Ch. 5

I said it again just to make sure.

'Kyle, if you can hear my voice, please answer.'

As expected, he was just untying the rope and didn't answer.

'Kyle, my mother's son-in-law. Please answer if you can hear me.'

"...I am a prince, and I cannot marry someone who does not even know my status."

Kyle answered, holding the rope he had just untied, and laughed in confusion. His cheeks, which blushed with embarrassment along with his slightly raised lips, looked much softer than usual.

Weird, in the original book, he wasn't portrayed as someone who smiled this much.

"Kyle, I mean, Your Highness."

"What?"

"I think the sentences where I say I like Your Highness are the ones being transmitted. It can't just be something casual. I guess it only gets conveyed when I put in a lot of personal feelings."

My arms, which had been tied for a long time, were stiff and couldn't move well.

Ugh...

Groaning in pain, I finally managed to move my arm. Kyle held out the handkerchief again and whispered softly.

"Mega sexy bomb...."

I should have held back on my words. I don't know how to react to what I just said. I wiped away tears, feeling embarrassed, and got lost in my thoughts.

Perhaps Kyle didn't expect a response to what he said, as he wasn't looking at me. He just nodded absentmindedly. It seemed that he was slowly accepting this absurd situation where he could hear my thoughts.

"Well, it seems like that's the case. It was the first time I've heard so many different kinds of confessions, all at once, and so passionately."

I felt embarrassed for some reason and twisted my body in the other direction. Kyle looked at me with complicated eyes.

"It's a situation where I can't completely let you go, yet I can't imprison someone whose identity is uncertain. Until I give separate orders, you'll have to work in my palace."

"Really? That's great!"

'Yes! I'll be next to Kyle all the time! It's so great, really! Oh, right. I have to be careful about my thoughts.'

I realized it belatedly, and Kyle smiled and raised his hand. His hand, which had reached above my head, stopped in mid-air and then slowly descended.

What did he just do?

"Um, well, I've heard so much that I'm confused now. Benji."

"Yes, your Highness."

"Find a job for Ging Ging-ja, within my palace."

"...Yes, your Highness."

There seemed to be some dissatisfaction with Benji's response, as it was slow.

Kyle was probably very tired, collapsing onto the bed before Benji could even leave the room with me.

It was tough for him; he must have been very surprised.

Even though it wasn't intentional, I felt guilty for no reason.

I used to habitually think, 'I really love Kyle'. I need to fix that.

Oops. I just said "Kyle" again. Oops, I did it again. Can they hear everything?

"Benji, where are we going now?"

"We have to find a job for you."

"But, Benji, why does His Highness sleep with a sword on his bed? Is he going to kill anyone that comes in?"

"If a spy like you comes in..."

"Our prince can't even sleep well and is tired. What am I going to do? Ah, I want to protect him for the rest of my life."

I guess I really spoke harshly since Benji's expression changed strangely.

"But, how old is His Highness Kyle this year?"

"How did you just address him?"

"Benji, don't look at me like that. It's scary. I don't have any bad intentions. If I use something like His Highness I might disturb him while he rests. He might still hear us."

As I spoke with wide eyes, Benji touched his chin and nodded his head.

"I see. I shouldn't make him uncomfortable."

"Yes."

When I smiled, Benji seemed uncomfortable and turned his head.

Why is this kid turning his head when people smile?

"His Highness is 21 years old this year. He graduated from the academy early and came back to diligently attend the succession classes. Of course, some ignorant people call him the Blue Star, and say that he can't become an Emperor, but I don't think so."

"Why?"

"Because there's no one who thinks about the empire as much as Highness."

"...Yes, that's what I think too."

He's been living for the Empire all his life, and he even died. But now I won't let anything happen as long as I'm here.

"By the way, I've never heard of anyone named Kin Ging-ja. It's my first time hearing a name pronounced like that. You seem to be from another country, but how did you know His Highness and me? His Highness is currently busy with many things, so he says he'll just leave you be, but in the current situation where I don't know if you're a witch or a sorcerer..."

"Mr. Benji."

This kid is being annoying again. I should tell him to shut up.

I took Benji's hand.

"Mr. Benji, you seem to be a really nice person. Of course, you can also be very scary, but I can tell from your bravery that you can do anything for His Highness. Your loyalty and wisdom have been known even in the faraway place where I'm from. I don't even know how I ended up in the palace, but it's such an honor to meet a great prince and a great knight who serves and advises such a prince."

Benji's lips twitched.

I know that Benji is weak against compliments. In society, it's become a joke that he turned into a flattery magnet.

".....I don't think it will be that hard to work here. Once I'm sure of who you are, you might be able to go back to where you came from."

Benji didn't ask me any more questions. Actually, I had nothing else to say. He didn't know anything about Korea, and I was most curious about how to go back.

Maybe I'm already dead. After all, my body was hit and thrown into the air by a large truck.

But the prince is only twenty-one years old. Was this before the black-eyed prince entered the palace?

Maybe I can buy him some time. I won't let Kyle be ignored and die alone in this palace.

I clenched my hands and made a promise.

Following Benji, we went into a building that looked simple. Inside, an elderly woman in tidy black attire and an updo was handling a stack of documents, presumably organizing something.

