A kneeling man took Amelia’s hand and kissed the back of it. Amelia stared unblinkingly at him until he lifted his face. She tilted her head. “It sorta…feels strange?”
“Have you prepared yourself mentally like you mentioned?” Helt rose onto his feet. For some reason, he took out a handkerchief and wiped her hand.
“Is it standard practice to wipe my hand after you’re done?”
“Not quite.” Helt shook his head. “It is simply because it is unacceptable for my princess’s hand to be sullied.”
“If a woman did it, I might end up with lipstick on my hand, but it should be fine in your case, shouldn’t it?”
“It is a matter of my personal attitude.” He paused. “Now then, how was it?” After gingerly wiping her hand, Helt gave her a wide smile.
Amelia had asked him to help her practice being kissed on the hand, but it was different from what she’d imagined. “Hmm… I think I should be fine with how that went.”
Possibly because it was the second time, her heart didn’t make a racket. If she kept this up, she should be able to avoid getting flustered during the possible third experience with Lord Luke.
That said, to her, Helt was like her one and only precious family who’d remained in the Fifth Palace. She couldn’t compare him with other men in general.
She shrugged. “Well, it’s not like Lord Luke is going to do this for sure or anything. Not to mention that I can’t even see him to begin with…”
“I am afraid I cannot make any sense of that practice, but your positive mindset is a good shift,” Helt said. “In the past, you were more fainthearted. You even shed tears because he wouldn’t send replies to your letters, didn’t you?”
Now that he mentioned it, she did remember something along those lines. But seven years had gone by, and she’d also recollected her memories from her life in Japan. As you would expect, her perspective had changed.
In fact, she even found it unbelievable that she’d acted so subservient to the fourth consort and Prisca up until now. Then again, to be fair, they’d imprinted it into her over many years, and she’d likely held herself back out of a sense of remorse toward Helt, the only person who’d stayed by her.
“I’ve caused you nothing but trouble over the years,” she muttered. “I’ve already grown up, so you can head out and enjoy freedom, you know?”
Amelia mustered up a lot of courage to make that proposal, but to her surprise, Helt burst into laughter. “Grown up, hm…? I am afraid I still can’t leave you on your own, my princess. Not for a long time.”
“That’s not true. I can manage on my own,” she announced, puffing out her chest triumphantly. “I’ve mastered cooking, cleaning, and working in the field. If push comes to shove, I’ll run away and live in the city.”
Helt, however, only maintained his smile. “I am not quite sure what you are referring to by ‘push comes to shove,’ but I suggest you only make such statements after you are capable of noticing me when I shadow you.”
Amelia blinked. “Wait. You followed me into the city?”
She’d vaguely suspected it, but by the looks of it, he’d known her every movement out in the streets.
“But of course. I am your guard in the first place, my princess, remember? How am I supposed to defend you if we are separated?”
He did have a point there.
Following the death of the fifth consort, all the servants had left the palace. Helt had to take care of all sorts of work in their stead, reducing him to a simple retainer, but his official duty was her guardian knight. Having a flawless understanding of Amelia’s area of activity was only natural to him, and there was no chance he’d leave her be when he learned that she’d leave for the city.
“Hold on a hot minute…” Realization dawned on her. “Does that mean you saw everything?”
“Though it was from afar, I watched most of the proceedings, yes. I considered heading to your side when those hoodlums surrounded you, but that boy was one step ahead of me. You came up to me abruptly about practice because he kissed your hand; am I right?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s so embarrassing…”
It should have been a standard greeting between nobles—she hadn’t done anything bad. Yet, when she heard that Helt had witnessed the event, her heart was restless.
He continued, “For a moment, I even thought of cutting him down slightly because he dared to touch my princess, but well… Your heart exclusively belongs to the young Lord Klein, and there is no chance of it wavering. I decided to consider it merely as a greeting between children and let it pass.”
“Wait…” Amelia’s eyes widened. “Is it just me, or did you just throw some pretty unsettling words into that speech?”
