Even when whispering, Twin Moons could not suppress her exaggerated movements and flamboyant tone.
“Princess Amelia, even if I rack my brains, I cannot find a definitive answer. Why exactly do you show such favor to this unloved little yellow flower?”
“She already has her Personal Knight, and her trip to the Northlands has earned her the friendship of the Snow family. We do not yet know if she has collaborated with Rosalia. Regardless of whether she has or not, this is my gesture of goodwill toward her.”
Amelia walked half a step ahead of Twin Moons, her voice remaining gentle and elegant.
“My sister has completely transformed from a harmless, transparent person into a variable capable of influencing the entire situation.”
“However, she has already rejected your gesture of goodwill. That is not something a harmless little flower should do. She has now turned into a thorny bramble; will she not obstruct your path ahead?”
“No. At least I now know that while my sister is not particularly popular, she is not a brainless fool. That means she likely hasn’t sided with Rosalia. Therefore, she is still not an obstacle.”
Meanwhile, on the other side.
“Lita, did you see through her intentions?”
“Not really?”
Lita scratched her head, then quickly added.
“Well, it’s not like I couldn’t see anything at all. She was making a gesture of goodwill. Making such a gesture now looks like offering charcoal in the snow, but it’s actually harmless to her. She can’t very well jump in and interfere when everyone supports me becoming a Crest Knight, right? That would be too stupid.”
“Mm.”
Cecilia raised her hand, seemingly wanting to pat Lita’s head. Since it was inconvenient to walk while doing so, she settled for scratching Lita’s chin instead.
“Lita, you’re starting to get smart.”
“Hehe, is that so? That’s great.”
Lita chuckled twice, enjoying Cecilia’s teasing of her chin.
“However, the goodwill is only one part. She isn’t sincerely helping us; she certainly wants something in return. This is an exchange.”
Cecilia scanned their surroundings and, noticing no one nearby, continued.
“She displayed her unwillingness to be our enemy and proactively offered information we didn’t know—that matter regarding ‘Glen.’ Of course, her proactive goodwill is meant to seek a reward. What she wants to know is exactly what happened during our journey north.”
Lita scratched her head.
“But, you didn’t tell her?”
“That’s right. I rejected her gesture of goodwill, and she left immediately.”
Cecilia let out a sigh of lament.
“Any information can become a weapon for Amelia. It’s better to let her spend some energy investigating it herself, or she can go ask Aierteer or Father. Amelia really looked down on me if she thought she could bait such unequal information out of my mouth so easily.”
After a night’s rest, Lita fell back into a state of confusion about what she should be doing.
Should she continue doing odd jobs everywhere with Aierteer?
She had already passed Aierteer’s test, and since she didn’t know what Aierteer’s true motives were, continuing to associate with her felt inappropriate.
The only other person she could call a friend was likely Promi.
Perhaps she should go see Promi.
Having made up her mind, Lita ran to Promi’s house just as she had during her special training days.
It happened that Promi wasn’t out for training today as usual, so she welcomed Lita warmly.
Although Promi seemed to dislike her sister, she still cared for her.
Upon hearing about the group being hunted by the Wild Hunt, Promi grew tense and repeatedly asked Lita what had happened afterward.
Lita naturally couldn’t go around spreading the news about Kaisa.
Using rumors was one thing, but since Cecilia hadn’t even told Amelia last night, Lita certainly couldn’t be a big mouth and talk about it everywhere.
Just as it reached noon, the butler hurried back to the room.
“Miss Lita, someone from the Royal Palace brought a message. They want you to return immediately; His Majesty wishes to see you.”
“Huh?”
What was this about now? It felt like the same routine from when she first arrived in the Royal Capital.
First, she saw the King, then she saw Promi, and then she was hauled back for a trial.
It couldn’t be that they were doing it all over again, with the King sitting up there saying, “I already know you are a Dream Demon. Ministers, what do you think should be done about this?”
Furthermore, this time the butler explicitly stated that Promi could not follow.
Lita returned to the Royal Palace with a heart full of apprehension.
Waiting for her was not the King, but Cecilia.
“Lady Cecilia, this is…”
“Father wants to see us,” Cecilia said succinctly.
“Didn’t we see him yesterday?”
Lita muttered, still feeling lingering fear from what had happened to her before.
“Yesterday was different from today. Shirley and the two Rangers were there; there might be words that are inconvenient to say in front of outsiders,” Cecilia analyzed.
