Chapter 18

Lauro has been my personal knight for a few days now.

It's been a week since he came to the Duke's house, and in such a short time, he has become strong enough to be recognized by my brother Ivan.

I knew that he had been a Holy Knight in Oline before I returned, so I was able to hire him the moment I found him.

I really have to thank Oline for that, huh? Hehe.

But I thought it would take a few months for him to become my personal knight, and I never expected it to be just a week... The word 'genius' doesn't even begin to describe it.

And then, that genius Lauro came out in front of me, having changed into the uniform of a personal knight.

"How does it look, Asaria-sama?"

The knight's uniform is primarily black, with red embroidery added to signify that he is protecting me, a member of the Spencer Duke's family.

And on his chest is a beautiful brooch with a red gem and gold decorations that I gifted him.

"Yes, it looks good. It suits you very well."

"Thank you."

Lauro is tall with a small face, so he has a very good figure.

He still looks a bit slim, but if he eats well from now on, he will become even more handsome.

...When Lauro took my hand and made a vow, I felt a bit flustered.

Before I returned, I lived until I was twenty and had a fiancé, but I had never been on a date with a man.

I had a fiancé, but it was Prince Lewis, who openly cheated.

I had tea with him before, but it wasn't enjoyable, and when I tried to advise him against his affair with Oline, he would just brush me off.

After the engagement was broken, I was rumored to be "a young lady who was abandoned by the prince," and I was so upset that I never had the opportunity to get close to any men.

So, I had never experienced a kiss on the back of my hand... That's why I felt flustered at that moment.

No, I can't let that happen. Lauro will be behind me from now on, so I can't think about him like that.

"Asaria-sama, is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

I took a deep breath to calm down and started a conversation with Lauro.

"I have a tea party to attend today, so I'll be going with you."

"Understood."

I haven't attended a tea party in a while because I've been training recently.

Many people bring their knights and servants, so there shouldn't be any problem bringing Lauro along.

A few hours later, I was enjoying the tea party.

It was a party hosted by a Marquis's family, and we were having tea and sweets in the garden.

I was seated at the most beautiful table in the garden and was enjoying the tea and sweets.

As usual, a few young ladies who were my followers were sitting around the table.

"Mmm, it's very delicious."

"Hehe, I'm glad, Asaria-sama."

Daria, the young lady from the Marquis's family, was smiling at me as I ate.

There are still many delicious sweets in this world that I haven't tried.

I couldn't help but smile, but I noticed that Lauro, who was standing behind me, shifted slightly.

"Lauro, is something wrong?"

"…No, nothing."

His face was a bit red, but he quickly returned to his usual expressionless state.

"Asaria-sama, I've been wondering, is that gentleman a knight?"

"Yes, he is. I appointed him as my personal knight just recently."

He's standing behind me with a sword, and if he weren't my knight, he might seem a bit intimidating.

"Oh, really! For Asaria-sama to have a personal knight, he must be very strong and wonderful."

"I've never seen him before. Which noble family does he belong to?"

The young ladies were looking at Lauro with sparkling eyes.

Indeed, Lauro is handsome and looks like he could be the son of a noble family.

"Lauro, introduce yourself."

"…Yes."

Lauro, who had been standing behind me, took a step forward and bowed gracefully.

"I am Lauro, the personal knight of Asaria Jill Spencer, the Duke's daughter. Please remember me."

"Lauro-sama? What is your family name?"

"I don't have one; I'm a commoner."

"Oh? You're a commoner, then…"

The young ladies were surprised and looked at me with wide eyes.

I understand what they're thinking: "Is it really okay to have a commoner as a personal knight?"

Usually, a Duke's daughter would hire a noble knight.

Before I returned, when Oline made Lauro a Holy Knight, she faced a lot of backlash.

But Lauro is incomparably strong compared to other knights.

"He's a commoner, but he's very strong. There's no one else who could be my personal knight except Lauro."

As I said this with confidence, I felt Lauro shift slightly beside me, but maybe it was just my imagination.

"Oh, you trust him so much."

"Yes, of course."

The young ladies looked at Lauro's face and seemed to find it amusing.

