Episode 133

“The diplomatic delegation from the Bakal Empire visits the Leon Empire.”

Newspapers with special coverage poured out onto the streets everywhere.

The capital’s citizens were busy preparing to welcome a powerful nation that could become either an enemy or an ally.

Sweeping and cleaning the roads.

Preparing tourist products.

Repairing buildings to welcome the warrior tribes coming from the north.

This grand event was very important for the coexistence of the two nations.

Because of this, the citizens of the capital did not let go of their tension.

The same went for the knights and nobles.

Everyone tried hard to smile and welcomed the royal family and the diplomatic delegation from Bakal.

However.

Not everyone was focused solely on diplomacy.

“Is this the place?”

When all her brothers had gone out to the Central Palace for the meeting.

A woman headed north alone with just two knights.

Christina Bakal arrived at the entrance of the Northern Palace.

“Compared to the Central Palace, the north seems quite modest.”

A woman with dazzling white hair fluttered.

She looked at Irina’s palace with eyes as cold as a glacier mountain range.

“Your Highness, the empire’s 2nd Princess will be out shortly.”

The knights guarding her bowed their heads and said.

They were among Bakal’s finest forces, deployed as the escort Team Leader and Deputy Leader for the Princess moving alone.

“Yes, there she comes.”

The Princess looked at the silver-haired Princess coming out with the Knights of Sinrok.

A woman who, among the royals, had never appeared in public before.

However, she carefully observed Irina, the sacred monarch, who had risen rapidly through meticulous growth and planning.

“Your Highness, may I ask why you have come to the north?”

Seeing the approaching knights of the Leon Empire, the escort Team Leader asked.

“Well, as I’ve said time and again, I want to see the cities of Leon.”

“If it’s city sightseeing, the capital center has much more to see.”

The Princess chuckled when the escort Team Leader argued back.

And then, she answered with a cold gaze immediately.

“This place is like a key pass that must be crossed when invading Leon. Therefore, it’s better to see the terrain with my own eyes in advance.”

Christina was certainly treated like the precious youngest daughter in Bakal.

However, she was also one of Bakal’s competent architects.

She had participated in numerous weapon designs and marching plans and came to understand the terrain in preparation for a potential war.

“For now, act as if simple tourism is the goal.”

At the Princess’s command, the knights nodded.

“Well, apart from surveying the terrain…”

Christina squinted her eyes strangely.

Her fierce gaze was directed towards the approaching Knights of Sinrok.

“I also plan to see the faces of the men we will capture when we take down Leon.”

Certainly, she was a delicate Northern woman with a beautiful figure.

However, a strange sense of pressure, like that of a knight, emanated from her.

“Welcome, Christina.”

A woman in a silver dress appeared among men in navy uniforms.

A lady with hair as glossy and mysterious as smooth silk.

Irina welcomed the Princess from Bakal with a slight smile.

“Oho….”

The Princess from the North looked at the 2nd Princess of Leon with interest.

“Nice to meet you, Irina. You are as beautiful as the rumors say.”

Perhaps because she was used to seeing muscular men and women of the North.

The Princess found Irina’s appearance quite attractive at first sight.

“Christina, you are truly beautiful yourself; especially your hair, as lovely as snowflakes, is enviable, isn’t it?”

Irina lifted the mood with skillful compliments.

Pleased by this, the Princess from the North also chuckled.

“Please call me Princess Tina. It’s more comfortable for both of us.”

“Oh, should I?”

Tina, too, exuded a leisurely demeanor, befitting the ruler of an empire.

She took out glasses from her bosom and observed the men who had approached.

“By the way, the Leon Empire is just as rumored, isn’t it?”

The Princess’s gaze was especially directed toward Allen, the representative and acting leader of the knights.

With his brilliant blonde hair and confident green eyes.

Pleased with his handsome appearance, she nodded involuntarily.

“I’ve heard a lot about the handsome men and beautiful women here. It’s true indeed.”

“That’s too generous of a compliment.”

Allen turned his head at the chilly gaze of the snow maiden.

“Thank you….”

Even the fool instinctively felt it.

That Tina’s gaze was the most deadly of any woman he had met so far.

As if he were a wolf with a foul temperament.

Tina seemed somehow intimidating, like a giant she-bear of the North.

“Hehe… Even your embarrassed look is cute.”

The Princess smiled leisurely.

“Now, shall we go inside? I’ve prepared a suitable place for tea.”

Irina politely gestured towards the Northern Palace with her palm.

Then, Tina declined with a shake of her head.

“No, I’d like to see the city first.”

“The city, you say?”

Usually, royals prefer to stay comfortably in the palace.

Hearing her wish to see the city, Irina swallowed hard internally.

‘Indeed, she did have fantasies about the North…’

“This is the famous ‘novel’s’ setting, isn’t it?”

Novel.

Indeed, Christina belonged to those who learned about romance through novels.

