The towering stone fort lying against the backdrop of a frosty winter sky was surrounded by a heavy atmosphere.
Maybe I felt that way because the fort lacked exterior decorations, or maybe because the snow had covered much of the entire area. Either way, unlike the calm serenity in the royal capital, the air around here was so palpable with tension that I couldn’t help stiffening up.
The knights’ composed, professional demeanour and the dignified way they held themselves as they greeted us didn’t help my case.
I better stay out of their way while I’m here.
Although I was plenty nervous, I mustered all the courage I could within my heart. But when I entered into the next room, I was unable to hide my surprise at how lighter and warmer the atmosphere was.
“It’s been a long time, eh? You ladykiller!”
The Commander of the Border Guard struck Sir Leon’s shoulder with a cheery smile, a world apart from the knights’ stony expressions from earlier.
Not to mention that he didn’t hold back at all.
“You are before a princess.”
Sir Leonhard complained, his brows furrowed, but the commander refused to change his attitude and only offered me a simple ‘Excuse me.‘
“I heard that Her Royal Highness is a big-hearted person. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a rude country boy like me. Ain’t that right?”
He said so with a wink, and instead of getting upset, he laughed even louder.
He has quite the dynamic personality, but it seems like he’s a good person. ‘I don’t mind,’ I nodded with a smile and got a ‘See?’ in return as he gave Sir Leonhard a childish look.
The man had cropped golden hair and clear hazel eyes. Strong brows and a high nose bridge suited his strong personality well and properly reflected his firm will. His deeply-set features, tanned skin, and cheerful temperament all reminded me of the South American men back on Earth.
His body was on the larger side and looked even more muscular than Sir Leonhard’s. The guard uniform that was already smaller than a knight’s barely split at the seams.
The Commander of the Border Guard, and an old friend of Sir Leonhard… Ernst von Lieber.
They had apparently known each other since their days as apprentice knights.
The affable Commander Lieber and the caring Sir Leonhard hit it off when they first met, and they’d do anything together. When it came to sword training, it was said that Sir Leonhard’s opponent was no one else but the commander.
Sir Leon may have the upper hand in terms of agility, but Commander Lieber was superior when it came to raw power.
Their fellow knights-in-training were inspired by them; I heard that Sir Leonhard and Commander Lieber’s graduating class were full of highly skilled people, all pulled up by those two. And that’s all from Rosemarie Reports.
By the way, I got all this info from the escort who had replaced Klaus. He was such a big Sir Leonhard fanboy that he had gathered more information than even me. I honestly related to him so much that I genuinely wanted to be his friend on a personal level.
“As usual, this guy’s a handful!”
“Look who’s talking…”
Sir Leonhard, who was repeatedly slapped on the back, could only respond with a grumble. But that cold attitude only proved the depth of their friendship.
“But why are you still single? If you don’t marry soon, the number of poor little ladies thinking that they have a chance will only increase, ya know?”
Owwie.
There’s one poor lady right here, Commander!
“That’s none of your business.”
Sir Leonhard bitterly replied.
Yeah! Yeah! Don’t poke your nose in other people’s business!
If Sir Leonhard suddenly decided ‘Hm, why don’t I settle down right now?’, how will you take responsibility for that!?
I kept making silent remarks as the two continued their friendly conversation.
“Don’t tell me you think it’s a waste of time! Nothing beats the happiness you get when a lass welcomes you home, ya know?”
Commander Lieber has a really beautiful wife, or so I’ve heard.
Since his wife has a weak constitution, Commander Lieber, when appointed at the northern border, initially chose to leave his wife behind in the royal capital where it would be better for her body.
But she declared, ‘I don’t want to be away from you!,’ and followed along. What a lovely-dovey couple. How enviable.
“Just tell His Majesty that you want to settle down already. Your child, whether it’s a boy or a girl, would surely bring greatness to the kingdom.”
“Eh-”
Those words suddenly gave me a rude awakening.
Wouldn’t it be tragic if I have to encourage someone I like to marry another woman?
If he’s going to have a child then I’d love to… Huehuehue! As usual, my thoughts swayed too far from what was expected from a princess. I am very sorry for being such a shameless girl. Still, I don’t like what I don’t like.
And even though it’s not like I’m his actual superior, wouldn’t all of that be sexual harassment if I said it out loud?
