The Crown Prince’s guard knight typically underwent a long rite of passage and went through complex procedures before being appointed. The first exception to that rule was Tiel, and the second exception was Aila.
‘Thinking about how both ultimately revolve around me is a bit curious.’
Even trying to relax the tension with idle thoughts, the stiffness in my shoulders wouldn’t easily dissipate. However, it wasn’t a situation where I could delay any further, so after confirming that the sword bestowed along with the appointment letter was securely fastened at my waist, I entered the imperial palace.
My concern about whether I should go to the 3rd Knight Division later to retrieve my belongings was pointless—the few possessions I had were already transferred to the 1st Knight Division. The imperial palace’s guard knights basically stick by their assigned person’s side as a general rule. However, since they belong to the 1st Knight Division and share the training grounds with them when training is needed, it wasn’t strange for my belongings to be there.
‘More troublesome than that is the fact that guard knights have to be at the imperial palace for six days.’
Excluding close aides, four days are spent guarding His Highness, one day standing guard at the Crown Prince’s palace. The remaining day is spent on standby, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances. Because of this, separate lodging had been assigned. The fact that I didn’t have a roommate was at least some consolation.
“Are you Sir Aila, the newly appointed knight?”
Eil, who was standing next to Sir Ken who had already seen Aila several times, asked with a face full of wariness. Recalling that originally it should have been his fate to die instead of mine brought up new emotions.
‘I wonder if he was being helpful to His Highness.’
Remembering that he was quite sensitive about etiquette, I reflexively greeted him.
“Yes. Aila Caesius, by His Highness’s command, I have been appointed as a guard knight as of today. Though I have many shortcomings, I ask for your guidance and teachings.”
Only after doing so did I realize I had acted in a way that wasn’t very Aila-like, and attempted an awkward smile.
“Ahem… Right. I don’t know exactly what circumstances led to your appointment, but make sure you conduct yourself well so you won’t be driven out before even a month passes.”
Wondering what kind of smile would be appropriately foolish while also seeming to throw advances at the other person, I smiled and my lips twitched, but unexpectedly it worked well. I tried my best to ignore the self-loathing that came flooding in.
“His Highness will be rising soon. Stand outside the door, and when he moves to the study, follow along. There will be other knights standing in the corridor, so follow their lead appropriately.”
Sir Ken conveyed only work-related matters lightly, in a tone suggesting he had no particular feelings toward me. For a handover, it was a pitifully poor level.
‘I suppose I don’t look like someone who’ll be here long?’
Thinking calmly, that was plausible. If His Highness judged that he had misunderstood, he would send me back to the 3rd Knight Division or strip me of my knighthood. If that happened, I could live the life I wanted.
‘It might be better to leave far away entirely.’
Not being able to see His Highness even from a distance would be painful, but if that was better for both of us, I could do it anytime. Foresight is more important for ‘thinking strongly’ than distance, so if there was truly a dangerous situation, I could convey it anytime.
‘If that happens, what should I do?’
I had never thought about my role other than helping His Highness from his side. When I was younger, I think I struggled to belong to the family, but the memory was hazy.
‘What can I even do if I leave his fence?’
Though it hadn’t even happened yet, a strange sense of powerlessness came over me. A sensation as if my very reason for existence had been castrated tried to flood in, so I quickly closed the door on those thoughts. In any case, the priority now was to clear the suspicion. What came after didn’t need to be thought about now. When I couldn’t even properly grasp what was happening now, speculating about a future that wasn’t even certain to occur was a luxury.
“His Highness is extremely sensitive and knows everything that happens outside the door. As much as possible, maintain proper posture and don’t make any sounds.”
“Yes.”
Fortunately, thanks to Sir Ken assigning me work, I quickly escaped from my idle thoughts. Standing attached to the end of the guard knight group, it felt just like when I had just graduated from the academy.
‘Thanks to the prophecy, I became a close aide so quickly that I didn’t do much of this kind of work.’
I was appointed as a guard knight and occupied the seat next to His Highness in less than a month, so standing outside the door like this felt incredibly novel. Even the one time I was demoted, I hadn’t been assigned such basic duties.
“Ahem…”
It seems another knight saw that I had fallen into sentiment. Having corrected my posture, I emptied my mind and concentrated all my senses on the outside. This kind of work, if I just kept my wits about me, I could do for about a day even with Aila’s terrible stamina without closing my eyes.
“His Highness the Crown Prince is exiting.”
Before the door opened, the one closest declared this and everyone bowed their heads. In the pre-dawn when the sun hadn’t yet risen, the sound of neat footsteps that didn’t seem like someone who had just woken up could be heard. Knowing well how soundlessly that person could walk, I could feel that those were deliberately made sounds.
“I’m going to the study.”
The knights silently followed His Highness. Standing at the very back, I consciously tried to make my footsteps that kept stiffening at random moments loose and sluggish.
‘To think a knight has to do something like this.’
I felt like crying at how pathetic I was, but thinking that this was all courtesy toward the Caesius Marquis family, work for His Highness, and furthermore work for the empire made it bearable. The knights who heard the footsteps slightly dragging on the floor glanced sideways while pretending not to.
“Standby.”
Upon arriving in front of the study, Sir Ken only let two knights inside and positioned the rest outside. Inside the study, there would be two more knights who had been waiting since before His Highness arrived. If not for the situation, it was such a familiar routine that I would have felt a sense of stability like returning to daily life.
“I have no idea what His Highness is thinking.”
“When have we ever known his profound intentions? He must have some plan.”
The knights now openly glanced at me as they spoke. Unlike the bedroom corridor which was always quiet since one never knew what might happen, the study had a barrier that blocked sound. It was created because there were many cases where conversations inside shouldn’t leak out. This also meant that sounds from outside couldn’t be heard from inside.
“Right. Otherwise, how could someone like that become a guard knight? His Highness wouldn’t covet such a cheap body.”
Still, the private conversation was excessive. Those who had been guard knights for a long time looked straight ahead without moving, but the attitudes of the new ones with whom I had no acquaintance were utterly poor.
‘Seeing how they’ve openly turned their heads toward me, it seems like they’re talking to me?’
I didn’t know what intention they had in saying such things to me, but it didn’t really resonate with me. They weren’t insulting me, nor were they insulting His Highness, so there was no reason to be angry. I only felt sorry for the owner of this body who had risen to a position without connections and had to hear such words.
‘No. Since Aila’s usual conduct wasn’t good, he’d probably just hear it and let it pass.’
Once I thought that if he’d cared even a little about such words, he would have long since corrected his behavior, even my slight sympathy disappeared.
‘So there’s nothing to respond to, nothing to express emotion about.’
When I didn’t react until the end, perhaps they lost steam too, as they didn’t continue any more useless conversation.
‘Sir Ken wouldn’t just leave knights who don’t have these basic manners alone. It wouldn’t be strange if harsh discipline comes soon.’
I hoped that the newly appointed, hot-blooded knights would survive well and become sturdy shields protecting His Highness.
And so my first day of appointment passed safely. Though I saw many guard knights and others coming and going through the imperial palace pointing fingers at me, it didn’t seem like attention that would last long, so I wasn’t particularly worried. Moreover, while the distance with His Highness was close, there was no chance of running into him, so I was satisfied with just that.
