Episode 88
“But are you guys meeting separately?”
One day, I was busily reading a report on troop training.
Logan couldn’t hide his embarrassment at Padrick’s sudden question.
“yes?”
“Daughter-in-law, hmm. I know that the princess is serious about training for the knights, and I know that you are busy. But even though we haven’t formalized it, we are fiances in name and appearance, and it seems like we are doing nothing but putting each other in shame.”
“Ah… Haha. That’s right. I’ll have to visit once things are sorted out…”
Logan didn’t know what to say, so he hesitated and turned his gaze back to his desk.
But my father didn’t just let it go.
“No matter how much I passed on the work to you, I don’t want to hinder my son’s youth work. I’ll do it today, so just go and get some rest.”
“yes?”
“Please spend some time with Princess Eilen. She is also off duty today.”
“…Uh, father. That’s it.”
“It wasn’t something I forced into a relationship, and I liked you guys so much that I got engaged and left. Come back quickly!”
bang!
His father forced him out and even closed the door.
Logan looked at the closed office door with dazed eyes and then let out a small sigh.
With the civil war not far away, there was no time for leisurely dates.
‘Why are you so stubborn?’
I felt like I would have to follow his wishes for at least a day.
The steps I took when I turned around became lighter without my knowledge, but Logan didn’t realize it.
* * *
“miss!”
“I told you not to wake me up! I’m in bed today!”
Eilen gave a threat to Layla who opened the door and then snuggled deeper into the bed.
But for some reason, Lila did not retreat smoothly.
“It’s not the time to be like this! Prince Logan has come to visit!”
“what?!”
A sobering sound.
The demon that seemed to be sitting in her soul disappeared before she knew it, and Eilen jumped out of bed without realizing it.
“Why Prince Rogan?!”
“Miss Icham! That’s obvious! It’s a date! A date! I was worried why you weren’t coming!”
Lila’s frustrated expression made her face turn red.
‘Date?’
After beating up so-called suitors several times, she thought that she would never have a relationship with him in her life.
That made Eilen even more embarrassed and didn’t think anything of it.
“What are you doing? Take a shower first! I’ve got some water for you!”
“Uh huh? That’s right.”
“I’ll prepare some clothes to wear. I’ll finally take out the dress.”
“De dress?”
“So, are you going to go out on a date wearing armor? Go wash up quickly!”
Eilen was pushed helplessly into the bathroom by Lila’s strange force.
It was a whopping three hours later that Logan met Eilen.
“I’m sorry I’m late. Confucius. You’ve been waiting a long time, right?”
“It’s okay…”
Logan, who had turned his head when he heard the voice, unconsciously trailed off at the sight of Eilen.
A floral dress that flows down like waves, emphasizing the narrow waistline beneath a thick shawl slightly draped over the bare shoulders.
A transparent amethyst necklace and colored earrings combined with her red hair completed her look so beautiful that it was admirable.
‘her…!’
Logan, who was seeing Eilen for the first time, who had been making plans since the first meeting, froze for an instant.
As he just looked at him without saying a word, Eilen’s face suddenly blurred.
“Is it… strange? As expected, wearing clothes like this is a bit uncomfortable…”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“yes?”
“I was just a little surprised because it was an unexpected appearance, princess. It’s beautiful. Very.”
Honest praise followed by a firm denial.
A faint smile appeared on Eilen’s face.
Logan also smiled slightly at that sight, but his next words were not very appropriate.
“But wouldn’t it be a little cold? It’s the middle of winter, so one shawl is a bit much…”
“No! There’s enough weight!”
Unlike before, Eilen, whose smile was a little stiff, turned around.
All right. All right.
A gorgeous four-horse carriage pulled by four horses.
The appearance of a luxurious carriage, rarely seen in McLane, focused the attention of the people of the territory.
“What carriage is it?
“It must be the lord’s carriage.”
“But there’s no coat of arms…”
“Me! I saw it. The Archduke’s fiancée…”
People couldn’t get closer and were muttering from afar.
Logan’s red cloak was wrapped around Eilen’s shoulders as he looked at the scenery through the window of the carriage.
“When I think about it, I’ve been in the manor ever since I just arrived. I thought I didn’t give you an explanation, so I was going to give you a guide to the town… but it looks like it’s going to be a bit cold even if you’re in the carriage. Shall we just go in and have some tea?”
The pure white snow was falling.
