While the whistling of the breeze, the reins cracking, and the neighing of Pegasi filled the air outside the carriage...
Inside, things were much quieter and more stable—a sign of the special effects the carriage seemed to be imbued with.
There were two long seats present within, each opposite the other.
Close to the entrance sat Princess Eiffel, her gloved hands folded into each other as she stared out the window from the side.
But occasionally, her gaze could not help but drift to the far end, where he was seated.
He sat erect on the seat, legs crossed over each other, with his fingers curled together silently and resting on his knees.
His shimmering purple eyes, just like hers, also looked out of the window.
Right now, Ryuk’s senses had been flared out to the max.
It wasn’t like possessing the Sky Vein Lattice skill where he could feel all life 300 meters around him, but just his ears and nose, tuned to their max—picking up sounds as far as 1,000 meters away more than clearly, and a vivid image of the surroundings, including those he could not see, being formed in his head.
Even the secret carriage that was moving behind them, seemingly tagging along, didn’t escape Ryuk’s ears.
A faint smile curved his face.
’Their concealment is really good. The air is barely rippling even though they’re traveling at the same speed as our carriage...’
’But still, they can’t stop the mild reverberation of the space.’
Having his senses gripping onto every corner of the environment made him feel at ease,as he knew he could remain in position to assess things carefully.
And so, he turned his face away from the window, his gaze faintly brushing the area where she sat.
He caught her just as she quickly averted her eyes.
"So this is the so-called spoiled but powerful Princess Eiffel?" Ryuk recalled Officer Rhys’s description of her.
According to what he had been told, the Princess was supposed to be attending an important event, and Ryuk’s mission was to accompany her.
As for why the family didn’t just choose one of their hundreds of guards to accompany her, that was a reason Officer Rhys didn’t think Ryuk needed to know.
But Ryuk had to admit—the Princess’s mannerisms didn’t match the tales he’d been told.
She seemed to finally regain her nerves as she turned to look at him.
The sound of her fingers fumbling and twisting to squeeze the edge of her skirt didn’t escape his ears.
Eiffel wanted to initiate a chat, but only she knew just how much she sucked at doing that.
She was already used to a life where everyone spoke first, trying to make an impression on her.
But in this situation, the silence was creeping, and for the first time, she felt it needed to be broken—to lighten the tension and dull the loud pounding of her heart.
In the end, she could only follow up with what little she knew of him.
"So... you work as an Archguard... from the Ammamoran Service Center?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky—the clearest expression of her nervousness.
’Did he notice that?’
’Was that too uncouth for a princess?’
’He must think I’m dumb for asking such an obvious question,’
’Does he now hate me?’
The thoughts rushed uncontrollably through her mind, each moment causing her to grip the hem of her skirt tighter.
"That’s correct, Princess." The crisp and clear voice rang out once more, causing the negative thoughts to come to an instant stop.
"I am an Archguard and affiliated with the Ammamoran Service Center," he added.
The calm and small smile was all she needed to know—he probably appreciated the questioning, rather than thinking she was dumb for it.
The reply made her stuffed chest lighten a bit, a sense of ease crawling upon her and giving her the energy to say what she truly felt about him.
"You seem very young to be one from the Ammamoran Center."
’Wait, did I just call him naïve?’ the thought quickly echoed as she tried to correct herself.
"I mean... in a good way, of course. I’m not saying it’s bad or anything," she quickly added, resulting in his smile widening.
"You seem to have noticed something obvious about those from the Center," he said, and she nodded.
"Yes. Many of those from the Center—at least those I’ve met—are old."
"My father would argue that they’re not old, but experienced. But I don’t believe in that."
"Then, it only makes sense you’re a bit surprised to see one as young as me, doesn’t it?" he asked, to which she paused in surprise.
’He understood so clearly.’
And then, she nodded.
"Yes, I am."
"Your father is correct," he suddenly said, drawing her attention.
Somehow, that phrase was something she was always told by almost everyone—especially that annoying butler, Sir Leopold—and hearing it from him triggered her irritation again.
"How so?" she forced out from between her teeth.
"Because those who are old... are old, of course," he said, pausing her irritation in its tracks.
"But there’s a high chance their old age also translates to experience."
"Like me being so young also, unfortunately, means this is my first ever mission as an Archguard," he added, drawing a bit of surprise from her.
His words repeated in her head, and eventually, she came to agree with them.
Old was old.
That was always her thought, and why she disagreed with her father, who said old wasn’t old, but experienced.
It was like seeing white and someone else calling it black—something she disliked.
But now, someone was offering a technically correct explanation.
He was young, and it matched the fact that this was his first mission, meaning he was inexperienced.
It was a perfect viewpoint—one that validated why her father could be right, while still agreeing with her belief that old is old, and need not be sugarcoated.
The explanation made Princess Eiffel’s irritation fade away just as subtly as it came, and a giggle escaped her lips as she said,
"Are you admitting you’re inexperienced, Mr. Ryuk?"
______
A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos