Chapter 17 - Sneak Attack (1)

Sneak Attack (1)

Elisha took turns looking at Dell and her son, who was smiling at her in return, with curious eyes.

In fact, in the past, Dell didn’t like Leon very much.

No, to be exact, should one say that they didn’t want to meet face-to-face because they neither liked or hated each other?

The more Leon’s condition deteriorated and the more he pretended to be Elisha, the stronger the feelings became. It reached its peak and exploded when Dell found out that Elisha’s dream was not just the throne, but the whole empire, which she would hand over to her son.

On their second meeting, a riot broke out. All of the guards participated. It was so chaotic that it looked as if there was a big fight with the enemy instead of an internal conflict.

A dog that is well-fed doesn’t bite its owner.

Dogs do not disappoint their owners.

It barks to let the owner know of its sorrow, then digs for a while with its front paws and snaps its snout, before eventually coming back to its owner and wags its tail softly.

So did the guards, so fortunately, they didn’t have to suffer being annihilated at the hands of their master.

It was like that back then. It certainly was, but…

If it’s now, she thinks she can even ask Dell to be a nanny.

“Brother Ascencio is a very kind and nice person. It’s wonderful to be able to be his knight.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

With Leon answering without hesitation, Dell envisions the person who will become their new owner.

The Emperor, who wanted to establish a strong Imperial power, did not wish to have his power dispersed by putting forward a successor early on, so he did not expose the Crown Prince.

As such, there was no way to know about the Crown Prince unless he was a high-ranking nobleman who frequently visited the palace, so Leon’s information was quite advanced.

The only problem was that it was too partial because it contained a lot of goodwill and love.

In the Imperial family, where the blood of one noble clan is the greatest cause to continue the history of the Empire, and at the same time becomes a deadly poison that threatens…

It was perhaps natural that the pure affection for the Crown Prince was instilled in the image of a young child pouring out his heart on his half-brother, which is difficult for even brothers of the same blood to share.

Not only Dell, but some of the guards were sneaking up around the young prince and pricking their ears.

They couldn’t help but pay attention to the two people in front of them rather than the people far away.

Since she had done her job, Elisha reached out to her child.

Leon said goodbye to Dell and took Elisha’s hand.

When Dell, who was crouching at Leon’s eye level, stood up, his shadow was large enough to swallow Elisha and Leon at once.

But the two people were not in the least surprised, as the darkness felt like a wall to protect them, not a net that threatened them.

Elisha spoke to Dell in a rather relaxed tone.

“Sir Dell, based on what you said a while ago, it doesn’t seem that you’re completely in the dark regarding the news of Barossa. So I’ll tell you in advance so you don’t have to worry. His Highness the Crown Prince and I do not intend to use you only for a while before throwing you away.”

The words were spat out so easily, but the one who received it couldn’t feel at ease.

After all, since the choices and decisions were already made, he could only hope for better results.

But.

“Did you know? One more Knights Order needs to be created in the Imperial Palace.”

“The 3rd Prince’s?”

“That’s right. Now that the 3rd Prince’s sixth birthday has passed, it’s time to prepare.”

That is, if there is a problem in becoming the knights of the Crown Prince, rest assured that there is a next-best solution…

“Then, isn’t it alright to support the 3rd Prince as his knight from the beginning rather than the Crown Prince?”

“Why did you say that?”

“Isn’t that what the 2nd Empress said? You said that there’s another way. Am I wrong?”

The playful glare of the turbid green eyes made her understand why this mutt is getting beaten outside.

“It’s not wrong, but it’s not something to be talked about right now. I came to ask you instead of the one who will become your owner, but if I stole you in the middle, how can I raise my face in front of His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Well, if it is, you would’ve asked me later, not now. Hahaha!”

As much as Dell smiled, Elisha narrowed the corners of her eyes.

Rather than laughing, it was cool, as if she wanted to see how far he ran.

Perhaps he felt the tingling sensation. Dell turned his gaze away.

“I will pass on your answers to the Crown Prince. I will send someone formally, so please be respectful and wait. And whether they will be fit for the Imperial Palace Knights or not, there will be a test, so you should be prepared.”

“Do I have to go through that too?”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if the Capital Guard is immediately approved as the Imperial Knights Order without a test? Or are you not confident, Sir Dell?”

“How can that be possible?”

“Then there will be no problem. I look forward to it.”

Elisha cut off her words coldly and left the chaotic space, replacing her greeting with it.

When she got off the third floor, she, Leon, and Rohan were seen off by Dell, Lety, and Tito.

It was quiet inside the returning carriage.

The adults were so, so Leon didn’t want to disturb them. He sat still and looked outside.

At that moment, Elisha’s hand landed on Leon’s head.

“You did really well. It was nice to come with you. Leon, it would have been really bad without you.”

Leon’s cheeks flushed brightly as if he was happy with Elisha’s praise.

Then, rattle!

The carriage shook with a loud noise.

Rohan quickly stretched out his arms to protect the two people sitting opposite of him.

