I had many conversations with Baan.

In that conversation, I was able to discover many unexpected aspects of him.

I found out that he was surprisingly ambitious.

However, he did not have the strength to carry out his ambition, so he was just hiding his ambition.

‘It’s possible. Unexpectedly useful.’

I have ambition, but if I don’t have the ability or idea, it will be difficult again.

Fortunately, Baan has the right idea.

Perhaps because he had lived such a life, he was well aware of his situation and did not have unrealistic imaginations.

I only thought of things that suit me, and found ways to do it now.

Once he grabbed the oars, he was even pleased to see him starting to row well.

“Today we will end here.”

As the water of the conversation flowed, we had a conversation without realizing that time was passing.

I must have arrived when the sun was up in the middle of the sky, but before I knew it, the sun was going down.

I had a conversation with him for about half a day.

“Wouldn’t you like to eat? I’m starting to get hungry.”

He nodded his head as well.

“Let’s just go get something to eat. Ask the chef to prepare it for you.”

“Yes.”

Baan nodded.

“Oh, you came out.”

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

“Aren’t you hungry? I was worried because it didn’t come out for a long time.”

As soon as Baan went outside, knights came running to talk to him.

Among them was Kali, who, while worrying about Baan, met my eyes and froze.

“uh… .”

His promise to me, to be my slave until I return to the Empire, allows him to worry about Baan, but he has to meet my needs.

Because you became my slave through betting.

“it’s okay. don’t mind.”

In my current mood, I can happily pass on whatever he does.

I don’t know if I go further, but that’s how it is now.

“young master. The food is prepared inside, so you can go right in.”

“Oh yeah? Prince, please go in.”

As I was about to head to the chef, Reina approached and grabbed me.

Following her, the Count and the Count’s wife, Daria, greeted her warmly.

“You seem to have had quite a good time with the prince. I just saw that it came out.”

The Count glanced at Baan and said. I shrugged at that and sat down in front of Daria.

Baan looked around awkwardly, then hurried over and pulled a chair next to me and sat down.

“Bocchan, here.”

Raina brought me a towel to wash my hands with.

Baan also received a wet towel from Raina and wiped his hands after me.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Yes.”

Baan raised a fork. He stared at his fork dipping and lifting the meat, then shifted his gaze to Daria.

Her eyes met as she looked at Baan with complicated eyes.

Startled, she averted my eyes.

‘I need her help.’

Apparently, Baan alone was a little uneasy about something.

I couldn’t be relieved like a child who was put out by the water.

It seemed that Daria’s help would put her at ease.

With her ability, she can help Bahn enough.

“What did you put on my face?”

“… no. it’s nothing.”

It was awkward to ask her now.

I don’t know if there are three of her, me and Baan.

There are too many people here.

From maids to butlers to counts.

There were enough people gathered to talk outside.

But there is no need to bite people, it is better to have a separate seat with her after the meal.

It wasn’t so nice to gamble now, not knowing what the Count might think.

After the meal, the Count said he had something to do and headed to the Mage Tower alone.

“Daria, would you like to walk with me for a while?”

It was an opportunity for Baan to leave, saying he would train.

When I asked her to go to the garden, she readily agreed and followed me.

“What are you doing? Your face doesn’t look very good.”

After walking for a while, she saw my face and asked anxiously.

It seemed that my face showed that I was deeply troubled.

‘There’s no one around.’

I spread the feeling and first confirmed that there was no one around.

What I’m going to say from now on is a very dangerous thing that should not go into the ears of others besides the people involved.

So I had to be as careful as possible.

‘You have to trust her.’

If you don’t trust her, it’s hard to get the story out.

I’ve talked to Baan, and there’s no reason not to trust her, whom I’ve known longer than that.

Above all, he was aware of her ambitions.

I can trust her because I know her in the original work, who will do anything for her own ambitions.

“Daria-sama, are you satisfied now?”

“Yes?”

Her eyes widened as she looked at me.

He tilted his head and made a face asking me for an explanation.

Where should I start talking?

How far should I talk?

First of all, it would be good to find out what she is thinking right now.

“Suddenly, I thought about it. When I came to you blindly and asked you to marry me.”

“ah… .”

Her face turned red and she tapped me on the shoulder as if asking why she was bringing up such a story.

He shrugged and spoke.

“I thought about it once. Why did you make such an offer?”

“… .”

“You can just ask for protection, so why did you ask for marriage? What will you gain by marrying me?”

Daria kept her mouth shut.

