CALLUM
DESPITE MY SMILE and my reassuring words for Princess Pride…I’d had no interest in the festival whatsoever until a few years ago. As a knight, I already had plenty of opportunities to walk around the castle and see the royal family, at least from afar, so I never bothered trying to catch glimpses of them at the banquets. I only became interested in the Precognition Festival after the ambush on the royal order.
It felt like only yesterday when I stood on the tips of my toes trying to steal a look at Pride while dispatched to guard the banquet venue. These days, I got to stand close to her on a regular basis.
“Don’t worry! We’re gonna protect you no matter what!” Arthur chimed in.
While he wasn’t great with words, he was doing his best. He thumped his chest with a fist and bowed, but he went too far and stumbled. I hoped both my gentle reassurance and Arthur’s powerful declaration resonated with Princess Pride.
“Thank you,” she said with a chuckle.
Arthur seemed as puzzled as I was by that laugh. Princess Pride apologized for laughing after we’d earnestly tried to encourage her.
“We were just kids all those years ago,” she said, a faraway look in her eyes. “I remember speaking with Tiara and Stale during their very first Precognition Festival. They were so nervous. I wish I could have said nice things to them like what you two shared with me.”
Based on what she’d said, her nostalgic smile—not one of sorrow—came as a bit of a surprise. We couldn’t know what had actually happened between the siblings back then, of course, but knowing the princess, she’d said exactly what her siblings needed to hear. This was the same woman who’d sent shock waves through the royal order with her heroic conduct at only eleven years old.
Princess Pride shook her head and clasped her hands, ignoring our confusion. Perhaps regretting her response, she changed the subject. “Come to think of it, how did you two celebrate the Precognition Festivals before you became knights?!”
Arthur and I exchanged a startled glance at Princess Pride’s cheerful tone. It had been a long time since either of us had celebrated a Precognition Festival, but we accepted her shift to an easier topic.
“My family treated the people of our territory to food and drink, as was tradition,” I said. “Precognition Festivals are truly about coming together with the common folk, not strengthening the relationships between nobles.”
As the son of an earl, I’d lived with my family some distance from the castle town. Nobles weren’t invited to the castle, as per usual during the Precognition Festivals, so we held events in our own territories to bond with our people. We even followed the example of the royal family and dined alongside commonfolk. To me, it was just as valuable an event as the ones meant to strengthen relations between nobles.
Princess Pride and Arthur listened attentively as I explained, but they did not seem surprised. They knew I’d joined the royal order at a young age, but I’d proven intelligent enough to understand my family’s traditions and motives before I left them. While Princess Pride nodded eagerly, Arthur cocked his head in puzzlement, noticing something strange about my spiel.
I wasn’t exactly lying…but I was explaining my family’s traditions, leaving myself out of the equation entirely. Until I joined the royal order, I hadn’t been able to enjoy the yearly festivals. Once I decided to become a knight, I spent every free moment training, unless my parents ushered me off to some soiree or other. I also had to juggle the studies required of nobles—something my parents demanded I keep up with. Unless they forced me to attend events and socialize, I stayed at home and kept to myself during the Precognition Festivals.
But I wasn’t going to burden the others with those unpleasant details. Princess Pride had gone out of her way to keep the subject lighthearted, and I saw no need to ruin that. Besides, I had no regrets, since I had become a knight in the end.
That was more than enough about me. I passed the conversational baton to Arthur, who flinched before responding.
✦ ✦ ✦
ARTHUR
“AS FOR ME…I helped my mom out with stuff. She runs a small restaurant, so she had her hands full making food for all our neighbors. I always spent the whole festival cooking, serving food, and washing dishes. Before I knew it, the day was over.”
Sometimes I headed into town if we ran out of ingredients, but I hardly ever made additional stops or took the long way home. There was a time when I went into town with my friends and enjoyed the festivals with them, but once I gave up on becoming a knight, I never wanted to go anywhere near the castle town—a place where I had to pass by so many knights. I preferred to stay in the restaurant and work with Mom. I didn’t have those reservations anymore now that I was a knight, and looking back, I could see I’d been running from my problems.
Captain Callum’s and Princess Pride’s expressions softened, but they both knew how much I cared about my family and didn’t seem surprised by my response. They also knew I’d given up on becoming a knight at one point, but I’d never abandoned my work ethic. I spent all that time helping my mom instead of goofing off.
“The festivals weren’t much different for me once I decided I wanted to be a knight,” I added casually. Maybe that made me seem even more diligent, since I’d continued assisting my busy mom even after becoming a knight.
“How is your mother doing now?” Princess Pride asked. “She must be so busy without you or Commander Roderick at home to—”
“She’s fine!” I said, waving away the concern in her voice. “The neighbors give her a hand, and she only runs the restaurant in the first place because she enjoys it.”
Mother’s restaurant was more of a personal passion than a job, so she kept it small enough that she could operate it without me or Dad around.