She had always been engrossed in making maps and surveying in the strategy room.

Therefore, her only hobby was reading.

She was especially interested in romance novels during a time when her curiosity about men was at its peak.

“Ah, a novel…?”

Irina nodded at Tina’s words.

And then, she thought for a moment.

What could be the novel famous enough to be known in Bakal and set in the northern part of the capital?

“Hmm, you don’t know? It’s this one.”

Tina received her bag from the escort Team Leader.

Then, she rummaged through it and took out the novel in question to show it directly.

“Ah…!”

A thick novel with a cover worn from frequent reading.

It was none other than…

“The Northern Grand Duchess and the Slave Knight For All Ages”

“The setting of this novel is right here in the northern part of the capital, isn’t it?”

The Princess smiled innocently, as if she knew nothing, like a naive girl.

As if she had come on a pilgrimage just as a fan of the novel.

“Yes, I also enjoyed reading it, so it’s nice to meet you.”

The 2nd Princess chuckled at the familiar cover.

And she felt relieved inside, thinking that Tina, unlike her appearance, seemed to have a humane side.

“When you read the novel, especially the area around Nostrun, it is described as very beautiful.”

Her cold, woman-like appearance had long disappeared.

She spoke boldly, like an excited girl.

“Therefore, I also want to explore this place while savoring the content of the novel again.”

When all her brothers had gone to the Central Palace for the meeting.

This was the moment when her reason for coming alone to the unremarkable northern part of the capital was revealed.

“Who knows, maybe I’ll also meet a fateful partner like the Slave Knight here.”

Tina smiled lightly, holding the book she got back.

And she carelessly put it away along with the glasses she was wearing.

“Understood, then let’s move right away.”

Irina agreed with a kind gaze.

Then, she mounted her beloved horse and headed to Nostrun.

“Allen, did you ask when the Capital Defense Command Unit support is coming?”

Irina asked the accompanying leader of the Sinrok Knights.

He nodded in response.

“Yes, I woke up someone taking a nap on a bench in front of the office. They’ll probably join us in the city soon.”

“Good job.”

Irina smiled lightly at the thought of the Defense Knight she would soon meet.

“A fateful partner…”

Irina thought about the words Princess Tina had said as she drove the horse.

She had a proud expression, as if she had already found that partner.

However, her smile soon faded.

Because contrary to expectation…

“Hmm… disappointing…”

Princess Tina’s taste was very particular.

“This is hardly different from the outskirts of Bakal.”

She muttered to herself as if to provoke Irina.

She stood alone, arms crossed, with a cold expression.

“They aren’t all burly like us… They look too ordinary.”

Irina looked at the Princess leisurely.

Having grown up as a monarch herself, she smoothly led the conversation.

“Haha… Do you have a type you prefer?”

“You know, the kind you want to nurture?”

Tina’s gaze sharpened.

And she described the type of man she wanted.

“Not skinny, but with lean muscles, and attractive eyes, that kind of man.”

Attractive eyes…

Irina thought of someone, but she kept quiet for now.

“Hmm… Maybe I should just return to the Central Palace.’

Irina sighed internally at the princess’s dissatisfaction with the tour.

Then, her emerald eyes sparkled as she adeptly handled the situation.

“How about we visit a famous dating spot mentioned in the novel for now?”

“A dating spot?”

Tina, pondering how to make things difficult, tilted her head at Irina’s suggestion.

“Yes, the cafe where the Slave Knight took the Grand Duchess for their first date happens to be nearby.”

The 2nd Princess cunningly guided the Princess close to the plan she had made.

She guided Tina with a mature smile.

“If it’s that place… you mean Monte Cafe?”

“Yes, if you enjoy a cup of coffee there, you’ll be able to feel the novel’s atmosphere even more.”

Tina readily nodded in agreement with Irina’s suggestion.

“Hmm, okay. We might as well visit it since we’re already out.”

The Slave Knight and the Grand Duchess at the cafe.

They had a thrilling date, worrying whether their outing would be discovered by the public.

Therefore, Tina expected the place to be bustling with people.

But…

“What’s this? Why is it so quiet?”

The Monte Cafe they faced was very chilly.

Because all the tables were empty.

“Perhaps everyone cleared out because they heard the Princess was coming.”

Allen said tactlessly.

“This doesn’t feel like the atmosphere in the novel at all.”

Tina sat down with a cold expression, like the glaciers of her homeland.

“Still, doesn’t the cafe look exactly the same? This is precisely where the Grand Duchess sat.”

Irina consoled the Princess with mature eyes.

“Well, I’m grateful you even considered that. It’s clear you’ve also thoroughly read the novel.”

“Of course, those who have read the novel share a certain understanding.”

The 2nd Princess chuckled as she skillfully cultivated a sense of camaraderie.

This made Tina, whose mood had somewhat improved, nod as well.

“……”

However, Allen, guarding nearby, still wore an expressionless face.

