Chapter 51
The day after Sir Aiden took his simplified knighthood examination.
I woke up early in the morning and headed to the training grounds where the knights gathered.
The knights were each busy with their morning training, but Sir Aiden was nowhere to be seen.
He was a diligent man, so it was impossible that he was still asleep.
"Could he be in the cafeteria...?"
I imagined Sir Aiden eating breakfast with the other knights in the Papiope cafeteria.
Hmm. Then again, it wasn't like he was the type to eat breakfast every single day.
...By the way, if only knights are in the cafeteria, can you call it a knight's cafeteria?
As I giggled to myself while lost in another bout of aimless thoughts, I asked Lena.
"Lena, didn't the Duchess say yesterday that she would hold Sir Aiden's knighthood ceremony today?"
She smiled as if I were incorrigible and chided me.
"My lady, it is only seven o'clock. There is no way they would hold the ceremony this early."
"Then when will his ceremony be?"
"It might have already finished last night."
"...What? How could it be that fast?"
"Since Sir Aiden joined the order alone, it is highly likely that they simply handed him his appointment letter in a quick, simplified ceremony."
"Is that so? I wanted to see him become a Papiope knight with my own eyes. That’s a shame."
As I stared at the training grounds with dissatisfaction, Lena spoke up as if she had just remembered something.
"My lady, you rushed to the training grounds the moment you woke up, so there is something I haven't told you yet."
"Oh, what is it?"
"The Duchess asked me to tell you that she would like to take a walk with you in the garden before lunchtime."
A walk, huh? It seemed the busy Duchess was paying quite a lot of attention to me.
I readily nodded.
"A walk sounds nice. I didn't have anything to do anyway."
"This is the perfect time for the flowers the Duchess cherishes to bloom. The yellow flowers are all tangled together in full bloom. You have no idea how pretty they are."
"Sounds like a picnic, doesn't it? Then Lena, to get into the mood, could you do my hair the same way you did yesterday?"
"You mean the braided buns on both sides?"
"Yes, that one."
Lena pulled up the corners of her mouth, her motivation burning bright.
"Of course. Since we’re getting into the mood, why don't you choose a pretty dress to wear as well?"
"I liked that one with the red ribbon from before."
"Wonderful. I will prepare it for you right away."
✦ ✦ ✦
I dressed in the vibrant red ribbon dress that reminded me of wild strawberries and headed out to the garden with the Duchess.
"Wow..."
Just as Lena had said, the garden, filled with blooming yellow flowers, was breathtakingly beautiful.
The garden, overflowing with yellow, felt as if warm sunlight had descended upon the earth.
The weather was also perfect for a walk, with a pleasant breeze blowing through.
"Thank you for suggesting we take a walk in the garden together, Duchess."
"I am glad I could show this to you before the flowers fade."
The Duchess smiled warmly and held out her hand to me.
"My daughter, shall we walk holding hands?"
I beamed and took her hand.
"Oh, that’s right. Duchess, what happened with Sir Aiden's knighthood ceremony?"
"We held it as a simplified ceremony this morning. Come to think of it, Tania, you went to the training grounds early this morning, didn't you?"
"Oh, has the rumor reached you already?"
I laughed sheepishly and scratched my head, feeling embarrassed.
"I went because I wondered if I might be able to see the ceremony."
"You really like Aiden quite a lot, don't you?"
"He is the person who reached out to me when I needed a warm helping hand the most."
"As someone who took your mother's place not long ago, I’m starting to feel a little jealous."
"I love you too, Duchess!"
"Is that just talk?"
"Hehe, we’re holding hands right now, aren't we?"
As I clung to her with a giggle, the Duchess laughed along, as if to say she would let it slide just this once.
We walked through the garden for quite a while, hand in hand, chatting away.
Suddenly, the Duchess stopped in her tracks and wore a somewhat mischievous expression.
"Tania, I have actually prepared a gift for you. I sent word to have it sent here, and it seems it has just arrived."
"A gift?"
I looked at her with wide eyes.
A gift out of the blue while out for a garden walk?
There wasn't anything in particular I wanted, but I was touched by the Duchess's desire to look after me.
A dress or jewelry? Or perhaps a doll, given my age?
While I thought cynically to myself, I did my best to make my eyes sparkle, as if I were filled with anticipation.
"Wow! What is the gift?"
I clasped my hands together and stomped my feet, urging her to tell me, until the Duchess pointed behind my back.
"I have chosen the person who will be your personal guard starting today. I am sure you will be very pleased."
"Pardon? But I..."
I had intended for Sir Aiden to be my guard.
I looked in the direction she pointed, feeling flustered.
Standing in front of the flower bed was someone wearing a black cloak.
"Oh...?"
Since they were standing with their back to me, I couldn't see their face, but the silhouette was somehow familiar.
The long legs and broad shoulders. Even the black hair and tanned skin.
He bent his waist and knees, perhaps to smell the flowers.
As soon as I was certain of his identity, I sprinted toward him with a brightened face.
I ran full tilt and threw myself onto his shoulders.
"Wah!"
I had intended to surprise him.
Without even looking particularly startled, he hoisted me up and stood up straight.
I chattered away while dangling from his shoulder like a piece of luggage.
"What! Sir, weren't you surprised at all?"
"I can distinguish your footsteps from a hundred meters away."
"Puhaha, where would you hear something like that? Ah, I should have come more stealthily! I was so happy to see you that I didn't even think about surprising you."
"...Actually, I was surprised."
"Hmph, I know you weren't surprised at all!"
I retorted primly, wrinkling my nose and giggling.
"By the way, is that cloak you're wearing the one from the Black Knights?"
"Yes. The Duchess said it was the Black Knights."
So he ended up joining the Black Knights!
Then again, his skills were far too good to be wasted in the Blue Knights.
"Hehe, the cloak is fluffy and nice."
The black cloak Sir Aiden wore was embroidered with gold thread as an accent.
Furthermore, the inside of the cloak was lined with a deep crimson fabric, giving it an even more luxurious feel.
Wait a minute.
Isn't the deep crimson lining inside the cloak something only the Captain of the Knights has?
Looking closely, the gold embroidery on the cloak also seemed a bit more complex than that of the regular knights...
"Sir, don't tell me you became the Captain of the Black Knights?"
"Yes. Since it's a knight order with no members, they gave me the position of Captain."
I never imagined he would obtain the position of Captain.
Well, good things are good, right?
I beamed and patted Sir Aiden's shoulder.
"It really suits you! But why are you only wearing the cloak? I saw yesterday that there was a separate uniform."
"...The uniform was uncomfortable and awkward, so I couldn't bring myself to wear it."
"Ooh, is a new knight allowed to be this sloppy with their attire?"
"Fortunately, it didn't seem like everyone was in the mood for formalities."
"That may be true, but isn't it because there's no one who can point out your attire, Sir?"
The Captain of the Blue Knights was recuperating.
The Captain of the Red Knights was out on field duty.
There was no one who could critique the attire of Sir Aiden, who had become the Captain of the Black Knights.
"Well, as long as the Duchess doesn't say anything, it should be fine."
Sir Aiden began to stroll through the garden with me still slung over his shoulder.
"Tania, is the position uncomfortable?"
"You're asking that a bit late. But it's actually kind of fun."
I get to stick close to him, and it's good for my core strength, too.
As I chatted away with him, I suddenly remembered someone I had forgotten.
Oh, that's right.
I was in the middle of a garden walk with the Duchess!
Startled, I looked back at the path I had run from.
The Duchess was standing where I had left her, as still as a stone statue.
She was watching us as if time had stopped, and her gaze was...
It was as if she were spellbound.
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