Chapter 1.16 (1/2)

Chapter 16: Kind and Cruel

Several days had passed since the report of the attack on the second wall. Of course, I’d done my job properly with keeping it safe.

Since that day, there have been some subtle changes between Sigren and me. After he learned that I was a fighter mage, Sigren was no longer sarcastic towards me. But, when we conversed, he sometimes looked at me with a somewhat mixed expression.

Am I that weird?

By this point, Sigren’s wounds had also healed, which was a good thing. However, we ran out of excuses to keep him at Heilon castle, but at the same time, I was uncomfortable sending him back to the fourth wall. There would still be mercenaries who bullied Sigren. As I had decided to protect him till the beginning of the original story, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to this problem.

What should I do?

“Lady Fiona.” A maid called for me as I walked down the hall.

“Yes?”

“The Duke called you to the office.”

“I’ll go right away.” I replied lightly and immediately turned to head towards the office. Why did Abel suddenly call?

Nowadays, the number of times the monsters tried to invade the walls had decreased and it allowed me to spend my time in leisure. In short, I had surplus mana in my body, so I was wondering why Abel suddenly called me. As already known, I was a fighter mage and my job was to defend the walls. However, every time I would go to fight, I was always with Abel and he would carry me around. It felt like he didn’t trust me like I was not reliable enough to handle it myself. So, I was curious about what he would ask me to do.

I knocked on the door of Abel’s office.

“Come in.”

As soon as I received permission, I opened the door to step inside. Abel was sitting at the desk and skimming through the pile of stacked documents.

“What did you call me for?”

“It will be a long conversation, so sit down first.”

I quietly sat in the chair opposite him.

“Fiona.”

Abel rarely called my name.

“I heard from the healer that the little guy you took in is healed.”

“Yes.” Was he going to kick him right away? I still hadn’t decided how to deal with mercenaries who bullied Sigren.

“As you know, I am not a person who likes to keep strangers in my castle.”

“Of course.”

“And I’m wondering whether you knew the identity of the boy when you brought him here.”

“……”

Seemed like Abel had checked Sigren’s background which meant he now knew Sigren was a prince.

I straightened out my expression as best as I could and pretended that I had no idea. “Sigren’s identity? I’m not sure what you’re talking about. All I’ve heard is Sigren has been doing chores in the mercenary corps.”

I was an illegitimate child of an ordinary noble family in the first place. If I were to say I knew that Sigren was the secret prince of the imperial family, I would certainly be considered suspicious. Hearing what I said, Abel narrowed his eyes like he was trying to read my mind. However, I tilted my head slightly and did my best to put on an innocent face like a gentle sheep with a smile that tried to convey I knew nothing.

“Well, actually, compared to your existence, he’s not that important.”

“Yes?”

Wait, why is the topic changed to me? But well, of course, there’s no girl like me. Haha.