Benji approached her to speak after grinning.

"Madam Tilly."

"Oh, my, Mr. Benji. What brings you here? Who is this child? Her hair color is very unique. Which noble family is she from? No, looking at her clothes, is she a commoner? It's strange for a knight to bring a woman with him."

... Benji had only called her "Madam Tilly" so far. She appeared to be an impressive talker.

"She's a woman I was entrusted with due to some circumstances. Is there a job for her? I think she would do it as a maid."

"Really? Ah, I needed someone to organize His Highness Kyle's private library. The one who was here recently went back to his hometown and became a farmer or whatever. I can't believe it. How can he just quit like that and leave the next person in trouble? What's your name, miss?"

"Ging,"

I jabbed Benji's side to answer first. I didn't want to be called Ging here.

Isn't there an easy-to-call, sophisticated name? No matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn't think of one. That's when the voice of my next-door neighbor in the 401 apartment, which could not be soundproofed, suddenly rang in my mind like a lightning bolt.

"You can't poop here. How many times have I told you that? Oh, my, you're so cute."

"You shouldn't bark at night, right? Good girl, right? What's so amazing about that? Oh, really? "

The white Pomeranian, who received lots of love, always barked and kept me from sleeping at night. What was her name again? The aunty always called out to her so eagerly.

Let's see, the name is...

"...Josephine!"

"Huh?"

"..."

"......Just Josephine, a commoner, has no last name."

That's how I became Josephine.

......Ma'am, why didn't you name your dog something more luxurious?

"Yes, Josephine. Same name as my grandmother; it must be fate! Ho ho!"

I awkwardly forced a laugh along with Tilly, who was smiling happily. Benji was next to me, covering his mouth and shaking his shoulders.

Still, being Josephine is better than being Ging Ging-ja.

"Josephine, can you read?"

Tilly smiled kindly and handed me a bunch of papers.

"Oh, this writing...."

I couldn't understand any of the tangled, twisted letters that Tilly had given me. They weren't English, and certainly not Korean. They were characters I had never seen before.

"I don't know."

"You don't know how to read?"

Benji, who was standing next to me, asked in surprise.

Is the illiteracy rate in this country really that low? Is it such a surprising thing?

"Oh dear, if you can't read, there's nothing you can do for work.... What should we do...."

Tilly took the bunch of papers that she had given me and sighed, tapping her chin with her fingers.

"Mr. Advisor, it's okay for men not to know, but there's nothing for Josephine to do. The staff assigned to Kyle's palace has reached its limit, and there aren't many tasks that can be assigned to a commoner girl with no family name. If we hire more people, I will be in trouble with the central palace. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Tilly was smiling with a twitch in her thick eyebrows. She had nothing more to help with. Benji, too, didn't have a sharp retort, so he just smiled like a courteous knight.

Once we left the building, Benji complained to me about not having learned to read and write, wherever my hometown was, and so on. I wanted to shut his beak like a bird, but since it was true that my situation became more difficult because I couldn't read, I kept my mouth shut.

What if I can't work here in the palace anymore?

If I go outside the palace, the chances of meeting Kyle will decrease, and I won't be able to save him from danger.

...What did Tilly say earlier?

"If you're a man, it's okay not to know how to read, but there's nothing for Josephine to do."

So that means men can work here, right?

"Benji!"

"Yeah?"

Suddenly grabbing his sleeve with a bright face, I dragged Benji along behind me.

"Benji! Where's the bathroom? And bring me a new set of clothes."

"Why are you looking for those things?"

"I have to work here, no matter what."

"...So you really are a spy."

"That's not it! The point is that I should make the prince happy and remain by his side. If there's nothing for a woman to do, then I can do a man's work. I'll dress like a man."

"Hey, a man's work is-"

"Yeah, carrying a big water bucket in the garden to water the trees, opening and closing the carriage door, and moving luggage, I know it all too. How many times have I read, no, seen it?"

Benji's mouth opened in surprise, but he couldn't think of anything to say and just stood there blankly.

"Oh, quickly! Please bring me any clothes! Men's clothes."

Pushing Benji out of the door and into a conspicuous warehouse-like room, he said, "But you just called me Benji again."

With a pounding heart, I covered my mouth with my hand. It had become a habit to call the characters by their names, so I made another mistake, but I couldn't hide my nervous and excited feelings.

After a while, Benji appeared with a coat and pants.

"I'll talk to the prince and try to find another place to go..."

"If it's not the prince's palace, it won't do. The point is to make the prince happy and stay as close as possible."

The situation was gradually changing. Kyle, who had been described as having no sense of humor, laughed several times in front of me today.

Somehow, it seemed like I could make Kyle happier. As I thought of him, laughter naturally bubbled up. I grinned widely at Benji.

"Just trust me, Benji."

Benji's expression turned strange. He suddenly turned his face in the opposite direction.

Why is he acting like that? Do I smell bad to him?

"I'm glad the prince isn't here right now."

"Why?"

"If he saw that expression just now, ... no, anyone would..."

"I'm really busy right now; what are you talking about, Benji? Do you have a knife?"

"...... Yes, but I can't give a knife to someone who hasn't learned how to wield it properly."

"Is that so? Then can Benji cut it for me?"

"What?"

"My hair."

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