“Huh? About me?”

As I perked up my ears at those words, sure enough, I really heard my name.

“They say Luibel, the third princess of Azester, has become a Sword Master…”

“I heard she saved people from danger twice?”

“They say she left to become a hero of prophecy…”

“How brave and righteous!”

“And that’s not all, her beautiful appearance is said to rival the goddess of love…”

“Gasp…!”

I was startled and pulled my hood down low, burying my face over my beer mug.

Then Anselot snickered at me mockingly.

“Lulu, are you okay?”

Only kind Ilei worriedly asked while grabbing the hem of my clothes.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine, Ilei.”

I cleared my throat with a reddened face.

‘When did my story spread this far?’

Though I was pretending to be embarrassed, I took a sip of beer as if nothing was wrong.

“By the way, have you heard that story?”

“What story?”

“Well, that Princess Luibel and Prince Anselot are in that kind of relationship…”

“Pfft!”

This time I unknowingly spat out the beer I was holding in my mouth.

Unfortunately, right onto the face of Anselot sitting across from me.

“Oh, I heard that too! They say the minstrels are already singing about their destined love!”

“Is this the start of a new relationship between Azester and Luenhart!”

Drip, drip.

I had to watch with dismayed eyes as drops of beer fell down Anselot’s jawline.

“S-Sorry, Anselot.”

“…”

Though I apologized immediately, Anselot gave no response.

At this, I ended up making a crying face.

Anselot calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped his face.

I looked at him and carefully asked.

“Aren’t you upset?”

“Of course I am. I got hit in the face with the drink you were drinking.”

“No, not that. I mean what those people are gossiping about.”

Then Anselot narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Why? Is the princess upset? Enough to spit out what was in your mouth onto my face?”

“Spit… That’s not…”

To say it wasn’t spitting was too much given how soaked his handkerchief was.

I quietly closed my mouth, feeling guilty.

Watching Anselot and me like this, Ilei tilted his head, then patted my shoulder with his tiny maple leaf-like hand to comfort me.

“Lulu, are you upset?”

“…”

“If you’re upset, you can spit on my face. I won’t mind.”

“…”

Although those words weren’t comforting at all.

As I was feeling dejected, Anselot put down the beer mug he was holding and spoke to me.

“I wasn’t particularly upset.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, really. Neither about the gossip about you and me, nor about you spitting what you were drinking on my face.”

I glared at him sourly at the teasing addition to his words.

Then Anselot smiled gently, his eyes curving.

He seems to enjoy teasing me.

I just gulped down the remaining beer for no reason.

Then the alcohol hit me suddenly.

I pouted my lips as I slammed the empty beer mug on the table with a thud.

“You’re lying. You were upset.”

“I really wasn’t. Why did you think I would be upset?”

“Well, you…”

I was about to retort reflexively but then shut my mouth tightly.

“Well, I?”

However, seeing Anselot urging me to go on, I ended up blurting out the question I had been hesitating to ask, tickling the back of my throat.

“…When you were trapped in the fog, who did you see?”

The black figure seemed to imitate me at a glance, but it certainly wasn’t me.

Ilei’s fog forms shapes by digging through the target’s memories. So that black figure must be Anselot’s biggest weakness from his memories.

That’s why I was more curious.

Who was that person who resembled me but could never be me.

“…”

Anselot’s eyes hardened slightly. But he quickly loosened his expression as if I had seen wrong and replied in a light tone.

“Just. Someone I used to know.”

“They seemed precious to you.”

“Did they?”

Anselot tilted his head and asked back.

Doesn’t he remember crying in that figure’s embrace?

“You were trying to protect that person from me.”

“I… was?”

Anselot blinked his eyes.

“Ah, so…”

He seemed to realize something and frowned slightly.

“I guess I did.”

He must have just connected what he saw in the fog with attacking unconsciously.

This time I really pretended not to care and asked casually.

“Was it a woman?”

“Well, I think so.”

Anselot answered vaguely.

I stared at Anselot’s face. Even though I knew the answer when I asked…

Yes, it was a woman.

That person you never want to lose again, that you want to be with forever, was a woman.

So Anselot had someone like that too.

“You must miss her?”

“She’s no longer here.”

Anselot answered calmly.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

It was an unexpected answer.

As I was flustered and didn’t know what to do, he chuckled.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, princess.”

“…”

A brief silence fell after those words.

Meanwhile, Klaus returned, and Anselot stood up from his seat.

