# Chapter 5
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"I'm going to watch you train at the training ground. daisy!" I have to get ready to leave, so come quickly!"
"caliber?"
While he was frowning and crossing his arms, Daisy came running from afar.
In her arms was a light green dress that had just been washed.
Since he said he had to leave immediately, I think I should ask him to use it without even thinking about it.
I quickly let Daisy in and spoke, leaving the door slightly open.
"Will you take me with you? huh?
"You will, right?"
When he whispered in a serious voice, Rockherd relaxed his wrinkled expression and slowly massaged the back of his neck.
Still, the expression in her eyes that he couldn't understand was still there.
"Why are you looking around all of a sudden?
"He usually didn't care where I was or what I was doing."
The straight lips that closed tightly as soon as he finished speaking represented his doubtful feelings.
The opening in the door became thinner and narrower, like a strand of thread.
I have to close it quickly before rejecting it.
"There's someone I need to meet.
Anyway, I’ll be down soon, so don’t go first and wait downstairs!”
Just before slamming the door and turning my back, I opened it again.
And I asked Rockherd, who was staring at my door with his arms crossed, to calm down.
"Be sure to wait!"
Fortunately, Rockherd didn't get mad at me first.
I was worried that it might be late, but since nothing was said, it didn't seem like it was late enough to cause any problems.
Even so, it was worth going down to the lobby with my heart racing.
Even after getting into the carriage, Rockherd looked at my cheek for several minutes with furrowed eyebrows.
I pretended nothing was wrong and cleared my throat, but after coughing about ten times, I was exhausted and had no choice but to give up.
“Rockherd, please stop looking at my face.
"I'm going to have a hole in my cheek because of you."
Lockheed said, still maintaining the suspicious look he had shown the castle.
"Who do you need to meet?"
"If I tell you, do you know?
No, of course you know...
...
.
And it's not that we're meeting, it's that we're spying on each other."
His face tightened even more at my response.
Confusion and astonishment gathered on her picturesque face, as if she had discovered her lover's hidden lover.
"I don't think it will work.
"I have to take the carriage back to Ezelot."
After saying this, Rockherd stood up, bent down and knocked on the carriage wall.
No, I quickly grabbed his hand before he knocked.
“Oh okay.
I'm telling you, don't tip the cart over!
...
... there is.
Father, I have to meet Lord Pansion Entera."
Terrified, I couldn't help but say the target's name.
Hey, seriously!
Unable to contain his irritation, he threw Rockherd's hand he was holding inside.
"Why are you meeting our vice-captain?"
"I just wanted to get used to the face...
...
.
"All the other nobles know Lord Pansion's face, but I don't."
"Where are you going to use this?
I'm telling you because I don't think you know anything, Lord Pansion already has a secret lover.
Above all, I'm almost ten years older than you, so stop thinking nonsense."
The affable Rockherd told me all the details I didn't even know.
But the last sentence was a little funny.
This was because it was a frequent occurrence in the empire for the young daughter of a lowly noble to marry a rich old man or become the second wife of a childless widower.
Of course, the youngest daughter of a family with a long history like mine would never be in this situation.
"How can I have idle thoughts when I don't even know your face?
I won't bother you, so leave me alone.
"If you want to make friends, you can't help it."
Rockherd shook his head and looked out the window.
He didn't seem to understand exactly what I meant.
Instead, he seemed worried that something might happen again.
After arriving at the imperial castle, we had to walk a long distance.
I hid behind Rockherd's back and looked around as I walked.
I keep my guard up in case I find Nezar.
As if realizing this, Rockherd, who looked like Eden and had eyes in the back of his head, reached out and dragged me to the side.
Phew, that's a relief.
I followed Rockherd like a cicada in an old tree.
"Originally, the Guard's schedule is kept confidential except on designated dates.
But since I already brought you here, I can't just show you the castle...
...
."
Rockherd sighed softly and led me into the classically built castle.
Where am I?
If it were any other castle, I would have felt the presence of people, but for some reason, this place was empty without a single person.
"Now it's time for morning training, so all the pilots will be at the training field.
I'll ask the leader for permission just for today, so try to make up your story without saying anything strange about coming to see Lord Pansion.
"You know what I mean, right?"
"Are you telling me to lie? don't worry.
"Because it's my specialty."
"Tsk, I'm proud."
Rockherd arrived in front of a relatively large door compared to the other rooms and opened it without hesitation.
No, shouldn't you at least give yourself time to think about what lie to tell?
I was dragged like a product in the market with my eyes wide open.
"Captain, are you there?
"I'm here."
At the same time, the man who was sitting at the table looking at documents raised his head.
He was a middle-aged man with a very sharp appearance and wearing glasses.
The man called leader probably didn't like Rockherd's first confident greeting, so he took off the glasses he was wearing and threw them to the side of the table.
“Rockherd, you bastard.
If I'm late again, you'll shave my head, right?
"How crazy must you be to be 40 minutes late?"
"There's a reason I'm late today.
"It's not like I'm late because I'm messing around like I usually do."
