Princess Sherry’s Tale - Chapter 12

Tol’s father’s first wife died long ago, and his second wife was much older than him, so his mother was two years younger than his oldest brother. Even if the mother were to be recognized as the right of succession through private circumstances, Tol would be far behind in ranks. Therefore, there was no hesitation in him giving up.

I will permanently give up all my future inheritance and right to succession. Thank you for all you’ve done. Please take good care of Mother, Father…

Of course, if his mother became a countess he could receive a part of his inheritance. However, to the sixteen-year-old Tol, all he wanted to do was disappear out of sight from his five brothers and everyone else.

Just like that, he had left his family mansion and officially began his training as a knight. And, luckily, he was now in his sixth year as a knight, due to the marquis having taken notice of his remarkable skills.

At that time, it was the expectations from the public for his successor that made the marquis famous rather than the position of the prestigious family of the founding fathers and the second-to-none wealth in the empire. Despite being only 14 years old, he had a clear brain, quick and bold judgment, and the noble blood of a saint, but he was not arrogant; he was a fine young man.

On top of that, it was already open to the public that a daughter, who resembled the marchioness who had died shortly after her birth, was expected to succeed her as the finest flower in the empire.

“There she is… It’s your first time to see a princess, huh?”

“Uh…”

Tol clearly remembered the days when he was a knight trainee who used to glance at his future. How could he forget it?

From the very first encounter, he had kept the girl in his eyes for as long as possible, even when he didn’t notice when his colleagues poked him on his side. It was obvious that he had fallen in love at first sight, but he was unconsciously reluctant to admit it. This was because he thought that he would not be a very suitable groom even for a common woman, let alone dare to covet a noblewoman in his current situation. Tol, at that time, was a young boy with no confidence.

From then he thought he would see her at least once a year, but it was enough to think about only the moments and get excited alone. But he swore to God he could never be overly greedy for her. It was because Sherri, given her status, had already had someone she planned to marry for a long time.

“You said she’s coming with Prince Edwin this time.”

“So when are those two getting married?”

Prince Edwin, who was the same age as him, was the heir to the famous Lindekire family. The only son of the emperor’s most beloved younger sister. Sherri, who had inherited the middle name of a woman saint in the past, was also treated the same as an empress, so except for the royal family it was a combination of the two most noble children.

Was she 16, or was she 17? Tol had never once seen the two together.

He’d heard that the prince had a cold and stern personality with no mercy, but he looked gentle when he was next to the princess. So, Tol thought that she would marry him once she reached the proper age.

His love, which Sherri had not even properly acknowledged, was trampled on and bleeding, but Tol tried to ignore the screams of his heart even then.

Apart from the one-sided love of a poor, broken boy who couldn’t even start his own love story, everyone in the empire believed in the happy ending between the prince and princess. That is until the girl suddenly broke their engagement the year she turned 18.

“Did you hear? About the Lindekire family and the Miharshelles?”

“Did they really break up? I wondered if they did…”

The destruction of the most anticipated couple in the empire was enough to shock not only him but also the entire empire. The reason for the broken engagement of the prince, who had been scheduled to be acknowledged as the duke’s son, was that he, an only child, couldn’t become the Marquis Miharshell’s son-in-law.

The marquis was so determined not to remarry after sending his wife first that Sherri was in a situation where she had to take over the title herself as daughter-in-law. In the end, the broken engagement proceeded quickly, and everyone felt sorry but took it as something inevitable.

And for a while, it had been said that she was not feeling well and went to a quiet place in the Duchy of her mother’s family. As she had been with her fiance for a long time, she must have gone there to soothe her heartbreak caused by the breakup. But in less than six months she returned to her family’s mansion and regained her lively former self, they said.

Tol had never met her gaze, let alone had a conversation with her, and he could count on one hand how many times he’d seen her face from afar, but he felt very fortunate to hear that news, all the while hoping that she would meet a good man next time who would help her and continue the glory of her family and be happy.

Because it was him anyway who thought he wouldn’t see much of her until she was handed the title of the marchioness.

“Nice people all call me ‘Sherri’. Hmmm. I hope you call me that, too, Tol.”

“How outrageous, Madam Kasheira. And I feel more comfortable when I am called ‘Tolcher’.”

However, it had been about two months since Hans suddenly recommended him to become an escort for the princess. She, whom he’d kept a close eye on during that time, was a bit different from what he’d expected.

“Tol, do you know the duties of being an escort of a noble young woman?”

“To keep her safe from danger—”

“No, no. Not that! I’m talking about what goes on at ‘night’. Hans didn’t tell you?”

He had always heard that she was bright and smiled often. However, he had never dreamed that she was such a juvenile person because she was famous for her brilliance. On top of that, she often did these fascinating expressions that made his heart sink, so Tol tried to suppress his broken heart, saying that his eyes were betraying him.

But what about what went on at ‘night’… He had never heard about that.

The most important thing among what the former escort Hans had requested was ‘Don’t go against the spirits of an overworked young woman.’ In response to his efforts not to lose his dignity as a successor, he emphasized again and again that he should never be mistaken when she expressed “friendliness” above the average level to her closest acquaintances.

On top of that, the butler that’d worked at the marquis’s home from time to time repeatedly warned that he should bear no more than loyalty to the innocent girl in any case. And that was all.

So, only belatedly did Tol realize what her words meant. But nothing changed.

“Hey, uh, Mr. Jade.”

“Who is this? Tol, is that you?”

“…greetings.”

Tol’s eyebrow wriggled slightly at the words of the senior knight, who was pleased as he patted his robust shoulder. Tol knew that ‘Tol’ was a nickname that Jade used as a joke to tease him. However, it was the young woman who had given it to him, not Jade. Like that, the nickname ‘Tol’ had become something sort of special to him. But he’d never allowed her to call him that nickname.

Originally he had thought the nickname didn’t suit his large stature and dry full name. But it was pleasant in its own way to hear it through Sherri’s bright voice.

Oh, this isn’t it. Coming back to earth, Tol shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts.

“All right. What is it at this hour?”

“May I ask one question, sir?”

When the senior knight permitted with a shrug, Tol opened his mouth, still hesitating.

“Do you know… about what goes on at night between a young woman and an escort, sir?”

He secretly lowered his voice as he looked around, just in case someone was listening. And at that moment the senior knight, who had had a playful smirk on his face, wiped the smile off his face. He noticed why Tol had hesitated with his question just now.

“Don’t.”

At his firm answer and distinctively altered tone, Tol directed his head in the senior knight’s position. It was plainly revealed that his ever-unshaken purple eyes were turning into an embarrassment.

“Huh?”

“I said not Miss Sherri.”

Tol, who was never embarrassed, absently took a step forward.

“N-no, sir. I didn’t dare make up my mind to do something vile…”

And what he desperately tried to blurt out while stuttering was cut off by the senior knight’s hand held up to his face.

“You think someone asked about your feelings? I mean, you can’t even if you wanted to.”

Tol, bowing his head again to hide his eyes that began to shake violently, gently nibbled on the flesh on his inner cheek while the senior knight, Jade, scrunched his face as he stared at him.

So it really is true what Hans said.