Ice God and The Lady - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

When she looked down, she could see the bumpy ground now covered with pebbles. Only then did Holly realize that she had entered a different space than before. When she glanced up, she saw a gorgeous and huge building compared to the other houses.

‘…Is this the royal palace?’

She had once imagined what a palace in the kingdom would look like from the stories she picked up while working at the inn. However, Sharif’s Royal Palace was much smaller than she had imagined.

‘Because not all kingdoms are wealthy.’

Ahmed, standing in front of the building, extended his hand to her. Holly’s cheeks heated up in an unfamiliar situation. She took his hand and climbed the stairs before entering the building. As soon as she passed the entrance, a warm air enveloped her.

“There’s nothing…?”

Holly looked around and widened her eyes.

Inside the building were only thick pillars. Thanks to that, her voice echoed through the empty space as she spoke.

“This building is just the entrance. If you go out there, you will find the main castle and the separate palaces.”

She nodded her head in small admiration. For some reason, she thought the security was poor.

“The game was trimmed by my men and handed over to the chef. In the meantime, can I take you on a tour of the Royal Palace?”

Come to think of it, the only people who entered the building were her, Ahmed, Cahill, and the Prince’s closest aides. Holly, who was about to nod at his words, stopped at a moment’s thought.

“Aren’t there any elders in the castle? I think I should greet them first…’

It didn’t seem polite not to greet the owner of the place she visited. At her words, the Prince smiled brightly enough to cool the viewers.

“It’s late today, so I’ll arrange so that you can greet them separately next time.”

Hearing that, Holly’s eyes naturally turned to the window. It was still bright outside.

‘It’s okay, but…’

…It was ridiculous to insist on greeting here.

“Then, can we have a meal first? Anything other than the thing we caught today is fine. Potatoes or simple stew… In fact, I haven’t eaten even a single meal today.”

Holly blushed in embarrassment as she asked for food as soon as she came to someone else’s house. At that, Ahmed narrowed his eyebrows with an ominous look.

“I lacked consideration. I will tell them to prepare food that cooks quickly.”

“N, no! If you tell me where the kitchen is, I can go and make some food…”

She had never been treated like this before. As Holly waved her hand in embarrassment, Ahmed replied in a firm voice.

“No royal family treats guests that way. Please wait here.”

After a while.

Holly was restless in front of the lavishly set table. As she sat at the end of the long table, Cahill was nowhere to be seen. All around her, she was surrounded by strangers, the nobles of the country. They hurried in and took a seat before the meal began at the Prince’s order.

“Would you like to try this, too?”

As the prince pointed his hand at the salad, the maid placed it in a small bowl and set it down in front of Holly. It was burdensome for the Prince to take care of it himself and not anyone else.

“Does it fit your taste?”

“Yes, it is delicious. It was true that the chef was good.”

It was impossible to refuse a favor, so Holly replied with an awkward smile. A sigh of relief was heard around her as the Prince smiled contentedly at her reply.

‘Is he a type that is unexpectedly scary to subordinates?’

She looked at the Prince’s friendly smile. As her eyes met him, his smile grew wider. Holly thought he was staring too hard at her, so she quickly averted her gaze.

“When you are done, I will guide you to your room.”

Holly’s hand stopped while she was using the fork with her eyes fixed on the food.

“Can I stay at the castle?”

“Do you have anywhere else to go?”

The Prince asked her with a lost look. His attitude seemed to declare that she had to stay in the castle, of course.

“If you tell me an inn or a place where I can stay for money, I’ll go there.”

“Who made Miss Holly uncomfortable?”

When she cautiously spoke a refusal, the Prince glanced around with his eyes suddenly sharpened. The nobles, who were watching as they ate and drank, bowed their heads with frightened faces. Because it looked like he was about to grab someone, Holly hurriedly waved her hand.

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“Not at all. You’ve been so good to me that I don’t even know where to put myself.”

Ahmed’s face, which had turned cold in the intense denial, spread warmth again. Holly and the nobles, who were very nervous, breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

“As a guest that I have brought, it is only natural for me to treat you the best. I will take you to the best room, so please stay, for my sake.”

Rather, it was something he had asked her. Even though it was burdensome, there was no way she could resist the gentle smile. When Holly nodded her head, a satisfied smile appeared on Ahmed’s lips.

Unlike anyone else, he was the perfect Prince, polite and kind, as if straight out of a fairy tale.

‘Did you say you would let me stay in the second best room?’

Still, what popped into Holly’s mind was a conversation she had with Cahill one day. She continued to eat, judging her invisible position.

After the meal.

“Today, I have to say goodbye at this point.”

Ahmed looked at Holly and made a sad voice. Although she lived in a country without a royal family, she knew well that the position of a prince in a country was not a place to just relax and eat.

“I wanted to rest, too.”

Holly spoke to the Prince, who left the guest so that he did not feel uncomfortable. Then, Ahmed opened his mouth with a soft smile.

“We will be having a festival starting tomorrow. Would you like to go sightseeing together?”

She blinked at the sudden words.

‘…I don’t think the atmosphere was good enough for a festival.’

To prepare for a festival, food, decorations, and things to do would be overflowing. However, passing by, the village seemed to be quietly engaged in a normal livelihood. Seeing that she didn’t answer easily, he took her hand and lowered his body.

“I think it would be good to repay your accommodation with that, isn’t it?”

Ahmed’s tone was warm and gentle. Looking closely, his eyes were yellow as sweet as honey. Holly nodded her head blankly as if possessed.

“Mona!”

At Ahmed’s call, a maid dressed in a sky blue dress approached with slow steps. She also had dark skin like Ahmed and others. The forgotten anticipation made Holly’s heart race again.

“She is a precious guest, so please serve her without lack.”

At his command, the maid called Mona gazed back at Holly with twinkling eyes. The mature-looking maid, even with the simple act of nodding her head, showed lust. The nape of her neck heated up just by looking at the smile, and Holly sneaked away from her gaze.

“Please, come this way.”

Even Mona’s steps were soft and graceful. Holly, who was walking along the hem of her skirt swaying gently, lifted her head at the fact that suddenly came to mind.

“Ah…! But Cahill, where is my party?”

“I will show him the other room. Holly, you can go this way.”

The maid, Mona, pushed her on the back and pulled the corners of her lips together, smiling. While she had a gentle attitude, somehow, Holly’s back was cold. It was strangely difficult to see Cahill’s face since before.

“I want to talk to him about the schedule for a moment.”

As she spoke stubbornly, Mona glared at her with dark eyes that she couldn’t understand. Still, Holly tried not to avert her eyes this time.

Finally, Mona let out a sigh.

“Please, wait for a moment.”

When Mona gestured towards her somewhere, a maid appeared with a young face. She also seemed to be someone’s superior. Holly narrowed her brow lightly. Since she was just a commoner, she became uncomfortable with being served by such a person.

After a while, the maid brought Cahill.

A servant followed him as if it was natural. Naturally speaking, Holly looked at the three pairs of eyes that were staring at them blankly and shut her mouth.

“Wait.”

After speaking, Holly grabbed Cahill’s arm and led him to the corner before she could hear their answer. The next moment, she examined all over his body with her eyes.

“Did you eat well?”

He was a man bigger than her and had strange abilities, but she couldn’t help but worry about him like a lost child. Sometimes, it was because of his clumsy appearance.

“Unlike you, no one bothers me.”

Cahill shrugged his shoulders and smiled. He defined Ahmed’s kindness in a word that is ‘bother.’ Holly bit her lip, feeling a bit sorry for him.

“It’s okay. As long as you’re okay.”