“Hey, Yuin, you can’t just grab a girl’s arm like that. Let go of her already.”
The white-clad man lightly hit the black-clad man’s arm, but his grip on my wrist didn’t loosen. Just what was I supposed to make of this situation?
“Umm...”
“Sorry about that! He’s not always like this. Come on, let go already!”
Ah. The white uniform man just whacked the black one upside the head.
“What are you doing?” asked the black-clad man.
“Don’t grumble at me—you’re the one in the wrong!” the white-clad man replied.
“What am I doing that’s wrong?”
“You’re holding on to that girl’s wrist like a vice!”
“... Ah.”
“Ah,” he says as if he just noticed. Wait. Did he just notice? Was he doing it unconsciously?
Really, what was I supposed to make of this situation?
After that, the two apologized and let me use one of their horses. I rode sidesaddle, like a proper lady, but I could’ve ridden normally if I hadn’t been in a dress. I told them I’d be fine by myself, but they insisted on coming along with me. Something about how “making a girl walk home by herself would sully our honor as knights.”
I was put on the same horse as the one in the black uniform, and the one in white rode another horse alongside us. I didn’t understand why they both had to come along.
“I never expected that you might be an acquaintance of the Winville Aspozat,” the white-clad one said. I wondered what their relationship was if he was referring to Ville in that way. “Ah, both myself and this brusque fellow were classmates of Winville.” So they were classmates! Then of course they knew Ville. It was all too easy to imagine that man standing out among his peers. “I knew he had a younger sister, but your hair and eyes don’t match. How do you know him?”
Put to it, I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Childhood friends? Distant relatives? At a loss, I ended up simply stating the truth.
“I know him through Lord Peylon.”
“Ahh, that uncle on his mother’s side.”
Oh, thank goodness he recognized the name.
“I was afraid you might be his younger sister. My friend here would be a dead man walking if he had laid his hands on the sister of Winville Aspozat.”
Ooh, this white-uniform guy has his sights on Colny? That’s a risky endeavor. Unless he’s holding back because he’s afraid of Ville? Too bad he doesn’t see the real danger: Colny herself.
“Have you ever met her?” I asked.
“No, I’ve only seen her from a distance, but I could tell she’s the definition of a beauty! Oh, ah, you’re very nice looking as well.”
Don’t say it like an afterthought.
I realized I was talking with a man of frivolity and decided to mentally refer to him as such.
The journey back sure was taking a long time. I thought for sure we’d be back within minutes. Had I really walked that far?
“Is something up?” Mr. Frivolous asked me. “You’re looking around a lot. Oh, are you new to the royal capital? Look Yuin, taking the long way back was worth it after all.”
“Excuse me?!” I cried.
Did you just say “long way back?!” I didn’t ask for that—just take me back to the manor already!
Perhaps because I put up a fuss, we changed course and took the shortest route back. If only they had done so from the beginning. But I guess beggars can’t be choosers.
Once we reached the Aspozat residence, Mr. Frivolous dismounted and rang the bell. The black-clad man and I stayed atop our horse...for reasons unclear to me.
The door was answered by Yofus, a butler with a charming white beard.
“Hey, I’m from the Knights of the White Summit. We found this young lady had become lost, so we’ve brought her back to you.”
For just a moment, Yofus looked taken aback by Mr. Frivolous’s smile.
Yep. That’s right, Yofus. A girl my age got lost.
However, Yofus recovered quickly. You couldn’t run a noble residence in the royal capital if you let things like that stun you.
“Ah, very good. Thank you for returning her to us safely. Now, the two of you, help the young lady off her horse.”
At the butler’s directions, two servants came to help me down. But for some reason, the black-clad one turned them down. I watched with confusion as he got off the horse and then helped me off himself.
So he wanted to look out for me until the very end. That was very kind of him, but why wasn’t he letting go of my hand? I looked up and saw him staring directly at me. Had I done something strange?
“Ah, a member of the Knights of Obsidian. My lord is not present at the moment, but Master Winville is, so do come inside.”
Ooh. Black and white knights, just like their uniforms suggest.
“No need. Well, glad that’s taken care of,” the black-clad, er, black knight said and turned to me. “Now then, see you again.”
“Th-Thank you for helping me,” I answered.
Again? Did that man just say “see you again?” I can assure you, I don’t plan on getting lost again. There’s no way I’ll get lost again. Probably.
The black knight got back atop his horse and headed off with Mr. Frivolous.
What an exhausting stroll that had turned out to be. And just when I was about to put the whole thing behind me, Yofus smiled at me.
“Once again, welcome back young lady,” he said. “We had begun to worry about you. Lord Peylon has been awaiting you for some time.”
Eee! Lecture inbound.
I wanted to run away, but I was even more scared of what might happen if I tried that. In the end, I obediently went along and weathered the storm that was Lord Peylon.
Once I was finally released from the earl’s wrath, Colny and I enjoyed some light afternoon tea before dinner. And by “afternoon tea,” I really mean just tea, no snacks. After all, we wanted to leave room for dinner.