CH 33

“This is where Sister work.”

In the commander’s office that I visited for the first time, I couldn’t hide my joy and looked around.

“It’s okay to watch slowly.”

Viola put the basket on the side of the table and pulled out a chair and said.

“Let’s eat first.”

“Look at your spirit. You’re really hungry, aren’t you?”

When I sat down on the chair she gave me, Viola also sat across from me.

I took the food out of the basket one by one and quietly said to Viola.

“I am really not bothering you, right?”

“Of course. I’m rather busy with work these days, so I tend to skip lunch most of the time.”

The words she said so calmly were shocking.

“…How could you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You always told me to eat a nutritious meal on time!”

“You and I are different.”

I shook my head at the words Viola said casually.

“No, we’re not different. Sister has to eat well, too. If you don’t eat properly because you’re busy, your body will suffer.”

“Skipping this much is fine.”

“It’s not fine!”

The moment I was about to shout out of frustration, something passed through my mind.

‘I was worried about how to get in and out of the Knight Order, so this works out.’

I immediately brought up the idea that had just occurred to me.

“I’ll be in charge of packing Sister’s lunch from now on until the knight competition.”

“You will? You don’t have to.”

Viola wiped the sweat off my forehead and said.

“It’s hot even for me, so there’s no need for you to suffer.”

“Sister. You said there’s someone you want to fight in the knight competition. To do that, you have to stay in top shape.”

I said, placing a deliciously prepared sandwich in front of Viola.

“I also want Sister to win the knight competition. So please think of this as my own support.”

“Aren’t you going to wander and get lost again?”

“It was because it was my first time. I won’t forget the roads I’ve seen once.”

Viola smiled faintly as I grumbled.

“I’m not saying I’ll bring it every day, it’s just until the knight competition is over. So please let me.”

“What if I don’t allow it?”

“If you don’t…”

At Viola’s low voice, I swallowed.

‘I can’t back down here. I won’t watch Sister lose to Theodore.’

“I’ll sneak up on you and leave you behind!”

I spoke in a solemn voice, and Viola turned her head.

‘Are you angry?’

As soon as I spat those words out, I noticed it, and when I looked at her quietly, Viola was covering her mouth with her hand.

“Pfft.”

Then, she burst into small laughter.

“Sister Viola?”

With a heartbroken expression on my face, I raised her other hand as if to ask if she was laughing at my great determination.

“Sorry. You look so serious.”

“You think it’s funny that I’m being serious?”

“A little?”

When I put on a shocked look, Viola quickly began to patch things up.

“Of course, you can come, but I am not sure about it because you’re so somber like someone about to do something big.”

Viola rose from her seat and headed for the desk.

Then she took something out of the drawer and put it in front of me.

“It’s an entry permit. If you show this, you can come into the captain’s office anytime, so don’t wait outside and come here.”

“Wow.”

I admired the round metal plate, fiddling around.

“I’ll tell the Knight Order too, so come in with pride.”

“Yes!”

I quickly took the permit as if I had encountered a precious treasure.

‘Okay. From now on, I’ll take care of Viola’s lunch box and see if Theodore or someone else is doing something suspicious.’

If he really did something suspicious, I would stop him.

I made up my mind with my eyes shining sharply.

✲ ✲ ✲

“It’s not as easy as I thought.”

I trudged along helplessly, carrying a lunch basket.

‘No, why can’t I even see a trace of him?’

I knew that the first floor of the knight’s building had a separate canteen where the members of the Knight Order could eat.

So I purposely came out a little early and wandered around the canteen before going up to the commander’s office, but I couldn’t see him.

‘Does he not eat?’

I walked past the canteen and back out into the lobby.

It didn’t go the way I wanted, so I sighed, and I happened to encounter Viola coming downstairs.

“Ah, Sister.”

I raised my hand to greet her, but Viola’s expression was not good.

“Daisy.”

“Yes. Is something wrong?”

I wondered if she came here to meet me because I was late, but her expression was too serious for that.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think we can have lunch together today.”

“Yes? Why?”

“I urgently need to go to the temple. It seems that there is a problem with their cooperation. I had to deal with it urgently.”

Viola’s expression was apologetic.

“I heard it a little while ago. You ended up coming here for no reason.”

“No, it’s because of work, isn’t it? That can happen.”