I wondered why and looked up at Lauro, but he turned away, and I couldn't see his expression.

"Oh, Asaria-sama, is what you just said true?"

A slightly mocking voice came from behind me.

I turned around and saw a young lady surrounded by her followers.

I think that young lady is Eira from the Arkla Marquis's family?

I heard that her recent business ventures have been going well, and she has become a prominent figure among the Marquis families.

The dress and accessories she was wearing were all expensive, as if to show that the Arkla Marquis's family is a step above the other nobles.

Indeed, she seems to have gained power among the Marquis families, but she is far from the level of the Four Great Dukes.

It seems that she, like me, has followers... Oh?

Oline is standing behind Eira.

She came to greet me at the beginning of the tea party like before, but now she's with Eira's followers.

Well, she is the youngest daughter of a baron, so it's quite impressive that she can be a follower of a Marquis's daughter, who is at the top of the middle nobility.

Followers are very particular about the family status of the nobles they follow, and my followers are only from the middle nobility, such as counts and marquises.

"Eira, what are you talking about? The conversation about the delicious sweets?"

"No, I apologize, but I overheard your conversation about the personal knight being a commoner."

"So what? I asked with a polite smile.

Eira returned the smile, but it had a slightly provocative edge.

"I just thought it was surprising that a young lady from the Spencer Duke's family would appoint a commoner as her personal knight."

Her words caused a stir among the crowd, and I glared at Eira while maintaining my smile.

"Are you implying that it's an insult to the Duke's family?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I just didn't expect such a prestigious Duke's family to make such a decision. Normally, they would choose a knight from a noble family, wouldn't they?"

No matter how you look at it, it sounds like an insult.

I stood up and met Eira's gaze.

"Eira, you are not in a position to question my decisions as a young lady from the Spencer Duke's family."

"..."

When I said this firmly, Eira was at a loss for words.

"Is there a reason why the young lady of the Spencer Duke's family, one of the Four Great Dukes, should listen to your opinion? Can you give me a reason?"

"N-no, I'm not trying to give an opinion..."

"Then what is it? If it's not an opinion, I can only interpret it as an insult to the Duke's family."

"..."

Eira, who looked a bit flustered, glanced at Oline for a moment before putting on a fake smile again.

"I-I was just worried about Asaria-sama."

"Worried?"

"Yes, I heard that the commoner knight was working as a delivery man in the city until a week ago and had never worked as a knight. I wondered if it was appropriate to entrust the personal knight position of a Duke's family to such a person."

I see, she deftly avoided the issue.

The young ladies listening to her started to murmur.

It's true that a commoner knight who has only been a knight for a week becoming the personal knight of a Duke's family might cause some resistance.

However, not many people would directly challenge me as a Duke's family, but the story of "appointing a commoner knight, who has only been a knight for a week, as a personal knight" will likely spread.

And it has a high chance of becoming a bad rumor.

Eira said she heard that Lauro was working as a delivery man in the city until a week ago.

The only people who know this are my family and... Oline, who is standing there.

She must have heard it directly from Oline.

"Thank you for your concern, Eira. But don't worry, Lauro is very strong."

"But I can't believe that a commoner who hasn't had proper knight training can become strong enough to be a Duke's family personal knight in just a week. Besides, he is very handsome... Even though Asaria-sama is engaged to the Prince, I have some doubts."

Eira's smile was no longer flustered but seemed to have regained its composure.

Her words imply that I, who still have a fiancé, appointed a handsome man as my personal knight despite his lack of strength, just because I liked him.

I didn't expect Eira to challenge me so directly.

Is she getting cocky because she stands out among the Marquis families?

And her way of speaking seems to be influenced by Oline.

It feels like a retaliation for when I told the Prince, "You shouldn't touch other women when you have a fiancé."

No, that's probably the case.

"Indeed, Lauro is very handsome, with a good figure and a well-defined face."

I felt Lauro shift behind me again, but now is not the time to worry about that.

"But more importantly, he has the strength to be a knight."

"A commoner who has only been a knight for a week?"

"Yes, that's right. Why don't we prove it now?"

"Prove it? How?"

In response to Eira's question, I smiled and answered.

"Of course, through a duel."