“Thank you. Sugar in my tea, Your Highness? Er, no, thank you.”
Having skipped supper at home, I was given a light meal when I arrived at the palace. Immediately after, the crown prince invited me into his study and urged me to sit on the sofa. Everything was moving so fast my brain couldn’t keep up.
And it was then I realized that my broken engagement was already a distant, indifferent memory.
Incidentally, I didn’t take sugar in my tea because anytime I saw something sweet, an image of Jill fake-crying and calling me her “sweet sister” popped into my mind. I got the sense that I had been avoiding sweets in particular ever since she started the tragic heroine act.
“I don’t take sugar either, though I do add milk sometimes. My chief bodyguard Johann swears that adding the appropriate amount of sugar brings out the subtle nuances and richness of the tea leaf, but I just don’t have much of a sweet tooth.”
As he sat in front of his desk and talked, the servant who brought the tea tasted it for poison before Eric took a sip. It seemed he was more wary of assassins than normal. His teapot, cups, and other utensils were all made of silver as well.
I heard somewhere that silver reacts to poison. If he has to employ this tactic on top of having his servants test his drinks for poison, that goes to show the danger of his situation.
Seeing how the simple act of sipping tea could turn into such an ordeal made me feel a little bit of pity for the prince. Once Eric sipped his tea, I took a sip of my own. And it certainly was royal palace tea—its aroma was sublime.
“Thank you…it’s delicious.” I didn’t mean to say the words out loud, but it was so much more delicious than I could have imagined that I couldn’t help myself.
Prince Eric smiled and replied, “Glad to hear it. Help yourself to the cookies. I’m going to work on some documents… Of course, if you’re bored, feel free to read any of the books on the shelf. The topmost books are the ones I personally like most.” And with that, he got to work on his documents.
The cookies were from a recently opened bakery in the capital. I recalled the time Jill bought some just for herself, then flaunted them. Even cookies were triggering negative memories of my little sister now… She must have traumatized me more than I realized. I needed to try to forget and move on, now that I was away from home—even if my move was not exactly something I planned.
I’m actually surprised that the crown prince is so busy, he needs to work into the night. I thought all a prince did was lean back and take credit for everyone else’s work.
In retrospect, it made me think that he was wasting his time when he watched me work, but I figured he was just that eager to make me his bodyguard.
I sat there, wondering how much longer I should relax and enjoy the tea and cookies. I assumed he would give orders to his new bodyguard, but he showed no such inclination. Perhaps he was going to wait until he finished with his papers.
Then again, even princes had their own problems. I decided to wait quietly until he was ready. And I could do more than just wait—I had cookies to eat and books to read. I could wait forever if I had to.
“………”
This is taking forever! He could’ve at least warned me it was going to take this long.
How much longer was Prince Eric going to keep me waiting? An hour had already passed.
Huh? There’s somebody outside the window.
To protect myself from monsters, I constantly sent out my magic energy in a ten-meter radius, so I could always sense when someone was approaching even without looking.
Apparently, attempts on the prince’s life seemed to truly be a near daily occurrence. I thought I had it bad, but I had to admit that Prince Eric had it far worse.
He hasn’t given me any bodyguard orders yet, but I have to do something.
I returned my cookie to my plate and drew a circle of light with my index finger.
“Saintly Wind, pierce!”
“AAAAGGGHHH!!!”
The assassin crashed through the window into the study…and was promptly flung back by the gale that burst from my circle of light. With assassins lurking this close to the prince, the palace seemed as dangerous as the rest of the world.
“Hmm… Only one today, eh?”
Prince Eric’s reaction was way too mild for somebody whose life had just been threatened. He would have been perfectly justified if he showed a little terror or surprise… But despite the assassin breaking through his window, Prince Eric sat unmoved as he continued to work on his papers.
This was obviously just a part of his daily routine. Watching this scene unfold…made me feel sad somehow.
About two hours after tea, the prince rose and peered at my face. He was finally ready to explain my duties as a bodyguard. At the very least, I wanted to know what times of day he needed me to be on duty.
“All right, that concludes your first assignment. Isn’t that a good book?”
“Yes, it’s very good, Your High—what? My first assignment?”
“Now, stay by my side every day like this starting tomorrow. My work ran late today, between negotiating with His Majesty and visiting your home, but usually I’ll need you to be my bodyguard in the evenings for one to two hours.”
The words “that concludes your first assignment” seemed too good to be true. All I did was eat cookies, drink tea, and read a book. The refreshments were delicious, and the book was good, but that was all I had done for two hours.
Now, if you pointed out that I sensed the presence of an invader and attacked him with magic, you would be right. But that was all I did. In short, I didn’t feel like I did any bodyguarding. And yet, the prince was trying to dismiss me for the day.
“Your Highness, please wait. I assumed my bodyguard duties would take the entire day.”
“Of course not. That’s not how it works. I have specialized bodyguards. Besides, you’re a saint. Not even a prince such as I would work you to death.”
To be honest, I was stunned. Although our time spent together was too quiet since we barely spoke, it seemed as though I was nothing but the prince’s tea buddy.