I looked at him for a moment and stroked the spear-shaped badge on my collar once. Suddenly, I smiled in spite of myself. This was my first achievement since I decided to learn fencing.

When I recalled my father’s praise, I couldn’t stop smiling.

After he was done giving the awards, he said, “Let me give one month’s salary as a special bonus to all the knights who went through such hard training.”

“Wow!”

“Hooray to the Crown Prince!”

The crown prince continued, “Besides that, let me treat you to alcohol and meat. Have a great time today. That’s all.”

After he finished speaking, he looked back at me quickly and went down the platform. It seemed that my eyes met his deep blue eyes, but as he turned quickly, I was not sure.

When I was looking at his blue hair immersed in the sunset, a familiar knight came and greeted me.

“Congratulations, Sir Monique.”

“Thank you, Sir Dillon.”

“I heard that you used a hook ladder at the crossroads of Lotus Palace to snipe them, right? There were more than a few squads defeated there. How did you think of that strategy? ”

“Oh, just… ”

I smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He smiled, “Did you know? There are more than a few guys looking at you now.”

“Pardon? Why? ”

“Well, I guess they felt something. Tut, tut. That’s why I told you that repeatedly…”

I looked around slowly. Like Sir Dillon said, several knights were squinting at me.

When my eyes met theirs, they quickly turned their eyes from me, which made me burst into laughter. Rather than showing a scornful or disrespectful attitude, they seemed embarrassed or awkward about what they had done.

‘Are they recognizing me a bit now?’

My squad members, Sir Giss, my father, and the members of the 1st Knights: though their way of reacting differed in degree, I smiled brightly, thinking of their changed attitude.

Today was a very rewarding day for me.

Haze rose everywhere under the scorching sun, and the steaming heat made me sweat profusely even when I stood still. The pure white roof was dazzlingly lit by the pouring sunlight, and my black jacket warmed by heat was so hot that my fingertips would be burnt at the slightest touch.

Breathing in the hot air, I headed for the 2nd Knights building because I received a message from my father that as he came to the palace for urgent matters, he wanted to go back home with me when I was done for the day.

‘By the way, he is off today. Why did he go to the palace?’

As I entered the training field, I saw several knights sitting in small groups under the shade, wiping their sweat with a towel and drinking water.

“Oh, aren’t you Sir Monique who defeated us terribly?”

“Oh, you must be Sir Monique. Please stop by more often. ”

“By the way, how long are you going to stay with the 1st Knights’ Division?”

“Please return to the 2nd Knights before the next training session. You know we were given severe discipline for our defeat that day. My body still aches all over.”

I gently smiled at them as they babbled about their defeat at the recent mock drills.

I heard that unlike the 1st Knights, there were many people here at the 2nd Knights who had good feelings toward me from the beginning, but certainly their favorable reaction was more palpable after the drills were over.

“It’s been a long time. How are you, everyone? It ‘s very hot today. ”

“You bet. I think it will be very hot this year. ”

“Yes, many people have already started complaining about it.”

“By the way, what business has brought you here? Are you here to see the captain?”

I nodded at his question, and said, “Ah yes. I thought he was here around this time, but I don’t see him.”

“As I understand, he went to see the emperor. As he went there long ago, he should be back here soon. Oh, he is coming here now.”

Looking back, I saw a silver-haired knight walking toward me from a distance.

“Oh, you’re here, Tia.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Oh, it looks like you had a hard time working early in the morning. Why didn’t you wait in my office because it’s so hot outside?”

“Well, I thought you were here around this time, so I came here. Did your meeting with the emperor go well?”

“Oh, yes.”

When I looked up with a smile, my father slightly smiled and lightly stroked my hair.

After saying goodbye to the knights who felt sorry I had to leave, I left the training field with my father as he insisted we should go back home.

Was it because I was on my back home with my father after a long day?

I felt I was walking on air, and I kept babbling about what happened today while walking toward the wagon center. Then, I climbed the wagon after appreciating the horseman’s greetings.

The wagon suddenly stopped when I was chatting with him with gentle vibrations. We still had to drive a little more to reach our house. When I looked out the window curiously, I saw the commercial district, located in the center of the capital.

‘Aren’t we going back home?’

When I tilted my head a bit, he said with a faint smile, “Well, I felt a bit sorry because I couldn’t spend much time together with you these days. So, today I’m going to spend time with you. What do you think?”

“Really?” I smiled brightly. Right after I returned from the past, he was very blunt and clumsy in expressing his emotions, but he has changed enough to suddenly ask me for a date.

Of course, he was not still good at expressing his feelings, but his occasional expression of affection like this made me very happy.

My father, who got out of the carriage first, reached out to me. I grabbed his big hand and carefully got out of the wagon. Although I was already excited when I left the palace, I was even more thrilled when I thought of going on a date with my father. Carried away with excitement, I dared to do something that I would not have done normally. I wrapped my arm around his waist.

“Hmm… hmm.”

I laughed uncontrollably because my father didn’t resist, though he cleared his throat.

When I saw the silver-blue tassels on the sword on his waist, I kept smiling.

It was the gift I gave him when he left the capital for relief work due to a bad harvest year.

“Where shall we go first, Dad?”

“Well, do you have anything you want? ”

I visited shops here and there with my father who looked elsewhere as if he felt awkward.

Then I stopped walking in front of Mrs. Rosa’s shop, whose items were very popular among the ladies these days.

‘To the best of my memory, I think they sell men’s clothes.’

Yes, this is it!

“Daddy, why don’t we stop by this shop for a minute?”

“Well, you mean this shop?”

My father, who paused for a moment, unexpectedly nodded.

“Come on in, Lady Monique. If you have silver hair … ”

Mrs. Rosa, who came out hurriedly, slurred. There are only two in the empire who have silver hair, namely my father and I. So, she must know who my father was because she heard lots of things about him from the noble women who frequented her shop, but she seemed to think my father’s visit strange because he rarely attended social circles.

But she seemed embarrassed only for a moment, and she quickly bowed to my father and said,

“It’s an honor to meet you, Marquis Monique.”

Mrs. Rosa was a sensual beauty in her early thirties. Although she was a commoner, she was renowned as the best dressmaker in the capital. Known for her sensual designs, her dresses were loved by many noble women. For that reason, noble men who wanted to look a little stylish and dandy seemed to come here for their suits.

“I want to order custom clothes for my father. A couple of formal dresses and as many casual clothes as possible. Can you?”

“Of course. Please come inside, Marquis and Lady Monique.”

When I went in, led by Mrs. Rosa, my father looked back at me with a perplexed expression and said, “Why do I need formal clothes all of a sudden? I thought you were here to order your own dress, honey.”

“You only wear uniforms. I would like to see you dressed up with different clothes. ”

“… ”

“Please, Dad.”

“…Okay.”