“You went into the training ground and didn’t come out, so I thought a guest had arrived.”

The man responded to Commander Markrom, staring at my face.

“He’s Norton Asalman from the Partsha Empire.”

He introduced himself first.

Ah, this person is the third prince.

But why did he arrive in the Raphion Empire so early?

The scheduled time for dignitaries from various countries to arrive is still a week away.

“Hello, Your Highness.”

As I greeted Prince Norton and observed his reaction, Commander Markrom stepped forward and introduced me to him.

“This is Bonis Kyung, in charge of guarding Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Ah, Bonis Kyung…”

Prince Norton’s gaze seemed as if he knew something about my identity.

But that couldn’t be true.

Prince Norton and I are clearly meeting for the first time.

“Markrom, I was wondering who you were talking to…”
Prince Norton elongated his words, lifting the corners of his mouth and letting the end of his sentence trail off softly.

The situation was quite awkward.

Even if I transitioned to being the Empress’s guard today, if tomorrow I were to formally meet Prince Norton with Rynell, my true identity would likely be revealed. What should I do about this?

However, revealing myself as the Empress of the Raphion Empire right away wasn’t a good idea either. Commander Markrom introduced me as a guard, creating an odd situation if I were to suddenly claim to be the Empress.

How should I handle this? My mind was tangled without a clear solution.

Prince Norton has already seen my face…

I bit my lower lip thoughtfully, lowering the sword I was holding. Avoiding Prince Norton’s gaze for too long, I raised my head again.

“Have you resolved the dilemma of whether to eliminate me or not?”

A mischievous glint flashed in Prince Norton’s purple eyes.
…How did you know?

A little while ago, I looked down at the sword and thought, ‘If I eliminate only Prince Norton, there would be no chance of my presence in the training ground being revealed.’ So, I briefly entertained the amusing dilemma of whether to get rid of him or not, but he pierced through my thoughts. It was a strange occurrence.

“W-What are you talking about?”

I questioned Prince Norton, feigning ignorance while glancing at Commander Markrom, whose expression was ambiguous.

“Just because you kept staring at the sword.”

The prince smiled with a meaning I couldn’t understand.

“How dare I entertain such impure thoughts about the prince of the Partsha Empire!”

I retorted, swallowing my saliva nervously.

“Hahaha, no need to be tense. The prince was just joking.”

Commander Markrom interjected with a hearty laugh, and Prince Norton joined in with laughter.
“Yes, it’s a joke. Actually, I had an experience of dying and coming back to life not long ago, so I’ve become sensitive to the vitality of others….”

His words sounded ominously significant.

Died and came back to life? Why?

“Did you recently have some unfortunate accident?”

I asked him out of simple curiosity.

“Here, in this place, I took a severe beating.”

Prince Norton replied, tapping the back of his head with his palm.

I was confused whether he meant he was literally hit on the back of the head by someone, or if he expressed betrayal in a roundabout way. Anyway, it didn’t seem like a pleasant memory, so I didn’t inquire further.

“But, Your Highness, why are you addressing Lady Bonis with such respect?”

Commander Markrom questioned him with a tone full of skepticism.

It was only after hearing Commander Markrom’s words that I realized the prince was speaking to me with elevated language.
No matter how you look at it, it was strange for a knight to address a foreign empress’s bodyguard with such respect, especially when addressing Commander Markrom with condescension.

“Well, why is that?”

Prince Norton replied vaguely, suppressing a smile.

“Is it because you sense an unusual aura from her? Well, I felt the same when I first saw this friend.”

Commander Markrom said, patting my shoulder with his thick hand.

“If you could see Lady Bonis… the knight, you would instantly understand why I’m acting like this. Too bad.”

Darn it, Prince Norton doesn’t really know my true identity, does he?

All my nerves began to tense up.

However, for some reason, even if he did know my identity, it didn’t seem like he would expose it to Commander Markrom.

“Why? Is Lady Bonis’s face that hideous?”

Commander Markrom asked with a serious tone.

Swish! Thump!
Without realizing it, I half-drew the sword from its scabbard in impatience but managed to restrain myself and put it back.

“Just now… What was that sound?”

Commander Markrom, raising one eyebrow nimbly, turned his head towards the prince and asked.

“You just heard the sound of someone dying and coming back to life.”

Prince Norton replied with a smirk to the commander.

“Well, I think it’s time for me to go. Your Highness, are you staying at the Star Palace where the guests are? I’ll escort you to the Star Palace if you’re heading that way. Shall we go together?”