I watched Anselot’s back as he went outside saying he needed some fresh air.

“Did something happen, Your Highness?”

“No. Nothing.”

I asked with a deliberately bright smile.

“More importantly, did you sell all the bear byproducts?”

“Of course.”

Klaus proudly jingled the heavy money pouch.

[This is the timeline separator]

Anselot walked in the darkness, feeling the cold night breeze.

His clenched fist tightened.

‘Damn that fog bastard.’

He knew he had attacked Luibel because of the fog.

But he didn’t know it would be in that way.

Of all things, to use her to Luibel…

For a moment, Anselot frowned strongly and stopped walking.

So what?

Luibel was just a brief encounter in his long, long life.

This was just one of many small happenings.

There was no reason to be this displeased.

If he felt displeased, it should have been because of her, not because of Luibel.

Anselot calmly settled his mind.

The confusion that had been consuming him gradually subsided.

In fact, since escaping the fog, he had been thinking of her more often.

It was because he remembered that woman’s name.

Although her face was still hazy like it was covered in fog…

Now he remembers the name he called her in the hallucination.

Sasenia Ru.

A child born with the noblest fate in the ancient kingdom of Ru.

And the name I call you is,

‘…Sena.’

As I slowly murmured, you tilted your fair face towards me and cocked your head.

‘Did you just call me?’

‘Just.’

‘What’s that.’

Watching you laugh brightly, I also followed with a faint smile.

Sena.

That was the name I called you.

“Sena…”

At the same time, Anselot let the name that would never be reached again drift meaninglessly into the night air.

[This is the timeline separator]

In the darkness, two men moved stealthily.

“Hehe, it should be quite a haul.”

“Of course. 500 bear byproducts must have fetched at least 100,000 gold.”

They were wicked bandits targeting travelers’ money.

They had come after hearing rumors that one of today’s guests had sold 500 monster byproducts.

“But to be able to kill 500 monsters, they must be quite skilled, right?”

“They say there’s a woman and a child in the group.”

“Oho. So we’ll take them hostage?”

“That’s right. You’re as sharp as ever.”

The bandits cackled, praising each other’s cleverness.

Climbing through the window into the dark room, they saw a young child sleeping on the bed.

As the bandits exchanged glances and moved quietly in the darkness so as not to wake the child, it happened.

Bam!

The door opened suddenly, brightening the room.

A man and woman entering the room discovered the bandits.

“Who are you!”

Dropping what he was holding and drawing his sword, the man was Klaus.

“Who else would it be, obviously bandits, sir.”

And the woman following behind him was Luibel.

“S-Stop! If you move, the child’s life is in danger!”

The bandit near the bed quickly grabbed the sleeping child and shouted.

“To take a young child hostage, such vile…”

Klaus gritted his teeth, unable to move because Ilei was held hostage.

Meanwhile, Ilei with his messy hair woke up and lifted his eyelids.

“Kekeke. If you want to save the child, hurry and hand over everything you have.”

The bandits threatened with third-rate villain lines.

Ilei, held by the bandit, slowly blinked as he assessed the situation.

Ilei murmured coldly in a small voice only they could hear.

“You vermin.”

“Huh?”

The bandits looked at each other for a moment.

‘What? Did we hear wrong?’

There was no one around them except for the innocent-looking young boy…

“Aaaah!”

“W-What is this!”

Black fog that had silently appeared swirled around their bodies.

While the bandits were flustered and in chaos, Ilei broke free from them and bounced over to Luibel.

“Lulu!”

Then he snuggled into her arms.

“Are you okay, Ilei?”

Shake shake.

Ilei shook his head side to side.

Seeing his terrified look, Luibel couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“Oh no, you must have been so scared.”

“…”

Nod nod.

This time Ilei nodded up and down.

Luibel hugged Ilei tightly.

While Ilei was in Luibel’s arms, the black fog he had created completely enveloped the bandits’ bodies.

“Aaargh!”

“Aaah!”

Painful screams echoed in the room.

“It’s okay now, Ilei. We need to hand those bad guys over to the guards, so don’t kill them.”

“Okay, Lulu.”

Ilei obediently nodded.

Thud, thump.

As the black fog dispersed in an instant, the bandits’ bodies collapsed to the floor.

Klaus was shocked to see Ilei take down the bandits without lifting a finger.

“To deal with the bandits so easily…”

He sheepishly put away the sword he was holding.