‘Do they really like it that much?’
Cassia, watching the knights with their silly, excited faces, suppressed the laughter that was about to burst out.
‘Well, I did choose today’s menu based on the types of food the knights love.’
Since the knights were generally younger, they tended to prefer meat and sweet dishes. In other words, the meal was perfectly tailored to their tastes.
“You’ve all worked hard in training, so make sure to replenish your energy and get plenty of rest.”
Cassia said as she slipped into her room.
“Wow, steak!”
“I’m definitely having two puddings tonight!”
“Hey, you think you’re the only one with a mouth?!”
Behind her, the knights’ cheers and chatter could be heard boisterously.
Cassia chuckled.
‘This feels pretty satisfying, doesn’t it?’
Why, don’t they say that parents are full just seeing food go into their children’s mouths?
Somehow, she thought she understood what that felt like now.
And so, peace finally settled over the Azure Dawn Knights’ barracks… or so she thought.
* * *
“What did you say?!”
I, who had been sitting at my desk diligently scribbling away, suddenly widened my eyes in shock.
“You got a summons from the commander-in-chief? Is that true?!”
What on earth was going on?!
I jumped up from my seat like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Meanwhile, Giscard, unlike my horrified self, didn’t seem particularly surprised.
“Well, I kind of expected this.”
He answered calmly, with an untroubled expression.
“So, what’s the reason for the summons? Actually, never mind. Just give it to me.”
I snatched the summons from Giscard’s hand.
The contents were…
[Who told the knight commanders to duel each other? My nephew got hurt because of it! We need to sort out who’s responsible, so get over here immediately!]
If you strip away all the flowery language, that’s basically what it boiled down to.
‘Seriously, is the commander-in-chief… even in his right mind?’
I scowled.
I could more or less piece together the situation.
As soon as the duel ended, the knight commander of the 4th Knights must have run straight to his uncle.
But what really baffled me was something else.
‘How old is the 4th Knight knight commander anyway? And all this fuss because he sprained his ankle?!’
It was truly ridiculous.
As I clicked my tongue inwardly, Ziskar continued indifferently.
“So, it seems I’ll need to visit the Northern Command Headquarters for a bit.”
‘What?’
I turned my head sharply.
Then I narrowed my eyes and stared at Giscard.
“You’re not seriously thinking of going alone, are you?”
As expected, Giscard simply pressed his lips together tightly.
I shook my head inwardly.
‘No way, absolutely not.’
Giscard was the type who would just let things slide, ignoring what others said, as long as it wasn’t a direct issue with his knights.
I guess he was trying to be careful with his actions because he had a lot of people to be responsible for, but…
‘What if, by doing that, Giscard ends up taking the blame for their mistakes, for no reason?’
With that annoying 4th Knight knight commander and his incompetent uncle, the commander-in-chief, there was every chance of that happening.
‘I can’t let Giscard go alone.’
Resolutely shaking my head, I narrowed my eyes and spoke firmly.
“I’m going with you.”
“Yes?”
I snapped at Giscard, who was blinking blankly.
“Having kept a spoiled princess, where do you intend to use her? What, boil her and eat her as a stew or something?”
“… Administrative Officer Astrid?”
Oh, for heaven’s sake.
I sighed deeply and spoke to Giscard.
“Why do you think I enlisted directly in the Azure Dawn Knights?”
“That’s…”
“So that in times like these, you can use me as a shield.”
His blue eyes wavered slightly.
“There are all sorts of uncomfortable situations in life, aren’t there? Times when you have to say something you don’t want to, or when you need to protest against unfair treatment.”
I concluded firmly.
“Use me in those times. Got it?”
“……”
Giscard just stared at me silently.
Seriously, I was so anxious I could barely stand it.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Aside from the personal martial prowess the male protagonist possessed.
Sometimes when I looked at Giscard, I thought of a child left alone by the river.
‘Why does he seem so vulnerable?!’
But then.
“You’re reliable.”
Giscard muttered softly.
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
“Yes?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
At the same time, his face turned red, and he quickly turned away.
