Chapter 209 The Knights' Rampage
"What's with that crown prince?!"
Robert, still fuming, stormed back to his private chambers and started changing clothes, muttering curses under his breath. He violently tossed his coat onto the bed and plopped down on the sofa with a thud.
The attendants who had been waiting to help Robert change also understood his frustration. As they picked up the discarded clothes, they subtly placed a calming herbal tea on the table.
"Thanks. Sorry. I won't take it out on you guys."
Robert forced a smile at the servants.
"We understand your feelings, sir."
"Indeed. To speak to Milady Sara like that..."
Sara was well-liked even among the servants, so they were also upset with Crown Prince Gerhart along with Robert.
"But Milady Sara kept her cool, didn't she?... If she had misstepped, it would have escalated into a diplomatic issue."
"Milady Sara protected the people of Grandchester and Avalon, after all."
"She's a wise person, isn't she?"
At that, everyone recalled the scene from earlier. The room fell silent for a brief moment, and then everyone burst out laughing.
"That was quite a show, wasn't it?"
"Milady Sara sometimes takes actions like that, doesn't she?"
"This time, even she seemed embarrassed. Her ears were bright red, after all."
With the person in question not present, Robert and the servants were laughing their heads off, holding their bellies. Since Robert generally got along well with the attendants, they didn't have to force themselves to laugh in his private chambers.
"By the way, didn't she also ask Ed to hold her? She usually hates being held, but..."
"I'm sure Milady is aware of how to use her weapon properly."
"But it seems like that's going to deal damage to the owner themselves, doesn't it?"
After laughing for a bit, Robert and the servants returned to their serious faces and began discussing their next course of action.
"It's likely that Sara's playing skills will leak out somewhere. Why don't we prepare some beginner-friendly songs for her? Even if she's a beginner, if she practices hard, she can play them well. That way, she'll just be a slightly skilled violin or piano girl."
"Ah, that's a great idea!"
Just then, a servant rushed in with an urgent message.
"Sir Robert, the guildmaster of the Sophia Merchant Guild has sent an urgent message requesting your presence. She would like you to visit their main store as soon as possible."
'Hmm. Sara must have taken refuge with the merchant guild. Rebecca is probably being called too.'
"Alright. Once I've changed into my riding clothes, have them know that I'll head to the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"Understood, sir."
Robert stood up and changed into his horseback riding attire, then quickly headed to the stables. Since Durandal was nowhere to be found, it was clear that Sara had already gone to the Sophia Merchant Guild via Jeffrey's estate.
"Hmm. I should ask Daniel to have Sara protected, just in case. Having a knight who's obsessed with Sara is troublesome."
Robert wasn't so much worried about Sara's safety as he was worried about the knights and the prince who might try to get their hands on her. As a father, he understood his daughter's situation correctly.
But, Robert realized that such fears were unpleasantly correct.
As he rode his horse towards the capital, he saw Sara on Durandal, surrounded by several knights near the fork in the road leading to Jeffrey's mansion. They were probably the same knights who had been guarding her during lunch.
"Can I get through, please?"
"Miss Sara, please accompany Prince Gerhart to Roisen. Can you heal him?"
'Ah, no, she got too close to Jeff's house and let her guard down. I shouldn't have left Sara alone at a time like this (during the hunting tournament period)'
"What are you doing to my daughter!"
"Father!"
Sara recognized Robert and called out to him.
"We came to ask Miss Sara to visit Roisen."
"I already declined that offer just now. His Royal Highess Gerhart himself should understand, right?"
"But, it's a fact that His Royal HighessGerhart is eager to meet Miss Sara. As his subjects, we're just conveying our lord's wishes to her."
"Does His Royal Highess Gerhart know about this? Or is he telling you to take advantage of the moment when her guardian is distracted?"
Robert didn't back down, protesting against the well-built knights. Just then, Daniel and Jeffrey, who were worried about Sara's late arrival, also showed up.
"What kind of knights are you! Surrounding a member of the Grandchester family within the Grandchester castle grounds is outrageous!"
As Jeffrey shouted, he drew his sword and rushed towards them on horseback. Of course, Daniel also followed Jeffrey, drawing his sword.
"We are knights of the Royal Guard Knights of Roisen. We have come at the behest of His Royal Highness Prince Gerhart, with a request for Miss Sara."
"I'm Jeffrey Grandchester, the captain of the Grandchester Knights. I'll verify whether your affiliations are true or not. But, with so many large-bodied knights surrounding a young girl, it looks like you're intimidating her. Leave Miss Sara alone, at once!"
Jeffrey intimidated the Roisen knights, making them back down. Daniel quickly rushed over and stood between Sara and the knights.
"I won't let anyone get close to Miss Sara."
Then, Sara began to cry behind Daniel, her voice trembling.
"Father... I was so scared. Those weird uncle came from Roisen and said they'd take me away. Are they going to take me with them?"
'Huh, who's this? Did she eat something weird?'
