"Lizbeth Jinas?"
Walking toward the reception room, Riezel tilted his head slightly as he listened to Ian's introduction of the guest.
"I think I've heard Yuri mention that name before..."
Riezel tried to recall.
It was indeed a topic Yuri had brought up while they were on their way back to the royal capital.
At that time, Ian was driving the carriage and probably overheard the conversation between Riezel and Yuri, so she nodded and reminded him.
"Didn't the Lady say? Among the many descendants of the current king, there are four who are relatively well-known."
Of these four descendants, three were princes with various problems mentioned before, and one was a princess.
"Among them, one is a princess named Lizbeth Jinas."
"Princess Lizbeth is the ninth princess of Jinas who just turned fifteen this year, making her two years younger than Mr. Riezel and the Lady. She's even among the youngest three in the royal family, with only two younger sisters behind her."
Upon hearing this, Riezel couldn't help but marvel.
'Seriously, this king sure knows how to produce children.'
Being the ninth princess meant that there were eight older siblings before Lizbeth. Adding her two younger sisters and herself, Hendrick had a total of eleven children.
Riezel had to admit that was quite impressive.
As Hendrick's brother, Duke Cordelion had only one pair of children, yet Hendrick had eleven.
In this regard, Hendrick could be considered a real winner in life.
However, having many children wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Among his numerous children, only four were outstanding, and three of them were problem children, falling short compared to Duke Cordelion's single pair of children.
It was quite a twist of fate.
"And then? How did this princess become famous?" Riezel asked.
Ian's response was straightforward.
"Because of her talent." Ian replied briefly. "Princess Lizbeth earned the Sword Master Medal earlier this year, becoming a Sword Master."
"You mean... she became a Sword Master at the age of fifteen?" Riezel raised his eyebrows.
What this princess did certainly made her notable.
It was worth noting that the son of Duke Cordelion, Sergius Cordelion, became a Sword Master at thirteen and was considered the youngest Sword Master in Jinas.
Meanwhile, the third prince, Sorren, known for having the highest talent and abilities among the current children of the royal family, became a Sword Master at fifteen.
Lizbeth achieved this at fifteen as well, but as a female, this was enough to make her famous throughout the royal capital and the entire kingdom.
"Yes." Ian nodded firmly. "Many people believe that Princess Lizbeth's swordsmanship talent rivals that of Prince Sorren. If she hadn't received the Sword Master Medal a month later than the prince, she might have been considered the most talented member of this generation of the royal family."
"I see..." Riezel responded noncommittally. "So, what scandal does this princess have? And why did she specifically request to see me?"
"No, Princess Lizbeth has no scandals whatsoever..." Ian shook her head. "Rumors about her are surprisingly few, which makes her presence among the royal family quite low-profile. If she hadn't suddenly become a Sword Master and received the Sword Master Medal, people might not have paid any attention to her at all."
"As for why Princess Lizbeth wants to see you, I'm not sure..." Ian paused for a moment and then continued. "It seems the Lady and Elder Sister Marilyn have some idea. I heard from some knights that when they learned Princess Lizbeth was coming to visit and wanted to meet with you, the Lady and Elder Sister Marilyn's expressions weren't too pleasant."
'Hou? Honestly, that's kinda intriguing...' Riezel thought, raising his eyebrows. 'Does this princess have bad intentions or something? But what could a fifteen-year-old princess possibly do?'
Since he wasn't quite sure, he decided not to dwell on it.
'Whatever. No matter what this princess wants, I'll find out once I meet her.'
With this thought in mind, Riezel approached the reception room.
Upon seeing him, the two knights stationed at the door immediately opened it, allowing him to step inside.
Meanwhile, Ian stopped and remained at the door, not accompanying him further.
Needless to say, when Riezel entered the reception room, only three people besides him were inside.
"Riezel."
Yuri, who was sitting on a sofa, stood up upon seeing Riezel.
"..."
Marilyn stood behind Yuri, silent and with her eyes lowered, emitting an oppressive silence that seemed somewhat unusual.
In front of Yuri and Marilyn, on another sofa, a girl came into Riezel's field of vision.
However, as soon as Riezel saw the girl, he paused.
Why?
Simple.
