have any designs on her. Usually, that’s how it goes, right? The son of the prime minister wants to be the next king so he tries to woo the pretty princess. That might be why he’s so hostile to me. He doesn’t want me to get close to her in case I end up making her fall for me. I chuckled internally. Hah, he must think of me as some womanizer, thanks to the rumors. 

He then gave a firm knock on the twin mahogany doors. “Your Highness. He’s here.”

“Send him in.”

Two knights walked forward and opened the door for me. I walked in before they closed it once more behind me.

And there, I saw her, standing on the other side of the room, looking right at me.

The first thing I noticed was the dress she wore. No longer she wore an all-white dress. Her dress was now as dark as the night itself. Fitting considering she was in a state of mourning. Black was also considered the proper color to wear for a funeral in this world.

And then, her smile. It was tainted with bitterness. No longer was it the bright, spring-like smile she showed me all those months ago.

“You came, Milord.”

“I did,” I replied. “I just had to make a visit after hearing what happened to your father.”

“Father… To think that Lady Flameu had done that to him… Oh, please, don’t just stand there. Take a seat. Anywhere you want.”

I looked around the room. Naturally, as befitting for a princess, it was a large and luxurious room. The chandelier, the curtains, the carpet, and the two paintings decorating the room—I bet all of them are really expensive.

I decided to be bold and chose the bed to sit on. When else would I get the chance to sit on a cute princess' bed? If I could, I would even smother my face all over that dark red sheets and pillows, enjoying the scent of a princess.

Ah, I really shouldn't be thinking about perverted things now. It'd be bad if I get a stiffie in a time like this.

"Milord, I have a request to make." She clasped her hands with a nervous look on her face.

"Yes?"

"Please, save Lady Flameu! She might be a necromancer but she’s a good person! I’m sure of it!” She bowed as low as she could to the point that her hair fell down to the front.

Well, this is… unexpected.

“You don’t hate her? For killing your father and using him as her corpse puppet?”

She straightened herself. With a forlorn smile, she replied, “Father… he had done many, many terrible things… things I never knew about, being the naive girl that I am. And Lady Flameu… she had told me everything. His crime wasn’t only ending Mother’s life.”

To my surprise, she decided to sit right beside me.

“He… would take any woman he fancied to sleep with him, no matter if she agreed or not. Commoners, nobles, even adventurers… there were no limits to his desire. Some, mostly the nobles, he would allow to return once he was bored with them. But others, he would just kill after he’s done with them.”

Her voice shook. I could see her palms whitening as she gripped her dress.

“Some have tried to stop him of course. Once, there were a group of nobles conspiring of a coup d’etat to overthrow him. But Lord Sterling and Lord Basilisk put a stop to them before their scheme could happen. Their punishment was for them and their entire family to be quartered in secret, but not before Father had his way with their wives and daughters.”

At this point, tears started to trail down her cheeks.

“There was also a commoner, who tried to assassinate him after he took his betrothed, right before the day of their wedding. His attempt was also foiled, thanks to Sir Edge and his royal guards. His punishment? He was whipped over and over until he died from his wounds. All the while his betrothed was forced to watch. She ended up slicing her own throat out of grief.”

She’s now actively choking in between her words. She even had some snot falling down her nose, which she quickly wiped with her handkerchief. Normally, I would be disgusted by the sight, but I would be a cruel and heartless person if I did not excuse her haggard appearance right now. Gently, I put my hand on her shoulder and spoke, "it’s fine if you don’t want to continue. I understand your—”

“No, you must hear it all! Every vile deed Father has done! Then you'll see why it's unfair for Flameu to be hunted down like this!

Suddenly, she snapped in anger, moving her face uncomfortably close to mine. Just as quickly, however, she retreated, before returning back to her tears. 

She’s torn. Between loving her Father like a child should, and hating him for all the things he did, she didn't know how she should feel.

She's a good person. I'm glad Flameu managed to heal her. She deserves that and more.

"And then… and then there's the matter with—"

I decided to do something even bolder. I wrapped my hands around the back of her head and pulled it down to my chest.

Naturally, this took her completely by surprise.

“M-Milord? What are you—"

“Shh. That’s enough. You don’t have to say anything else."

And then, she exploded into tears.

I let her cry into my chest, patting her back like an older brother would. Ironic, considering I'm certainly much younger than her. Well, biologically anyway.

I couldn't help myself. I had to comfort her. I'm just weak to a girl's tears, especially when it came from an innocent princess like her.

Damn, she sure smells nice…

I scolded myself. What am I getting turned on for? She's sobbing like a wreck right now and all I can think of is perverted stuff?

Munyu~

Goddamnit, now I’m noticing her breasts pressing onto me as well. Come on, Hugo, bear it! Activate your Sage Mode!

Thankfully, it didn’t last long. She promptly recovered, and with a bashful smile, she straightened herself and wiped her tears with another pair of dry handkerchiefs.

“A-apologies for that… shamefully emotional display."It's alright." I gave her the best comforting smile I could muster. "Anyone would react like that with that kind of a father."

She then took my hands and grabbed them firmly with her own. And they were still as soft as ever.

"I'm glad I met you, Milord. Before you came, I only had Lady Flameu to converse with like this. Ever since we met, she had been very kind to me. She would listen to my word and tell me how to solve it. Thanks to her, I learned that a princess must be strong for the sake of her subjects. And with Father gone, I will become Queen soon. I'm not sure if I'm ready for the responsibility, but I have to try, for the sake of my people."

Once again, I had been charmed by her innocence. Normally, I wouldn't buy such a rhetoric right away, but I sensed no falsehood in her words and expressions. It's just like Fiora when she said she wanted to rule for the sake of her people, though in her case, she was far more confident in doing it compared to her.

"But," she continued. "I broke one of her rules today. I had cried in front of a stranger. A ruler should not show weakness, she said, for there are always snakes slithering around them. Though, I couldn't imagine Milord being one of those snakes. You are a friend, just like her.” She giggled.

Wow, Flameu's not holding back, is she? Though it's better that way. A ruler can't be as naive as she is. She'll just end up being a puppet that can't see through the lies of her advisors.

"So,” I decided it’s time for me to ask my questions. “Did you know that Flameu was a necromancer?”

She shook her head. “No. I only know about it now. I only thought of her as a master alchemist all these years, ever since she appeared and served under Father.”

“How did that happen anyway? Did she just walk into the castle and ask for a job as a court mage?” It couldn’t be that easy, could it?

She smiled hearing my question. “You want to hear about her, Milord? Then I should start from the very beginning.”