NOVEL WEB c92
The sun was setting, the stalls were being cleared and the taverns were beginning to bustle with activity.
I was on my way to the royal castle in the Dickaman family's carriage.
The reason was simple.
After that incident, I had checked in detail all the schedules enclosed in the letter, and even the dates when I had not yet arrived in the capital were scheduled for chatting at the royal castle.
I felt His Majesty's strong pressure to come early for this, and decided to go to the chat dinner that was written as a schedule for this evening.
Knock-knock!
Ah, the unpleasant sound of a knock on the carriage door.
If the governor doesn't say anything, it must be the knight who guards the royal castle, and my stomach aches at the thought that the dinner party is about to start.
"Marquis Dicaman,” he said.
I am sorry, but this is a rule, and special exceptions will not be granted without the order of His Majesty."
“Ah, yes, I understand.”
It's good to get some fresh air and relax a little.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like you to go back to the mansion first."
"No, I'll wait until the Marquis Dicaman returns.'
The king is a man of the cloth, and there is a very high possibility that he will be chatting with you until morning.
I felt guilty about making him wait that long.
"I don't know how long it will take, maybe overnight.
Besides, the worst-case scenario is that I'll get a ride home."
"I see. ......
I will go back to the mansion first."
After confirming that the Dicaman family members had started to move the carriage, they entered the royal castle.
The entrance is straight down this way, but since it is not possible for me to leave the castle, I will have to call a guide.
Even though I entered the castle, I was not yet in the castle, but only through the wall gate that surrounded the castle.
"It is a straight road without any particular turns right?"
'Yes, there are no side turns along the way, so straight is fine."
"Then I'll be fine on my own."
'I understand. Then I will leave you."
Although the difference in position may have something to do with it, the knights guarding the royal castle are very understanding.
Besides, I can tell from his attitude and the way he walks that he is a reasonably capable person, and I feel reasonably comfortable with him.
............
Even though I was a nobleman and had dinner scheduled, I knew it would be careless to leave alone on the grounds of the royal castle, but I heard slight footsteps, as if a presence skilled in stealth was monitoring me.
While walking along, acting as if I didn't notice them, I concentrated all my senses to try to locate them.
(I don't even know how many people are there, or ......)
I am tossed and turned, hearing footsteps from different places when I thought I was alone, and feeling a faint presence from a place that should not have been there a moment ago.
Well, I don't want to fight, so I don't particularly try to night-detect magic or abilities, but I'm not a mere human, and I'm a little frustrated that I've been defeated by a normal human being.
Entering the castle, I see a knight guarding the entrance and several servants, one of whom approaches me.
“ You must be the Marquis Dicaman, I have been waiting for you.
From now on, I am in charge of taking care of Marquis Dickaman-sama at the royal castle, so please don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything.”
"Oh, I understand."
“Then come this way, His Majesty is waiting for you.”
This servant took one look at my face and understood instantly who I was.
No family crest was engraved in a place easily recognizable by my current clothes. He must have remembered my characteristics with only a large amount of appointments and waited for me, not knowing when I would arrive.
In terms of that schedule, my schedule was jam-packed a week before I arrived in the royal capital, which means that the servant who is guiding me in front of me was standing here all the time, from morning to night, almost every day. ......
I'm sorry about that. ......
'I'm sorry I kept you waiting. ......"
The servant seemed to have heard my muttering,
'His Majesty has been looking forward to the arrival of the Marquis Dicaman for a while.
Even if the Marquis Dicaman had not arrived in the capital, will you still arrive tomorrow? He looked forward to it every day, laughing and talking about it with great joy.”
He replied a little out of line.
"Was that the case?”
And I would like to think it was my imagination that I somehow felt a prick in that reply.
The reason why I feel the thorn is because of the fact that the servant is angry with me for skipping the dinner with the king, but I hope the servant will forgive me because I also found out about it in the royal capital.
Well, from a mere servant's perspective, he probably thinks it was a dinner party that the king and I talked about and decided on, so it's not surprising that he is angry with me for not showing up.
However, the reality is that the king decided on his own without telling me.
He is probably a little annoyed that he had to wait for so long, and I am not angry at him for this.
Besides, the servant's indignation is a sign of the king's loyalty, and as long as he does his job properly, I won't ask him to punish him.
"His Majesty is waiting for you in this room.
I have been ordered to let no one but the Marquis Dicaman pass, so I will leave you to your meal, which will be served in ten minutes."
"Thank you for showing me the way.”
The servant then walks away from the room and waits by the wall.
"Phew. ......"
It is the same tension as when I met the Prime Minister in my mansion.
Knock-knock.
“Your Majesty, it's Marquis Dicaman...”
"Come in."
"Pardon me, Your Majesty.'
Although I couldn't finish the formalities before entering the room, when I opened the door and entered the room, the king sitting on a chair was emitting a dignified aura.
But...
'Hey there! Long time no see, Khalil!”
The moment I entered the room and closed the door, the king lost all trace of his royal dignity, activated his magical equipment, and changed into clothes that emphasized comfort and ease of movement.