I Encounter the Wizard per Chance!

Chapter 14

"Me and Harlott was friends..." A light smile graced his face as he looked out to the window. It seems he was not looking at the passing scenery but instead, the reflection of himself on the window. The smile he wore carried a trace of ridicule.

...'Was', is it?

"The Second Prince Harlott was quite an annoying person," he scoffed. "But he was not unbearable... At the very least, I treated him like a normal friend."

He lowered his gaze, but the iciness in his eyes couldn't be hidden.

This side of papa that I don't usually see, it was a bit unfamiliar.

He kept his eyes closed for a moment, taking some time to calm down.

Papa is a person who is strict on himself. Therefore, you can imagine what kind of attitude he put on when dealing with others. Be it a hypocrite, a two-faced, a schemer or a facade, He can see their disguise at a glance. Almost as if he could see their heart.

To think papa actually thought of that King as a 'friend'... It sounds off.

The Prime Minister of Diaphthram Kingdom was always known as a capable man. In the past, he was the sole heir to the Volmilarg Household, thus a lot of responsibilities was placed upon him. Nevertheless, he magnificently accomplished what even normal people necessarily can't and became the current Duke Volmilarg.

His participation in war always ended up with certain victory, contributing to the reason why the Diaphthram Kingdom is peaceful as of now. But it seems he didn't pledge to serve the current King Harlott, which is a reason the nobles often used to condemn or disdain him. Malicious rumours were created and various controversies occurred.

But in the end, no one could erase the fact that he protected the people with his life on the line. So what if he didn't pledge the oath? It's not as if the previous Dukes of Volmilarg ever pledged the oath of knight to the king, no? At the very least, his sword was pointed towards the enemies and the people was saved because of that. So what could possibly be wrong?

Indeed, the voice of the people could never be ignored.

Even during my princess lesson, the name Dilion Quothe Volmilarg came up a few times in class. However, I'm sure the tutors didn't dare say anything besides compliments since I'm the daughter of the said duke. They merely touch on the topic occasionally, only when they were truly forced to include his presence in the subject.

Well, I can say for sure that since then I grew fond of the History Class. I could still vividly remember their twisted expression as they tried to wriggle out of the topic concerning my father, as fast as possible. And I tried my very best to ask questions that would oblige them to divert their topic back to papa. The battle of wits was endless.

You evade, I pushed you to the front. You moved away, I pulled you back on track. And such was how I de-stress myself before. It was funny now that I think back on it. Ah, my personality got a bit twisted there.

I chuckled slightly in remembrance of the past.

Well, the engagement is coming to an end soon~

Maybe it is due to the influence of my sudden good mood, papa revealed a small smile at me. His eyes gentle as he looked at this daughter who is suddenly brimming with joy.

It's amazing that he didn't look at me strangely. Well, think about it. You were sharing your predicament with melancholy brewing in the air, but then you suddenly heard your daughter giggling to herself. The schadenfreude is thick there, people.

He looked up to the ceiling for a moment, before shifting his sight back to me.

"I apologize Maridis." As he locked eyes with mine, he uttered an apology.