CH 18

After a while looking around, the time passed by until it was time for them to share the food Laiya packed for lunch. Though she had to trouble the knights to carry the weight of the basket for her.

Today, the head chef has outdone himself! Look, even Ruben has been conquered. 

If I told you, Ruben, that you may eat this everyday from now on, I’m pretty sure that you would shout out, claiming to be loyal to me for the rest of my life. 

After partaking in the meal, the training resumed once again. 

The knights… Even Roy…

Watching them return to training, as if they had the stamina of monsters, Laiya felt embarrassed. 

I wish I had a bit more stamina too. 

“It’s done.”

She looked up and saw the setting sun.

A handsome boy with a sunset setting in the background, stood in front of a blunt and rough handsome man, and a bear.

The little girl smiled.

“Everyone has suffered.”

Quickly, Laiya handed Roy some water, who was drenched in sweat. Her third brother blushed and quickly drank the water.

“Then Brother, see you tomorrow!”

After the training was finally over, Laiya decided to say goodbye to Roy BlackWinter and leave. 

Don’t be sad because I’ll see you again tomorrow.

She waved her hand as she looked back at the head of black hair that stood in the distance. 

Ahh, little black kitten…

The kitten who saved her on that rainy day, she was leaving him now for a little break and alone time, but it seemed that he seemed alone and weary of the escort knights. 

I should give you something delicious tomorrow.

The two knights sweated, though not as much as Roy.

While one of them went to wash up first, the other escorted her to the mansion, and then they swapped places with the returning person to wash. That had become their daily schedule and it was the same sequence today. Rainante walked behind Laiya, as her escort.

The mischievous girl playfully covered her nose and grinned at her escort knight.

“Rainante, you can’t come close to me because it smells.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“What? You shouldn’t say that at a time like this.”

“So what do you want me to say?”

Having understood his personality over the course of a week, she tilted her head and smiled brightly.

“You should say that a handsome man smells good even when he sweats, yes?”

“…”

Unsurprisingly, the blunt and abrasive handsome knight’s face distorted.

He frowned. 

She copied his frown. 

Laiya BlackWinter giggled.

“Where did you learn those words?”

“In a fiction book? It said that the male lead smells good even when he sweats.”

“That… It’s a novel.”

“Rainante is handsome.”

She was bewildered by his replies.

“I’m embarrassed, but I’m not happy to hear such a story from the princess.”

“Why? Like me, um—”

I want to say he’s pretty like me, but the BlackWinter household is overflowing with handsome men and beautiful women, what is one more.

First of all, my mother is a great beauty, but I have to say that I couldn’t even match up to even half of her beauty. 

I couldn’t bear to paint my face with gold and say I’m on their level, so I should keep my mouth shut.

“It would make me happy to hear that from a woman my age.”

“…You are honest.”

He’s so honest, I can’t believe this person is a knight in the middle of marriageable age.

It was just as they entered the hallway of the building, exchanging trivial words, when a large shadow was cast over her.

Shadow? Why didn’t Rainante stop the person from getting so close to us?

She knew the answer once she raised her head.

“Hey.”

Standing in front of her was her second brother, Stephen Blackwinter.

“…Brother?”

It was the first time she’d seen him since the time she witnessed him stealing books from their father’s study.

[T/N: The time when she also snuck into the study to steal books.]

For some reason, Stefan was frowning, his face showing his annoyance.

However, she tilted her head in puzzlement, her second brother didn’t usually sport such an expression. 

Does he feel uncomfortable talking to me now? 

“Where are you coming from?”

“Uh, um—”

“The third training ground?”

“…”

“I mean, yes, the third training ground.”

It feels like you asked even though you knew the answer already. Why are you looking at me as if I’ve done a good job confessing? 

Why is he like this?

“Do you only hang out with him these days?”

“Him?”

“That gloomy bastard.”

Laiya immediatelyknew who he was talking about. 

Has this man lost his etiquette?

“Why are you calling your brother like that?”

“Him? My brother?”

Stefan mercilessly twisted his lips in disgust.

The setting sun shone through the pillars and dyed the silver hair, the only one in this family, vermilion.

He was quite pretty, but his face was now full of annoyance, as if he was a brooding demon. 

As the little girl flinched in surprise, he quickly schooled his expression. 

“What about you?”

“Me? What am I?”

“Tsk.”

Stefan swept his silver hair back, a handsome forehead appeared briefly before his hair fell back into the previous position. 

“…”

He was definitely a handsome boy with a cold personality throughout the novel, and like my father,he has blue eyes just like me.

“Nothing!”

No, if I’m going to get angry, I’ll act impulsively, or if I start talking, I’ll end up saying something I shouldn’t. 

She looked at her second brother in absurdity.

For some reason, her second brother, who was always alone, glanced at her, she flinched.

“Here!”

He held out his hand, but seeing his hand coming towards her, she involuntarily flinched.

[T/N: She’s already become accustomed to being hit, so she reacted without a second thought.] 

