Penelope, who had just finished her morning training and shower, clicked her tongue.
“Don’t worry. If you block a few more sword-wielding women for him, it’ll really be even. Seems like there’ll be plenty of opportunities.”
“? Is someone targeting His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Sahara asked in shock. Who on earth would do such a disrespectful thing? Penelope smiled gently at Sahara, who had her eyes wide open in surprise.
“Women. He seems to be the type who needs to watch out for swords.”
As Sahara blinked like a fish, not understanding, she added an explanation.
“He’s very handsome. Plus, he’s the type to spill it all over.”
“―Spill what?”
Is that what being handsome means? He looked different from the handsome people Sahara knew. It was certainly hard to take your eyes off him. You could say he had a face that made you lose track of time while looking at it. His eyes, nose, and mouth were all strange, but it was also strange how harmoniously they fit on his face. …Ah, so that’s why. Sahara realized belatedly and lowered her eyes.
“Things like opportunity or flirtation. He spills it as naturally as breathing, seems like he’s played with quite a few women.”
Though he unintentionally missed the Commander. ―It was hard to judge whether this additional comment was disrespectful or not. Come to think of it, yesterday he had said the Count’s daughter was his companion. A man and woman being companions in the middle of the night didn’t sound very wholesome.
“…Well, we should watch our words, Penelope.”
Whether it was true or not, we shouldn’t be disrespectful.
“But… I have a hunch.”
Penelope smiled with her red lips. Sahara frowned and tasted bitterness in her mouth.
The men Penelope was attracted to were, nine times out of ten, bad guys. Most were trash, and sometimes even worse than beasts.
“What kind of hunch?”
The Crown Prince, Cheshire, who had appeared without notice, cut in to ask.
In the morning sun, his beautiful face was even more visible. To Sahara’s eyes, he looked like he wouldn’t hurt even an ant, so how could he be trash or worse than a beast? Regrettably, Penelope’s hunches were never wrong.
“We were saying that because Your Highness is so handsome, many women must be pining for you.”
Penelope, who had bowed on one knee in greeting, spoke softly. Cheshire took her hand and said.
“A beautiful woman like you has no need to pine.”
“Is that so? I’m honored, Your Highness. I’m Penelope Ockham, the Vice Commander.”
“Vice Commander? Ah, so you’re a mage, not a knight.”
Cheshire seemed to have noticed the magical item around Penelope’s neck.
“My, you’re quick-witted too. How could women not melt for you?”
Penelope smiled brightly, and Cheshire smiled back. Despite the flirtatious words, the two were incredibly nonchalant. Sahara stuck out her tongue at how well they got along.
As she was about to step back slightly, Cheshire turned to Sahara.
“Lady Illoud.”
“…Yes?”
“You’ll ride in the same carriage as me. I have many questions for you.”
Sahara froze slightly and blinked.
“But… We can’t cross the Eton Mountains by carriage, Your Highness. The road is too narrow.”
“Cross the Eton Mountains? Aren’t we going around through Kiehme?”
Going around? Sahara tilted her head at his puzzled question.
“If we cross the mountains, we can reach Wesel in two days. From there, it’s two days, at most three, to the capital.”
That’s how it was on the map. Why go around? Do we need to stop at another city?
“The Eton Mountains are a border region. The terrain is incredibly rough, and monsters occasionally appear.”
Cheshire spoke, then seemed to realize something.
“―Ah. That’s how you all came this far.”
Crossing mountains and rivers. Tearing apart any monsters that attacked and charging forward.
“I wondered how you were rushing to the capital at such speed―.”
“Our Commander likes to go straight. We’ve crossed five mountain ranges in the past two weeks.”
Penelope chimed in. She had complained several times, begging to go around. There was usually a reason why people didn’t take certain paths. Climbing unmapped mountains was several times harder than walking on flat ground. Of course, for those who had run through even harsher and snow-covered terrain, this was somewhat familiar territory.
“Well, no wonder I couldn’t estimate your speed. I sent so many messenger birds.”
“…? I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m not saying you should be sorry…”
Cheshire seemed to ponder for a moment, then decided easily.
“Alright. We’ll all ride horses and cross the mountain range together. It’ll be a great boast to show how you came to the capital at His Majesty’s summons.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me for everything. No need to apologize either.”
Cheshire waved his hand dismissively. At the city gate, before departing, he first helped Penelope mount her horse. It was surprising how naturally he took her hand. It was amazing how natural it could be for a man and woman who had just met to hold hands and move together like that.
