The Princess's Little Fortress
Without a moment to think, Edric leapt into the carriage and scooped the woman up into his arms. Her body was startlingly light—and damp with lukewarm sweat.
He hurriedly brushed the golden hair stuck to her face back and lightly patted her bloodless cheek.
In that instant, the golden lashes that had cast long shadows across her face shot upward, revealing eyes of a deep, concentrated blue.
He held his breath without meaning to. Those swamp-blue irises seemed ready to swallow his soul whole.
He was still staring down at them, dazed, when a searing heat suddenly bloomed across his right cheek.
Clutching his face with one hand, he blinked blankly. The woman who had slipped free of his arms in a flash was looking at him as though he were some shameless scoundrel.
“How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?”
Edric’s mouth fell open; he raised his voice in pure indignation.
“I thought Your Highness had lost consciousness…!”
“So you figured you’d try something while I was out cold, is that it?”
“What kind of talk is that…!”
Flushing with anger, Edric shot upright—only to crack the crown of his head against the carriage ceiling and crumple straight back down into a crouch.
Between the princess’s insulting words and the pain blooming through his skull, tears nearly sprang to his eyes. He clutched his head and groaned for a long while. The princess watched him with open disdain, rubbing her temple before jerking her chin toward the door.
“Enough. Stop being a nuisance and get out.”
“Please just come outside for a moment and get some air. We’ve still got half a day’s travel ahead. How long do you intend to stay cooped up in this steambox?”
Still rubbing the top of his head, Edric muttered the words with a sullen face. It was a frank remark he had thrown out fully prepared to be struck again.
The princess glared at him as though she could scarcely believe her ears. She seemed genuinely baffled that he would keep nagging without growing tired of it.
Edric swallowed the urge to snap that he was not interfering for the pleasure of it.
This had not been a duty of his own choosing, yet the unruly princess was under his charge all the same. If she collapsed on the road, the aftermath would fall to him as well.
Ready to drag her out by force if it came to that, he met her venomous face squarely.
As if disgusted by his stubbornness, the woman finally furrowed her brow and rose.
Brightening at once, Edric stepped down from the carriage first. He held out a hand to escort her—only for the princess to slam the door shut in his face.
He stared at the firmly closed door with a blank expression, then finally gave up and turned away.
…I truly have no idea what she finds so displeasing.
Heaving a heavy sigh, he trudged toward the lakeside.
Even after he washed his sweat-soaked face in the ice-cold water and sat resting in the shade of a tree, the stubborn princess did not show so much as the tip of her nose.
Was she on guard, fearing someone might try to harm her?
Her excessively prickly demeanor put him in mind of a beast caught in a trap.
He gazed at the carriage with a puzzled look, then soon shook his head to clear away the useless thoughts.
What need was there to strain himself trying to understand a woman like that?
If he simply endured until this journey ended, he too would be freed from this tedious duty. The Second Princess swapped out her guard knights at the drop of a hat; he would be replaced before long as well. He only had to hold on until then.
Encouraging himself, Edric sat with the other knights in the shade of the trees. He made a simple meal of wine and bread, rested for a while, then climbed back into the saddle.
Once noon had passed, the air gradually cooled.
The pilgrims, strength restored, continued their vigorous march along the Kaiser Mountains that divided the western and northeastern regions. Thanks to their diligent progress, by dusk they reached the Sinai Plain—once the territory of the old Balto Kingdom.
“We will camp here for the night.”
Surveying the ranks, Barcas gave the order in a low voice.
Edric looked at him with half-weary eyes. Even after a full day in the saddle, Barcas appeared no different from when they had set out.
His superior dismounted without a single hair out of place and surveyed the surroundings with sharp eyes as he spoke.
“Raise a palisade near the campsite and post sentries.”
The knights obeyed at once.
Edric set to work building a fence around the camp as well. The thought that the measure might be excessive crossed his mind, yet numerous monsters inhabited the Sinai Plain. It was rare for a force of this size to come under attack, but caution never hurt.
He pulled planks studded with iron spikes from the baggage wagon, fixed them into the ground, and wound a line strung with small bells around them.
After several hours of diligent labor, he completed a temporary defensive barrier encircling the campsite.
Brushing the dirt from his hands, he moved toward the place where a campfire had already been lit. While they had been raising the palisade, the princess’s attendants had finished preparing the evening meal.
Clutching his empty stomach, he approached the fire where meat was roasting. He picked up a piece of cut bacon, ate it, and put a question to one of the maids.
“Has Her Highness’s meal been prepared and sent up?”
The young-faced maid stirring a large pot with a ladle looked at him in flustered surprise.
“Well… she said she has no appetite…”
Edric, wiping the grease from his hands with a towel, frowned.
So she had skipped lunch and meant to starve through dinner as well.
Irritation surged at the princess who behaved like a child over every little thing. He tossed the wet towel carelessly to the ground and picked up an empty basket.
“Fill this with something decent to eat.”
The maid immediately packed a generous slice of pie, bacon stew, wine, and pickled fruit without missing a thing.
Tucking the basket—now full in an instant—under his arm, he set off toward the princess’s little fortress.
He knew perfectly well there was no need to force food on someone who insisted they did not want it. Yet the memory of how unnervingly light her body had been made it impossible to leave the matter alone.
Cursing his own meddlesome nature, he knocked on the carriage door.
“Your Highness, I’ve brought dinner.”
“I told you I won’t eat.”
“You’ve barely eaten all day. How do you expect to endure this grueling journey without proper meals? Even if you have no appetite, please try something.”
“Enough—get lost!”
Edric’s face twisted. Even a hedgehog would not raise its spines this high. Gathering every scrap of patience he possessed, he spoke as calmly as he could manage.
“Then I’ll leave it here in front. If you change your mind…”
As he bent to set the basket down, Edric flinched and stepped back. Without warning the door burst open, and a fiercely set white face filled his vision.
He swallowed dryly as he met those blue eyes that shone with perfect clarity even in the light of the sunset.