I think I remember that time, but I couldn’t see her face red, so I became a hongsi.

“I thought it was simple. We can change the unfavorable power structure at once.”

Perhaps at a loss for words, she didn’t say anything while I was talking.

I said to her with a nonchalant face.

“There is nothing to be so upset about. Because it’s natural. Everyone knows that the name Millennium itself can have a huge impact.”

It was strange not knowing.

Even if I put aside the fact that I use Aura, the name Millennium alone had a lot of merit.

That’s why the crown prince approached me too.

“But that’s not what I don’t understand. It’s strange that Daria-nim is trying to intervene in that power struggle.”

“Why?”

At my words, she got angry and glared at me.

He quickly calmed down, perhaps realizing that he had made a mistake for a moment.

“Daria-sama, do you want to be king?”

She was about to answer ‘no’ to my question, but hesitated.

Making eye contact with me, she opened her mouth.

“… Can’t I?”

“It’s not okay.”

“And… I have no desire to get into that fight any longer. Because I am happy now.”

“I can’t do that… .”

“Yes?”

Her brow furrowed.

Her expression was not good, as if she thought I was playing with words.

“You don’t know the king, but don’t you have any thoughts of wanting to have power equal to, or even greater than, that of the king?”

“What is that… You are making fun of me.”

“no.”

I shook my head at her, whose face was getting darker.

Now I have no intention of joking.

I was serious about matters related to my safety.

“On the contrary, I ask. Are you really happy with Daria-sama?”

“… .”

“Daria-nim said that to me. He said he resents himself for not being able to do anything.”

“It was.”

She nodded helplessly.

I stopped for a moment and looked at her.

She must not give up her ambition. I need her at that time when she wants to become a king somehow.

To do that, it was necessary to open her mind.

“Daria-sama, how long do you think you will be protected by us?”

“… Are you threatening me now?”

Her eyes sharpened.

Suddenly, he gave off an atmosphere that he didn’t like the fact that he was calling himself and talking about this.

“no. I’m just asking. What do you think, Daria-sama?”

“What is that… How is that you ask? Aren’t you making fun of me for not having the strength to protect myself?”

Her eyes looked very sad when she said that.

She herself was frustrated with herself for not having the power to protect herself.

“I’m sorry if you felt that way. I was just worried about Daria-sama.”

“… ?”

“Aren’t you frustrated? Being here forever is like a young bird trapped in a cage. If it were me, I would have been very frustrated. No, I couldn’t stand it.”

“… What do you want?”

“I want to give you strength.”

She was still frowning.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand her reaction.

I was scratching my pride and suddenly said that I would give you strength.

No matter how close they were, this was a problem that could not be resolved in a good way.

Because it was like a trauma to her.

“If you don’t have the strength to protect yourself, shouldn’t you just increase your strength? If you create a force so strong that no one can touch you, who can touch you?”

“… .”

“There is a limit to our ability to protect Daria. When we are not there, when neither I nor the Count are around, who will be able to stop an intruder? There have even recently been intruders who have entered the Count’s barrier undetected. At that time, the Count and I were there, but there is no guarantee that we will continue to do so in the future.”

“… Then what do you want me to do?”

The woman who had been listening silently opened her mouth.

Biting her lip, she clenched her fists.

She tightened her fists so much that her clenched fists turned white.

“Didn’t I want to have that power? Wouldn’t you want to create a force? Whenever I tried to do something, there was pressure from my brothers, a hindrance. They tied me up so I couldn’t do anything. Don’t you know that too?”

Threads of blood protruded from her eyes.

There was poison in both of her eyes as she looked at me.

I had a very resentful face when I brought up this story.

“strength? I would like to have Influence? It would be great if there is. Do you just want to be protected? no. I feel like my heart is ripped out every time I feel helpless. But what should I do? what can’t be done, what’s impossible I’ve done everything I can. But it didn’t work. am i doing something wrong? Was I not supposed to have such thoughts? Why? I, why can’t I be the king?”

He wants to have power too.

He said he wanted to join the fight for succession and take his place.

want to be king

she poured out on me

I’m sorry for her, but I was very happy with that.

At least my ambition wasn’t gone.

On the contrary, it was good to know that the more he was suppressed, the more his ambition grew.

What I was trying to ask of her would be difficult to do without ambition, without a goal or purpose.

Watching her screaming at me, it was hard for me to hide my smile.

‘As expected, she’s perfect.’

I was convinced as I watched her pour out everything and breathe heavily.