My first order of business was to get them acquainted somehow. “This is Vice Captain Harrison. He’s going to serve as my imperial knight from time to time. Vice Captain, this is—”
“I’ll never forget him!” Vice Captain Harrison exploded before I could finish, his murderous rage flooding past his lips. “He’s that wretched criminal from seven years ago!”
My hunch was right.
Puzzled, Val blurted out, “Huh?”
With Sefekh and Khemet listening, I motioned for Vice Captain Eric and Tiara to cover the children’s ears. Still on high alert from this whole ordeal, they flinched and yelped at the slightest touch. As soon as Val turned to look at them, Vice Captain Harrison drew his sword again.
“You pulled the trigger on our commander! Even death would be too good to pay you back for what you’ve done!”
“Oh yeah? Too bad for you, but I already had my trial. If you don’t like it, take it up with Mistress over here.” It seemed Val had finally caught on.
Vice Captain Harrison whirled toward me, a pleading expression on his face. His eyes demanded an explanation. Thus, I recounted everything—from the fealty contract to Val’s delivery work—but Vice Captain Harrison wasn’t comforted in the slightest. Only after I informed him that the commander and vice commander had approved of the arrangement and begged him to lower his weapon did he finally return the sword to its sheath.
Taking a knee, he said, “As you wish.” Just as I thought I’d won him over, he stood and shot Val another vicious glare. “There won’t be a next time. If you ever interact with the royal order again, I’ll kill you.”
“Sounds like we’re on the same page. The last thing I wanna do is hang out with some damn knights.”
Val flashed a menacing smirk, drawing even more ire from Vice Captain Harrison. I stepped back between them in case the animosity came to blows again, then nudged the conversation to whatever Val and the children had come here for. In truth, I’d been hoping to use their visit as an opportunity to reintroduce them to Cedric—this time as a future member of their industry—and explain the new postal system, but clearly that would have to wait.
The trio explained they’d come to deliver birthday gifts and cards for Tiara’s party the next day. Behind them sat a pile of items they’d carried here with their special powers. They’d probably dropped the gifts when they had to defend against Vice Captain Harrison’s attacks. Thankfully, the sand carpet they traveled on sat low to the ground, so nothing was damaged in the fall. The guards were already gathering up the gifts, and though I felt bad about it, I asked that they carry them into the castle. Right now, I needed to focus on getting Val and the children away from the castle as soon as possible.
I stood in front of them as I took their letters, blocking them from the vice captain’s sight. “I don’t have any letters to send out today, so please return in one week. Make sure you wait the entire week.”
There was a captains’ meeting coming up to review protection measures for Tiara’s party. A few of my imperial knights were taking days off too, so I wanted to play it safe. I said I was sorry once more, thanked the trio, and gave Val’s back a push to urge him away from the castle.
“This is why I hate knights,” Val grumbled with a click of his tongue.
I would apologize again the next time I saw them. It was my fault for not explaining things in advance. Vice Captain Harrison adored Commander Roderick—of course he and Val, the man who’d ambushed the royal order, would get on like oil and water.
Vice Captain Harrison watched as I ushered the deliveryman away. “Why did you choose a criminal like him, Your Highness?”
Val grunted at the knight, and I had to raise my voice to drown out whatever sharp retort he was surely preparing. “A-a lot happened along the way, but he’s someone very precious to me now! Please forgive me!”
Val’s shoulders twitched, perhaps because I’d yelled so close to his ear. I gave him a harder shove, and he heaved a sigh. When I looked up, he was scratching his head in blatant bewilderment. He then pointed at the children, beckoning for them to join him.
They clung to Val as they waved goodbye to me, casting wary glances at Vice Captain Harrison all the while. I was afraid they would grow to share Val’s hatred of knights. Val himself didn’t seem to be taking Vice Captain Harrison’s attacks personally. I gave him another push, called out, “See you next week!” and watched as Val raised his hand in a silent goodbye, not even turning to look at me.
“I apologize for my actions,” Vice Captain Harrison murmured once Val and the children left.
