It was easy to notice that Theon was lost. A trainee knight, especially one still in the probationary period, would never meet the Grand Master.
He probably didn’t even know where the Grand Master’s office was.
“Are we lost?”
“…Yes.”
Theon admitted honestly.
As I glanced at him, I noticed his neck turning red above his collar.
‘Oh no, I can’t let things get awkward before we even become friends.’
This wasn’t Theon’s fault. He didn’t know where the office was, and all they told him was to ‘escort her to the Grand Master’s office,’ throwing him into the deep end like a baby lion pushed off a cliff!
I grabbed Theon’s hand and started leading the way.
“Don’t worry! In times like this, you just have to keep walking forward.”
I knew where the Grand Master’s office was. Feeling my pull, Theon picked up his pace and matched my speed.
“You can’t just walk aimlessly.”
Theon added quickly, seemingly realizing his mistake.
“…I know.”
“Berry is younger than you, so you don’t have to be so formal!”
“But you’re the daughter of the Travel Count family. I’m just a trainee knight under the Travel family.”
“Oh, is that really important to nobles?”
“Nobles…?”
“I don’t know much about that. I’ve only lived in a small village with my dad.”
I could feel Theon’s gaze turn towards me.
For some reason, it seemed like he was only looking at my forehead. Maybe it’s just my imagination?
‘Anyway, if we’re going to be friends, we need to find common ground!’
When Theon was officially declared the crown prince, the newspapers were the most excited.
They had never even known about the existence of a crown prince until then.
A treasure trove of stories followed, and there was no way the reporters would let that go.
On top of that, Theon was also quite handsome, so his stories were splashed across the front pages daily along with his photos.
– Is this a newspaper or a photo album?
Though I couldn’t help but scoff at the superficiality of the press, I still knew a bit about Theon’s childhood because of it.
‘Didn’t Baron Voltman’s finances deteriorate after he retired from being a knight?’
A grandson raised by a poor baron couple in the countryside.
He showed remarkable talent in swordsmanship, but they couldn’t afford even one proper tutor.
Feeling sorry for their grandson, Baron Voltman pulled some strings to send Theon as a trainee knight to the Travel family.
‘Well, that’s not the important part.’
What mattered was that Theon and I both came from small villages. The fact that we shared something in common was what really counted.
“So I don’t really understand all the complicated stuff about status. It doesn’t matter to me, so if you want to drop the formal speech, go ahead! If you’re worried about getting in trouble with adults, at least when we’re alone it’s fine.”
“…Why were you living alone with Master Reytan? Where is the rest of your family?”
But Theon seemed to be more curious about a different aspect of our similarities.
“Ah, I see.”
It seems Theon only knows that my dad is the Grand Master and nothing else.
“I don’t have a mom.”
Oh, the Grand Master’s office is just up those stairs.
I kept talking as I confidently led Theon by the hand. But he didn’t follow.
“Theon?”
When I turned around, I saw Theon standing still with a shocked expression on his face.
***
I never had a mom.
I was a newborn that my dad brought home from outside, and no one in the Travel family knew who my mom was.
– Isn’t it generous of us to accept you, not even knowing where your blood comes from? Even after your dad died, remember that the Travel family didn’t abandon you. Live with constant gratitude.
After my dad’s death, Aunt Marian often said this to me.
It was a constant reminder of the pressure to produce results.
From the age of sixteen, I willingly became their hunting dog, bringing results back to them.
That’s how I survived their constant scrutiny, all while trying to uncover the truth behind my dad’s death.
‘Hmph.’
Maybe I acted that way back then, but not this time.
This time, I’m going to give all the credit to my dad.
‘Hehe, what should I bring first?’
I almost wanted to hum a little tune, but I didn’t.
“I’m sorry, I asked an inconsiderate question.”
Theon seemed to pity me for not having a mom.
Because of that, we ended up sitting together on the stairs, just below our destination, the Grand Master’s office.
“I didn’t realize it was that kind of situation.”
Theon’s mood had plummeted, almost sinking through the floor.
“And you’re younger than me…”
“Ah, you’re speaking casually now.”
“…I mean, you’re younger…”
“Is it too confusing? Can’t you just talk casually?”
“……”
“How about we just become friends? Then we can speak casually to each other! We’ll just use formal language in front of adults?”
Theon hesitated for a moment but then nodded in agreement.
All of this was thanks to meeting Theon early on. If he’d already been more accustomed to the life of a knight, he probably would have rejected my suggestion as absurd.
‘Hooray! I became friends with the crown prince!’
“Let’s get along well, Theon!”
“…Yeah, Me too.”
While I was secretly excited about achieving my goal, Theon’s mood didn’t seem to improve at all.