He hurried out of my office as if he were running away… Hey, wait!
“What do you mean, ‘nothing’?!”
I shot up from my seat and quickly followed after Giscard.
By now, my lips had curled into a wide grin that I couldn’t suppress.
I definitely heard him!
He just said I was reliable, didn’t he?!
“Hey, Knight Commander!”
Why was he walking so fast?!
I almost had to run to keep up with Giscard, shouting at the top of my lungs.
“So I’m going with you to the Command Headquarters, right?!”
I’m definitely not letting you go alone!
* * *
A few days later, northern command headquarters.
“No matter how angry he was, how could he challenge his fellow knight commander to a duel?”
The 4th Knights Commander, who had been clinging to the Commander-in-Chief’s office since morning, was complaining to his uncle with a face full of resentment..
“And to injure a knight commander? He must be severely punished by military law!”
“Oh, I know, I know.”
The Northern Commander-in-Chief glared at his nephew with an annoyed expression.
“Just wait a little. I’ve summoned the knight commander of the Azure Dawn Knights, so he’ll be here soon…”
Knock, knock.
Just then, a light knock sounded.
The Northern Commander-in-Chief and the 4th Knights Commander adjusted their expressions to look as solemn as possible.
“Come in.”
The Commander-in-Chief replied in a majestic voice.
Click.
The door opened.
The first person to appear was Giscard.
In his neatly dressed Blue Dawn Knights uniform, with his hair neatly combed, he seemed to exude an air of casualness that could not be hidden.
‘What’s with that bastard, being so confident when he’s here to be punished?’
The 4th Knights Commander felt his stomach twist for no reason.
Then, from behind Giscard, a woman in a Knights uniform poked her head out.
‘Wait.’
‘That person?!’
The faces of the Northern Commander-in-Chief and the 4th Knights Commander stiffened at the same time.
That lady, who boasted a dazzling beauty as if she were made of gold and rubies…
“Cassia Sortiz del Astrid, Administrative Officer of the Azure Dawn Knights.”
Cassia smiled brightly like a fully bloomed flower.
“Greetings to His Excellency the Northern Commander-in-Chief and the 4th Knights Commander.”
At the same time, both men felt as if the floor beneath them was sinking, and their vision was spinning.
No, why did she come all the way here?!
* * *
In an awkward silence, the four of them sat around the table.
‘Why do I have to be in such an uncomfortable situation?!’
The 4th Knight Commander felt like he was sitting on a bed of nails and kept glancing around nervously.
‘I’m the one who was harmed by this unfair duel!’
But it was too scary to scold Giscard right away, with the unruly princess sitting next to him, crossing her legs and arms, and resting her chin.
“So,”
Cassia opened her mouth with a bright smile.
“May I ask why you summoned our Knight Commander?”
“……That is.”
The Northern Commander-in-Chief hesitated for a moment.
Of course, he was going to ask Giscard to take responsibility for the 4th Knight Commander’s injury.
He was going to insist that he apologize to his niece…
‘Damn it.’
How could he do that with the spoiled princess glaring at him like that?
‘The situation is getting difficult.’
The Commander-in-Chief chewed on his lower lip.
Meanwhile, the 4th Knight Commander looked at his uncle with dissatisfied eyes.
‘Even so, is it necessary for someone as high-ranking as the Northern Commander-in-Chief to be so flustered?’
Chain of command.
It is the basic principle of the Imperial Army.
Strictly speaking, that damn Giscard and the princess are subordinates of my uncle.
And so, the 4th Knight Commander quickly joined the conversation in a pleading voice.
“During the duel, I was injured, wasn’t I!”
He had said it, trusting his uncle deep down.
“No matter how angry you were, is it right to injure a fellow knight commander in a duel?”
He glared at the two of them, with indignation.
* * * *
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The nepotism in this I swear, how can that nepotism a commander in chief. Dude check yourself
Ahhhhagahag damnit I didn’t even realize I ran out of chapters, just when it was getting good too 😭😭😭
Tysm for translating