One of the nearby knights seemed to recognize Reniel.

Reniel also recognized that knight. It was Rox, who often chatted with her.

“Isn’t it you?”

As Rox approached Reniel with a surprised expression, Thanasis blocked his path and said,

“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would a servant wear knight’s armor?”

When Thanasis spoke with contempt, Rox scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Wait, were you close with that pretty deputy head servant?”

Soon, one of the nearby knights asked Rox that question.

“Yeah, I often had lunch with them.”

“Wow. You’re even networking with people from the main building. Were you trying harder than I thought to get promoted?”

Then the person who seemed to be the leader of the knights glanced at Reniel.

“That’s enough chatter, let’s move.”

“But……”

“If they’re from the Secret Room, it’s not our jurisdiction. And really…… are you the deputy head servant?”

Reniel shook her head in denial. But she didn’t speak. Because it seemed Rox would understand.

“I guess they just look similar to that person.”

The leader thought it was strange, but didn’t want to get involved.

From the beginning, they had used outsiders as knights stationed in front of the Secret Room so they could be disposed of at any time.

It was obvious that even these people would be dealt with soon.

And all the outer doors of the mansion were currently closed.

If a problem arose, they could just activate the tracker attached to the armor.

The knights all had tracking devices attached to their uniforms. To prevent desertion.

But it was quite strange that their clothes didn’t seem to have any damaged parts.

Whether it was because it was dark, there were no signs of burns on their clothes anywhere.

“May I ask if you’re injured somewhere?”

The leader said that while looking suspiciously at Reniel and Thanasis.

At that moment, Thanasis used his power. He gently burned the fabric on his back and Reniel’s back.

Thanasis was surprised that he could control his ability so delicately.

Originally, he could only threaten to a certain degree, and when his emotions exploded, it would burst like a bomb.

And he couldn’t even control that level.

But now he was controlling it to just burn and singe the fabric, not to start a fire.

He felt that his magical power was under control as long as Reniel was nearby.

“To think I have to show this.”

Thanasis clicked his tongue and turned to show his back.

The burned part on his back mixed with the countless whip marks on his back, making it look like he had both burns and wounds.

“How on earth did you get injured like this?”

“The wall collapsed.”

“Ah.”

At that moment, they understood Thanasis’s injuries.

“Can we go now?”

“……Yes, go ahead.”

The leader of the knights said so. Then Thanasis, holding Reniel’s arm, turned and walked away.

Seeing that Reniel’s back was also subtly burned, the leader of the knights understood that they had come from underground.

And since the smell of burning was coming from all around the mansion, he thought it was natural that it came from them too.

Their noses had already become numb to the strong smell.

“We’re going to the main building!”

“……Yes, sir.”

But Rox kept looking back, feeling that it really seemed to be Reniel.

‘Is the knight’s work hard?’

‘Ah, servant.’

‘Here. This is the remaining ice, I thought it would be good if you used it with the other knights.’

He kept doubting because he felt the same heart flutter he used to feel whenever he saw Reniel.

But still, orders took priority.

He headed to the main building to follow orders.

****

“How do you know so many people?”

“Well, I’m the deputy head servant. Even when I was a regular servant, I always worked hard to get promoted.”

That was true. Reniel had worked hard to stay at this good workplace for a long time.

She wanted to become the head servant when she got older and receive a mansion.

If she had just one house in the capital that she could rent out, her retirement would be comfortable.

Of course, even if she just lived off the money she had saved, she could have a comfortable retirement for a commoner.

Of course, her standards were quite high. What she wanted was something like a retirement community.

Where wealthy bourgeois elderly people lived together.

“Hmph.”

Thanasis didn’t like Reniel’s outgoing personality.

It was certainly good that she was a friendly person.

But it bothered him that she knew so many people because of that personality.

Compared to when he was trapped in the Secret Room and his world was only Reniel, her world seemed as vast as the universe, which made him feel bad.

It felt like she was unique only to him, but he was just one of many connections to her.

“Tsk.”

As he clicked his tongue and frowned, Reniel smiled kindly again and said,

“We’re almost there. Let’s hurry, shall we?”

Thanasis felt a little better when she used “we” to refer to herself and him.

