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Chapter 13.2: The Princess Part 2
Chapter 13.2: The Princess Part 2
Her first memory of the boy was when Lucy was seven years old.
It was the day Duke Lishite visited the imperial palace.
The Duke, who usually visited alone, had brought two children with him that day.
A boy with black hair
and a girl with red hair.
The two children, standing before Lucy, bowed their heads in greeting.
“Raiden Lishite, the eldest son of the Lishite family, greets the First Star of the Empire.”
The older-looking boy greeted first.
He bowed his head gracefully, displaying impeccable etiquette.
Lucy was slightly impressed.
His manners were perfect for someone her age.
In contrast to the boy, the girl behind him had awkward manners.
“G-Greetings to the Little Sun of the Empire…!!”
Her voice came out too loud, probably due to nervousness.
She stumbled over her words.
And she mixed up the terms ‘Little Sun,’ which referred to the Crown Prince, and ‘Star,’ which referred to the other children of the imperial family.
As if realizing her mistakes, the girl’s face flushed red.
When tears even started to well up in her red eyes, the boy comforted his sister.
The girl quickly hid behind her brother,
clinging to his clothes and trembling.
She looked quite adorable.
As Lucy watched her quietly, the boy smiled awkwardly.
“I apologize, Your Highness. My sister is quite shy…”
He apologized lightly and patted his sister’s head.
A gentle smile graced his lips.
Lucy thought his smile was kind.
A warm boy.
That was Lucy’s first impression of Raiden.
.
.
.
After that encounter,
the three children met regularly.
As children their age often do, they quickly became close.
Ariel Lishite was a cute child.
Due to her timid nature, she would often burst into tears.
Even Lucy’s playful teasing would make her whimper and cling to her brother.
Whenever that happened, Raiden would calmly soothe her.
Raiden Lishite was a strange child.
He was always kind, warm, and almost excessively altruistic.
His ever-present smile was like his trademark.
Raiden’s personality had a profound impact on Lucy.
She learned a lot from him, who always accepted her childish emotions and tantrums with a smile.
Unconsciously influenced by him, Lucy began to change her behavior.
She, who had lacked consideration, learned to think of others.
She, who had been arrogant, learned to humble herself.
And those changes brought positive results for Lucy.
The maids who attended to her showered her with even more affection,
and she was able to mend her strained relationship with her younger sister.
Raiden was the person who had the greatest influence on her after her parents.
Lucy naturally came to rely on him,
and as they grew closer, they became each other’s best friends.
A few years passed, and they turned ten years old.
“Raiden, Raiden, Raiden!!”
The Lishite family visited the imperial palace as usual.
Lucy ran towards Raiden, her voice filled with excitement.
Then, she looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“Raiden! You’re from the Lishite family, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“And the Lishite family are the closest aides who protect the imperial family, right?”
Raiden smiled slightly and replied,
“You’re well-informed.”
“Yes! Yes! That’s right!”
Lucy said, waving her arms excitedly like a child who had discovered something interesting.
“Then, Raiden!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Become my knight!”
“Knight? What do you mean?”
Raiden tilted his head, caught off guard by her unexpected request.
Lucy recalled the scene she had witnessed at the imperial palace the day before and spoke.
“You know, the thing we saw at the palace yesterday!”
“Hmm…”
“The knighting ceremony!”
Raiden clapped his hands lightly, as if he had finally remembered.
“Ah, I remember now.”
“Wasn’t it so cool?!”
“It was certainly grand. It was the knighting ceremony of the Imperial Knights, after all.”
“Right? You think so too, right?! Then!”
Lucy declared, placing her hands on her hips confidently.
“You should become my knight too, Raiden!”
“Me…? You want me to?”
“I want my own knight! Knights are so cool! I read it in a book the other day…”
It seemed she had read a fairy tale about heroic knights.
Raiden, seeing the girl’s innocent enthusiasm, chuckled and said,
“If you think it’s so cool, wouldn’t it be better for Your Highness to become a knight yourself?”
“That’s not possible!”
“Why not?”
“I’m a princess. Instead of becoming a knight myself, I should be the one who has loyal knights as my subjects!”
Raiden nodded as if he understood.
Well, he didn’t really understand,
but he knew from experience that it was better to just go along with Lucy’s whims.
He shrugged with a slightly awkward smile.
“But why ask me? I have no talent for martial arts, so I’m not fit to be a knight…”
“You don’t need that.”
Lucy shook her head.
“Father said that knights and their masters are in a hierarchical relationship, but they’re also the closest of friends.”
She smiled brightly and said,
“You just need to be there as my knight, as my best friend, Raiden.”
Raiden looked at Lucy, who was smiling radiantly, for a moment.
Then, he chuckled along with her and nodded.
“Closest of friends… That sounds nice.”
“Really?!”
“Of course.”
Raiden looked at Lucy and quietly knelt on one knee.
Then, he said in a calm voice,
“I, Raiden Lishite, pledge to be the loyal knight of the First Princess of the Empire, Lucy von Lietro.”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”
Lucy tapped Raiden’s head and shoulder once each with the teaspoon she was holding.
“May you always remain my friend, my knight.”
Lucy spoke with exaggerated emphasis, imitating the dignified tone of her father that she had witnessed the day before.
Raiden chuckled and replied,
“As you command, my liege.”
It was a small promise
made by two ten-year-old children who knew nothing of the world.
.
.
.
Lucy stomped her feet and continued walking.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of the wretched knight who had broken his promise.
She shuddered, remembering Raiden’s cold voice from their previous encounter.
-A promise? Ah, you’re talking about that childish game.
-I’ve long forgotten about it.
-How foolish.
A sarcastic tone and a mocking voice.
That was the voice of the changed Raiden.
Lucy gritted her teeth and glared straight ahead.
“I’m going to teach that bastard a lesson today!”
“Your Highness, please be mindful of your words…”
“I don’t care! I’ll have him expelled no matter what!!”
Lucy shouted loudly, continuing on her way.
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