EIYTMA Chapter 14

Ezekiel had been preoccupied for days with the horses left outside, so he went out early in the morning and met the knights on the other side of the river. The knights, looking as if they were on the verge of tears, were overjoyed to see him.  

 

“Your Highness!!!”  

 

The knights had been searching for them for three days straight, their eyes sunken from exhaustion. After much hardship, they managed to cut down a large tree from the nearby area and lay it across the collapsed bridge.  

 

With several men as strong as horses working together, a path was quickly formed. The knight who had been closest to Ezekiel in service, Sir Laugar, was the first to rush forward.  

 

“Where is Prince Étienne? Is he all right?”  

 

“I’m fine. My brother… isn’t doing so well.”  

 

The knights’ faces darkened.  

 

Ezekiel calmly explained what had happened over the past few days. When he mentioned that they had been staying at Lord Querluxia’s manor for three days, the knights sighed in relief.  

 

“That’s at least some comfort.”  

 

“What about the Duke of Arbois’ daughter?”  

 

“That is…”  

 

The knights exchanged uneasy glances. The situation was simple.  

 

“…The Duke of Arbois’ daughter was injured?”  

 

“We have no excuse…”  

 

When they lost track of the princes in the heavy rain, Felicia had thrown a fit. She had also scolded them to hurry up and find the princes, which caused the knights to scatter in a panic.  

 

The problem arose when Felicia was trying to return to a nearby village to rest. While stepping out of the carriage, Felicia Arbois slipped in the muddy ground.  

 

She fell along with the knight escorting her, and unfortunately, his armored arm landed right on top of hers.  

 

Now it was Ezekiel’s face that turned pale. To have the Duke’s daughter injured while on an inspection trip with the Crown Prince—this was a serious issue.  

 

“And the Duke?”  

 

“He doesn’t know yet. That is…”  

 

Felicia Arbois was not lacking in sense. She understood that making a fuss over her injury would do no good.  

 

The Duke cherished Felicia greatly and was already displeased with Étienne’s reluctance to move forward with their marriage.  

 

There was no way he would let this incident slide. At the very least, he would demand an apology.  

 

If that happened, relations between the royal family and the ducal house would inevitably become strained.  

 

However, Felicia was deeply in love with Étienne, who was destined to be Crown Prince, and she had no desire to create unnecessary friction. It was, indeed, a love worthy of tears.  

 

“She wishes to keep her injury a secret from the Duke for now.”  

 

Naturally, this also meant she couldn’t return to the duchy for the time being. Ezekiel rubbed his forehead. The real problem was that Étienne’s fever had yet to subside.  

 

As a result, Felicia Arbois ended up coming to Querluxia. For Ezekiel, this was nothing short of a disaster.  

 

“What is this wretched excuse for a bridge? Are you seriously expecting me to cross this?!”  

 

There was, however, one small silver lining. The moment Felicia Arbois saw the makeshift bridge, she screamed from the other side.  

 

She was utterly baffled by the sight of the wooden bridge the knights had hastily placed.  

 

“This is absurd! Are you certain Prince Étienne is over there?”  

 

With one arm injured, Felicia was furious that she would have to cross such a bridge. One of the knights hesitantly suggested, “What if I carried you across?” only to be met with a slap. She refused to suffer such indignity.  

 

In the end, Felicia Arbois’ wealth came to the rescue. Despite the drizzle, she brought in laborers from the village where she had been staying and had them rebuild the bridge. It took only half a day.  

 

Felicia Arbois’ carriage successfully crossed the newly constructed bridge. Watching from the other side, Ezekiel let out a deep sigh. She was a truly formidable young lady.  

 

“You have arrived, Lady Arbois.”  

 

“Prince Ezekiel! Honestly, this is just…!”  

 

Felicia Arbois was about to unleash her frustration the moment she saw him, but she hesitated. It was because of his appearance.  

 

Ezekiel was still wearing the tattered clothes of Baron Querluxia, and upon seeing him in such a state, Felicia dramatically pretended to faint.  

 

“My goodness, what on earth is this? Have Your Highnesses been begging on the streets without my knowledge?”  

 

“Begging, Lady Arbois?”  

 

Ezekiel gave a wry smile. If she reacted this strongly now, she might actually pass out upon seeing Querluxia’s manor.  

