UPON arriving at the gates, Helt greeted, “Good morning, everyone. How are things today?”
The two gatekeepers raised their hands in response.
One of them reported, “It’s the same old. The last time food was delivered was around two months ago, was it? You might seriously starve to death in your situation—what is the fourth consort even thinking?”
Helt shrugged. “It actually works out in my favor that she is a fool who doesn’t question the fact that my princess grew up normally and energetically even in these circumstances.”
“That’s true.”
The other gatekeeper laughed before placing a small wooden box next to Helt’s feet. On it was a label that read “cleaning tools,” and Helt opened the lid to reveal a chaotic clutter of rags and brushes. He pushed aside the greasy, oily rags and fished out a cloth package from the bottom.
“The contents today are apparently salt-cured meat and pepper. That, and envelopes, as well as writing paper,” the gatekeeper reported.
“Those are very welcome additions.” Helt nodded. “The princess will be delighted by the stationery.”
The earnest and dedicated Amelia still persistently wrote letters to her fiancé, who’d cut off all communications with her ever since their betrothal. No matter how many letters she sent, he’d never responded, but she had yet to show any signs of giving up. Helt didn’t have any means to check whether the fourth consort was meddling or whether her fiancé wasn’t bothering to write back, but it was Amelia’s wish. He wanted to do as much as he could to realize it.
As one of the gatekeepers closed the wooden box again, he grinned with some exasperation. “That aside, I’ve got to say it’s pretty impressive. They know that if someone finds out, the fourth consort would punish them, but they’re still sneaking in supplies for you two.”
Servants in the royal court prepared this package. These servants came from various backgrounds. Some were originally employed in the Fifth Palace before they were forced to leave, and they went on to work at other palaces in the vicinity. Some had heard of the Fifth Palace’s situation through rumors and were lending a helping hand. Regardless of whatever reasons they had, though, they wouldn’t be let off the hook that easily if the fourth consort discovered them.
“Well, it is all thanks to my princess’s virtuous character and her mesmerizing cuteness,” Helt boasted.
The guards shook their heads, looking slightly appalled, as they put away the wooden box. That said, they were both smirking. “I can’t say that isn’t one of the reasons, but hey, most of them are women who’ve set their sights on you, aren’t they?”
Although Helt was a guardian knight, he was originally an orphan before his adoption. However—and yes, I know this sounds pretentious when I say it myself—he was blessed with relatively pleasing looks. One could say that his appearance was the exact reason that he had been adopted into a viscount’s household. His features, which hadn’t been particularly useful in any way in the past, were undeniably helping him now.
One gatekeeper commented, “I’d love to show you how those ladies celebrate and cheer when they’re lucky enough to chance upon you anytime they come to bring supplies. They all whisper feverishly to each other that you’re practically storybook characters—a mistreated princess and her loyal knight. You might not know this, but you two are somewhat like celebrities.”
Helt shrugged. “If it means that we can gain supplies without the fourth consort finding out, they may gossip as much as they wish.”
Now that Helt was the last servant within the palace, it was a challenge for him to sneak into town like before. Though the royal court should be a safe place in theory, he was worried about leaving Amelia to fend for herself. Furthermore, if the fourth consort ever noticed his absence, not only would it stir the hornet’s nest, but he’d lose their escape route in an emergency, which he wanted to avoid.
A cute, sonorous voice cut into his thoughts. “Helt!” The knight turned around to see his mistress rushing over with her silver hair fluttering in the air. “I finished watering the fields. How about we have some breakfast now?”
Even though a rustic dress with stiff fabric was wrapped around her frame, her sunny, bubbly smile never darkened. Their life in this palace was far from leisurely, but whenever he looked at Amelia’s smile, he felt as if it was all worth it. It was a rather intriguing thought.
Helt bowed. “That sounds like an excellent idea. We just happened to receive some salt-cured meat, so shall we have some soup?”
Her face fell slightly. “I’ve already made our breakfast. Carrot potage’s on the menu. I chose it because you mentioned you like it.”
Dejection darkened her face, but though the world was a big place, you probably wouldn’t find a princess who would make soup according to the taste of her guardian knight anywhere else. The girl, who should have been waited upon by a great crowd of servants and brought up without any hardship by all rights, had hands that were marred with scars from working in the fields, sewing, and cooking. However, even when she was wrapped in timeworn fabric and had rough hands, she was the most brilliant star in Helt’s eyes.
“Your potage soup is delicious, my princess, and I am delighted. I shall gladly savor every spoonful,” Helt reassured her. “That, and I have also procured envelopes and writing paper. You will be able to write more letters now.”
“Really?! Oh, I’m the happiest girl in the world, thank you!” Beaming at him, she clapped her hands together and jumped with joy. She was so adorable that even the gatekeepers were desperately suppressing the urge to grin themselves silly.
The next moment, Amelia noticed the gatekeepers’ peculiar expressions—they were furrowing their brows and biting hard on their bottom lips—and she awkwardly hung her head a little.
“U-Um, if it’s all right with you… Please have these.” Nervously, she held out her hands toward the guards with an almost overflowing batch of strawberries in her palms. “You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? I don’t have enough soup for everyone, but there are always strawberries.”
With taut expressions, the gatekeepers accepted her offering. “Th-Thank you, Your Highness.”
Amelia sighed with relief. “Okay then, Helt. I’ll head back first.”
After watching Amelia run off while waving her hands, the guards let out a grand sigh in tandem.
“I have to say, she’s such a charming girl every single day,” one muttered.
“She was even concerned about our breakfast? Is she a literal angel?” the other whispered.
“Princess Amelia was adorable from the beginning, but it feels like her radiance has only grown stronger recently.” The first gatekeeper paused. “It’s somewhat understandable that the fourth consort and Princess Prisca would be jealous of her.”
As they spoke, they blissfully filled their mouths with strawberries. To be frank, Helt didn’t want them to have the opportunity to enjoy Amelia’s strawberries so effortlessly and lightheartedly, but he had no choice but to turn a blind eye because his princess’s consideration for the likely hungry guards was all too precious.
One gatekeeper commented, “Princess Amelia is a remarkably good girl, but it’s too bad that her guardian and her guardian’s daughter treat her as their mortal enemy. Even the female attendant who stayed behind to the very end is gone now, and you’re all alone here with her, aren’t you? Your situation is starting to get harsh.”
Originally, these guards were stationed here to prevent the residents of the Fifth Palace from coming into contact with the outside world. Out of concern for Amelia and Helt, they were quite flexible with all kinds of things, but they still couldn’t go against the fourth consort’s orders.
If Amelia’s poor excuse of a guardian could eliminate Helt, Amelia would be left all alone in the Fifth Palace. He didn’t know whether the fourth consort planned on dragging her into the Fourth Palace or abandoning the princess here, but it was clear that Amelia would be in danger no matter what scenario came to pass.
“Rain or shine, I will protect my princess from right by her side,” Helt declared his unwavering resolve.
Hearing that, the gatekeepers, who’d been eating the strawberries, stilled.
“The part about the loyal knight isn’t too far off, huh?” one said.
Helt shook his head. “I am not anything that awe-inspiring. I am merely…upholding a very precious promise.”
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