“His Majesty said to give you this horse. It’s bred from the fastest horses in the imperial stables.”
“…I’m honored.”
Goodness. Sahara bit her lip, moved by His Majesty’s boundless grace. The black stallion named ‘Bel Noir’ that Cheshire handed the reins of had sleek fur. It was a beautiful horse. It was about a hand taller than average horses and had firm, beautiful muscles.
“Try mounting it first. It’s fast, but its temperament is a bit wild―.”
Sahara took the reins, nimbly stepped into the stirrup, and mounted Bel Noir’s back. Cheshire looked at her and Bel Noir with narrowed eyes.
“It’s a bit… I had prepared another horse for you to ride until this one was tamed, but I’ve never seen Bel Noir be this docile.”
“Our Commander can tame any beast, Your Highness.”
Theo, who had arrived on horseback, chimed in, and Cheshire nodded, saying “Indeed,” before mounting the horse at the front.
Though he looked like a playboy on the outside, his movements were quite nimble, suggesting he wasn’t just someone who only knew how to have fun. His hand stroking the horse’s mane seemed familiar, as if it was his usual mount. As Sahara was watching, thinking it looked like a painting, Cheshire spoke without turning to her.
“Indeed, if you’ve tamed Ragnar, there’s probably no beast you can’t tame.”
“Ragnar?”
“That one.”
Cheshire raised his eyes to look at the white hawk circling in the sky above.
“I wondered why it wasn’t returning home. It’s been following you around.”
Sahara followed his gaze to the sky. It was the messenger hawk that had been chasing her since the snowy lands. Perhaps its pride was hurt from being captured, as it had been circling above her head like it was eyeing its prey.
“I didn’t tame it, it’s just following me on its own.”
“Why don’t you call it?”
At Cheshire’s intrigued suggestion, Sahara glanced at the hawk.
“Go on.”
He urged, suppressing a smile. Sahara let out a small sigh and extended her arm towards the sky. With a whoosh, Ragnar, who had been circling in the air, cut through the air with a swish and landed on Sahara’s arm.
It shook its wings once, then climbed up to her shoulder and nuzzled its head against her hair. Cheshire burst into laughter at its whining, as if it had been waiting for her to call it.
“Ah, His Majesty will be quite jealous.”
“…It will return to its master when we reach the capital.”
“Let’s hope so.”
His tone suggested he didn’t believe it would happen. Sahara sighed again, looking at Ragnar on her shoulder, looking proud as if it had turned into a docile pigeon. Despite its size being as big as a five-year-old child, it chirped like a sparrow.
Cheshire rode ahead, followed by Sahara and the knights, along with Cheshire’s knights and soldiers.
“It’s a shame I didn’t get a chance to talk with you alone.”
“? With me?”
Sahara was puzzled, thinking he would enjoy talking with Penelope more. Cheshire looked at her with eyes full of amusement.
“I had quite a few questions for you. ―I won’t ask for much, just tell me one thing.”
“?”
“Did you really gouge out the Norkan tribe chief’s eyes and chew them?”
What did they taste like? ―His question, brimming with curiosity, made Sahara swallow another sigh.
The Journey
“That’s when the Commander said, ‘I’m going in like this. You cover me from behind.’”
Theo said, imitating Sahara. It was somewhat similar, and Buzz applauded.
“So? Did she really go in further?”
Excited by Cheshire’s response, not only Theo but the others nodded as well.
“The Commander charged in.”
“She was really fast. Probably as fast as that horse.”
“No way.”
Cheshire looked serious, but Theo and the others insisted it was true.
“Try making the Commander run later. You’ll be surprised.”
“Is it true, Sahara? Can you run at the speed of a horse?”
Cheshire called out to Sahara, who was riding her horse a bit apart from the group. Sahara sighed, as she had been doing since they departed, and answered.
“…For short distances, I can.”
“―Would you get angry if I made you do it?”
At his playful voice, Sahara slowed down as if to dismount, and Cheshire hurriedly grabbed her arm.
“Oh my. You really can’t take a joke, can you?”
“I, no, I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m not telling you to apologize. ―Goodness, I want to forbid you from saying ‘sorry’.”
Cheshire let go of her hand after making sure she had firmly grasped the reins again.
“……”
Sahara slightly lowered her head and brushed her cheek with the back of her hand. It seemed she had failed to understand the joke again. While it was true that Sahara had a humorless personality, there was something about Cheshire’s jokes that was difficult to comprehend. To begin with, she couldn’t understand why His Highness the Crown Prince was making friendly jokes to her.
Leave a Reply