"I don't need an apology, so come here immediately and lay your head on me.
"I'm going to shave everything, even your eyebrows."
It was then.
Rockherd grabbed my shoulder while he was behind me and dragged me in front of him.
Are you trying to use me as a shield?
Is 40 minutes too long, even considering how long you waited for me?
Perhaps because he was quite embarrassed by my sudden appearance, the man who was about to roll up his sleeves and stand up stopped.
Rockherd gently patted my back and I bowed deeply out of reflex.
"Hello, Captain.
"I am Katrina from Count Ezelot."
What should I do next?
After 15 years of stubbornness, standard etiquette seemed a long way off.
I shook my blank mind and opened my mouth.
"Could you please give me Lord Pansion Entera?"
At that moment, the knight commander's office was enveloped in heavy silence.
Damn, damn.
I hid the cold sweat that ran down my back and moved my lips again, where I had foolishly uttered nonsense.
"Ahaha!
Well, I think I made a mistake.
"I didn't want to ask for everything, I wanted to borrow it from you."
"...
...
"Wait a minute, you come after me first."
Rockherd tugged on my shoulder urgently.
I was dragged as he pulled without the slightest resistance.
The knight commander, who was probably as embarrassed as I was, or even more embarrassed than me, looked at me with a perplexed expression.
"I'm sorry, Captain.
"Katrina only recently learned to speak, so she doesn't yet know how to use appropriate phrases in different situations."
"...
...
"Has it been a while since you learned to talk?"
The knight commander looked into my eyes with a suspicious look.
His face was full of disbelief and reluctance.
Rockherd, you idiot!
Would you believe me if I said that?
I turned fifteen this year and, in terms of mental maturity, I was above seventeen.
Even though I'm a little short, it means I'm not in a situation where I can hear people say I'm not good enough.
Of course, I still had the habit of living as I wanted, so I ended up in a difficult situation like I am now...
...
.
Anyway, isn't saying that you just learned the language going too far?
"Yes, he kept begging me to see the training camp, so I couldn't bear to leave him crying and making noise, so I brought him here."
"One...
...
"If it's Miss Katrina Ezelott, I've heard a little about it."
Contrary to my expectations, the knight commander nodded with a satisfied expression.
How many terrible rumors are circulating that we can be fooled by Rockherd's words?
My heart, which was pounding with tension, quickly grew cold and became a trembling sensation.
I didn't feel the slightest sense of reward for living without hesitation.
"I can't help it.
No matter how strict the discipline is, it's impossible to treat a lady who shows interest in you mercilessly."
The knight commander stood up from his seat and quickly walked in the direction where Rockherd was.
He pushed Rockherd aside and crouched down in front of me, making eye contact.
The clear wall, as if reflected in the water, smiled at me.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Ezelot.
My name is Breit Taliyah and I am the knight commander of the 2nd Knights of the Imperial Guard.
"Do you mind if I say hello?"
His smiling mouth was soft and gentle, unlike his harsh first impression.
Whoever saw it looked like they had been treating a child for a long time.
"Of course.
"Please call me Katrina, sir."
Breit politely extended her hand to me, and after some hesitation, I gently placed my fingertips on it.
Warm lips touched my skin.
"Contrary to what it seems, training intuition is very dangerous, so you should go down to the second floor and observe.
You won't feel stuffy because you can clearly see the training field through the room's window.
Please remember that the tallest knight among the knights is Sir Pansion Entera."
"Can I?
If it's a bother, I'll come back next time.
"It's okay because I have plenty of time."
In fact, it's not okay.
It took me three hours to visit the imperial castle, but I couldn't go back in vain like this.
Fortunately, Breit shook his head at my words out of politeness.
Is it because he's a knight?
Even though he was a man over 40, he could feel his vitality in every expression.
"no.
Don't worry about that.
A pretty lady like Miss Katrina is always welcome to join the knights."
What kind of rumors have you heard about me that makes you so kind?
Now I'm starting to get worried.
After finding out, I discovered that the rumor was that he was not crazy, but rather a slightly disadvantaged 15-year-old boy.
Breit led me to the reception room located on the floor below the knight commander's office.
As soon as I sat down on the chair, I grabbed Rockherd's neck with a hand as big as a bear's paw, and the two of us became one and left for the training camp.
I was alone for a moment and looked out the window.
As Breit said, the Knights' training grounds were visible at first glance.
However, there was another person who caught my attention.
I didn't realize when I walked in, but there was a girl my age sitting next to me, separated by a screen.
I approached quietly and took a look at the girl.
Silver hair, shining in five colors like a mermaid's scales, reflected the sunlight and shined.
Although I couldn't see the details of her appearance because her face was covered by hair, I could guess that she was a very beautiful woman just from her aura.
After thinking for a while, I cleared my throat and stood next to the girl.
A girl who was a little taller than me was leaning against the window and looking out at the training field.
"hi."
I felt like I had probably used up all my courage for this moment.
I greeted her in a low voice, as if I were whispering in her ear.