Although her appearance was now that of a grown woman, her subtly stubborn behavior remained the same as before.

But grateful to her for treating him kindly in a place where no one else knew him, Leon couldn’t forget that feeling.

And so, he was listening to her as much as possible, in spite of the emperor’s orders and her divorce hardship.

Except for things like this.

“Ah, here, Leon.”

She pierced a piece of fruit with a fork and brought it close to Leon’s mouth.

“I decline.”

“Leon, I’m sad. You didn’t do this when you were little.”

‘Because you didn’t give me a choice back then…’

After meeting Lucia in Debutante, he had gotten a lot better, but during his study abroad days, Leon would feel nauseated if anyone even approached him.

So, Princess Lillif, who seemed to have noticed this, wouldn’t tolerate him not doing as she said, and thus he had usually complied.

As expected, she slowly approached him as soon as he refused.

As the young man and woman circled the picnic blanket, a group dressed in black began to loom.

“Hey, the atmosphere is quite nice here. The smell of stirfrying comes up to the second floor.”

“Heh, no. It seems like a smell that comes from a man with no backbone?”

“…Lightweight. Heh.”

It was Gili, Vernon, Hiss and the members who had bet on Leon.

They started lingering around Leon and Princess Lillif like neighborhood bullies.

“What are these people? Black uniforms… Knights of Darkness? They look exactly as unlikeable as the rumors.”

Princess Lillif, who had been annoyed by them blocking her path since yesterday.

She was a princess who wouldn’t hold back her words, especially against the people of the woman she despised most in the world.

And just like that, Gili, about to be shot with a biting remark.

The members began to grab her by the neck one by one.

“Let go! I don’t care who it is, I won’t hold back!”
“How reckless! To behave this way toward a special envoy representing Ferendel. Do you wish to cause trouble?”

In fact, although the knights were rude, Leon, who knew of the princess’s mischievous tendencies that seemed to enjoy this situation, suddenly stood up.

“Let’s go. Once you see the final area, you will have seen it all.”

“Ah, what should I do? Leon? My leg still hurts.”

“…….”

The princess who was subtly stretching her arms.

She had quickly realized that Leon was in a difficult situation and wasn’t about to let it go.

Seeing his knights furrowing their brows at this, Leon felt constrained.

Vernon, noticing his discomfort, deliberately began to drop hints.

“Ah, our commander’s leg must also be hurting.”

At his words, Leon, who had been pushing the princess along, quickly approached.

“Where are you hurting? No, why does your leg hurt? What happened…?”

“Are you interested? You seem to have something you were doing.”

“It’s okay, quickly, what happened…”

Leon couldn’t be uninterested.

As soon as he finished speaking, Vernon flicked his finger.

This was the moment, the knights surrounding the princess so she couldn’t get in.

“What is this rudeness!?”

The princess remained unfazed, whether she yelled or did anything, as they bunched up with their solid muscles.

Leon, within that dark cocoon, was confused.

“What is this…”

“We are on Commander Leon’s side… No, we’re with the commander!”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, know that. Commander, you are currently at the third gate due to a civil complaint. We were supposed to be with you, but we were wondering if you’d like to switch tasks with us.”

“……!”

The knights who enveloped her like a nest all began to grin sinisterly.

In the third zone for civil complaints.

For Leon, who wanted to be with Lucia, it was a good offer.

However, not as the commander of the White Knights.

The White Mage Corps had nothing to do with civil complaints.

Each knight corps had a role, and there was a reason for faithfully performing it.

If court mages, already scarce in the empire, haphazardly handled civil matters, it could lead to increasing complaints.

Seeing his struggle, Vernon grinned and offered his clothes.

“Heroes usually hide their identities.”

“……!”

His words sparkled in Leon’s eyes.

It was tremendous advice!

No, actually, it became a saying because it resonated with Leon’s feelings.

His instinct and subconscious had long been focused solely on her, preventing him from making any other choice.

“……Very well, I’ll count on you.”

“Ah, Commander Leon! Please tell him we didn’t intentionally neglect him! Absolutely!”

Nodding his head earnestly, Leon then cast a teleportation spell.

He disappeared, and only then did the dark cocoon disperse.

“Move! Can’t you move!? Leon! Leon!! Huh? Leon……?”

The princess, who had lost her dignity due to this absurd event, glared at Vernon who had been bothering her.

Only then did Vernon and the knights become respectful.

“Your Highness, we apologize for our rudeness. Commander Leon had urgent matters to attend to and has left first. Instead, we will guide you through the unexplored areas.”

“I don’t need it! Either call Leon or disappear from my sight!”

“Ah, is that so? It seems you know your way back?”

“……Th, that’s right!”

She greatly regretted leaving her escort knight, Ilisha.

And the knights surrounding this small princess.

They were laughing like devils, as if imagining the conclusion of this plan.