It was nice to look at, but it didn’t seem like it would be cold enough to go out in a thin dress and a shawl with a cape added on top.
But Eilen’s answer was firm.
“No. I’m fine. Really.”
The slightly flushed complexion didn’t really look that bad, and the person said it was okay, but when he went back, he insisted. Well,
since he’s a Force user, it’ll be okay.
Logan smiled and opened his mouth, thinking that.
“Then let’s go. “I will guide you step by step.”
“Over there is a sewage facility. Oh, it stinks, so don’t go near it. It is a structure that naturally discharges waste from inside the house to the outside.”
“It definitely smells much less than the Grand. I thought it was simply because it was recently built.”
“Instead, the sewage facility will smell even more. Of course, the residents’ sanitary conditions are much better.”
“There are definitely a lot of people smiling.”
Eilen looked at the residents of the territory who were still glancing at them from a distance.
Overall, their clothes were no different from the commoners of Grand, but Logan’s Perhaps because of the explanation, I saw a faint smile appear on the cleaner-looking faces.
However, apart from that…
‘Is this… a date?’
Eilen kept thinking about this.
“Actually, if the conditions are right…”
He was explaining something passionately, but it didn’t really touch my heart.
If this was going to be the case, I thought it would have been better if he had just been assigned a guide. Thought.
The cape wrapped around my shoulders was warm, but that was all. As
warm as that warmth was, my heart was actually getting colder
. Then, I gradually felt disappointed.
And I was very surprised at myself for thinking such a thing.
‘I feel stupid…’
We couldn’t understand each other. What on earth did she expect from a relationship created by matching her? She
felt ashamed for no reason and grabbed the cape around her shoulders.
A cautious voice woke her up.
“It’s not fun… is it? sorry. This is all I know…”
“No, no! The appearance of the town is also amazing. “Uh, again…”
I hurriedly waved my hand, but even when I thought about it, the words that came out were awkward.
Seeing Logan’s slightly stiff expression, I felt sorry, but I couldn’t think of what to say in this situation.
Eileen, whose mind went blank, thought about herself. Without being able to process a single word, he just lowered his gaze.
‘Oh my…’
Logan was equally embarrassed by this situation.
In his past life, the only women he had ever hung out with until he was in his fifties were the female mercenaries of the Empire who were tougher than men. Otherwise, it was just the female knight of the Empire who had put a knife in her side.
‘If only it could be considered fitting.’
Since the experience was so poor that it made me laugh bitterly, the words spoken to Eilen, who lowered her head, could not have been plausible.
“Then, should we just ride the horse and run? I think it would be more fun than a stuffy carriage.”
He said to the woman wearing a dress. Even
after spitting it out, he sighed to himself, feeling dumbfounded.
“Yes, yes! Good!”
Unexpectedly, the other person’s reaction was good.
* * *
“Let’s race to the top of the mountain over there! The person who loses will grant their wish, not a favor!”
“Yes?”
“Then let’s begin!”
Heeeeee!
Doo doo doo.
The back of Eileen, who changed from her pretty dress to a casual uniform, came out and said whatever she wanted, and then ran around as she wanted.
That’s right . Although she was pretty in a dress, Eileen running around in simple casual clothes seemed much more lively and more fitting.
‘Should it have been like this a long time ago?’
Logan, with a grin, ran his horse a beat later, following the path Eilen had taken.
‘After all, wearing a dress and shivering quietly doesn’t suit my personality.’
Eilen smiled brightly as she felt her frustration blowing away.
It had been a while since she had been riding a horse for relaxation rather than training.
Feeling the wind passing by her body, she cheered.
“Excuse me then!”
Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssew-
gap.
Golden light . The words, subtly brimming with Force, passed by her quickly.
‘What? Force?’
She was momentarily dazed and laughed at the absurdity of it all.
“So shameful!” I can’t do that yet!”
I shouted and hurriedly followed after him.
But strangely, the scent that passed by in this short moment seemed to seep into my heart more than when we had been together for a long time on the carriage.
Before I knew it , A bright smile was always on Eileen’s face.
Heehee!
“Wow. ruler! I won. Are you sure?”
“How can you use force so shamelessly?”
“Here it is.” As
Logan stuck out his chest with a shameless expression, Eilen, who had been shooting him, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Seeing that, Logan also laughed heartily for the first time in a long time.
“Then what are you going to ask for?”
