Chapter 19

Eleonora, who had been sent home earlier, left the castle in the duke's carriage. However, after entering the city, the carriage stopped, and the driver informed her that she should return in a hackney carriage.

(I could walk home, but with this fancy outfit, I might get robbed. People are scary.)

While the driver was arranging the hackney carriage, she waited in the carriage and gazed at the night city. The capital of the empire, Kentograd, the largest city on the continent, was brightly lit by the glowing light magic stones, even at night.

(The Forest of Demons is pitch black at night, with only the moonlight. But the stars were sparkling and beautiful.)

Since being reborn as Eleonora, she often felt nostalgic for her past life, but tonight she was particularly melancholic.

(I want to go back to the Forest of Demons. ... Because the Emperor looks like Ham, I miss Ham. I want to see Ham. I want to see him. Is Ham doing well? Has he wet the bed? Is he hungry? Is he crying?)

To Eleonora, he was always a child. She understood that more than seventeen years had passed since then, but in her heart, he was forever a smart and cute child.

As she felt melancholic, the driver called out and opened the door.

"Please be careful when you get out."

Eleonora nodded at the driver's words and slowly got out of the carriage. While moving to where the hackney carriage was parked, she was approached by a tall, middle-aged knight in a white uniform.

"Excuse me. I am Oleg Tropov of the White Knights. I have been ordered by His Majesty to guard the daughter of the Duke of Purpureus. We have prepared a carriage for you, so please wait here."

Surprised, Eleonora suspected it might be a fraud, but realizing the knight was wearing the same uniform as the knights she had seen at the royal castle, she concluded he must be genuine. It was a serious crime for anyone other than a knight to wear the uniform of a knight.

(I'm not someone who needs a guard. Sure, I'm the daughter of the Purpureus family, but I only talked about Ham and Pie with the Emperor. We didn't talk about anything else.)

"…Are you sure you have the right person?"

Eleonora tilted her head and asked.

"No, I have been guarding you since you were in the castle, by the Emperor's order."

(What! I didn't notice. The knights are amazing. Even the magical beasts in the Forest of Demons, who were good at hide-and-seek, I could find immediately. But why are they guarding me?)

"Do you really intend to return in a hackney carriage?"

(I'm not walking home. No way. With this flashy outfit, I'll definitely get robbed.)

"…Yes."

When Eleonora answered, Knight Oleg gave the driver a stern look.

"Did you intend to send this fragile lady home alone in a hackney carriage at this late hour?"

Intimidated by Oleg, the driver was visibly frightened, took off his hat, and bowed repeatedly.

"It was at the lady's request. I would have liked to escort her to the duke's residence, but if I did, I wouldn't be able to escort the other lords and ladies. The journey to the mansion takes an hour and a half by carriage."

"Even if her dress gets dirty, you could have waited for her in the castle and returned together. Even if you couldn't disobey your master, you could have had her wait in the carriage."

The driver's face turned pale under the stern gaze of the knight. At this point, Eleonora interjected, slowly repeating the words she had thought of in her head.

"…Sir Knight, I was being selfish and wanted to go home early. It's not his fault."

Eleonora smiled apologetically.

However, it was clearly a lie. The guard knight had seen everything, including her sister spilling wine and her mother telling her to go home early.

He had been ordered to guard her without being noticed, so he had followed the duke's carriage on horseback. Seeing the situation, he decided it was no longer appropriate to guard her covertly and stepped forward.

Alexei respects the personal judgment of his knights in carrying out their duties. Conversely, those who cannot make appropriate judgments cannot become Alexei's knights.

In this mission, the most important thing was Eleonora's safety. Knight Oleg judged that it was dangerous to let Eleonora ride alone in a hackney carriage where her safety was not guaranteed.

Eleonora gave the driver an order.

"…Go back to the castle quickly."

When she said this, the driver replied, "Yes, ma'am," and hurriedly climbed onto the driver's seat, immediately driving the carriage back to the castle. Watching the carriage head back to the castle, Eleonora spoke to the knight.

"…Sir Knight, I'm fine, so please don't worry. They have already prepared a hackney carriage for me."

(I'll definitely go home by carriage. I won't walk, so you don't need to worry, Sir Knight!)

"No, that won't do. A carriage from the castle will arrive soon. Aren't you tired from standing for so long?"

Eleonora shook her head.

"…I'm really fine. Thank you for your concern."

The tall, stern-faced Knight Oleg, seeing Eleonora's troubled and innocent expression, felt a strong urge to protect her, even without Alexei's order.