Me, a Princess? My Lord! - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 104

I thought he was extraordinary, but to think he was a big shot like a count. Since he was young and handsome, I roughly guessed he might be some precious young master from a noble house, but my assumption was way off.

‘And Duke Delern is here too… Did he come for an inspection because of the drought?’

Norbert’s eyes shook rapidly.

Though he now lived in the countryside doing manual labor just to put food on the table, he was once a proper coachman at the Royal Palace. Of course, he had never directly served The King, but once he had driven a carriage carrying The Queen.

‘Of course, that one time ruined my life…’

Norbert made a bitter expression.

Having once been a Royal Palace coachman, Norbert knew quite a few people from the nobility. He was particularly acquainted with those who frequently visited the Royal Palace, often conversing with them.

One of them was Count Haizen. Since he had now passed away, it would be proper to call him the late Count Haizen.

When The King and the count would often drink late into the night, he would drive him back to his estate. Then the count would sometimes take him into the estate and offer him simple food.

“So now you have to go back to the Royal Palace to stable the carriage, and only then can you go home?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh my. By the time you get home, you won’t have any energy left to eat. If it’s alright, come in with me. I’ll give you something simple to eat before you leave.”

He was a good person. Unusually unpretentious for a noble, and kind to everyone.

When Norbert decided to quit his coachman job, he had even offered him work.

“Why are you suddenly quitting, my friend. Are you having personal difficulties? Feel free to share.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“If it’s about work intensity or salary, I can accommodate you to some extent. I was thinking of hiring one more coachman anyway.”

“I’m grateful for your words, but I want to leave the capital city. I want to spend my remaining years peacefully in a quiet countryside.”

“If that’s your reason, I won’t try to persuade you further… But to my eyes, it somehow looks like you’re running away in fear. Am I mistaken?”

Though the count’s expression was always gentle, his gaze was sharp. He had eyes that could see through a person’s soul. When standing before him, Norbert felt like he was being seen through completely.

‘Like father, like son. His son’s eyes are the same.’

Norbert slightly avoided Deshion’s gaze and pretended not to notice.

After a moment, the castle gate opened and permission to enter was granted. Norbert slowly drove the carriage into the castle. The security inside the castle was as strict as outside.

When he stopped the carriage in front of the main castle, Duke Delern came out personally to greet them. Though he had aged considerably, he looked exactly as Norbert remembered.

‘Eek.’

Norbert bowed his head deeply. There was no way a noble would remember a Royal Palace coachman who worked briefly decades ago. He knew this, but his heart still felt uneasy.

“Count Haizen, what brings you here.”

When Duke Delern offered a handshake, Deshion grasped his hand and said.

“I had business visiting the area. I brought flour and some food ingredients. I thought they might be helpful.”

“Oh, of course they’ll be a great help.”

“Is Princess inside?”

“I don’t know which one you’re looking for, but both are inside.”

Norbert’s face turned pale as the moon listening to their conversation.

‘Both princesses are here?’

It was fortunate he was sitting on the coachman’s seat, because if he had been standing, he would have collapsed right there. Norbert’s legs trembled.

‘If it’s both princesses…’

The face of a newborn baby appeared in Norbert’s mind. Along with those clear violet eyes that looked up at him.

Though twenty years had passed, those memories remained vividly etched in his mind without fading at all.

His own daughter whom he barely got to hold.

The King’s daughter, whom he thought had been sacrificed for his own daughter.

These were two people Norbert could never forget. His body began trembling like an aspen tree. The sound of his teeth chattering echoed in his ears.

Norbert, who was half out of his mind, didn’t notice.

“…”

That someone was carefully observing his state.

* * *

Heidi whispered while looking at the man slouched and dozing on the coachman’s seat.

“So that person over there is…”

Deshion nodded.

“Norbert Albett. The coachman who was at that scene.”

“…!”

“I deliberately brought him here. I wanted to see how he’d react when he saw you and Anastasia.”

“How did he seem?”

“Like he’d seen a ghost. The way he turned pale and trembled, his reaction was more intense than I expected.”

A faint line appeared between Deshion’s brows.

“It doesn’t seem like he simply witnessed the situation. Perhaps…”

“He might have been more deeply involved.”

Deshion nodded.

“It seems he knew at the time that you and Anastasia were switched. Whether he was directly involved or just stood by and watched, we’ll have to find out.”

Deshion stared intently at Heidi, then slightly raised the corner of his mouth.

“By the way…”

Deshion’s gaze fell on Heidi’s flushed face. Her eyes sparkled more than usual and her pursed lips looked like she was expecting something.

“I heard you accomplished something remarkable.”

“Remarkable is an overstatement.”

“The Prime Minister was praising you endlessly. Tell me. What exactly did you accomplish?”

At Deshion’s question, Heidi smiled proudly.

“What happened was…”

Heidi began chattering about what she had accomplished at Hitchins Estate. Perhaps because she was excited, her voice was about a tone higher than usual.

Though he had already spent an hour hearing from Duke Delern about what Anastasia and Heidi had done, Deshion listened to Heidi’s voice as if hearing it all for the first time.

What she saw, what people she met. What she felt and learned in the process.

Excitement and joy emanated from Heidi’s face as she told each story. She sparkled with light.

And what about her voice. To Deshion’s ears, Heidi’s voice sounded just like a lark’s song.

“…”

Deshion gazed at Heidi intently. How long had it been since he had such a comfortable conversation with her? He suddenly realized how much he had missed these moments.

It felt like his breathing cleared. The sensation of being alive spread from his heart to his fingertips and toes. Just sitting beside Heidi and listening to her stories, his fatigue disappeared completely.

Then Heidi, sensing his gaze, quickly turned her head. She looked directly into Deshion’s eyes.

“…”

Heidi’s eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth.

“Don’t make that expression.”

Deshion tilted his head slightly.

“That expression? What kind of expression am I making?”

At Deshion’s answer, Heidi’s face turned bright red. She replied in a slightly sulky voice as if annoyed.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“I’m really asking because I don’t know.”

Deshion slightly raised the corner of his mouth.

“Tell me. What expression am I looking at you with?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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