TIRS 51

CHAPTER 51….

 Sena

“Huh? Are they talking about me?”

Perking up my ears at the comment, I realized I hadn’t misheard—my name was being mentioned.

“They say Princess Ruivel, the third princess of Ajester, has become a Sword Master…”

“She saved people from danger twice, I heard.”

“They say she left to become the Hero of the Oracle…”

“She is truly brave and noble!”

“And not just that—her beauty is said to rival the Goddess of Love…”

“Gasp…!”

Startled, I pulled my hood down tightly and lowered my head over my beer mug.

Ancelot let out a snort of laughter at my reaction.

“Lulu, are you okay?”

Only sweet Illei worriedly tugged at my sleeve and asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, Illei.”

Blushing, I cleared my throat awkwardly.

‘Since when did my story spread this far?’

Though I was embarrassed, I tried to act casual and took a sip of my beer.

“But have you heard that other rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“Oh, that Princess Ruivel and Prince Ancelot are… you know, like that…”

“Pfft!”

This time, I accidentally spit out the beer I was drinking.

Right onto Ancelot’s face, who happened to be sitting across from me.

“Oh, I heard that too! Minstrels are already singing about their fated love!”

“Is this the beginning of a new alliance between Ajester and Luenhart?”

Drip. Drip.

I stared in horror as droplets of beer trickled down Ancelot’s sharp jawline.

“S-sorry, Ancelot.”

“……”

I apologized immediately, but Ancelot said nothing.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Calmly, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his face.

I looked at him and cautiously asked,

“Are you upset?”

“Of course I am. I just got splashed in the face with the beer you were drinking.”

“No, not that. I meant… about the rumors they’re spreading.”

Then Ancelot narrowed his eyes playfully and asked,

“Why? Are you upset? So much that you spit what was in your mouth right at my face?”

“I didn’t spit… That wasn’t…”

It was hard to deny it when his handkerchief was thoroughly soaked.

Feeling guilty, I shut my mouth quietly.

Watching us, Illei tilted his head and then patted my shoulder gently with his little maple-leaf-sized hand to comfort me.

“Lulu, are you upset?”

“……”

“If you’re upset, you can spit on my face. I won’t be mad.”

“……”

Though it wasn’t comforting at all.

As I sat there, sulking, Ancelot put down his beer glass and spoke.

“I wasn’t particularly upset.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah, really. Not about the rumors involving us. Not even about you spitting your drink on my face.”

The teasing tone in his voice made me pout and glare at him.

Ancelot laughed, eyes crinkling gently.

He seemed to really enjoy teasing me.

I just chugged the rest of my beer out of sheer annoyance.

The buzz hit me fast.

I slammed my empty mug onto the table and pouted.

“Liar. You were upset.”

“I wasn’t. Why would I be?”

“Because you…”

I was about to answer but clamped my mouth shut.

“Because I…?”

But when Ancelot pressed on, I couldn’t help but ask the question that had been lingering at the back of my mind since that day.

“Back when we were trapped in the fog… Who did you see?”

That shadowy figure had looked vaguely like me—but I knew it wasn’t me.

Illei’s fog manifests from a person’s memory, forming a shape based on their deepest weaknesses. That shadow was born of Ancelot’s mind—his greatest vulnerability.

Which only made me more curious.

Someone who looked like me… but definitely wasn’t me.

“……”

Ancelot’s eyes hardened slightly. But he quickly masked it, replying casually.

“Just someone I used to know.”

“She seemed important to you.”

“Did she?”

He tilted his head in response.

Did he not remember crying in that figure’s arms?

“You tried to protect her from me.”

“I did…?”

Ancelot blinked.

“Ah, so that’s…”

As if realizing something, he muttered under his breath and frowned slightly.

“Looks like I did.”

Seems he finally connected what he saw in the fog to his unconscious actions.

Trying to act indifferent, I threw out a question in passing.

“Was it… a woman?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

He gave a vague reply.

I stared at his face for a moment. I already knew the answer, but…

So it was a woman.

Someone he never wanted to lose again. Someone he wished to be with forever.

Ancelot had someone like that too.

“You must miss her.”

“She’s not around anymore.”

Ancelot replied calmly.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

That wasn’t the answer I expected.

Flustered, I didn’t know what to say, but he just smiled slightly.

“You don’t need to apologize, Your Highness.”