However, when she saw what was in his hand, her shoulders relaxed.

“Why don’t you take it?”

“Huh? It’s a block of…?”

She stuttered involuntarily at the unexpected gift. 

What is this? 

A closer inspection of the object had her eyes widening. 

Is this his library pass?

“Is this your library pass?”

“Don’t you see it is? Are your eyes open?”

“Having a habit of talking…”

“What?”

There was a memory that came to mind at that moment.

“Ouch, what was that?”

“You should look where you walk”

The day when she was unable to speak due to her parents’ marital fight, and bumped into Stefan and fell down.

When Stephan had picked her up, she’d gotten hurt.

“Wow, this will bruise tomorrow.”

She remembered they’d talked about the library then. 

“Huh, I was trying to get permission to use the library.”

“Why don’t you ask permission for that?”

Thinking over the memory, she raised her head. 

“Hey, there is no debt that comes along with this.”

She glanced at the face dyed vermilion in the setting sun. 

He still looks annoyed, but it doesn’t look the same as before.

“What debt? I’ll ask you a favor later. So just take this!”

Laiya fiddled with the pass in her hand. It felt a little strange.

What should I call this generosity?

“But why are you…? Were you coming to my room?”

“You think I’m visiting?”

She had asked him purely out of curiosity.

“Oh that— Oh— It’s okay! Don’t come!”

No, I never said you should come, but why are you so angry? Have I ever decided to visit you? …I mean, I seriously thought about it, but didn’t.

Or do you want me to come to you now?

“…done, goodbye!”

But why now?

Before she could say anything, her second brother had already turned his back to her and left. She stared at his shoulders and swaying silver hair until he was out of sight, then looked down at the pass. 

It’s a library pass.

One more conversation suddenly came to mind.

“My child, you have a gift for magic.”

She was sure that there must be something about magic in the library.

Let’s find out.

* * *

“Were you on good terms with the Second Young Master?”

Laiya glanced at Rainante’s face in amazement.

How exactly did he come to that conclusion after their conversation?!

“Does irritation also belong to love?”

“…”

The little girl laughed out loud at the man whose face was twisted as if he’d tasted something sour. 

His expression of being unable to say anything made her laugh in joy.

“Seeing you say such things, I now know my knight has no eyes.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then you don’t have any friends?”

At her mischievous question, Reinante closed his mouth once more.

This is pretty funny. This person, as it turns out, is a prize that can be beaten well.

“I have friends.”

“Who, Ruben?”

“Ruben is a colleague.”

She shrugged. 

Ruben and Rainante seemed very close.

“Hahah. I think you are good friends.”

The little girl felt a bit dissatisfied with the gaze staring at her, but she ignored it.

A dark sunset glow fell over the hallway. It was an everyday sight for the two.

It’s the most peaceful day since Laiya realized that she was reincarnated.

Well from the day I made Ruben and Rainante, the teachers of my black puppy brother.

“Sir, about teaching? Is it worth it?”

Laiya raised her head.

“I don’t think I’ve done much.”

“Not really, you’ve done a lot.”

The glow of the sunset fell over their faces. 

“It’s not like I don’t have experience teaching apprentice knights or squire children.”

BlackWinter, a master of swordsmanship and a family of knights, for its size, this huge family boasted a traditionally structured training system.

In her old world, it was like the national athlete’s village, analyzing everything and preparing for better swordsmanship training and development.

“Well, you must have a lot of experience. Given your age, you must have gone through a special promotion battle in your knighthood that allowed you to advance so quickly?”

“…How do you know all that?”

“I was just interested in swords.”

It’s not entirely a lie. It was when I was a little younger than now, when I couldn’t remember my previous life.

I once grabbed a sword because I was scared and lonely in this house where everyone seems to be ignoring me.

Although the results were disastrous.

The black hand that was too heavy for me made blood flow out. 

After that day, not even a small pair of scissors was placed in my room.

“I’ve only heard that it won’t happen in my lifetime.”

There was silence for a while. When she raised her eyes, Rainante’s expression looked complicated.

Hmmm… 

She smiled.

“Don’t pity me, Sir.”

“…I didn’t.”

Laiya closed her eyes with a smile.

“I’m alright, I’ve learnt that a sword is not just a weapon you hold in your hand.”

She lightly ran her fingers through the sunlight before her.

I’m really fine. It can’t be helped that my body is weak, but the things in my head won’t leave me just because my body is weak. 

I have to survive, and I heard from Theodore that he had a talent for magic.

In many ways, things weren’t bad.

“How is my brother?”

She changed the topic for Rainante, who became overly serious after her reply. 

Rainante answered sincerely while still making a strange expression.

“He is amazing.”

It was a short and neat answer. He seemed to think a little more, then opened his mouth.

“Hck?”

“Princess?”

Rainante’s steps stopped, which caused Laiya to stop as well. 

What are you doing?

“The Third Young Master is a genius… It seems you already know this, Princess.”