LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 228
Chapter 228
The lodging I would stay in was beyond comfortable; it was luxurious.
Guided by Leo, I stepped into the room and gazed around blankly.
“It’s spacious and nice.”
“Right?”
“Located in your palace, too.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s the room directly below yours.”
“Ugh…”
“Haha.”
“Are you laughing? What are you laughing about?”
“You’re being cruel.”
I delivered a strong smack to the back of Leo’s head, who was smiling shyly like a dew-kissed flower bud. Despite being hit, Leo chuckled gleefully.
“Shouldn’t I tip off the newspaper that you and I are particularly close?”
“Should I? I could make it a huge feature on the front page. The headline should be sensational, right?”
With a playful swagger, Leo flopped onto the enormous bed as if it were his own room.
‘I never expected my own palace to serve as a lodging.’
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Though generally referred to as the Atara Royal Palace, it comprised numerous different palaces. Ranging from the ones where servants stayed to those hosting events like balls.
Among all those palaces, the most important one, meticulously managed above all else, was naturally Leo’s, located in the innermost part.
The support troops of Solatine, aside from me, were stationed in the southern palace. Just offering the palace to the entire support troop was already a big deal.
Yet, allowing me to stay in my own separate palace was a favor that teetered on the brink of something more.
‘For a king to offer his palace to a guest means they’re quite close… or could it be he’s indicating I’m his second?’
It was akin to the high society quenching their thirst for gossip by popping the champagne.
“What’s wrong with you? You never cared about what people said.”
Leo, who had been rolling around on my bed, suddenly sat up straight.
“If you want, I could collect the heads of everyone mentioning your name and present them on a silver platter.”
His red lips curved into a smile that held a childlike innocence, and it sent a shiver down my spine. I shook my head in horror.
“Stop that. You’re the reason I’m worried. I don’t want them talking carelessly about you.”
“Me?”
Leo leaned back against the bed, his legs stretched out. The way he lounged on the bed, slightly disheveled, was quite charming.
“They would have all been killed if they could say such things while he was ascending the throne.”
“Sorry. I sometimes forget that you’re a tyrant.”
With his thoroughly serious expression, it suddenly made sense to me.
‘If he’s treating the support troops like state guests enough to give them his royal palace, it could be framed as something like that.’
Having studied the matter before coming, I knew it wasn’t unprecedented. I decided to accept this much.
As long as it didn’t inconvenience Leo, I was indifferent to what they might whisper about me behind my back.
“How long are you going to keep rolling around there? Get going.”
I glanced disdainfully at Leo, who was hogging my bed, and flopped down onto it.
After the northern raid, I had been on high alert, unable to sleep even a wink, worried about another attack. Now, seeing the lodging, exhaustion washed over me.
“Hey, should we sleep together?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Seriously, that’s too harsh.”
I firmly dismissed Leo, who was sprawled adorably on the bed, and he grumbled as he got up. I kicked off my shoes and rolled onto the bed lazily, sprawling out.
“Are you going to sleep right away?”
“Yeah.”
Leo, who was standing beside me, bent over and gently brushed aside the hair sticking to my forehead. His touch felt pleasantly cool, like a chilled tea left out at room temperature.
“Then, would you allow a goodnight kiss at least?”
He looked down at me with a mischievous expression. I half-closed my eyes and tilted my head up.
“Go ahead.”
“Ha!”
Leo chuckled heartily as he leaned down toward me.
Smack!
He kissed the bridge of my nose.
“Sleep well. You did well.”
With his low whisper, I was pulled into a deep sleep, as if something was drawing me in.
I plopped down and slept soundly through the night without waking until morning. After finally waking up refreshingly, I had a light breakfast with the help of the attendants, when my vice-captain Jonathan came looking for me.
“How was your night?”
“Good. Good morning.”
He opened with a formal greeting and then went on to deliver a stiff report. Jonathan rolled his black eyes upward, glancing at me. It was clear this was a telltale sign of him gauging my thoughts.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
I put down my teacup filled with black tea and spoke up first. After a moment of silence, he hesitated before finally speaking.
“Are you acquainted with King Atara?”
That was the question I expected. Considering how Leo had acted around me and even letting me stay in his palace, it would have been stranger if we didn’t know each other.
“Yeah. We’re old friends.”