What he saw was a girl with a quite eye-catching appearance.
She was petite, about 155 cm tall, but had a surprisingly voluptuous body for her size.
Her appearance was exquisitely beautiful and delicate, almost as if sculpted with care, resembling a cute porcelain doll, with skin as white as pearls and a hint of rosy flush.
Her hair was very long, almost reaching her knees, so only her lower legs were visible while the rest of her body was covered by her long hair.
Her hair color was a slightly lustrous light gray, matching her eyes.
Such a girl, if she sat there perfectly still, would likely be mistaken for a human-sized doll. Her appearance was so dreamlike, with a hint of unreality, as if she might shatter at any moment, exuding a delicate and pitiable aura.
Additionally, she held a sword in her arms, its brilliant golden hilt and scabbard doing nothing to diminish her frail and delicate impression.
'Is she Lizbeth Jinas?'
Awe flickered in Riezel's eyes for a moment before it was quickly replaced by a determined stride as he walked forward.
"Ahh..."
It seemed Lizbeth only noticed someone approaching at this moment, and she hurriedly stood up, flustered.
"He-Hello!"
She seemed both anxious and nervous.
As Riezel drew near, Lizbeth quickly bowed with exaggerated movements, causing her unexpectedly voluptuous body to become the center of attention in the room, especially Riezel's.
When Lizbeth greeted Riezel with an exaggerated bow, as if drawn by some mysterious power, his gaze was instantly diverted to her large, soft, white mounds.
"Hmph..."
Just as Riezel was about to freeze, a faint cold snort broke his trance, snapping him back to reality.
Without needing to turn around, he knew exactly who had made that snort.
He cleared his throat and tightened his expression.
"You must be the ninth princess, right?" Riezel bowed his head slightly. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness."
"N-No need to be so formal!"
Lizbeth's face grew even more flustered and nervous at Riezel's gesture, shaking her head vigorously.
"It should be me paying my respects to Lord Sword Saint!"
As Lizbeth spoke, she bowed deeply once more, showing intense fear and respect in front of Riezel. If anyone unfamiliar saw this scene, they might think he was the one from the royal family.
Riezel could only struggle to control himself, avoiding distraction from those two 'evil' mounds, and tried to remain calm.
"I heard that you've come specifically to find me?" Riezel asked calmly. "Excuse me, is there something important you need me for?"
Unfortunately, his question seemed to fluster the princess even more.
"I... I..."
Lizbeth's mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how. She held her golden sword tightly, visibly trembling and nervous as she clutched it close to her chest.
Seeing her demeanor, Riezel was puzzled.
In the end, Riezel turned his gaze toward Yuri, silently asking for help on what to do next.
Yuri rolled her eyes at him, looking rather displeased, but she still decided to help him out.
"Let's sit down first." Yuri chimed in calmly, breaking the tense and awkward atmosphere. "There's no need to rush, Your Highness. Just take your time."
"O-Okay…"
Lizbeth's face turned red as if she were embarrassed by her own actions.
Truthfully, her demeanor was somewhat cute, making Riezel glance over, only to immediately receive a sharp pinch to his waist from a certain young lady, causing his eye to twitch in pain.
"Marilyn, tea."
Yuri gestured for Riezel and Lizbeth to sit down and gave Marilyn an order.
Marilyn remained silent, preparing tea for everyone from the nearby cart and placing a cup in front of Lizbeth.
Lizbeth didn't look at the teacup but stared sheepishly at Marilyn.
"Th-Thank you…"
Lizbeth curled up like a little animal on the sofa, murmuring her thanks to Marilyn.
However, for some reason, Lizbeth's voice was less anxious and tense, as if Marilyn were the one making her feel at ease and relaxed.
"No need."
Marilyn replied calmly with her usual stoic expression, but if one knew her well, they would notice that for a brief second, the usually reserved maid's face relaxed.
Riezel, however, didn't notice these details and simply picked up his teacup, taking a small sip as if to calm himself.
At the same moment, however, Lizbeth spoke again.
"U-Umm..."
She seemed to muster some courage to speak to Riezel, but what she said next was definitely not what he expected.
"C-Can I become your slave?"
*Spurt!*
And just like that, Riezel spat out his tea.