The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 185
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 185
It was because Kalid, who had been standing at a distance, suddenly wrapped the Princess in an embrace and gently placed a hood over her head.
Gently!
I darted back behind the decorations like a cockroach fleeing from a human.
Thump-thump.
My heart raced wildly.
And the moment the Princess took a step, Kalid swiftly bent down and carefully tied her shoelaces for her.
Was that all?
When her handkerchief fluttered away in the wind, he immediately picked it up and returned it to her.
He draped a scarf around her shoulders, checked if her clothes were warm enough, and even carried her small handbag for her.
Just from his back, I could sense his restlessness—like an eager puppy that didn’t know what to do with itself.
‘Unbelievable….’
I sent him out to find a monument.
‘And he came back as a servant….’
The noise of the bustling crowd seemed to fade into the distance.
* * *
“Look, there’s an arm-wrestling tournament! Let’s go. I should enter right now.”
Sebelena declared with spirited enthusiasm.
Her attendant and bodyguard, Nova, wore an expression of alarm.
“W-w-wait, Your Highness! You’re supposed to watch, not participate! And your shoelace has come undone! Please, have some dignity!”
“Oh my. Tie it for me, Nova.”
Yes, Nova hurriedly bent down and carefully tied her shoelaces in a perfect bow.
The man with deep blue hair was the only close aide Sebelena had brought with her from Iosia.
“Sigh.”
Sebelena’s gaze drifted slightly behind Nova as she watched him move about diligently.
A man with hair color similar to Nova’s but opposite in temperament, appearance, and stature stood as always with an expressionless face.
The sharp features revealed beneath his hood were flawlessly beautiful, like a painting. Having trained since dawn, his neatly swept-back hair made his dark brows and prominent nose ridge stand out even more distinctly.
Thinking he had an unnecessarily handsome face, Sebelena casually struck up a conversation.
“Sir Kalid, is something uncomfortable since earlier?”
The man, who seemed to be cautiously observing his surroundings, opened his mouth quietly.
“…I feel like someone’s watching me.”
“Watching? Could it be an enemy?”
“Not quite.”
“Not quite?”
“It’s itchy….”
“What nonsense.”
Did this man actually know how to joke?
Sebelena exchanged glances with Nova and remained vigilant, but she sensed nothing in particular.
She remarked that he was probably just being sensitive due to the crowd and continued walking.
When she turned back, noticing no one following, the stubborn knight stood with his arms crossed, looking down at her diagonally.
“So how much longer are you planning to play around?”
“Ugh. How tedious.”
“You came all this way to evade the King’s eyes and ears… Surely it’s time to get to the point and preserve your life.”
The low voice never rushed. It was merely slow and monotonous. Even the hand stroking the sword moved with that same deliberate pace.
“The Mage Kingdom is making its move. Are they trying to take me again?”
Kalid recalled a conversation from the previous night with Sebelena.
A suspicious woman who knew Rubian’s true identity.
I had nearly killed her on the spot, but Sebelena’s next words stopped me.
“Seven years ago, a woman who crossed the Babylon Border collapsed in the Iosia Forest. She looked so frail I thought she’d die any moment. But her name was quite unique.”
“….”
“‘Second,’ no less.”
“….”
“What kind of name is that for a person? It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”
‘Before leaving, Rubian said he couldn’t reach “Second.”‘
Kalid recalled Rubian’s face as he hummed while fiddling with magical paper.
If that were the case, did it mean Sebelena was a woman sent by “Second”?
“Lighten up. We have something we need to protect… You could say we’re allies.”
“What’s your objective.”
“I can’t say that here. Let’s move away from this procession and talk.”
That was the reason I’d ended up at this ridiculous Festival.
“Understood. There’s a crowded pub nearby, so let’s go there and talk.”
“Crowded?”
“To hide a tree, you go to the forest. To hide words, you go where people swarm.”
“….”
“And I need to drink Babylon beer.”
Sebelena laughed with a chuckle.
Kalid swallowed a sigh and moved forward again. By then, she was already sampling fruit from a street vendor.
As she reached to wipe her juice-stained hands, a sudden gust of wind swept her handkerchief away.
“Your Highness!”
Nova sprang forward, caught her handkerchief, folded it into a rose shape, and tucked it into his pocket.
At that same moment, Kalid’s head snapped up.
‘Killing intent!’
From where exactly!
And that wasn’t all.
“Nova, give me your scarf. People keep stealing glances at my tattoo. Seems like this place is a bit conservative about tattoos.”
“Yes! Right away, sir.”
When Nova covered the forest village traditional tattoo inscribed on the Princess’s neck and fastened her cloak’s ties,
‘Killing intent!’
Kalid’s head turned sharply back and forth.
“Nova. Why are you being so sluggish? Carry my hand bag.”
“Ugh. What did you put in it this time…?”
“Stone. I’m a woman raised by the forest, after all. Strength training is essential, isn’t it?”
The killing intent flared again!
Sebelena laughed richly at Nova, who was trudging forward with his arm dragging limply.
“But why has Kalid been acting so strange since earlier? Like some desperate puppy.”
“I couldn’t say. Perhaps he truly is desperate?”
“Well, let’s be considerate. Even if he suddenly needs to leave.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Of course, Kalid’s entire attention was focused elsewhere—their voices never reached his ears.
‘Killing intent? Something this trivial and blunt?’
No, that wasn’t it at all…
That was when it happened.
A faint commotion erupted from one corner of the street. Kalid’s gaze snapped toward it like a magnet.
“Ugh, those ruffians are at it again.”
“Drinking in broad daylight… Tsk, tsk. They’re ruining the entire festival atmosphere.”
At the far end of the street stood a small statue, and beside it, a shadowy alley.
Four burly men were staggering, driving a small-framed young knight into the darkness of the alley…
“Last time they beat someone so badly they got severely punished for it, and yet… it seems people truly don’t change.”
“Ugh, it gives me chills. What should we do?”
“Looks like a wandering knight got caught up in this. We’ve already informed the Security Force, so let’s just wait. Ah, customers! Please come this way!”
The merchants greeted Sebelena warmly.
“Wow, are these the traditional spices of Babylon?”
“You must be from abroad! That’s right, that’s right!”
“Sir Kalid, which one would you recommend…? Huh?”
Sebelena spun around and blinked.
“Where did he go?”
In that moment, her eyes met Nova’s, and they both exhaled a melancholic sigh simultaneously.
Ah, he really must have been in quite a hurry…
* * *
‘Ha…!’
I was consumed by a sense of betrayal.
“Hey there, kid.”
‘He just puts on a hat, takes off his clothes, and causes a commotion!’
Did he ever do that for me? Huh? Really? When? I can’t remember!
The distant silhouettes of Kalid and the Princess kept flickering before my eyes.
“Damn…”
I pouted my lips and kicked at the ground. I had just stopped peering from behind the decorations and entered the alley.
‘Why does this feel so awful?’
This emotion filling my chest… was it betrayal?
“Hey. Your older brothers are calling you. Kid.”
‘Am I greedy? Do I have an obsessive possessive streak?’
My family raised me with such indulgence that I’ve come to expect the same doting treatment from my friends as well.
“Growing up too comfortably really does create problems.”
“Hey, this bastard’s been ignoring what people say this whole time!”
“So this is why third-generation heir syndrome happens so often.”
I was debating whether I should drop the “third generation” part from my beloved horse’s name.
“Hey, grab him!”
Finally, one of the thugs who had been trailing behind me this whole time grabbed my shoulder firmly.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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