“It must have been a trick of the wind,” he replied with a benign smile. Seeing that, she couldn’t bring herself to press him further on the matter. “That said, judging by that boy’s mannerisms, he is likely the son of a distinguished noble household. It is regrettable that I wasn’t able to get a clear look at his face. Since he is a noble, it would be wise to use an alias when you interact with him, but…” He trailed off and glanced in her direction.
Amelia felt just a tad guilty. “I, uh, I told him.”
“I suspected as much.” His attitude practically said that he hadn’t had much hope in her.
“B-But!” she objected. “I didn’t say I’m a Glaisharle!”
Helt sighed deeply. “That would be common sense. It is the name of this kingdom that only royalty can claim. Using it is no different from declaring that you are a princess.”
His argument was sound. Amelia couldn’t come up with any rebuttals.
After a pause, he asked, “And? Have you heard that boy’s name? Well, there is a high chance that he was prudent enough to use an alias.”
The fact that he had more trust in Luke than Amelia made her somewhat miffed. “He’s Luke,” she begrudgingly replied while stifling her displeasure.
Helt blinked several times. “I know that your head is crammed to the brim with the young Lord Klein, but it appears that your ears are affected to the point of mishearing things as well.”
“I-I’m telling you the truth!” Amelia insisted. “He’s called Luke. It’s an incredible coincidence, isn’t it? His eyes are gold, too. The world is seriously a big place.”
She’d assumed that he’d be amazed and share the same opinion, but Helt placed his hand over his mouth and contemplated something.
Amelia inclined her head quizzically. “Something wrong?”
“No.” He paused. “You said that the fourth consort and Princess Prisca remained near the Fifth Palace for a while the other day, correct?”
“Yeah, I did, now that you mention it.”
“You also brought up that someone other than the gatekeeper saw you walking on top of the wall.”
Amelia nodded. “Right. Thinking back, other than them, there were also men there.”
Not only had there been the fourth consort, Prisca, and their female attendants, but Amelia had also witnessed a shadowy, youth-like silhouette with ashen hair, as well as a handful of other men. The youth had seemed to look in her direction, so she wouldn’t be surprised if other people had caught sight of her, too.
Helt frowned. “It would be trouble if the fourth consort pesters you and sets her mind on giving you trouble, so please take utmost caution.”
“Got it.”
“That, and…I shall also head out into the city. I ask that you give me notice of your departures. I will follow you at a slight distance, and I will not interfere with your business.”
Amelia knew that he was probably going to follow her whether she agreed or not, so she didn’t mind informing him, but there was one problem in that scenario. “But without anyone around, we might get in big trouble if the fourth consort pops over, you know?”
Though the woman’s visits were few and far between, it wasn’t guaranteed that she wouldn’t come. Wouldn’t the fourth consort discover that Amelia was sneaking out if neither she nor Helt were present?
“That is quite all right,” Helt replied. “I can talk the gatekeepers into believing that we are unable to receive her with a random, appropriate excuse, such as that we are feverish with a severe cold.”
“You can do that? Then, do you think you could get them to let me out from the front gate if you asked them to?”
The gatekeepers had always stood next to the gate while wearing stern faces, so Amelia had been convinced that they hated her, but were they surprisingly reasonable?
Helt frowned. “No, I am afraid that would be too difficult… That said, they are only obeying the fourth consort’s orders because it is their job. They don’t resent you, my princess—in fact, they even feel affection toward you when they see you coming to fetch me at the gate.”
Seeing Amelia’s surprise, Helt wore a conflicted smile and continued, “They would also be in a bind if you asked them to treat you kindly and permit you to leave. For if they do, not only would they be punished, but also their families—and even you, my princess. That is why they are deliberately putting on that sort of cold attitude.”
It was a fact she’d been unaware of until now, and Amelia could only blink, dumbfounded.
Helt ended his speech with this statement. “My princess, many people are willing to protect you, even if it is difficult to see with the eye. Please do not forget that.”
After a lengthy moment of silence, Amelia finally said, “Yeah. Thanks for always protecting me, Helt.”
The corners of Helt’s eyes softened, and he gave her a reverent bow.
🍓🍓🍓