CHAPTER 33: CH:33 NOT A PRINCESS

The sun was now lazily slipping toward the west, casting long shadows across the garden paths. The breeze had mellowed, and the faint sound of waves crashing against the distant shore played in the background. The table, umbrella, guards, maids, and butlers were gone—shooed off by Dila with the grace and subtlety of someone herding chickens.

Literally.

"Shoo, shoo! Go do noble things somewhere else," Dila had said earlier, waving them away like they were pigeons on a bread hunt.

The maid had blinked.

The butler hesitated.

But when Sarios solemnly nodded like this was totally normal behavior, they left without protest.

Now, it was just Dila and Sarios walking side by side along a winding stone path lined with white flowers swaying gently.

The silence was peaceful.

Then Sarios cleared his throat.

"Princess... may I ask something?"

Dila stopped mid-step and turned slightly, one eyebrow raised.

"Drop the ’Princess’ thing."

Sarios blinked.

"Huh?"

"I’m not a Princess. Not officially. Not actively. Not emotionally."

She started walking again, hands behind her back.

"And honestly, hearing it every five minutes makes my ears wilt."

Sarios scratched the back of his head, visibly awkward.

"Oh, uhh—sorry... Dila?" he said it like he was testing a word he’d never been allowed to say.

Dila gave him a side glance and shrugged.

"Better. Sounds less like I’m going to sentence you to exile if you sneeze near a royal napkin."

He chuckled nervously, eyes still unsure.

"Well... Dila, then. May I still ask the thing?"

"You’re already halfway in. Might as well dig the whole pit," she said dryly.

Sarios nodded, trying not to trip over the path or his words.

He walked just a step behind her now, like a knight who wasn’t sure if he was escorting a noble or chasing after a rebellious cat in a gown.

Then...

Dila’s footsteps halted, her gown fluffing forward slightly from the momentum. The breeze played with her silver-white hair as she stood still—too still.

"About that. what you want to ask again—go on. What is it?" she said casually, not looking at him.

Sarios rubbed the back of his neck.

"Is it true... that you’re the lost Princess of Eldor?"

A beat of silence. The wind seemed to hush.

Dila didn’t turn. She just replied flatly,

"Actually... no."

Sarios blinked.

"Huh—what?"

He almost stumbled over his own foot.

"But... the way people treat you. The nobles talk. Even your aura is... you know, all glowy and serious."

Dila slowly turned her head, face shadowed a little by the angle of the light.

Her voice was low. "Why are you believing those dumb rumors?"

She turned fully now. Her calm had vanished. Her face had that same tired, deadpan look she wore when Nari roasted her.

"Of course I’m nothing," she muttered.

"Nothing and nobody. Not a Princess. Not a royal. Just a girl with too much time to explore, a weird voice in her head, and apparently now I’m ’glowy.’"

She added air quotes with her fingers around the word.

Sarios stopped in his tracks, trying to read her tone.

"Wait, wait... so all this time I was just... believing it like an idiot?"

"Sounds like it," Dila said.

He paused.

"They naturally Follow you Even when you didn’t order that butler to serve ten platters with a single eyebrow raise...?"

"Coincidence," she said, shrugging.

"I was just hungry and accidentally radiated ’royalty.’ Happens."

Sarios stared at her.

She looked perfectly serious.

That made it worse.

"So... you’re not actually a Princess?"

"Nope."

"But people call you one?"

"All the time."

"And you don’t stop them?"

"I get free food and umbrellas for now."

"...And That’s fair."

Dila sighed, her voice softer now.

"Look, I’m just a support mage. That’s all. Don’t go reading stories where there aren’t any. Got it?"

Sarios nodded slowly, still processing.

Then quietly muttered, "Still sounds very Princess-y..."

Dila’s eye twitched.

She didn’t say anything.

Just kept walking.

Sarios followed, a little more cautiously.

In his head, he was still trying to figure it out.

But out loud, he said:

"Well, you’re still cool. Princess or not."

Dila gave him a look over her shoulder.

Then walked a little faster to hide the tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

As the night sky rolled in and the stars blinked to life, Dila quietly looked up.

The soft ocean breeze rustled her silver-white hair as her blue eyes reflected the starlight.

"You know what..." she murmured.

Sarios glanced over, hands tucked behind his back.

"Hm?"

Dila’s voice was soft, but carried a quiet weight.

"I was just wondering... how can I get stronger, even as a support mage?"

Sarios blinked, a little lost at the sudden question.

"Uhh... I dunno. I’m a blade hero. My answer to everything is usually slash harder."

Dila sighed, looking away again.

"Figures."

There was a pause as she inhaled deeply, the night air filling her lungs.

"I’m actually... not from this world."

Her voice dropped a little, almost like she was confessing to the moon.

"I don’t even know how I ended up in this weird place. This so-called ’Halo World’."

Sarios stood still beside her.

And then—

He laughed.

"Pffffft—BAHAHAHAHA!"

He nearly doubled over.

"Wow! Dila, you seriously need to write a book or something! That’s gold!"

He wiped a fake tear. "Halo World?! What’s next, you’re secretly a time traveler from a kingdom of cats?!"

Dila’s face was back to deadpan mode for a moment.

She didn’t even blink.

"Ha. Ha. Laugh all you want."

Her arms crossed, her expression cold and flat as ice cream on a plate.

"It’s on you if you believe me or not. Do whatever you want."

Sarios was still chuckling.

"No, no, don’t get me wrong, you’re just... I mean, seriously. You’re so calm when you lie like that. That’s the scariest part."

Dila narrowed her eyes.

"That’s because it’s not a lie."

Sarios awkwardly said ."...Riiight."

She turned her back to him, walking off toward the moonlight path ahead.

Sarios scratched his head, still snickering.

"Halo World... Classic Dila."

Meanwhile, in Dila’s mind, a voice echoed softly:

☆ Don’t be sad master ☆

Dila didn’t react outwardly.

But her steps felt just a little lighter under the stars.

As the stars shimmered above and the moonlight painted the garden in silver glow, Sarios scratched the back of his head and said,

"Okay, Princess Dila—ayk, I mean Dila—you should head back to the castle now. It’s getting dark, and it’s your bedtime, isn’t it?"

Dila didn’t even look at him.

She kept staring at the stars, arms lightly crossed.

"Nah. I don’t sleep early. I sleep late."

Sarios raised a brow and smirked.

"If you keep that up, you’ll get wrinkles and your energy will dwindle~."

He said it like an old man giving health tips, even holding his hands behind his back like a grandpa.

Dila side-eyed him and answered flatly,

"When I said nah. Don’t worry about it. I’m good."

Then she shifted to the side and added, "But if you’re so worried, just guard me until deep in the night. Star duty."

Sarios straightened and gave a mock salute,

"If you say so... Princess—I mean Dila—ahahaha."

His awkward laugh slipped out like a squeaky toy.

Dila finally chuckled.

Just a little.

Just enough.

She turned her gaze back to the sky and said quietly,

"You’re such a silly knight, Sarios."

Sarios smiled wide.

"That’s Sir Silly Hero Knight to you."

And so, the two of them stood under the night sky—

A cool-tempered elf girl watching the stars,

And a loyal, slightly ridiculous knight standing beside her, keeping silent watch like a guard dog with honor issues.

Neither of them moved.

But both were smiling.

Just a little.