92. Beggar Siblings – Guardian Knight

“I need to look into Cardinal Berg. Something feels ominous.”

Leo noticed he was pounding the table as if ready to smash it, having just been lost in thought.

He curled his throbbing index finger and thanked the female knight who provided the crucial information.

“Thank you. You’ve been a big help.”

“It is my honor to be of assistance.”

Jenia Jaqueri smiled brightly and was about to stand up when Leo called her back.

“I have one more request.”

“Sure, anything you command. I will willingly follow.”

“I’d like you to guard my younger sister. Would that be alright?”

Leo scanned the knight before him.

A decent knight. With excellent manners, good speech, and reportedly outstanding swordsmanship despite being in her late twenties.

What pleased him most was that she was a woman.

“I hope you can stay by her side at all times if possible…”

Jenia Jaqueri seemed to catch the hesitation in the prince’s voice and nodded.

“I understand what you mean. I will resign from the Knights Order today.”

“Thank you for your understanding. I will grant you a great reward once I am restored to the throne. I promise.”

“Thank you. I will protect the princess with my life.”

“No, you mustn’t sacrifice your life.”

“…What?”

Jenia looked up in surprise at the prince’s strange reply.

‘Does the prince wish for his subordinates not to lose their lives?’ she thought, feeling a bit moved, but he spoke firmly.

“Absolutely do not sacrifice your life. Whatever happens, you must stay by my sister’s side.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I mean exactly that. If a crisis occurs, you should not fight it but take Lena and run away, no matter what. Do you understand?”

“…You mean to prioritize protecting the princess? Understood.”

As she nodded, seeming to understand, the prince’s bizarre instructions continued.

“And if you succeed in escaping, don’t come back.”

“???”

“You must hide in the safest place you can find. Don’t even think about contacting anyone, just stay hidden until I come to find you.”

“W-what do you mean? If I don’t contact you after running away…”

“Don’t worry about such things, just focus on Lena’s safety. You might as well think of me as dead. Just leave. Forget about being a princess and think of it as a fresh start, living as an ordinary woman raising an ordinary child. Can you do that for me?”

Jenia was left speechless.

She couldn’t comprehend what the prince was saying.

‘Am I supposed to think I’m dead if something happens? Is the situation really that dire? It doesn’t seem like it…?’

Of course, if she got discovered by Prince Eric and faced an assault right now, her situation would become quite troublesome, but being forced to flee without regard for status or anything else didn’t seem like the solution.

So far, more than a hundred knights had sworn loyalty to Prince Leo.

An incredible strength. That number was still rapidly increasing through various introductions.

If this continued, soon most of the practical power in this kingdom would belong to the prince.

He couldn’t possibly be unaware of this situation yet, strangely, the prince issued orders as if satisfied as long as the princess could live a simple, ordinary life.

Surprised by the low standards hidden behind this, Jenia unconsciously touched her wrist.

“…If it’s an order, I will do as you say.”

“Good. Thank you. Follow me.”

As Jenia followed the prince, she was faced with an even more shocking situation.

The prince introduced her to Princess Lena de Yeriel, and… she was so beautiful it left her speechless.

A lady just stepping out of her girlhood.

The elegant neckline that elegantly followed her jawline was blinding. Her golden eyes sparkled irresistibly, trapped behind long eyelashes.

Jenia momentarily lost her composure.

‘You want me to help someone like her live an ordinary life?’

She realized it wouldn’t be an easy task as the prince had requested.

And she began to understand why he issued such strange orders.

Having lived as a mercenary, Jenia knew how cruel this world could be to beautiful women. She herself had often faced difficulties because of her decent looks.

The prince, chased from the palace at a young age, had likely struggled desperately to protect this lady. It was clear he meant to leave Lena in her care as a precaution against the worst-case scenarios.

If the venture failed, her future would likely plummet into despair. Even if they succeeded in escaping.

Lost in thought, the princess extended her petal-like hand.

“Are you going to guard me from now on? I’m Lena. Nice to meet you.”

