0&1 Ch 4.1

Catching the Thief

The captain of the guard was a man in his prime. He had a goatee and was rather small in stature, not the type of person one would imagine when thinking of a soldier.

Dot explained his family crest in detail. I stood beside him, chiming in, “That’s the kind of ring it is.”

“Yes. I will find it and bring it to you.” The captain saluted and left. 

I’d used the Queen’s name to summon him, so he had no choice but to do his best.

“Will this really be alright?” Dot asked.

“Well, the Queen said to handle it however we wanted.” I replied casually.

Dot followed me with the lunch box he had picked up at the dining hall. There was a gazebo in Joffrey’s garden, with a table and chairs for tea time.

Edward was already sitting in one of the chairs. He was staring blankly into space but turned his head as we approached.

“Joffrey.”
“Have you been waiting long?”

Edward shook his head. Dot began unpacking the lunch on the table.

Whatever Edward thought of Joffrey, he never turned down a meal invitation. It was more like he couldn’t refuse. Because of the Queen.

If the Queen was really starving Edward, what would it matter if he ate with Joffrey, whom he disliked?

I suggested to Edward that we have lunch together every day, if he was okay with it. He agreed.

I sighed inwardly. This was just like giving someone medicine after making them sick.

“Let’s eat.”

Today’s lunch was roasted ham and sausage, potatoes baked with butter and cheese, soft white bread, various flavors of jam, and salad.

I also placed the cookies I had made for Edward on the table.

“Let’s eat.” I picked up my fork first. 

Edward followed suit, saying, “Let’s eat,” and began poking at the potatoes with his fork. Cheese and butter oozed out of the potatoes, filling the air with a delicious aroma.

Edward blinked. He had a habit of blinking rapidly when he was surprised, his body stiffening but his eyes darting around.

Why is he acting like he’s never seen baked potatoes before?

Maybe he’s actually a genius, and he’s doing this just to maximize my guilt?

I placed my portion of potatoes in front of him too.

We were quiet during the meal, but Edward’s expressions said so much that I wasn’t bored.

He was honestly happy. It was enough to make me wonder if a person could be that happy just from a meal.

We sent Dot away, saying we didn’t need any help, and it was our job to clear the table after we finished eating.

We spent the afternoon reading the book the Duke of Pie had assigned as homework and writing essays. We didn’t have anything in particular to talk about, so we really just studied.

The sunlight was warm. The pages glowed so brightly they hurt my eyes.

A moment later, I looked at Edward and saw that he was dozing off.

His long bangs swayed in the wind, almost poking his eyes. His white skin looked soft.

I reached out my hand. I was about to brush his hair away, but I lowered my hand again.

If I touched him, he might wake up.

As I watched him, I fell asleep too.

The Queen was present when I met the riding instructor. He was a tall man in his thirties, wearing a uniform adorned with medals and standing with perfect posture.

“My name is Polman Baumkuchen, Your Highness.”

He saluted me and then briefly pursed his lips. It was so fleeting I thought I might have imagined it.

“I returned yesterday from the border city. It is an honor to be entrusted with such an important mission so soon.”

So I didn’t imagine it. Baumkuchen was mocking me. Did they want to give more work to someone who had just returned to the capital yesterday?

The warmth disappeared from the Queen’s smile. This was dangerous.

The Queen was so inconsiderate of others!

“I’m counting on you, Sir. II’m not very good at this, so you’ll have to work hard.”

I spoke before the Queen could say anything. The Queen turned back to Joffrey with a look of pride and affection on her face.

I tried to win his favor with a smile, but he only snorted.

“Prince, Sir Baumkuchen is a very distinguished man. He is a hero who trained elite cavalry and defeated all the barbarians at the border.” The Queen spoke gently.

Is it okay to call such a person to teach horseback riding?

Sir Baumkuchen said, “I am honored,” and puffed out his chest. It wasn’t my imagination that his medals stood out.

“Sir, the prince is humble and diligent, so he will follow your guidance well. However, he is a bit frail, so please take care of him,” the Queen urged.

“Of course. Please don’t worry.”
“Please take care of him. Prince, don’t get hurt. Promise me you won’t overexert yourself.”
“I promise.”
“Then I’ll be going now.”

The Queen embraced me. Not only the attendants but also Sir Baumkuchen were standing nearby, but the Queen didn’t seem to care.

Really? Right here?

She kissed my cheeks and forehead several times, then left with a sorrowful expression. She still seemed concerned about Joffrey’s riding lessons.

My face burned.

Sir Baumkuchen looked at me indifferently, as if he were looking at a mama’s boy.

“Well then… Don’t push yourself. Your health is fragile.” He said it flatly. “How about we start by holding the reins and walking a few laps today?”

It was only after hearing his insincere tone that I remembered who he was.

Count Baumkuchen, the Hero. This man was the father of Alex Baumkuchen, the fourth love interest in the game.

Alex Baumkuchen had the archetypal knight vibe. He and Grey were both characters who used honorifics, though their tones were quite different.

Grey gave the impression that he was being sarcastic regardless of whether he used honorifics or not, but Alex was faithful to his original intention of respecting his conversation partner.

He was also the heroine’s junior, so he always called her senior. The heroine’s internal reaction was, ‘Being called senior is kind of nice…’ which made me wonder if she had a thing for younger guys.

Polite and diligent personality. Good relationships with peers. He maintained generally good relationships with other target characters. Except for the womanizer Lowell Montblanc.

