28.
* * *
When she got back to her room, the sky was colored in tones of sunset.
Somehow, the little girl felt utterly drained on the journey back from Roy’s training center to her quarters.
By the time she’d reached her room, Laiya was practically dozing off on Rainante’s back. Rainante trod more gingerly, afraid of waking up the sleepy girl.
Thus, Laiya knew when they’d arrived when the wooden floor creaked beneath Rainante’s feet.
The little girl found herself in a dilemma.
I can’t just hop off, right? Not after how easily I got a piggyback ride.
I swear, it was like Reinante wore a smug expression, saying, “See, you’ve learned how to ride properly, haven’t you?”
“Hwaa…”
Her weariness was starting to get to her, and Ideep down, she had a hunch.
Looks like I’m all worn out from all those practical courses Teacher made me go through. You know, dealing with orcs and all that is really tiring, Snow.
Even as she recalled her lesson with the old man, it sounded absurd.
Feeling her eyelids slowly droop, she contemplated how the feeling wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation to this body of hers.
With my frail constitution, there were times when my body just gave out even if I hadn’t done anything, especially during the change of seasons.
…But I have to admit, this exhaustion felt like something I hadn’t experienced in a long while.
[Warning! The Guardian is concerned about the master’s alarmingly weak physical condition.]
Ugh, thanks, Ice. But what can I do…?
She knew she was grumbling at the wrong person. Her childish body couldn’t help but want to complain.
Despite her gruff words, Ice nuzzled against her chin, gave her expression a once-over, and then nuzzled her again.
[Warning! The Guardian has noted the master’s physical condition!]
It’s as if he is genuinely concerned for my well-being.
I guess his previous master must have been quite the formidable wizard.
When the little girl thought of the snowman’s past, it seemed like he’d gone on adventures alongside her grandfather.
That would explain grandfather’s robust physique.
Even if that weren’t the case, being an adult man, he’d still be much stronger than me.
It’s no wonder Ice is so shocked and worried with my body’s limitations.
“Princess!”
Normally, she’d part ways with Rainante at the door, but perhaps because she’d been carried on her back since yesterday, ‘Laiya hadn’t thought to be let down.
Yuri came rushing towards her, taking one cautious step at a time.
She seemed restless as soon as she laid eyes on the little girl, so she gave her a quick reassurance.
There was another woman in the room, looking unsure of what to do.
Laiya tried to remember who she might be.
Ah, I guess she’s Yuri’s colleague.
…This must be the woman I requested as my maid this morning.
“Thank you, Rainante. Oh, didn’t I introduce you yesterday?”
She gestured towards Yuri, who had just become her maid recently.
Yuri stopped in her tracks and stood up straight, then bowed deeply to Rainante.
Huh?
Isn’t that an unusual way to greet a knight?
What’s happening?
Am I just imagining things?
“The maid, you mean? Starting today?”
“Huh? Starting today? Yes. Well, you’ll be seeing each other often, so let’s exchange greetings, then.”
Rainante remained silent in deliberation, then nodded slightly to Yuri.
After that, he gave the little girl a curious look.
“You’ve got quite an unusual maid there. I’m guessing this was the princess’s decision.” “Huh?”
“I’ll take my leave for now, Princess. I’ll be back tomorrow at the same time.”
“Oh… Alright.”
What did he mean by ‘unusual’?
Ah, could Rainante somehow know which family Yuri came from?
But how could anyone discern a maid’s background so easily?
Laiya turned her head as she heard the door close.
“Yuri, do you know Rainante?”
“Yes? No, Princess, this is the knight I saw for the first time yesterday. Oh, is he someone important? My apologies…”
“Really? No, that’s not it ,you did nothing wrong, Yuri.”
Liaya only asked because Rainante’s reaction seemed strange.
Yuri seemed just as puzzled.
Instead of pressing further, the little girl threw the thought to the back of her mind and turned her attention to the new maid.
She was an adorable young woman with brown bobbed hair framing her ears, and when Laiya examined her further, she found that she appeared to be around the same age as Yuri.
“I greet the princess!”
She greeted Laiya energetically, like a soldier following strict military protocol once they met their superiors.
“Hello, Lipe, yes? You don’t have to be so formal. Feel free to treat me comfortably.”
Laiya comforted the young woman while looking around the nearly empty room.
“I want you to be at ease as it seems you’ll be the only maid assisting me from now on.”
“Yes? Um, Young Lady! What do you mean by that?”
Yuri suddenly chimed in and asked her Young Lady.
“Exactly as it sounds. I’ve got a maid now. We won’t be adding any more, will we? Or are there more friends still lurking in this mansion?”
Laiya playfully teased her maid.
“No, no, it’s not like that…”
Yuri stammered, she didn’t seem to hear the playfulness in her master’s voice.
“Then that settles it.”
After all, having too many maids only leads to trouble. I learned that from my past experiences.
There was a time when the maids had a quarrel over who would guard her room while she’d slept. They’d wanted to forcefully discard the task to anyone who was unfortunate enough to not fight back.
It was absurd when she thought back on the occasion.
It’s not like I have a contagious disease, but they acted as if I did.
