Chapter 66

For a long time, Diana's favorite picture book was "Why Are Rabbits' Ears So Long?" Recently, it finally entered the hall of fame, and she has been carrying around a new favorite picture book.

While Cain is away at the royal castle for sword training, Diana tries to catch Irvanero and read him a story. Every time she reports on "Today's Lady Diana," Cain looks at her with a resentful gaze, and Irvanero wishes he would cut her some slack.

Diana's current favorite is a picture book called "The Girl Knight Nina," which tells the story of Nina, a girl who became a knight to protect other girls from a mean boy and defeats the mean boys.

Diana's favorite page is the one where Nina, dressed in a knight's uniform, is depicted in a cool pose. She often tries to mimic this with a broom, only to have it taken away by the cleaning maid, causing her to pout.

The Elgrandark family garden is always kept neat by the elderly gardener. Flowers are picked before they wither, and leaves are swept up before they are noticed by the household.

So, it was truly a rare and miraculous timing. Just as Diana had her broom taken away by the cleaning maid and pouted, she stepped out through the servants' exit into the backyard, where a branch fell right in front of her. It had one withered leaf still attached, was straight, and of a convenient length.

"Whoa!"

Diana's eyes widened as she picked up the branch carefully, as if it were a treasure, and held it up to eye level to examine it closely. She looked at it horizontally, vertically, from above, and from below, scrutinizing it thoroughly.

Once satisfied, Diana raised her right hand, which held the branch, and swung it down forcefully. The thin branch bent slightly and made a "whoosh" sound as it cut through the air.

"Whoa!"

Diana looked at the branch in her hand with wide, sparkling eyes, as if she were deeply moved.

"Saint Sword Ariadne!"

This was the name of the sword used by the girl knight Nina in the book. Diana walked along, swinging the branch and humming a tune. She planned to show it off to Irvanero first and then to Cain when he returned after lunch.

As she walked toward the main gate along the wall, she saw two guards and Irvanero standing there. Diana was about to run over to show Irvanero her Saint Sword when she stopped in her tracks.

One of the guards raised his sword and was about to bring it down on Irvanero's head, but Irvanero sidestepped to avoid it. Then, as the guard swept his sword horizontally, Irvanero ducked and spread his legs to avoid it, and tried to sweep the guard's feet out from under him.

"Irvanero, be careful!"

Diana shouted and ran as fast as she could.

The guard, who had avoided the sweep, took a large step forward to close the distance. As Irvanero tried to regain his balance after the sweep, Diana ran into the scene.

"Whoa!"

"!"

To avoid kicking Diana, Irvanero intentionally fell, following the momentum of his rotation. Salasinya, the guard, stopped the sword above his head using his shoulder and arm strength. In the meantime, Diana slid in.

Diana thrust the Saint Sword Ariadne at Salasinya and declared loudly.

"I won't tolerate bullying! Being mean is not cool! Girl Knight Diana, here to save the day!"

The adult guard, with his sword raised above his head, the girl thrusting a branch at him, and the boy sitting on the ground behind her—this scene looked like a girl knight protecting a boy from a bad knight.

Diana, with her lines and pose perfectly set, had a smug look on her face.

Salasinya, looking embarrassed, slowly lowered his sword and apologized. Hearing this, Diana nodded dramatically and turned to offer her hand to Irvanero.

"An eye for an eye is endless. If you say sorry, I'll forgive you."

This was also a line from the girl knight Nina. Irvanero, without thinking, took the offered hand to stand up, but he couldn't support his weight, and Diana ended up falling on top of him.

"I wasn't being bullied. I was just practicing."

Irvanero explained while dusting off his bottom, helping Diana stand up. He didn't want the two guards to get into trouble if Diana mistakenly thought they were bullying him. False accusations are not good.

"Practice?"

"Yes. Since Lord Cain started practicing swordsmanship with the royal guards at the castle, I can't fall behind."

The two guards nodded in agreement. Until Cain started going to the castle, both Cain and Irvanero had been trained by these guards. Now, with only Irvanero, they practiced whenever they had free time.

"Diana will practice swordsmanship too! Diana will become a knight!"

Diana declared, thrusting the Saint Sword Ariadne at the guards, but they just looked troubled. Irvanero gently placed his hand on Diana's and lowered the branch, then crouched down to be at her eye level.

"Lady Diana, if you practice swordsmanship without permission and get hurt, these two will be scolded. That would be mean."

"Mean!?"

Diana looked shocked. For Diana, who was pretending to be a just knight, the idea of being mean was a shock.

"Let's get permission first. Ask Lord or Lady if it's okay to practice swordsmanship. If they say yes, then you can ask these two."

Seeing Diana nod obediently, Irvanero bowed to the two guards and said, "That's all for today. Thank you." He then took Diana's hand and headed for the entrance. They first went to Elise's room, where Diana asked for permission, but was told "No."

Diana, looking close to tears, persisted, and Elise finally said, "If your father says it's okay," passing the responsibility to Dismaia.

After lunch, when Cain returned, Diana immediately showed him her "Saint Sword Ariadne."

"Amazing! You're a girl knight! Girl Knight Diana looks so cool!"

Cain praised Diana every time she struck a pose. He then took a ruler from his desk and held it in one hand.

"You're being too cocky for a girl! I'll take you down!"

Cain shouted the mean boy's line from the book and raised the ruler. Diana swung Ariadne wildly, and the tip of the branch hit the ruler. Cain dropped the ruler, dramatically fell to his knees, and groaned.

"Damn! How strong is a girl like you!"

Hearing this line, Diana's eyes sparkled. She knew the next line was Nina's catchphrase.

"Cuteness is justice! Cute girls are invincible!"

Diana struck a pose and had a smug look on her face. Cain thought the line was problematic, but since Diana was indeed cute, he didn't mind her saying it.

After defeating Cain, who was practicing with the royal guards, Diana gained confidence. She confidently chanted spells in her magic class, making Mr. Tylnoa laugh, and energetically played the violin, making Mr. Cries cry.

At dinner, Diana asked her father, Dismaia, if she could learn swordsmanship, but was refused. Despite her passionate arguments about how strong she was and how cool it would be to be a knight, she was still turned down.

Seeing how desperate and close to tears Diana was, Cain suggested that she watch the royal guards' training. He thought that seeing the serious and sometimes brutal training might make her give up. He promised to be there to ensure her safety.

Diana and Cain together persuaded Dismaia, who finally agreed, saying, "If the knights give permission."

Cain, eager to show off his good side, had forgotten something important.

"Is it okay? The Crown Prince Arundeliano will be at the knights' training. Didn't you want to avoid that?"

As Irvanero helped Cain change into his nightclothes before bed, Cain's face showed a look of despair, as if he had stepped in horse manure with a new pair of shoes.

He was too naive, and various contradictions had emerged. Now that his work had finally settled down, he planned to organize and sort out the information. If you notice anything odd, please let him know through a review, message, or comment on his activity report.