He did not boast of what he had learned at the age of nine or what his son was studying now.

Such a stance was a little unusual to her.

It was the first time someone had waited so long for her words.

Was that why?

Somehow, a strange thought crept into Rieta’s heart.

‘I don’t want to seem stupid in front of this guy.’

If he found out she was a fool who hadn’t learned anything, she thought this kind of polite treatment would disappear.

“I’m…”

She recalled the books her father claimed to have read when he was a child.

Books she remembered of which she couldn’t even read the introduction.

“History Wyatt’s Day…”

The words that followed in her memories faded away.

She didn’t forget.

She was able to name a few more difficult books.

No, she wouldn’t tell him.

If the princess’s respect was something that could only be preserved by lies for someone’s favor, it would have been better to give up that face.

“…I’m sorry.”

She just hugged the book she was holding, as if she was trying to soothe her pounding heart with it.

“I never learned anything.”

Her face was flushed with tension and shame.

Even if she was naked in the square, she would not be this ashamed of herself.

“I see.”

The Duke’s answer was calm.

Rieta feared that she had left a bad impression of herself on him.

“I’m glad you’re being honest.”

However, his answer was much friendlier than she thought it would have been.

Of course, judging by the way he spoke, he wasn’t very impressed with the fact.

“Then, I will hire a teacher with that in mind.”

Rietta quickly lifted her head, as it seemed he was talking to her.

“D-Duke!”

With a flushed face.

“Yes.”

He waited for her to speak again.

It felt like deja vu.

“I-I’m… To be honest…”

After some contemplation, she decided to tell the truth.

She couldn’t waste the duke’s time by making him fetch a teacher for her.

“I can’t speak… the Imperial language.”

“Yes, I thought so.”

…He knew.

“You seem to be capable of greetings. Is that right?”

At the Duke’s question, she pulled out a folded piece of paper that she had kept in her pocket.

“I memorized all the words here. I can write them too.”

The Duke opened a tattered paper with a puzzled face.

The thick paper had softened from the numerous times it was opened and folded again.

‘Hello.

I’m Rieta Liz.

Thank you.

This is a letter from King Liz to His Majesty.

Goodbye.”

“…What is this?”

Asked the frowning Duke.

Since this was the first time she saw his expression change, Rieta quickly stepped back.

“My father… Before I went to the Empire…”

Crazy bast*rd.

The duke mumbled vulgar words in the Imperial language so that she could not understand them.

It wasn’t a reaction that came from protective feelings for the princess.

As he inwardly cursed the fact that there was someone who would do that as the father of a child and as a human being, it just slipped out of his mouth.

The king sent this little thing all this way, and she only possessed this one paper?

As the Duke’s reaction was unusual, Rieta quickly added that there was more.

“I’ve learned about ‘sweet’, and I’ve also learned about 10…”

“I know someone who teaches the Imperial language well. You will learn it soon.”

The Duke felt distaste for the note that King Liz had written, but he returned it to her.

Looking at how she had been carrying until it was wrinkled, it seemed as though this little thing was leaning on that lousy note.

Rieta looked up at the Duke with the paper in her hands.

“Well…”

His face, which had been expressing his passionate rage, dulled again.

‘I guess he wasn’t angry at me.’

Come to think of it.

A little while ago, when he said, ‘As a guardian, I learned a bit of the Kingdom’s language.’

When she heard that, she was surprised that he knew the language of the kingdom.

The words ‘as a guardian’ really touched her heart.

Because he was her guardian.

The guardian of Rieta Liz.

She felt as though she finally had a ceiling above her.

It was a haven that made for beautiful shadows.