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169. Beggar Siblings – Outing Permission

In the office of the Royal Guard, where papers fluttered about, an administrative knight grumbled.

“Again? Sir Noel, isn’t it a bit too frequent for you to go out?”

In front of the administrative knight stood Leo. He smiled sheepishly and made his request once more.

“…I’m sorry. But I really have to go out next week. Can’t we make it work?”

However handsome Leo might be, his charm was not enough to sway another man. The thirty-something administrative knight tapped his desk with frustration and replied.

“Haah… Others don’t do this. Even if there are no shifts, it’s problematic if you keep making such requests. We need at least thirty knights stationed at the castle. You don’t have a family, so what’s the big deal…”

After scanning the overall schedule and duty roster of the royal knights once again, the administrative knight finally lost his temper.

“I’m sorry, but it’s a no-go. No matter how I try to accommodate, there’s just no space. And Sir Noel, you’ve gone out plenty already. In my ten years of service, I’ve never seen a rookie knight go out this much.”

“Hey. Don’t get too worked up. There must be some reasoning behind this.”

At that moment, Leo’s senior knight interjected. He winked, trying to appease the administrative knight, as they were comrades.

To be accurate, they were more like lifelong friends who had weathered their squire days together. One became a knight, while the other had to stick to honorifics, but does that really matter among friends? Their bond remained strong.

“Well then, I’ll stay at the castle that day. Would that be acceptable?”

“That would work, but… do you really have to go that far, knight? Honestly, the punishment has ended, but Count Forte still…”

“Hey now.”

The senior knight cut off the administrative knight. But it was already too late; Leo had heard plenty.

“Thanks for the help. But… Count Forte? What happened?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just go. The shift change will be here soon.”

With that, he walked out of the office, and Leo insisted on following up with more questions.

“Senior, please tell me. What’s going on?”

“Tsk. That guy has been saying unnecessary things… Now that you know, take care of yourself for a while. Count Forte seems to have some sort of grudge and has been sending official letters asking to check up on you.”

He muttered, “The Royal Guard must seem quite carefree…” and then advised Leo to avoid the eastern side of the castle where Count Hermann Forte’s office was located.

Leo felt bewildered.

Why is the Swordmaster involved?

Of course, I did do something wrong.

The royal guard barged into the prince’s office, which must have left Count Hermann Forte utterly confused.

But no matter how much he had to protect the prince, as the leader of a faction opposing the royalists, surely he wouldn’t be clinging like this over a minor issue.

‘…Could he have figured out that my ID is fake?’

Leo groaned softly.

Everything seems to be going wrong, he thought as he hurried toward the “Hall of Abundance.” Still, by the following week, I won’t be in Oberg anymore…

Despite his complicated feelings, he was suddenly struck with a joyful thought.

The day after tomorrow was payday. Finally, he could repay Ksenia for the meals and maybe buy a nice outfit for Reina, and his mood improved significantly.

*

Oberg Royal Palace was bustling.

As news spread that the prince of Austin Kingdom was visiting, head maidens began barking orders at the handmaidens, and previously unused areas of the palace were opened up for preparation.

Just a few days later, amidst the cool autumn breeze, Prince Anolf de Klaus arrived.

Riding a pristine black horse without a single blemish, his navy blue hair fluttering in the wind, the prince made his entrance.

He led a procession of hundreds of elite soldiers, attendants, and maidens into the Oberg Royal Palace.

Leo watched the grand parade with a mix of awe and awkwardness.

I had only seen this parade twice before. Once when I was buried in the crowd, feeling envious of the prince’s status, and the other as a mere thug, feeling insignificant.

Dressed in a crisply ironed uniform, Leo stepped away from the line. As the youngest knight of the Belita Kingdom, he awaited the prince’s arrival beside the Royal Guard Commander.

“It’s an honor to meet a noble from the north. I am Hamlet, the Royal Guard Commander of the House of Tatalia.”

A nobleman. A man from a prestigious family.

Not an incorrect statement, but it lacked a certain flair. However, given that the Belita Kingdom looked down on the north as barbaric land, Prince Anolf de Klaus responded earnestly.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Anolf de Klaus. Would you mind introducing the person beside you?”

Oops!

Caught up in admiration, Leo was startled as if splashed with cold water.

If it were up to me, I would have muzzled the Royal Guard Commander, but he stubbornly revealed Leo’s alias.

“This is ‘Noel.’ The youngest knight of our Belita Kingdom. Surprisingly, he just came of age this year.”

“…Noel, you say?”

Naturally, Prince Klaus was astonished.

Noel Dexter. The engagement scenario’s Leo’s father. Why did I have to use his name? Leo truly wanted to hit the ground in despair, but it was already too late.

The prince said, “How intriguing. There was a very famous knight named Noel Dexter in our kingdom as well. As far as I know, he was also the youngest knight in our kingdom… how fortuitous.”

“Is that so? If a prince remembers him, he must be quite the knight.”

“Indeed. He distinguished himself during the Nine-Day War in Barnau. All the citizens of Barnau know of him. Haha. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Noel.”

[ Achievement: First Meeting with the Prince – Gained slight favor from all princes. ]

[ Achievement: Meeting Anolf de Klaus – Gained slight favor from all nobles serving the Klaus family. Gained slight favor from Anolf de Klaus. ]

The prince requested a handshake. Yet, with each word from him, Leo felt tighter in his chest.

What if my fake identity is exposed? As Leo worried, fortunately, the Royal Guard Commander seemed indifferent.