I smiled and pushed Viola’s back.

“I’m fine, just go ahead!”

“I’ll take you to the carriage.”

“Oh, you have to deal with the urgent matters first! Sister, you’re working right now.”

“Thank you.”

Viola hesitated a little and patted my head.

“Go home safely.”

“Yes!”

And Viola swiftly walked out of the knight’s building.

‘Phew. I’m gonna go home.’

Without Viola, walking around the Knight Order in a dress was drawing too much attention.

Having to go back without gaining anything again today, I felt so tired.

‘But isn’t it too sad to go back like this? Wouldn’t it be better if I take a walk before going back?’

Today, the sky was clear without a single cloud, and it was sunny, drawing out my desire to take a walk.

I slowly started walking down the hallway on the first floor with the basket dangling in my hand.

“The weather is so nice.”

A little stroll around the first floor wouldn’t seem particularly suspicious.

I stepped away from the window in the hallway and began to watch the summer greenery,  avoiding the sunlight.

The training hall, which was always noisy due to the people training, was especially more quiet than usual because it was lunchtime.

Whoo- Whoo- Whisk-

It was certainly the case until now.

I poked my head out, unable to overcome my curiosity at the sound coming from beyond the open window.

Someone was training alone.

Everyone seemed to have a cool passion for training even during breaks, so I smiled a little and then immediately blushed.

‘Oh, my God! No matter how hot the weather is. How can you train half-naked?’

The sweat on the back was dripping down, but it was reflected by the sunlight and glistened, so I kept staring.

He trained so hard that the muscles in his broad back looked angry.

‘Calm down, Daisy. This is sexual harassment.’

I had no intention of interrupting the knight’s training, so I tried to look away quietly.

But the moment he turned around and revealed his face, I was startled and dropped the basket.

At that sound, Theodore, the knight who was training hard, turned his head quickly.

“Argh!”

At the same time, I let out a small scream as I covered my eyes with both hands at his clearly visible abs.

“W-What? Are you crazy?”

Theodore, perhaps surprised by my cry, ran over to the window lightly and covered my mouth.

“Eup! Eup!”

“Don’t scream! Do you want people to gather?”

‘Then get out of my way!’

I closed my eyes tightly, not wanting to see his bare skin flickering in front of my eyes.

“Damn you.”

Theodore spat out a small curse.

‘Just get off.’

I smacked him down as hard as I could in irritation.

I was surprised that his bare skin touched my hand with a squeak, so I immediately withdrew my hand.

“It hurts!”

Theodore shouted and removed his hand and backed away.

I hurriedly turned my head to hide my reddened face.

“Get dressed first!”

“Huh? Ah, damn it!”

At my words, he let out a panicked voice, and I heard the sound of him running somewhere in a hurry.

Since I had my eyes closed, I couldn’t help but felt sensitive to sounds. The sound of cloth brushing made my ears warm.

“I’m done. You can open your eyes.”

I couldn’t believe Theodore right away, so I took a peek and saw that he was well-dressed.

I opened my eyes with a sigh.

“What the hell’s with you? No, no. Lady, why the hell have you been spying on me here?”

Theodore’s face was flushed red as if he was embarrassed by this situation.

“I-I happened to pass by, and I just turned my head in surprise at the sound of a sword swinging.”

“You’re not telling me to believe that, are you?”

“So you’re saying I’ve been following you on purpose? Why, do you want to call me a stalker again?”

“No, back then, I was….”

I tried to bury the mistake of the day, but it couldn’t be helped. I had to escape this embarrassing situation.

When I turned my eyes into triangle shapes and glared at Theodore, he brushed his hair and frowned.

Not only I didn’t want to see him, but I really didn’t have the slightest interest in Theodore, so firm words sprang up.

“I’m not interested in you at all? At all?”

“You don’t have to emphasize it twice on purpose, you know?”

“You’re speaking comfortably again? Please be polite, Sir Theodore.”

“Ah-oh!”

He hit himself in the mouth a few times with an expression that looked as though he was going to go crazy.

‘Hmph. You have nothing to say.’

I laughed at him with my arms crossed and let out a small snort.

However, after laughing, I couldn’t figure out how to get out of this situation.

“Daisy? What are you doing there?”

Then, like a savior, I heard a welcome voice coming from next to me.