 

And as expected, Felicia did not disappoint. When she saw the run-down manor, her mouth fell open.  

 

“What is that supposed to be? That castle looks like it’ll collapse tomorrow! You’re telling me Prince Étienne was staying in a place like that?!”  

 

“Lady Arbois, that is quite rude.”  

 

Only then did Felicia Arbois notice the people gathered outside the manor.  

 

Word had already spread throughout the village and manor that the Duke of Arbois’ daughter had arrived, especially after the bridge had been rebuilt in the pouring rain. Naturally, Iris, Henri, and Madame Babin had also heard the news.  

 

Now that they had learned the two boys they had been housing were not mere attendants but princes, their faces were deathly pale.  

 

Ezekiel wanted to explain everything to them, but Felicia was quicker.  

 

“You there, maid! Where is the lord of this place?”  

 

“…Pardon?”  

 

He should have expected this. Ezekiel stepped in to block her.  

 

“I said that was rude, Lady Arbois. This is Lady Iris Querluxia, the daughter of Baron Querluxia.”  

 

“What? She’s not a maid? Lies! You’re trying to fool me again!”  

 

The most troublesome aspect of Felicia Arbois—and the very thing that made it difficult to blame her—was that she had been exposed to Étienne’s pranks for so long that she found it hard to trust Ezekiel’s words.  

 

She scanned Iris once again with genuinely surprised eyes. Ezekiel clenched his teeth. How on earth could he get this lady to quiet down? He was pondering this when—  

 

“Oh dear, Felicia.”  

 

A familiar voice cut through the uncomfortable situation. Étienne had come down despite sweating profusely. Felicia’s eyes brimmed with tears.  

 

“My goodness, Prince Étienne!”  

 

She ran straight to him and threw herself into his arms. Clicking his tongue, Étienne embraced her in return.  

 

Under normal circumstances, such behavior would have been considered a grave impropriety, but given that Felicia had been worrying about Étienne for days, there was no room for reproach.  

 

“Look at your fever! What’s this state you’re in, Prince Étienne? You’re making me so upset…”  

 

Isn’t a broken arm more of a problem than a slight fever? Ezekiel thought so but remained silent, averting his gaze.  

 

Just then, his eyes met Iris’s. He was about to say something, but she smiled first.  

 

I’m fine.  

 

That was what her eyes conveyed.  

 

As a result, Ezekiel felt even more ashamed.  

 

***

 

Felicia Arbois insisted that Étienne needed to be taken to a larger town as soon as possible.  

 

However, Étienne waved his hand dismissively, saying it was unnecessary. His fever had gone down considerably.  

 

Ezekiel, too, persuaded Felicia Arbois otherwise. She found it hard to believe that Étienne could rest properly at Querluxia’s manor, but she had no real alternative.  

 

At least the doctor was with Felicia, which was a relief.  

 

In the end, it was perhaps inevitable that Felicia Arbois would also end up staying at Querluxia’s manor.  

 

Forty knights pitched tents in the manor’s front yard and the village square. Curious villagers peeked out one by one to see what was happening, only to be swiftly conscripted by Madame Babin to help cook a stew for fifty people.  

 

Tragically, the manor’s few remaining chickens met their end due to food shortages.  

 

Of course, Lady Arbois paid a fair price—perhaps even an excessive one—so it wasn’t much of an issue. Madame Babin, for her part, was beaming with joy.  

 

It was late at night, in the castle corridors, when Ezekiel ran into Iris. More precisely, she had just finished tidying up the room where he had been staying.  

 

Naturally, upon learning that the boys were actually princes, Madame Babin refused to let them continue sharing a guest room. The vacated chamber of Baron Querluxia became Étienne’s new quarters.  

 

Felicia, unsurprisingly, laid claim to Iris’s room without hesitation. Of course, the moment she entered, she exclaimed, “This is Lady Querluxia’s room?! Not a bathroom?!”—prompting a wry smile from Iris.  

 

“Ez… I mean, Your Highness.”  

 

Iris, holding a blanket, hastily bent her knees in a curtsy. Ezekiel waved a hand.  

 

“Please, don’t. It makes me uncomfortable. Just call me Ez.”  

 

“Oh, should I?”  

 

Ezekiel blinked. Iris let out a soft giggle. In the end, Ezekiel, too, couldn’t help but chuckle.