When Gabriel entered the mansion, he could feel a slight tenseness in the air. The usual noise was absent, the unusual silence almost oppressive as it bore down on his shoulders.
Marion had probably scolded Leonardo a fair bit, resulting in his already terrible mood dropping further. Chef Laurelai had already been fired after having 'stolen' a necklace, no one wanted to be the next to go because they accidentally disturbed Leonardo. Well, the eastern wing where Gabriel and Alice lived was always quiet so the change was hardly noticeable once he got there.
It was rather late now, normally they would be in the small office at this time to do a little bit of studying before preparing for bed. But seeing as Alice had probably gotten scolded, or at the very least completely ignored, by Marion today, he guessed that he was more likely to find her in her chambers.
"My Lady, I have re… Eh?"
His words were cut off as he opened the door, his head tilting. Empty. The bed looked untouched, the basin was still filled with the same water from this morning so she hadn't washed up yet. The same tray from pre-sleep teatime last night so she hadn't come by to put anything away either.
He put down the bag with the new bedsheets, his eyes narrowing slightly. Was it by choice that she had yet to return, or had someone else done something? The story was already starting to change thanks to his actions so he wasn't able to lean too heavily towards either option.
He picked up the wooden bottle that was tucked away with the bedsheets and made a quick stop by his room. He picked up his weapon and attached it to his waist again, one hand resting on the hilt as he started to move through the hallways, checking the most likely rooms one by one.
The bath where she would often go to cry in the story. The empty kitchen where she had to make her own food. The play room that would become a torture chamber for her own bloodline in the future. The living room from which she could only see the eastern part of the estate. But she wasn't in any of the rooms that she had become so attached to in the show.
"Why here?"
No, the place he eventually found her was the corner of the small library that was built into the eastern wing. The smell of old books, the light tinge of mould and stuffy air filled the entire room, dusty bookshelves neatly lined up as they formed rows. The last time this library was used properly was many years ago, it hadn't seen people since the time of Alice's grandmother.
But there she sat. She had picked out a decently sized table close to a window and lit a few lamps to combat the dark. More than a handful of books were strewn about on the table, most of them involving topics he wasn't planning on going through for at least another year or two. She was already having it hard enough with just getting by and being normal, trying to teach her things about leading kingdoms and handling larger estates would only confuse her. But there she sat, reading away with such a focused gaze that she hadn't even noticed him yet.
"You should move the lamps closer, reading in low light is bad for the eyes."
"Fweh!"
She jumped audibly as he put down the wooden bottle, the chair rattling as she almost fell back. Just a second ago she had been the picture of dignified focus and grace, but that image crumbled instantly thanks to her reaction. Well, she was still just a child so he much preferred to see a reaction like this, kids shouldn't be too stiff.
"I've returned, my Lady."
He greeted her with a smile, pushing one of the lamps closer. He didn't know why she had retreated to the library to read up on things ahead of time, but since it seemed to be by her own choice he had no intentions of interfering. The light of the lamp washed over her face, pushing away the musty darkness of the library as her crimson irises gleamed like rubies.
The flush that had settled on her face due to the surprise receded as she looked at Gabriel. Her face turned for a moment as she looked out the window, checking on the position of the sun, which had set not too long ago. She gave him until tomorrow morning, but he came back earlier than he had to.
He returned to her. While she sat alone in the dim light, he came back, he cared for her. His hand was still on the hilt of his blade, just as it had been when he blocked Leonardo for her. Even when he returned, the first thing he did was worry and take care of her. Once again, it was only him. Always only him.
"Welcome home, Gabriel."
She smiled. How could she not? She knew. She knew that he'd stay true to his word, he wouldn't abandon her. But it was still there, deep inside her, that dark and lonely room, the pain she only recently realized. So she felt happy when he came back. When he took a step closer to the dark room. Surely, there would come a day when he got to open the closed door and pour some light into that room. On that day, she would probably understand the importance of the word 'family'.
"Yeah, I'm back. So, will you tell me what brought on the reading?"
He pulled up a nearby chair as he spoke, gesturing towards the stacked books as he sat down. The books didn't seem to have been picked at random, some topics had more books than others while some topics only had summaries or more basic descriptions that would be easier for new students to understand. And above all, they all followed the same baseline, how to manage a small city.
Alice took her eyes away from him, her gaze sweeping across the books. A small city… it was a far cry from the grand Vritara duchy, so small and insignificant that it couldn't be compared. But she had to start somewhere, otherwise she would never be able to make good on her words.
"I… I can't make you my knight."
After drawing in a few breaths, Alice managed to squeeze out the truth. 'Can you be my knight?' Those were the first words they shared, the start of everything, the entire reason he had come with her at all. But she… She could not accomplish it. She could not currently give him what she 'promised,' she needed him to know that.
She managed to raise her head after uttering the words, the truth she had to admit. But he still just sat there like usual, looking directly at her like usual, a thin and small smile like usual. Yes, of course. If she knew it then he too would obviously know it, he was the one who taught her after all. And yet, he still sat there. And thus, she had to say it.
"But I will. I can't do it now, I can't do it next year, probably not within the next handful of years either, it may even take more than ten years. But I will make you a knight, Gabriel."
She was still young, far too young in fact. Gaining enough influence to become the next duke, or to make her father knight someone on her behalf, they weren't things she could do quickly. It would take time, years. But eventually, she would succeed, she had to.
"I will make sure that Leonardo gets punished for hitting you. I will also make sure that you become a knight and lord above all others. So… Will you wait for me, my knight?"
Gabriel saw it in her eyes as she spoke to him. When he first taught her about desires and wants, her desire to take over the family in the future was small. It was just something to latch onto, a desire for the sake of having one. But as she spoke now, her eyes were firm, strong, determined.
And her words… Leonardo, not Elder Brother like usual. She had made a cut, she had drawn the line. While he wasn't here, she had grown on her own, she had made a choice on her own. And the crimson eyes that reflected the light in the dim room shone all the more because of it.
Ah really, it seemed like parts of this villainess were bound to never change.
"Alright, if that's how you're going to be…"
He muttered to himself as he pushed away the chair and stood up, moving around the table until he was right by Alice, who only had to turn to face him. He matched her look as he drew his sword, stabbing the tip into the wooden floor. His legs bent as he dropped to one knee, placing his forehead against the flat side of the blade. Usually you would place it against the hilt, but he was too short for that so he had to make do.
He'd seen things like this many times when he watched the show. The number of people who performed this ceremony to the main characters wasn't small, they had to build up quite a large force to fight back against the villainess in front of him after all. But he had to say, he never thought that he'd be performing it himself.
"I will wait for you, my Lady. If you tell me to kill, I will swing my sword. If you tell me to protect, I will shield all you hold dear. If someone sullies your honour, I will defend it. From this breath and until my last, I will be your knight, and yours alone."
The words differed from person to person, the oath unique to each knight. But the intent was the same for all of them, a bond that would connect them until their deaths. Gabriel had accepted Alice's request to be her knight back when they first met, but this would be the first time he actually swore a knight's oath.
"So I will wait for you, Alice. And I will make you a lord uncontested, an unparallelled ruler."
Alice had made her stance clear and hardened her determination, so he could only do the same. So in that dim and musty library, they exchanged their oaths, a knighting ceremony for just the two of them. A villainess and her knight, sworn until death.