Various words and phrases swirled in my head, but none of it left my lips.
For a moment, I fretted, unsure if I was capable of even giving a decent response to this situation, but a sudden shadow was cast before me. When I came to and raised my face, I saw Sir Leonhard’s back.
“Ernst. I will not forgive you if you continue to be discourteous to Her Highness.”
Sir Leonhard, standing between me and him, spoke in a low tone. If it’s not my imagination, I think he’s quite angry.
I couldn’t see his face from where I was. However, through the flaps of Sir Leon’s robes, I saw Commander Lieber visibly surprised.
His hazel-coloured eyes were wide open.
“…I see.”
Commander Lieber slapped his knee.
“I see! I see! It seems that I was careless!”
“…What are you talking about?”
Sir Leonhard questioned Commander Lieber, who had just let out another burst of laughs. I wanna know too. How did the conversation even shift into that kind of mood?
“No, no. I’m often told that I can be quite thoughtless and sometimes insensitive, and that’s absolutely right. I’m terribly sorry, Your Highness. Please excuse my bad manners.”
The commander knelt down before me and took my hand, asking for forgiveness, but he honestly looked overjoyed.
I couldn’t think of a reason as to why he was doing this or looked as happy as he did, but I managed to give him a nod.
“Please don’t worry too much about it.”
I couldn’t fathom the reason why he apologised, so a vague reply was all I could muster, but Commander Lieber didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
“Thank you very much. After all, Your Highness truly is a big-hearted person. Ain’t she?”
Commander Lieber thanked me before turning to Sir Leonhard for confirmation.
Sir Leonhard, however, stared at Commander Lieber while frowning.
“That doesn’t mean you can do anything you like.”
“I know. It’s my bad.”
Sir Leonhard sighed after a brief silence.
“There won’t be a second time.”
With Commander Lieber’s final acknowledging nod, Sir Leonhard’s expression returned to the calm I was used to.
I realised I had been holding my breath all this time and let out a sigh of my own.
After that, we moved on to what we had originally come here to discuss: the intel regarding villages.
Commander Lieber’s face shifted into a serious expression when he began explaining a map spread out before us. In the end, I still had no idea what he had apologised for.
The towering stone fort lying against the backdrop of a frosty winter sky was surrounded by a heavy atmosphere.
Maybe I felt that way because the fort lacked exterior decorations, or maybe because the snow had covered much of the entire area. Either way, unlike the calm serenity in the royal capital, the air around here was so palpable with tension that I couldn’t help stiffening up.
The knights’ composed, professional demeanour and the dignified way they held themselves as they greeted us didn’t help my case.
I better stay out of their way while I’m here.
Although I was plenty nervous, I mustered all the courage I could within my heart. But when I entered into the next room, I was unable to hide my surprise at how lighter and warmer the atmosphere was.
“It’s been a long time, eh? You ladykiller!”
The Commander of the Border Guard struck Sir Leon’s shoulder with a cheery smile, a world apart from the knights’ stony expressions from earlier.
Not to mention that he didn’t hold back at all.
“You are before a princess.”
Sir Leonhard complained, his brows furrowed, but the commander refused to change his attitude and only offered me a simple ‘Excuse me.‘
“I heard that Her Royal Highness is a big-hearted person. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a rude country boy like me. Ain’t that right?”
He said so with a wink, and instead of getting upset, he laughed even louder.
He has quite the dynamic personality, but it seems like he’s a good person. ‘I don’t mind,’ I nodded with a smile and got a ‘See?’ in return as he gave Sir Leonhard a childish look.
The man had cropped golden hair and clear hazel eyes. Strong brows and a high nose bridge suited his strong personality well and properly reflected his firm will. His deeply-set features, tanned skin, and cheerful temperament all reminded me of the South American men back on Earth.
His body was on the larger side and looked even more muscular than Sir Leonhard’s. The guard uniform that was already smaller than a knight’s barely split at the seams.
The Commander of the Border Guard, and an old friend of Sir Leonhard… Ernst von Lieber.
They had apparently known each other since their days as apprentice knights.
The affable Commander Lieber and the caring Sir Leonhard hit it off when they first met, and they’d do anything together. When it came to sword training, it was said that Sir Leonhard’s opponent was no one else but the commander.
Sir Leon may have the upper hand in terms of agility, but Commander Lieber was superior when it came to raw power.
