Chapter 32: The Knights’ Gossip
After finishing our meal and leaving the dining hall to return to our room and prepare to leave… my sister stopped.
She pointed towards the other tables.
“Um… Elder Sister? Could I have a moment?”
The Eustasia Knights, who had undoubtedly been eavesdropping, had finally stopped talking about the weather, but now they were only talking about their training schedule. What a peculiar bunch.
They hadn’t left their seats after finishing breakfast, likely so as not to miss a single detail.
For them, starved for entertainment, this was a rare event.
“…? Sure.”
I agreed, even though I didn’t quite understand what she was up to.
…Perhaps that was my mistake.
She walked towards the knights and bowed.
“Hello! I’m Leticia von Vanderwaals.”
And then, she cheerfully introduced herself.
I couldn’t help but exchange a look with Ciel, who was standing beside me.
However, unsure of what to do, we froze.
Well, Ciel, as a maid, could afford to wait for instructions, but I, as the head of the family, had to decide on a course of action.
Or rather, before I could even decide on a course of inaction, Leticia smoothly continued.
“I’m here with my Elder Sister for horseback riding practice… unfortunately, due to the heavy rain, it’s been canceled for today.”
“O-oh, is that so? That’s too bad.”
One of the few female knights, with short brown hair, who was sitting closest to my sister, stood up and took a step forward, responding to her.
In the Kingdom of Eustasia, there were no gender restrictions for knights and soldiers serving in the military.
However, the overwhelmingly male-dominated environment was understandable, considering the demands of wearing armor and wielding a sword.
Furthermore, the few female knights were often assigned as guards for female royalty and nobility, and their reactions to this varied. Some were pleased with the relatively safe work, some lamented the lack of opportunities for active duty, and some pondered the true meaning of knighthood.
“Yes. But yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Knight Commander Felix… and I’d like to talk to the rest of the Knights at the Royal Castle sometime, if possible.”
…Leticia?
I couldn’t understand my sister’s actions or her intentions.
I didn’t even know if this was in line with the official scenario.
“W-well, if it’s alright with us…?”
The female knight glanced at me.
I chose to ignore her.
I felt bad for putting her in such an awkward position, but I was afraid of saying anything careless.
“I’ll excuse myself now. —See you later!”
Leticia waved to them and returned to my side.
After we left the dining hall, I could clearly hear the buzz of gossip behind us.
“Hey, wasn’t that the Vanderwaals girl?!” “The one riding the white horse yesterday, right?” “She was super friendly!” “Is she aiming for the Commander?” “Nah, if that were the case, she wouldn’t bother talking to us.” “They seemed to get along better than the rumors suggest.” “A girl who enjoys her food is a good girl.” “What’s that supposed to mean? But yeah, I get it.”――
…Save the gossip for when you’re a little further away.
But I understood.
Ciel, walking three steps behind, must have heard them as well, but she didn’t say a word.
My sister… probably didn’t hear them. When I glanced at her, she was smiling at me.
I quickly averted my gaze.
Back in our room, alone, I addressed my sister.
“Leticia, why did you do that just now?”
Leticia tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“Huh? …Because you told me to.”
“I did?”
“You said, ‘Speaking with people from various walks of life, broadening your horizons, deepening your knowledge, and building connections are also important skills for a noble.’”
…Me? Was it my fault?
I mentally weighed the pros and cons, and, just like with the guards, I couldn’t see much harm in befriending the knights.
…Between the guards and the Knights, it seemed like my sister might someday command an unexpected amount of military power.
According to the script, military power shouldn’t be necessary—but I didn’t know how the future would unfold.
“…Yes, I did say that. Soon, you’ll be able to go out freely. Then, you can interact with the Knights.”
“Okay!”
That was still a bit further down the line.
Once the story progressed to a certain point and the [Player] became more familiar with the game, her range of actions would expand—or rather, be [Unlocked].
Until then, while she might go to the Royal Castle for the recognition ceremony or to the ranch for riding lessons, those were predetermined [Events], not driven by the protagonist’s own will.
After that, she would be able to act freely, except for certain events.
And so, my sister would interact with the [Capture Targets] without my knowledge, sometimes choosing options and deepening her relationships with them.
Without my knowledge.
Without my involvement.
…But would it really be alright to let my sister out of the mansion?
I couldn’t predict my sister’s actions outside of the [Official Events].
…Or rather, I was starting to feel like I couldn’t predict her actions even within the events.
For now, I would consider it a success, since the Knights’ favorability towards my sister seemed to have increased.
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