Chapter 27

Rihirt’s gaze grew cold again when the Princess joined in and added her support. He didn’t want to assign her anything that might put her at risk, especially anything related to the assassin. Last time she escaped with just a hand injury, but there was no guarantee she would be safe if she encountered them again.

“Please trust me. I’m really confident I can do this well!”

However, Rihirt ultimately couldn’t refuse her request. Above all, he couldn’t ignore those desperate eyes that seemed to plead, “Please believe in me just this once!” Refusing would be like saying he didn’t trust her abilities.

Rihirt had no choice but to approve what she wanted.

⁕⁕⁕

Anasha was assigned temporary quarters in the Princess’s palace. This followed the Princess’s suggestion that staying nearby would be better since she would be constantly guarding her. The room assigned to her was at the far end of the floor where the dedicated ladies-in-waiting stayed.

The clean room with sunlight streaming in smelled of fresh, fluffy bedding. Seeing her new accommodations made her finally realize she had truly become the Princess’s guard.

“Hey, I brought you clothes!”

Her excitement was interrupted when Anasha rushed out of the room at the sound of a voice. The maid who had guided her to the room was holding neatly folded clothes.

“Change into these.”

“These clothes…?”

Anasha received the clothes with a puzzled expression. She asked again if these were really the right clothes, but the only answer she got was affirmative.

“These clothes seem wrong……”

“Hurry and get ready.”

Since the Princess was waiting, Anasha had no choice but to hurry back to her room and change.

The black skirt that flared out below her knees was voluminous. After putting on the thick apron with frills on the shoulders, she looked exactly like a novice maid. Unsure if she had worn it correctly but thinking she would change again soon anyway, she came out wearing it casually, causing the maid to frown.

“You don’t look neat at all. Turn around! You didn’t even tie the ribbon!”

“But I’m here as a guard……”

“Come here. How can you not even tie a ribbon properly? What was the Princess thinking when she……”

While grumbling, Roni the maid tied the ribbon neatly and immediately started walking. She was in such a hurry that there was no time to correct the misunderstanding.

Following the maid down the long corridor, Anasha soon arrived at a large door. When the two guard knights standing at the door opened it, Anasha entered alone.

The elegant and splendid room was breathtakingly beautiful. And in the center, sitting at a pure white tea table, the room’s owner was even more dazzling.

“You’ve become a cute junior maid, Sir Asha.”

Elisia spoke while gracefully setting down her teacup. Seeing the Princess smiling at her, Anasha forgot what she was going to say and scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

“There should be a headband too, but Roni seems to have forgotten it.”

“But about these clothes……”

“I thought there might be talk about your injury if I officially appointed you as my guard. Disguising you as a dedicated maid will make it easier to prepare for surprise attacks, and I thought it would be good for you not to reveal your identity.”

Anasha finally understood the Princess’s deeper intention in having her wear a maid’s uniform.

“Except for me, everyone thinks you’re a newly hired maid. Being the youngest, you might occasionally run errands, but you’ll spend most of your time by my side.”

“Yes!”

The mission of “secretly guarding the Princess while disguised as a maid” proceeded without any problems. It went so smoothly that Anasha completely adapted to this job before a day had even passed.

In reality, guarding simply meant standing around the Princess. Since the Princess wasn’t very active, Anasha as her guard hardly moved either. She was almost grateful to the senior maids who occasionally ordered her to fetch things.

“Hey, Sasha. Go out and fill this water bottle.”

Anasha’s main duty was filling water bottles. At first, she worried about leaving her post as a secret guard, but once she went out, she realized it was an unnecessary concern.

There were so many knights stationed throughout the Princess’s palace that it seemed impossible for even the most skilled assassin to breach this tight security and harm the Princess.

Carrying the water bottle, Anasha diligently walked toward the kitchen. While looking at the sunset through the window, she glanced down briefly and stopped in her tracks when she spotted a familiar man.

“Commander!”

Anasha put down the water bottle and climbed onto the windowsill.

Rihirt, who spotted her, widened his eyes momentarily before quickly moving. Seeing her position that suggested she might jump at any moment, he extended his arms, and Anasha jumped down onto him without hesitation.