When I faced him, he bowed his head deeply. I wondered if he felt guilty for causing this whole incident with Val. Vice Captain Eric apologized too, and Tiara followed up with, “Well, there’s a lot of history at play!”
I told Vice Captain Harrison to raise his head. He seemed strangely gloomy. I’d heard he believed combat skills were his only strength, so perhaps that was weighing on him again.
“This whole thing was my fault,” I said. “I’m sorry I never explained this to you, Vice Captain.”
I smiled to show him I wasn’t angry, but the gloom hanging over him did not recede.
“I should have informed him much earlier,” Vice Captain Eric chimed in.
No, neither of you did anything wrong! I’m the one who’s in charge of Val!
“You two bear no responsibility. In fact, you’ve proven what an outstanding knight you are, Vice Captain Harrison.”
Both knights looked at me. Vice Captain Harrison studied me closely, seeking an explanation. His face had shifted from crestfallen to shocked.
“Even from a great distance, you spotted someone you believed to be my enemy and rushed in to protect me,” I said, my smile growing. “If it had been someone truly dangerous instead of Val, you would be commended for your actions.”
Of course, Val was a dangerous criminal, but we hadn’t known he was nearby when the vice captain sprang into action. That just went to show how observant Vice Captain Harrison was.
Vice Captain Harrison’s lips were softly parted. Maybe he’d expected me to reprimand him, but I didn’t want him thinking of me as a cruel princess. With Tiara still beaming at the two of us, I finished, “I’d expect nothing less from you, Vice Captain Harrison. I see why Arthur recommended you for the job. I anticipate even more great things from you.”
I gave him my most heartfelt smile, and his eyes widened. It was the longest we’d ever made eye contact, and that put me at ease. The previous record was when he flashed that terrifying grin at me during the defensive war. In this case, I’d likely kept his attention because I’d mentioned Arthur, and he treasured a recommendation from the former subordinate he doted on.
We were still gazing at each other when Tiara did something very unlike herself: She approached Vice Captain Harrison and peered into his face.
When he noticed, he blinked and faced her. “What is it?”
The impish Tiara kept her eyes firmly fixed on the vice captain. “Your eyes are the same color as Big Sister’s. How lovely! I’m glad I finally got to see them!”
Her glee startled the knight. My curiosity got the better of me, and I joined her in scrutinizing Vice Captain Harrison’s face. He recoiled, but not before I glimpsed a pair of purple eyes just like mine. It was a rare color in our country, and this shared trait made me feel a deeper connection to him.
“You’re right! It’s an honor to have the same color eyes as you, Vice Captain Harrison. Although…yours are much more beautiful.” Unlike my sharp, imposing eyes, Vice Captain Harrison’s were like shimmering amethysts.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he looked swiftly away. Maybe he was uncomfortable being stared at. I hope it’s not that he’s trying to avoid me specifically.
The thought was just beginning to depress me when he disappeared. A breeze blew past me. I sucked in a breath and blinked—only to see the vice captain standing about three meters away. He held his head with one hand as though overcome with a dizzy spell, then whipped around so we couldn’t see his face.
I had no idea he was so upset. Was he humiliated to have his eyes compared to a woman’s? Or had he gotten shy after the adorable Tiara peeked up at him with puppy dog eyes?
I called his name. After staring at the ground for a beat, he apologized and said he was fine, but his voice was unexpectedly meek. This was a far more human side of Vice Captain Harrison, and Tiara and I smirked at each other—rude as that might’ve been.
Once we set off, Vice Captain Harrison swept in behind us, acting no different from usual. To my relief, the shadows over his face had dissipated, and I offered him my hand. “Please keep up the excellent work, Vice Captain Harrison.”
The vice captain stared at my hand for a moment before gently taking it in his own. I squeezed, and he did the same, returning my handshake. We’d shaken hands when he first arrived as an imperial knight, but for some reason, he was much more hesitant this time.
He blinked over and over, trying to make sense of my actions. I’d never realized he was capable of such human expressions. Despite almost getting off on the wrong foot, I was thrilled to have another imperial knight I could rely on.