“You must say de Yeriel all the way to the end of your name.”

“Oh dear, I know, brother.”

“It’s an honor to meet you. I will devote myself wholeheartedly.”

Jenia knelt and pressed her forehead against the outstretched hand. Its soft, warm palm made her forehead tingle.

“What is your name? How should I address you?”

“I am Jenia Jaqueri. Please call me Jenia.”

“Ah! Are you a noble?”

“I’m not a noble…”

“Wait a moment, Lena. I have something to say to the knight, can we talk later?”

“What is it?”

“Just a moment.”

The prince soothed his pouting sister, saying, “Is it something I shouldn’t hear?” and gestured for them to step outside.

As Jenia followed him out, the prince once again stressed,

“Don’t forget my words. Absolutely do not leave Lena’s side. If something happens, it’s to run away, no matter what. Run and live happily. If I’m alive, I’ll find you somehow.”

He then pulled out ten gold coins and placed them in her hand.

Jenia could see just how much the prince worried about the princess’s future. What he desired from her was not merely to guard, but a role closer to that of a mother.

“Understood. I will follow your orders.”

Feeling a heavy responsibility, Jenia replied resolutely, and Leo gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.

“I said just for a moment, why is it taking so long?”

They heard the princess’s sulky voice from inside the room.

*

Days later, Jenia, having resigned from the Knights Order, stayed by the princess’s side every day.

She didn’t really get to enjoy a leisurely life since she had taken on the roles of guardian knight and teacher, while also being a handmaid and companion.

Surprisingly, the prince had taken on all these responsibilities as well. Even the laundry…

In fact, the laundry had been handled by Kasia, but after she left, Leo took over.

‘Of course, you can’t let the princess’s unmentionables go to the knights…’

Jenia thought to herself, feeling like she was raising a daughter as she finished hand washing the laundry and entered the princess’s room. The princess was sleeping with her face buried in a book, her cheeks puffed up like a round loaf of bread.

She thought, ‘I really want to poke that,’ but managed to suppress the urge and patted the princess’s back.

“Princess, are you tired?”

“Mm… mmm… ha!”

Princess Lena startled awake, flailing about. Wiping her mouth, worried she might have drooled, her wide-eyed, bunny-like expression was so cute that Jenia couldn’t help but smile.

“If you’re tired, would you like to take a quick nap on your bed?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine. I just dozed off for a moment.”

Yet she seemed to be sleeping quite well…?

“I got stuck here. I can’t read this. The letters are so weird that I can’t even look them up in the dictionary…”

“May I read it and explain?”

Jenia took the book from the princess’s hands and frowned.

The history of the Conrad Kingdom… It was enough to put one to sleep.

To put it nicely, it was antiquated, and frankly, written in a bizarre style that Jenia had seen before.

“Is it hard to understand the letters? This word means ‘division.’ After the northern kingdom separated from the Acaian Empire, something similar happened in the south. Originally, the Orun Kingdom and our Conrad Kingdom were one. It’s a really old story, though.”

“Ah… but why is this book written in such a confusing way? The content is interesting, but it’s hard to read and hurts my eyes.”

“It’s made that way to be difficult for commoners to read.”

Lena’s eyes widened, blinking rapidly.

“Are you saying it was intentionally written like this? To prevent commoners from reading it?”

“Yes, aside from theological books and a few technical texts, most use this style.”

“Why is that?”

“Commoners benefit almost nothing from learning these things. They don’t have the means to study, and if they spend time studying, they can’t focus on productive work. If everyone does that, it would be a huge waste.”

“Ah, so it’s written to make reading time-consuming from the start.”

“Yes. It’s a measure to prevent wasting time. It’s sufficient for commoners to learn what is taught by the church.”

“The church teaches commoners?”

“……Yes. The priests read these historical books to the parishioners who come to church every week. Regardless of whether education is necessary or not, loyalty to the kingdom is essential.”

“I see. Thank you. I learned a lot.”

“Not at all. Would you like to have this?”