The moment Elisha felt danger, she hugged Leon tightly in her arms, so she was the only one who leaned on Rohan’s arm.

“Are you alright?”

When Rohan asked worriedly, Elisha nodded and looked at Leon.

Leon said that he was alright too, and rather, he checked his mother over and over again.

“What’s going on?”

Rohan, who was sitting in the opposite seat, pushed the small window on the side and said to the coachman outside.

“I think there must have been a dent in the ground, but the wheel fell out…”

“Are you not hurt?”

“Huh? Yes. I’m fine, but with all of you here…”

The coachman was stumped.

It was only natural that the fact that he almost injured the Empress and the Prince meant he had committed a crime so great that even a few lives were not enough to atone.

He wondered why the owner, who always rode his horse to enter the palace, had to find the carriage today, and why did such an accident happen on such a day…

The coachman wanted to cry.

Rohan looked back at Elisha because it wasn’t a problem that he could just answer.

“Do you think the repair will take a long time?”

When Rohan delivered her words to the coachman, the coachman said it could take an hour or so.

Leon wasn’t hurt, and she wouldn’t know whether the coachman had hesitated and gave a vague answer.

It was just bad luck, but it seemed that the coachman was doing his best, so Elisha had no intention of punishing the coachman separately.

“Mother, can I go out?”

It was frustrating to be locked up in the carriage for an hour like this, and it would be better to remove the carriage wheel and reduce the weight inside to repair the loose part, so Elisha and Leon got out of the carriage.

Of course, after getting permission from Rohan, who was currently in charge of safety. Rohan who went out first and checked the movement outside.

The carriage with a prominent white lily stopped in an accident in the middle of the road when it was crossing through Midlin…

From time to time, people came out from the shops lined up on both sides of the road and looked at the carriage.

Elisha, who doesn’t like the crowd, was looking for a quiet place to be, when she realized that Leon was staring blankly somewhere.

When she checked where he was looking, in the corner over there, she saw that they were selling grilled meat skewers made on a simple brazier from a shabby cart that wasn’t a proper shop.

“Do you want to eat that?”

“Can I?”

Leon asked, even more surprised.

“You’re not going to die from eating that, so what’s wrong with it? Shall we eat together?”

Leon’s head nodded up and down.

He was normally a small child with a small appetite, but he must have wanted to eat quite a bit.

Elisha handed Leon the silver coin that Marie gave her when she came out of the 2nd Empress Palace.

“Buy as much as you want to eat.”

“Me?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted to do?”

“Can I use all of this?”

“Of course. Do as you please.”

Leon, who smiled broadly at Elisha’s answer, approached the cart and held out a silver coin.

A middle-aged woman who was grilling skewers inside the cart blinked.

Leon pointed to Elisha behind him once, and then to Rohan, who was approaching Elisha’s side, once more.

The middle-aged woman nodded her head as if she understood, and soon picked up some skewers.

“Hmm?

Rohan asked Elisha as he saw the bewildered look on her face, which was unusual.

“What is it?”

“It seems that one silver coin was more money than I thought. Over there, my child wants to bring all that house food.”

Indeed.

As Elisha had said, in front of Leon, a huge pile of grilled skewers was piling up.

“If he eats it all, he would have a stomach ache.”

At Elisha’s murmuring, Rohan glanced at the children snooping around with their heads sticking out in the alley next to the place where the skewers were being sold.

The smell of grilled meat with sauce is irritating, but if a lot was cooked at once, the smoky smell seems to attract people.

“The 3rd Prince is not going to eat alone, so it’ll be fine.”

“Ah…”

But.

Leon is a smart kid.

He would be much quicker than Elisha, in that respect.

One silver coin worth.

He would know what he could do with it.

Elisha, who had only lived an out-of-normal life, did not know what an ordinary life is.

In fact, she never actually felt the need for her to know that.

Because she had always lived a life that was out of touch with those things.

Therefore, Elisha’s standards for the world had to be extreme.

It was either too high or too low.

“Mother!”

Leon, who was waiting for the skewers to finish, held two in each hand and held them out to Elisha and Rohan, who were standing a few steps away.

“It tastes better when it’s hot.”

Elisha looked down at the skewer she had taken for a moment, then brought it to her mouth.

A piece of meat melts in her mouth.

“Do you like it, Mother?”

“It’s very delicious.”

Elisha sincerely praised it.

The whole thing was spicy, salty, and the meat had a slightly burnt taste, but she didn’t hate it, knowing that was the beauty of the skewers sold on the street.

“Does Sir Rohan like it?”

“Yes, thank you, Your Highness.”

Rohan, who seemed to never eat anything on the street, took a skewer and answered Leon.

Satisfied with the reaction of the two, Leon turned around at the woman’s call that the skewers were finished and went back to the cart.

It was really strange to see Elisha and Rohan standing side by side and holding meat skewers…

The thought did not last long.

Tuk.

Elisha’s skewer fell to the floor, and Rohan drew his sword.

Leon disappeared from their sight and was sucked into the black alley. Everything happened in an instant.