“Yes?”
“I was supposed to do a favor for the winner.”
“Ah… haha. What is it
. Are you running like that without any purpose, just to beat me?”
“Ah! Come to think of it, I have it.”
“What is it?”
My heart flutters.
The person receiving the request looks at me with sparkling eyes.
“I’m a little hungry, so why don’t you eat?”
“…What is that!!”
“It’s the winner’s request.”
“Ah. Really…!”
“Huh? “Did you expect anything?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
When Logan burst out laughing again at his embarrassed appearance, Eilen, who had been sneezing in embarrassment, also laughed along with him.
The lunch box that Lila went through so much trouble to prepare seemed particularly delicious. It was late in the afternoon.
The two men’s race, which had become much closer, continued until late in the afternoon, only stopping for a moment when they were right in front of McLane Castle, which was far from the town.
Heehee!
“If we go any further, it’s a training ground for soldiers. “Let’s take a spin somewhere else.”
“Can’t we just go take a look?”
“Yes? Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. I was afraid I’d give another boring explanation.”
Eilen chuckled at Logan, who himself said it was boring.
“I’m a knight too! If it’s soldier training, you should definitely watch it. It’s not like I’m going to fight alone.”
“If you really want to.”
Logan also smiled and answered. Soon, they were able to see the scene of a thousand crossbow cavalry training.
“Shoot!”
Pabababak.
Doo-doo-doo.
With the command. Quarrels pouring in.
Horses and riders constantly crossing each other.
The sight of the soldiers moving elaborately, like gears moving in accordance with the commands of General Instructor Kai, was enough to impress even those who did not know much.
“It’s truly amazing. If you let your guard down, even a knight will attack you.”
Eilen was truly surprised by the majesty of the crossbow cavalry that she had only heard about.
Logan, who read her expression, answered with a smile.
“That’s why it was made that way.”
“That crossbow was also developed by Confucius. I heard that?”
“I just gave the idea and Hamar created it.”
“I heard that the town was also Confucius’ idea.”
“Haha. yes. Just an idea.”
“Some say that the wasteland here was turned into a plain.”
“Ah, yes. It just so happened…”
Logan laughs with a puzzled expression at the continued praise.
“You’re amazing. But are you thinking about war again when you are training soldiers and knights like this?” ”
….”
At the following question, Logan’s expression, which had been smiling the whole time, could not help but harden slightly.
“As expected… those are pointless words. Is it? It was just a rumor…”
He knew that such rumors couldn’t help but spread as he was working on something.
However, since this was something that no one had ever asked him directly before, Logan was honestly a little embarrassed.
“No, no. Hmm… what should I say. Ah, I will do anything for my family. For that, you can go to war, and for that, there are times when you avoid war.” ”
Well, I don’t know. “I don’t think you’re the type
to avoid it .”
“Well…” I want to avoid it if I can, but I can’t
, so I fight. As Logan smiled bitterly, trying to swallow the sound rising in his throat, Eilen tilted his head as he looked at Logan quietly. .
This territory she had seen while staying in McLane for several months was truly amazing. It was strange
why there were no rumors about it in the capital, but it was a prosperous land and a powerful army.
And even a weapon that had never been heard of, a repeating crossbow,
even near the capital. McLane Town, a developed city that I have never seen before, and the smiling faces of its residents.
It is hard to believe that the person who created it all was the one person in front of me, Archduke Logan.
Nevertheless, he devoted himself endlessly to his work and practiced whenever he had time. There were even unbelievable rumors that he didn’t even sleep.
‘I feel like I’m being chased by something. I developed my family so much… why?
‘
When I thought about it, it was rare to see him smiling brightly like when the two of us were riding horses earlier.
What on earth was that person looking at? I
became a little more curious about that person.
And if possible, I wanted to see him smiling rather than that embarrassed expression. …
‘No! Not that!’
Hmm. Hmm.
“I asked a pointless question. Go back. I’ll treat you to a nice dinner.”
“Yes?”
Of course, it was Lila who had to go through all the trouble for that nice dinner.
When Lila saw Eilen showing up in a casual uniform instead of the pretty dress she was wearing, she rolled her eyes and ended up having dinner. The promise had no choice but to be postponed to a later date,
and under the pretext of that, on days off from training for the knights, the sight of Logan and Eilen riding horses and galloping through the estate became considered a part of McLane’s daily life.