CH 73

Tennant, the capital of the Atarta Empire, has been in a commotion since early morning. Tennant’s guards cleared the road for the prince’s march, and the residents of the capital whispered at the sight.

“I guess it’s true that His Highness the Prince is marching home in the morning.”

“I thought it was just a rumor…”

From the time the rumor spread two days ago until now, everyone did not believe the prince’s return march. Of course, he was a prince who was suddenly a relative of the Emperor and had not once appeared in front of the nobles, let alone the public, on the pretext of his health after being crowned as the prince. Since the prince was so secretive, it had long been rumored among the people of the empire that the blood of the imperial family, which had been passed down for a long time, would come to an end with this Emperor’s generation. In addition to that, it was also an old rumor that the people of the Evans family would soon occupy the imperial family and their era would begin. But suddenly, His Highness the Prince shows up? Marching home? Did he go to study abroad? When? People didn’t know anything. Curiosity, accompanied by dissatisfaction and suspicion, spread throughout the city centered on Tennant’s plaza.

“Is he really coming?”

“I heard that the very existence of the prince was a lie invented by the Emperor to protect the throne.”

“Shh. It would be a big deal if I told you somewhere that His Majesty the Emperor lied.”

“Still. Were there a lot of rumors that doubted whether the prince was a real person?”

“That’s right, however.”

“It will be the same today. It’s a fraudulent act by bringing a strange guy, or canceling a march in a hurry. What return? The reason we haven’t seen his face for so many years is because he’s been studying abroad?”

“That’s right. Where is a better place to study than the capital of an empire? Others are clamoring for not being able to study in the capital.”

“It’s embarrassing in many ways.”

There was a lot of talk, and the atmosphere wasn’t that good, but… In the meantime, a strange feeling of anticipation also swirled. One of the prides of the people of the Atarta Empire is that the imperial family was beautiful from generation to generation. Rumor has it that even though the Emperor was now old, his eyes still retained the brilliance of his youth and were beautiful. The prince was the only descendant of such an imperial family, and a person who had been shrouded in a veil until now.

“I’m curious.”

“He might become the Emperor, so…”

In any case, seeing his face even once was like having something to talk about for a long time. Everyone pretended not to, but glanced at their watches as if they were waiting for the march time.bA sense of excitement rose among the people who repeated the same routine every day.

It was 11:00 a.m., the time predicted that the prince’s march would begin.

Merchants in the capital closed all their shops to come out to the streets. Children from families who could afford it prepared paper flowers. Anyway, since it was a special event, the children’s faces were full of anticipation and excitement. From the gate of the barrier, where you must pass through to prove your identity to enter the capital, to the gate of the imperial castle. People were tightly packed. It was sunny. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. Even so, it was not too hot and there was a cool breeze.

The marching road was densely surrounded by crowds of people. There was a whisper, but it was strangely quiet. Because no one was making a loud noise. All eyes turned to the gate in the city wall. When would it open, the moment when nervousness filled the streets.

“I see it over there!”

A woman with a booming voice screamed.

“Wow!”

“Whoaaaa!”

In an instant, the entire street was filled with cheers. From outside the huge gate of the barrier, they could see the commander of the knights in white uniforms, and the knights in black uniforms below. Some on the outside of the march were armed with heavy armor. It was an elegant procession that was neither simple nor overly flashy. 

As the knight commander passed through the door, the shouts grew even louder. It was because he could see a huge white carriage pulling in behind him. From the finish of the carriage’s rim to the detailed vine pattern, the carriage was painted with glittering golden paint and was decorated with elegant flowers. Usually, in marches, they rode in a wagon without a roof, or in the case of men, they rode on horses, but the prince’s carriage was different.

It was a wagon with an open roof. In addition, the window through which the prince could see his face was also small. So, there were quite a few people who showed signs of disappointment, saying, “It was a lie that the prince was coming.”

But that’s for a while.

“Your Highness, haaaaagh!”

“Ah!”

“Heo-eok, hee-eok!”

“ah… Was I blind?! Isn’t that unfair?!”

“My heart races!”

“My heart trembles to death!”

“That person can’t be anything other than His Highness the Prince!”

As the wagon drew closer to the imperial people, people’s screams poured out. It was such a violent sound that the hearts of those standing close to the imperial castle fluttered. Since the windows were not large and there was a roof, not many people saw the prince’s face. There’s no way they’ll appear on both sides of the window equally. However, those who saw the prince slapped the backs of those who did not.

“I didn’t see you!”

“Run right now and see! Look somehow!”

“Why, why!”

“Beauty… What a beauty!”

Some urgent sightings led to people running after the wagon, but the crowd was so great that they could not bear to fight their way through.

“Nu, eye-to-eye!”

“Omg. Boy! Are you okay?!”

