The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 50

Kaisenmeer Imperial Palace.

“Don’t just eat; have a drink as well. No, not water. How about the fresh wine from the southern vineyards over there?”

The princess smiled sweetly, pointing with the end of her fan to the far end of the long table. The young maid, who had been hesitating in front of the lavish spread, shakily took the glass of wine.

“Yes, good girl. It’s alright, you can drink.”

The princess whispered as sweetly as a fairy-tale character. The girl, who could only be called a child, began gulping down the wine. The princess, her lips slightly parted, looked dazed but satisfied.

Leon, who had been silently observing the situation, finally spoke, “She doesn’t seem to be of an age to enjoy alcohol yet.”

“Oh, it’s alright. She’s drinking for me.”

The princess, who had been reclining sideways in a red velvet chair that could comfortably seat five people, finally sat up straight as if only now remembering Leon standing behind her.

“Soon, it’ll be the Founding Festival, the beginning of spring. Ladies can’t avoid dieting if they want to wear beautiful dresses. We must have some vicarious satisfaction, even like this.”

Drinking for the princess had nothing to do with the young maid herself.

In Leon’s eyes, the princess seemed like a child throwing a toy against the wall, unconcerned with the toy’s plight. The maid had been eating for two hours. She had already eaten to the point of bursting. But it wasn’t enough. She had to eat more, until the princess was satisfied, until she let her go.

“Ah, of course, it’s also a form of discipline. The girl dared to covet my necklace. I thought she had quick hands, but seeing her now, why is she so slow?”

As the princess muttered her warning, the maid, startled, began shoving food into her mouth again. Even though her cheeks were already full, she crammed potatoes and bread down her throat like someone being chased. The princess couldn’t contain her laughter as she watched the girl eat without using any utensils.

Leon observed the dishes the maid’s cracked hands reached for with an expressionless face.

Despite the splendid dishes in front of her, those hands went for the most familiar things: bread and potatoes.

Leon couldn’t imagine a girl like her coveting the princess’s necklace.

“Your Highness. You still haven’t informed me of the organization of the anti-Bahamut corps.”

“Ah, right. The corps, yes…”

The princess mumbled meaninglessly, her gaze captured by the dramatic scene in front of her.

“This morning, His Majesty summoned all the forces within Kart. All combat forces except the guards will be mobilized. Usually, when someone says something like that, it’s mostly lies. But this time, surprisingly, even Kaisenmeer seems genuinely tense. Sir Theodore’s death was quite a shock.”

At that moment, the maid gagged and began to vomit. The princess frowned. At her light gesture, the attendants approached, dragging the maid away and cleaning up the vomit.

It was then that the princess, wearing a bored expression, sharply turned her head.

“Oh my, why are you still standing there? Didn’t I tell you yesterday? My knights must sit beside me.”

Yesterday, she had dragged Leon around all day, explaining her routine and the rules he had to follow. As expected, there were hints of inappropriate duties beyond guarding her as a knight.

Leon wondered if the emperor knew that knights entered the beloved princess’s chambers. Come to think of it, the princess hadn’t spoken informally to the knight beside her when they first met. She had said that with a man she shared her heart with, there should be mutual respect.

“Come here.”

The princess’s refined smile ominously sank into his retina. Leon spoke slowly, “The loyalty I promised to offer Your Highness does not carry that meaning.”

“Oh, of course. Leon, I just want you to be my companion.”

“I can serve as a companion from where I stand now.”

At his tone, drawing a boundary, the princess clicked her tongue dramatically.

“Oh dear, you really don’t understand, do you? To share one’s heart, one must be close. Sometimes, the body is the key to opening the door to the heart.”

Leon knew that much. The connection between body and heart was a truth he had deeply felt recently. At that moment, the curled back of a woman flashed into his mind, distorting his gaze. A cold sensation gripped his chest without reason. A dark sense of betrayal, almost like self-loathing, oozed from his body like thick poison.

Sin. He had sinned. If his previous actions had been sins of the flesh, yesterday he had desired her soul. Before entering the palace at dawn, Leon had prayed for repentance in the holy sanctuary.

What had he dared to desire in his heart? What had he dared to dream of? He had already given everything he had to God; there was nothing left.

