(Lucia’s pov)
“I brought you tea to help you sleep well.”
The next day when I saw Haron, who appeared with a pretty tired face, I clicked my tongue.
He smiled, pressing his slightly droopy eyes.
“I think it’s because the bed has changed.”
I added a tablespoon of sugar to the tea in front of me and stirred it.
If Shud was here, I would’ve had him brew the tea properly, but what I made tasted so bitter that it was hard to drink.
“How is the atmosphere in the capital? Following the mahone stones, there were suggestions to make peace with the Devil. I think that will be very confusing.”
“It seems to be about half and half.”
“You mean half want to make peace?”
“To be honest, our side is the majority.”
‘That’s a lot of sugar.’
Haron took a sip of tea without adding sugar or honey.
I stared at him. He made eye contact and smiled slightly.
“It’s sweet.”
It was as if he had read my thoughts. He put down the teacup and opened his mouth.
“It is one of the things that the Duke of Rokden had been strongly insisting upon since a long time ago. As usual, there was a disagreement between the supporters of Duke Rokden and the supporters of Duke Blake.”
“Besides, you, the main force of Duke Blake, have heard the other side… Thinking back on it, it’s surprising that this side is the majority.”
“The nobles who invested in the Demon Stones and those related to the temple were strongly opposed to it. But it will only be a matter of time until the Emperor sides with us.”
“Are you sure that the Emperor will come over to us?”
“I’m certain.”
Each time he gave me a confident smile, my eyes narrowed a little more.
“…If you will really marry the princess, you have to let me know first.”
“I won’t.”
His hand turned towards the bitter cup again. Every time he drank bitter tea, his gaze turned towards me.
This time, his neck trembled a few times, and he put down the empty teacup.
“I must go back now. If it gets too late, the knights under me might cry.”
“Okay. It must be difficult to be absent for a long time.”
“If I could, I’d like to be offered as a sacrifice or tribute here.”
“You can come back after you retire.”
“Would you accept me?”
“I’ll accept your resume and make you my personal knight. There will be no welfare benefits, but I can pay you a lot in return.”
I inadvertently picked up the teacup and brought it to my mouth. Obviously, I added a spoonful of sugar, but the tea was still bitter. I winced while inadvertently letting out a weeping sound.
