Chapter 248: 248 Liz Genius
"Liz Genius?"
As Reiger walked toward the drawing room, he heard Ian’s introduction to the visitor and tilted his head slightly.
"I seem to have heard Yuri mention this name before, haven’t I?"
Reiger recalled.
It was a topic brought up by Yuri when they were on their way back to the royal capital.
At that time, Ian had been driving, likely overhearing the conversation between Reiger and Yuri, and he nodded at Reiger.
"Didn’t the Miss say? Among the current King’s many offspring, there are four who are quite famous."
In this group of royal progeny, three were the previously mentioned princes with various issues, and the fourth was a princess.
"This princess is none other than Her Highness Liz Genius."
Ian explained, following Reiger.
"Princess Liz is the ninth princess of the Genius Kingdom, just turned 15 this year and is two years younger than both Mr. Reiger and the Miss, even one of the three youngest among all the royal siblings, with only two younger sisters behind her."
Upon hearing this, the first thought that came to Reiger’s mind was:
"This King sure is prolific."
Being the ninth princess meant that there were eight older brothers and sisters ahead of Princess Liz.
Adding the two younger sisters and herself, the reigning King Hemulinp had fathered a total of eleven children, a truly remarkable feat.
As King Hemulinp’s own brother, Duke Kedalion only had a pair of children, whereas he had eleven, and in this aspect alone, King Hemulinp could be considered a true winner in life.
However, as it turned out, having many children doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing. Despite King Hemulinp having so many offspring, only four were notable, and three of them were problem children, not at all comparable to the single pair of children of Duke Kedalion, which was quite an ironic twist of fate.
"So what about her?" Reiger asked, "For what is the princess famous?"
Ian’s answer was succinct.
"For her talent," Ian said seriously, "Princess Liz received the True Knight Medal at the beginning of this year, becoming a Swordsman."
Upon hearing this, Reiger’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"Are you saying that Princess Liz, at the age of 15, has become a True Swordsman?"
This indeed qualified her for fame.
To know, the Duke of Kedalion’s eldest son, Saint Nidor Kedalion, became renowned as a True Swordsman at 13, and Yuri called him the kingdom’s youngest True Swordsman.
And Prince Solok, the most gifted and talented among the royal children mentioned by Yuri, became a True Swordsman at the age of 15.
Liz Genius also became a True Swordsman at 15, and as a woman at that, which was enough to make her famous throughout the royal capital, throughout the entire kingdom.
"Yes," Ian nodded, "Many people feel that Princess Liz’s talent in swordsmanship is not inferior to Prince Solok, had it not been for receiving her True Knight Medal a month later than Prince Solok, she might have been the most talented of this generation of royal children."
"Alright," Reiger said noncommittally, "Does this princess have any scandals? And why does she specifically want to see me?"
"No, Princess Liz has no scandals," Ian shook his head, "Rather, rumors about Princess Liz are surprisingly rare, making her presence among the multitude of royal children rather low. If it weren’t for her sudden rise as a True Swordsman and receiving the True Knight Medal, people might not have noticed her at all."
"As for why the princess is looking for you, I’m not sure."
At that point, Ian paused to think, then added,
"The Miss and Marilyn seem to have some idea. I heard from the knights that when they found out Princess Liz had come to visit and requested to meet you, both the Miss and Marilyn didn’t look too pleased."
This was somewhat intriguing.
Could the visitor harbor ill intentions?
But what could a 15-year-old little princess possibly do?
Reiger didn’t understand and so he decided not to dwell on it.
"Whatever the princess wants to do, we’ll find out when we meet," he thought.
With this in mind, Reiger arrived at the drawing room.
The knight guarding the door immediately opened the large doors, allowing Reiger to enter.
Ian stopped, remaining at the door, not continuing to follow.
Therefore, when Reiger entered the drawing room, there were only three people apart from himself.
"Reiger."
Yuri, who was sitting on a sofa, stood up upon seeing Reiger.
"..."
Marilyn stood behind Yuri, silent, and even with her eyelids drooping, exuding a sense of oppressive silence, which seemed somewhat abnormal.
On another sofa in front of Yuri and Marilyn, a young girl came into Reiger’s view.
Reiger paused mid-step.
The reason was nothing else.
