It had been raining non-stop for a whole week outside, but inside the mansion, the atmosphere was livelier than ever.
The once overbearing influence of the main household’s employees had been completely subdued, contributing to the warm and cheerful mood. Those who had been unjustly dismissed by the previous butler had all returned.
‘As soon as we find replacements, we’ll kick out every last one of those main household employees.’
Grandfather might be slightly displeased, but we had the justification on our side.
After all, it was the main household’s employees who had dared to insult my late mother, act as spies, and betray their master.
Frankly, the fact that we weren’t demanding compensation for damages was already an act of mercy.
The nanny, who had regained her temporary authority as the acting butler, was busy recruiting new employees as quickly as possible to replace those from the main household.
“Miss, I’ve prepared an early birthday present for you. Would you accept it?”
I flinched.
At the far end of the hallway, Lea came running toward me, clutching a box that was clearly meant to be a gift. I raised an eyebrow before lowering it again.
“You even prepared something like this?”
“Of course! You saved me, Miss!”
That made me feel a bit embarrassed.
I hadn’t done much to help her, yet she was looking at me with eyes shining in admiration. It felt undeserved, and my cheeks grew warm.
The best way to handle this was to open the present quickly and move on—before the barrage of praise began.
“Huh?! This is…!”
“Oh my, do you recognize it? It’s a jump rope! Back in my hometown, we use it often. Whenever children struggle to grow taller, we have them jump rope as a remedy.”
I cringed slightly at the realization that rumors about my height concerns had already spread. However, I couldn’t deny that I deeply appreciated her thoughtfulness.
She hadn’t even waited until my actual birthday—she just wanted to see me happy.
Touched by her sincerity, I pulled Lea into a tight hug.
“Thank you, Lea! You’re the best!”
“I’m so glad you like it, Miss!”
Just as I was enjoying my moment with Lea, Betty—who had been watching with growing jealousy—stepped in between us.
“A jump rope? How do you use this? The rope looks pretty sturdy… Is it dangerous?”
“This isn’t dangerous at all!”
I suppose jump ropes weren’t common in this world.
In that case, I’d just have to demonstrate it myself.
Not because I was itching to jump rope or anything.
‘Everyone seems curious, that’s all!’
Dressed in thin, comfortable indoor clothing, I gathered the maids and headed to the indoor training hall.
The knights residing in our household were still recovering from their injuries, or so I thought. Yet, when we arrived, the training hall was packed with people in the middle of drills.
“Welcome, Miss!”
I had expected the place to be empty, but it was bustling with activity.
As the weight of the expectation settled on me, my eyes drooped slightly. The maids, however, started clapping enthusiastically.
“Miss, you can do it!”
“Of course! You’re the best lady in this mansion!”
…I’m the only young lady in this mansion, so does that ranking even mean anything?
Glancing awkwardly at the gathered people, I decided to demonstrate before they started singing a full-blown cheer.
Jumping rope was simple.
Even after dying and being reborn, the memory of how to do it remained vivid.
“You just jump like this.”
With a rhythmic thwap-thwap, I hopped lightly over the rope. The knights watching burst into laughter.
One particularly large knight groaned as if he found it unbearably adorable.
“Ah, youth is the best. Look at those strong knees!”
“What are you saying? Not just any child can jump rope as well as our lady! Our lady, mind you, is the daughter of none other than the Captain and Dame Lucy!”
“Miss, may I try it as well?”
I doubt the rope is long enough for you…
Still, I handed over the jump rope as requested.
Predictably, the towering knight barely managed a single jump before the rope caught on his ankle.
As he failed, the other knights erupted into laughter.
The defeated knight groaned, bending slightly and bracing his hands on his knees.
“Yeah… I figured I wouldn’t manage. My knee’s still aching from that old injury.”
“You hurt your knee badly?”
“It was almost cut clean off. A magical beast the size of a house swiped at me with its claws. That thing was so powerful—if I hadn’t dodged, I’d be dead…”
“Hey! No gruesome stories in front of the lady!”
“S-Sorry, Miss.”
As Betty scolded him harshly, I crouched down and examined his knee, which was exposed beneath his training shorts.
He wasn’t exaggerating—there was a deep scar near his kneecap.
Honestly, it was a miracle he could even walk. A regular person with an injury like this would still be using crutches.
Fortunately, as a knight, his muscles were well-developed, providing enough support to keep him mobile.
If we were in Korea, I would have recommended seeing a doctor, but knee surgeries didn’t exist in this world.
‘For someone like him, the only way to maintain mobility is to keep strengthening his lower body muscles.’
If his supporting muscles weakened, even basic movements like walking would become difficult.
Judging by the size and depth of the scar, his joint and ligaments were definitely damaged.
I wasn’t sure if the injury had reached the bone, but it wasn’t out of the question.
“You need to keep training properly.”
“Of course! This morning, I ran 100 laps around the training field!”
“No, not running!”
I waved my hands urgently. The knight looked at me in mild confusion.
Didn’t they understand the basics of rehabilitation here? How could they make someone with a severe knee injury run laps?
Every exercise carried some risk of injury, but running, which required repeated high-impact landings, was especially dangerous for knees.
I mentally assessed his condition.
He still felt pain in his knee, but he seemed to function well in daily life.
Even after running 100 laps around the vast training ground, he wasn’t limping—a sign of monstrous recovery ability.
‘But he’s still a knight, and he’s going to continue being one.’
Since he wasn’t planning to retire, he needed to keep using his body. However, overtraining an already damaged knee was a reckless mistake.
Still, he couldn’t afford to neglect his thigh muscles.
I recalled one of my former personal training clients—a soccer player.
That athlete had suffered a severe knee injury.
Knee injuries were common among soccer players, just as they were for knights.
While the cause of the injury was different from this knight’s, the location was similar.
‘The exercise I had him do after some recovery was…’
Wall squats.
I had also taught this to Dietrich before.
Squats were an excellent way to strengthen the lower body muscles.
However, if too much weight was placed on the knees, they could do more harm than good.
That was why wall squats were the best alternative for people who had weak knees but couldn’t afford to lose their thigh muscles.
A squat performed with the back resting against a wall.
‘If I had an elastic exercise ball, he could use it between his back and the wall.’
While not as effective as regular squats, wall squats provided a much safer way to strengthen muscles without putting stress on the knees.
“Come over here.”
“Huh?”
The knight looked confused but followed my instructions and stood with his back against the wall.
“Now, lower yourself slowly. But keep your core engaged.”
“Like this?”
“Yeah. Then rise back up, slowly. Don’t put pressure on your knees—that’ll hurt.”
As expected of a skilled knight, he quickly grasped the technique.
His movements were precise as he repeated the squats against the wall.
“Do 100 of these every day. Got it? No running.”
“Miss, are you really worried about someone like me, just an ordinary knight?”
What?
The knight’s eyes sparkled with admiration, and I instinctively took a step back.
Then I noticed the other knights.
It seemed they had realized that I was weak to praise, and like hungry predators spotting prey, they all started swarming toward me.
From every direction, I heard them calling, ‘Miss!’
Someone save me!
“Senior knights! We have a problem! Dame Gilla has returned…!”
As I was subtly trying to escape my prison of compliments, I whipped my head around at the urgent voice of a knight running toward us.
The entire atmosphere shifted.
I could feel the tension settling in the air.