The rumors were already widespread, but Leon was more wounded by his convictions than by the fingers pointed at him by the crowd.

The deepest wounds could only be inflicted by those closest to you, and no one was closer to him than himself. Cutting off others could prevent them from wounding him, but when the wound was self-inflicted, a person had to carve their own flesh and break their own bones.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve always been curious.”

While Leon was lost in thought, the princess knelt on her chair and leaned in close. A reflexive discomfort broke through his musings.

“What are you curious about, Your Highness?”

“I heard that holy knights begin mental training at the age of seven. Is that true?”

“In some cases, it’s later, but generally, yes.”

“I see. That age is quite naive, isn’t it? So, do boys who are deprived of opportunities to learn and experience things grow up completely ignorant of worldly matters? Or, being human, do they learn about the world through their instincts?”

The conversation was going in the expected direction. Leon looked back at his life in the monastery without any expression. The children of nobles. Unlike him, they had ties to the outside world.

“Naturally, they come to know. Learning restraint and faith first doesn’t mean complete separation from the world.”

“But surely, there must have been times when you were tempted or swayed. There must have been beautiful girls visiting the monastery.”

“In those times, we raised our hands and pointed at the unclean child.”

“Unclean child?”

The princess’s eyes widened.

“The ‘Berg’ children born when the rules were broken and actions were taken by desire.”

He had shown what kind of treatment they received. What they experienced despite their abilities.

It was an era when wealthy commoners could buy titles. The emperor had lowered the nobility’s authority, turning commoners into nobles at whim, and such families often sent their children to monasteries.

Young Leon couldn’t understand what made his friends so different from him. Perhaps from then, skepticism towards the absurd rules and a loose attitude had taken root in him. The church said his very existence was a mistake. An impure human must repent. He had to be even more devout.

“Oh, please don’t be so self-deprecating, Leon. Do you even realize the expression you’re wearing right now?”

Though she spoke as if she pitied him, the princess’s drooping eyebrows revealed her true feelings—she seemed delighted. Her eyes were overflowing with joy. She was one of those common sadists who enjoyed the pain of others. It was revolting.

The moment she placed her hand on Leon’s downcast face, a voice called out from outside.

“Your Highness, your expected visitor has arrived.”

The princess answered without taking her eyes or hand off Leon.

“Let her in.”

The door opened. Someone’s footsteps approached. The princess whispered with a smile.

“Since wasting food during such hard times would make the palace cooks feel guilty, I’ve invited another guest. I called someone we both know so it could be enjoyable for everyone.”

The once-dead gaze in Leon’s eyes changed instantly.

When he turned his impatient gaze, the shocked face of a black-haired woman filled his vision. The very woman who had occupied his thoughts just moments earlier, the one who should have been in the inn room. His mind went blank.

The moment their eyes met, Leon instinctively stepped back from the princess. A foolish mistake he would never have made under normal circumstances. It was tantamount to declaring he didn’t want to be misunderstood.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation to lunch. I found yesterday’s duel incredibly moving.”

While Leon stood frozen, the princess stepped down from her chair, taking the woman’s hands in her own.

The princess’s demeanor was friendly and open, unlike what one would expect from the imperial family, leaving the woman visibly surprised. Johanna was adept at dealing with people. She knew how to use polite language with commoners when necessary.

“There’s no particular reason for inviting you today. I just wanted to get to know you better.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Does that make you uncomfortable? I understand it might be difficult given my position… To be honest, I found the power I witnessed yesterday truly impressive.”

Leon coldly watched as the princess naturally took her hand and led her to the table. The lively princess’s innocent demeanor could have deceived even those who knew her well.

“I’ve also heard a lot about you from Leon. Oh, look at me, I’m talking too much about myself again. I always do this when I’m excited. Have you had lunch?”

Veronica, who had been wearing a bewildered expression, shook her head. The princess, pleased, seated her at the table.

Leon could easily picture the scene before he entered the palace, back when the maid had started her meal.

It wasn’t theft. It must have been just like now. The princess had summoned a maid without backing or sophistication instead of the maids who usually came and went from her chambers.

“This food was prepared for your hospitality. Eat to your heart’s content.”

The people under her rule were insignificant commoners. Even if they were trampled on, their screams wouldn’t be heard.