He likely interpreted it as “Look, we have such a young and promising knight!” and tried to appear unimpressed as Leo was ushered in, proceeding with the formalities.

Returning to the ranks, Leo let out a sigh of relief.

Using the name Noel in the beggar siblings scenario had become a long-standing habit for him.

The first time he met Katrina in that beggar siblings scenario, she had noted, “Is your name Leo too?” indicating her suspicion because of the similarity to the Leo from the engagement scenario.

Since then, he had introduced himself as “Noel” whenever he encountered Katrina.

Never did he imagine this would lead to such a crisis.

As his racing heart calmed, and realizing how close he had come to disaster over a mere pseudonym, Leo couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

Ten years lost.

*

The ceremony welcoming Prince Anolf de Klaus concluded swiftly.

Having traveled for months from the far northern regions, the prince needed rest, so the first day was scheduled for a light tour of Oberg Royal Palace.

A Royal Guard was needed to guide him, and although Prince Klaus had chosen “Noel,” fate was unkind as Leo had already jetted out the moment the ceremony finished.

Today was a play day.

Stuffing his pockets with the money he had received, Leo headed for the market.

‘What should I buy to make them happy…’

He couldn’t spend too much.

At heart, he wanted to get Ksenia a lavish gift for all the meals she had treated him to, and to care for his sister Reina, but this money was meant for travel expenses to Conrad Kingdom.

All knights, including Royal Guards, weren’t paid much.

To the average commoner, it was quite a sum, but considering the scarcity of knights, it truly was a meager salary.

A knight’s position could be seen as an honorary one that didn’t even include life insurance since the exceptional martial abilities had little use in national crises like war.

If one were to delve into the underbelly, the potential for wealth existed. However, that would be using the wrong tools to catch a chicken, and when powerful individuals began to rise in the shadows, they ultimately encountered nobles.

The market bustled with excitement from the prince’s arrival. After wandering around, Leo finally settled on some clothing.

He couldn’t buy anything too expensive, and since he would be leaving for Conrad Kingdom soon, he chose a few simple yet practical outfits.

One was for Reina, another for Ksenia, and the last was for himself.

Leo had no doubt that Ksenia would join him on the journey if he asked. He was merely curious how she would react upon discovering his princely identity.

‘She wouldn’t act like Kasia, would she…’

His heart sank.

He recalled Kasia kneeling with a pale face, pleading for forgiveness for her rudeness when she learned he was a prince; he struggled to catch his breath.

Love? No. It was pity.

It was like a shackle binding him to a bittersweet presence that had left without recompense.

‘…Things will improve with time.’

At that moment, a purplish gown caught his eye.

As he fidgeted with the fabric, lost in thought, he impulsively paid for it.

It was getting colder now that autumn had come… It would suit Kasia perfectly…

Despite his various excuses, Leo headed over to Kasia’s shop with the gown in hand.

“Hey? Aren’t you Ksenia’s boyfriend?” she greeted him while pretending to browse shoes, and he left the gown behind.

He ran off without looking back.

He vowed not to return there again. With that resolved, Leo went to the Orange Theater.

However, the theater, which should have been bustling with incoming audience members, was surprisingly quiet. The moment he entered and checked for Ksenia, he found the reason.

“It’s been postponed until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? …Why?”

“Didn’t you know? Prince of Austin Kingdom came today. They said citizens would be mobilized, so it was rescheduled. Because we didn’t know when he’d arrive… If we had known he’d come so early and finish, we wouldn’t have postponed it; there was a lot of fuss about changing tickets and promoting again.”

“…”

“…Can you come tomorrow?”

Seeing Leo’s serious expression, Ksenia cautiously asked. Leo couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“…I’m sorry. Tomorrow I have something very important to do. I don’t think I can find the time.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Tomorrow evening, a ball would be held.

At that ball, Princess Chloe de Tatalia would share a passionate kiss with Gilbert Forte, and humiliated, Anolf de Klaus would return to the Austin Kingdom immediately.

I couldn’t miss this.

I had to prevent Gilbert Forte from heading to the Monastery Church for Leah, my childhood friend scenario, and also see if I could prevent any wars in the engagement scenario.

Either way, I was planning to leave no matter if I received Count Gustave Peter’s help or not, so I could just take out Gilbert Forte, but I had already invested too much in tomorrow.

“My sister will be disappointed…”

Leo felt disheartened. Mumbling in apology, Ksenia cheerfully lifted the mood.

“It’s okay. Tomorrow isn’t the last performance; there will be more. Just tell Reina she can’t come. She’ll understand.”

“…I guess that’s how it has to be. Oh right, here, take this. It’s a gift.”

Leo handed her the clothes.

Ksenia beamed as she accepted it, and Reina, who was busy practicing on stage, said,

“Brother! It’s okay! Hehe. I was worried I’d mess up, but it’s better this way. Come see me next time.”

She set out to comfort Leo. Yet his spirits reached an all-time low.

Sorry, but… there may not be a next time.

Now that the Swordmaster might have caught on to my true identity being a fake, I needed to leave Oberg as soon as possible. I didn’t even have time to wait for Reina’s second performance.

Hand in hand with Ksenia, sitting in the audience, watching Reina practice passionately, Leo steeled himself.

I must come tomorrow.

If I run over the moment the ball is done, I’ll catch the final act. There was a chance to witness Reina, acting as Reyna in [Demoneos], transform into a holy woman.

Then my sister would surely be happy…

Leo began to think of how he could obtain outing permission, while Ksenia watched him with deep focus.