“Then does that mean…”
Lita turned her clever little brain, but she couldn’t think of a suitable sentence for a long time.
Cecilia translated the thoughts in her heart into actual words.
“Perhaps Father wants to directly ask us about what specifically happened on the Everfrost Wasteland?”
This time, even Cecilia guessed wrong.
The King did ask a few questions about their experience on the Everfrost Wasteland, but the focus wasn’t on the Previous King who had appeared, but rather on the safety of the two of them.
These were actually just opening remarks; the matter the King spoke of today was not that.
“Lita, I have heard of your deeds lately. Although some things were done a bit abruptly, correcting the actions of the Holy Knights is justifiable.”
The King patted his large belly, his eyes squinted almost into slits, but his voice was full of praise.
“You fought a Crest Knight, helped the Royal City resolve tedious little matters, and even went to the Everfrost Wasteland, protecting my daughter’s safety in that environment. I believe you have done very well. Your actions are worthy of being my daughter’s Personal Knight.”
This was an incredibly direct compliment.
Even though Lita knew very little about etiquette, she knew what she had to do now.
Lita immediately dropped to one knee before the King.
“I am humbled by Your Majesty’s praise. As Lady Cecilia’s Personal Knight, these are all within my duty.”
Since the King had said so, her status as a knight should be secure, right?
“However…” The King’s tone shifted.
“I have already handed the mission of the evaluation to the other Crest Knights. It would be somewhat inappropriate to take those words back now.”
‘Huh? Then why did you say all that?! Are you playing with me?’
Lita’s lips twitched. She desperately wanted to give the fat man on the throne two punches.
However, seeing his layers of fat and remembering the immense power of that slap he had given her before, she figured even if she used all her strength, those two punches wouldn’t do anything.
“How about this. I believe your actions will not be ignored by others either. Starting today, we will announce that you are to become my daughter Cecilia’s Personal Knight. If no one objects within a week—no, within three days—then we shall hold the Enfeoffment Ceremony.”
phew… phew…
Lita breathed another sigh of relief.
Could he not just say it all in one go?
With all these twists and turns, her mood felt like it was on a roller coaster. If she had a weak heart, she might have passed away right then.
But what was this? A public notice period?
Thinking about it carefully, a Holy Knight really was like a civil servant.
“Lita.”
Cecilia called Lita’s name softly.
Lita reacted instantly, burying her head even lower and raising her volume.
“THANKS FOR THE GREAT FAVOR!”
Cecilia’s gaze became even stranger. If they weren’t in front of her father, she really would have wanted to kick Lita in the rear.
The King was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter, slapping his belly until it made a loud sound.
“Hahaha! Good, very good! You truly are an interesting young person! In the future… no, no, no, after you truly become my daughter’s Personal Knight, you must take good care of her!”
It seemed that after the King announced the news, Cecilia also felt a sense of relief.
In the past, she would never have started messing around with Lita in the palace corridors.
Lita wore a playful smile as she watched Cecilia raise her leg like she was throwing a tantrum, kicking her again and again.
Even if Cecilia didn’t show it clearly, she must have been in a very good mood.
Lita couldn’t help but laugh out loud, turning to look at the Cecilia beside her.
“That was in front of my father! How could you be so tactless? Fortunately, Father is informal, and there were no ministers watching, otherwise it would have been too embarrassing!”
Cecilia’s tone was also more excited than ever before as she spoke, giving Lita another kick on the rear.
“Alright, alright, Lady Cecilia, I already know I was wrong.”
“What use is knowing you were wrong? You have to correct the mistake!”
Cecilia was kicking with great enthusiasm. Now, meeting Lita’s gaze, a hint of a flush appeared on her face.
It seemed she had realized her own lapse in composure. She coughed lightly and cleared her throat.
“What.”
“Nothing, I just think Lady Cecilia is a bit cute,” Lita smiled and replied in a small voice.
Cecilia’s face seemed to turn even redder.
Except for when the two of them were holding each other in bed, Lita had never seen her face look like this.
Between the two of them, it seemed something had already changed subtly and imperceptibly.
“Alright, Lita, back to business.”
Cecilia swallowed hard, but looking at Lita’s eyes, she was the first to break. Her tone became more embarrassed and annoyed, finding it difficult to hold back.
“I am talking to you about business.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
Lita tried to keep a straight face, but she really couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Cecilia gave up on herself and shoved her so-called “business” right into Lita’s face.
“Starting tomorrow, you will…”
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