Alex, being so earnest, didn’t get along with insincere people.

[I think it’s dirty to play with other people’s feelings.]

That’s what he told the heroine when explaining why he disliked Lowell. Hearing that, the heroine had thought, ‘Then you must hate me too.’

Count Baumkuchen was so insincere that it was impossible to imagine him as Alex Baumkuchen’s father

I thought that holding the reins and circling the training ground meant getting to know the horse. It was similar to when Yoo Yeon-ho happened to attend a boxing gym for a short time and had to do only basic exercises without even hitting the sandbag.

But when I finished circling the training ground and returned to my original spot, Count Baumkuchen was nowhere to be seen.

I asked Dot where he went, and he replied with a troubled look.

“He said today’s lesson was over, so he left…”

Oh, really?

Well, I don’t need the count to walk with me.

I looked at the horse. Its eyes were dark, with lovely eyelashes. I had no idea what it was thinking.

Just like Edward.

I gently stroked the horse’s neck and circled the training ground again. When I put the horse in the stable and returned to my palace, the sun was setting.

I was tired, but I felt uneasy. Would this really help?

The next day, the Count didn’t show up at all. A messenger he sent brought a message saying, “Three more laps.”

I did as instructed. I knew nothing about horseback riding, after all.

The horse was docile and followed me quietly. By the sixth lap, my back was drenched in sweat.

After finishing my walk, I brought the horse back to the stable.

The stablehand suggested I give the horse some sugar, so I gave it some and stroked it. I also learned its name. It was Sweetie.

“Tired?”

Edward’s face appeared before me.

It seemed he had fallen asleep during Duke Pie’s lesson. Just as the duke had left him there, I didn’t wake him and left.

The distance I had to walk was smoothly laid out, and yesterday I walked twenty-one laps. Dot tried to stop me, saying it was too much, and the stablehand suggested just pretending to walk, saying they would testify for me, but I was determined.

I doubted the Count even remembered how many laps he’d assigned. The messenger just said, ‘Three more laps’ each day.

Was the Count really the one sending the messages? On the first day, maybe he just told the guy, ‘Swing by the palace at this time each day,’ and then forgot all about it.

Every time I completed a lap, Dot and the stablehand brought me water and salt. By the last lap, my legs gave out. Dot carried me to the bathroom.

“Can’t I please tell the Queen? Just this once, please.”

Ignoring Dot’s pleas, I collapsed into a deep sleep. Even when I woke up in the morning, I couldn’t gather my wits.

As Dot washed my face, he asked again. “I’ll just say that the count didn’t show up for class. I won’t say a word about how he abused you until you fainted.”
“No. Don’t tell her.”

The Queen wouldn’t care if the person was a national hero or not. She probably wouldn’t hit him, but if the count were to be humiliated or punished by the Queen, I’d end being resented by Alex Baumkuchen, who hasn’t even appeared yet. And Alex deeply respected his heroic father.

Anyway, that’s all over now. Yesterday, I realized my limits. I can’t walk anymore, nor do I want to. One thing is certain: the count has no intention of teaching me.

Joffrey learning to ride a horse was not an event in the game. In the game’s past, there was no way Joffrey would have talked back to the  King, and as a result, the  King would not have told him to learn to ride a horse.

In the end, it was my doing. I have to solve this.

If the Count wouldn’t teach me, I’d just have to learn from someone else.

That way, the Count could avoid doing something he didn’t want to, and I wouldn’t make enemies.

“Joffrey, see this? How many are there?”

Edward waved his fingers in front of my eyes.

“Two.”
“That’s right.”

He held out his hand, and I took it to stand.

Edward was now initiating this level of physical contact. Considering that his previous contact had been grabbing me by the collar, it was a big change.

“Rest if you’re tired.” 

He still pulled his hand away immediately, though.

Maybe he just didn’t want to touch Joffrey. That thought was depressing, but I couldn’t think of another reason. It wasn’t like Edward was a germaphobe.

If I said I was tired, Edward would return to his palace. Then he would breathe the air in the kitchen, where there probably wasn’t even a cook.

“It’s nothing. I was at riding lessons yesterday.”
“Are you doing well?”
“Yes. If I keep this up, His Majesty will be very pleased.”

Edward paused for a moment.

“That’s good.”
“That was sarcasm.”
“Your jokes are hard to understand. Did you learn how to fall off a horse?”
“Is that a thing?
“I told you last time. Don’t let go of the reins.”

Last time? The day Joffrey fell off his horse?

“How can you not let go of the reins when you’re falling off a horse?”
“… What are you even learning?”

I don’t know either.

I wondered if the Count was still collecting his lesson fees. Suddenly I was curious.

“I’ve never even ridden a horse. The count doesn’t even come to the riding arena.”

Edward didn’t ask why things had turned out that way or why I was tired.

In fact, Edward wasn’t interested in me. While eating lunch, I tried to strike up a conversation with Edward, but he wasn’t responsive. He just answered my questions and stared blankly.

I wondered if Joffrey was just someone who brought Edward his meals. He came when Joffrey gave him food, and he answered when Joffrey asked him questions. He had no intention of becoming friends with Joffrey.

Yoo Yeon-ho was a rare friend to me. I didn’t know how to make friends. People approached me first. I just maintained a small circle of friends.

There was no way I could make friends for Joffrey. Still, I thought we had become a little closer. He always answered my questions.

I was starting to feel a little down when Edward asked,“Can I help you?”
“…?”

“Horseback riding. Can I help you?”