Chapter 73 – Come Visit Me Again Next Time

“Dake… Dake…!”

A voice called out to me as I was doing pull-ups in the corner of the parade ground.
As I approached, confirming that there were no eyes to see, Princess Iril, who had been hiding behind a tree, appeared.

“Princess?”

There was a reason why I looked surprised.
The mask and hood she always wore pretending to be a forest witch were not visible.

The princess, who felt my gaze on me, said in shock.

“Ah! Sue, the witch of the forest had an issue, so I came instead. She said she lost her mask and her hood was being washed…”

This time, it was a clumsy lie, but I ignored it without having to point it out.

“I see. What brings you to the parade ground?”

“I came here after hearing that Dake had returned from Lake Village. He actually wanted to come earlier, but he was busy during exam period…”

When it comes to exams, it probably refers to exams for classes to succeed to the position of queen in the future.

“It doesn’t look like she was hurt anywhere. She’s been there for almost three months, right? You don’t know how worried she was that something would happen to Kiella.”

I’m so grateful that you care so much about me when ordinary elves don’t.

But at the same time, my heart couldn’t help but become heavy.
Because the person the princess cared about was full of thoughts of harming her mother.

“Thank you for your concern. I think I was able to do well when I went thanks to the princess’ warning before I went.”

“Then I’m glad. I also feel relieved to see Dayke. Come to think of it, I heard that Kiella is planning to return to the castle. So then Dayke won’t have to go to that village anymore, right?”

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

You must have been so worried about me that I let out a huge sigh of relief that my heart sank.

I can’t believe such a considerate elf was born from that vicious queen.
I’m glad she doesn’t resemble her mother’s personality.

“By the way, I have something to give to Deke.”

What she handed me was her flashlight-shaped tool.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a magic light. If you press here, the light comes out.”

As I was told, I pressed the slightly protruding button on the side, and light emanated from the front lens.

“You heard from the Forest Witch, right? If anything happens, come to me. But she said she didn’t tell you how to contact her.”

I never thought I would have realized that fact now.
No, I should say that I am glad that I now know.

“If you need my help or want to discuss something, shine this in the window of my room and I will be able to recognize it. But you have to be careful not to be seen by anyone.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After exchanging a few more words, the princess spoke.

“Then I’ll go now. I’m doing well so far, so I’m sure you’ll be fine, but if something happens, don’t suffer alone and be sure to ask for help. Understood?”

“Yes, princess. But you didn’t bring any vegetables today?”

“Vegetables?”

“I thought you brought it as a gift, like the witch of the forest.”

Every time she came to visit me, she would give me vegetables she didn’t want to eat, saying it was a gift.

“Well… These days, the maid chief has become more strict and scolds me a lot if I leave anything behind. They say a princess of the kingdom shouldn’t eat picky food…”

So does that mean she forced herself to eat it all?
To be honest, it’s not a serious matter, but the princess looks so sad that I feel sorry for asking.

“It’s not easy for a princess either.”

“So… But it’s nothing compared to the knights who are going through a hard time. Anyway, I’ll just go now. If I stay away for too long, the head maid might catch me.”

“Yes. Please go in carefully.”

The princess, who had become depressed thinking about vegetables, smiled brightly and disappeared into the forest.

—

That same night, I quietly left the barracks and hid in the backyard of the royal castle.

The purpose was to go to the princess, reveal that I was Alvin from her past life, and also inform her that I was planning to take revenge on the queen.

I wasn’t expecting her to understand.
Who could easily accept that she would harm her own mother?

However, the hope that I might be a princess who is friendlier and more considerate to humans than anyone else led me to this place.

Of course, I don’t think the odds are high, so I won’t bring it up as soon as we meet.
I’ll just think about it on my own and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just come back.

‘Is this place?’

She raised her head and looked in the direction the princess had indicated.

A large window at approximately the third floor height.
I shot the light of the magic lamp I received from the princess towards that place.

‘… There’s no reaction? ‘Did you really fall asleep?’

At that moment, the window slowly opened and the owner of the room showed his face.

She put her index finger to her mouth, motioned for silence, and then disappeared back into the room.

Anyway, we checked with each other, but what are we going to do now?
Are you trying to get out of the castle without others knowing?

As I was thinking that, something jumped out of the window of my room.
It was a long line with knots in the middle, and it looked like several blankets had been rolled up and tied together.

Then the princess stuck her head out again and waved her hand in her direction.

‘Are you telling me to grab her leash and come up?’

When I approached and held it, it was surprisingly sturdy.
Thanks to this, he was able to hang stably and enter the princess’s room through the window.

“Welcome, Dake.”

“I never thought you would use this method.”

