Chapter 216 A Man's Oath
On the way back to the Jeffrey residence from the main store, Daniel spoke up.
"Is it true that after returning to the Jeffrey residence, you plan to go to the castle to play the piano?"
"Yes, I promised, so there's no helping it."
"But..."
Daniel's concerns were clear to Sara as well. As Sara, she had been tangled up with Crown Prince Gerhart and the knights, and as Sophia, she had been pursued by Baron Jilbafuchs.
"It's true that there was a misunderstanding with the Roisen people, but I don't want to leave any bad feelings. If there are issues with Grandchester's hospitality that harm the country's interests, it would be a disaster. If we do anything, we must hold them responsible."
"I don't think the Grandchester family wants to put unnecessary burdens on Lady Sophia."
"Even so, this might be a matter of my pride. The other day, I lectured my grandfather and Uncle Edward about how a lord's family should behave, so I can't be the reason for any trouble for Grandchester."
"Sounds like a hassle. Being a lord's family, I mean."
"Honestly, I don't want to feel responsible for something like this, but since I was raised in the Grandchester family, I have no choice."
"I'd like to let the other nobles hear this."
"Oh, Daniel, do you dislike nobles?"
"If I had to say, I'd say I dislike them. After leaving the knight order, I took on jobs guarding lower nobles, but I have no good memories from that. Though I shouldn't say this to someone about to become a noble, if you ever want to quit being a noble, just let me know. I can always whisk you away."
"Sir Jeffrey might come after you with a scary face, you know?"
"Ah, that sounds scary. The Grandchester family's war horses are way too fast."
"This one is fast too."
"I can see that. Plus, it looks smart."
'Smart, but it talks like a dirty old man at a bar...'
Sara thought this but didn't say it out loud.
Sara and Daniel entered the grounds of the Jeffrey estate and stopped by a small atelier near the stables. When Sara used the key to open the atelier door, Daniel checked to make sure there were no intruders before going back to the entrance to wait outside. It was their usual pattern for Sara to switch places with Sophia inside the atelier, look at some paintings for a bit, and then join Daniel outside.
This atelier was built for Jeffrey's late wife. She really loved painting and created many artworks in this atelier. Looking at the paintings displayed, there were images of young Scott facing off against Jeffrey with a toy sword, the majestic Aklar Mountains, and a younger Jeffrey himself.
After finishing her transformation and changing clothes, Sara returned to the main building of the Jeffrey estate, where Maria had already arrived with Sara's clothes and personal items. She thought they would use a guest room, but instead, she was taken to a cute children's room close to Blaze and Scott's rooms.
"Where is this?"
"It should have been my little sister or brother's room."
"Huh?"
"My parents said that when they got married, they wanted at least 3 kids. So when they inherited this mansion from my grandfather, they prepared 3 children's rooms. My mother passed away when I was little, but now I have Blaze with me."
"I see."
"Blaze's room is next to mine, and Sara's room is right next to his. Our rooms are connected by a balcony!"
Then Maria stepped forward and spoke to Scott and Blaze.
"But young masters, you must not visit Milady Sara's room after bedtime. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
The servant at the Jeffrey mansion smiled at the sight of 13-year-old Maria acting so grown-up in front of Scott and the others, who were not much older than her. There weren't many young servants at the Jeffrey mansion. The youngest footman was in his early twenties, so they found Maria's busy movements very cute.
"Blaze, you still haven't returned to your original size, huh?"
"Yeah. I haven't regained enough magic power yet."
"Maybe it's hard to return if you don't sleep?"
"I wonder. I did drink herbal tea, though."
"I also had a huge increase in magic power after I fainted from magic depletion, so maybe Blaze should faint once too. Well, I slept for 3 days straight."
"Three days, huh? That makes me think a bit."
"Maybe I just had a lot of magic power to begin with, so it took me longer to wake up. Blaze might wake up a bit faster. Plus, I didn't drink herbal tea back then."
Suddenly, Blaze looked at Sara and grinned.
