Princess Sherry’s Tale - Chapter 1.2

After pushing him away, Sherri, who rose off the bed and brushed off her clothes, stared at him sharply. Is this really what he wants to do? She thought they’d been over this already. She thought he understood.

“Are you saying you want to die?” she said, a bit too seriously.

“No, your highness. I correct myself,” Hans said quickly, straightening his back and closing his mouth.

Sherri looked at him sternly a moment longer, before pulling a package from a wardrobe and handing it to him.

At first glance, he could see it was made from expensive, high-quality paper. Hans didn’t take it but rather he just stared at it. Impatient, Sherri finally just shoved it into his hands.

“What is this?”

“It’s not for you, it’s a wedding gift for your new bride, Julia.”

That’s when Hans, noticing the engraved design on the front of the bag, mumbled something in a low voice.

Madam Chloe’s Boutique. He had thought the design looked familiar.

“Come to think of it, Hans, are the wedding preparations going well?”

“Thanks to your attention to detail, Julia is quite satisfied, princess. And… Isn’t this the most famous dress designer in the capital?”

Sherri’s eyes widened at Hans’s ability to recognize that. There was nothing written on the outside of the bag, but he knew right away that it was the design of a specialty shop that made women’s clothing.

As expected, he was the second-best player in the empire. Shouldn’t she stop him from marrying Julia even now? For poor Julia’s sake?

“You don’t need to say much, Hans, since you said that the two of you have a good relationship. You really will love Julia, right?”

Hans burst into laughter at her unexpected sincerity, and her sudden desire to confirm his affection for his fiancée.

“That’s right, princess. As you know, I’ve never once wanted marriage, didn’t really think I would marry, but I think she is great. Should I call it love? I don’t know.”

The marriage, and love, between Julia and Hans may never be Sherri’s idealized version, but it will be a marriage, nonetheless.

“Well… you sure have changed compared to the first time I met you. Now don’t cheat on her after you’re married! A man who makes his wife cry is the worst, you know.”

Responding a little exaggeratedly as if it were a play, Hans bowed low and kissed Sherri’s soft hand, “Who am I to disobey? Your wish is my command, Miss Sherri.”

Smiling despite herself, she pulled her hand away, and said, “So, what did you mean earlier about the shield and spear, or whatever it was?”

“From what I know that guy Tol still hasn’t been with a woman, princess.”

“What? With those looks? His face is a bit young-looking, but… that’s ridiculous. How old is he?”

“Uh, he turned twenty-two this year, I believe.”

“Twenty-two? Just by looking at his face, I felt he was barely a day past eighteen.”

When she headed back out to the terrace in shock, planning to get another look, Hans grabbed her hand in his, pulling her back and clicking his tongue.

“He’s not too young,” he reminded her, “Even if he was eighteen, which he is not, he would still be old enough to get married. He isn’t as young as he looks. Weren’t you also unique at eighteen, Miss Sherri?”

It had already been two years. Sherri looked coyly up at Hans’ smiling face.

“Hmmm, come to think of it, the purpose of the shield is not to prevent all possible strikes. In the end, even if a shield is pierced, it has been successful if you still hold the spear.”

“What in the world are you trying to say, Hans?”

Hans grinned. Even if you’re older than eighteen, no, twenty, you cannot call yourself an adult if you’ve never been in love. Not until you’ve given away your heart. Even more so if it’s this princess, who could easily hold any heart in her delicate hand, as he knew only too well.

“From now on, your job is to turn me into a woman.” He remembered the look on her beautiful face that day two years ago, when she had commanded him proudly, though he had also seen the nervousness and innocence in her olive eyes. It was right around the same time that he had fled the capital, retreating to his country’s small villa, because of the ‘incident’.

Afterward, every time Hans saw her, he thought of the young knight with the bright purple eyes, and he flinched a little. And he couldn’t help but notice the faint jealousy and longing that passed over her face.

Obviously, he knew all this and chose his actions anyways, but his lips thinned in regret at his thoughts.

Forcing his mind back to the present, he said, “Like I said, it’s because he is the complete opposite of me. Oh, and Miss Sherri. Can I give you one piece of advice?”

“And what makes you think I need any, Hans?”

She, not some random knight, was the spear, and not the shield. Although, she was curious about what he had to say. The title of “Greatest Player in the Territory” was not whispered about Hans because of his handsome face alone. He was so much more than just his looks, as she knew better than most.

“As you’ve always done, just poke him and he’ll fold.”

“So, you are indeed saying that I am a spear?”

Hans shrugged as if saying yes. As expected, Sherri was no dim-witted princess.

“Wait, didn’t you say earlier that they were boring because they were too easy for you?”

Sherri, who quickly lost interest in most things these days, raised her slender hand and waved one perfectly manicured finger at him. “That’s enough. Perhaps I don’t want to waste my time on a knight who is just a bodyguard, no matter how impossibly attractive he is.”

Watching her closely, Hans said, “It’s not too late to meet him for yourself and decide then, princess.” Then lowering his voice conspiratorially said, “Oh, and…”

Sherry had no choice but to lean towards him to hear what he would say next, his expression suddenly serious.

“This is a secret, princess, but the knight… apparently his c*ck is magnificent. So much so, that it shocks the other knights every time he uses the barracks shower. For someone with a babyface, he is probably the most well-endowed of all the knights.”