Yes, please.

As for Verita, please dont offer your heart to him.

Pardon? What do you mean?

I opened my eyes wide at his unexpected remarks. Looking at me silently, Sir League said with a sigh, At first, you seemed to be a bit wary, but these days it seems like you have a screw loose.

But the Verita family is

You mean they are on our side, right? Thats true, but Verita is a man. If something goes wrong, you can be easily misunderstood.

Besides, his intention to learn fencing from your father looks rather Hmmm, I dont want to blame him, I want you to remember one thing. He is basically from a civil officials family.

Even though his family and yours are in the same boat, they are supposed to differ from yours in many respects. Political machinations are more harsh than you think. No matter how close his family is to yours, keep in mind they can break away at any time if they cant no longer be on the same page with yours anymore.

I just nodded, trying to say something. Although I felt a bit bad when he was trying to teach me as if I was a child who knew nothing, I agreed with his explanation of the fluctuating political interests of the two families. I also agreed with his comment that I didnt need to be talked about in the social circles.

Back at my mansion, I washed my sweaty body and changed into simple casual clothes.

When I entered the parlor, Allendis, who arrived ahead of me, welcomed me with a smile. Shortly afterwards, the maid who came along put down a kettle with hot water and teacups.

The nobles enjoyed a wide variety of tea and mostly brewed the leaves and stems of plants that were fragrant or medicinal. This kind of tea culture had been around even before the empire was founded. There are more than a hundred different types of tea and the prices vary widely.

Thus, having good tea leaves and tea sets often showed the power of the family.

When I brewed lemon balm tea for Allendis who enjoyed reading books, he said, taking a sip of tea, Oh, the tea you brew is the best.

Huh? Thanks for the compliment.

What do you think? How about playing chess?

Emperors and nobles have enjoyed playing chess. The game was created by the great magician Aland, who was the teacher of the crown prince during the third emperors reign. It was mainly used to train talents who would lead the country or teach the crown prince the tactics to win the war or rule the empire. It was regarded as the basic culture of the aristocracy.

Sure, I will beat you today.

Black and white horses were placed on the chessboard. Ive been moving the horses with a focus for a while. As soon as I caught the white knight with a black rook, I moved the white bishop three diagonal lines to catch the black knight. I checked the position of the rest of the horses and clicked my tongue in my heart. Gosh, I should have moved the queen, not the rook. I let out a sigh because I was losing the game as time went by. While looking at the thoughtful Allendis, shining with emerald eyes, I asked a question that had been hovering in my head.

Alendis.

Huh?

What do you want to do in the future? Do you want to join the government?

Well, I havent decided yet, but maybe.

I see.

As expected, he wanted to be a civil official later. Like Sir League said, he was from a civilian family. I already guessed it, but I felt sorry when I confirmed it. I knew that while he and I were young like this we wouldnt draw peoples attention. When we got older and made our debut in social circles, I knew we would get more and more estranged because of others attention.

I was surprised when something suddenly came to my mind while I was fidgeting with the black queen calmly. Yes, Sir League was right! When did I begin to feel affectionate towards him? Although I allowed him to call me a friend because I was surprised to see a sudden change in his attitude, I tried to distance myself from him with some wariness, as I had been taught for a long time.

Whats wrong with your expression?

Huh? Never mind.

No, I dont think so.

Looking at me curiously, Allendis dropped the white bishop and straightened up.

Are you sorry that Im not going to be a knight?

No, not at all.

I can reassure you that I wont be officiated as a knight. Fencing is fun, but I think Im in my element when I use my brain.

Well

Why? Are you so regretful about it?

What the hell are you talking about?

It would be a lie if I said I was not regretful about his decision at all, but I couldnt easily agree with his frank opinion. There was a smile in his mouth when he looked at me silently.

Aristia, do you know the oath of a knight in an old story? I mean his oath to the lady.

I know, but it is not relevant anymore these days. It happened a few hundred years ago. Why are you bringing it up suddenly?

A knights oath to a lady was a story that could be found only in history. Unlike now, when knights swore allegiance only to their masters, they had a pledge to their ladies back then. According to history, the knights of the time vowed to give everlasting love to the lady for the rest of his life while giving the monarch his allegiance to die for him at any time.

Why did he bring it up all of a sudden?

Well, I wonder if you wish you had a knight who could only love you just like they did in an old story. You are more greedy than I thought.

No, thats not what Im thinking.

I wondered why he suddenly brought it up, but it looked like he did so to tease me.

While watching me shaking my head, Allendis smiled a little more.

Okay, I decided. If you really want to be a lady, Ill be happy to become a knight for you, my one and precious friend. The knight for you!

Huh? What are you talking about?

I tilted my head at his unexpected announcement. Suddenly, he got up and knelt in front of me. Slowly he leaned, grabbed my right hand and gently touched his lips over the back of my hand. Startled, I tried to pull my hand, but he tightened his grip on my hand and said, I, Allendis de Verita, would like to swear to serve you, Aristaa Monique as my own lady. Would you accept me as your knight?

I suddenly stiffened. I felt happy at his promise that he would be my knight, but at the same time I felt somewhat uncomfortable and awkward.

Why is he doing this to me? What does he want from me?

I looked at Allendis who was looking up at me, kneeling. His light smile and emerald eyes sparkled with affection for me.

I could not turn my eyes away from his pure gaze looking up at me. If I recall Sir Leagues sharp reminder, I was supposed to be wary of getting too close to him, but I didnt have the nerve to stop him from flirting with me.

Sure, I will, I replied with a sigh, after all.

I thought that over time his innocence would fade away and our promise today would be remembered as faded memories at best. I decided to let him do what he wanted, so I could watch his innocence that I had lost a long time ago.

Right after Allendis left after saying goodbye, my father returned.

Tia, can I see you for a moment?

When I was about to go back to my room after having dinner with him, my father stopped me.

Does he have something special to say? Even after I entered his office, I tilted my head because he was hesitating for a while.

Whats the matter with him? Did he hear about what Sir League said to me?

Only

Whats up, Dad?

Well, I just want to say something.

Oh, youre right. I forgot.

Yes, it was my birthday tomorrow. I will be eleven years old tomorrow. Its a bit after I turned ten when I came back from the past, soits been a year since I came back to my past.

I realized how fast one year passed! My father cleared his throat and said, Just take this.

What is it, Dad?

Khmm, its your birthday present.

A birthday present?