Irritated, Tina called him over and said,

“It seems you’re not familiar with ‘The Northern Grand Duchess and the Slave Knight’? I heard it’s a must-read in the Leon Empire.”

Allen coughed awkwardly in response to Tina’s already burdensome question.

“Yes, I’m not particularly fond of reading.”

“That’s a pity. Men tend to be indifferent to such things.”

Irina told Allen to wait in front of the cafe with the escort knights, considering him.

Allen expressed his immense gratitude and was finally able to escape from Tina.

But the 2nd Princess’s ordeal was just beginning.

“Your coffee is ready.”

The espresso was personally sourced by the owner of Monte Cafe.

As his masterpiece was placed on the table, Tina frowned.

“What’s this…?”

At the white-haired woman’s question, Irina smiled and took the coffee first.

“It’s coffee, the cafe owner’s most confident menu item.”

Irina was confident because she had asked the owner to prepare a masterful cup.

“Hmm, I see…”

Tina tilted her head in contemplation for a moment.

Because in her country, coffee wasn’t served in such small cups.

“Let’s give it a try.”

The Princess picked up the cup with a skeptical look.

And then, as she took a refreshing sip…

“Ugh…!!”

The overly bitter taste made her gag.

It was so hard to swallow that she spilled some on her dress.

“Are you okay…?”

Irina was visibly flustered.

The cafe owner was the same.

Watching from afar, he collapsed as his legs gave way.

Because the escort knights waiting at the entrance looked as if they were about to take his head off.

“Ah… It’s okay, I know… In the novel, even the Slave Knight tasted this bitter coffee and spat it out.”

Tina tried to maintain her composure as she spoke.

However, her lips were already drenched with the coffee concentrate, like poison.

“Well, since my dress is like this, I guess I should head back.”

The Princess spoke as if she wanted to make Irina feel indebted.

Even the 2nd Princess, who had been at ease until now, ended up coughing awkwardly at her appearance.

If Tina were to return to the Central Palace now, the tourism plan would effectively fail.

“I should go and take a half-bath and rest.”

The white-haired Princess, Tina, was intending to rise from her seat.

Both the Knights of Sinrok and Irina looked at her perplexedly.

Just as the Princess from the North was about to leave her chair indifferently…

Thud.

“…?”

Someone approached her table and placed a glass of drink.

“What is this?”

The Princess blankly stared at the clean glass placed in front of her.

Inside, it was coffee filled with ice as cold as the glaciers of the Bakal Empire.

“This coffee was made thinking of the Princess’s beautiful white hair.”

Tina lifted her head, following the voice.

And she locked eyes with a Defense Knight in a black uniform.

“Who might you be?”

“I am Vail Mikhail, a Defense Knight responsible for the security of Nostrun.”

With a twinkle in my eye, I, the newcomer, smiled.

“If you look on page 124 of ‘The Northern Grand Duchess and the Slave Knight’…”

I pointed politely at the coffee.

Then, I naturally encouraged Tina to sit back down.

“There’s a scene where the lady serves iced water to a baron who can’t get his mind around the bitter coffee.”

I recited what I read in Rea’s book.

“I recreated that situation.”

“Did you, by any chance, read that novel?”

She had never met a man who had read her favorite book before.

Seeing me recite the contents of the novel, she was visibly taken aback.

“Yes, I’m an avid reader.”

Truth be told, I skimmed through it, but the situation called for a confident lie.

“I was so impressed by the novel that I even met the Grand Duchess and the Baron in person.”

“Oh, really…?”

Tina crossed her arms.

And she scrutinized me from head to toe.

My sleek uniform attire and fox-like sharp gaze.

Yet, I did not flinch under her gaze, showing boldness as well.

“Quite interesting.”

The power wielder from the North smirked, finding me amusing.

“However, in this state, I can’t really enjoy the coffee.”

Tina pointed to her soiled dress with a weary look.

As if her tourism plan was already tarnished.

“As you can see, the cafe is empty, leaving nothing to see, so let’s have coffee another time.”

No matter what was said, it seemed her gloomy mood wouldn’t improve.

Thus, she was about to leave nonchalantly, dusting off her dress…

“Ah, I see. Then, what to do with this…?”

Her eyes widened in response.

“I had prepared a book in case the cafe felt too quiet.”

Irina felt the same.

Both ladies’ lips parted as if they had turned into young girls at the welcome gift I presented.

The gift was…

“The Northern Grand Duchess and the Slave Knight: Limited Edition with the Grand Duchess’s Autograph.”

It was the talked-about novel with the Grand Duchess’s autograph, no less.

“Ah, how can this be…?!”

I smiled at the Princess as if she had come across a sacred text.

And clasped my hands together as if scheming.

“There’s also a special illustration at the end of the book.”

Tina carefully opened the book to the last page.

Her face turned red at the provocative illustration that unfolded.

Like a strategist who had discovered a new world she was unaware of.

“You… where did you say you were from?”