Robert, Jeffrey, and Daniel simultaneously turned to Sara, thinking the same rude thing.
However, the knights surrounding Sara were greatly flustered. They were high-ranking nobles' sons from Roisen, trying to gain the favor of Prince Gerhart, and had come to negotiate directly with Sara without permission. They had coincidentally spotted Sara riding a horse alone and hurriedly chased after her.
If it becomes clear that they made Sara cry out of fear, they won't get off scot-free. Even if they manage to persuade her and she comes to Roisen, it'll be meaningless if she hates them for being favored by Prince Gerhart.
Besides, as it's also important to have a good appearance in Roisen's Royal Guard Knights, their nickname "weird uncle" also hurt them a bit.
"Anyway, until we confirm your identities, please disarm yourselves. Hand over your swords to me."
"Huh?"
"You should be grateful I'm not binding you with ropes. You're the ones who threatened and made Grandchester's daughter cry on Grandchester Castle's grounds."
And so, the Roisen knights taken away by Jeffrey, heading towards the main Grandchester Castle.
The remaining 3 let out a big sigh of relief.
"Sara, are you trying to test my patience? What was that just now?"
"If I were an ordinary 8-year-old girl, I'd cry if surrounded like that."
"I was worried because Miss Sara was acting so differently from usual, as if possessed by something."
"Even Daniel was harsh!"
Daniel took out a handkerchief and wiped away Sara's tears.
"By the way, you can cry freely, can't you?"
"Ah, I just used a little magic, water attribute, you know."
"Hehe... Sara, are you even using magic for fake crying?"
Robert burst out laughing, unable to hold back, and Daniel followed suit. The 3 of them turned their horses towards Jeffrey's residence, continuing their conversation as they walked.
"I'm pretending to be a normal kid, but my mental and physical energy are being drained. I wish the hunting tournament would just end already..."
"Sara, it hasn't even started yet, has it?"
"It's already exhausting! Gerhart, the crown prince, is too much to handle!"
"That's how I feel too. It's really infuriating."
As Sara gazed at Robert, who was making a sour face, she explained Gerhart, the prince, from her perspective.
"He was saying things that sounded like he was trying to sweet-talk mother, but it didn't seem like he was serious. Instead, he was probably trying to gauge the reactions of those around him. Even though she's being favored by His Majesty the King, mother is still a Viscount's daughter. She wouldn't be considered a candidate for the prince's fiancée."
"But Revi is really beautiful and can use healing magic, right?"
"That's true, but in Roisen, where there's a system of concubines, I don't think they'd need to force her to be the main wife. Even if she's treated like a saint because of her healing magic, that wouldn't be enough reason to make her the main wife."
"Then what's his goal? We told him we're already engaged..."
Sara thought for a moment.
"It's hard to read his true intentions, but maybe he wanted to see how much mother and those around her would refuse Roisen. There's also the incident from 10 years ago, and some of Roisen's knights participated in the riot the other day..."
"So, what about Sara's situation?"
"That's the most unexpected thing. Is there some sort of curse that makes people around me go blind when I'm with a musician? He came all the way here expecting Avalon's support, but instead, he ended up making the Grandchester family unhappy and troubling Prince Andrew. There's nothing to praise about the current situation."
"Hmm, I wonder what's going on."
'If only that didn't happen, the Grandchester family wouldn't have shown their rejection...'
"The purge 10 years ago still has a significant impact on Roisen's national power even now. That's why he's trying to deepen their ties with Avalon through marriage, and seek our advice on wheat imports and domestic grain production. Since Grandchester is involved with wheat, he shouldn't have worsened the relationship..."
Then Daniel opened his mouth.
"I don't know what exactly happened, but considering what the knights said earlier about taking Milady Sara to Roisen, it seems like His Royal Highness Prince Gerhart is just obsessed with Milady Sara. Milady Sara is charming, after all."
"Eh, what's that? Gross, creepy."
Sara's words slightly hurt Daniel, who was the same age as the crown prince.
"I'm not saying His Royal Highness Prince Gerhart is a pedophile or anything. But if you look at Milady Sara's appearance, it's not hard to imagine how beautiful milady will become in the future."
"Thanks, Daniel. But it seems like he's not interested in my appearance, but my violin playing abilities."
"If that's the case, it might be even simpler. Didn't he just want to support Miss Sara as a musician out of pure kindness? For a talented commoner, it's incredibly lucky to have a noble or royalty as a patron."
Robert turned to Sara on horseback.
"I should've made Sara my adopted daughter earlier. Back then, Sara did say 'I'm still a commoner, after all,' didn't she? So maybe Prince Gerhart just wanted to support the commoner Sara out of good will. Grandchester is a Marquis family, after all. It's possible they thought Sara felt constrained being a commoner."
"He just seemed like someone who wanted to keep her by his side and have me perform whenever he liked."
"That's true, but for him, it's about bestowing a favor, isn't it?"
"Is that like royal arrogance or something?"
"Yeah, that phrase is spot on."
"Ugh, it's still a pain in the neck..."
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