"Well, when I see Sara at this size now, I can understand why His Excellency the Marquis and Sir Robert would want to hold her."
"!?"
Blaze slipped his hands under Sara's arms and easily lifted her up.
"Yeah, Sara is super cute."
"I don't know, but being held by Blaze feels kind of humiliating."
"That's harsh."
Scott, who was watching, was grinning.
"Blaze, let me hold her next!"
"Eh, no way."
"That's unfair, hogging her all to yourself."
Reluctantly, Blaze set Sara down, and immediately Scott picked her up in the same way. For Sara, it was quite a hassle.
"You two, cut it out already! Think of me like a child!"
"Well, carrying Sara in Sophia's form like a princess isn't so bad, right?"
"Just grabbing her like that is romantic, you know?"
"Please don't have such confusing ideas about romance! It's really annoying. Just put me down!"
Scott also gave up and set Sara down.
"Geez, I heard girls dream of situations like this."
"That's because it's cool to be held by a handsome guy!"
"Isn't it okay with me? I mean, I'm technically an adult."
Now that he mentioned it, Blaze was definitely good-looking. In that sense, Scott, who was going through puberty, was also a nice-looking boy caught between being a child and an adult.
"Hmm. I guess I admire Sir Jeffrey's strong arms."
"--Oh, that's an honor. I definitely have to carry you like a princess then."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.
"Father, you're back."
"Well. I heard that Sara is staying here. And tonight, you have to play the piano, right? I'll be your bodyguard."
"Sir Jeffrey is personally doing it?"
"Are you unhappy about that?"
"Of course not! But is it really okay for you not to guard my grandfather?"
"His Excellency the Marquis is stronger than any knight around, so it's fine."
"Is that so? Why is it that none of his sons look like him?"
"Hmm. Arthur could use a sword pretty well. As for Rob, if he wasn't always chasing after girls all the time and practiced a bit more seriously, he would have improved a lot. Ed is just hopeless."
Sara looked at Jeffrey with a mischievous expression.
"Sir Jeffrey, you didn't chase after women?"
"Of course I did!"
"So the rumor that Grandchester men are devoted is a lie?"
"It's not a lie, but it depends on the relationship with the person you are devoted to. Especially when you're young."
"I'm disappointed to hear you say that, Sir Jeffrey."
"Have you lost your admiration for me?"
"You sound a bit like an old man."
"Haha. I'm definitely an old man."
"But you're definitely a cool old man, so I still admire you."
"Sara, you're quite the enchanting woman. I might just get a little dizzy."
Jeffrey easily lifted Sara with his left hand.
"This feels more like a father-daughter moment than a princess carry, Sir Jeffrey."
"Rob would make a big fuss if he saw this."
"Then I guess I have to take advantage of the moment while Father isn't around."
"Huh? Take advantage of the moment?"
Before Jeffrey could even ask, Sara kissed him on the cheek.
"Ugh. Now I'm getting looks from the boys like they want to kill me."
"Please give up. Today has been full of unpleasant things, and there's more heavy stuff coming. Just let me feel a little happy."
"If this makes Sara feel better, I don't mind at all."
This time, Jeffrey returned the kiss with a small peck on Sara's cheek.
"I'm definitely happy, so I'll go play with this good feeling."
"No, just take it easy. You might really get kidnapped."
"I understood it as knowledge, but really, the men of Roisen are annoyingly discriminatory. They act like they're doing a favor to a common girl. I can just imagine them saying, 'I'm doing this much for you. Be grateful.'."
"That sounds about right."
The sons, who were about to scold their father for kissing Sara, swallowed their words when they noticed the worry in her eyes. They realized that no matter how skilled they were with a sword or how powerful their magic was like a dragon's, they could still feel anxiety.
And they felt anger towards the Crown Prince, who had taken an intimidating stance against such a child, and the knights who surrounded them.
"Father, please take care of Sara."
"Please protect her!"
The pleas of the sons, who were not allowed to be present, were the same as Jeffrey's feelings.
"Of course. I will protect Sara with all I have. This is my vow as a knight, no, as a man."
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