‘Theon lost his mom two years ago. Maybe he feels sad for me because my situation reminds him of that. But honestly, I’m really okay.’
Grandma Marshall once said that memories make you miss someone, but I don’t have any memories of my mom.
The fact that I didn’t have a mom didn’t bother me at all.
‘It’s losing my dad that…’
…Sniff.
Suddenly, I felt a painful pang in my chest, and I began to understand just how sad Theon must be. I’m such a fool.
Wanting to comfort him somehow, I dug into my pocket.
Amid the rustling sound, I found a piece of candy that Sherry had given me to eat when I felt bored.
“Theon, take this!”
I took out the candy from my pocket and placed it in Theon’s hand.
He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you giving me this…?”
I wiggled my ankle and grinned.
“They say sweet things are the best when you’re feeling down.”
“I’m fine. You should eat it.”
“Theon, you eat it.”
No, you eat it. No, you eat it.
The candy kept getting passed back and forth between us, and in the process, the twisted part of the wrapper began to loosen, revealing the candy inside.
Oh no! At this rate, the wrapper will come off, and it’ll fall.
‘I was saving this for later!’
If the candy didn’t end up in Theon’s mouth but on the floor, it would be a disaster. After all, my dad didn’t give me candy often because he said it wasn’t good for me.
‘Wait a second?’
Suddenly, a great idea popped into my head. There was no need to fight over a single piece of candy.
I stood up from the stairs and looked at Theon with a triumphant voice.
“Let’s go to the Grand Master’s office! There’s candy there!”
“You want to eat candy from the Grand Master’s office…?”
“Yep!”
The Grand Master’s office at the knights’ training center was a place that its owner used maybe once a year. Because of that, it had become something of a rest area for direct descendants who visited the training center.
‘That’s why Mr. Rex told me to wait in the Grand Master’s office.’
I used to wait there for my dad after he returned as the Grand Master.
Everything in that room was so clear in my mind!
“There are lots of other snacks there too!”
I glanced up at the stairs, recalling the Grand Master’s office, but I suddenly froze.
“…..”
“Who gave you permission?”
I looked up to see my grandfather’s golden eyes staring down at me.
He looked like a tiger, and his harsh voice scolded me.
“Who gave you permission to take candy from my room?”
“…Hic.”
***
A moment earlier.
Callet carefully observed the man standing silently in front of him. Despite his white hair, the old man still radiated strength, with more spirit than even a general on the battlefield.
Count Travel, Commander-in-Chief of the Red Hawk Knights.
‘Of all the times…’
Who would have thought Reytan’s daughter would be here?
What an unfortunate coincidence. The day Count Travel visited the Grand Master’s office for the first time in a year was the same day Berry came to the training center.
‘Surely there are people to watch over her at the Stone House. Why is Miss Berry here without even a maid?’
Hearing the children’s voices coming from around the corner, below the stairs, Callet let out a sigh.
‘I wonder if Reytan could have imagined this situation.’
He could only wonder how Reytan, who couldn’t even say no to his daughter, would react if he saw this scene.
But there was something else that bothered Callet. He had been present last night when Reytan and the Count were having a conversation.
Count Travel’s meaningful questions had made it seem as if Berry was suffering from an incurable disease and didn’t have many years left to live.
Because of that, every time Berry’s voice echoed, Callet felt as though he was watching a child left by the water’s edge.
Of course, despite his complex thoughts, his expression remained as stern as ever.
Count Travel, Lassek, was just as good at hiding his thoughts behind a stone-cold expression.
Callet spoke quietly to the Count, who stood like a rock.
“The boy seems to be part of the knights’ order, yet he speaks informally. I will make sure he is reminded to use proper titles.”
“No need.”
“But, my lord, Miss Berry is also a direct descendant—”
“Who gave you permission?”
Before Callet could say another word, Lassek strode towards the children at the bottom of the stairs and bellowed at them.
“Who gave you permission to take candy from my room?”
His voice echoed through the stairwell, reaching up to the ceiling like a roll of thunder.
Berry, shocked by the sight of her grandfather, froze in place, looking up at him. Then she started to hiccup.
“…Hic.”
Lassek’s golden eyes bore into his little granddaughter’s face. Her frightened, wide green eyes.
Eyes just like Julia’s.
…Berry, was it?
“They gave you a weak name as well.”
Lassek descended the stairs. As he drew nearer, Berry’s body shrank smaller and smaller.
Theon had retreated from the stairs and bowed his head nearby, but his feet twitched, ready to jump in and protect Berry if necessary.
“Seven years old, is it?”
“…Hic.”
“You look more like six.”
“…Hic.”
Lassek’s hand rested on Berry’s head.
Her mind went blank, just like her face. But then—.
Pat.
“…?”
Pat, pat.
Berry sensed something strange.