I answered honestly. There was no need to hide it. Jonathan’s expression grew peculiar.
“Are you sure we’re friends?”
“What?”
“I have an older brother I’m very reliant on.”
‘An older brother, huh?’
Even though it was sudden, I listened carefully to Jonathan’s words. He rarely spoke to me about anything other than official matters, so hearing him open up like this was a first.
“When my brother looks at the commander, it’s always with a similar gaze…”
Lost in thought as he mumbled to himself, Jonathan suddenly met my eyes, stiffening and bowing his head.
“…I’m sorry. It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”
‘Making someone angry is what words are for.’
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling a bit uncomfortable. But it was too unclear to read into, and I didn’t want to pry further, so I let it go.
“Tonight, there’s a welcoming banquet, and tomorrow there’s a meeting with Atara.”
“And?”
“After that, we will head to the most likely invasion area in the north, as decided in the meeting.”
Jonathan’s report was always clear. This was a moment proving how capable he was. I nodded with satisfaction.
“Oh, and…”
As I looked at Jonathan with a curious expression, wondering if there was more to hear, he continued.
“When you have time, it might be good to meet Prince Serenon.”
“Oh.”
I sighed briefly.
I had forgotten to greet him because I was so well-rested.
“Who is this? The cold-hearted teacher who had a chance to mention he became the commander but didn’t say a single word?”
I avoided Serena’s gaze as he sulked with his arms crossed. Serenon held a grudge quite seriously.
“…It was a surprise. You said you would miss me.”
“You didn’t even come looking for me the day you arrived in Atara. Do you know how surprised I was to find out you were accompanying us?”
Was he holding a petty grudge? Because he showered me with complaints. I felt like taking verbal hits as I shrunk down and clasped my hands politely.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me generously.”
Even if it was meant as a surprise, he should have mentioned it after arriving instead of falling into deep sleep and first showing his face today—there was nothing to be said for it.
With a slightly relaxed expression, Serenon sighed and brushed aside his bangs.
“Isn’t it just typical…”
“Hey, Princess! No, I should be calling you Commander now!”
An overly cheerful voice abruptly interrupted Serenon’s sentence. His face crumpled as if he had just crumpled a piece of paper.
“Commander, your sugar cookie is here!”
A warm, divine presence approached closely. Behind Serenon, a familiar face with short silvery hair scattered around was grinning.
It was Yulian.
“It’s nice to see you after a long time.”
Just as I was about to greet him, a subtly prickly voice rang out faster than my words.
“Have you been well, Commander Yulian?”
Serenon’s tone when addressing Yulian was clearly laced with caution.
“Who is this?”
With a frown and his bright eyes narrowed, Yulian’s pale lavender gaze flickered with a hint of sharpness. The friendly vibe Yulian usually radiated turned icy in an instant.
“Well, this is quite the surprise,” he muttered sarcastically, bowing at Serenon. Serenon received it with a displeased expression.
‘Did these two not get along?’
As I watched the unexpected combination with a puzzled expression, Yulian, more rambunctious than usual, naturally inserted himself between me and Serenon.
“What brings you here, Commander?”
“Does a student need a special reason to meet their teacher?”
“But our commander has been busy. It might be better for you to leave once you finish your business.”
A frosty air crackled between the two as they faced off.
The practical power held by both the prince and the commander was nearly equal—Yulian only recognized Serenon due to being a member of the revered temple. Thus the tension was even fiercer.
‘It looks like I’m just an excuse for them to fight.’
‘Don’t fight over me, both of you…!’ It was an old standby line, but clearly, neither of them had any intention to focus their conflict around me.
I found myself stuck between the two, feeling more like a whale caught in a shark fight, watching them prepare for a clash with chilled eyes.
Crash!
“What the…?”
A familiar voice came from behind.
‘Wait, what is this person doing here?’
Shock hit me as I whipped around. This was someone who shouldn’t be here.
With my startled reaction, both Yulian and Serenon turned toward the individual too.
With neatly trimmed black bobbed hair and ethereal sky-blue eyes, she had the cold, detached demeanor of a witch living in the harsh northern tower.
It was Kasia, a knight of the Knights Order of the Imperial Palace.
“…Did I interrupt a lover’s quarrel?”
She looked as if she had just bitten into some sour fruit, giving a choked expression.