“Anyway, Lipe is joining us today, so let’s have the butler get her transfer sorted quickly.”
“Ah, I’ll do my best to assist you in the future, Princess. We’ll work diligently to serve you!”
Lipe responded warmly that she was visibly eager to serve her new master.
“Hmm. Please take care of me.”
Laiya nodded at Lipe and then turned to Yuri.
“Come to think of it, Yuri, when you became a maid, you didn’t get to choose your title. Is there any you’d like? I can arrange that for you.”
“Oh, no, Young Lady, I…”
Yuri hesitated.
“Wow, Yuri! What kind of title are you thinking of? Are you planning to become a knight again?”
Wait… What?!
Laiya blinked in surprise.
Shock and confusion flitted across Yuri’s face.
“Lipe!”
“What do you mean by knighthood?”
The little girl was genuinely curious.
Lipe blinked, and Laiya could sense that she had missed something.
But Lipe soon caught on and continued explaining without hesitation.
“Well, I thought you already knew, Young Lady… I apologize. Yuri was supposed to receive knighthood from House Woodtail, but, due to some family issues, it didn’t happen, and I ended up in this position…”
“Lipe, that’s enough. I can explain it to the Young Lady. Young Lady, it’s not a big deal.”
Yuri interjected, rubbing the back of her neck.
“I had learned swordsmanship and shield skills and was on my way to becoming a knight, but my father got involved in a crime… and everything fell apart.”
Yuri explained with a casual tone, even though it didn’t sound like a light, heartfelt story to Laiya.
Still, she didn’t press further; it was clear there were some sensitive details involved that would make Yuri uncomfortable to speak about.
“Would you like to be a knight then?”
Laiya changed the subject.
Yuri hesitated for a moment before politely declining, though Liaya could see that her expression carried a hint of regret.
* * *
“…That would make a great story.”
Rainante chimed in, providing answers to the questions she’d missed earlier.
“I saw it a long time ago when I visited Woodtail with the family head. I think there was a friendly match at that time.”
“So you’ve seen it?”
Laiya tilted closer to the knight.
“Yes.”
He took on the role of storyteller, describing how famous families visited each other and held friendly competitions.
“I was wearing a white belt back then, but a Woodtail knight nearby mentioned I was in training and would soon earn a red belt.”
“What does the red belt stand for?”
“For us, it signifies the chief knight.”
“Wow! So it’s a big deal then?”
Feeling excitement bubble up, Laiya couldn’t believe it.
The person I had taken on as my maid turned out to be a knight!
She knew she was in for some thrilling times, being a fan of fantasy novels and having entered a novel. But, she hadn’t expected to have a knight as a maid.
“Tell me everything you know!”
Laiya eagerly urged Rainante to spill the beans.
[T/L: Tell her the entire story.]
He seemed a bit taken aback by the little girl’s enthusiasm but proceeded to share his knowledge, albeit in a hushed tone due to their conversation taking place in the hallway.
“I don’t know why she’s working as a maid, but I can guess. There’s a lot of infighting in their family, and she might have gotten caught up in the chaos.”
“In-fighting? Like, her dad and his eldest son fighting?”
She asked, lowering her voice as per Rainante’s advice.
“Yes, something like that, and, princess, please keep your voice down in the hallway.”
Laiya nodded and listened as Rainante continued with his tale.
“I heard the Woodtail family was quite chaotic until the current family head took over. If your maid was a promising prospect who disappeared during that time, she might have been an unfortunate casualty. I hear things have settled down somewhat now that they’ve reached a conclusion.”
“I see… But, sir, do you know that Yuri is a knight?”
“I’m aware, as I’m the chief knight.”
Rainante calmly replied, glancing around to ensure no one was listening.
“We should know about potential adversaries in case of an emergency or territorial disputes.”
“Woodtail is a friendly family, right?”
Laiya had never heard any news of them going against BlackWinter.
“You never know when they might become your enemy, Young Lady.”
Reinante muttered, demonstrating his preparedness.
It was quite impressive; this was the kind of attitude she expected from a knight.
“Well, that level of readiness is admirable, Sir Rainante. I wish I had someone like you among my subordinates.”
Laiya smiled and complimented him, wondering if she should try to win Yur’s loyalty over in the future or even secretly introduce her to Roy as his next instructor.
Rainante hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I am already… Aren’t I?”
“Huh?”
The little daughter of BlackWinter was lost in her thoughts for a moment, and when she looked up, Rainante had a peculiar expression on his face.
“No, nevermind, Young Lady.”
With a shake of his head, he changed his words.
Laiya decided not to press him with any more questions.
“Are you heading to the library today too?”
“Yeah, I’m going in that direction. I’ll make a stop while passing by.”
Rainante replied as he kneeled down.
Unlike the previous day’s reluctance, Laiya quietly accepted his assistance.
With surprising ease, he hoisted her onto his back.
It was more comfortable than she had anticipated.
However, a thought crossed her mind.
I shouldn’t get too accustomed to this.
***
“Are you here again, kid?”
Master’s voice called out, instantly dispelling all her thoughts.
The young man, who was exuding confidence as usual— No, he’s my teacher now — flashed a smile and pointed to his cane.
“Starting today, we begin basic training.”
