35. Absolutely, Do Not Get Swayed by Him
Regardless of whom we met along the way, the journey continued.
Throughout the trip, Leofric and I shared the same room, and we woke up in the same room every day.
At first, I used to constantly complain to Betty about how uncomfortable it was, but gradually, even that dwindled. Eventually, it just became natural to share a room with him.
…Of course, just because I got used to it didn’t mean I was entirely okay with it.
It was more like — just as it was natural that Betty was my exclusive maid, this situation had become just as expected.
And it seemed like it was the same for Leofric.
No, actually, I think he was that way from the very beginning.
He acted like it was completely normal for a married couple to share a room and wake up in the same bed.
As I recalled the old Leofric — more noble and courteous than anyone in the Empire — I shook my head.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, and he smiled brightly at me—
“Good morning, Amelia.”
“…Good morning, Your Highness.”
—seeing him smile with a face and gaze so completely different from before the regression, I found myself thinking once again that maybe, even back then, Leofric could’ve acted differently depending on the choices I made.
That thought came to me again around the time the journey — the one he had asked for, to give him a chance — was nearing its end.
“You’re still just as beautiful this morning.”
…Otherwise, how could I possibly explain the way he’s been behaving since the journey began right after our marriage?
He was consistently affectionate.
So affectionate it almost melted me.
Even though Betty and I were excellent riders — no worse than trained knights — and even though we were rushing the journey because of me, Leofric never failed to be considerate.
As if he were a thoughtful husband, deeply in love with his beloved wife.
Well, it made sense. Someone who’s that good at handling people would of course receive praise and expectations, even as a crown prince, about his future as emperor.
I smiled back at him, a little more comfortably than I used to, as he flashed me that dazzling grin.
“You flatter me, Your Highness. If anything, you’re the one glowing this morning.”
Now, I could even banter back a little.
As always, persistent thought and mental training paid off.
“Today’s the day we arrive in the capital, isn’t it? Have you had breakfast yet?”
“Actually, I was waiting to eat with you.”
“I see. Then shall we head down together?”
I wasn’t sure why, but every time I replied like that, he always looked a little disappointed.
I got up, fixed my hair, and washed my face with the water Betty had presumably brought in.
“Looks like everyone else is already up.”
It was still early, but since the washbasin was already prepared, I assumed the others must be awake.
Surprisingly, Leofric shook his head.
“Probably only a few knights are up. Most are still asleep.”
“Really? Then who…?”
I tilted my head, looking at the water I had just used.
If it wasn’t Betty, then who had brought it?
As I silently mulled over the possibilities—
“I brought it.”
He approached quietly, looking a little sheepish as he met my gaze.
…The crown prince of an empire brought me a washbasin?
I looked at him, dumbfounded. He grinned.
With that slightly hopeful look on his face, I let out a dry chuckle.
Like someone expecting praise.
“Your Highness, I do appreciate it, but…”
“I wouldn’t argue if you say it was improper of me. But I don’t regret it.”
As if he anticipated what I would say, Leofric shrugged.
At least he seemed to understand that what he did wasn’t exactly something to be proud of…
“I appreciate the thought, but I hope this doesn’t happen again, Your Highness.”
The image of the crown prince of a nation walking around carrying a washbasin…
It was fine now because he was in disguise, but if anyone realized he was the crown prince, it would become a laughingstock.
I let out a small sigh.
When I looked at him with an expression full of things I couldn’t say aloud, he laughed softly and said it was fine.
“I was careful not to be seen. It was surprisingly fun, though. I might want to do it again.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, but, Your Highness, you can only get away with that because we’re not in the palace.”
“I wonder, Amelia. If the crown prince of this country really wanted to do something himself, who could stop him?”
Surprisingly fun, huh…
I debated how to respond and decided to just gently remind him of his position.
But contrary to my expectations, his eyes sparkled mischievously.
No way… He’s really thinking of doing it again?
“The way you’re looking at me is making me more tempted. Should I give it another try?”
