No one could argue that things around the castle had livened up considerably in the days following Ein and Olivia’s arrival. Even the servants were well aware of this fact, especially when they opened the staff room’s window to discover Ein and Katima plotting almost every day in the courtyard.
“Martha! Martha!” Chris called. The knight, who’d been quiet until now, had been enjoying the hectic days that came along with royals’ arrival.
“Dame Chris, this isn’t where the training grounds are,” the maid replied.
“I-I know that! I’m actually here with a request!”
“You seem to be in a rush.” Martha turned to her subordinates. “I’ll leave this place to you.”
“Certainly,” the subordinate replied.
The maid then took Chris to a separate room before she posed her query. “Is anything the matter, Dame Chris? I’ve been told that you’re off from work today.”
Chris fidgeted nervously and her thighs rubbed together. She was the Vice Captain of the Knights Guard back then, but she looked unusually unreliable on that day.
“I, um...forgot to write Sierra a letter,” she mumbled.
“Lady Sierra... Ah, your childhood friend,” Martha replied. “If you’d forgotten, why not quickly send her one? Perhaps that will help you make amends.”
“Erm, w-well... Ever since Sir Ein and Princess Olivia returned, I haven’t sent her a single thing.”
The knight had always sent at least one letter a week—sometimes three a week when things became hectic. The frequency of her letters might’ve been a bit too much for some, but Martha knew that the knight’s childhood friend had become a major pillar of support for her. And so, the maid had always watched over the elf, allowing her to do as she pleased.
“Now that you mention it, you haven’t sent a letter at all,” Martha said. “But you were always so excited to receive letters from Lady Sierra, if memory serves. Did you two get into a fight of some sort?”
“No, we rarely fight,” Chris replied. “It’s just that she tends to endlessly scold me...”
“Ah, so there’s a different reason for your lack of correspondence.” Martha had quickly put the pieces together. “Indeed, since Princess Olivia and Sir Ein arrived at this castle, the place has been livelier than ever before.”
“Ugh...”
“Good grief. I don’t blame you for the satisfaction that you may feel during the busy days, but why not just say so in a letter and send it already?”
“I’ve rewritten my letter several times, but I just can’t seem to find the right words to express myself... D-Do you think Sierra’s mad at me? She’s not that petty, right? I mean, it’s just a few letters!”
Chris raised her head in panic, and the expressive elf was an adorable sight. Martha felt a smile creeping across her face, but sheer cuteness alone wouldn’t save the elf this time around.
“I’m not sure about your friend’s anger, but if I was in her shoes, I’d be quite worried,” the maid said. “The letters I’d received regularly had suddenly stopped, after all.”
“I can’t argue with that...” Chris mumbled.
“As I’ve already said, if you’re going to look so visibly depressed, might I recommend sending her a letter as soon as you can?”
“I know that. I know, but I just don’t know what to say.”
“Can’t you write one as you always have?”
“I-It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’ve completely forgotten how I used to do it!”
The elf cupped her cheeks with her hands and crouched. Martha looked down at Chris and flashed a strained smile.
“Dame Christina Wernstein, Vice Captain of the Knights Guard,” Martha started.
“Ugh...” Chris replied.
“Ah, apologies. You also serve as the personal knight to Their Highnesses, the second princess and the crown prince, I believe.”
“Mmph!”
“Goodness... How could someone of your position fail to write a single letter? You write daily reports regarding Sir Ein and Her Highness.”
“They’re separate matters entirely!”
Perhaps drafting reports for work wasn’t exactly like writing a letter to a friend, but Chris knew her way around a pen. She surely had more than enough words in the vernacular to properly express herself.
“May I ask about the reports? Are there any issues?” Martha inquired.
“None at all! I always write them with the utmost care as though one may find them in a book!” Chris said...right before she was flicked in the forehead. “Ouch! Wh-What did you hit me for?!”
“Why not channel a bit of that energy into your letters?”
Not once had Martha ever flicked the elf before, and Chris pressed her hand against her forehead in shock. She blinked several times, but didn’t voice another complaint.
“Um... Well, Martha, I was hoping...” Chris mumbled.
“Certainly,” the maid replied. “If it’s my help you’d like, I shall offer it. It is around the time where I can relax a little.”
“Really?! Thank goodness! Now I can finally send that letter!”
“And? How many months have you neglected your friend?”
“Uh, I think around a year or so... Eek! Wh-Why did you hit me again?!”
“I’ve heard that elves view time more slowly, but I highly suggest that you reevaluate your ways next time.”
“I shall commit it to memory! P-Please help!”
Chris stood up energetically, and even Martha was tempted to smile at the elf’s cheery demeanor. And so, the knight marched towards her room. It was then that they bumped into a pair of familiar faces.
“Nya ha ha! Thank goodness Martha’s gone!”
“We just need to keep this a secret,” Ein said.
“Mrow? Ohhh, mew’ve got an evil streak, my young crown prince.”
“We’ve made it this far. I want to enjoy it until the very end. It took so long to make the preparations up until toda...”
“Mrow? Why’d mew trail off? Mrow?! Meoooow!”
The two had turned the corner and spotted Chris, who looked adorably clumsy until now. She was still smiling, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Hey, Chris. Your eyes aren’t smiling at all,” Ein remarked.
“Mrow! And Martha’s here too!”
The two royals inched back, feigning innocence, but Chris and Martha stepped forward and continued to corner them. When they made it to a hallway where the path split off in opposite directions, the royals took their chance to make a break for it.
“Would mew look at the time! I’m busy, busy, busy!”
“I’ve gotta start my training too!”
The pair dashed in opposite directions, but they were both quickly caught by Chris and Martha. The maid grabbed the first princess by the scruff of her neck, and Chris grabbed Ein’s back and drew him close. Both the princess and the crown prince looked absolutely pathetic.
“Okay, I won’t run,” Ein said. “Can you please let me go? This position is a bit embarrassing.” He could feel her chest pressing up against his back, and the knights chuckled at him from afar.
“Oh?” Chris replied. “I wanted to carry you all through the castle.”
“Darn... Aunt Katima, I’m sorry,” Ein said.
“Wait a meownute! Don’t think about ratting meowt!”
“Chris, I’ve got the plans in my room. Could you please forgive me now?”
“Mew! Traitor! I can’t believe mew! If she sees it, she’ll find out the stuff I stole from father! Huh?! Ack! Martha! No, wait, that was a slip of the tongue! My maw just blurted out silly things, mew see!”
The exhausted Martha dragged Katima around—there was no escape in this situation. And with that, the first princess had lost any dignity she had as a royal.
“Mroooow! Please! Please! I’m begging mew!” Katima implored her.
“Save your excuses for His Majesty, if you will,” Martha replied.
As Chris and Ein watched the pair leave, the elf turned to the crown prince. “Perfect timing, then. Why don’t you spend the rest of your afternoon studying in your room, Sir Ein?”
“Okay...” Ein grumbled. “Wait, I thought you were off duty today, Chris. Why were you with Martha?”
“Ah, I needed her help to write a letter, you see.”
“Huh...” A confused Ein nodded his head.
“Dame Chris, I shall be there after dinner!” Martha called.
“Thank you! I’ll be waiting!” Chris yelled back.
“Erm, I just feel so humiliated right now,” Ein mumbled.
Chris cleared her throat and released the crown prince from her grasp. Before escorting Katima to the king, Martha caught a glance of Ein scratching his cheek in embarrassment as Chris flashed a joyful smile.