CH 75

After they were released from the tearoom, Cain, Ilvalino, and Dianna gathered in Cain’s room. Dianna and Cain sat on the loveseat and Ilvalino sat across the table in a chair. 

“Well, let’s begin the strategy meeting.” 

Cain put his elbows on his knees, laced his fingers together, and rested his chin on his interlaced hands. The crying “weak person” that Dianna had mentioned before had vanished without a trace. 

“Dianna. It looks like mom hates the idea of your becoming a knight or even pretending to be a knight.” 

“But dad said I could…” 

Dianna said with a dissatisfied expression. Playing the Girl Knight Nina was fun, but when she competed again with Arundilano her hands responded skillfully, which caused trouble. However, it wasn’t like they could give up that easily. 

“I can’t take this. Let’s put in the effort and not put up with this.” 

“Big brother?” 

“Dianna wearing knight armor and wielding a thing sword would be fantastic. If you want to become a knight, I don’t want you to give up on your dreams.” 

Dianna was only four. If Dianna could read a book about a girl knight and want to become a girl knight after, “What I want to be in the future” is something that Cain knew could change constantly at her age. 

And since Dianna was of noble descent and the duke’s daughter the only future for her would be to marry into a suitable aristocratic family.  

Even if it was said, “You can only choose this” or “You can do other things, but you much choose this” are two completely different sentiments. The aristocrats would not look kindly on an aristocratic woman who mastered the sword and magic. 

If Dianna learns to do many different things she won’t be made to cry by her domineering husband. 

“Do you know a story like this?” 

Cain decided to tell Dianna a story. He began telling a story where a pretend playboy fluttered around the city looking for bad people. The police captured the bad person, but he declared his innocence. When he demanded evidence, it turned out the police were the bad people. 

Next, the playboy fluttered about the city and revealed the wrong doings of the lowly officials, but even though they were from aristocratic family their crimes were accepted. But they didn’t realize that the pretend playboy was the king! The pretend playboy told the higher officials of the lower officials’ wrongdoings and got them sent to prison. 

In addition, it was discovered that the aristocrats that ruled the northern region were doing horrible things to the citizens and territory. The chamberlain tried to silence the spread of his wrongdoings, but a traveling old man challenged him with the sword. He revealed that he was the former chamberlain that had been defeated.

Cain told his story with passion gesturing as he spoke and acting each character as if he was in a play. Dianna listened with glittering eyes. 

“Di wants to also pretend to be a commoner!” 

“It looks like that is coming~” 

“In the flow of the story, there is no reason it wouldn’t happen.” 

Cain gently stroked the head of Dianna who was sitting next to him. Her hair was styled in a half up-do and was held securely by a carved wooden hairpin. 

Elysse had admired the accessory studios’ watermark and had hired the studio to make more accessories. However, she didn’t like Dianna’s choice of a simple wood carving pin that had no gems or rare metals. Whenever she saw Dianna wearing it, she always tried to gently persuade her to wear something else. 

Dianna had been fond of the accessory ever since she found out that Serenosta had made it. He was also a master of the Ishihajiki style. 

“If you pretend to be a commoner, then mom would get even angrier.” 

“But in order to defeat the bad guys wouldn’t it be good to pretend to be weak and take them off their guard.” 

“You are right. Even aristocrats have weak spots you know. Do you know who?” 

“Hmmm. Sick people?” 

Neither Cain nor Dianna had interacted much with the other families. Cain did his guard knight training and interacted with the Royal Prince Arundilano and the deputy general’s sons, but no one else. 

They played with some children at the embroidery party, but it turned out to be a one-off thing. Dianna seemed to be picking up on the differences in social standing from listening to the adults around her but didn’t quite understand it fully yet. 

While he thought deeply, he messed with tufts of Dianna’s hair and turned his face to Ilvalino. 

“What about you Ilvalino? Out of the aristocratic families who do you think is weak?” [Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

“I think daughters. If you are married and become a lady or mistress your station will rise, but there are very few things that a lady can decide on her own.” 

It was the perfect answer. Cain had been hoping that he would be able to lead into a conversation that would yield that answer. Cain hugged Dianna’s head close to him so she wouldn’t see him give Ilvalino a satisfied smile. 

“That is exactly right Ilvalino. You understand. It is daughters. Dianna. You are a vulnerable person just by being a daughter.” 

“No! Di does not want to be weak! I definitely want to become a knight after all!”

Dianna moved away from Cain and protested while waving her arms. Cain knew that Dianna would rebel if she was called weak because she wanted to be strong like the Girl Knight Nina. 

“That right. So, Dianna let’s pretend that you are weak.” 

“Pretend to be weak?” 

“You can do your best to be educated like a lady so that you can fool mom. You will be quiet and graceful and pretend to be a lady by practicing dancing, etiquette, and embroidery. And then in secret practice magic and swordsmanship. But for this to work you must fool mom, dad, and Parapantle.”   

“Pretend to be a lady?” 

Cain stood and walked to the middle of the room with his back to them. 

“My name is Dianna. I am the celebrated and secluded eldest daughter of Limuto Break’s first duke. I have never held anything heavier than a fan and I am a weak lady…”

Ilvalino and Dianna looked at Cain with blank faces after he suddenly acted out a scene. Cain twisted his body and flipped his growing hair over his shoulder with his hand. 

“However! That is just the secret side of me. My true identity is a warrior of justice who protects the weak and brings down the strong!” 

As Cain finished his speech, he took three running steps forward, did a backflip, then posed with a ruler that he had hidden in his pocket as he landed. 

“The Girl Knight Dianna has arrived!” 

He pointed the ruler sternly at Dianna. Cain stared into Dianna’s face with a fearless smile, when she smiled back his expression softened, and he lowered the ruler with a shrug. 

“How about that? Was it cool?” 

“Super cool!!” 

Dianna enthusiastically applauded his performance. Cain sat on the couch and took Dianna’s applauding hands in his own. He gazed into Dianna’s face with a gentle expression. 

“In other words, you don’t have to pretend to be a commoner. If you can pretend to be a perfect lady, you will be able to get mom’s approval.” 

“Do I have to fool mom and dad?” 

“First we should create a word that only your allies know, Dianna. If you can convince your mom with your performance of being a lady there wouldn’t be anyone you would be able to deceive.” 

Dianna seemed to be a bit hesitant to deceive her family. It was only natural because they had been kind and sweet to her. 

“I will secretly train you to be a knight in my room, Dianna. I also must do my best to learn how to be a gentleman to help you be a lady. Together we can strive to be the best. Whether it be among the guard knights or the nobles. It will be a magnificent surprise when we reveal our true identities.” 

“Please show me how to do that movie you did earlier!” 

“Alright. But when it comes to that move Ilvalino is better at it.” 

“Il is?” 

Dianna turned her round eyes to Ilvalino. He was taken aback by the sudden attention but quickly recovered and looked at Cain with annoyance. 

“Fufu. You said earlier that you were on our side to take down our enemies, right? In fact, I didn’t tell Dianna this, but Ilvalino is a former orphan from the orphanage and is the inspiration for my secret chamberlain character.” 

“Il?!” 

Dianna stared at Ilvalino in awe. Ilvalino on the other hand looked like he had just bitten into garlic thinking it was a potato in the stew. 

“But Ilvalino is an escort, not a chamberlain, and is a stronger ninja than I am.” 

Cain proudly explained to Dianna but he couldn’t help but notice Ilvalino’s reaction was not what he had expected.