Wanting to keep that feeling, he held her hand. Reniel didn’t particularly reject it, and walked holding his hand.

Then, far away, a building closest to the outer wall came into view.

“What’s that building for?”

“That’s an abandoned building.”

“Why?”

Reniel hesitated a bit about whether she should talk about that abandoned building.

‘Stay away from that building as much as possible.’

‘That’s… because it’s where young masters go when they commit crimes.’

‘Do young masters commit crimes too?’

‘I guess the master thinks so.’

She was recalling a conversation with the retired former head servant.

This abandoned building was where the previous Duke Le Pelique used to confine his sons whenever he wanted to punish them.

Even Felix had been confined in there once.

Reniel actually didn’t understand why Felix didn’t get rid of that building when he became the duke.

But after recalling the original story, she knew the reason.

‘I need something to hate in order to want to live.’

She remembered a scene where Felix said that at some point.

That there are times when you need to use even hateful parts as a driving force for life.

“I don’t know much either. But the servants try not to go there.”

“Why?”

“There’s a rumor that goblins come out there.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Still, it’s really creepy to come alone at night. What if a goblin really comes out?”

Reniel said that, evading the question.

“Why? Why not say werewolves come out instead?”

“Werewolves would at least be interesting. But things like Bigfoot are scary.”

Reniel answered passionately, but Thanasis decided not to respond anymore, feeling like he was getting swept up in her pace.

He felt the hand he was holding tightening its grip.

Holding hands was very uncomfortable. It also slowed them down when walking. But he had no intention of letting go of that hand.

Rather, he felt like he would get angry if he let go.

“Ah, over there.”

The place Reniel was pointing to was a thicket.

Perhaps because it was around the abandoned building, it was visible that the gardener hadn’t paid any attention to it.

Thanasis unconsciously gripped tightly when she tried to let go of his hand.

“Your Highness, could you let go of my hand for a moment? There’s a hole over there.”

At those words, Thanasis realized he had unconsciously gripped her tightly and sighed as he let go of her hand.

Reniel then slightly pushed aside the grass near the thicket. A hole big enough for one adult man to pass through appeared.

“How on earth did you know about this?”

“Sir Rox told me.”

“That guy from earlier?”

“Yes. He said the knights use this when they come in at dawn after drinking.”

Thanasis recalled that boy knight Rox with brown hair full of freckles he had seen earlier.

They seemed to be of similar age and friendly.

“He was ugly.”

“I guess he’s not to Your Highness’s taste. I thought he was cute.”

“……Does he know you’re a woman?”

“Of course not. Only two people in the world know I’m a woman……”

“Who’s the other person besides me?”

Thanasis pulled her hand to make her look at him.

“Sir Ianathas. You saw together back then, didn’t you?”

“Ah.”

He let go of her hand then, as if he had just come to his senses.

Then Reniel bent her knees and crawled through the hole between the bushes.

Thanasis didn’t like that posture either, but he had no choice but to move like that.

Finally out, they both sighed in relief.

“Let’s go now.”

Reniel reached out her hand to Thanasis first. He liked that she acted that way and pretended to reluctantly take it.

They walked together.

And as soon as they arrived in town, they headed to a clothing store.

“Two black robes, please.”

After buying and putting on two black robes, they headed to an inn.

“Why are we going to an inn? Let’s go straight to the imperial palace.”

“We need horses to go to the imperial palace. It would take several more hours of walking from here to the palace.”

She was too exhausted.

Fortunately, Thanasis nodded as if her words made sense.

Soon they arrived at an inn.

“Are you knights from the Le Pelique duchy?”

“Keep quiet about seeing us today.”

Thanasis said that to the innkeeper while glaring at him.

“And I’d like to get horses.”

“Oh my. We don’t have any horses left right now, unfortunately.”

“What about a hired carriage?”

“This is the time when they’re all rented out. Dawn is usually more popular.”

At the news that they couldn’t call a hired carriage, he wondered if they should look for another inn.

Just as Thanasis was frowning and about to turn to Reniel, it happened.

“Huh? Your Highness…?”

Thanasis’s guard knight, Terrison, was approaching, recognizing him despite the robe hood covering his face.