Their fellow knights-in-training were inspired by them; I heard that Sir Leonhard and Commander Lieber’s graduating class were full of highly skilled people, all pulled up by those two. And that’s all from Rosemarie Reports.
By the way, I got all this info from the escort who had replaced Klaus. He was such a big Sir Leonhard fanboy that he had gathered more information than even me. I honestly related to him so much that I genuinely wanted to be his friend on a personal level.
“As usual, this guy’s a handful!”
“Look who’s talking…”
Sir Leonhard, who was repeatedly slapped on the back, could only respond with a grumble. But that cold attitude only proved the depth of their friendship.
“But why are you still single? If you don’t marry soon, the number of poor little ladies thinking that they have a chance will only increase, ya know?”
Owwie.
There’s one poor lady right here, Commander!
“That’s none of your business.”
Sir Leonhard bitterly replied.
Yeah! Yeah! Don’t poke your nose in other people’s business!
If Sir Leonhard suddenly decided ‘Hm, why don’t I settle down right now?’, how will you take responsibility for that!?
I kept making silent remarks as the two continued their friendly conversation.
“Don’t tell me you think it’s a waste of time! Nothing beats the happiness you get when a lass welcomes you home, ya know?”
Commander Lieber has a really beautiful wife, or so I’ve heard.
Since his wife has a weak constitution, Commander Lieber, when appointed at the northern border, initially chose to leave his wife behind in the royal capital where it would be better for her body.
But she declared, ‘I don’t want to be away from you!,’ and followed along. What a lovely-dovey couple. How enviable.
“Just tell His Majesty that you want to settle down already. Your child, whether it’s a boy or a girl, would surely bring greatness to the kingdom.”
“Eh-”
Those words suddenly gave me a rude awakening.
Wouldn’t it be tragic if I have to encourage someone I like to marry another woman?
If he’s going to have a child then I’d love to… Huehuehue! As usual, my thoughts swayed too far from what was expected from a princess. I am very sorry for being such a shameless girl. Still, I don’t like what I don’t like.
And even though it’s not like I’m his actual superior, wouldn’t all of that be sexual harassment if I said it out loud?
Various words and phrases swirled in my head, but none of it left my lips.
For a moment, I fretted, unsure if I was capable of even giving a decent response to this situation, but a sudden shadow was cast before me. When I came to and raised my face, I saw Sir Leonhard’s back.
“Ernst. I will not forgive you if you continue to be discourteous to Her Highness.”
Sir Leonhard, standing between me and him, spoke in a low tone. If it’s not my imagination, I think he’s quite angry.
I couldn’t see his face from where I was. However, through the flaps of Sir Leon’s robes, I saw Commander Lieber visibly surprised.
His hazel-coloured eyes were wide open.
“…I see.”
Commander Lieber slapped his knee.
“I see! I see! It seems that I was careless!”
“…What are you talking about?”
Sir Leonhard questioned Commander Lieber, who had just let out another burst of laughs. I wanna know too. How did the conversation even shift into that kind of mood?
“No, no. I’m often told that I can be quite thoughtless and sometimes insensitive, and that’s absolutely right. I’m terribly sorry, Your Highness. Please excuse my bad manners.”
The commander knelt down before me and took my hand, asking for forgiveness, but he honestly looked overjoyed.
I couldn’t think of a reason as to why he was doing this or looked as happy as he did, but I managed to give him a nod.
“Please don’t worry too much about it.”
I couldn’t fathom the reason why he apologised, so a vague reply was all I could muster, but Commander Lieber didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
“Thank you very much. After all, Your Highness truly is a big-hearted person. Ain’t she?”
Commander Lieber thanked me before turning to Sir Leonhard for confirmation.
Sir Leonhard, however, stared at Commander Lieber while frowning.
“That doesn’t mean you can do anything you like.”
“I know. It’s my bad.”
Sir Leonhard sighed after a brief silence.
“There won’t be a second time.”
With Commander Lieber’s final acknowledging nod, Sir Leonhard’s expression returned to the calm I was used to.
I realised I had been holding my breath all this time and let out a sigh of my own.
After that, we moved on to what we had originally come here to discuss: the intel regarding villages.
Commander Lieber’s face shifted into a serious expression when he began explaining a map spread out before us. In the end, I still had no idea what he had apologised for.