In between, there was even a person who fell asleep. It was a real mayhem.

“Leone. Are you okay?”

Contrary to the appearance of the street, the scenery inside the carriage was calm.

Trixie asked. Leone met Trixie’s eyes. Trixie responded to his gaze with her fists clenched.

“People, it’s strange.”

If Leone even made eye contact with her, he would have a puzzled face as he watched the fallen leaves fall in the cold wind. They had heard countless stories of screaming and chaos. Since Adler had gathered the people from the morning and gave Leone an example of a loud voice with a hoarse voice, he was not greatly surprised by the shouts. Of course, they felt uncomfortable with the sound much louder than Adler’s example.

“It all falls down.”

He didn’t attack, she couldn’t figure out what this was. The thing that didn’t make sense to her the most was the fact that he looked good even when he was down like that.

“It’s because they like Leone so much. Everyone dies.”

“Do they like me?”

“Huh. Everyone loves Leone.”

“Why?”

“It’s because Leone is a precious person to these people.”

It was still difficult to explain the concept of the prince. Trixie said something nice and raised the corners of her mouth.

“If it’s good, will they collapse?”

“Sometimes it happens. You know: when my heart is racing, I’m dizzy, and I’m short of breath.”

‘My heart is racing, I’m dizzy, and I’m short of breath.’

It was a moment that Leone had not fully experienced yet. However, since they say ‘if it’s too good’, she wondered if he would experience it someday. With that thought in mind, Leone stared at Trixie blankly.

Leone’s eyes, filled with deep emotion, were like a lake at dawn. Her eyes fluttered slightly at his. Trixie knocked on the window opposite her with a visibly awkward motion.

“Leone. Shake your hand once more. Everyone will love it.”

“Huh.”

Leone obediently pushed his face toward the window and waved his hand.

He didn’t hate the round-eyed faces of people. He was only accustomed to hostility, and even Leone, who was dull at perceiving human emotions, could tell that everyone on this street showered him with goodwill.

“… ha.”

Trixie moved him from one window to another, trying to avoid showing her face as much as possible. Her cheeks were about to quiver as she feigned a carefree laugh. Was she different from the people outside? They were the same human.

‘I’m really serious today.’

The appearance of Leone wearing a suit was really foul. Trixie also worked hard as a leader for a long time. Over the course of several hours, she combed out her wavy hair, styled it neatly, and tried on clothes that looked the same a hundred times to choose a neat, elegant color. It shouldn’t stand out too much, but it shouldn’t look shabby either. In addition, she received a simple posture correction. Her appearance, which had changed like that, looked like a veteran attendant and more mature. It was a strange change for Trixie, who seemed young in her usual appearance. But as soon as she saw Leone, she realized that the change in herself was no big deal.

‘Is that a person? Isn’t it god? Something like a sun god.’

He was nothing compared to when he wore only cravats and vests lightly. His hair was neatly combed back and he wore a dark three-piece suit with a hint of green. A light streamed from his face just by revealing his forehead. The gold chain of the pocket watch was hung between the pockets of the suit and the pockets. And he wore a gorgeous cravat and a purple amethyst brooch the same color as his eyes. Even though it was a gem of the highest quality, it did not go unnoticed. Even the hard wrists slightly exposed at the end of his sleeves, the veins on the back of his hands, and even his long fingers were breathtakingly sexy.

‘Help me.’

Wasn’t it a very successful dress-up than she thought? The whole time she was away from Leone, she was worried that the other servants would not like it if they touched him, but because Benjamin was there, he seemed to be calm. So the result was good like this. In fact, she was worried about the march as well. Not worried about Leone, but worried about his reaction.

Of course, the imperial family’s march always had a good response. Among the imperial family, there were many handsome men and beautiful women, and it was rare for commoners to see the imperial family, so it was bound to be a rare sight. However, he was a prince who had not been revealed until now. So she was a little concerned that people’s reaction would be negative. Fortunately, those concerns quickly dissipated. Everyone had a hunch as soon as they saw Leone dressed up.

‘Today’s march is a great success.’

Adler said he was worried about the reaction of those who saw Leone, and brought all kinds of noisy instruments and shouted with the knights. Trixie looked at Leone with a confused mind. To be stuck in a carriage alone with a person like this. It was really bad for my heart.

Trixie begged the march to end soon.

Knock, knock.

Then, someone knocked on the carriage door. Trixie moved towards it and looked outside.

“It is in front of the imperial castle.”

“Yes.”

Finally, they arrived. Trixie faced Leone for a final check.

“Leone. You know we practiced, right?”

“Huh.”

“Shall we try one last time?”

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

A soft voice came out. Trixie had to pinch her thighs so as not to take her eyes off Leone, who was so perfect if it wasn’t for the prince.