“……”

With that, silence fell between us.

Then Klaus returned, and Ancelot got up from his seat.

I watched his back as he said he was going out for some fresh air.

“Is something wrong, Your Highness?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

I forced a cheerful smile and asked,

“Anyway, did you sell all the bear monster remains?”

“Of course.”

Klaus jingled a heavy money pouch proudly.

Meanwhile…

Ancelot walked into the night, the cold breeze brushing his skin.

His clenched fists trembled slightly.

“Damn that fog…”

He knew he had attacked Ruivel because of the fog.

But he didn’t know it had done that to her.

To use her face, of all things, to manipulate him…

Ancelot stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowed in pain.

So what?

Ruivel was just a brief encounter in his long, long life.

Just another passing incident.

No need to feel so disturbed.

If he felt anything, it shouldn’t be because of Ruivel, but because of her.

Ancelot tried to calm himself.

The confusion clouding his mind slowly faded.

Truthfully, ever since escaping the fog, he found himself thinking of her more often.

It was because her name had come back to him.

Her face was still blurry, like shrouded in mist, but…

The name he called her by in the illusion—he remembered that clearly now.

Sasenia Lu.

A child born with the noblest fate of the ancient Lu Kingdom.

And the name I called you by…

“…Sena.”

When I murmured that softly, you tilted your pale face toward me and asked,

“Did you just call me?”

“No reason.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

As you laughed brightly, I had smiled faintly too.

Sena.

That’s the name I used to call you.

“Sena…”

Now, a name that can no longer reach anyone—Ancelot let it flow meaninglessly into the night air.

Back at the inn…

Two men moved stealthily in the darkness.

“Heh, this should be a sweet score.”

“Definitely. Selling 500 bear monster parts must’ve earned them over 100,000 gold.”

They were thieves, preying on travelers.

They’d heard rumors of someone staying at the inn who sold a massive amount of monster loot.

“But if they killed 500 monsters, doesn’t that mean they’re really skilled?”

“They’ve got a woman and a kid in their group.”

“Oh ho… so we take them hostage, huh?”

“Exactly. You’re sharp as ever.”

The thieves cackled as they complimented each other.

They climbed through a window into a darkened room, spotting a child asleep on the bed.

Exchanging silent signals, they crept quietly through the shadows to avoid waking him.

Suddenly—slam!

The door burst open, flooding the room with light.

A man and a woman who had just entered the room spotted them immediately.

“Who goes there?!”

The man—Klaus—dropped what he was holding and drew his sword.

“Who else? They’re clearly bandits, Sir.”

The woman following behind was Ruivel.

“D-don’t move! One step and the kid dies!”

One thief lunged forward and grabbed the child from the bed.

“To take a child hostage… How cowardly…”

With Illei as a hostage, Klaus couldn’t move recklessly and grit his teeth in frustration.

Meanwhile, sleepy Illei stirred awake and opened his eyes.

“Heh heh heh. If you want the child to live, hand over everything you’ve got!”

The thieves made cliché villainous threats.

Illei calmly blinked and assessed the situation.

Then, in a cold, barely audible whisper, he muttered:

“Disgusting insects.”

“Huh?”

The thieves glanced at each other.

‘Did we hear that right?’

There was no one else near them—just this innocent-looking boy…

“Aaagh!”

“W-what is this?!”

A dark fog rose and began to swirl tightly around their bodies.

As the panicked thieves flailed, Illei slipped from their grasp and ran to Ruivel.

“Lulu!”

He jumped straight into her arms.

“Are you okay, Illei?”

Shake shake.

Illei shook his head side to side.

Seeing his terrified face, Ruivel’s heart ached.

“Oh no, you must’ve been so scared.”

Nod nod.

Illei now nodded up and down.

Ruivel hugged him tightly.

While Illei was in her arms, the dark fog he summoned enveloped the thieves completely.

“Aaaaah!”

“Ugh!”

Their screams filled the room.

“You’re safe now, Illei. But don’t kill them—we’ll hand them over to the guards.”

“Okay, Lulu.”

Illei nodded quietly.

Thud, thud.

The fog vanished, and the bandits collapsed to the floor.

Klaus was dumbfounded by how easily Illei had taken them down without lifting a finger.

“Just like that… he dealt with them…”

Embarrassed, Klaus sheathed his sword.