As sweet cookies appeared from Jenia’s hands, Lena beamed.

“Wow! That looks delicious. Thank you. Did you make them yourself?”

“No, I have no talent in cooking. I bought this from the bakery. It was just baked today.”

“Oh, so do they make things like this at the bakery?”

“You’ve never been to a bakery?”

“No. I’ve smelled it outside but have never been inside.”

Jenia sighed bitterly.

One could roughly guess how the princess had survived since being chased from the palace, but it became apparent that she frequently faced embarrassing situations.

The princess lacked basic experiences. Unlike other princesses who lived in gilded cages, she was utterly clueless about the world.

Feeling sympathetic, Jenia asked,

“Princess, don’t you want to go out?”

“I do want to go, but my brother said I can’t.”

The princess listened well to her brother… Jenia felt a pang of pity, as if she were looking at her younger self.

Having been discriminated against as a concubine, she had not even realized she was being treated differently and had foolishly laughed and smiled.

If I hadn’t had a sword…

Distracted, Jenia twisted her left wrist back and forth.

She confirmed that the princess was focused back on her book and went out to find the prince.

The prince was going through papers related to Cardinal Berg piled up on his desk one by one.

“What’s the matter?”

“Prince, I have something to discuss with you.”

She steeled herself for a reprimand.

“The princess has been stuck in her room for too long. Is it alright if she takes a trip outside?”

The prince raised an eyebrow, shifting his gaze from the papers.

She expected him to immediately retort, “No!” but his voice remained calm.

“Did Lena express a desire to go out?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Then why are you thinking that way?”

“The princess doesn’t know that cookies are baked and sold at the bakery. She doesn’t even know that an official gold coin can be exchanged for 144 official silver coins, nor that commoners receive simple education from the church. She even once asked what that well illustration in the book was.”

“…”

Encouraged by the prince’s silence, Jenia continued,

“I think it’s far better for her to roam outside for a day than to be cooped up reading books forever. Especially in her case, where she lacks any background knowledge. It’s not good for her health either. She already doesn’t like exercising…”

Surprisingly, the prince didn’t retort, “Why does the princess need to know such things?” but listened seriously, clearly nodding slightly in understanding.

“I want her to take a trip outside for just two days. If she can see the bakery, draw water from the well herself, and buy things directly, she will learn so much. It’ll be a great memory for her. Once the venture is successful and she returns to the palace, she won’t get another opportunity to do these things.”

As Jenia finished speaking, she stood awaiting a response, while Leo’s mood darkened significantly.

Everything she said was true.

His sister had never really had a chance to see the outside world.

On her journey from the Belita Kingdom to here, she had only seen the scenery from a carriage and had to hide under a hood in crowded places, remaining cooped up at inns during her stays. It was because she was stunningly beautiful, but it had to be a harsh experience for a girl brimming with curiosity.

Perhaps the last beggar siblings scenario was the most free time Lena had enjoyed.

At that time, believing in the Rauno Family’s insignia and her shallow swordsmanship, they had even taken Lena out to see the “royal procession.”

It was reckless ignorance.

This time, even with over a hundred knights, he hadn’t thought to let Lena see the outside world.

He had merely assumed it was sufficient for his sister to amuse herself while sitting in her room.

After a series of repeated failures, he had become a coward.

Releasing a deep, heavy sigh, Leo spoke.

“You know why I won’t let Lena outside, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Good. I’ll permit the outing. But you’re not planning to guard Lena all alone, are you?”

“No. I will take two more knights with me, friends of mine. It wouldn’t raise any alarms if I said it’s in celebration of my resignation from the Knights Order.”

“Understood. I’ll give you three days. Of course, you must return by night, and you can’t leave the capital. If you need money, just say so.”

“Understood. I have enough money.”

Jenia hurried back to deliver the good news to the princess. Leo murmured softly, stroking his chin.

“I think I picked a good guardian knight…”

In the distance, he could hear his sister’s joyful voice (“Kyaa! Really? Are you serious?”) and the sound of her running feet approaching.