After the soft sound of landing in his arms, Anasha opened her eyes and looked up at him who had caught her stably. Only his light-colored hair that had fallen over his forehead was slightly disheveled; otherwise, his face remained very calm.

“I’m sorry. But I thought this would be the fastest way.”

Anasha smiled lightly as she stood on the ground.

“By the way, what brings you here? Are you here to see the Princess?”

Though he didn’t say anything, Anasha assumed that was the case. She was about to ask if she should guide him to the Princess when he parted his closed lips first.

“Your attire……”

“Oh, this? I’m currently disguised as the Princess’s maid. It’s like a secret guard mission! The Princess prepared this considering my not-fully-healed condition. My name is Sasha.”

While listening to her cheerful, chattering voice, Rihirt secretly took in her appearance without her noticing. When she finally looked up at him, he shifted his gaze as if nothing had happened, but he couldn’t hide his slightly flushed earlobes.

“…How is the work?”

“Don’t even ask. I’ve filled water bottles five times already! I just came out to fill water again, and the kitchen is so far that it takes 30 minutes just to go there and back.”

Complaining about how vast the palace interior was, Anasha entered the palace with him. Whenever they passed guards standing in the corridors, she changed to a polite voice.

“Duke, please come this way.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“…No. Commander, you should treat me casually so as not to arouse suspicion. I’m a maid.”

Though Anasha whispered a gentle reprimand, Rihirt merely displayed a faint smile.

Anasha sighed inwardly and hurriedly led him up the stairs. She naturally headed toward where she had left the water bottle but suddenly stopped.

“No, I should take you to the Princess first, then go fill the water separately. No matter what, it would look strange if a Duke came along to fill water.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“It’s fine.”

If he said it was fine, then it must be fine. Anasha simply accepted this and moved ahead.

“Besides filling water, all I do is stay by the Princess’s side all day. Still, I’m happy to be on a mission after so long. The only downside is that it’s a bit boring.”

“I’m glad she’s not giving you difficult tasks.”

“Working under such a kind-hearted Princess, there’s nothing difficult at all. Still, working with you is the best.”

Because she could chat like this and enjoy tea and snacks. As soon as they reached where she had left the water bottle, Anasha bent down to pick it up. But before she could, a hand reached out and grasped the bottle instead.

“It would be better if you didn’t carry heavy things.”

“I can carry it with one hand. And it’s not heavy because it’s empty.”

“It will be heavy once filled. I’ll carry it for you.”

Anasha tried to take the bottle back, insisting it was fine, but his grip was so strong that she couldn’t retrieve it. Finally, agreeing that he would carry it until they reached the room, they headed toward the kitchen.

“By the way, Commander, there’s something I want to ask.”

Anasha glanced at him walking silently beside her and finally spoke. She had been itching to ask this question for a while.

“About catching the assassin. I heard you personally took on the task. Perhaps……”

At that moment, Rihirt unconsciously tensed up. His heart sank with worry that she might have noticed something, while at the same time, a faint hope arose.

“Could it be that you secretly admire the Princess or something like that?”

However, the words he dreaded, or perhaps hoped for, didn’t come. Rather, seeing her looking up at him with sparkling eyes, Rihirt felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness.

“No.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Deliberately avoiding her still suspicious eyes, Rihirt turned his head away.

“Still, I’m disappointed. Why didn’t you tell me anything?”

“Weren’t you in a bad mood for a while because of that incident?”

Though his tone was as calm as usual, Anasha wasn’t one to miss the consideration hidden within it.

Then Anasha was greatly surprised. She was shocked once to learn that he had perfectly sensed her bad mood despite her pretending to be fine, and shocked twice to realize that he had secretly taken on the case to avoid upsetting her by mentioning the incident.

“This might be a slightly, no, an extremely foolish question, but… did you decide to take on the case personally because of me?”

Anasha looked at him, even stopping in her tracks. Eventually, Rihirt also stopped and turned to look at her. This made Anasha flinch and subtly avoid his eyes.