A rope made of several blankets was tied to the legs of the bed next to the window.
As it is a bed used by a princess, it is so large that I had no problem hanging on to it.

“Isn’t it ingenious? I was wondering how to get Dayk to come in.”

The princess, who had been speaking while placing her hand on her waist as if she was satisfied with her work, this time covered her mouth with both hands and laughed.

“I’m really excited because I feel like I’m doing something bad. If Momma finds out, she’ll be really angry… But as long as she doesn’t get caught, that’s fine, right?”

“I guess so… Right?”

After briefly saying hello, I cleared up any traces of my infiltration with the princess.

“Come and sit down, Dake. What’s wrong with you coming here after less than a day?”

He complied with her request and sat down on her bed next to her.
However, the other person’s face was always smiling, even though it was a face greeting someone who came for consultation.

“You look like you’re in a good mood.”

“Oh, do you see it? I was always worried about Dake, who was living alone as a human, but I was so happy that I thought I could help him like this, so I didn’t even know… Hehe. Let’s talk about it. What are you worried about?”

My heart becomes complicated when I see people smiling brightly just because they can help strangers.

So, instead of telling the story she had prepared, she carefully asked a question she had been curious about before.

“Rather than worrying, I have a question. Why is the princess so nice to me?”

This curiosity was not something that arose recently.
It was a question I had had since I was called Alvin, even before I was reincarnated in a new body called Daycra.

“That’s because… Dake is good.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It must not have been easy to adapt to a strange country without a single compatriot, but you are living an honest life without any complaints.”

“…”

“I had no reason to say anything, but I couldn’t leave him alone because he was treating me so harshly. Just like when I saw Alvin. Oh, Dake doesn’t know much about Alvin, right?”

She listened quietly and then nodded her head.

“Yes. I heard that you helped the elf fight the demon king…”

“Alvin was similar to Dake. She never got angry no matter how much her mother persecuted her. She actually lived a more sincere life to be accepted by those around her.”

To be honest, at the time, I had no place to go and no strength, so I had no choice but to live in despair.
If there was a way, I would have fled the kingdom as quickly as possible.

The princess, who had no way of knowing this, continued speaking in a subdued voice.

“Alvin even sacrificed her life to defeat the Demon King to save our elves. She did it for the elves who had tormented her so much…”

The reason she knows this differently is because she probably heard the news from her queen.
They couldn’t possibly tell her daughter that they betrayed and killed the hero.

“That’s why my heart hurts so much when I think of Alvin. The person who was kinder than anyone else left without receiving any compensation for the hard work he did. I can’t bring Alvin back, but at least I hope Dayk doesn’t end up like Alvin. That’s what I want. “That’s why I care about Dake.”

A princess with tears in her eyes as she remembers her past life.

When she saw that, she became afraid to tell the truth.
I’m afraid that if she finds out the truth, her eyes will turn cold when she looks at me.
She was afraid that she would hurt his tender and kind heart.

“…Thank you.”

“Thank you. But did you really come here to ask me this? If you have any concerns, you can say it without hiding it. I’m on Dake’s side.”

“No. This is really why I came.”

“Chi. I was hoping that you would solve Dake’s problems.”

The disappointed princess pouts her lips.
However, she had already given me a lot of help and psychological comfort since her previous life.

“Well, now that you’re here, would you mind telling me about Dake? You said you came from across the sea? I wonder what’s there!”

Since the claim that I had crossed the ocean was a lie, I told him about my experiences while living in Korea.
From the princess’s point of view, it was adapted into a story that would have taken place beyond the sea of ​​Elora rather than on Earth, which is a different world.

Our conversation continued without any notice of time passing.

The curious princess showed various expressions and reactions, and I did not stop her from talking out of pride.
It feels like I’m repaying the kindness she’s shown me so far, in some small way.

After chatting for nearly three hours, it wasn’t until dawn that we felt ready to end the conversation.

“It was so fun. It’s the first time I’ve laughed and talked with someone for this long.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Come hang out again next time, okay?”

“Yes I will.”

After a short greeting, I left the castle the same way I entered.

Although she had not been able to tell the princess the truth, for now she felt like putting off worrying about the matter a little longer.

—

It was an afternoon a few days after Dayk visited Iril’s room.

Queen Ner Mediah was silently examining her documents in her office.

“…”

Not long ago, she felt very uncomfortable.
This is due to the fact that even though Dake was dispatched as an escort for Kiella, who had a bad personality, he returned to the castle in good health.

Still, after a few days, the anger had calmed down to some extent.

‘How long will I have to tolerate this dirty person wandering around in my country?’

Smart.

-Queen.

“What happened?”

The words of the servant returning from beyond the door were enough to make the Queen rise from her seat.

-Kiella is back.