“…If this is a joke, I’d appreciate it if you stopped, Your Highness. Don’t we have more important things to do?”
Leofric looked at my face and chuckled lightly.
His laughter filled the room with a brightness too refreshing.
Like a mischievous boy, really.
I chuckled too and replied.
He shrugged and nodded.
“You’re right. They say there’s nothing more foolish than arguing with your wife.”
He quoted one of those universal truths every married person seems to know, smiling again with that dazzling grin.
That smile — the one I always told myself I needed to be wary of someday because it was too dazzling.
As I looked at his face, I reminded myself one last time before entering the palace:
Absolutely, do not get swayed by that man.
*
“I’ll go ahead to the palace first.”
“I’ll follow shortly. I just need to stop by the merchant group briefly before heading to the palace.”
Once we arrived in the capital, we decided to split into two groups.
Leofric, summoned urgently by the emperor, would head quietly to the palace. I, called urgently by my merchant group, would head to headquarters.
Since our return had not been made public yet, Leofric suggested we each quickly handle our business separately.
“Are you sure it’s okay without an escort?”
I had chosen to move with only Betty at my side.
“There’ll be people at the merchant group who can escort me. Besides, if something happens, it makes more sense for you to take the knights with you, Your Highness.”
“I could still spare a few—”
“Your Highness, we agreed it would be better not to divide the knights. If anyone finds out how we returned to the capital, it’s better they stay together.”
Leofric still seemed reluctant, so I shook my head firmly.
Right now, no one was paying attention to us, but if news got out later about how the crown prince and princess returned, things could get messy.
So I asked him to take all the knights and enter the palace — so that no one would guess I’d gone to the merchant group separately.
“If we split the escort, people will figure out we went in different directions and may try to track us — yes, I remember.”
Leofric repeated my earlier words and nodded.
“But my concern for you is a separate matter.”
He added softly.
The emperor’s power was strong, but not absolute.
There were always factions that resented his peace-loving, people-first reign and his reluctance to expand into fertile neighboring lands.
If such people found out that I returned to the capital but went to my merchant group instead of the palace?
They would certainly try to stir up trouble with the emperor.
And once I entered the palace, sneaking back out to visit the merchant group without anyone noticing wouldn’t be easy.
Leofric knew that.
And he knew how worried I was about not hearing anything from the merchant group during the whole journey.
So he gave me this opportunity — while he went quietly to see the emperor, I could check on things at the merchant headquarters.
As I looked at him, I gave a small smile.
“Thank you for being thoughtful, Your Highness. But if you keep worrying about me like this, we’ll end up spending the rest of our lives worrying about each other.”
He gave a wry smile at my light teasing.
“I understand what you mean. I worry about you too… but I also know there’s no other way.”
“Then—”
“But this will be the last time I just sit and worry without doing anything.”
He spoke with determination, then gave a gentle smile.
Though his expression was soft, his eyes seemed to carry a silent resolve.
Well, that’s his decision.
And I had my own matters to attend to.
I gave him a brief thanks and adjusted the reins.
“Then I’ll see you at the palace later.”
“Yes. Please be careful.”
With that, I turned my horse with Betty beside me and headed toward the merchant headquarters.
“Any word from Hailey on the way here?”
“If there had been, we wouldn’t be going to headquarters right now, would we?”
“Well, we have to go anyway. What about Jennifer?”
“No news. The last message she sent is still the most recent one.”
Betty and I chatted briefly as we rode.
But all we confirmed was that there’d been no contact from the merchant group.
If it were Hailey, she would’ve reached out already.
“It is strange. I can understand Lady Jennifer being out of touch while gathering intel, but…”
As if reading my thoughts, Betty voiced her concern.
“Hailey contacted you because something was wrong, didn’t she? Shouldn’t there have been a response right away?”
I nodded, sharing her confusion.
If something serious happened and she reached out, why hadn’t she followed up?
Using the merchant network, it should’ve been possible to send a message without being detected.
“…We’ll find out once we get there.”
Looking at the rapidly approaching merchant group building, I said those words quietly.
