CH 3

“…Time to replace her.”

“Looks like it. It’s not like she’d be able to work as usual after this.”

“Ah… what a shame.”

Allen sighed.

Sercia laughed. “That doesn’t sound sincere at all, coming from you.”

“Haha, you saw through me. As expected of Sercia. To be honest, I’m at my limit as well. Showering a woman I’m completely uninterested in with compliments is too much work. It’s exhausting. Besides—I have you.”

“Fufu, I feel sad for her. She kept chasing a hopeless love.”

Allen closed the door as the two proceeded to spend the night together.

They laughed at Liliana as if they hadn’t done anything.

***

The morning sun shone through the window of the workshop.

Unable to sleep, my eyes were swollen red.

The events of yesterday night wouldn’t leave my head.

His cruel words relentlessly echoed in my mind.

“Sir Allen…”

I wanted to think it was a lie.

I didn’t want to believe it.

Both his gentle and cruel words intermingled together.

I didn’t want to consider one of them true.

My body refused while my mind was in denial.

Still…

…tontonton.

I heard the sound of knocking. Lifelessly, my body moved.

“Y, yes?”

“Ms. Liliana, His Majesty has summoned you.”

“H-His Majesty?”

“Yes. Please come to the throne room as soon as possible.”

Why would His Majesty call for me?

Could it be…

The previous night’s was replayed in my mind.

With an unpleasant premonition, my legs trembled.

I was reluctant to go, but I couldn’t simply disobey the king’s order.

Anxiously, I rushed to the throne room where His Majesty was waiting.

***

A luxurious and gleaming door stood tall before me.

Behind that large door was a chair that only the king of that kingdom could sit upon.

The moment I entered the room, I saw the terrifying face of His Majesty.

Back then, when I had a few opportunities to talk to him, His Majesty was an amiable, always-smiling, person.

“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”

“…Liliana, you’ve done something unbecoming.”

“What have I—”

“—don’t feign ignorance! It was last night.”

My body jerked.

I knelt down and stared at the floor.

I was too scared to lift my face.

That was when I heard some footsteps.

“You tried to steal Sercia’s lover from her. Sercia witnessed it herself—you attempted to seduce the hero, Allen.”

“I, I didn’t do anything like that!”

Reflexively, I screamed. That was when I realized the aforementioned two were already standing beside the king.

Allen sported the same cold gaze as yesterday while the princess pitifully stared at me.

That moment, I finally realized it.

“I heard everything from Sercia. It seems that you’ve attempted the same thing several times before.”

I didn’t know what His Majesty was talking about.

I didn’t do it.

“Is that how you repay their kindness?! Not only did you trample upon it, you also forgot your duty as the court blacksmith. How shameful. Even though at the start, I had great expectations for you.”

I didn’t remember any of that.

The accusation was completely foreign to me.

Probably, they had lied to His Majesty.

False accusation after false accusation came pouring out of His Majesty’s mouth.

Denying it wouldn’t help—

“—I didn’t do it.”

“—What!? Are you accusing my daughter, Sercia, of lying!? To me, her father—!?”

—I was painfully aware of that.

His Majesty got angry.

Because Princess Sercia was his only daughter. His Majesty loved her dearly.

He wouldn’t allow anyone to insult her.

No matter what I said to His Majesty, he wouldn’t listen.

“Enough. I can no longer tolerate your presence. Get out of this castle, now!”

“N-now…?”

“That’s right. You no longer need to manage the workshop and tools. No further entry is allowed.”

N, no way…

That workshop, the tools—I bought everything with my own money!

“Are you perhaps thinking of bringing the tools with you? As if! If you dare do as you please, I’ll have you punished as a criminal!”

“I… understand.”

“Good. Then, leave. I don’t want anyone who dares to insult my daughter to be in my peripheral.”

What the king said was obviously terrible.

Despite that, because of last night’s incident, I was no longer shocked.

The greatest pain for me was Allen’s laugher as he mocked me with the princess.

‘I’m not interested in a woman who reeks of iron…’

These words struck in my heart.

I was no longer the court blacksmith—

—now, I was but a woman who reeked of iron…

A smelly, dirty, woman no one would approach.

I had an inkling that in the future, too, I’d be alone. Said inkling smoldered underneath my chest.

***T/N: The king!!! That bastard!!! He just doesn’t wanna waste money buying new tools!!!