The girl before him was truly striking, making Reiger momentarily astounded.
She was a petite girl, standing at just about 155cm tall, yet she possessed a curvaceous figure that belied her delicate appearance.
Her features were so exquisitely carved that she resembled a porcelain doll, irresistibly adorable with skin as white as pearls, tinged with a hint of rosiness. Her hair was exceedingly long, cascading down to nearly touch the back of her knees; only a small segment of her calves remained untouched by the lengthy tresses that veiled the rest of her back.
The girl’s hair color was a pale grey tinged with luster, matching the hue of her eyes.
If such a girl were to sit still without moving, anyone would probably mistake her for a doll, a figurine.
Her appearance was that of a dream, suffused with an unreal quality, fragile as if she might shatter at any moment, emanating a woefully endearing aura.
In her arms, she cradled a sword, a gleaming golden sword with its hilt and scabbard both exposed, and yet it did nothing to diminish her pathetic frailty.
"Is this Liz Genius?"
The wonder in Reiger’s eyes was fleeting before he continued to step forward, approaching her.
"Ah..."
It appeared the princess had only just realized someone was approaching and stood up in a fluster.
"Hello, hello!"
The girl was somewhat panicked, somewhat nervous, and waited for Reiger to come closer before she hurriedly bowed deeply, her movement exaggerated.
Such an exaggerated gesture caused her full figure to become the center of everyone’s attention for a moment.
In any case, when Reiger came closer and was met with such an exaggerated bow right before his eyes, his gaze was instantly drawn by a mysterious force, obstructed by something both large and white.
"Hmph..."
It was when Reiger almost froze in place that a light snort sounded, snapping him back to reality.
Without looking back, Reiger knew where the snort had come from.
At that moment, Reiger cleared his throat and stiffened his expression.
"You must be Her Highness, the Ninth Princess," Reiger greeted the girl with a bow, "I have seen Her Highness."
"No, no need for formalities!" Princess Liz became even more flustered and nervous upon seeing this scene, shaking her head vigorously while repeatedly saying, "I should be the one paying respects to the Sword Saint!"
With that, the princess curtsied again, deeply, in front of Reiger, acting with genuine trepidation. Anyone unaware might assume Reiger was the royal highness.
Reiger tried his best to control himself, to not let his gaze be drawn to the sinful attraction, and to maintain his composure.
"I heard that Your Highness came especially to find me?" Reiger asked, "May I know if there is something important?"
The question seemed to stump the princess.
"I, I..."
Princess Liz opened her mouth as if to say something but seemed at a loss for words. She could only clutch the dazzling sword in her arms with a visibly fierce grip and anxiety.
This left Reiger at a loss himself, forcing him to look towards Yuri and seek advice with his eyes on what to do next.
Yuri rolled her eyes at Reiger, seemingly in a bad mood but still helped him by speaking up.
"Take a seat first," Yuri suggested to Princess Liz, "Your Highness, there’s no need to rush, you can speak slowly."
"Yes, yes..."
Liz’s face turned red, as if she were ashamed of her own behavior.
Indeed, her demeanor was so endearing that Reiger couldn’t help but steal a glance, only to receive a deadly pinch to his waist from a certain young lady, causing his eye to twitch in pain.
"Marilyn, tea."
Yuri motioned for Reiger and Liz to sit, calling out to Marilyn for assistance.
"..."
Marilyn remained silent as always, brewing the tea from a nearby tea trolley and delivering the black tea to Liz.
Liz didn’t look at the tea but at Marilyn instead.
"Thank, thank you..."
The little princess kept herself curled up, shrinking onto the sofa, and whispered her thanks to Marilyn.
For some unknown reason, it was only in that moment that Liz’s voice didn’t sound panicked or nervous, as if the maid before her was the one she could feel close to, the one who could help her relax.
"There’s no need."
Marilyn responded expressionlessly, yet for those familiar with her, it was apparent that her face relaxed for a brief second or two during that moment.
Reiger missed these details, simply lifting his teacup as if to compose his thoughts and taking a small sip.
However, it was in that second that the princess spoke up.
"May, may I..."
Liz seemed to muster her courage, then suddenly said to Reiger,
"Could I become your slave?"
And with that, Reiger choked.